They pulled out as and got on the road as if it were a sunday stroll in the mountains. Funny, she thought, they never did normal things.
She settled against the seat trying to get comfortable. She never had a chance to sleep anymore. As soon as she closed her eyes at night she was plagued by terrible night terrors that left her forcing her fist into her mouth to keep her from screaming. She hated that shit.
Behind her eyes she saw the same black abyss that scared her as a child. Is that what death is like? She hoped not. There was nothing peaceful in that.
Her phone buzzed just as she opened her eyes and decided she didn't want them closed anymore. She scanned it and flipped it shut, pushing it under her leg to secure it.
"56th and 8th some warehouse called Ferguson Metals." She told Turtle.
They weren't far from the warehouse. When they got there Paige spotted an alleyway and she pointed it out. They pulled into it and Turtle cut the engine.
She got out and was hit by the heat. "Damn," she said and went around to open the doors. That's when a man's gravelly voice said, "Put your hands up slowly, one wrong move and I'll blow you to Jesus before you can even blink."
Paige sighed. Locals would have probably shot her, feds would have jumped her or tased her. So that left, ugh, a bounty hunter.
Even though she was disgusted with them a chill went down her spine and gooseflesh appeared. How was she stupid enough to get a gorram bounty hunter on them?
Turtle's face was marred with a frown as she felt the cool metal of a gun being pressed to her temple and the frown only deepened once she heard the man's declaration directed towards her sister from the other side of the ambulance.
The person who was holding the gun to her head said nothing and Turtle thought to herself how unusual it was for bounty hunters to work in pairs. A rough push on her shoulder forced her out of her thoughts and forced her to face the ambulance. The metallic surface of the ambulance acted as a mirror and Turtle found herself staring into the eyes of her captor.
He looked young, younger than her at least, maybe twenty or twenty one. He had a baby face with cold eyes that told the story of a lost childhood and years of pain.
Turtle could relate.
Before she could let nostalgia take hold of her instinct told her she needed to get both her and her sister out of here unharmed; they couldn't fail this mission because the consequences of doing so were much worse than what any bounty hunter could ever do to them.
The look in the man's eyes told her not to try anything, but Turtle was never one to follow instructions.
She shifted slightly and knew that it didn't go unnoticed by the bounty hunter who shoved the gun against her temple even harder. Taking in a deep breath she eyed him as he shifted towards her left side.
Mistake number one.
A rustle from behind one of the trash cans in the alleyway took the man's attention away from her for a split moment and he lowered his gun slightly as his eyes flickered to the trash cans.
Mistake number two.
She slid her left foot around his right leg, using the left side of her body to pin the man to the ambulance, her left hand held a knife to his throat while her right pinned the hand that held the gun to the ambulance.
"Everything alright over there, Luka?" The man who had Turtle's sister at gunpoint asked.
She pressed the knife harder to "Luka's" neck as if to warn him if he didn't comply she could easily slit his throat, "Say yes." She said in a hushed voice.
"Yes." Luka said calmly with a rather thick Russian accent, "She vanted do ged avay."
Turtle tightened her grip on the hand that held the gun, "Let go." He did, but with much reluctance.
She frowned as the other man began to laugh, "Got a little fight in her, huh? That's expected. Come on, we've got a big check waiting for us." She heard him begin to walk around the ambulance, her sister's footsteps staggering ahead of him, most likely due to the gun pointed at her head.
Paige's face lit up with a grin as she spotted Turtle manhandling Luka who had an annoyed look on his face at this point. The other bounty hunter however was not as amused.
"Let him go or I blow her brains out." He threatened, nudging the gun into Paige's head.
Paige turned to look at him and despite her hands still being held in the air, she grinned, "Try it."
"Mistake number three," Turtle said with her voice at whisper as she leaned closer to Luka, "You came after us."
Gunshots echoed in the alleyway and it wasn't long before police sirens were ringing through the streets.
Paige and Turtle were long gone by then, leaving behind a man with a bullet embedded in his skull and a Russian who didn't wait around long enough for the cops to arrive.
As Turtle drove towards their destination, she couldn't seem to shake the feeling that this wouldn't be her last time encountering the Russian bounty hunter named Luka.
"Freaking hate bounty hunters," Rabbit said as she brushed herself off. They had parked the ambulance and were now rolling the stretcher to the entrance of the warehouse.
It was stereotypical, faded stone, broken windows that kids probably took turns trying to break. In one of the broken windows, Paige could spot a dark figure for a split second peering down at them. The man in the suite? A body guard? Or another bounty hunter?
Her heart was still pounding and her body ached with fatigue. During each job she was getting more tired. Physically and emotionally but she had always been good at brushing it off.
What she wasn't good at brushing off was that someone was after her little sister and her, although she couldn't muster enough anger on her own account. How dare they? Assholes.
She needed to keep a clear head, though. From what she could tell Turtle was okay. "You good?" She whispered, biting her lip. She had to ask. The minute she crossed the threshold she couldn't ask questions. Hell she didn't even know if they would talk. Drops with this guy were always different. Sometimes there were more directions waiting other times there was nothing, they just left what they had to leave.
She ran a hand over her mouth and kept rolling the mayor closer to the door.
(Sorry it's short, I just had a few free seconds to write. They will get longer!)
(Why thanks :D and I apologize for the length of mine as well. So short T_T;)
Turtle glanced over at her sister who's tired eyes were staring at her, "I'm fine." She said tersely.
Turtle would never say it out loud but she hated the tired look in her sister's eyes that had been there for years now. Her sister had given up a lot for her and for once, Turtle wanted to see Rabbit's eyes full of life and energy, not lifeless and tired.
She wanted the aching of her muscles to stop and the bags under her eyes to disappear. She wanted to stop looking over her shoulder after turning every corner. She wanted a full night's sleep without the fear of being attacked. She wanted to settle down in one place and stay there.
Turtle shook her head as they walked into the warehouse, not knowing what lay beyond the doorway.
They had chosen this life.
They chose the sleepless nights, the fighting, the paranoia and the hardships that came with this life.
It was no one's fault but their own.
Still...
"Hello girls." A deep voice greeted them from the shadows of the warehouse.
Paige rolled her shoulders and put the lock on the stretcher. The mayor grunted loudly.
"Hello girls," came from deep within the warehouse. She tensed for attack but then the voice continued. "I've sent a man, Albert to recover the mayor. I'm sorry I couldn't be here with you today but I had pressing business elsewhere. If you proceed into the warehouse and make a left to go up the stairs you'll find in the alcove at the top of them your payment and more information about your next job. I'm afraid that you might find this one rather difficult but I need you both to do well on this. Your lives may in danger if you don't. I will text more directions as soon as I can. Ciao. "
It wasn't the man in the suit's real voice. In fact it wasn't even his real personality. Rabbit had heard angry cop to wheezy math teacher. Today's was grandfatherly mentor. And still she didn't like his note of warning. He told them to be careful sometimes but never concerning the job itself. He never told them anything really concerning it before the initial information. She didn't want to admit it, but that scared her.
She knew that they had to move before Albert came to collect. He couldn't see them and they couldn't see him.
"Let's go," she said and left, not sparing a glance at the man on the stretcher. She lost compassion for those involved on the job a long time ago. She was afraid that she didn't know what it was. Unless it involved her sister of course, but she couldn't explain that either.
