Kyle
It happened in slow motion, but I couldn't stop it. I couldn't do anything to change what happened.
"You ok?" Mallory asked as she approached where I was standing. I was used to seeing her in all black, but that was for missions, and we were not on one.
"I should've gone with her," I mumbled.
"Then you would be dead too."
"Not last week. Last year. When Ned-" I cut myself off. We were in a similar position over a year ago, the same church where Ned's funeral was held. But there was something different then. None of us were sure if Brooke was ever coming back. And now we had our answer.
Mallory leaned up against me. "I'm sad she's gone, but I think the pain was too much for her. She was stronger than all of us, but she had gone through total hell, and even once she was back, she couldn't escape it."
"Are you saying it's ok that she killed herself?" I demanded.
"You already know my answer. Stop blaming yourself. Kyle, she didn't need to be protected. She didn't want to be protected. All she wanted was to protect us," Mallory said.
"You don't get it."
"I don't get it?" she asked. "My brother died trying to rescue Brookie. I miss her just as much as you do. I miss him every day. But trust me, you have to let go if you even want a slight chance of recovering."
"She wanted to protect us, but she also wanted to protect Lab 7. Mallory, what was in Lab 7 that Brookie was willing to die for?" I said.
"Lab 7 is records of missions and agents. Paper copies so there wouldn't be a digital trail."
"Why did she die for it? And how did she know it needed to be protected? How did you know what it was? I didn't even know what was in it."
"Because you never needed to know," Mallory said.
"Did Brooke?"
Mallory took a deep breath. "I can't tell you that because I don't know."
"Did you need to know?"
Mallory nodded. "But I can't tell you why."
"Mallory, please. I need to know."
She shook her head. "No, you don't." She started to walk away but I grabbed her arm.
"Mallory. Why did Brooke die?"
"Same reason she did anything," Mallory replied with a sad smile. "She was trying to protect the people closest to her."
She walked to her seat, next to Nathan and Chelsea. I continued to stand at the back. Around halfway through the ceremony, the back door opened and a girl walked inside. There were so many features which I could tell were disguised, but her eyes, I would recognize those eyes anywhere.
And in that moment, I realized who Brooke was protecting.
I walked over to the girl who entered and was about to speak to her, but she said, "Wait. Until the end. I don't want to draw any attention."
I nodded, and once the final song concluded, we slipped out the back door.
"Brooke never told me she had a family," I said.
"She doesn't. She had me. No one else," the girl replied.
"Why do you have a Lab 7 file?" I asked. "That's what they were looking for, right?"
She sighed. "I have a Lab 7 file because I used to work there. I used to work with you, Kyle."
"I don't remember you."
"No, you remember Brooke. And I was Brooke, for a little while."
I shook my head. "That doesn't make any sense."
"I can explain, but only if you promise to not tell anyone what I am telling you."
I nodded. "I promise. For Brooke."
"Brooke was the original spy. I did some training alongside her, but no one knew there was two of us other than Agent Katherine. She thought that having identical twins would be a secret weapon, and she didn't want that on any records."
"Identical twin?"
She nodded. "One mission, I walked right into a trap, and I was the only one who made it out. After watching nine of my teammates get killed, I couldn't do it anymore. I left. Agent Katherine and Brooke were ok with it, because since Brooke was still there, no one would have any idea that I was an agent living in the real world. But then Brooke got sick. Really sick. And they didn't think she would make it. I visited her, and she told me of the bioweapon that she was trying to stop. That's what she was infected with and that's why no doctor could cure her. I took her place, becoming Brooke for the first time in two years. I broke in and found the cure, and destroyed the remaining samples.
"I stayed as Brooke until she recovered, and she tried to convince me to stay. Someone from the group that was making the bioweapon realized there were two of us, and that I had seen more than just the bioweapon. They knew I would have a Lab 7 file, and so tried to break in. Brooke knew that's what they were after, and she died protecting me."
"I don't believe all of this," I said.
"What don't you believe?" she commented. "That she could pull the switch off or that she didn't tell you? Because we both know what she has done to protect the people she cares about."
"I can't believe I didn't notice the difference between you two."
She smiled. "Don't worry. It's happened more than you think. Remember how there was a period that lasted about three weeks a couple of months ago when Brooke seemed to be doing a lot better with her physical tests? That was me. Brooke was off site getting surgery and Agent Katherine called me in because she didn't want Brooke to be trailed when she was at the other hospital."
"A couple of months ago? You were her for weeks and I couldn't tell the difference?"
"Kyle, the two of us have trained since we were very young to be the same person. We've fooled people much smarter than you."
"It's not about how smart I am! I was supposed to be her partner, to know everything about her and to read her no matter what. And I didn't notice that she was an entirely different person?"
"No, you never noticed when we switched."
"How often did you do it?"
She shrugged in reply. "More than you think we did."
"Does anyone else know this?"
"Agent Katherine. She knows the entire truth."
"Didn't you just tell me the entire truth?"
She shook her head. "Kyle, do you trust me?"
I nodded. "Yes. It's crazy, but I do."
"Not everything I told you was true." She turned and started walking to her car.
"Wait!" I yelled out to her. "What's your name?"
She smiled. The smile I had seen for years, had fought alongside for years. The smile from the girl I trusted with my life.
And then she said, "Brooke," and stepped into her car.
I took a deep breath as I realized the truth. I put my hands in my pockets and shook my head as I walked back inside. I felt a slip of paper in my left pocket, and I took it out and read Brooke's distinct handwriting.
Thank you for everything you did for Bella.
No, my partner was far from dead, and somehow, she saw her mission through to the end.
The End.
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Hope you all have enjoyed this story! I know the ending was a little confusing, but I'm really happy with how it turned out! Please don't forget to vote, and comment what you thought of it! Thanks for reading!