"Your target is Santiago Ruiz. He failed to deliver my two dirt-modified Jaguars, last time I sent a group of Rookies to retrieve them, they were caught and killed on-sight. So the groups for this round are...Bexley and Jasper, Natalia and Adam, Callie and Otis. You all will be the eyes on the ground and the possible assassins. Alek, Felix, and lastly, Keith; will be your snipers. This mission is not only a retrieval of the two cars unharmed and elimination of my enemy, it will also be testing compassion during the trial.", Denim informs the nine adults, "Oh, and if you do attempt to not follow orders or escape, I will make sure to have you recaptured, tortured, and possibly killed. Now any questions?"
"Since you asked, yes.", Natalia suddenly blurts out after everyone got with their teammates, "What's up with Adam being teamed up with a group of rookies?"
"Adam is my eyes while you guys are there. He knows how things are supposed to roll and will make certain that they do.", Denim replies before eyeing Keith, "Any other questions?"
There was a short pause since they were all in their own world of fear. Bexley studies her sandals nervously since she had never had any experience on the field, Callie examines her nails, Jasper looks over at Felix wondering how they should act with Keith and Natalia, while the rest of the group swayed from foot to foot, attempting to comprehend what they were about to get into. Suddenly it was Callie who dared to ask the one question lingering in the back of some member's minds, although it already seemed obvious what Denim's response would be.
"If there's only two cars, what happens to the other teams?", she asks in a sassy attitude, chewing her already stale gum.
"Ah, simple, either they get left behind...or hopefully killed.", Denim replies with a growing smirk as him and Keith finally make eye contact.
𐊜
The limousine driver suddenly stops changing the tension in the air to panic. Jasper, Bexley, Otis, Callie, Felix, and Alek had already gotten dropped off earlier that way things wouldn't seem as suspicious, yet it never aided any situation when there was a giant beach party going on behind the barricaded doors surrounding the small, isolated beach miles away from civilization. Adam looks over at Natalia who had just given Keith a sympathetically depressed look before opening the door for her while pushing the almost invisible earpiece further in his ear.
They had reached the entrance surrounded by a swarm of guards who asked for their VIP passes. After Adam verified their false identities, they were allowed inside. As they approached the mansion with a mob of people dressed in their beach garments, the music got louder and so did Natalia's heartbeat as it pounded to the rhythm of the song booming through the speakers.
Adam opens the door to the beach house, revealing the literal definition of party to Natalia. Natalia scans the over-sized mansion leading towards the large glass windows exposing the beach and pools on its other side. It wasn't until she felt a hand slid in hers and drag her down the stairs that she woke out of her inspection. Once they had reached the bottom, Natalia had quickly jerked her hand out of Adam's; rubbing it as if he had injured it while giving him a suspicious glare.
"What's wrong with you?", she asks, still struggling to ignore the surprise of his sudden boldness.
"We're at a romantic beach party, don't make the situation any more suspicious.", Adam whispers after some people along the side of the stairs gave them both an odd stare.
Against her will, she allows him to slide his hand back in hers, suddenly allowing herself to plan his drowning down at the beach. He leads her down to the dance floor, encouraging her to dance until they could spot Santiago without causing any alarm. Although she was glad she could have her hand back, Adam suddenly began spinning and moving around in front of her. She watches him awkwardly, unsure of how to copy his or anyone's funky movements as they all move to the beat of the song booming through the large speakers surrounding the left side of the wall.
Natalia's smile had just begun to grow, finding their movements hilarious but quickly faded when she began to spot familiar faces. First she spots Jasper who was already taking the spotlight as he and Bexley both wildly danced to the song. Within a few seconds she spots Otis and Callie, both appearing very suspicious as they scanned the crowd while chugging down their cups of beer as they sat seated at the indoor bar.
It was as if out of the hundred people who turned up at the party, that one girl's familiar dirty blonde hair from Miller's cabin stood out as it bounced to her moves. Adam once again shakes Natalia out of her surveillance, blocking her view as he mouthed some words she had stubbornly ignored.
"Don't you remember how to dance?", he finally asks, giving in after she had attempted to look over his shoulder for the girl again.
Natalia was about to respond yes, recalling Jennifer and Oscar's wedding but quickly shakes it out of her mind and sarcastically responds with a no, which he rolls his eyes at. The song finishes and everyone, including Adam strangely clap their hands to. The DJ yells some things about choosing a companion for the upcoming song that would be dedicated to everyone's partner.
Adam holds out his hand again, reminding Natalia to roll with it. At first she was fine with it and allowed him to place his hand on her hip while holding her left hand in his but as the song began to become familiar regret filled her thought of peace. Natalia vividly remembers this being the exact same song Keith and her had danced to the first night after she had miraculously recovered from her death and was allowed home.
Keith had just gotten to his initial position inside the AC vent above the party down below when he heard Alek's voice taunting him in his mind. Although it seemed like he was the only one hearing it, Alek's voice rang in all the member's ears.
"Adam and Nat seem to really be enjoying the dance down there.", he taunts in a whisper from across the vent Keith was in, obviously drawing everyone's attention from their assignment to the two dancing couples, "What do you think, Keith?"
