Alex's POV
Our small studio apartment can barely measure my height.
The beige walls corner me, with the living room the only place I can stretch my legs. My bedroom, being a cubic room, just seem to disappoint me.
But this is my life. This is the life I'm living to save mine and Maytivoza's life. Even though right now her present isn't here.
Two weeks ago, when I and Maytivoza got up from Zeke's apartment, my phone buzz crazy, getting fifty calls from Ovian. I wasn't sure what happened last night, but the fact Ovian call me that much mean something bad had happened.
"What happens?" I panicking stutter. I quickly got up from my bed, walking to Maytivoza's room. I rapidly bang her door, seeing her mutter as she rubs her head.
"Your mother came last night. She was looking for Maytivoza." Ovian voice came out.
Silent lingers in the air as I try to understand what she said.
What she mean she came? Was she looking for Maytivoza to kill her so soon? The blood in my ear begins to rise, making it hard to control my strength. I clench hard on my phone, hear a few cracks come from my fist.
Maytivoza notices my agitation, rapidly pulls the phone away from my grip, and place it next to her ear.
"What you mean?" Maytivoza walks away from me.
I try my best to stay calm, but the fact Pearl visit Ovian, mean she knows about Maytivoza and where she can find her. And if Maytivoza and I were there...
"She wanted to see you, Mija. Pero dijo ella que tú no estaba aquí. Then she tries to kill me. Oh, thank the lord that Zeke was there. I would be dead for sure if he didn't stop her." The worry in Ovian's voice breaks my heart.
This woman did everything she could to protect me from this woman. And the moment I'm not there for her, she could've died.
"But you must stay in the city. If you come back then she'll be waiting for you both. Please. I...don't want anybody else to suffer." Ovian voice shakes, begging. Maytivoza shakes her head, lowering down the phone down.
"I'm not doing that." Maytivoza grits her teeth hard. She hung up Ovian, walking back to her room. I quickly follow behind, lifting my hands.
"What the hell? What do you think you're doing?" She grabs her black leather backpack and put on her boots. She ties her hair up, and...now I see. She is trying to leave.
"I'm going to see her. Your mother." She pulls her bag over her shoulder, ready to leave. "She can't do that. She can't hurt Ovian, and you for my grandmother's fault. I..." she rubs her nose, looking away. "can't lose anyone, anymore." She shook her head quickly, sniffing. "So...I'm going to see her. She wants me died, then lets it happen."
No. No, she can't do that. She can't give up. I know I was cruel to her earlier, but she someone's daughter. Sister. And maybe one day, someone's lover.
But she can't comment suicide just to protect two people. I can't see someone that seems so close to me, yet far, die. I only knew her due to her father's letter to my grandmother, but...I feel like I know this girl since I was little.
Her struggle, her battle. They aren't anything compared to this. They are far more difficult and challenge than she thinks it is. And yet, she is giving up because Ovian almost got killed?
"You're stupid."
She stops in her track, looking up at me. She scuffs, about to say something, but I interrupt her. "You're stupid if you think you're the only one that is going to do this. I'm going to help you."
"No, Alex. You have a career and someone that love you. You save people's lives. I only save animals and their land. I mean, it was my childhood dream to become a wildlife biologist, but....that seems to not matter to this world. And, you have a friend and a grandmother that love you so much. If you die, everybody is going to miss you. I, won't be miss. I don't have anyone that will miss me."
"No. I will help you." I remove her backpack out of her grip and toss it to her bed. She lifts her eyebrow at me, puzzled.
"Because if you die, then who would I compete? Who will I see succeed far better than me? You will be miss, Maytivoza. Because you came to my life. And Zeke. And your boss's life. And that..um, Marcus, I assume, life. You will be miss. And I told you already."
I tug my arm into my chest, staring at her. "I dealt with this woman's god forbidden attacks. She wants you to fight her. She wants you to come to her. She wants you mad. But we can't do it on our own without her."
I encounter so much battles with this woman from her assassins and I know giving up and let myself go won't bring an end to all of this. We need a plan that we can use to defeat them. I look down at Maytivoza, waiting for her to fight back. She lower her chest, thinking.
Please don't fight me, Maytivoza. If you say no, then I can't stop you do what you need to do.
"Fine." She calmly said.
I breathe freely, feeling my chest relax. "Thank you." I bend down, showing her gratitude.