She took the stairs two at a time, eager to get to the goods. She heard her sister pounding behind her and ran quicker. She was always one for a little healthy competition.
She turned around and grinned when she got to the top first. Yesterday morning Turtle had beat her to their only bathroom in their current house. Now that the job was over they could return to their actual home. If you could call it that.
She picked up the old leather journal on the floor with two large envelopes. The information and money in the envelopes, the journal, she didn't understand.
Paige opened one of the envelopes and counted the money and then the other. It was directions, plane tickets, fake IDs, keys. That was normal. Then what was the journal?
She put it all back and handed the envelopes to her sister. Then she opened the journal, only it wasn't a journal. It was a picture album.
The first picture was taken at an odd angle and had pictures in front of it, but it looked to be of a puppy dog. Her eyebrows came togehter and she felt her sister move in to look as well. The next picture was more in focus. A woman with auburn hair with two little girls. One was a baby with blue soulful eyes and the other a little girl with green bright eyes, grinning wide. She nearly dropped the book. "What the fuck?"
With shaky hands she flipped to the next picture. It was of a front yard of a big house. A blanket was spread in front and the same little girl was standing at the edge with the same grin, holding out her hands as the baby took a step. First steps.
"Turtle, Turtle, you can do it! Walk to me."
"Look, sweetie, she's walking! Ryan are you getting this on tape?"
"I'm taking a picture too, babe."
The little was determined to take the few steps to her older sister. She made a face and a grunt but finally did it and collapsed in her sisters arms.
"You're such a good girl, Turtle. And you are such a great big sister, sweetie."
"I'm the best big sister ever!" She looked down at the baby who repositioned herself on her lap. "I'll always protect you." she whispered.
She turned around, sure she heard Albert leave with the mayor. She started going down the stairs, wanting to get outside to get some air. She had to get in touch with the man with the suit. Demand why the hell he would bring this up? How had he gotten it? But it was probably nothing. It could be any little girls in the pictures, any house, family. She didn't remember hers much, except that memory, and maybe he knew that. Tried to use it to weaken her or something, play with her mind a bit.
When she got to door, she heard a loud pop and a beep. She turned around and saw a bag there, like the ones the man in the suit usually delivered for them. Maybe Albert left it? Or he failed to mention it?
She was weary but figured that it couldn't be that serious. If anything it was something she shouldn't touch because it wasn't meant for her. She'd leave it as soon as she looked in it.
"Hey, do me a favor and stay up there for a sec okay?" She asked her sister. Just in case. If it was something. She put the album outside the warehouse door so she could pick it up when they left and went back to the bag.
She opened the zipper and took a sharp inhale. Murphy's law.
"Shit," she took a step back and it went off. And then there was white, a ringing so loud in her ears and black.
(Thank you~ and holy crap, this got me in suspense wondering what was going to happen but then I realized I have to write the next part D:)
Turtle had a frown on her face as she waited on the stairs for her sister, "Those pictures..." She whispered.
Turtle couldn't remember her parents.
She'd never really bothered to think of them; it was always her and Rabbit and Rabbit was all she really needed, but that woman in the picture...
She looked so much like Rabbit, so much that it just couldn't be a coincidence.
Turtle felt her eyes water. If that picture was really of her, Rabbit and their mother, it would be Turtle's first time ever seeing their mother's face and she didn't want to forget it.
"Shit." Turtle heard from downstairs.
"Rabbit?" Turtle started down the stairs, but was thrown back when a force hit her full on, "Rabbit..." She mumbled, slumping down on the stairs, her head throbbing as her vision blurred and darkened.
~
When Turtle finally came to, the warehouse was full of smoke and close to collapsing, "Rabbit!" She called out, her voice cracking, "Rabbit where are you?!"
She limped down the stairs, her head pounding with pain and the room around her spinning. The smoke blurred her vision even more and made it hard to breathe. There was burning rubble from the ceiling scattered about the room.
She staggered about, calling out for her sister with her hoarse voice, "Rabbit!"
Please.
"Rabbit!"
Please don't take my sister away from me.
Underneath an enormous beam and other debris, Turtle saw a figure, blackened with ash and struggling to breathe, "Rabbit..." Her eyes were getting heavy as she practically crawled towards the pile of rubble, reaching out towards her sister's hand as darkness took over once more.
Please.
(I apologize once again for the shortness, next one will be much longer (:)
There's a place people go that's between sleep and awake. It's an in between place, a waiting room before you move on. And Rabbit, or Paige was there.
"You might want to open your eyes."
Paige snapped her eyes open. "Hey Quinn."
Kneeling in front of her, with her long black curls in front of her freckled face was Jocelyn Taylor, her next door neighbor from years ago when they lived in their house.
"Josie?" She got up and looked around, everything was grey.
"It's me. Or rather your subconcious half broken mind version of me."
"I haven't seen you since-"
"The day before you and your sister were taken away. I know. I cried for months when you didn't come home, you know? I didn't understand it, really. I was young, but I knew. "
She touched a hand to her face. She remembered the bag, the blast, but why did she wake up here?
"Mia?"
She turned sharply at her name. "Only my sister calls me that."
'And only then when your truly alone, right? I know how it is with you two. You don't remember your abduction or anything about it. You just remember waking up, and the man with the suit."
"How do you know about him?"
Jocelyn frowned. "I'm in your head remember?"
"I need to get back to my sister now." She started looking around for an exit. She didn't see one.
"That might not be possible. At least for a while."
"What are you talking about?"
"You took a hit, remember?"
And she did, she remembered the blast, the heat, the pain and the darkness.
"Is Turtle okay?"
"She'll be okay. You just need to rest for a bit."
"No I need to get up now."
"You can try but you'll only make it last longer."
"So what the hell am I supposed to do?"
"Rest? Relax. Let your memory heal itself. Hang out with me."
"Yeah my mind's version of my old best friend."
"You've dreamt about our sleepovers. Remember that one time, out in the tent in my backyard? Jake scared us so bad we nearly peed our pants and Turtle and Casey were bugging us so much?"
She didn't remember.
"He loves you, you know? He keeps the picture they handed out when you taken in his wallet."
"That's not true."
"Yeah it is. He's going to be an FBI agent and work on finding missing kids. He wants to find you and your sister."
"I don't even really remember him."
"That's what sucks about drug induced amnesia huh? But you remember a bit, you know you do. You remember me and Jake and your parents but not anything else really. But that's why you have a job at home. To come back and remember."
"What do you mean a job at home?"
"You don't think the photo album was a coincidence, do you? You don't remember where home is but the tickets are to your old home state of California."
Mia just stared at her.
Jocelyn sighed. "Dream states are so free. I could tell you the secrets of the universe right now and you wouldn't remember it when you woke up. But you'll figure it out."
"How?" Mia whispered.
"With that wonderful mind of yours, Mia Ryan Quinn. Say hi for Turtle for me."
"I get to wake up now?" Mia jumped up, ready to be rid of the grey.
"Nah, I think you need to just sit for a bit. Breathe, you need to breathe."
As Turtle opened her bleary blue eyes the first thing she noticed was the death grip she had her sister's hand who was lying right next to her, still unconscious.
The second thing was the fact they were in the back of a van.
The third was that the van was moving.
And the fourth was a familiar person in the driver's seat.
"Why..."
"I followed you do da varehouse." He said, not turning to look at her, "Dere vas big explosion, you and your seester never came oud." He explained, "So I vent in."
