CHAPTER ONE:
"He's going to do something terribly stupid."
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IF YOU HAD TOLD MIA LANGLEY THAT SHE'D BE TALKING A TEENAGER OUT OF SUICIDE AND SUBSEQUENTLY REVEALING SECRETS NO ONE ALIVE KNEW ABOUT HER AN HOUR AGO: SHE WOULD HAVE LAUGHED - AND THEN PUNCHED YOU.
"Do you ever smile?" Maria frowned at Mia, gently tracing her finger along the other girl's cheek. "I smile all the time, Maria." Mia said with an overexaggerated stretch of her lips. "I mean what's not to be happy about." The girl's voice was dripping in sarcasm as the wide smile that had previously decorated her lips moved back into a scowl. Maria's lips tugged down farther and Mia tried to ignore the twinge of guilt that crept up on her like her mother's hand when she reached for a cookie before dinner.
She let out a puff of air between her bleeding lips, she had been biting at the scabbing skin (a result of Brandy's ring during one of their sparring matches) and now she could taste the familiar tang of her blood. Mia closed her eyes, slowing her breathing down as memories started creeping towards her like a storm she knew she was in the eye of. Shaking her head as if that would rid her of the trauma, she focused on reloading her gun until Willie spoke up catching her attention.
"Hobo's on the move!" Willie's voice broke through the silence, causing the group to immediately disperse, running into their assigned positions.
Finally, something to keep my mind off this shit.
And that was her problem because it was always finally. Her past, her shit, was always just there - in the dark waiting for her. It was the monster under her bed, just waiting for a bad dream to peak its' claws out. It didn't even have to touch her. She didn't even have to see it. Because she knew it was there. She could feel its' beady eyes on her when she got a question wrong in class or when her opponent managed to land a hit. Just its very existence was enough for her to be terrified. So, when she could feel it. When she could feel its' eyes on the back of her head, she found distractions. And today, it seemed a distraction found her.
Marcus Lopez Arguello's wide eyes were trained on Mia, but it seemed he wasn't truly looking at her. Mia's mouth, that was ready to spew a half-assed apology for bumping into him, closes as she realizes who he is and a sigh escapes her as she realizes what he is.
"Fuck, you're high aren't you?"
The words fall past her lips before she can stop them and when a small confused giggle escapes the boy, she's almost glad she didn't bite her tongue. The girl sighs, not expecting the role of luring him to be placed on her shoulders. She wasn't very good with people, which is why she was on lookout duty, making sure cops weren't following Marcus. She looks at the boy, who looks both like he wants to scream and like he wants to sleep, and forcibly tugs her lips into what she hopes is a reassuring smile. "Come on, if we keep our heads low we should be able to get you out of here." She extends her hand and when he takes hold of it, he squeezes it and suddenly the cool San Fransisco air feels warm.
Mia reaches over the boy's unruly mass of curls to lift his hoodie over his head, effectively hiding his face better. As they move across the street, she spots Saya on her bike, foot on the pedal ready to go when necessary. Saya's eyes immediately make contact with Mia's like she could feel the other girl's stare. 'What the fuck' the girl mouths to Mia, whose only response is a shrug. She can tell Saya is annoyed as she's always been a plan type of person. She always followed the plan. Whether it was a mission or just a regular day Saya Kuroki stuck to the rules.
"You've been made." Willie's voice breaks her out of her reverie for the second time that night. When Willie's gaze moves over to Mia, he can only squint his eyes before Marcus' frightened features capture her attention.
"Shit." Marcus mutters out, his grip on Mia's hand tightening as he began to run. Mia's mouth opened ready to insult the boy only to notice three cops chasing after them. Mia steered them into the crowd, dragging them far enough that hopefully they'd get lost in the crowd.
