Chapter 13
"That's when the Academy burned down and we were able to escape."
Devin finished telling his story about how he was able to get out a few other kids from the school and take them to safe houses, which is the reason why he didn't come with us. He told us how the teachers and guards fought Jack and the people he led into the Academy, and how a lot of students managed to break away.
He also told us that someone torched the school. There would be no way that the school could function and maintain training children to be assassins, which was their goal. It also made me glad that I had gotten my file out in time.
Devin was X's inside man at the Academy. X was able to track when and where the Academy would be looking for new recruits, and he set it up. He made sure that Devin was found and taken to the Academy. X has been in contact with him ever since the beginning, the first mole in there.
He used him to watch over me. For some reason, X wanted to keep tabs on me since an early age. Devin had been able to send out messages to him in a secure line in one of the computer's at the school.
Children really were the best spies.
I didn't show it then, but I was thoroughly pissed at this. I was a good assassin, so I kept my face blank as we were all gathered in the kitchen. Everyone thirteen or older were there, while the younger kids were probably down the hall listening in on the story. They were all curious as to what happened-well, except for Ash, who kept his face even blanker than mine.
I was mad that I hadn't been told about the breakout. I was also mad how I knew Devin all my life, and how he never thought about telling me any of this was going to happen. I was pretty sure that I would have been a great help.
I waited until he told his story first, and when he finished, everyone took in a deep breath. As I looked around, I noticed that everyone was happy. Things went according to plan than.
Not that I knew what it was.
"And you're sure no one followed you?" Ash asked him.
Devin sat at the kitchen table and nodded. "Yes, I was sure to take a couple of long detours, which is why it took me all night."
"And the kids at the safe houses are alright?" Helena questioned. She seemed like the type to be worried about the kids.
He nodded once again. "Yes, I made sure everything went to plan. Everything's set."
"Alright," Jack nodded, looking over to Ash. "We should go call X and tell him Devin and the others made it."
Ash nodded and they left together back upstairs. And with that, so did the others. They gave Devin smiles of welcome and then left to do others. Sabel caught my eye and she slipped away with Helena, who I could hear yelling at the younger kids to go do something productive instead of eavesdropping.
Soon, it was just Devin and I in the kitchen. He was already getting up and rummaging through the fridge and said, "I'm starving; I've been driving all night."
I just continued leaning against the counter waiting for him to realize that something was wrong. And he did, just as I expected he would. He turned around, his smile faltering a little when he saw my bemused expression.
"What?"
I sighed. "When were you going to tell me about all of this Devin?"
He looked bewildered. "What are you talking?"
"I meant that it sounds like you've known about this Academy-destroying-organization for a while, and you are a big part of it," I told him. "And that it seemed like the leader was keeping nice tabs on me for a reason and speaking to you. Yet, I never heard a word it back at the Academy."
"What? Just how you told me that you've been sending X secret text messages in the bathroom?" he shot back.
"I guess it doesn't seem like you didn't need to be told, you knew about it all along. And your name never came up; I didn't know you were in danger. Now lets see how many times they told you to watch and report back to them. Do you want to tell me how long that was going?"
"I can't believe you’re mad about this," he scoffed. "We broke you out, you should be thanking me, not yelling at me."
"I am thankful for that."
"Then what is it?"
"It's that you lied to me and never thought to mention a group of people were planning on coming and rescuing us," I exclaimed. "I could of helped, but apparently you didn't seem to think so." Instead, I foolishly broke out and was tortured for hours because of it, and I could have been saved by it, if I only knew to hold on a couple of days longer. I didn’t say this aloud, but it was screaming around in my head, the words cutting into my brain like sharp daggers.
He sighed. "I wanted to tell you; I really did. But they made me promise not to tell you, because they said it would have been safer for you."
Devin looked at me and I saw anger and sadness in his eyes. I knew him long enough to know that he was angry that I was arguing with him about this, and sad that I felt this way. I was hurt though; I was hurt that no one decided to clue me in. But in the end, I guess it really was all just X who decided to keep me in the dark.
"How would it have been safer?" I softly asked.
"I don't know," he said, coming across the kitchen and standing a few feet in front of me. "But I did all this for you."
