After walking for about thirty minutes, we finally came upon the hidden cars. Upon arrival, one of the four cars wouldn't start up, leaving us with only three vehicles. I still wanted Raven to drive one of the cars. Not only for Gabriel to experience it, but also if we encounter the Academy, he would be able to outmaneuver them.
The three SUVs were started up and the Prime climbed into the cars. I smirked when I saw Gabriel into the last car along with Luke, North, and Silas. Oh, he was going to have an experience that he'd never forget.
I turned towards Corey. "Do you want to drive with Raven or with me?"
Corey smiled. "I think I'll ride with you and the doctor. Being shot is enough trauma for me."
We snickered as Raven pouted at Corey. Axel looked at me. "We ready?"
I nodded. "Yep." Looking at Raven, I pointed at him who suddenly looked, or at least tried to look, innocent. He was failing. "You, stay at the back, and don't try to overtake the others or bump into us, got it?"
Raven looked like a sad Doberman. I shook my head against his pitiful attempt. " ponyal?" (Got it?)
He nodded his head. "Da."
I sighed. I doubt that he would. Good thing that the rest of us excelled in defensive driving. "Okay, let's go."
We all walked towards the cars. Axel, Brandon, and Marc got into the middle car that had Nathan, Kota, and Victor. Raven climbed into the last car with Gabriel, Luke, North, and Silas. Sighing, I climbed into the front seat while Corey jumped into the passenger seat. Adjusting my seat and mirrors, I looked into the mirror, seeing Milo, Mr. Blackbourne, and Sean in the seats behind me. "It's not going to be a smooth ride. Ready?"
At their nods, I placed the stick into drive and pushed my foot on the gas pedal. I heard them gasp slightly at the jerk as the car jumped forward. We still had a lot of ground to cover. The more distance between us and the Academy, the better. Glancing int eh mirror behind me, I smirked as I saw Axel's car following behind us at a normal distance while Raven's vehicle kept swerving side to side. I bet that the Prime were grabbing onto the doors or anything they could grab onto. At least, they'll be alive when we stop. Hopefully.
I glanced at Corey who was struggling to stay awake. With my eyes on the road, I lifted one of my hands and touched his hand that was resting in his lap. I felt his head turn towards me. "You should go to sleep."
He shook his head. "I'm fine."
I squeezed his hand. "It's fine. You're injured."
After a few moments, Corey nodded before resting his head against the headrest. "Sang..."
"Yes," I said softly, aware of the eyes on us.
Corey hesitated. "Did Kayli say anything about us?"
I knew that he talking about the Toma team. He was such a gentle soul that he wanted to have a glimpse of hope from Kayli. He was the first to fall for Kayli when they first met. He wanted to see the goodness in everyone before trying to see the darkness in them. I bit my lip. I didn't want to hurt him, but what was I to say?
I glanced at him. "She said that she regretted it."
Corey's eyes filled with unshed tears before he closed them. Within moments, he fell asleep. I sighed. Glancing in the back view mirror, my eyes met my brother's who was asking me if that actually happened. I shook my head slightly. A few minutes later, the others rested, and the sounds of snoring filled the car, leaving me to my memories.
I was surrounded by the Toma team in the canteen. Corey was to my left. His head was resting against my shoulder. Raven and Marc were bickering in front of us about their results in the shooting range, and Brandon was to the left, leaning against the wall with a cold and disinterested look in his eyes. Axel was to my right at the table with papers covering the surface while Kevin was face down, snoring loudly. Although we weren't part of the same team, they were the first people to befriend me. Throughout the years, we still maintained as strong friendship even as my rank became higher than theirs.
"That bullet barely broke the line. It doesn't count as a ten." Marc argued.
Raven scowled. "If it was a body, he is be dead. Point do not matter."
Marc glared at the Russian. "Says the guy who was whining about the same topic only five minutes ago."
Raven shrugged. "Men change."
Corey giggled and whispered. "More like a bear."
I smirked. It was true. Raven seemed to be more like a bear than a human sometimes. When Corey first met Raven, he thought that the Russian was actually a bear. Corey argued that it was dark and raven was very hairy and unkempt at that time.
Kevin snorted, making us know that he had woken. "Geez, can't a guy get any sleep around here?"
Axel rolled his eyes. "Go to bed. The canteen is not a place to sleep."
Kevin pouted. "But it's soooo far away."
Axel sighed playfully. "Why am I stuck with a bunch of children?"
Brandon smirked. "Because you are one."
Axel's mouth popped open in mock offense before pouting. "Why, I've never been treated like this. The leader should be shown some respect."
I smiled. "Then act like one."
Corey chuckled. "Says the one who is above us."
I pinched his side, making him laugh, but he didn't move. "What? Am I a cushion for you?"
Corey nodded. His arms wrapped around my waist. "Yep, and it's soft too."
I rolled my eyes as the doors to the canteen opened. Several recruits came staggering in. They were both men and women of varying ages. They wore simple trousers and basic t-shirts. The only thing that was different from us who were already established agents were the shirts. The higher rank you were, the more stripes one would have on their sleeve. Those who had completed recruitment and basic training had one stripe. The toma team had two stripes on their sleeves while mine held four stripes.
A girl from the recruit group caught my eye as she kept glancing in our direction. She was older than I, closer to the guys' ages. She had brown hair that was tied in a ponytail. Her face was flushed, but I could tell that the redness in her cheeks wasn't from exercising. Captivating green eyes looked from one guy to another. Her lips were a soft pink and were pressed together to prevent herself from smiling.
"Who's that?" Kevin grumbled as he noticed the girl who seemed enamored with them. He didn't like attention.
A name popped in my mind. I was looking through the names in the recruit group and noticed a girl with excelling marks especially in redirection and pickpocketing. "Kayli. I don't know her last name, but she's doing well in training." I peeked at Marc who was staring at her with interest. "I think she'd like to be introduced to you guys."
Corey leaned back. His eyes were on the girl with an unreadable look. "I guess. I notice that you never look at any guys like that."
I was silent as the six pairs of eyes landed on me. I smirked, tapping the scar on my left cheek. "It's because of this. Most guys don't want a flaw on the girl's face."
Brandon frowned. "Maybe you aren't looking in the right place."
I shrugged. "Even if this scar didn't exist, I never thought I'd find someone to love because of other things. My past won't allow it, and I've already accepted it."
Axel looked at me. "You shouldn't let the past dictate your future."
I sighed, looking at the ceiling. "Maybe but it won't be any time soon. I have things I need to do."
"You not talk how you got the sc- scar." Raven spoke in broken English. I smiled. I knew how hard he was working on speaking English. I admired him for that.
I shook my head. "It's something I never talk about."
They were silent for a few minutes until I noticed a pair of footsteps getting closer. I frowned. It probably was a recruit since the Phoenix agent learned how to walk silently. I turned my head to see the girl named Kayli step towards us. She was beautiful without any outward flaws, but I noticed that she didn't look at me who was several ranks above her. "Hello. I'm Kayli."
"Sang," a voice brought me out of my memories. Looking into the mirror, I saw Milo who was staring at me in concern. A glance at the others told me that they were still asleep.
"What, Milo?" I whispered.
"I wonder what happened after we were separated." Milo spoke in a hesitating tone. "Will you tell me how you got that scar?"
A/N: Update! This was voted 3rd to be updated. I'll have BITA 9 updated tomorrow. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter, and tell me what you think. I love hearing your comments about anything. Thanks! <3 Azallya