"Concentrate on your tasks, ignore the jokes.", Keith seriously orders as he cleans his snipers muzzle after noticing Natalia and Adam swaying to that same song he recalled dancing to with Natalia after her welcome home party at the Miller's cabin.
"What exactly happened after the Academy went down?", Natalia asks, taking a deep breath in as she alternated her view from the beautiful beach outside to Adam's icy blue eyes, realizing Alek was trying to get back at them and spread their secret relationship.
"Why exactly does that matter to you? Thought you forgot.", he snaps back, hating how Natalia was bringing it up.
"Just trying to make this dance less awkward since you're obviously failing to realize I'm absolutely hating it."
"Everything went under a new management called Titanium Agency; who turns out was supposed to be in control of the Academy but wasn't. Everyone who wasn't shot down and were captured, went under a deep background search. Those whose parents were still miraculously alive got to be reunited with their families after receiving lifetime guaranteed counseling. Those who weren't were given the choice of either working with the agency or starting life with a clean plate with only one warning. But...then there were those who were considered dangerous for society and were either killed or God knows where the hell they ended up. I got lucky and got to start with a clean new slate.", Adam explains while he and Natalia both avoided eye contact, "Anyway, what about you? What did you do after you took down the Academy with Titanium agency."
Natalia's body had suddenly jerked at the sudden realization that Adam had known that the whole entire time, causing him to grin victoriously.
"Let's just say...you escaped punishment."
"They tortured you too?", Adam exclaims.
"No. Just a phase I couldn't escape."
"That's not explaining what punishment I escaped. I thought we were sharing our personal experiences like we used to before.", Adam whines making Natalia crack a small smile that faded at the realization of what he just said.
"I honestly don't want to talk about it."
"Well you sort of have to."
"I absolutely do not.", Natalia defends herself.
"Fine, then be a brat.", Adam says, looking out the windows annoyed.
"Says the spoiled Prince.", Natalia snaps back with a growing grin as the song begins to fade to an end.
"Excuse you princess!", Adam barks back with a grin of his own growing.
Neither one realized that the song and dancing had already come to an end. They also didn't realize that as the place began to silence down, their voices grew and so did the attention drawn towards them since they were the only two left swaying back and forth.
"Smartass."
"Show-off!"
"Jerk!"
"Jackass!"
"Dickhead!"
Only then did they realize everyone's growing chant of the one word that hadn't crossed Natalia's mind since earlier that morning, "Kiss". Her heart started pounding even harder against her chest cavity as she stopped her movements staring at everyone baffled. She looks up at Adam, hoping he could come up with a solution to stop everyone's chants but instead gets mouthed to "play along"; the exact thing Alek had wanted to happen.
When he suddenly realized she began to doubt the plan would make them stop, he leaned in first, moving his hands to her face as their lips touched and the crowd stopped and began to cheer. Natalia put both her hands on his wrists, pulling them down when she felt everyone's presence suddenly shift to their own partners.
Natalia abruptly pulls away in regret, hatred, betrayal, and every word that could possibly describe pain and anger combined. Without making eye contact with Adam she hastily backs away, fading into the crowd, leaving Adam confused but pleased and regretful that Alek's plan had worked.
"Now that ladies and gentlemen is how a perfect love show works.", Alek taunts once again after a new quick beat song begins to play.
After a few seconds of silence Keith's small pained whisper seemed to echo in Natalia's mind as she made the turn.
"Right...perfect.", Keith whispered as he followed Natalia through his rifle's scope before she disappeared around the corner.
"Knock it out Alek, it was all just a big hoax.", Natalia mumbles angrily before she hears a loud piercing ring in her ear, distracting her from the one powerful arm that covered her mouth and the other that picked her up and dragged her behind a metal door possessing no windows. She had just jabbed her kidnapper in the ribs when she was dropped and slammed against the wall.
"Taught you'd almost forgotten about me.", Dean mocks while massaging the area he had gotten jabbed in.
"Dean?", Natalia whispers looking up the grinning giant.
Between fighting the ringing sound in her ears and the shock that Dean had been able to find her she was able to slide on her brass knuckles hid in the pockets of her loose black and white patterned beach shorts but was quickly threatened to lower her fists when Dean had taken out his surprisingly long, custom made, foldable knife.
"Custom made, just like the necklace. What an imitator.", Natalia scoffs after the ringing softens.
"Save your nicknames for your one-night stand.", Dean says before he got surprised with a sharp punch in the left cheek under his eye.
Natalia's brass knuckles clash with Dean's knife, a few sparks flying sideways as Dean slides his knife down against her brass knuckles. He pushes away and holds up his hands.
"I didn't come here to fight, Natalia. I came here on behalf of someone for something that was stolen from him. It was a so-called antidote that someone claimed was for you.", Dean explains, lowering his knife by his side.
"Drop your knife and kick it this way if you're serious.", Natalia orders, feeling more secure behind her brass knuckles as Denim was cornered in the end of the dimly, green lighted room, while she protected the entrance and exit of the room.
"If you say so.", he surrenders with a small bow as he slides the custom-made knife at Natalia's feet, just before the ringing in her head gets louder and two gunshots are heard, quickly followed by another.