Mia's exaggerated smile made its' way onto her face again as they ran into Maria, who upon seeing Mia holding onto their target's hand had only starred - completely forgetting to do her whole sexy hypnotic gaze thing. The subtle movement of Mia's head in the direction of the officers chasing them allows Maria to gain focus again. She directs them to the left of her with a quick movement of her fan and Mia bites her lip at the sound of a scream. She doesn't look behind her, knowing full well what Maria is capable of, and when Marcus tries to, she speeds up.
Marcus tried to steer them in the direction of an alleyway that would have actually been a fairly decent place to hide. However, Mia's priorities were clear - and if she had to kick some cops' asses to get this kid to Lin, then so be it. So, she lead them to the garage the group was supposed to meet at, ignoring the tug on her hand trying to pull her away from the direction. Once they make it to the location decided by the team, she slows down. The girl finally allowing herself to catch her breath. Marcus steps away from the girl, eyebrows furrowing at her. He seemed unfazed by what had physically transpired. Now only curious and skeptical. The fear of being found had seemed to sober him up some as his eyes appeared less red and they weren't bulging at everything in his sight anymore.
"Who are you?" His voice breaks the silence that had been surrounding them. His voice is deep and scratchy like she knew her voice sounded when she cried in the middle of the night. She imagined he had spent a lot of nights doing that. With nothing but a dumpster and the stars to keep him company, he must have spent a lot of sleepless nights crying. She swallows as empathy begins to burn in her chest. Empathy was a weakness and Mia Langley was not weak.
"My name's Mia." She responds voice now back to its' usual self. Blank and devoid of any emotion. Marcus rolls his eyes, seeming to get almost angry as he rakes a shaking hand through his hair. "Yeah, but who are you?" Mia opens her mouth to dodge the question, wanting to wait until the others are there to elaborate, but before she can the revving of an engine cuts her off.
Mia's eyes roll as she waits for the girl's arrival. Marcus' head snaps towards the sound and then back towards the girl, who only shakes her head at him. Sure enough, Saya comes speeding down towards them, she doesn't slow down as she approaches them and Mia knows this is supposed to make her scared. That this is Saya's way of punishing her for disturbing the plan. But, the fast movement of the vehicle only makes the girl agitated. It does not have the same effect on the boy next to her though and Mia covers her mouth before an entertained giggle can escape it at the sight of the boy. He's dropped to the ground, back against the wall and hands up in surrender. His eyes were squinted closed as though he was preparing for impact and when it never arrived he curiously peeked them open.
Saya is slow in her movements as if she expects the two to be in awe of her presence. She lifts her legs carefully off the bike, combat boots making a harsh thud as they collide with the pavement. She takes her helmet off in one swift motion, shaking her short stark black hair, her eyes slowly making eye contact with the boy - who does seem rather in awe of the girl- before flashing her eyes to Mia.
Her eyes immediately narrow as she comes closer to the girl. "What the fuck were you thinking, Langley?" Saya is in her face in no time and Mia can only stare into the girl's dark angry eyes. Mia was only slightly annoyed by Saya before, but now she was angry. A wide smile makes its' way onto Mia's face as she moves closer to Saya. Quickly retrieving her blade from the holster on her thigh, she presses the knife against Saya's neck and relishes in the way the girl swallows against it, eyes squinting back at Mia in anger. "I think my name is Mia, Kuroki." The girl says through gritted teeth.
She can see Saya's hand folding into a fist, can see it moving up closer to her face, but before it can make contact with Mia the clear sound of police sirens interrupts them. Mia shoves the girl away from her, looking to her left only to see Marcus had started running again, the knife show probably not something he wanted to stick around to see the result of. She sighed turning to Saya and jabbing a finger in the boy's direction. Saya sighed, rolling her eyes, before nodding her head and stepping forward to deal with the cops.
Mia's breaths slowed, ignoring the sounds of screams and gunshots and focusing on the mop of dark curly hair that was getting progressively farther away from her. She sighed, speeding up the pace of her feet against the hard concrete as her heart beat in time to her steps.
