Sapience (33 page)

“It was kind of nice.” Brianna said. “I didn’t know so many people cared about us.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I am sure they do, but I bet they were just overjoyed to see somebody had beaten the Kingdom’s oppression. Or at least been shown a little mercy, that doesn’t happen a lot around here.”

When we were a little ways down the road I asked if anyone knew where Blake’s house was. Brianna did and started us on the ten minute drive out of town. We were passing a small subdivision heavily surrounded by trees when she told us to stop. She said there was a way to cut through the woods and come out in Blake’s back yard.

I pulled over and the suburban parked on the shoulder behind us. We all piled out and met at the edge of the woods. The night was closing in fast. I glanced back at the sliver of red on the horizon, stars were already starting to pop up in the sky.

“Are we ready to do this?” I asked, looking into the dark shadowy woods.

Josh’s hands burst into flames, he held them out to provide light. “Hell yea we are ready.”

As we stepped into the woods Spencer ignited his own hands, giving us a secondary source of light. With the flames on either side of our group, it was easy to see where we were going and not trip over any of the moss covered logs. Brianna was close at my side as we weaved through all the trees.

“I’m kind of nervous.” She said.

I glanced over at her face, reflecting in the fire light. “I know. I feel like we are about to egg and toilet paper someone’s house.”

After about a hundred yards we could see the glow from Blake’s house. We stopped at the edge of the woods where Josh and Spencer extinguished their flames.

“Ok, so what’s our plan?” Spencer asked.

Rachel pointed at a window. “I could slip in there, incapacitate the target and bring him out to you guys.”

“I want to do that.” Spencer complained.

“No.” Brianna said “You guys hide under the front porch, let me draw out Blake.”

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Oh, I’m sure.”

After the details of the plan were figured out, we all snuck around to the front yard where everyone except Brianna hid behind the front porch. Brianna walked up the stairs and rang the doorbell. She stood there a moment before a big man smoking a cigar, answered the door.

“What do you want?” He asked, puffing smoke in her face.

“Is Blake home?”

He eyed her over a moment before disappearing into the house, a few seconds later we heard his scruffy voice yelling. “Blake, your girlfriend is here. Go see what she wants.”

Brianna stepped to the side of the door so she wouldn’t be seen when Blake came out.

Blake appeared in the doorway and walked onto the porch looking confident as ever. “Sup?” He said, his words trailing off into the night. He failed to see Brianna take a step to her right, blocking off the doorway. “Hello? Is this some kind of a joke?”

“I can assure you, this is no joke.” Brianna said.

Blake jumped about a foot and turned to face her, his confidence gone. “Da-“ He began to yell but Brianna struck him in the throat.

She swept out his legs and shoved him down the steps. Spencer and Josh dove on him the moment his back hit the pavement. They dragged him up against a car and slammed him onto the hood. Rachel created an ice spear and forced him to hold still with its tip against his throat. Josh and Spencer ignited their hands, casting light on me as I walked up.

“Hey Blake.” I said. “You know, the president was pretty pissed when you blew our cover.” I was telling the story I had been fabricating all day. “To think he spent all that time getting his super soldiers into the school system and you turn around and rat them out. He said that he is leaving me with the final decision, but he wanted you dead.”

Blake started to whimper, Rachel added pressure to the spear, forcing him to shut up.

“You really messed up Blake. Was your high school fame worth it?” I let my words linger into the silence. “Fortunately for you, the damage can be reversed. I’m not going to kill you.” I took a step closer to look him dead in the eyes. “But if you ever say anything about us again, to anyone, I’m going to have your body gift wrapped and sent straight to the president himself. He’s a cannibal you know.”

Rachel pulled the ice spear away and we all took a step back. Josh and Spencer extinguished their flames. Without the flames it was harder to see and easier for us to disappear into the night. We had sent our message, short and sweet and now we were like phantoms disappearing into the dark. Blake didn’t dare move from the car until we were all back in the woods. I watched from the edge of the trees as he walked back to the house on wobbly legs. Part of me felt bad for him, only a small part.

On the walk back Brianna and I trailed behind the others. They seemed in a hurry to get out of there. I knew Blake wouldn’t dare tell and I preferred to take my time.

“You sounded pretty scary back there.” She said.

I reached over and took her hand in mine “Just trying to keep everyone safe.”

“I wonder if he will even go to school tomorrow.”

I thought about it for a moment. “I don’t know. He might go anyways, thinking we wouldn’t hurt him in public.”

“Does this make us like him?” She asked a few steps later.

“No. This was purely self-defense. We are not like him, and we are definitely not what the president was trying to make us.”

“You don’t think we are trained assassins with unique powers?”

I suppressed a smile. “I don’t know about that. What I do know is that we would never hurt someone who didn’t deserve it. The president would have us kill the innocent just to force obedience.”

She reached out and took my other hand. “We are on the other side, assassins fighting for the people.”

“Maybe one day, but for now I like just slipping under the radar and living it up in a mansion.”

And then a thought occurred to me. There was something that I wanted to do before we went home.

I grabbed Brianna by the waist and pinned her up against a tree. Her lips were there, waiting for mine as I leaned in. Her kiss sent a thrill through my body. I wonder if I will ever get used to the feeling her kiss gives me. I pray that I don’t.

As the flames from the others got farther and farther away, and the night closed in on us, I hoped Spencer knew to get a ride home in the suburban.

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