"Eh. But that means I am your responsibility. So you better not get mad if I never come back home, mom." She mutter.
I didn't care about what she said. I would prefer she become this childish adult than having to feel helpless.
Now.
Present time. And she isn't here. I always check on where she at from her tracking chip. This time it's in her glasses, for sure she won't remove it.
But the dubious trust that I gain from her for the last two weeks just seems to take over me whenever she leaves this apartment. I look at the living room's remote clock, close to eight o'clock. No message from the last hour, and no details from Zeke.
My heart pounding rapidly, with my legs rising from the sofa and heading to the kitchen. I grab the black pistol underneath the sink, removing it from its brown bag. If she won't tell me or give me a signal where she at, then I have no hope but to find her.
I walk to my bedroom, sitting down at my desk. I quickly search for her address on the computer, scanning the area. Her workplace is far away from Liverpool, around an hour or two to get there. And she sure goes to a lot of dense forest and woods that are around in the United Kingdom. So looking for her out of millions people in this country, well...fuck.
Well. There she is, at a gym. What gives her the I'm right to just go to that place without even telling me?
"Tsk!" No. Now is not the time to be mad. The more I wait, the more troubled I get.
I grab my car keys, putting on my shoes, and open the front door. I look back one more time at the small apartment before I left. I never did like living in it, especially with that short girl. But the fact she comfortable living with me, I would do anything to keep it like that.
Even though all I want to do with her right now is to kill her for not telling me where the hell she was.
••••••
The thumping noise from the gym can be heard outside.
The grunts and groans continue as I approach Nick's gym. The door was open, letting in the cold night's wind blow into the intensely humid building. I try to act like I'm here to work out, but it is hard with a black coat, blue jeans, and a gray cap.
Once I enter inside, a majority of the people in here are male, leaving the single short female hitting a punching bag twice her height alone.
"Ugh hm." I hear a low grunt, seeing a muscular man without a shirt on, staring intensely at me. "Are you a member of this gym?"
He stood at least two inches shorter than me, lifting his eyebrows at me. He examines my figure, waiting for me to replay. I pull out my ID, letting him observe it. I waited for him, hearing him clearing his voice. "You can come in, Mr. Pensore."
I nodded my head, removing my coat. I kept my gun in its pistol pocket, walking to the back of the gym. I silently walk up to her, watching how quick and fast her fist and legs hit the bag without a second to wait.
I tap her shoulder, waiting for her to turn around to look at me. She sure did, to punch me. I quickly duck, keeping my eye out for her legs as she lifts them. "Hey! It's me!" I shout at her, trying to stop her.
Her face was serious, with her arm and face cover with sweats. She widens her eye before she realized what she was doing.
I lower my gaze at her shoulder, noticing a dark black ink showing what seems to be a rose's head that reaches to her forearm. The flower seems to remain black, but its petals have a fate gray outline shaping it.
"What the hell are you doing here? I didn't tell you I was here." She removes her headphone out of her head and places them around her neck.
"Exactly! That why I am here. Because you know damn well you should've told me where you were at!" I yell at her, not holding back my emotion. "Do you know how scared and distress I was, wonder where the hell you are at? And here you are. Working out without telling me!"
She rolls her eyes, fueling my anger. "Well, I wanted to get a quick workout, it's not a big of a deal. I was going to tell you afterward, and-"
"You thought of telling me afterward?! Who the hell are you? Retarded! You know your life is in danger and yet you wanted to tell me where you were after you were done? Do you not know how easy they can come in here and kill you without me knowing?! Huh? You didn't think of that, did you?!"
I can't believe her. She thinks she can do whatever she wants like she some kind of teenager.
I glare at her, seeing her looking at me madly. "You think I'm some kind of stupid girl, huh?" She looks up at me. She removes her gloves, walking close to me.
"The reason why I didn't tell you was to make sure that whoever is watching me texting to you or sending you any message, they might know where I'll be heading. But I didn't do that. Because I wanted them to believe I'm still at work or doing what the hell I'm doing. But saying that I'm "retarded" is like you're calling me I'm weak or stupid! And here you are, not trusting me." She lifts her hands in the air, shaking her head.
"And yet you expect the worst like my mother do to me when I was little." She quickly grabs her bag off the floor, storm away from me. I slowly turn to her, walking to the bathroom.