Thud, thud, thud. He was getting closer now. Thud, thud, thud. If she could just get a little closer she would be able to reach the hood of his jacket. Thud, thud, thud. If she just stretched her arm out far enough. Whoosh. The brunette stopped in her tracks, watching on in confusion as Billy rode by on his skateboard, effectively knocking Marcus down as Willy came in behind him and put a bag over the boy's head. Mia rolled her eyes, childishly stomping her foot onto the ground. "I had that!" She called to the boys. "You're welcome." Billy smiled at her as he led Marcus outside. "I'm sure you did, princess." Willy winked at her, following Billy out. The girl let out a disgusted scoff before following the two to the car waiting for them.
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"So, how'd you end up with him, Mia?" Maria asked in that high-pitched voice Mia loved to pretend to hate. Maria was always so...happy. The girl could rarely be seen without a smile on her face. Mia had witnessed on more than one occasion her terrible excuse of a boyfriend, Chico, hit her and even then the girl only reassured her friends she was fine and smiled at her boyfriend like his knuckles scraping against her cheek was some type of caress.
"Yes, how did you manage to end up with the target when you were supposed to be on lookout?" Saya spoke up from the other side of Maria. "I just ran into him while I was moving to get into position." Mia explained making direct eye contact with Saya because she knew it would piss the Japanese girl off.
A snort left Billy's mouth and he paled as the two girls' death glares were suddenly focused on him. "Sorry, it's just- she wasn't looking out when she was trying to move into position to...lookout." He covered his mouth before another giggle could escape him, quickly shifting his attention back to spinning the wheels on his skateboard that was resting on his lap.
The sudden silence in the car was soon interrupted by another bang from the trunk. Willy sighed, his grip on the steering wheel tightening. "That punk needs to shut his ass up or I'll end up killin' him before we even get him to Lin." Mia rolled her eyes, she was observant enough to know Willy was all talk. From his death grip on any weapon he held to the way his fingers shook when he let that weapon go, it was obvious to the girl. From time to time, Willy would get this look in his eyes like he was reliving this horrible nightmare, but it would pass the second he realized someone was looking at him. Mia could relate to him in this way. "Good thing we're here then," Saya said, opening her door before Willy had even fully stopped the car.
Master Lin was waiting for them when they arrived. He looked as he always did. Face calm, shoes shiny, hands clutching his cane tightly, and eyes breaking down every movement Mia made. He reminded her of her father in this way. The way his dark eyes tracked down each wrong step her leather combat boots made like he was always waiting for her to mess up. Unlike her father though, Master Lin wasn't one to laugh at these mistakes. He never pointed his finger at her or talked in that deep demeaning tone she was accustomed to. His words were slow and always presented in a way that made her feel heard even as she was listening.
He said nothing as he watched his students bring in the boy. His eyes followed them as they made their way to the freezer in the back. He didn't follow them, but the students thought nothing of it, too focused on the homeless boy they were tying to a chair. Mia sighed, blowing a piece of hair out of her face as she finished tying the knot around the boy's wrist.
"Don't look like no psychopath to me." Willy spoke, crossing his arms over his chest as he observed the boy. Mia let out a long exhale as she stood up from her position behind the boy. "Well, you can't judge a book by its' cover." She said, giving Willy a pointed look as she tugged her lips into a smile. "But you can judge one by its' smell!" Billy chimed in. Mia's nose wrinkled as she noticed for the first time the stench that was exuding from the boy like a dumpster. Which was most likely due to him sleeping in a dumpster.
Willy rolled his eyes at Billy, taking a step forward to yank the bag off of Marcus' head. His eyes moved around the room quickly, taking note of his surroundings. His head whipped around as Mia made her way around him to where the rest of the group was.
"He's cute." Maria commented. Mia rolled her eyes at the girl before she trailed her eyes down his figure. He was sweating - from stress or exhaustion - it was hard to tell. His dark curly hair was slick with grease and knotted in a way that showed he hadn't put a comb through it in months. He was skinny from a lack of food, but his shoulders were broad and there was something strangely attractive about the scar that ran down the left side of his face. "Yeah," Billy smirked, "Total 'Hobo Fancy' cover boy material."
