Chapter 2: Two, Regretful Allegiance.
"Blood often gets thick and pestiferous. It isn't the only thing that deserves allegiance."
-12 May 2011
A shadow cast over town that Friday eventide, shady townspeople made their way through the black market hub of the area like wolves at the sight of fresh prey.
It would rain soon, she thought.
An intense acrid smell had filled the air. In a corner, a languid girl watched as people rushed in and out, possibly buying illegal substances or useless artifacts from the 50s. Regardless, somehow it amused her, watching fools get ripped off. The sixteen-year-old gnawed on her fingernails as the other hand reached into her pocket to fetch a flip phone.
Sigh only for business Nevaeh; she huffed as Lida's words were relayed.
I thought life was supposed to be at least somewhat worthwhile. Is there something I'm missing out on?
Alas, she had wished she could call her friends and make elaborate plans like other kids at school. If only they allowed her to communicate with anyone outside the vicinity or maybe if Lida had let her join the private school in Prague. She often wondered how her life would have turned out, had she not been born into such a dysfunctional family, but some people can't choose their fate, she thought, especially if their mother gave in to her hopelessness.
She looked down as her right hand held the last strip of 'Wallops' for the day. A sigh had escaped her mouth as the ring went without being answered. Nevaeh kicked a small stone out of her way and walked out of the lonely alley, cellphone still at her ear the girl had always been one with the shadows. She'd thought about who she had more grown to become -like her mother or deceased father.
They were never present enough to have any major influence on her life, but hereditary is a thing, she thought. At least, that's what Miss. Liběna informed the class last week in science.
It began to drizzle.
I knew it. Nevaeh thought, maybe carrying an umbrella wasn't such a terrible idea.
Her favourite old jumper had rendered useless in the town's eternally somber weather, but she had worn it, anyway. Habitual to, yet still annoyed about the rain, she flung the hood over her head. At least I won't be yelled at for getting sick, she thought. The phone cut to a sharp beep and Nevaeh placed her cell phone back in her pocket. Probably running another errand for 'A', she thought. It was an ironic situation, relating to her absence in Nevaeh's upbringing. She had lived with her mother since her infancy of course, but oddly not as a parent. Lida had been more of an assistant to 'A' than she has been a mom to Nevaeh. No one could deny it. She found it absurd herself.
Everything related to her mother's absence lately. Some would call it teenage angst, but Nevaeh's maturity had expanded, and these questions often appeared in her thoughts. Relaying any of this to her mother or 'A' made her gut churn in protest. She could never let her adolescent mind even think of doing that.
No f*cking way, she thought.
Becoming an outcast is not something she has on her checklist. Nope, she had to first graduate somehow. After that, who could say? She'd probably run away to the city. The prospect of having to stay in Pyatrov her whole life always left a foul taste in her mouth.
Nevaeh was more comfortable keeping such thoughts to herself, but when it would come to other circumstances, she'd ruin anyone one snarky comment at a time.
"A bag of Wallops please," she slid a 50 Kč bill on the counter of a nearby store.
"Your teeth are going to rot if you eat any more of these, little girl," The owner said as he fetched her desired confectionary.
Nevaeh snickered and grabbed her candy off the counter, struggling to fit the packet into her already occupied jean pocket. "Well then you better stop selling them stařec (old man) you wouldn't want to have to pay my dentist bill would you?"
She gave him a grin and continued on her way home. The older gentleman shook his head in light regret. Being a regular customer, one would think her snarky retorts had grown on him. Nevaeh had gotten used to people assuming she was a misfit child who didn't behave as expected to. The whole neighborhood often gossiped about her father's absence -but more of the fact that she knew how to use a gun at sixteen.
A boy in her class once followed her after school and discovered that Nevaeh wasn't just a loser classmate. Well, long story short the whole vicinity knew by nightfall and her mother was furious of course, not to mention A. Let's say that little Jakob and his family left town and never looked back and Lida had to find another spot for Nevaeh's training. Knowing that she was involved with the Arachnide clan was enough to make Nevaeh fearful. Although it was by chance, it stopped her from making friends or even being paid any attention to at her dingy public school. Being a teenager sucked as it is, she did not need this to ruin things further.
As Nevaeh walked, she looked up. Fuck, she thought. It had started to get dark and her six o'clock curfew was ten minutes past her. Just when she was going to start walking faster, a presence was felt. Slight murmuring and laughter followed. She turned to the slightest. Turns out it was a stingy group of boys that often followed girls in the area. Plus, the fact that it was almost completely dark benefitted them in the situation. Nevaeh clenched a fist and took a deep breath. Her right hand slowly reached for the Kershaw that she always carried. She was warned from getting into fights outside of work, but foolery needed to be dealt with, she thought.