Turtle kept silent as she spared a glance over to her sister while lightly tracing her thumb over her sister's knuckles, taking notice of the burns and cuts that adorned her sister's body.
Unconsciously, her grip tightened and she noticed a pair of gray eyes staring at her, "You vould nod led go of her."
"Thank you." Turtle said, "For saving us. You didn't have to."
"I am Luka."
Turtle hesitated, biting her lip before speaking, "Ada. My name is Ada." It's been so long since she used that name, "How long have we been driving?"
"Nod long." He reassured her, "I found dis book," He said, gesturing towards the passenger's seat, and Turtle, or rather Ada looked over, seeing the photo album sitting there, "Id had dis in it," He held up two tickets that Ada's sister had stuffed into the album before the warehouse was blown to bits, "I am assuming you vould like do go to airpord, da?"
"You don't have to drive us there, we can make it on our own."
"I vill drive you."
Ada's eyebrows furrowed together, obviously annoyed at the Russian man, "You don't have to."
"I vill drive you." He repeated.
"I killed your partner, why would you want to help us?"
Luka blinked, eyes glancing up to the rear-view mirror where he could get a good look at her bruised and battered form, "He vas not my pardner, he vas merely, ah, vhat is dat vord... an aquaindence. An eyesore, really."
Ada's eyes narrowed at him with a suspicious glint, "If you try anything, I won't hesitate to kill you this time."
His cold eyes stared into hers before turning back towards the road, "So, she is your sister, da?" He asked.
"Yes."
"You vould do anyding to make sure no harm comes to her, da?"
"Yes."
"Dat is good, dere is no pain vorse dan losing a sibling." His eyes seemed to soften just slightly before hardening again.
Ada looked down at her sister, who's steady breathing seemed to soothe her. Ada had been so close to losing her.
One of Mia's earliest memories was of waking up in the backseat of the family car. Turtle was snoring softly next to her in her car seat, Mom was upfront humming to the radio that was turned down low, and Dad was upfront driving, tapping his hands on the steering wheel. She had blinked her eyes a few times and yawned, her whole mouth shaping into an O. "Hi baby," Mom said and reached her hand back, turning around and smiling at her. "We're almost there."
She had remembered going to Grandpa and Grandma's and playing in their large backyard. They lived by the Ocean and the smell was salty and warm. Now they were on their way home. Dad put the turning signal on and they turned into the drive.
"Where?" She asked.
Then she saw the large florescent sign DINER, lit up in red around a blue border. Dad parked and lifted Turtle out and Mom got her out. They ate pie and ice cream and she had her first root beer float. "A family road trip." Dad said.
It was this memory that came through the most, even though she hadn't thought about it in years. Hadn't been able to.
She blinked her eyes and tried to shift in the seat. Only it wasn't a seat, it was a van. Her body went rigid and the pain came at full force. "Turtle?" She rasped and then coughed.
Her throat felt like she had just jugged gasoline and her body felt like thousands of little pins were pricking her over and over.
She turned to see the man driving the van was the bounty hunter. "Who sent you?"
Ada glanced back from the passenger's seat where she sat with her feet propped up against the dashboard, "Who sent you?" Her sister asked Luka.
"No von." He answered, "I am taking you and your seester do airpord."
Mia had her eyes narrowed at the man, but the sight of Ada in the passenger's seat dispelled the hateful glare, "You're okay..."
"It's fine." Ada said, "We're nearly there."
Mia said no more, merely settling against the wall of the van as Ada got up to join her, feeling secure with her older sister by her side.
They sat in silence until Luka announced they had arrived.
"Here, you vill probably need dese." Luka said, handing the two women a sweatshirt each, "You look like you vere put drew da ringer."
Ada and Mia quickly dressed themselves with the sweatshirts which effectively covered the scrapes and burns that were on their arms. Ada grabbed the photo album and tickets as Mia opened the door, each sparing one last glance at the Russian, "Thanks." Ada mumbled as she jumped out of the van, not looking back once the door was closed.
"That was weird." Mia said once they were inside the bustling airport.
When she was little she had seen a movie about a hostage situation on a plane. After that she had been so scared of planes that her parents had to drive to their vacations. Her first plane ride was after it all, on their first job which she vaguely remembered. She hadn't been scared then because she didn't remember that she ever was scared.
The sweatshirt was blue, a color that helped her blend in. Besides the photo album, the tickets, the cash and the cell phone in her back pocket, she had nothing. She had a few things at their old place, clothes and things, but nothing really important. Nothing that couldn't be replaced.
They got through security easy. Their IDs were for Alyssa and Cameron Henry. While waiting on line Mia had the opportunity to look at the destination on their ticket. Sacramento, California. She waited for a tug of a memory or something. Nothing came.
When they got past everything Mia noticed a bathroom. She needed to clean off, she knew she must look terrible.
She nodded toward the bathroom but didn't look to see if her sister was coming. For a airport bathroom, it was surprisingly empty. Her reflection in the mirror caused her to take a deep breath. There were no marks on it but she looked as tired and hurt as she felt and she recognized something. Something familiar. But it wasn't a priority so she brushed it off.
Mia splashed water on her face and went to the bathroom. That was when she noticed that her pants were so ripped that they could have sold for a fortune at a New York City boutique. Her hands were shaking a little bit but she couldn't do much about that. She hoped that one of the shops sold pain medicine or something close to it.
Outside, Ada was waiting. She had a Pepsi, bag of cookies, and an outstretched palm with two bills on it. "Bless you," Mia said and swallowed the pills before taking one large swig on the Pepsi. Her twenty-first birthday was in a few months and her ID confirmed that. She always hated that the man in the suite never made her older, even though it definitely would have helped in some occasions on jobs.
They took a seat far from everyone. Mia vaguely remembered playing games with Turtle. People watching, making up stories about where they were from, where they were going. Did they have kids? Dogs? Were they traveling far away or somewhere boring? Were they spies? Secret Agents?
She shook her head and looked down at her hands. They had stopped shaking but they were red and chapped with the burns.
"Ada..." She stared but didn't know where to start. I'm sorry I almost got us killed? I'm sorry that I put us in these situations? Sorry that you don't know about the people in the photographs because just like me, you can't remember your childhood?
She looked out at the people, going on their way, blissfully unaware of her problems. They had it so easy. Families, jobs, real lives. They probably remembered everything, could tell you their hometown, address, phone number. Mia couldn't even remember her parents names.
Ada glanced over towards her sister at the sound of her name being called. Mia was looking at her, her mind in turmoil and Ada could see it in her eyes, "It's okay." Her own hand took one of Mia's burnt ones in a gentle grip.
Mia stared at her in surprise, probably screaming at her in her head telling Ada how it's not okay, but Ada continued to stare blankly at her sister while nibbling on a cookie.
"We should go now." Ada said, glancing at the board of flight times, seeing theirs was quite soon.
As the two walked through the crowd of people, Ada couldn't help but feel envious of the smiles that seemed to be on everyone's faces.
For once, she wanted to smile like that, with no worries and looking forward to waking up in the morning. Her grip tightened on the photo album she had been holding which is the only other belonging the two sisters had other than the messenger's bag that Ada had hanging off her shoulder containing a few shirts and pants that the two shared between each other.
It didn't take long for them to board the plane and as soon as they were seated, Mia's eyes began to droop while Ada stayed awake, eying people as they boarded the plane like a guard dog.