It was hard to stay mad at Devin for long. I knew him all my life and besides Sabel, he was my best guy friend. I couldn't be mad at him for long.
Besides, "I'm glad you're here," I told him as I crossed the few feet separating us and threw my arms around him.
He hugged me back tight. I didn't realize it, but I had been very worried about Devin. I thought he had been stuck back at the Academy and hadn't been able to get away, but now seeing him, I was very glad. It was nice to have Sabel here, but it was even better that he was with us.
****
One in the afternoon was a very crazy time for headquarters. And that was because it was training time.
The younger kids weren't allowed to use many of the real weapons besides plastic swords that felt and looked like a real one. There was a room in the back that they used to train. But anyone 13 and older trained outside or in a bigger gym that had unlimited weapons access and were tougher equipment.
I was with Jack when I saw that training room. It was actually very big and looked like an actual gym. The floors were wood (blood was common and a bitch to get out of a carpet) and there was a section for almost anything. There were matches for sparring and bars for pulls up and stretching, and regular workout machines. Heavy weights were in one corner. Jack told me there was a shooting/arrow range outside also.
Already, everyone was here. At noon, all the permanent residents at headquarters were awake and ready to train. I met most of them already but the rest I were watching right now. There were two guys sweating and sparring in one corner, very roughly. There was another, Denny, whom I was introduced to earlier, was doing some pull-ups.
"This is awesome," I said. "You guys train here?"
Jack shrugged. "Today is a good day for anyone who wants to spar though."
"Why's that?" I asked.
"Because Ash isn't here," he told me walking away.
I stood there for a few seconds, confused before I decided to follow him out. I caught up to him in the corridor and I gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"
"Ash is a good sparring partner," he confessed, "but he's really good, and not a lot of people like to be beaten up very badly, even in training. But you already knew that, didn't you?"
My heart jumped. "What are you talking about?"
Jack stopped right in front of me abruptly, making me almost run right into him. I kept my balance though and looked up at him.
"You have Ash's file."
I was scared. Jack's voice didn't give away whether or not he was mad at this, but it also didn't say whether he approved. He wore the face of an assassin-hard and blank. Though only thing that could have given him away were his lean arms crossed over his chest, but his posture was casual.
"No I don't," I replied.
He laughed. "Anna, stop making it sound like I'm an idiot. I know that you went into Dilligion's office to look for information about yourself, or possibly information that will help you escape. But in the filing cabinet, you found Ash's file. You probably have it right now."
I didn't even try to deny I was in there for that reason. "There were other files, how do you know that Ash's is the one I took?"
"Because it was alone," he told me.
Something occurred to me and I looked at him very suspicious. "How did you know that?"
"Isn't it obvious?" he asked. "I was the one who put it there."
Shock coursed through me. "No. You couldn't have; that was in Dilligion's office. How would you be able to get in there?"
"You're not the only on with skills," he winked at me quickly before continuing down the corridor once again.
"How did you get your hands on Ash's file?" I asked.
"I looked around," he answered.
"So why'd you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Why'd you put the file in his office? Why'd you want me to see it?" I asked. We had come to the front of the house, and we were now on the porch. If I leaned over far enough, I could see some of the women who lived here practicing with their bows and arrows down the hill. They were good shots.
"Two reasons," Jack finally answered me, stopping there. He leaned against the railing and composed a casual stance. "One was because I stole the file a long time ago, and I put it back there to show Dilligion that Ash is good and vengeful towards him and all of the other academies in the world. It was a warning or signal of war."
"War," I repeated and he nodded. "Why is Ash vengeful?"
"Why are you?" he replied simply.
"All right," I said, "what was the second reason?"
"I knew you would find it," he explained. "Anna, we've been watching you for a while, and after you tried to escape the first time, I knew you would do whatever you could to be successful the second time, because you would try. And that included breaking into Dilligion's office. And I knew that you would be curious about his file, so I put it in there for the sole purpose of one thing-to warn you."
"Warn me?" my voice was quiet but I hid the fear in it. "Of what?"
"Ash."
This time I didn't even try to hide my surprise and fear as it washed through my expression and me. "Ash. Why would you need to warn me about him?"
"Because," Jack said, his voice nonchalant, "I think he's planning on killing you."
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