"Whatcha say, mad dog? You the psycho that did the boys' home massacre?" Mia shot a glare towards Willy, but quickly shifted her gaze to Marcus out of curiosity. After all, Mia had done a lot of fucked up things in her life. But killing kids? That was not one of them.
Marcus shifted his gaze to the ground. "Pretty tough, barking at a dude tied to a chair." He said, shifting his eyes upwards again and looking towards Willy with a look Mia could only describe as a challenge. "Untie this punk-ass bitch." Willy, always one to want to prove his toughness, spoke quickly.
Mia smacked the boy on the shoulder. "I just tied that shit, asshole." Willy's eyebrows rose, surprised she was sticking up to him, "And you can tie it again, bitch." Mia's lips turned upwards into a sadistic smile. "You're gonna regret that." Willy scoffed at the girl's words before he was cut off by the quick movement of his arm being pushed behind his back and the cool feeling of Mia's knife on his neck, but the single echoing sound of Master Lin's shoes hitting the floor made Mia release her hold on Willy instantly.
"Forgive my students," He spoke as he moved closer to Marcus, the teens immediately moving out of his way. "They forget that viciousness serves only to make them look weak." Mia looked down even as she knew the comment was most likely directed at Willy and even as she knew Master Lin was not looking at her. Saya moved quickly to retrieve a chair for Master Lin to sit in as Master Lin's eyes shifted to Billy. "Billy, if you'd be so kind." Billy's eyes shifted to Mia for a second before bringing his knife out and severing the binds on Marcus' wrist. The room was quiet for a moment just the sound of a teacup scraping against the plate Master Lin held and the scraping of metal as Billy flipped his knife closed filling the air.
Master Lin swallowed, "Are you satisfied with your life?" "Me? Yeah." He nodded, fiddling with sleeves of his jacket. "I eat trash and I sleep in piss." He lifted his head, eyes narrowing and voice filled with the kind of sarcasm that could only be from years of torment. "Everything according to plan." Mia's lips twitched at his cynicism, but Saya immediately stepped forward. "Speak to Master Lin with respect." Willy's hand wrapped around her waist, pushing her back before she could touch Marcus.
His lips quirked into a small smirk as his eyes narrowed in on the girl. "Master Lin can eat my shit." He spoke slowly and quietly and when he was done his eyes swept across the group once more. "Who the hell are you people?" Master Lin took a slow sip from his tea, raising his eyes to meet Marcus' once more. "What's important is that we know who you are, Marcus. And that we know what you've done." The small smirk on the boy's face vanished and Mia watched with intrigue as his Adam's apple bobbed, his breaths seeming to become shorter.
"You're a killer. Few value this particular proficiency, but I do." Marcus swallowed, his gaze meeting the ground again. "What if I told you there's a home for people like you? A school where you'll be surrounded by your peers." Mia blinked back emotions she had buried long ago as she remembered when Master Lin had delivered this exact speech to her.
She had just turned fifteen and she had a dead body in her closet. There was still blood in the beds of her fingernails when Lin had shown up with the promise of protection and a family. Mia hadn't really had that. Her parents were who she learned her hollowness from. They taught her how to be empty. How to have no attachments...to anyone. Including one's children. But, Lin had shown up on her doorstep and had looked her in the eyes and told her she'd finally have a place where she belonged. Of course, when she arrived there, big eyes full of hope, she was quickly disappointed, but Lin had always been there for her. The home Lin had promised her was not filled with people like her and it certainly wasn't a home, but it was better than what she had. And for that she was grateful.
The flash of hope that had sparked in Marcus' eyes died when he blinked and a scowl found its' way onto his face. "Only what? I dress up like a Viking so you can take tasteful pictures?" Saya's lips tugged into a deeper scowl as Mia's lips tugged into what could almost be called a smile. Master Lin seemed unfazed by the comment, simply adjusting his grip on the plate in his hand. "I'm offering you a chance to harness that fire inside you. To master the deadly arts."