Ada looked over at Mia, making sure she was asleep before opening the photo album, taking in the face of the woman who might have been their mother.
She had the same features as Mia.
The same face shape.
The same nose.
The same smile.
And she was beautiful.
Ada spared a glance towards her sister, mentally comparing the two faces in her mind and coming to the conclusion that there was no way that this woman could not be their mother. She just had to be.
She continued to flip through the book, finding that most of the pages were blank, except the last one.
A picture of a man holding onto a tiny little girl who looked to have just turned or was about to turn one. Both of their eyes were a bold and bright shade of blue and their hair was a dark, chocolate colored brown. They were both smiling; the man showing off his white teeth and slightly crooked smile while the little girl showed off her gummy smile with the exception of two bottom teeth.
Ada ran her finger over the man's face, a feeling of familiarity coming over her.
She had seen that face before.
Ada shook her head, urging herself to not think too much about it and she closed the book, stuffing it into her bag for safe keeping.
"Hey lady." Ada glanced up to the seat in front of her, where a child, maybe four or five was peering over, the only thing visible were her eyes, the pure blonde hair that was done up in pigtails and her tiny hands that held onto the top of the seat.
Ada didn't say anything, just staring at the little girl who's big brown eyes stared back.
The girl heaved herself up on the seat even more, her entire face becoming visible revealing a wide, childish grin with two front teeth missing, "You got really pretty eyes."
Ada's lips upturned into a smile directed at the girl, "Thank you."
"No problem!" Her eyes turned towards Mia, "That your sister?" She asked, pointing towards her.
"Yes."
"What's your name?"
"Cameron." Was the automatic response.
"What's her name?"
"Alyssa."
"I'm Maggie!" The girl declared, "Well Margaret, but I like Maggie better!"
"Margaret is a pretty name." Ada told the girl who beamed at the compliment.
"Margaret!" A red-haired woman boomed as she came stalking down the aisle, most likely coming from the bathroom, "Sit down in your seat and stop bothering this nice woman."
"But Ma..." The girl whined.
"No buts, sit your back side down." She turned to Ada with similar brown eyes, "I'm sorry about her, she gets a little rambunctious when sitting down for too long."
The woman smacked another person, sitting in the row of seats with her, "You were supposed to be watching her, not sleeping!"
"Sorry, sorry." Came a sleepy response from a man, most likely Maggie's father.
As the two bickered, Maggie popped up again, "Sorry 'bout that. Ma's a bit of a loon."
"Margaret Rachel!"
"Sorry Ma..." With that the girl sat down in her seat for good.
A small smile made its way onto Ada's face as she looked over towards the sleeping face of Mia, wondering if their mother was like that or if their father was like Maggie's.
Did their mother seem to have the same penchant for sweets like Ada did? Or did she prefer spicy food like Mia?
What was her favorite color? Her favorite movie? Did she even like movies?
Was their father obsessed over sports like most of the male population? Or did he prefer the arts?
What's his favorite type of music? His favorite food? Does he have any hobbies?
Ada was snapped out of her thoughts as the pilot came over the speaker, announcing they were about to take off and to buckle up, the seat belt light lit up for further indication, which Ada did, also buckling in Mia who had not done so before going to sleep.
Once they were safely in the air, the seat belt light went off and Ada unbuckled herself, getting out of her seat and walking towards the bathroom, which was fortunately unoccupied at the moment.
She slid into the small space, closing the door and locking it behind her. Turning on the sink, she splashed her dirty face with water in an attempt to clean it off. As she looked up, her eyes focused on the reflection in the mirror.
So familiar.
Her hand unconsciously made its way towards her nose, lightly touching it, tracing the features. They gingerly made their way over to her cheekbones, which were high and defined. Then towards her lips, and then her chin that had a small indent in the middle.
All exactly like the man in the picture.
She felt silly, not realizing at first that the man had reminded her of herself and thoughts of her parents continued to fill her head.
As she wiped her face off with a paper towel, a sudden question stuck itself in her head, repeating over and over.
Mia had combated dreams all her life. They ranged from amazing to horribly sucky to utterly terrifying. She couldn't even hide it from Ada whose worried face was always there when she woke up with a scream in her throat. Always the same twisted nightmare too:
The room is bright and airy. She's got her music blasting to some song on the radio that her and her friends like to scream at the top of her lungs. She's a few days away from turning twelve and she can't help but feeling like a grown-up. She can eat chocolate whenever she wants, have soda at dinner, stay up late, and can stay alone by herself. It's this overwhelming feeling of being alive, comfortable, happy and confident that is shattered when the man and woman burst through her door. Their holding her little sister and before she can scream they grab her and the music shuts off and it's black.
She doesn't remember if that's how it happened. When she wakes up she has all of ten minutes to really think about it before she loses memory of the dream. She just remembers being helpless, being terrified, and being wrenched out of a warm, safe place.
When she wakes up she does remember the dream and she remembers that it was night when it happened, not the day time. Her music was on loud and it was almost time for bed. Mom and Dad were out at a neighbor's barbecue and had left them alone with Mom's cell phone. If she needed anything, she could call. The man and woman burst in with Ada in a fireman's carry and for a split second she thought they had killed her little sister.
She did scream but it was cut off when they grabbed her and jabbed her with something.
And then it all fades away.
She realized suddenly that her sister wasn't there next to her and panic starting creeping into her enough to draw gooseflesh on her arms but then her sister was sitting down. She looked better than before they got on the plane and Mia was glad that she didn't look to badly hurt. She hoped she wasn't feeling as bad as she herself felt. The pain killers were slowly wearing off and she had a big scrape on her elbow that of all things was bugging her.
She tried to ignore it and fished around in the duffel bag for the bag of magazines and books her sister had grabbed for her.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
She grinned at Ada and moved around to get comfotable. It was getting dark but overhead there was enough lighting that she could read easily. She had no interest on the movie-that looked to be about basketball or something-and settled down to read.
When she was little she loved to read about Harry and Hogwarts. She loved that a boy could believe one thing about his origins and past and find that it was completely false. She knew that was exactly her and her sister. They didn't remember anything at all. She had a feeling though, they were about to find out.
She loved the part about Sirius. She always hoped that one day someone would recognize her. That they would see through her cocky grin, fake name and made up history background. That if not her parents than an Uncle or Aunt, cousin, or friend would come and save them. They would bring them home and everything would be okay again.
Things weren't that simple. She had never tried to find out about her past because she was never able to even begin. The minute the thought crossed her mind, the man with the suit gave them a job, or something else to do.
He had to be in on it and for the years that she had been working for him she had never questioned it.
It was as if they had been living in limbo and had now, symbolically with a bomb blast, had just gotten out.
Ada's eyes focused intently on the movie they were showing, but her mind was elsewhere, and like they have been lately, her thoughts were stuck on her and Mia's parents and their lives before working for the man in the suit.
She always wondered if her sister remembered anything from their childhood, before they woke up in that room. It had been a silent declaration that neither of them talk about anything that happened in that room, because it only brought about pain and neither of them wanted to feel that pain ever again. Ada could feel a familiar feeling of needles sticking into her skin just thinking about it.
Ada's first memory was waking up in a bright room, surrounded by glass and her sister holding onto her for dear life. Ada had tried to remember how they ended up in the room, but all her mind was filled with was darkness. She didn't remember.
