Chapter 3

I open my eyes once again to stop thinking. I turn my head and I see Jayden lying on his bed. I was too drowned in my memories that I didn’t hear him arrive. I sit and take the jacket I was wearing when I came here. I search in the pockets and find my mother’s picture. I lie down and stare at her smiling face. I remember how sad she was when I left Green City after high school when I promised her that I would study well, find a good job and buy her a bigger house. I also promised that I would call her every day, but I didn’t do any of it. I can’t even imagine her state now that her daughter’s face appears day and night on the television.

“Your mother?” Jayden interrupts my thoughts. I thought he was sleeping but he was staring at me the whole time. “Where is she now?” he whispers.

“Green City,” I say, my eyes not leaving the picture. “I left her four years ago to head to the capital.”

We stay silent for a long moment until I hear him leave his bed to lie next to me, making me stare at him in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“I’m sure you don’t want the others to wake up. We can talk easily this way.” I don’t know if he’s like this with everyone but I’m not used to having other people lying beside me. Jacob and Julia were the only ones I have ever gotten close to before. I’m not a touchy person, I barely slept twice with my boyfriend. Maybe that’s why he stopped loving me.

“How is she?” asks Jayden, as he points to my mother’s smiling face. “She’s very nice and has always taken good care of me.”

“Would you mind if I ask where your father is?” I was expecting this question. I was always asked where he is because I never talk about him. I got used to it so I don’t feel hurt anymore when people ask about him. “He left us when I was ten,” I answer.

He rubs his neck awkwardly, “Sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Jayden surprises me by pulling my head against his chest. He’s half-naked and I feel his soft skin and his muscled body. I can’t see well with the dimmed lights but I can spot a few scars on his torso. I’m curious but I know I still can’t ask questions. He reads my thoughts and chuckles, “A part of the work, do you have any questions to ask me?” I can feel his hot breath against my neck. “Why did you try to kill yourself?”

Jayden gives me a sad smile and gently caresses my hair. “Maybe because I didn’t love myself enough,” he whispers.

“How about now? Do you love yourself?”

He shrugs. “More than before.” I keep looking at him and I realize he’s the kind of person whose smile never leaves his face but whose heart never stops breaking. “Good night Keira,” he whispers before turning off the lights.

The next morning, I don’t feel Jayden beside me. He must have woken up early. When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see a bunch of agents surrounding me. “Whoa! What the hell is happening here?” I sit and look around. “I’m pretty sure I haven’t peed on my sheets. Do I have something on my face then?” I raise an eyebrow.

Jayden chuckles, “Good morning Keira.”

“What’s happening? Why’s everyone here?”

“Because it’s time.”

I look at them in confusion, “Time for what?”

They smirk, “Time for our tradition. Something the newbies have to do before we officially welcome them to the Bullet Agency.”

“And what is it?” I ask worriedly, knowing it’s not going to be fun.

“You need to wake up the Black Tiger,” says Jayden, pressing his lips tight in order to stop himself from laughing.

I freeze and look at them in disbelief.

“He has a mission in two hours.” Vicky stares at her watch. “He needs to wake up and get ready.”

I scoff and cross my arms, “Are you kidding me? I’m not doing this.”

“Yes, you are.” the orange-haired laughs. “Everyone here did it.”

“And judging from how you’re looking at me, it doesn’t sound cool at all.”

“That’s the charming part.” Vicky shrugs.

“Do you see this scar?” an agent says, pointing at a big scar on his right cheek. “The Black Tiger punched me when I woke him up. He was wearing a ring.”

“He almost broke my arm.” another agent adds.

“He literally threw a chair on me.”

I look at them, frightened. They have all experienced horrible stuff after waking him up and they seemed so chill about it. I stare at Jayden, hoping he would have mercy on me but he simply shrugs. “It’s our tradition.”

“Is there any other option?” I ask, hopefully.

“Clean the men’s bathrooms.”

I gasp and put my hand on my heart, “That’s crueler!”

Silence.

“Or not?”

Vicky pulls me out of bed, “It’s time, Keira.”

I hurry to put on my pants and clean my face. I find Jayden waiting for me outside. “Why does he have a room for himself? That’s unfair, everyone sleeps in the dorms.” I frown.

“He had an agreement with William. We told you that he’s the only one he talks to. I don’t know the reason but the boss asked us not to ask many questions.” We walk along the long corridor until we arrive to a quiet space where I guess his room is. “It’s here. Wake him up and tell him to get ready. He needs to meet Vicky in twenty minutes to get the mission instructions.”

I stare at the door like it’s the way to hell. “Why me?” I sigh from frustration and I heard Jayden laugh before he ruffles my hair, “Don’t worry, if you succeed you won’t get to talk to him again.”

After he leaves, I stand before the door and take a long breath before opening it. A disgusting smell of cigarettes surges from inside, the smoke surrounds the bed and I can’t see properly what’s going on around me. I hurry to open the windows to let the smell go away. How can he sleep like this?

I nervously approach the bed where he is peacefully sleeping in the same clothes I saw him wearing yesterday. I wonder how he could survive with smoke and heat above all. I spot two empty packs of cigarettes on his nightstand. It seems like he has smoked all of them yesterday.

I lean down and poke his cheek, “Wake up.” I whisper.

 Fail.

A poke is maybe not enough, so I gently shake his arm, “Wake up.”

Fail.

I shake him again, but he doesn’t move. I try touching his face, pinching him and tickling him but nothing. If he wasn’t breathing, I would think he was dead.

After multiple failed attempts, I decide to get on the bed and sit on his lap. I lean down until I can feel his body against mine. I look at his face, he looks so calm and undisturbed. “Come on wake up.” Maybe I need to call him but I don’t even know his name.

I clear my throat, “Come on, get up Tiger.”

Lord, it sounded so wrong.

He’s still not waking up. I was about to slap his cheek when I felt two hands grabbing mine and soon I was on the floor groaning from pain. “What the hell!” I shout.

“What the hell are you doing in my room?” It’s my first time hearing his voice— so deep.

“They asked me to wake you up.” I mumble, gently rubbing my bum because it hurts like hell. “No one wakes me up.” he says coldly as he turns around and frowns when he sees the open windows. “Who asked you to open them?”

I have to be honest, this guy sounds so scary. His dark eyes pierce mine until I can’t formulate a word. “You have a mission in like an hour or two. And your room stinks, how do you even sleep with this smell?”

“It’s none of your business. Leave and tell them to stop this stupid game.”

I stand up and cross my arms, “I’m not leaving until you get up and get prepared.” I say, trying to sound confident and not scared at all. “Don’t think that I’m afraid of you like the others, you don’t scare me. I was told to wake you up so I did and I am planning to stay until y—” I couldn’t finish my words because he left his bed to pin me against the wall. He is too close that I can see that his brown eyes that are slightly hidden under his black locks, “You talk too much. Shut the hell up.”

I gulp and feel the pain in my arms as he’s tightening more and more his grip on them. “Okay, now let me go.” He stares at me for a long moment before he finally releases them.

“You should meet Vicky in ten minutes.”

“Get the hell out of my room.” he pushes me outside and slams the door. I rub my neck and leave a heavy sigh, “Well, it was better than I expected.”