Why those little assholes, she couldn't handle how unlucky they were. Also, she felt like it was a good excuse to pound someone that day.
"Well if today isn't my lucky day, a couple of men are following me. Oh, what must a girl do" Nevaeh turned to face them. Her right hand remained in her pocket while the other was used to examine her nails in disinterest.
"You can show us a good time sweetcakes" the leader spoke up with a smug grin.
She scoffed but slowly met eyes with the stranger, "Really, you mean that?" Nevaeh's expression went from gritty to shy.
One step at a time, she began walking closer till there was not much room between them.
The errant one's clenched fists were on the verge of exploding but somehow, her expression was not a mirror of her true emotions, "You wish asshole." She spat, her fist went straight for his nose bridge. Blood splattered against the gravel, Nevaeh rubbed her wrist in gratification.
Doubled over, the punch had caught him off guard. "You crazy bitch!" another one of them charged at her but Nevaeh being persistent to destroy adolescent junk, swung another punch, this time at his gut. He landed backward and the two friends lay flat on the ground settling in misery. The third one simply rushed to their aid. Satisfied, Nevaeh bent down and flung open her Kershaw knife and slowly moved it towards the harasser's neck. It lightly grazed against his skin and the boy shuddered, clearly a nervous wreck.
"If I ever even smell your rotten scent around here again, I'll cut your d*ck off next time, okay?" a hand appeared by her side, she looked up to see a dark-haired boy pointing a slick AK-107 at the stalkers.
Nevaeh got onto her feet and asked, "What the fuck are you doing, Válek?" ignoring her question, he cocked the weapon as the three cowards attempted to flee.
"Are you out of your mind, stop it" she grabbed the weapon and walked away. He watched as the losers ran for their poor lives. The gunman was the infamous Gabriel Válek, her childhood sweetheart. Well, that's how he saw it anyway.
A smirk slid onto his mouth as Gabriel caught up with Nevaeh. He casually draped an arm around her dainty shoulders.
She turned to face him with one of her "looks". Reading the sign he shrugged his arm off. "What are you doing here loser, don't you have flowers to plant" Nevaeh took a jab at his odd gardening hobby. "Hey, there's nothing wrong with being fond of flowers, they're fun"
"Whatever you say, cherry blossom, I was looking forward to pounding those guy's faces into the ground. But no, there you are, sticking your heroism up my ass again."
"Well, you didn't show up at four so I came looking for you"
"Is today a Tuesday?" he nodded in response. "Oh well sorry your highness, I didn't feel like seeing you. I had other plans"
Gabriel sighed. "What about now?" if anyone had grown accustomed to her insults, it was him. He ignored her words and looked at her with hopeful eyes.
"Did you bang your head somewhere earlier? I have to get home" He looked at his phone; Ah, the curfew.
"Come on, you have eight minutes" they paused as a wrought-iron gate appeared in front of them. Gabriel looked cheekily at her, "You owe me for forgetting"
"Fine, four minutes and I don't owe you anything" she raised a finger at him and pushed open the gate.
The teenagers tiptoed into the yard and made their way to an abandoned garage. Nevaeh turned open the rusty handle while Gabriel closed the door behind him.
"Did you bring the-"
"Yes, always", he cut her off.
"Okay hurry up then"
She grabbed Gabriel by the collar playfully and had him lean against a wall. His scent and the midsummer breeze worked wonders for her, needless to say, her mood had been elevated. Her hands grazed his chest and went down to his waist to remove his t-shirt. Gabriel stared longingly as she took off her own. Somehow, he couldn't believe the sight in front of him every time.
"What? Come on I don't have all day!"
"Oh yeah, sorry" just like that he was snapped out of his thoughts. Gabriel took over and pulled Nevaeh in by her waist. He looked into her eyes for a few seconds before kissing her gently. Nevaeh lightly tugged at his hair as the kiss deepened. Their young and wild aura could probably be felt from a mile away. Sex has always been an exciting topic to explore for teenagers, and these two found the pleasure they needed in each other without any obstacles or labels.
Nevaeh pushed him harder against the wall as he began kissing her neck. He strived for dominance, so he swiftly turned and one of Nevaeh's legs stayed up to keep her balanced. Just when things could've escaladed, a phone went off. She let out a grunt of annoyance and let go of Gabriel, whose disappointed face had rendered priceless. Lida's name flashed onto the screen.
Ugh, now she calls back, Nevaeh thought.
"You know there's a special place in hell for parents that ignore their children" she spoke into the phone.
"Well with you I'm kissing Lucifer's ass at this point." Her mother retorted.