Marcus' shoulders were filled with tension, his fingers curling in on themselves. "The deadly arts, yeah." His voice was barely above a whisper as he observed the floor, pressing the toe of his shoe along a blackened part of it. He seemed lost for a moment, staring intensely at the spot on the floor where his foot was. "That uh - that sounds great." He blinked, nodded, and then moved to grab his backpack from the floor. "You know, this all seems really sane and normal, and ya'll look like a fun bunch, but uh..." He paused moving his gaze around the room as he stood up. "Whatever this is..." He was staring off into the space to the right of Mia's head, seemingly lost in thought, before shaking his head and walking off without finishing his sentence. He roughly bumped into Willy on his way out, brushing shoulders with Mia in the process. He looked at her for a moment as he walked before shaking his head again, and continuing to walk out.
There was a pregnant pause as everyone's eyes moved from the exit to Master Lin, wondering what he was going to do. This was interrupted by Willy's voice. "That son of a bitch stole my wallet." Mia let out a giggle which she quickly stifled with her hand. "Oh, you think this is funny?" Willy stepped closer to Mia, his breath hitting her face as he huffed. "I always find humor in your misfortune, Willy." She spoke with a false cheer to her tone, lightly slapping his face before turning to Lin.
"So, what now? Every cop in the city's looking for him. He can't get far." Master Lin took a sip from his tea, raising his pinky finger, before looking towards Mia. "Yes, which means he's going to do something terribly stupid." The teens looked confusedly at each other, all furrowed eyebrows and rolled eyes. And then it hit her. He had nothing. No home, no family, no friends, no future, no life. Mia swallowed what felt like a rock and let it sit in her stomach for a second as she attempted to breathe. "He's gonna kill himself."
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They should have sent Saya. Saya was always calm and collected and she wouldn't be having a panic attack right now. Her veins wouldn't feel like they were on fire, her heart wouldn't be in her throat, her hands wouldn't shake, she would be fine.
But, here Mia was watching this boy who she knew everything and nothing about hovering over a ledge. She racked her brain for information that might help talk him down. Male, 17, homeless, orphan, wanted for murder of the first degree. The facts she had studied hit her like a hammer in her head, but none of it felt important. Did he believe in God? Probably not. But with the trauma that seemed to cling to him like a scent? He had to talk to Him sometimes. When his bones ached and his stomach roared and all he wanted was his mother's embrace. She swallowed, forcing the bile that had risen in her throat down.
His eyes were unmoving, a glassy stare focused on the pavement below him. His scuffed converse shuffled closer to the edge and Mia's heart nearly stopped for a second. Her trembling lips moved to form words but found she couldn't when all that escaped her was a desperate intake of air. That was enough to capture the boy's attention as his head quickly whipped around to find the girl with clenched fists and eyes on his feet, that had taken a small step back from the ledge.
"What the hell? Did you follow me here?" He scoffed. Mia bit her lip, begging her voice not to break as she searched for words. "Yes." Was all she managed. She let an angry flow of air to escape her nostrils in annoyance with herself. Her fists tightened, launching her nails further into her palms. She closed her eyes forcing air into her lungs and slowly letting it out. When she opened her eyes she found Marcus' eyebrows furrowed, his gaze confused and questioning.
"Sorry, I'm -" She paused, her gaze looking back down at Marcus' feet. "I'm not very good with this stuff." Marcus' eyes flickered back to the ground before focusing on Mia again. "What? Death? Aren't you mastering the 'deadly arts'?" He mocked, using finger quotes. Mia swallowed, forcing herself to maintain eye contact with Marcus. "Can you just - step down?" She pleaded. "Why do you care?" He asked her not making any effort to move. Mia blinked away tears as memories filtered through her head. A bright smile, a small giggle, a bloody wrist.