The atmosphere around me become so tense from the males around me staring at me, flexing their muscle. Even some of them dropped their gym equipment down the ground, cracking their neck and knuckles. I wearily lift my hand to show charity, but they don't seem interested in me. And they should.
I hurt her. Broke her. I just did what Ovian didn't want me to do. But those letters. Those words.
"Hmmh." I shake my head.
Now she knows why I protect her. Why I yell at her. Because she now knows I know something about her.
I look one more time at the bathroom door, waiting for a few seconds before I head to the front door of the gym. I could already tell that my presence here wasn't needed the moment I came inside. And yet, I went against it.
I slowly pull my phone out, reading the time. But the moment I look at my phone's screen, the reflection of the screen shows a woman, holding a sword.
I quickly turn around, pulling out my pistol, ready to shoot her, but she was already gone. I examine the gym's clear door, witness her reflection anywhere. But she wasn't shown anywhere.
Or it seems to be. I hear quick footsteps as I turn around and pull the trigger at her. I heard a groan, quickly turn to her.
Her face was pale and she has long black hair covering most of her face. She worn a black mask on her face, concealing most of her appearance. She was tall, and so is her katana. I widen my eye, watching her eyes grinning at me. But her right arm was wounded, due to my gun.
"Who the hell are you?" I ask her. She remains silent, slowly picking up her sword.
She was getting ready to fight me. I swallow my saliva, lifting my fist. She continues to grin at me, quickly moving her katana around me.
I move in the opposite direction where she swings, trying my best to stay still. I continue to dodge her swings, until she moves her arm, lowering her sword at my legs. It went horizontal, close on my legs. I move back, but the tip of the sword hit the front of my legs.
I groan, trying my best to stay standing. But she suddenly hit me hard with her sword behind me, stab close to my rib. I gasp, feeling the extreme fire in my body intensified.
I slowly feel my body weaken, with the blood from my back coming out. I trying to find a way to make it out alive. Finally, clutching my gun, I pull it at her, following her. When I find her method, I shot her in front of the gym, stopping her. She falls back at the door, with her eyes widen.
I continue to breathe heavily, trying to walk. But I can't. My legs hurt like hell, and if I stay like this, she might hurt more people.
"Oye! Alex!" I turn around to see Maytivoza standing next to her bicycle. "Are you okay?" She bites a pear, looking at me with no fear.
I wanted to ask her why she even asked me consider my condition, but the woman with her katana came at me. She was bleeding a lot from her chest, with her white shirt being soak with her blood. Damn, look like she is some kind of witch that is indestructible.
I pull out my gun, ready to shoot her, but when Maytivoza walk in front of me, I did nothing but watch her. I widen my eyes, not sure what she about to do.
She can't beat this girl. This woman is trained her whole life to kill. Someone like her who have no experience can't hurt her.
Before I can pull her away from me, the woman came close to Maytivoza. Yet, something powerful occur from Maytivoza I never knew. She punches the woman in her face, pulling her katana out of her grip, and sidekick her as she falls to the ground.
"Eh? Why the hell did you do to her that got her mad?" She turns to me, not having a single panic around her.
I stare at her for a few more seconds, trying to understand what the hell happens. "She was here for you, dumbass." I walk away from her, looking at the injured woman. Her face was against the grass, with her hair covering her face. I check her pulse, not getting anything.
"Oh. So she was one of the other assassins. Gotcha." I turn to see Maytivoza observing the sword, with excitement. I look back at the gym, seeing what I expect them to see. Atrocity.
"We got to get going." I pull Maytivoza toward my car, quickly put her in the driver seat.
"What you mean?"
"We have to look for another place to live. Now. They know where we are." I sit in the back seats, removing my shirt. I threw her the keys, looking at my wounds.
"Are you serious?" She looks back at me.
I shook my head. "Yes! Did you hear me stutter? We need to get the hell out of here and find another place, fast!"
She pulls out of the parking lot, while I clean up my cuts. "Fuck." The alcohol burns my skin. "She must be watching us."
I waited for Maytivoza to respond, while I remove my pants, checking on my leg's wound. "Where do you want me to go? I'm just driving here without any location. Do you want me to go to a hotel or hospital? You don't look well, Alexander."
I shake my head, replied. "No. That is the one place they would found us. Try to found another place to go."
My whole body's temperature start to rise, with numbness on my fingers. My vision started to blurry up, along with my head feeling dizzy. Fuck, this is getting worse.