Nevaeh snickered and looked up to see her hookup buddy awkwardly listening in -half-naked. A disgusted look emerged almost immediately and she gestured for him to move away. Gabriel slowly stepped back a little and stood patiently.
"What is it mother, where are you anyway?"
"Forget about where I am you're in deep trouble. A has asked to see you so get your butt down here right now"
"But I-"
"Didn't you hear me; go right now."
"At least tell me what this is about?" Nevaeh asked, starting to get annoyed with her mother's lack of conveyance.
"Oh you'll find out, we'll talk about it after. Just come quick, I'm already here"
Just then, Nevaeh saw her mother walking up the entrance from the open window. "Shit", she muttered. "I got to go". Gabriel looked at her utterly confused, but like always, he didn't question her. "Okay, I'll see you later, Nev". She put her jumper back on and rushed out the door.
"Get out before anyone sees you," she yelled on her way out.
"Okay," he sighed to himself as he watched her run to the main entrance.
Nevaeh stopped at the door. She had hoped A hadn't found out about her and Gabriel's little "relationship", God knows what would happen. Entering the large villa, she found herself consumed by the possibilities this meeting could bring. Hell, she did not want to be kicked out because of that dweeb. Nevaeh shook off her assumptions and entered the main hall. It was where all of A's meetings happened. Two men guarded the door to the room. A single light bulb dangled above a desk and chair which remained empty. The silence was deadly she couldn't even stand being in the main hall. More men stood lurking in the hollowness. She walked ahead and waited near the table, hoping to get over whatever was going to be asked. Ten minutes went by; Nevaeh's leg began to cramp up.
"Is A coming in today or?" she asked anyone that willed to answer.
Silence.
Someone answered from the darkness, "She's in the back." That didn't answer her question but it was enough to get a grasp of the situation. Knowing her, she was probably making dead meat out of someone right at that moment.
The back door whooshed open all of a sudden; all the men in the room grew conscious. They stood tall, fixed their shirts, and stared blankly in front of them. A dark figure walked in. Two more of A's confederates entered behind her.
"Yes, sefka. (boss) Well, he's willing to negotiate but is adamant about being anonymous." Nevaeh attempted to eavesdrop on their conversation but gave up. Her face still hid behind the shadows as she sat down. Her hands, being the only thing visible, were folded. Rings of varying sizes adorned her nimble slender fingers and she began slowly tapping them on the desk. This was always an ominous symbol; Nevaeh knew she was in trouble. Sigh, A did always know how to make an entrance.
She looked down anxiously and waited for her to say something, being well aware A always had to have the first and the last word, "Nevaeh" she simply said. Her intense Czech accent and hoarse voice could make anyone quiver.
A turned in her chair, her back now faced the sixteen-year-old. "You wanted to see me?"
"What were you doing downtown?" she spoke after a while. At just a quick gesture, a man approached her with a container as she emptied her rings into it one by one. Nevaeh quickly noticed that the rings were in fact, covered in blood. She really did catch her at the worst possible time and mood.
"Just my usual sauntering and nothing else," Nevaeh answered confidently with her arms folded in front of her. A didn't scare her; it was just the matter of being caught and restricted further that was bothersome.
"And you're sure about that?" she asked. Nevaeh hesitantly answered, "Yep."
Cracking her fingers she stood up, facing the young girl in front of her once again. "Don't you remember what we talked about?"
"What did we talk about?" Nevaeh raised an eyebrow.
A leaned her arms out on the table, her head hung low in frustration. "What did we discuss about messing with civilians?" as she said this, the light above created shadows on her face, and the wrinkles around her eyes seemed frightfully visible.
Nevaeh realized, from her changed tone, that A was starting to lose her composure. She also wondered how her brief encounter came to be discovered. "They were following me, I had to do something."
"Enough!" her voice thundered through the room, interrupting Nevaeh's explanation. "I told you not to get into any scuffles with townspeople. Do I really have to repeat myself?" A's hands almost buried into the table as she spoke.
Nevaeh didn't seem to flinch at the sudden anger before her. These outbursts seemed to have been a regular occurrence. "They messed with me, not the other way around. And besides, you trained me for this exact reason, didn't you?" she questioned back at her boss.
"You have been training for over two years. This isn't a long time for what we do here but I did not expect such foolishness from you, especially you." she let out a frustrated sigh that was burning inside of her for what seemed like an eternity.
"Stop being like your mother, you are better than that. It's the way I raised you to be." she was now standing eerily close to Nevaeh. A kept her arms behind her back and leaned closer to her ally.
"Perhaps I should remind you that your allegiance lies with me, with Arachnide" she continued with an eerie smile, "you belong to me, and you always will."