Ada couldn't remember anything, not one memory, not the faces of her parents, not any friends she might have had, not even her own name. The only thing she knew was that Mia was her sister and they no longer had a family.
She found it funny that Mia was the one thing she couldn't forget, she always knew Mia was her sister, despite the fact she had no recollection of any memories concerning her and Mia. Mia was the one link that Ada had to her forgotten past and she was the only family Ada had.
She and Mia never talked about the 'what ifs', but Ada always thought of them and she knew Mia did too.
What if they never woke up in that room?
What if they woke up in their own beds that day?
What if they had ran away from that place?
Things would be different.
Maybe things could still be different.
Ada tore her gaze from the movie screen, looking at Mia as she read.
Maybe they could have a world outside of each other.
They pulled out as and got on the road as if it were a sunday stroll in the mountains. Funny, she thought, they never did normal things.
She settled against the seat trying to get comfortable. She never had a chance to sleep anymore. As soon as she closed her eyes at night she was plagued by terrible night terrors that left her forcing her fist into her mouth to keep her from screaming. She hated that shit.
Behind her eyes she saw the same black abyss that scared her as a child. Is that what death is like? She hoped not. There was nothing peaceful in that.
Her phone buzzed just as she opened her eyes and decided she didn't want them closed anymore. She scanned it and flipped it shut, pushing it under her leg to secure it.
"56th and 8th some warehouse called Ferguson Metals." She told Turtle.
They weren't far from the warehouse. When they got there Paige spotted an alleyway and she pointed it out. They pulled into it and Turtle cut the engine.
She got out and was hit by the heat. "Damn," she said and went around to open the doors. That's when a man's gravelly voice said, "Put your hands up slowly, one wrong move and I'll blow you to Jesus before you can even blink."
Paige sighed. Locals would have probably shot her, feds would have jumped her or tased her. So that left, ugh, a bounty hunter.
Even though she was disgusted with them a chill went down her spine and gooseflesh appeared. How was she stupid enough to get a gorram bounty hunter on them?
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The person who was holding the gun to her head said nothing and Turtle thought to herself how unusual it was for bounty hunters to work in pairs. A rough push on her shoulder forced her out of her thoughts and forced her to face the ambulance. The metallic surface of the ambulance acted as a mirror and Turtle found herself staring into the eyes of her captor.
He looked young, younger than her at least, maybe twenty or twenty one. He had a baby face with cold eyes that told the story of a lost childhood and years of pain.
Turtle could relate.
Before she could let nostalgia take hold of her instinct told her she needed to get both her and her sister out of here unharmed; they couldn't fail this mission because the consequences of doing so were much worse than what any bounty hunter could ever do to them.
The look in the man's eyes told her not to try anything, but Turtle was never one to follow instructions.
She shifted slightly and knew that it didn't go unnoticed by the bounty hunter who shoved the gun against her temple even harder. Taking in a deep breath she eyed him as he shifted towards her left side.
Mistake number one.
A rustle from behind one of the trash cans in the alleyway took the man's attention away from her for a split moment and he lowered his gun slightly as his eyes flickered to the trash cans.
Mistake number two.
She slid her left foot around his right leg, using the left side of her body to pin the man to the ambulance, her left hand held a knife to his throat while her right pinned the hand that held the gun to the ambulance.
"Everything alright over there, Luka?" The man who had Turtle's sister at gunpoint asked.
She pressed the knife harder to "Luka's" neck as if to warn him if he didn't comply she could easily slit his throat, "Say yes." She said in a hushed voice.
"Yes." Luka said calmly with a rather thick Russian accent, "She vanted do ged avay."
Turtle tightened her grip on the hand that held the gun, "Let go." He did, but with much reluctance.
She frowned as the other man began to laugh, "Got a little fight in her, huh? That's expected. Come on, we've got a big check waiting for us." She heard him begin to walk around the ambulance, her sister's footsteps staggering ahead of him, most likely due to the gun pointed at her head.
Paige's face lit up with a grin as she spotted Turtle manhandling Luka who had an annoyed look on his face at this point. The other bounty hunter however was not as amused.
"Let him go or I blow her brains out." He threatened, nudging the gun into Paige's head.
Paige turned to look at him and despite her hands still being held in the air, she grinned, "Try it."
"Mistake number three," Turtle said with her voice at whisper as she leaned closer to Luka, "You came after us."
Gunshots echoed in the alleyway and it wasn't long before police sirens were ringing through the streets.
Paige and Turtle were long gone by then, leaving behind a man with a bullet embedded in his skull and a Russian who didn't wait around long enough for the cops to arrive.
As Turtle drove towards their destination, she couldn't seem to shake the feeling that this wouldn't be her last time encountering the Russian bounty hunter named Luka.
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"Freaking hate bounty hunters," Rabbit said as she brushed herself off. They had parked the ambulance and were now rolling the stretcher to the entrance of the warehouse.
It was stereotypical, faded stone, broken windows that kids probably took turns trying to break. In one of the broken windows, Paige could spot a dark figure for a split second peering down at them. The man in the suite? A body guard? Or another bounty hunter?
Her heart was still pounding and her body ached with fatigue. During each job she was getting more tired. Physically and emotionally but she had always been good at brushing it off.
What she wasn't good at brushing off was that someone was after her little sister and her, although she couldn't muster enough anger on her own account. How dare they? Assholes.
She needed to keep a clear head, though. From what she could tell Turtle was okay. "You good?" She whispered, biting her lip. She had to ask. The minute she crossed the threshold she couldn't ask questions. Hell she didn't even know if they would talk. Drops with this guy were always different. Sometimes there were more directions waiting other times there was nothing, they just left what they had to leave.
She ran a hand over her mouth and kept rolling the mayor closer to the door.
(Sorry it's short, I just had a few free seconds to write. They will get longer!)
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Turtle glanced over at her sister who's tired eyes were staring at her, "I'm fine." She said tersely.
Turtle would never say it out loud but she hated the tired look in her sister's eyes that had been there for years now. Her sister had given up a lot for her and for once, Turtle wanted to see Rabbit's eyes full of life and energy, not lifeless and tired.
She wanted the aching of her muscles to stop and the bags under her eyes to disappear. She wanted to stop looking over her shoulder after turning every corner. She wanted a full night's sleep without the fear of being attacked. She wanted to settle down in one place and stay there.
Turtle shook her head as they walked into the warehouse, not knowing what lay beyond the doorway.
They had chosen this life.
They chose the sleepless nights, the fighting, the paranoia and the hardships that came with this life.
It was no one's fault but their own.
Still...
"Hello girls." A deep voice greeted them from the shadows of the warehouse.
They had to look out for each other.
No matter what.
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Paige rolled her shoulders and put the lock on the stretcher. The mayor grunted loudly.
"Hello girls," came from deep within the warehouse. She tensed for attack but then the voice continued. "I've sent a man, Albert to recover the mayor. I'm sorry I couldn't be here with you today but I had pressing business elsewhere. If you proceed into the warehouse and make a left to go up the stairs you'll find in the alcove at the top of them your payment and more information about your next job. I'm afraid that you might find this one rather difficult but I need you both to do well on this. Your lives may in danger if you don't. I will text more directions as soon as I can. Ciao. "
It wasn't the man in the suit's real voice. In fact it wasn't even his real personality. Rabbit had heard angry cop to wheezy math teacher. Today's was grandfatherly mentor. And still she didn't like his note of warning. He told them to be careful sometimes but never concerning the job itself. He never told them anything really concerning it before the initial information. She didn't want to admit it, but that scared her.
