Riven
Operatives. Plants. Spies. Luneth was absolutely right. That's definitely not something two fugitives would want to hear. And yet… It seemed she had come to terms with it. Based on her calm expression, she had learned to avoid these 'plants.' 'Site-0' didn't disturb her at all either. I guess that meant we were in some kind of facility that was managed by people outside of it.
It was all a lot, too much, really. So much had happened today, and I really just wanted to fall into the deep, comforting embrace of sleep. Everything felt like a dream, but one day it was going to sink in. I didn't know what was going to happen to me once it did.
A deep, throbbing ache radiated from my stomach. I groaned softly and fell back onto the bed. Thinking back on my day, I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast with dad.
Dad. I should probably find a way to contact him and tell him I'm doing fine.
I noticed Luneth staring at me with a weird expression. She had obviously noticed I was starving. I looked up at her. "J-Ms. June said there were leftovers right?"
"What..?" Her mouth parted for a second before she shifted her eyes to the wall. "Oh, yeah. I didn't eat dinner either."
She pushed herself from the bed and looked at me before gesturing to the door.
I sat up and stood, following behind her as she opened the door.
She walked toward the kitchen and paused temporarily to let June, who was lounging on the couch reading a book, know that they were going to heat up dinner.
A pan was sitting on the stove already, so Luneth turned it on and gestured for me to come over. In the pan were noodles and beef drenched in a red sauce. I looked at her with a silent question in my eyes.
She sighed. "Anything extra you want in it? Salt, pepper?"
"I don't know how much is already in it."
She shook her head. "June never adds enough seasoning. Always makes it taste too bland."
A voice called out, "I can hear you, you know!"
Luneth smiled and glanced back at the noodles. "So, what'll it be?"
I leaned onto the counter. "Some salt would be nice."
She nodded before shaking some salt out of a container into the sauce. "I agree."
Something was off about Luneth. It was obviously her, but her… presence felt different. It was like she was more restrained now, holding back her emotions. Sure, she was smiling, but I couldn't really tell if her smiles were genuine.
The only crack of emotion I could confirm was when she pounded me with questions after she grabbed my wrist. But instead of sadness or recognition, it was anger. Irritation.
It made it hard to trust her since I couldn't tell if she trusted me.
Maybe I was just being too harsh on her. Who wouldn't be scarred after their family leaves them behind and their closest friend forgets them? In one night, nevertheless.
Just one more thing to make my life more confusing. Hopefully she warms back up to me soon. I don't want to have to worry about this anymore.
I cleared my mind.
A few minutes later, Luneth turned off the stove after the sauce started to bubble. "It's already cooked, so this is all we need."
She grabbed two plates from inside a shelf and scooped an equally generous amount of pasta onto both.
After getting two forks and napkins, she guided me over to the living room and we sat down next to each other on a gray sofa on the other side of a coffee table from June.
June sat up and put her book down and a smile appeared on her face. "So, how was it?"
I twirled some of the pasta around my fork. "How was what?"
"Mmm. Playing innocent, huh?"
Luneth sighed loudly. "Don't listen to her, Riven. She has a habit of doing this."
"Doing what, hm?"
Both ladies stared at each other. Luneth's eyes narrowed, shooting a glare that almost killed me in the cross-fire. "Who's playing innocent now?" June tried to suppress her smile, but it didn't really work so she shrugged and picked her book back up.
After a few minutes, I swallowed the last bit of pasta and placed my plate, fork, and napkin on the coffee table.
Luneth did the same before glancing at my mouth. "You missed a spot." She reached out with her napkin and wiped a bit of sauce off my lips. That was… unexpected.
June perked up. "Aww… You both are so cute together."
Luneth and I locked eyes, a silent understanding passed between us.
Luneth's hand twitched as she broke eye contact and slowly pushed herself off the sofa. June's eyes widened in horror, realizing what was about to happen.
It seemed Luneth's new method to solve problems was simply violence.
***
Luneth and I went back into her room, and she gently shut the door once more.
A wave of drowsiness hit my body. The long day and the meal had been just too much, and I was absolutely wiped. Normally, I would be able to stay awake much longer than this, but it seemed the excess use of my newly found perception ability drained me.
I swayed a little and shifted my eyes to Luneth. "Anything else you need me to know?"
She shook her head and rubbed the back of her neck. "That's all the information I've gathered."
Something about the way she had said it prevented me from believing her, but my brain was too tired to think too deeply about it.
I slowly lowered myself onto the carpet and pressed my back against the wall.
Luneth turned off the light—making the room dark, but still slightly illuminated by moonlight from the window—and looked at me. "I would've offered the bed, you know?"
"Mhm, but I don't think I would've been able to refuse."
