Chapter 31
Aaron Kwok – Ted Kwong aka LibraThe following morning, Erin was released from the hospital. Mia and Ted came to pick her up “I’m going to miss this place.” Erin sighed.
Ted exchanged glances with Mia “Really? I thought you hated this place?” Ted asked while he packed her bag and carried it over her shoulder.
“I do…but somehow I grew attached to it.” Erin replied with a shrug.
“Well I don’t, it gives me the creeps.” Mia muttered as she took a hold of Erin’s arm and linked it through her own.
She began to walk her friend outside. Erin turned to her friend when she remembered something “Oh yeah, I was meaning to ask you guys how the mission went yesterday. Uncle Chuck sounded very worried.”
“Oh that…yeah, it went well.” Mia replied without much feeling.
Erin felt Ted’s should scraping her own as she turned to him “What’s with gloomy?”
He leaned in closer to her ear “She’s jealous.” He whispered with a chuckle.
“I am NOT jealous!” Mia retorted with defense.
Erin laughed as she patted her friend’s hand “Honey, if you are NOT jealous then it only means you ARE jealous.”
Mia rolled her eyes “Yeah, like that makes so much sense.”
“What happened?” Erin asked sternly. The girl was beating around the bush too long, somehow she guessed it had something to do with Darren.
When Mia refused to answer, Ted said it for her “There was a fire downtown and a girl was stuck in the top floor, but she was afraid of heights. Darren offered to help out the fireman by coaxing the girl down. She listened and he got her to safety, now the girl is forever in his debt. And that’s why Mia is jealous!” he concluded with a laugh when she threw him a dirty look. They were outside the hospital doors “I’ll go get the car.” He touched Erin’s shoulder before leaving.
Erin was smiling while Mia fumed “I’m NOT jealous! How many times do I have to tell you people??”
“You can say it a thousand times but we both know you are. So did we find out who the girl was?” Erin was more curious.
“Joe’s daughter.” Mia mumbled.
“Joe’s daughter?” Erin asked, her brows wrinkled “Why did her building burn down?”
Mia shrugged carelessly “Who knows…arson…maybe an enemy that wanted her dead.”
“A little vicious there aren’t you?” Erin chuckled but then something occurred to her “Wait, did Ted say she was afraid of heights?”
“Yeah…” Mia nodded.
“Didn’t Joe tell us that…”
Mia's eyes lit up as she realized it too "She skydives and bungees for fun!!” Mia recalled the mission vividly, it was the test one that they had to save Matt and the girls were tied to a bungee. Before that, Joe gave them a short lesson on bungee jumping and the girls asked how he knew, he said that his daughter was a daredevil who loved to do dangerous stuff.
Erin tilted her head upward “You remember.” She said flatly. Mia’s face turned pale as she looked for a cover up “Don’t may anymore excuses.” Erin said hurtfully “I know.”
“Please Erin, don’t tell anyone.” She begged “Darren would never forgive me.”
“I’m not sure that I can.” Erin turned her body away “How could you lead us on that way? Do you know how hard it is for him to see you and not be able to hug or touch you because he knows it will only make it uncomfortable for you? Mia, that’s very selfish of you.” Erin shook her head in disappointment.
“I know it is.” Mia said earnestly “But listen to my explanation…” she trailed off when Ted pulled his car up “Please, give me a chance to explain.” Erin hesitantly nodded as Mia helped her inside.
***************
Darren was asleep in his room when he felt a stir on his blanket. It was being pushed up. His eyes snapped open “Ah!!” he was startled to find Jenna looking at him with adoring eyes. He sat upright and clutched his chest “Dear Lord, you could give someone a heart attack!” his bare chest revealing when the blanket slipped from his shoulders. Jenna giggled as she widened her eyes at his naked top, he quickly pulled the blanket over his shoulder.
“Do you sleep naked?” She asked in a husky voice, pretending to be sexy.
He shook his head “No, I have on pants.”
“Oh.” Jenna was disappointed.
“Hey, how did you get inside? I locked the door.” He looked at her suspiciously.
She shrugged her slender shoulders, her short hair bounced up and down “It was open.” She said casually.
“No, I locked it. I’m certain.” Darren replied firmly.
“Maybe you forgot that you didn’t lock it.” Jenna replied.
He leered his eyes at her but decided to let it go “Maybe.” He covered a yawn with his hands and the blanket slipped again and he quickly yanked it back up “What are you doing here?” she stifled a giggle from his slipup.