As she made her way back to the desk, Nevaeh spoke up, "And maybe I should remind you that you're not my mother. I don't have to take your nagging." The confidence never left her words or her stance.
A turned around. "Blood often gets thick and pestiferous, dear. It isn't the only thing that deserves allegiance."
Returning to her seat she said, "I have a task for you." Nevaeh rolled her eyes; she always ignored her insults. "What is it for?"
"Liquidation, It's an urgent one, needs to be taken care of this evening." She tossed a bunch of papers on to the table. Nevaeh stepped closer and analyzed them. "Female, sixteen years old, public figure..." she froze midway. Her eyes scanned the photograph on the client folder over and over. The girl was dark-haired, extremely pretty -and familiar. Žofie Matějková, her only friend's name left her eyes scorching.
"Is this a joke? What is this supposed to mean?" Nevaeh pointed the folder towards the woman.
A simply shrugged, "This is your assignment there's nothing more to It." her loathsome grin irked Nevaeh even more. "There was a gracious gentleman who came in this morning. Your dear friend seems to stir up some competition in the movie industry, poor thing. I didn't think her career would last that long, anyway." The last straw had been drawn. She launched at her boss in fury. Almost instantly she was held down on both sides.
"How could you accept this job? Did you really think I'd do it?" Nevaeh asked.
"Don't make this more complicated than it has to be."
"Complicated? You are telling me to kill my friend for what, so you can get some cash, are you insane?"
"This is your job, Nevaeh." The woman retorted with gritted teeth. "I am not giving you an option here. In fact, I knew you would be hesitant, so I made it a little easier for you. Lida?"
Nevaeh looked utterly confused and miserable. Her boss had just told her to murder one of the most important people in her life. But this was no time to whine. She had to get out of there somehow.
Her mother appeared with a girl who was struggling in her hold. Žofie's mouth was gagged and her hands tied mercilessly behind her. Lida let go of the teenager as she fell to the floor. Her sullen eyes looked around the unfamiliar space until they fell upon Nevaeh.
"Zof", Nevaeh whispered. She could not bear to see her in this state. After all, Žofie was probably very confused.
Nevaeh once again struggled to get out of the grip she was in but failed.
"Don't bother, dear. Just get the job done and you'll be free to go." A said as she walked towards the scene.
"Why are you making me do this? What is wrong with you?" she screamed. Tears threatened to escape, but she could only deal with one emotion at a time, anger was her first choice in this scenario.
"Because it is about time you know the proximity of your training. You promised to be prepared for any job, regardless of the context. For an Arachnide member, it's not just the enemy we must be ready to sacrifice."
"Bullshit. I could care less about what your clan rules are. Let her go you monster." Nevaeh spat in disgust but A did not seem affected at all.
A stepped even closer to her and tilted her head with a smirk, "Give her the gun."
The obedient men almost drag her closer to Žofie, Nevaeh could hardly look her in the eye.
"Nevaeh? What's going on?" she croaked. Alas, there wasn't a reasonable enough answer.
A crouched lower behind her. What a sight it was, she thought. The two companions were now both equally miserable; she was enjoying every minute of this.
A mocking sigh escaped her mouth, "No, Nevaeh." She pulled downwards on the girl's hair, "You should look into the target's eyes. We are not here for remorse." Nevaeh closed her eyes, "Please. This isn't fair." A striking pain traveled through her scalp; her hair was being pulled on even harder.
"I didn't train you so you could be fair." She shoved a gun in her hands and held Nevaeh's arms straight. It aimed straight at Žofie's head. The victim screamed behind her gag and pushed herself backward in dread.
A stood up and was handed a gun of her own which was now pointed at Nevaeh.
"Pull the trigger, Nevaeh. When you're my property, there is nothing you can escape from, its better you learn it now."
Her eyes were still closed. She never wanted to disappear more than she did at this moment. Sweat trickled down her forehead, heart thudding, and deafening silence was all she could hear. Memories of their childhood together flashed before her, how did she end up here, with a gun aimed at Žofie's head?
A pulled back the cocking handle, perhaps as the last warning. Nevaeh opened her eyes for a bit, her friend was breathing heavily, and her usually vivid blue eyes were now bemused and dark. Nevaeh looked down instead and slowly pulled the trigger with trembling hands.
The room was silent; everyone was waiting on just one thing. Nevaeh took a deep breath as a few tranquilizing tears traveled down her cheeks. It was a sign that she had given up. Although she would do anything to save her friend, there was ultimately nothing left.
A startling sound echoed through the room.
Followed by another. Brisk footsteps were heard, and everyone in the room fell aghast.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
EDA
EDA Have something you liked or even have some criticism on? Comment it and let me know.
Thank you for the love. xx
— New chapter is coming soon — Write a review
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone