Chapter 3: Skills

“But she can be of some use to us, you know?” I heard whispers outside the door of the room I was staying in when I was about to go to sleep.

Couldn’t they talk somewhere else?

Ugh! 

Gosh! These people sure knew how to annoy the hell out of someone!

After that little chat with Mr. Knight, the girl who I saw murdering someone, Thea, took me to another room. And this room had a bathroom. And clothes. 

Such a relief!

Thea told me that I was going to be here a while so I should freshen up. 

At least they understood the meaning of sanitation!

She also told me that if I tried to run away, I’d be shot in the head from thirteen different directions. 

Um… Yeah… It was cool with me.

I told her that I would rather like to die in a snowstorm or due to a volcanic explosion or something awesome like that. I don’t want people not to know how I died. And I wanted to die in a cool way… 

I wasn’t joking!

I really wasn’t… 

But she laughed it off and left. 

I don’t think she took me seriously…

She has been coming to check up on me every now and then. And turns out, not so surprisingly, she’s actually really cool!

I know that she’s a murderer and god knows what else but she’s still nice to hang out with… 

Plus, being friends with scary people can be a good thing sometimes… 

I mean, personally, I would really love it if she could surprise my douche of an ex, who left me for some new girl, with a visit… 

Now that would be beyond awesome!

I really don’t even know why I dated that dirtbag who I knew was cheating on me… 

High school can make you do some seriously questionable things I guess… 

“I don’t trust her!” Someone whispered angrily. 

Wow! Shocking! 

Not.

Who even trusted anyone in this damned world today? Trusting someone is just plain stupid!

“Like you actually trust anyone in the world!” another person scoffed. 

I immediately realised that it was Archer and Lucas talking outside my room.

My locked room… 

Apparently I can’t be trusted.

Wait a minute! Are they… They can be talking about me…

I wondered if the two of them even knew that I could hear them quite clearly. I mean, it did sound like they were talking about me. 

Then again, I always think that everything is about me… 

That was a habit I had to develop in high school because it was always something about me that people were talking about. 

The pains of being a popular kid… 

“Listen, she came up with a solution that none of the people in your IT team could! She knows this stuff! I can feel it!” Lucas insisted.

Now it really sounds like they’re talking about me!

I mean, the only times people aren’t talking about me has been whenever my parents are talking… 

I seriously doubt if they remember about my existence… 

“How can you be so sure about that?” Archer grunted. He was obviously annoyed with whatever Lucas was saying.

But then again, Lucas was a little too naive… Naiveness can be irritating at times… 

Lucas’s naiveness actually shocked me more when Thea, the girl who murdered a man right in front of me in the morning, told me that Lucas was her brother. 

I mean… How is that even possible?! 

This world is weird!

“Just ask her!” Lucas suggested. 

“I don’t want to see her again! At least not today!” Archer groaned. 

“Look, I know that you don’t want to do this. You’ve said this a thousand times already.” Lucas started. 

“I really don’t like her!” Archer huffed. 

If this is about me… 

The feeling’s mutual, jerk! 

“But the IT department is seriously under-staffed!” Lucas argued. 

“You guys are managing just fine.” Archer commented like he was waving it off. 

“Yeah, that’s probably why we came so close to getting hacked today.” Lucas said sarcastically. 

Ha! 

That was nice! 

“Just talk to her.” Lucas sighed. “For me.” He added. 

There was silence after that. It was so silent that I thought that they were gone and I was about to try falling asleep.

“Fine!” Archer huffed after a while. 

The door opened and the lights were turned on making me groan loudly in irritation. 

I guess they really were talking about me… 

Couldn’t they do this another time? I’m really feeling sleepy right now!

And sleepy me is hostile!

Well, more than usual… 

“What the hell do you want?” I asked without even opening my eyes. 

I was in bed and I was almost asleep. I didn’t want to talk to this infuriating piece of ass to spoil my mood. 

“We need to talk.” Archer spoke in a levelled tone that was void of all emotions. 

I frowned angrily as I sat up on the bed. Archer was clenching his jaw, trying his best to not glare at me while Lucas looked like a kid in a candy shop. 

That guy is seriously weird… 

I turned my attention to Archer. 

“You sound like a husband who’s about to ask his wife for a divorce!” I chuckled.

“I’d rather just kill the woman I no longer wish to be married to.” Archer told me nonchalantly. 

Okay… 

“Let’s just hope that she kills you first. That would be good for the whole world.” I smiled at him. 

“What are you talking about, Mia? Archer doesn’t have a wife. He doesn’t even have a girlfriend!” Lucas frowned, confused. 

This boy… 

I wonder what it feels like to be so naive and clueless all the time… 

He is just like a little kid who never grew up! 

“What the hell do you want, Knight?” I asked, ignoring Lucas’s words. 

“Are you any good at hacking?” He asked, coming straight to the point.

Any good? 

Ha! 

I can hack into that system of yours in less than an hour, jackass! 

Just give me a device and you’re as good as over!