“I made you breakfast!” she said brightly and pulled out a covered plate as she sat it on his lap “I don’t know what kind of eggs you like so I made all three: sunnyside up, scrambled and poached.” She revealed the plate and yelled out “Ta Da!!” her dimple showing as she smiled at him.
Darren raised his brows “Wow…you made all this?” he pointed to the beautifully decorated plate “It’s beautiful.”
“I just threw it together.” She said humbly “I’m a culinary arts student.” Jenna explained with a sense of pride “So what do you prefer?”
Darren smiled “I like them all.” He took the fork in her hand and began eating.
She grinned from ear to ear “Good.” She stretched her arms and pushed herself up as she roamed around his room, it was bigger than her apartment “You sure know how to live.” She moved closer to the window and noticed the magnificent backyard and the pool was bigger than a five star hotel pool “Damn! You could get lost back there!” she pointed.
Darren frowned as he put the plate to the side and got up “Doesn’t that view make you nauseous? We are on the third floor.” He looked at her carefully.
Her eyes darted away as she touched her forehead painfully and began groaning while her other hand was on her stomach “I feel sick…” she groveled over to the bed and laid down “Hurry, get me an ambulance.” She waved to him.
He crossed his arms “I wasn’t born yesterday. Why did you lie?” he asked.
Jenna quickly sat up as she sighed, “Fine, you want to know EVERYTHING. No, I’m not afraid of heights. I had a bet with my daddy.” She finalized.
Darren dropped his arms and noticed Jenna was staring at his chest with a sly smile and he got to his giant closet to retrieve a shirt “What kind of bet?”
“When the fire started, I called my dad. I told him that I would climn out the window but he told me that the fireman would get me out safely. I said I wouldn’t let them, so he said he’ll send his team over. I laughed and said over my dead body. Then he said you wanna bet?” Jenna summarized the dialogue “Then you came up and I knew Daddy had won.” She finished with a crooked grin.
But there was something else Darren didn’t understand as he shook his head, ignoring the fact that the girl was hitting on him “So you started the fire?”
She shook her head vehemently “No. I wouldn’t do that. I love that apartment. But I smelled the smoke from my front door, so I knew using the door was out of the question. I just found another way out.” She replied casually, it never occurred to her why her apartment had begun to burn.
Darren crossed his arms as he tapped his chin thoughtfully “Something is definitely wrong.”
Jenna popped up from her seat as she moved closer to him “What is it?” she asked with wide eyes.
He pushed her away gently so she was at least at arms length “It was an deliberate arson. Someone was trying to kill you.” Her rounded eyes opened larger “But that’s just my theory. I think it’s best if we talk to your dad and Chuck about this.”
“Okay!” Jenna nodded in agreement “I haven’t seen my dad in five years!” she exclaimed.
“You already used that.” Darren rolled his eyes.
Her face wrinkled “Oh, yeah…short term memory.” She said with a laugh. Her eyes moved up and down at Darren’s body “Are you going to wear that?”
He looked down at his sweats and a button top “I’ll just change into jeans.”
“I’ll get it for you!!” she sprinted to the walk in closet and retrieved his jeans “I like this pair.”
Darren took the pants from his hand and looked at her strangely “You are one peculiar girl.”
“Thank you.” Jenna gave him a little curtsy as she turned and retrieved the plate of eggs and left him to change “See you in a bit!” her beaming personality was contagious as he smiled to himself. She reminded him of Mia when he first met her, quirky and wild. Not to mention forward about her crush on him. He was so drawn to Mia yet that very minute, his world has been flipped upside down. He let out sigh as he speedily changed into his pants.
Darren took his wallet and keys as he walked out of the room. He closed the door and took a few steps. He halted when something flipped inside his stomach. He backed up to his room door and touched the knob while giving it a little shake. It was really loose. He bent down and touched the keyhole where he found micro scratches on the metal part. A slow smile crossed his face as he realized the little guest was no ordinary girl. She was an agent in the making.
**********
The drive back to Erin’s home was extra quiet. Ted was the only one talking, when he realized the girls were not their usual selves, he turned to them “Is my driving that bad? You girls are so sick that you can talk?” he tried to make light conversation.
“I don’t feel like talking.” Mia replied shortly.
Erin didn’t reply as she turned her head towards her passenger window “I want to see Brad.” She said after a moment.
Ted turned to Erin, who was still as a rock “Okay.” He replied and made a u-turn to go the opposite direction where the cemetery was. He parked the car while Mia got out and assisted Erin out.
“I’m fine, thank you.” Erin said coolly while she pushed Mia’s helping hand away. Ted noticed the strange tension as he turned to Mia and nodded at her. Mia shook her head, clearly indicating that she didn’t want to explain. He respected that with a grim smile. Erin turned over to Ted’s voice “Ted, can you help me?” she put out a hand as he took it with ease and led her into the walkway of the cemetery. Mia trailed behind.
When they got closer, Ted could see the back of the person. It was TK. He was hovering over Brad’s grave, little did they know that he had been waiting there all morning. He had a hunch that Erin would come to visit her dead fiance’s grave when she was released from the hospital “I’m sorry, Brad.” TK said loud and clear “I didn’t know when I shot you that Erin would be in so much pain. I was forced to do it, you have to believe me… Reina threatened me…I…I can’t lose her…I’m so sorry…”
“What the hell are you doing here??!” Mia demanded. His fake tears could only fool a twelve year old kid.
TK stood up as he turned to the three with teary eyes “I just wanted to pay my respects.”
“Why don’t you do it in jail.” Ted said coldly as he took a step forward only to be stopped by Erin. He turned to her with a shocked expression “Erin?”
“Let him go.” She said solemnly.
Mia looked at her in dismay “What? How could you say that, he killed Brad!! Has your vision distorted your brain too?!!”
Erin ignored the angry words as she stepped forward and moved Ted’s hand on her elbow. She followed TK’s sniffing as she put out her hand and he looked at it blankly. After a moment, he placed his hand on hers as she clutched it “I believe you.” She said quietly “I forgive you…but you must leave. Don’t do anymore damage.”
“I can’t…she has my daughter.” TK replied sadly.
“Liar!!” Mia exclaimed.
Erin placed her hand up to silence her friend “We’ll find her. But you have to leave now. They’ll take you to jail if you don’t.” she gave his hand a little squeeze before pushing him away. TK nodded as he began backing away and then turned to run. Ted and Mia took a step up and Erin pushed her arms up at a level position “Don’t.” she warned.
“How could you let him go?” Mia accused.
“In front of Brad’s grave.” Ted reminded her.
She shook her head at them “I have my reasons.”
Mia was disgusted “Don’t tell me you are falling for him!! What did he do to you Erin? Since the moment we found you on that island, you’ve changed.” She was saddened and angered at the same time from her friend’s change of attitude “Don’t think I didn’t notice.”
Ted turned to Mia “Is that why you two were so quiet in the car?”
Erin and Mia turned their heads away “Just let me be.” Erin began walking away. She didn’t know she was in the wrong direction until Ted eventually rushed over to help her. Mia wiped away the hot angry tears as she nodded to Brad’s grave, hoping silently that he would bring Erin back to reality.
Chapter 32
Aaron Kwok – Ted Kwong aka LibraDarren and Jenna were the first to arrive as they entered the headquarters alone “I guess we’re first.” Darren sighed as he pointed to the conference room “You want anything to drink?” he treated her as a guest.
She shook her head “No, I’ll get my own if I’m thirsty…but it’s sweet of you to ask.” She fluttered her lashes at him. He nodded and turned away, ignoring the obvious. Jenna smiled crookedly as she followed him into the room and there was a slight skip in her step “Do you always ignore girls that flirt with you?”
“Do you like to point out the obvious when someone’s trying to ignore it?” Darren asked just as quickly as her question.
“Ooh, feisty! I love that in a man!” she grunted with a laugh.
He smiled “I’m not your type.”
“Sure you are.” Jenna said a matter-of-factly as she pulled out a piece of folded paper from the wallet in her little backpack. She handed it to him to read.
He looked at her strangely “What is this?”
She smiled “Read it.”
He unfolded the paper and read it out loud “My dream guy. Number one, tall…”
“See!” Jenna said as she snapped the paper out of his hand “It’s accurate isn’t it?”
Darren shook his head with a laugh as he reached out unexpectedly and took the paper back from her hands. She gaped at him in shock as he continued to read “Handsome.” He raised his brows “Very accurate. Dark yet sexy.” He frowned “I’ll pass on that. Ooh, I like this one…funny yet serious.”
Her cheeks grew flaming hot as he continued to read them out loud. When she had had enough, Jenna reached out and took the paper back without warning “Okay that’s enough.”
“What’s wrong? Embarrassed? You sure aren’t shy.” Darren was more interested in making the girl squirm.
“No.” Jenna shook her head with a short answer “I just…well, it’s none of your business.”
“As I recall, someone actually pushed the paper into my hands.” He teased openly. Something about her was absolutely endearing yet he couldn’t put his finger on it.
Jenna turned her bottom lip upward “I didn’t want you to read ALL of it.” He laughed while she continued to scowl at him “Don’t you dare tell anyone or…”
“Or what?” he crossed his arms with a winning smile.
“Or I’ll tell Daddy on you!!” she couldn’t think of a more serious threat.
Darren widened his eyes in fear “Ooh, I’m trembling.” He pretended to shiver. Jenna turned away with an angry face. His smile slowly faded when he thought she was mad “Hey, I’m just kidding…I won’t tell anyone. I promise.”
Jenna turned to him with a wide grin “Pinky swear?” she pulled out her finger and pointed it at him.
“Yes.” He linked his pinky with hers.
“Darren, I thought I told you no flirting with the boss’s daughter!” Chuck’s scolding voice interrupted the two.
Darren laughed as he turned to Chuck “I don’t recall you saying that. But we were not flirting.”
“I’m not Mia, you don’t have to explain.” Chuck put up a hand to stop him from continuing.
“Who’s Mia?” Jenna asked abruptly "Is she that one mean girl in the van?"
The guys exchanged looks but didn’t bother replying to her question “So what’s with the meeting?” Chuck changed the subject.
“I want to wait for everyone. Which reminds me…I didn’t call Ted yet. I think he’s taking Erin home today.” Darren began looking for Ted’s cell on his own phone list.
************
After Ted and Mia dropped Erin off at home, Mia had a call from Ethan. He wanted to talk to her in private, it sounded urgent “Go ahead, I’ll be with Erin.” Ted assured her.
“Thanks.” Mia nodded as she rushed out of the apartment. She took a cab to the mall where Ethan specified her to be at. She stood on the second level as he requested and waited for him. After about 5 minutes, Mia received a tapping on her shoulder. She turned to face her friend wearing a black trench coat and dark sunglasses not to mention the black hat was not very fashionable “What the hell happened to you? You look like a paranoid movie star.”
He lowered his head and looked around to make sure TK wasn’t around “Shh…come on.” He ordered. Ethan led her to a busy café where they sat in the corner, away from most of the people.
“You look like you just came from a funeral.” Mia observed.
Ethan finally took off his sunglasses as his eyes continued to dart around “I have something to tell you.”
“You’re going crazy?” Mia asked flatly. She shook her head at him “What’s wrong with you anyways?”
“I don’t want TK to see us.” He whispered.
Mia’s face turned solemn “Why not? Did he harass you?” Mia sat up as she reached over the table “What did he do??” she asked hurriedly.
Ethan swallowed the nervousness as he took in a deep breath “Promise me you won’t freak out.” She nodded with wide eyes “He came to see me about a week ago.”
“Where?” Mia asked, she could feel the cold chill running up and down her spine.
“At the hospital after I found out about Erin’s condition. He held a gun to me and made me promise to help him.” Ethan was still hesitant to pull her into the ring of fire. What if TK found out and killed Mia? He would never forgive himself yet he felt she needed to know what was going on before it caused their friendship any damage.
“Should I be afraid to ask?” Mia was sure it would be outrageous or too wild beyond the imagination.
“Hypnotize Erin into falling in love with him.” Ethan said after a moment.
“That’s insane.” Mia breathed as she sat back in her chair with a thump “What did you tell him?”
Ethan shook his head as he continued to wring his fingers together “That it was impossible, but he was like a madman. He told me he would kill you if I didn’t do what he asked. I was afraid at that time and I was going to take the secret to my grave. But when I was about to tell Erin, he showed up and made me hypnotize her right then and there. So I did.” He turned to Mia guiltily “I’m sorry. I’m weak…I didn’t know what else to do…I wanted to break her trance but he kept going on and on. I couldn’t stop it.” He shook his head.
Mia sighed sympathetically “Ethan, it’s not your fault. I would have done the same if a gun was held to my head.” She shook her head at the thought of TK “No wonder he showed up this morning! And Erin…that explains everything.”
“What? You followed you guys?” Ethan was almost paranoid as he looked around like a madman.
She shook her head at him “No. I think he knew Erin would come see Brad when she was released from the hospital. He put on a show and apologized for killing Brad. Ted wanted to take him back to the police but Erin stopped us. She told him to run away.”
“Oh my God.” Ethan didn’t believe it had gone that far “What did I do? I released a monster.” If he had the courage to stand up to TK, maybe Erin wouldn’t have fallen under the trance.
“It’s not your fault!” Mia remind him again as she reached over the table and took his hands “Don’t you dare do something stupid, Ethan.” His eyes dodged hers as she tilted her head to follow his gaze “Ethan! Look at me.” He turned to her with empty eyes “Promise me. Don’t do anything hasty. Please…” her eyes were earnest as can be.
He nodded blankly “I promise.” Mia let out a sigh as her eyes followed up to a figure that stood not too far from her. It was Doug. Ethan turned to see who she was looking at “Doug!” He quickly yanked his hands away from her grasp.
“So…nothing going on huh?” Doug asked smugly as he approached their table.
“Nothing.” Ethan shook his head firmly.
Mia on the other hand nodded “Actually, now that you’ve caught us. I should tell you… we’re dating.” She reached out unexpectedly to take his hand.
“No!” Ethan cried as he pulled his hand away “She’s just kidding.”
“Don’t be embarrassed.” Mia said calmly to Ethan “He should be the first to know.”
Doug smiled slowly “This is great news!” The two turned to him with a strange look “I’m so glad you two finally got together. I was thinking this would never happen. But now that it did, I’m so happy.”
“You are?” Mia asked “I thought you were on Darren’s side.”
“There are no sides.” Doug replied with a grin “I just want what’s best for you two. I’ve always saw a connection but I never bothered to tell you two because I thought it would ruin our friendship. Honestly, you couldn’t find a better guy than Ethan.”
Ethan shook his head “That’s not true. How would you explain Mia’s love for Darren for the past three years?”
“Does it matter? She doesn’t even remember the guy.” Doug pointed out.
“That’s true!” Mia nodded in agreement. Her smile was plastered on and Ethan could read her from a mile away. But he felt she was hiding from something and didn’t want to blow her cover in front of Doug “Anyways, what are you doing here?”
“I was eating lunch with Be…a friend and got a call from Darren. He’s calling a meeting.” Doug replied, he secretly hoped that they didn’t catch his slipup.
Ethan turned to Mia “Work is more important. We’ll talk later.”
She nodded while Doug rolled his eyes “I’m gonna be sick. Are you two one of those lovey dovey couples that can’t stand being apart for two minutes? Because if you are, remind me so I can bring along my gag bag.”
Mia smiled as she got up to follow Doug “Sure, I’ll borrow yours when Becca and you are together.”
Doug turned his eyes to her “What’s that suppose to mean?”
“I’m the queen of subtly.” Mia grinned as she gave Ethan one last wink of the eye “I’ll see you later.”
Back at headquarters, everyone had arrived. Even Ted who got Shelly to take over until he got back. Darren turned to the group as he stood up from his seat “Sorry for the short notice guys. But I think this is worth calling your attention to. I have good suspicions that someone was trying to kill Jenna. She said the smoke came from right outside her doorstep.”
Becca turned to the calm girl “What kind of enemies do you have?”
Jenna shrugged “I don’t have any. I barely have any friends.”
“Well how come someone is trying to kill you?” Becca pressed “Did you step on someone’s toes without knowing it?” she glanced her eyes at Mia who didn’t bother making eye contact, she knew where Becca was getting at.
“No one else but you.” Jenna quipped.
Darren laughed shortly before stopping after receiving a glare from Becca “Anyways, I have a feeling it’s TK.”
“Him again.” Mia muttered.
Chuck heard as he turned his attention to her “What do you mean ‘again’. Did you see him?”
Ted and Mia looked at each other. Mia nodded for him to explain “We saw him at the cemetery where Brad was buried.”
“Why didn’t you catch him?” Becca demanded.
“Erin stopped us.” Mia said quietly.
“She what?!” Doug was stunned “How could she let the man that killed Brad get away? Is she crazy?”
“She hasn’t been herself.” Mia explained shortly.
Darren frowned “That’s not like Erin.”
Chuck nodded in agreement “I know what you mean. I’ll have a talk with her tonight.”
“Don’t get her too emotional. She wasn’t willing to talk much after Mia and I took her home.” Ted sighed.
Jenna turned to Mia and then back to Darren “She’s Mia.” She pointed.
Darren didn’t bother answering “So what should we do?” he turned to Chuck for the next step.