A short, unexpected scoff came from where she was standing and she sat down on her bed and laid back.
The silence between us was strangely comforting now, just like it used to be.
***
Shit.
Luneth and I shot up at the same time. I was on my feet already, and Luneth was pushing herself off the bed. All drowsiness I had was replaced by alertness and adrenaline. I was suddenly in the most intense combat of my life… minus the combat.
Everything around seemed fine.
I didn't know how long I had slept for or what time it was, but it didn't matter.
I didn't know what had woken us either, but it didn't matter.
Something was definitely off.
We studied each other's dark figures for a few seconds, both of us unsure of what was happening.
We both remained silent, listening for something… anything.
For a few minutes, all we could hear was each other's subtle breathing and heartbeats.
Then, finally, we heard it. A subtle creak from a window traveled across the house and reached us. Based on how quiet it was, someone was clearly trying to be silent.
Our eyes shot towards the room door. June is out there…
Luneth and I didn't know what to do, so we simply waited until one of us had the courage to do something.
Eventually, I gestured for Luneth to get behind where the door would open.
She took a step toward where I wanted her, but stopped and shook her head.
Instead, she silently walked toward the desk and slid open one of the drawers. She froze for a second as it barely creaked. She reached inside and took out a silver pocket knife glinting in the moonlight.
My question was why she even had a pocket knife in her room.
From my knowledge, she'd never been in a fight with an operative before. Even though I was questioning if that thing could even scratch the armor of the operatives, I wasn't going to stop her.
She slowly went next to the door, her back to the wall on the opposite side of where I had wanted her before.
I shook my head unnoticeably and cautiously stood beside her, our arms against each other.
The floor just outside the room creaked, nearly impossible to hear.
The carpet beneath us vibrated. Not enough for the average person to feel, but we weren't average.
No other sound was made as we felt a presence on the other side of the door.
We stared at the door handle which was slowly tilting to the point where the latch and the wall were no longer connected.
Pressed against Luneth's side, I could feel her heartbeat escalate, pounding so fast I wouldn't even be able to count the number of beats. Her right arm twitched slightly, raising the silver pocket knife.
The door slowly became ajar, and Luneth instantly moved.
She used her left arm to slam the door open—a bang resonating across the house—while simultaneously spinning around and using her momentum to send the knife in her hand flying into the neck of whatever was outside.
It had no time to react as Luneth's blade slammed into the center of its neck.
A look of triumph appeared on her face, but was quickly wiped away.
The blade had successfully hit the neck, and using all the momentum and strength of Luneth, it should've gone right through.
Shit.
Instead, the blade shattered.
All the silver up to the handle had crumbled as it was hit against the dark figure's throat.
Luneth's expression fell, her eyes widening in horror.
Shit.
If she was killed now… it would entirely be my fault.
The attacker lunged forward and grabbed her wrist. It was temporarily illuminated by the moonlight streaming in from the window, and sure enough, it was wearing the deep black and unnervingly silent armor of the other operatives.
A voice echoed through the house furiously, "What could you both possibly be doing? This is my house!"
Figuring that the operative would be temporarily distracted by June's voice, Luneth sharply pulled her wrist back and dropped the handle of what was the silver pocket knife.
Simultaneously as Luneth jumped back, I leapt past her, sending my left leg flying into the operative's side.
Before it hit, the metallic, monotone voice rang out from the mask, "Wait."
However, I didn't listen, slamming my leg into its side. The attacker staggered—not much, but enough to work with. It was stronger than the operatives I remembered… or I had gotten weaker.
My fist came from the other side, intending to use the way it staggered to amplify the damage of my punch.
However, the operative recovered quickly and ducked, my hand flying over its head. It reached up and grabbed my upper arm, yanking on it and causing me to lose my footing and fall face-first into the floor.
Luneth jumped in to cover me as I pushed myself up.
I temporarily couldn't see their fight from my position, but heavy breathing and the whistling of air from combat filled the house.
After I successfully staggered up, June appeared down the hallway. Her hair was disheveled, her expression absolutely furious. She reached her hands up and rubbed her eyes.
I raised a hand to stop her from getting closer as she looked behind me and noticed the situation. Her jaw dropped in shock as I yelled at her. "Leave us!"
Without waiting for a response, I spun around just to see Luneth sent flying toward me. I pressed a leg against the ground behind me to brace as I caught Luneth's limp body in my arms.
Her arms were covered in bruises with a larger one just above the nape of her neck. It seemed the operative had been aiming for the weak spot I had discovered but just barely missed. She was lucky to even be alive.
I gently set her across the ground and straightened.
I slowly walked in front of her collapsed body, placing myself between the operative and her.
My mind was absolutely clear.