Anubis sneered at me, pressing call and putting the phone to his ear, waiting impatiently as the phone rang. She must have answered, because Anubis' eyes got bigger with excitement.
"Red?" He blurts, looking right at me with a victorious smile.
"I'm so sorry, my friend here made a bet that I couldn't curve a pretty girl."
I scoff and roll my eyes, looking away from Jean as I listen closer to the phone. I heard her laugh as she said, "Is that right? How much money is on the line?"
I look back at Anubis to see his reaction.
I moved my leg up onto the car seat, thinking about a good answer. "Couple hundred dol- pounds." I corrected. Quickly, I
added, "He raised the price because you were both pretty and sweet." I winked at Jean.
Truly, this was rather boring. Her voice was too high and this phone call meant she would probably hit me up later. In all honesty, I
would most likely block the girl after hanging up. Oh, the things I do out of spite. Jean's reaction was worth it. He leaned in, and I
turned up the volume on the cell so he could hear better.
okaokdya dkldj;f whats her name candifd ce candidce
"Couple hundred dol- pounds." The kid said, before adding, "He raised the price because you were both pretty and sweet."
I chuckle and roll my eyes, leaning against the back of the building.
"Well," I say, running my hand through my hair, "Surely you wouldn't want to lose a bet like that."
Restless, I begin to walk around in circles as I talk.
I squinted at the lack of confidence lingering in her voice. Human feelings are useless. "You're right. I don't." I deadpanned, thumb pressing the red button. I gently tossed my phone across Jean to the other side of the taxi. I lean on my hand and stare out the window, paying no mind to Jean's confused expression. If he said anything, I didn't hear.
wow! im not getting into the pier shit so if you wanted to write that sorry
A quiet hour passed by and we finally arrived at the pier. The day dragged on for much too long. I was itching to get back to our apartment. Jean and I had walked around aimlessly, occasionally stopping to buy something. There wasn't much except a carnival, so we left to the beach. Occasional small talk would arise, but for the most part, we were silent.
We relaxed on the white sands, Jean taking a smoke. The wind started to pick up, throwing my hair around recklessly. I opened my mouth to say something, but my phone began to buzz. It was Amelia.
"Hello Amelia, you're on speaker." I chimed.
"White, Anubis, it's time to discuss. I've decided to meet at this particular restaurant, the location will be sent to you. Do not worry about money, I will pay for this meal. I reckon you might be a bit far, so ring when you're near the place so I can come." She hung up before we could reply. I squinted my eyes and looked at Jean.
"Are our phones being tracked by her?"
"Are our phones being tracked by her?"
I shrug and put out my cigarette, tossing it behind me.
"Would have been better if they hid the tracker more. Our phone's trackers would be easily destroyed. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they injected us with a micro tracker."
I'm under a wave of laziness, but I manage to stand up somehow. I pick up my towel and roll it up, eyeing people nearby and observing their actions. No one seems to be periodically glancing at us, so I don't think anyone's watching us. So far, so good. I look over at Anubis as he prepares to leave.
"How are you doing, Anubis?" I ask, revealing my concern a bit too much with my sympathetic tone of voice.
"Well, consider it a blessing. We can take on some jobs if we leave our phones at home."
I slipped my watch back on, eyeing the cigarette on the sand. Jean broke the silence. "How are you doing, Anubis?" I flinched at the way he said my alias, as if he cared.
Not taking my eyes of my wrist, I replied shakily. "What?"
Ever since we were paired up on the job, the friendship felt extremely one-sided. I didn't blame him, but I wondered if he'd ever forgive me. Maybe he already had. But, truly, we rarely talked about anything other than the task at hand.
"What?" He responded without looking at me, as if eye contact would reveal something. We start making our way doWNTOWN WALKING FAST FACES PASS AND-
making our way to the street by the beach as I shrug my shoulders, sticking my hands into my pockets.
"How are you holding up?"
I repeat myself nonchalantly. God knows why I'm asking this question, and what the hell I mean by it, but I knew we had to ease the tension at least a little bit, and I only prayed this would work. We have a job to do and if we plan on working as a team, we had to be able to cooperate. I know Anubis will get the job done either way, but being bitter during the whole process could still hinder his abilities, and I worried it would cause me to be distracted as well, and I'd rather not that be my first large scale job, so I had to ask how Anubis is doing.
-IM HOMEBOUND DUDUDUDUDUDUDU.
I rolled a dice in my head. Odd number, I open up to him. Even, I tell him I'm fine.
Open up? What would I even say?
The dice continued rolling in the empty abyss of my head. 6, 3, 2, 5, 3, 4, 1… It didn't stop. Secret answer C: be snarky.
I scoffed. "Since when did you care how I was?" I kicked a couple rocks on the sidewalk, eyes scanning for a taxi.
"Since when did you care how I was?" To be honest, I don't really care, but I knew I had to try to convince myself that I do. The problem is, I had to come up with an answer to his smartass question, so I sigh, leaning against a street light pole.
"I might as well," I begin, shooting a glare towards Anubis, "Who else am I supposed to care about?" A taxi came up the road and slowed down as it saw us, so we headed towards the doors.
"Plus, if we're going to be a team in this mission, we might as well, you know, be a team."
We both sat in the back again, despite my annoyance with Jean. As always, he sat on the left. I told the taxi driver our destination, then looked at Jean. How did we always end up arguing in cars? People must be tired of us by now.
Becoming aware of how tense I was, I relaxed onto the seat. "Don't act like you care about me unless you mean it," I deadpanned.
"Don't tell me what to do." he snapped. whata bitch. fuck u jean. I MEAN
I grinned to hold back my urge to punch the glare off his face. "Oh, but, we're a team, right? You have to listen to me every now and then."
"Oh, but, we're a team, right? You have to listen to me every now and then."
"A team does not mean taking bullshit orders from someone who definitely should not be given any sort of responsibility." I reply through gritted teeth, failing to calm down my breathing along with my heartbeat as the awkward tension in the taxi rises. I want to apologize to the taxi driver for having to listen to us arguing, but I'm sure he's experienced worse, so I don't bother.
I raised an eyebrow at his anger, which rose much quicker than before. "I remember a special somebody agreeing to what I did on our last thing, which worked out perfectly. Don't underestimate me, my apprentice." I sneered, playfully hitting Jean's arm. Anything to get him to stop pretending to care for me. "I may act reckless, but do remember I'm one of the top-"
I stopped talking, suddenly remembering what Amelia had said. Refrain from fighting, especially in front of strangers. If we kept arguing like this, something important could slip out.
"I remember a special somebody agreeing to what I did on our last thing, which worked out perfectly. Don't underestimate me, my apprentice."
Those last words sent me off the edge, and Anubis thought it best to dig the knife in deeper by nudging my arm. Every instinct in me was seeing red, and I prayed to any god that Anubis would shut the hell up.
"I may act reckless, but do remember I'm one of the top-"
I grab his wrist, pulling his entire torso down to the seat, causing him to lean towards me.
"You only rose to the top because you used fear and intimidation to an excess. Barely any of it was actual skill and strategy so don't you dare try to claim that you know anything, when you're just a twelve year old trapped in a near middle aged psychopath."
I yanked my wrist out of Jean's grip, angry of his baseless accusations. I hated the way Jean looked at me as if I was clueless. As if I had no talents, as if I was just some stupid rat living in the sewer. I'll show you one day.
The smile faded off my face, a scowl replacing it instead. "What the hell do you know? You haven't been here for the past four years! You don't know a thing about what I've done!" I snapped, not daring to break eye contact. I ignored the look of confusion and fear on the taxi driver. I ignored the fact that we could be caught with all the information we were releasing. I could deal with that later.
"If you had just fought back, maybe we'd be in a better situation than stuck in some shitty country," I spat, breathing heavily. "But, no. You never change."
"If you had just fought back, maybe we'd be in a better situation than stuck in some shitty country," He snapped, jerking his wrist out of my grip. "But no. You never change." I roll my eyes and huff a sigh at him.
"Good teamwork, shit-head. We're ready for the job." I mutter, not really caring if he hears me or not, as the silence of the taxi driver somehow grew louder.
lol should we timeskip???????
Amelia told us the restaurant was merely to get to know each other, but it was mostly filled with awkward silences and tension. She began to tell us of our mission in the car afterwards. She claimed it was to ensure there were no spies.
"There isn't much to say. Retrieve the documents as soon as possible, then gain intel about any type of weapon over the next couple weeks. Until you have confirmed the existence of the weapon - do not look for it. If you find any other interesting things to steal, go ahead, but limit yourself. I will be there occasionally if you need help. Questions?"
I racked my head for any questions about the mission. I knew what documents we needed, I memorized the floor plan of the building, I have the accent down - there wasn't much to ask really. I went back to the original unanswered question. "Why us?"
The woman took a sharp right, nearly making me fall over. "Michelle picked you for a reason. It's not as if we did not take measures to do background checks on you. We know what we're doing."
"So you know what we do? Who we are?"
Amelia looked at me through the rear view mirror, a small smirk spreading on her face. "Of course we do, Olliver, love."
I tensed up, my eyes wide. No one but my family knew my real name. My mom had always accepted Anubis, so she changed it for the sake of me. I didn't bother telling Jean. He'd make fun of me.
There was no doubt the government had the ability to find my name, but I felt a bit betrayed for it to be so openly said. No, not betrayed, vulnerable.
"Of course we do, Olliver, love."
My head snaps to Anubis, suddenly paying attention. I could tell he was stiff, and I furrowed my brow in interest.
"Olliver? Is that your name?" His eyes flickered to Amelia, who's smirking uncontrollably at my reaction. All this time, he's always called himself some edgy nickname, and it got to the point where Olliver was the shitty nickname, and Anubis is his real name. I wondered if I should call him Olliver from now on, but it'd feel weird. Still, it might be fun to mess with him if it annoys him.
I took a deep breath, letting the dry car air attempt to clear my anxiety. The name was out there in the open, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Although, the urge to strangle Amelia was still present.
I turned to Jean with a genuine smile. "Yeah, two L's." Jean simply nodded and returned his glance to outside.
Eventually we arrived back at the apartment. Silence followed us around the rest of the night.
morning.
I woke up a bit sore for some reason. The blinds blocked out any possible light, refusing to indicate the time of day. I rolled over unconsciously and end up smacking Jean with my hand. Who the fu- oh.
*cue emo edgy nightmare because that was my FAVORITE cliche as an emo rper 4 years ago
A hand smacking against my back woke me, but I refused to get up. Instead I waved it off sleepily and closed my eyes. However, it didn't last long as a brush hit my face.
"Fuck's sake Anubis, let a man sleep!" I snapped, groggily throwing off the blankets and standing up, dizziness filling my head as I steadied myself. The first day was done. God, I'm loathing this next day, but I'm also looking forward to it, strangely enough. I turn to Anubis as I grab my hair tie and put my hair up.
"What's the plan for today again?"
apparenlty im already standing up, awake, according to you.
I rummaged through the drawers to find my white button up. Amelia told us to dress semi-formal every day as that was the business attire. Fun.
I finally heard Jean get up in the back. "What's the plan for today again?" he groaned, half asleep.
I quickly throw on the rest of my outfit before turning to him. "First day of work, silly. We find the documents of course and blend in." I ran my fingers through my un-gelled hair. Maybe instead of spiking it up, I should do the whole fancy side swept thing. "Do you even brush your hair?" I said as I watched Jean put his hair straight into a bun.
hnGH I'M SORRY I WENT FAST
"First day of work, silly. We find the documents of course and blend in." I nod as my thoughts come back to me, thinking about having to put on a facade and trick people into thinking I'm an enjoyable person. I'll have to make small talk and laugh at people's terrible jokes. God, I don't know if I'll survive that, forget about physical fighting.
"Do you even brush your hair?" Anubis snapped as I looked up at him.
"Why would I need to?" I say with a smirk, grabbing my sweater and tossing it on.
"Hey!" Anubis yelled, pulling at the sweater and handing me a white button up. "Semi-formal, Jean."
I roll my eyes and scoff at him, snatching the button up out of his hands and throwing it on.
"Look who's getting sloppy now. I thought you wanted this to go well," I teased, sticking my ID and pass in my shirt pocket. I hid my special knife beneath my pant leg, just in case something went wrong. I put in my diamond studs, hoping the facility allowed earrings. LOL, oh well.
The thought of working in an office was absolutely disgusting to me. I was always more of a hands-on type of person, but reading emails and taking calls and going to meetings seemed utterly boring. Sighing, I remembered the goal. I put my hand up in the shape of a gun and pointed at Jean, closing one eye. "Are you ready, Mr. White? Amelia got us a car."
I roll my eyes at Anubis, finishing up my outfit as I check everything to make sure I'm not forgetting anything.
"Are you ready, Mr. White? Amelia got us a car."
I nod at Anubis as we head out the door.
"Hey, does this mean you're going by your real name at work?" I ask him as we approach the car, unlocking it and getting in. At first, I thought I was getting into the driver's seat, but then I remembered. I looked at Anubis, who seemed to have the same realization.
I opened the passenger side door and sat down, only to be greeted with a steering wheel. Jean and I exchanged glances and immediately got up to switch sides without a word. I didn't feel like driving today, so I was grateful when Jean took the keys.
"British people are so weird," I muttered, pulling on the seat belt. It was rather uncomfortable to be sitting on the left side and not drive.
I returned to Jean's original question. "No, it says Anubis on my ID. Plus, we don't need more people finding out who I am. I would end up in prison again. Didn't change my name officially until recently." I started putting in the facility address on the GPS. "Is it weird to know my name is Olliver?"
I nod attentively, shrugging. then i do all the checks to make sure im a safe driver bc i used aCEaBLE sorry
"Is it weird to know my name is Olliver?"
I think about the question before I answer it, wondering if my response would affect him. Is it?
"Maybe a little. It's hard to think of it as your real name rather than your nickname, but I'll manage."
I start the engine and remind myself to drive on the right side of the street as well. It's something I'd have to get used to quickly if I wanted people to think I'm actually European. I wondered what it would be like when we get back to America and I've probably adjusted.
"Is it weird for you? That I know?" I asked Anubis, turning to look at him as well as behind me to back out.