"You'll regret it." She tries to reason. Marcus scoffs, rolling his eyes and starring back down at the ground. "I have nothing anymore." He says as his feet shuffle closer to the edge. Mia curses under her breath, her training had not prepared her for this. In all of her lessons, she had never learned how to save a life only how to take it.
As her mouth opens to say something, anything, Marcus lifts his foot to dangle over the edge. Mia feels her blood run cold and for a moment she sees Rachel. Rachel who had picked her up from school and held her hand when they crossed the street. Rachel who had never, not once, cried in front of Mia. Rachel who had hugged her when their parents' yells shook the house and who cleaned up all her bleeding wounds. Rachel who Mia had held in her arms until her clothes were stained with the girl's blood. Mia didn't have to think when her hand wrapped around Marcus' wrist, tugging him away. Her arms wound around his neck and they were both crying. She could feel the wet drops fall onto her shoulder. His body shook into hers and all she could do was hope that if she held him tight enough, she could keep their broken pieces together.
It felt like hours later when they finally broke apart. Tears were still rolling down their cheeks and they moved in sync to wipe them from the other's face. Marcus sighed, looking down at the pavement for a moment before stepping down from the ledge. He reached a hand out to Mia, who gingerly took it as she stepped down.
She sat down, pressing her back against the ledge and leaning her head back. She closed her eyes, wiping the sleeve of her jacket across her nose. "My sister killed herself." Her voice breaks when she says it and she doesn't know if it's the raw emotion of the statement or if it's from the tears that have made her throat sore. She chooses to believe the latter.
Marcus sits down next to her. Her eyes are still closed, but she reaches out for his hand anyway. "Her name was Rachel. She was older by four years, but she always acted like it was more. She was always taking care of me when she should have been taking care of herself." Her eyes opened and she looked to Marcus. "Look, I'm not gonna bullshit you. King's Dominion is a shitty place with shitty people, but it is world's better than what my life used to be." She moved her gaze to her lap, squeezing their intertwined hands. "My parents always pushed us to be like them and I was always better at it than Rachel. I used to take pride in that, but it disgusts me now. It's why I pulled my knife out when Saya called me by my last name. I don't even go by Amelia anymore. I only let Master Lin call me what my parents decided to name me. He saved me from that house."
Mia let's out a deep breath, focusing her gaze on Marcus again. "You asked me why I care. I was the one who found Rachel. My parents had sent me out and when I came back I found Rachel in the bathtub with blood dripping from her wrist. She was eighteen. She had her whole fucking life to live and she was dead in a bathtub. I'll be damned if I let another kid die because no one was paying attention."
She was looking him straight in the eye with such intensity that his eyes began to well with tears. It had been a long time since either of them had allowed themselves to be this close to someone. She brought him into her side, letting his head rest on her shoulder. His dark curls brushed the side of her cheek as she rubbed a soothing hand up and down his arm. "I hate Barbara Salinger. I hate her and it's not even because she killed my parents. I hate her because every time I close my eyes, every time I think of them, all I see is her face. It's impossible to think about the smell of my dad's gallo de pinto or the sound of my mom's laugh without seeing her fucking face. I can't even think about their bleeding bodies without that fucking face haunting me." His words are broken and slurred into the skin of her neck, but she nods along all the same.
They lay this way for a while, whispering secrets to each other before Mia pulls away. Her calloused hands took hold of Marcus' scarred face, making sure they made eye contact. "Look, this isn't going to be easy. But this life? This life will kill you and you deserve so much more than that. This world has been shitty to you, but you deserve a chance. A chance to be more than some hobo scoring blunts on the sidewalk. So, come with me." Marcus is quiet, his eyes moving back and forth between hers before they settle on her left and he nods. "Okay."
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Sorry this is so ridiculously long, I didn't really expect for it to be, but I kinda got caught up in it. Also, the ending isn't great but we're working with it. Anyway, I love the dynamic Mia and Marcus have a lot and I'm really excited about the character development Mia's going to be going through because trust me there's a lot. I'm just really fucking hype for this story, fam.