And he asks if I’m any good… 

“Why? Was that not on the file you got about me?” I asked mockingly. “Did you not do your homework properly, Knight?” I smirked. 

Archer’s nose flared as he clenched and unclenched his fists a couple of times, taking deep breaths to calm himself down a bit. 

“Just answer the question, smartass!” Archer spoke through clenched teeth.

“Why do you wanna know?” I raised an eyebrow at him in question. 

“Just answer-” He started but I cut him off. 

“Yeah, I’m not answering your question until you answer my questions.” I told him. “Now, do you really think that it’ll be a good idea to let the girl, who you are keeping captive, be the one to be a part of your little gang?” I scoffed.

This is ridiculous! 

“I really don’t. But I really do want to put a bullet in your head.” Archer replied. 

“Get in the line, asshole!” I rolled my eyes. 

“You have enemies?” He frowned.

“I have rich parents. Obviously I have people who want to kill me!” I huffed. 

There have been a couple of robbers and other thugs who have tried to enter the house I live in, which seriously lacks security. 

Luckily, I was always out of the house at some party or sleepover and only got to see them through the cctvs… 

My parents never even called to check up even after they got to know about those break-ins… 

Isn’t that touching? 

“We can provide you with security.” Archer spoke up. “And you would have people to hang out with at all times.” He continued. “Only if you have any skills.” He shrugged, placing his hands in his pockets. 

Hmm… 

This does sound like a good way to spend the last summer before college… 

“What about my job?” I asked. 

“What job?” He asked. 

Oh god!

“You really need me to help you in researching people’s backgrounds!” I rolled my eyes. “I am a freelance hacker.” I told him. 

“You’re a what now?” Lucas raised an eyebrow. 

“I have an ego to go with the name that I was born with. I don’t exactly take my parents’ money for my… expenses. So, I do freelance hacking.” I shrugged. 

“Does that even pay anything?” Lucas asked. 

“More than you would imagine.” I smirked. “No one trusts no one in this world. Hackers are in high demand nowadays.” I winked.

“Wow!” Lucas muttered. 

“So you are good with computers…” Archer noted. “Do you want to work with us?” He asked. 

Well… 

This does beat going out everyday in search of strangers to spend my time with… 

And it’s safe… And even though I wasn’t really afraid even after knowing that these people wouldn’t hesitate in killing me, I do value life… 

Plus, Thea has been more of a friend to me than anyone in the past few years… 

But how can I just trust them? 

I can’t just… 

“What are the privileges?” I asked. 

“Well, you get protection, company, food, a place to stay and you get paid.” Lucas listed off the privileges. 

Eh… 

It’s not like I don’t have a shelter or I starve at home… And protection is good and all but… 

I don’t know… 

“Working for the mafia could actually be fun, you know.” Archer spoke up. “It is dangerous work but it is an adventure.” He told me. 

When he puts it like that… 

It does kinda sound fun. 

I mean, how often does one get the offer to work with some gang members? 

It could be something that actually ends on a good note… 

And god knows I need that something! 

But… 

I could maybe do my own research about these people when they give me a device… 

Hmm… 

“I’m in!” I smiled up at them. 

Lucas’s eyes turned wide before he wrapped his arms around me in a quick, awkward hug. 

“Thank you, Mia!” He exclaimed, almost damaging my ear before he ran out of the room shouting at the top of his voice. “We have a new hacker on the team!” He kept yelling as he ran down the hall. 

I chuckled after him, shaking my head at his childishness. 

“Just so you know, you will be monitored closely for a while so we know that you aren’t an enemy spy.” Archer told me. 

“That’s understandable.” I nodded.

“You will receive the mandatory self defence classes. They are just in case you ever get attacked by someone on a field mission.” He continued. 

That’s not understandable… 

But… Whatever!

“Okay.” I agreed. 

“You will take a lie-detector test tomorrow and if you pass that, Lucas will explain your work to you.” He informed me. 

Woah! A what now?

“A lie-detector test? Now I’m really looking forward to tomorrow!” I chuckled. 

Archer looked at me for a while, not saying anything as I smiled, feeling excited for the first time in a long while about the next day. 

“Your first job would be giving me a file with all your information since the one I have has a lot of stuff missing.” He told me. 

I caught the ghost of a smile on his face. 

“No promises about that one, boss.” I rolled my eyes but the smile didn’t leave my face. 

“Are you really going to fail on your first job?” He smirked. “You should know, when I fire someone, it’s with a bullet.” He added smugly. 

I rolled my eyes. 

“You should really consider what you say to the people who might one day be the ones responsible to save your secrets, Knight.” I suggested. 

He rolled his eyes as he turned around.

“Be ready by five in the morning.” He called over his shoulder before he left the room. 

This time, he didn’t lock the door. 

I guess this new job is worth a shot. I could leave if I don’t like it. It’s not like they’ll force me to stay forever. And even if they do, I know that I’ll find a way out.

Besides, maybe it won’t be so bad… 

This could be fun…