She knew that they had to move before Albert came to collect. He couldn't see them and they couldn't see him.
"Let's go," she said and left, not sparing a glance at the man on the stretcher. She lost compassion for those involved on the job a long time ago. She was afraid that she didn't know what it was. Unless it involved her sister of course, but she couldn't explain that either.
She took the stairs two at a time, eager to get to the goods. She heard her sister pounding behind her and ran quicker. She was always one for a little healthy competition.
She turned around and grinned when she got to the top first. Yesterday morning Turtle had beat her to their only bathroom in their current house. Now that the job was over they could return to their actual home. If you could call it that.
She picked up the old leather journal on the floor with two large envelopes. The information and money in the envelopes, the journal, she didn't understand.
Paige opened one of the envelopes and counted the money and then the other. It was directions, plane tickets, fake IDs, keys. That was normal. Then what was the journal?
She put it all back and handed the envelopes to her sister. Then she opened the journal, only it wasn't a journal. It was a picture album.
The first picture was taken at an odd angle and had pictures in front of it, but it looked to be of a puppy dog. Her eyebrows came togehter and she felt her sister move in to look as well. The next picture was more in focus. A woman with auburn hair with two little girls. One was a baby with blue soulful eyes and the other a little girl with green bright eyes, grinning wide. She nearly dropped the book. "What the fuck?"
With shaky hands she flipped to the next picture. It was of a front yard of a big house. A blanket was spread in front and the same little girl was standing at the edge with the same grin, holding out her hands as the baby took a step. First steps.
"Turtle, Turtle, you can do it! Walk to me."
"Look, sweetie, she's walking! Ryan are you getting this on tape?"
"I'm taking a picture too, babe."
The little was determined to take the few steps to her older sister. She made a face and a grunt but finally did it and collapsed in her sisters arms.
"You're such a good girl, Turtle. And you are such a great big sister, sweetie."
"I'm the best big sister ever!" She looked down at the baby who repositioned herself on her lap. "I'll always protect you." she whispered.
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She turned around, sure she heard Albert leave with the mayor. She started going down the stairs, wanting to get outside to get some air. She had to get in touch with the man with the suit. Demand why the hell he would bring this up? How had he gotten it? But it was probably nothing. It could be any little girls in the pictures, any house, family. She didn't remember hers much, except that memory, and maybe he knew that. Tried to use it to weaken her or something, play with her mind a bit.
When she got to door, she heard a loud pop and a beep. She turned around and saw a bag there, like the ones the man in the suit usually delivered for them. Maybe Albert left it? Or he failed to mention it?
She was weary but figured that it couldn't be that serious. If anything it was something she shouldn't touch because it wasn't meant for her. She'd leave it as soon as she looked in it.
"Hey, do me a favor and stay up there for a sec okay?" She asked her sister. Just in case. If it was something. She put the album outside the warehouse door so she could pick it up when they left and went back to the bag.
She opened the zipper and took a sharp inhale. Murphy's law.
"Shit," she took a step back and it went off. And then there was white, a ringing so loud in her ears and black.
(Tried to make it longer!)
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Turtle had a frown on her face as she waited on the stairs for her sister, "Those pictures..." She whispered.
Turtle couldn't remember her parents.
She'd never really bothered to think of them; it was always her and Rabbit and Rabbit was all she really needed, but that woman in the picture...
She looked so much like Rabbit, so much that it just couldn't be a coincidence.
Turtle felt her eyes water. If that picture was really of her, Rabbit and their mother, it would be Turtle's first time ever seeing their mother's face and she didn't want to forget it.
"Shit." Turtle heard from downstairs.
"Rabbit?" Turtle started down the stairs, but was thrown back when a force hit her full on, "Rabbit..." She mumbled, slumping down on the stairs, her head throbbing as her vision blurred and darkened.
~
When Turtle finally came to, the warehouse was full of smoke and close to collapsing, "Rabbit!" She called out, her voice cracking, "Rabbit where are you?!"
She limped down the stairs, her head pounding with pain and the room around her spinning. The smoke blurred her vision even more and made it hard to breathe. There was burning rubble from the ceiling scattered about the room.
She staggered about, calling out for her sister with her hoarse voice, "Rabbit!"
Please.
"Rabbit!"
Please don't take my sister away from me.
Underneath an enormous beam and other debris, Turtle saw a figure, blackened with ash and struggling to breathe, "Rabbit..." Her eyes were getting heavy as she practically crawled towards the pile of rubble, reaching out towards her sister's hand as darkness took over once more.
Please.
(I apologize once again for the shortness, next one will be much longer (:)
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There's a place people go that's between sleep and awake. It's an in between place, a waiting room before you move on. And Rabbit, or Paige was there.
"You might want to open your eyes."
Paige snapped her eyes open. "Hey Quinn."
Kneeling in front of her, with her long black curls in front of her freckled face was Jocelyn Taylor, her next door neighbor from years ago when they lived in their house.
"Josie?" She got up and looked around, everything was grey.
"It's me. Or rather your subconcious half broken mind version of me."
"I haven't seen you since-"
"The day before you and your sister were taken away. I know. I cried for months when you didn't come home, you know? I didn't understand it, really. I was young, but I knew. "
She touched a hand to her face. She remembered the bag, the blast, but why did she wake up here?
"Mia?"
She turned sharply at her name. "Only my sister calls me that."
'And only then when your truly alone, right? I know how it is with you two. You don't remember your abduction or anything about it. You just remember waking up, and the man with the suit."
"How do you know about him?"
Jocelyn frowned. "I'm in your head remember?"
"I need to get back to my sister now." She started looking around for an exit. She didn't see one.
"That might not be possible. At least for a while."
"What are you talking about?"
"You took a hit, remember?"
And she did, she remembered the blast, the heat, the pain and the darkness.
"Is Turtle okay?"
"She'll be okay. You just need to rest for a bit."
"No I need to get up now."
"You can try but you'll only make it last longer."
"So what the hell am I supposed to do?"
"Rest? Relax. Let your memory heal itself. Hang out with me."
"Yeah my mind's version of my old best friend."
"You've dreamt about our sleepovers. Remember that one time, out in the tent in my backyard? Jake scared us so bad we nearly peed our pants and Turtle and Casey were bugging us so much?"
She didn't remember.
"He loves you, you know? He keeps the picture they handed out when you taken in his wallet."
"That's not true."
"Yeah it is. He's going to be an FBI agent and work on finding missing kids. He wants to find you and your sister."
"I don't even really remember him."
"That's what sucks about drug induced amnesia huh? But you remember a bit, you know you do. You remember me and Jake and your parents but not anything else really. But that's why you have a job at home. To come back and remember."
"What do you mean a job at home?"
"You don't think the photo album was a coincidence, do you? You don't remember where home is but the tickets are to your old home state of California."
Mia just stared at her.
Jocelyn sighed. "Dream states are so free. I could tell you the secrets of the universe right now and you wouldn't remember it when you woke up. But you'll figure it out."
"How?" Mia whispered.
"With that wonderful mind of yours, Mia Ryan Quinn. Say hi for Turtle for me."
"I get to wake up now?" Mia jumped up, ready to be rid of the grey.
"Nah, I think you need to just sit for a bit. Breathe, you need to breathe."
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As Turtle opened her bleary blue eyes the first thing she noticed was the death grip she had her sister's hand who was lying right next to her, still unconscious.
The second thing was the fact they were in the back of a van.
The third was that the van was moving.
And the fourth was a familiar person in the driver's seat.
"Why..."
"I followed you do da varehouse." He said, not turning to look at her, "Dere vas big explosion, you and your seester never came oud." He explained, "So I vent in."
Turtle kept silent as she spared a glance over to her sister while lightly tracing her thumb over her sister's knuckles, taking notice of the burns and cuts that adorned her sister's body.
Unconsciously, her grip tightened and she noticed a pair of gray eyes staring at her, "You vould nod led go of her."
"Thank you." Turtle said, "For saving us. You didn't have to."
"I am Luka."
Turtle hesitated, biting her lip before speaking, "Ada. My name is Ada." It's been so long since she used that name, "How long have we been driving?"
"Nod long." He reassured her, "I found dis book," He said, gesturing towards the passenger's seat, and Turtle, or rather Ada looked over, seeing the photo album sitting there, "Id had dis in it," He held up two tickets that Ada's sister had stuffed into the album before the warehouse was blown to bits, "I am assuming you vould like do go to airpord, da?"
"You don't have to drive us there, we can make it on our own."
"I vill drive you."
Ada's eyebrows furrowed together, obviously annoyed at the Russian man, "You don't have to."
"I vill drive you." He repeated.
"I killed your partner, why would you want to help us?"
Luka blinked, eyes glancing up to the rear-view mirror where he could get a good look at her bruised and battered form, "He vas not my pardner, he vas merely, ah, vhat is dat vord... an aquaindence. An eyesore, really."
Ada's eyes narrowed at him with a suspicious glint, "If you try anything, I won't hesitate to kill you this time."
His cold eyes stared into hers before turning back towards the road, "So, she is your sister, da?" He asked.
"Yes."
"You vould do anyding to make sure no harm comes to her, da?"
"Yes."
"Dat is good, dere is no pain vorse dan losing a sibling." His eyes seemed to soften just slightly before hardening again.
Ada looked down at her sister, who's steady breathing seemed to soothe her. Ada had been so close to losing her.
Her heart clenched at the thought.
Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath.
All she had to do was breathe.
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She had remembered going to Grandpa and Grandma's and playing in their large backyard. They lived by the Ocean and the smell was salty and warm. Now they were on their way home. Dad put the turning signal on and they turned into the drive.
"Where?" She asked.
Then she saw the large florescent sign DINER, lit up in red around a blue border. Dad parked and lifted Turtle out and Mom got her out. They ate pie and ice cream and she had her first root beer float. "A family road trip." Dad said.
It was this memory that came through the most, even though she hadn't thought about it in years. Hadn't been able to.
She blinked her eyes and tried to shift in the seat. Only it wasn't a seat, it was a van. Her body went rigid and the pain came at full force. "Turtle?" She rasped and then coughed.
Her throat felt like she had just jugged gasoline and her body felt like thousands of little pins were pricking her over and over.
She turned to see the man driving the van was the bounty hunter. "Who sent you?"
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"No von." He answered, "I am taking you and your seester do airpord."
Mia had her eyes narrowed at the man, but the sight of Ada in the passenger's seat dispelled the hateful glare, "You're okay..."
"It's fine." Ada said, "We're nearly there."
Mia said no more, merely settling against the wall of the van as Ada got up to join her, feeling secure with her older sister by her side.
They sat in silence until Luka announced they had arrived.
"Here, you vill probably need dese." Luka said, handing the two women a sweatshirt each, "You look like you vere put drew da ringer."
Ada and Mia quickly dressed themselves with the sweatshirts which effectively covered the scrapes and burns that were on their arms. Ada grabbed the photo album and tickets as Mia opened the door, each sparing one last glance at the Russian, "Thanks." Ada mumbled as she jumped out of the van, not looking back once the door was closed.
"That was weird." Mia said once they were inside the bustling airport.
Ada could only nod her head in agreement.
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The sweatshirt was blue, a color that helped her blend in. Besides the photo album, the tickets, the cash and the cell phone in her back pocket, she had nothing. She had a few things at their old place, clothes and things, but nothing really important. Nothing that couldn't be replaced.
They got through security easy. Their IDs were for Alyssa and Cameron Henry. While waiting on line Mia had the opportunity to look at the destination on their ticket. Sacramento, California. She waited for a tug of a memory or something. Nothing came.
When they got past everything Mia noticed a bathroom. She needed to clean off, she knew she must look terrible.
She nodded toward the bathroom but didn't look to see if her sister was coming. For a airport bathroom, it was surprisingly empty. Her reflection in the mirror caused her to take a deep breath. There were no marks on it but she looked as tired and hurt as she felt and she recognized something. Something familiar. But it wasn't a priority so she brushed it off.
Mia splashed water on her face and went to the bathroom. That was when she noticed that her pants were so ripped that they could have sold for a fortune at a New York City boutique. Her hands were shaking a little bit but she couldn't do much about that. She hoped that one of the shops sold pain medicine or something close to it.
Outside, Ada was waiting. She had a Pepsi, bag of cookies, and an outstretched palm with two bills on it. "Bless you," Mia said and swallowed the pills before taking one large swig on the Pepsi. Her twenty-first birthday was in a few months and her ID confirmed that. She always hated that the man in the suite never made her older, even though it definitely would have helped in some occasions on jobs.
They took a seat far from everyone. Mia vaguely remembered playing games with Turtle. People watching, making up stories about where they were from, where they were going. Did they have kids? Dogs? Were they traveling far away or somewhere boring? Were they spies? Secret Agents?
She shook her head and looked down at her hands. They had stopped shaking but they were red and chapped with the burns.
"Ada..." She stared but didn't know where to start. I'm sorry I almost got us killed? I'm sorry that I put us in these situations? Sorry that you don't know about the people in the photographs because just like me, you can't remember your childhood?
She looked out at the people, going on their way, blissfully unaware of her problems. They had it so easy. Families, jobs, real lives. They probably remembered everything, could tell you their hometown, address, phone number. Mia couldn't even remember her parents names.
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Ada glanced over towards her sister at the sound of her name being called. Mia was looking at her, her mind in turmoil and Ada could see it in her eyes, "It's okay." Her own hand took one of Mia's burnt ones in a gentle grip.
Mia stared at her in surprise, probably screaming at her in her head telling Ada how it's not okay, but Ada continued to stare blankly at her sister while nibbling on a cookie.
"We should go now." Ada said, glancing at the board of flight times, seeing theirs was quite soon.
As the two walked through the crowd of people, Ada couldn't help but feel envious of the smiles that seemed to be on everyone's faces.
For once, she wanted to smile like that, with no worries and looking forward to waking up in the morning. Her grip tightened on the photo album she had been holding which is the only other belonging the two sisters had other than the messenger's bag that Ada had hanging off her shoulder containing a few shirts and pants that the two shared between each other.
It didn't take long for them to board the plane and as soon as they were seated, Mia's eyes began to droop while Ada stayed awake, eying people as they boarded the plane like a guard dog.
Ada looked over at Mia, making sure she was asleep before opening the photo album, taking in the face of the woman who might have been their mother.
She had the same features as Mia.
The same face shape.
The same nose.
The same smile.
And she was beautiful.
Ada spared a glance towards her sister, mentally comparing the two faces in her mind and coming to the conclusion that there was no way that this woman could not be their mother. She just had to be.
She continued to flip through the book, finding that most of the pages were blank, except the last one.
A picture of a man holding onto a tiny little girl who looked to have just turned or was about to turn one. Both of their eyes were a bold and bright shade of blue and their hair was a dark, chocolate colored brown. They were both smiling; the man showing off his white teeth and slightly crooked smile while the little girl showed off her gummy smile with the exception of two bottom teeth.
Ada ran her finger over the man's face, a feeling of familiarity coming over her.
She had seen that face before.
Ada shook her head, urging herself to not think too much about it and she closed the book, stuffing it into her bag for safe keeping.
"Hey lady." Ada glanced up to the seat in front of her, where a child, maybe four or five was peering over, the only thing visible were her eyes, the pure blonde hair that was done up in pigtails and her tiny hands that held onto the top of the seat.
Ada didn't say anything, just staring at the little girl who's big brown eyes stared back.
The girl heaved herself up on the seat even more, her entire face becoming visible revealing a wide, childish grin with two front teeth missing, "You got really pretty eyes."
Ada's lips upturned into a smile directed at the girl, "Thank you."
"No problem!" Her eyes turned towards Mia, "That your sister?" She asked, pointing towards her.
"Yes."
"What's your name?"
"Cameron." Was the automatic response.
"What's her name?"
"Alyssa."
"I'm Maggie!" The girl declared, "Well Margaret, but I like Maggie better!"
"Margaret is a pretty name." Ada told the girl who beamed at the compliment.
"Margaret!" A red-haired woman boomed as she came stalking down the aisle, most likely coming from the bathroom, "Sit down in your seat and stop bothering this nice woman."
"But Ma..." The girl whined.
"No buts, sit your back side down." She turned to Ada with similar brown eyes, "I'm sorry about her, she gets a little rambunctious when sitting down for too long."
"It's fine." Ada said.
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"Sorry, sorry." Came a sleepy response from a man, most likely Maggie's father.
As the two bickered, Maggie popped up again, "Sorry 'bout that. Ma's a bit of a loon."
"Margaret Rachel!"
"Sorry Ma..." With that the girl sat down in her seat for good.
A small smile made its way onto Ada's face as she looked over towards the sleeping face of Mia, wondering if their mother was like that or if their father was like Maggie's.
Did their mother seem to have the same penchant for sweets like Ada did? Or did she prefer spicy food like Mia?
What was her favorite color? Her favorite movie? Did she even like movies?
Was their father obsessed over sports like most of the male population? Or did he prefer the arts?
What's his favorite type of music? His favorite food? Does he have any hobbies?
Ada was snapped out of her thoughts as the pilot came over the speaker, announcing they were about to take off and to buckle up, the seat belt light lit up for further indication, which Ada did, also buckling in Mia who had not done so before going to sleep.
Once they were safely in the air, the seat belt light went off and Ada unbuckled herself, getting out of her seat and walking towards the bathroom, which was fortunately unoccupied at the moment.
She slid into the small space, closing the door and locking it behind her. Turning on the sink, she splashed her dirty face with water in an attempt to clean it off. As she looked up, her eyes focused on the reflection in the mirror.
So familiar.
Her hand unconsciously made its way towards her nose, lightly touching it, tracing the features. They gingerly made their way over to her cheekbones, which were high and defined. Then towards her lips, and then her chin that had a small indent in the middle.
All exactly like the man in the picture.
She felt silly, not realizing at first that the man had reminded her of herself and thoughts of her parents continued to fill her head.
As she wiped her face off with a paper towel, a sudden question stuck itself in her head, repeating over and over.
Were her and Mia's parents even alive?
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The room is bright and airy. She's got her music blasting to some song on the radio that her and her friends like to scream at the top of her lungs. She's a few days away from turning twelve and she can't help but feeling like a grown-up. She can eat chocolate whenever she wants, have soda at dinner, stay up late, and can stay alone by herself. It's this overwhelming feeling of being alive, comfortable, happy and confident that is shattered when the man and woman burst through her door. Their holding her little sister and before she can scream they grab her and the music shuts off and it's black.
She doesn't remember if that's how it happened. When she wakes up she has all of ten minutes to really think about it before she loses memory of the dream. She just remembers being helpless, being terrified, and being wrenched out of a warm, safe place.
When she wakes up she does remember the dream and she remembers that it was night when it happened, not the day time. Her music was on loud and it was almost time for bed. Mom and Dad were out at a neighbor's barbecue and had left them alone with Mom's cell phone. If she needed anything, she could call. The man and woman burst in with Ada in a fireman's carry and for a split second she thought they had killed her little sister.
She did scream but it was cut off when they grabbed her and jabbed her with something.
And then it all fades away.
She realized suddenly that her sister wasn't there next to her and panic starting creeping into her enough to draw gooseflesh on her arms but then her sister was sitting down. She looked better than before they got on the plane and Mia was glad that she didn't look to badly hurt. She hoped she wasn't feeling as bad as she herself felt. The pain killers were slowly wearing off and she had a big scrape on her elbow that of all things was bugging her.
She tried to ignore it and fished around in the duffel bag for the bag of magazines and books her sister had grabbed for her.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
She grinned at Ada and moved around to get comfotable. It was getting dark but overhead there was enough lighting that she could read easily. She had no interest on the movie-that looked to be about basketball or something-and settled down to read.
When she was little she loved to read about Harry and Hogwarts. She loved that a boy could believe one thing about his origins and past and find that it was completely false. She knew that was exactly her and her sister. They didn't remember anything at all. She had a feeling though, they were about to find out.
She loved the part about Sirius. She always hoped that one day someone would recognize her. That they would see through her cocky grin, fake name and made up history background. That if not her parents than an Uncle or Aunt, cousin, or friend would come and save them. They would bring them home and everything would be okay again.
Things weren't that simple. She had never tried to find out about her past because she was never able to even begin. The minute the thought crossed her mind, the man with the suit gave them a job, or something else to do.
He had to be in on it and for the years that she had been working for him she had never questioned it.
It was as if they had been living in limbo and had now, symbolically with a bomb blast, had just gotten out.
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She always wondered if her sister remembered anything from their childhood, before they woke up in that room. It had been a silent declaration that neither of them talk about anything that happened in that room, because it only brought about pain and neither of them wanted to feel that pain ever again. Ada could feel a familiar feeling of needles sticking into her skin just thinking about it.
Ada's first memory was waking up in a bright room, surrounded by glass and her sister holding onto her for dear life. Ada had tried to remember how they ended up in the room, but all her mind was filled with was darkness. She didn't remember.
Ada couldn't remember anything, not one memory, not the faces of her parents, not any friends she might have had, not even her own name. The only thing she knew was that Mia was her sister and they no longer had a family.
She found it funny that Mia was the one thing she couldn't forget, she always knew Mia was her sister, despite the fact she had no recollection of any memories concerning her and Mia. Mia was the one link that Ada had to her forgotten past and she was the only family Ada had.
She and Mia never talked about the 'what ifs', but Ada always thought of them and she knew Mia did too.
What if they never woke up in that room?
What if they woke up in their own beds that day?
What if they had ran away from that place?
Things would be different.
Maybe things could still be different.
Ada tore her gaze from the movie screen, looking at Mia as she read.
Maybe they could have a world outside of each other.
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