“I don’t know.” Chuck sighed “He’s got to make the first move since it seems he knows what we’re up to. In the meantime, you might have to continue to play babysitter for Joe until he gets back.”
“Is my dad paying you?!!” Jenna asked him in shock.
Darren shook his head vehemently “No…of course not!”
“Well he should!” Jenna widened her eyes “I’ll make sure of it.”
Becca snickered “Darren’s got money coming out of his ass, I don’t think he needs Joe’s money to pay the rent.”
Jenna thought about it as she nodded “True.” She looked at Darren with grinning eyes “Could I borrow some money then?”
“Ahem!” Chuck cleared his throat as he prepared to close out the meeting “I think TK’s main targets are still Erin, Shelly and now Jenna. We need to stay around them as much as possible.”
“Yes, sir.” The team nodded in agreement.
Chapter 33
Aaron Kwok – Ted Kwong aka LibraAfter the meeting, Mia pulled Ted aside “Hey, I wanted to talk to you about Erin.”
“What about her?” Ted asked while his teammates began to disburse “Is it about this morning?” Mia nodded “She was acting strange wasn’t she?”
“Yes. And if it continues, we might lose her.” Mia thought of the worse case scenario “I think someone can help her but I’m afraid to tell you…”
“Reina.” Ted said flatly.
Mia wrinkled her brows curiously “How did…”
“Hunch.” Ted smiled “Actually, Doug told me.”
“That little snitch!” Mia muttered. She quickly brushed it aside since they had more important things to do “It’s visiting time right now. We could go.”
Ted nodded as he pointed to his car and the two traveled together to the jail “You know, there’s a 99.9% chance that she’ll say no.”
Mia understood it too “I know. But we have no choice. She’s the only connection to him.”
They pulled up to the parking lot where both were scanned for weapons. They were escorted inside by two security/policemen where then Mia gave them the name of the prisoner. The two sat in the small stall with two broken chairs as they waited for Reina. She walked outside, her eyes darkened when she saw the two. She was use to seeing Mia but not Ted. Reina was not a person that liked surprises “What do you want?” she asked bluntly with a hint of annoyance.
“We need your help.” Mia cut to the chase.
“TK’s been doing his job.” Her lips curled into a wicked smile.
“Yes.” Ted mumbled, “Could you ask him to stop? I’ll do anything…just stop giving him ideas.”
Reina’s eyes were cold as ice when she turned to Ted’s earnest face “I had him kill one guy and yet there’s still another idiot that would die for her. What has she done to deserve such loyal men?!” jealousy and rage written all over her face as she spat each word out with hatred “Why should I go against him? He’s done everything I wanted…torture Erin, kill Brad and not to mention the plan to destroy the P.R.A. It’s working beyond my wondrous dreams.” The leering smile appeared.
“Reina.” Mia said her name softly as she got her attention “I don’t know why you hate Erin so much but it sounds you are envious of her. But what you don’t know is that she is going through pain with each day passing. Since the death of Brad, she has not been herself. When TK kidnapped her, she wanted to give up. She was blind from the fire and now she’s being controlled by TK.” She could feel Ted’s eyes on her but she didn’t have the time to explain everything.
“She’s blind?” Reina asked, her eyes dazed upwards “There is a God.”
Mia turned to Ted, it looked like they would never get to her “Reina, please! You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. TK is not a simple person. He’s a mastermind, if he doesn’t get his way, he’ll do anything.”
“My kind of man.” Reina said, she was not faltered by their warnings.
“What will it take for you to help us?” Mia asked helplessly.
“Nothing.” Reina got up as she began walking away as she dragged her feet. Mia noticed her left leg had a little limp.
Ted turned to Mia “What now? She’s not budging.”
“I know.” Mia let out a sigh “Let’s go back first.”
“Wait.” Ted caught up to her when she rushed out of the visiting area “What were you saying about TK controlling Erin?” Mia dodged his eyes “Mia, tell me.”
She finally looked up when they were outside by the car “There are some things that’s better left unsaid.” Ted tilted his head confusingly “Just trust me on this.” He eventually nodded before getting in the car.
************
As promised, Chuck dropped by Erin’s apartment that night with dinner. Shelly opened the door when he arrived “Uncle Chuck!!” she threw her arms around his neck like a little girl with her father.
He chuckled heartily while returning her hug “Shelly.” They had only seen each other once since Erin had found out. The two had a quick bond when they spent the whole day together. When the two broke apart, his eyes saddened when they turned to Erin “How are you doing, Erin?” he asked.
Erin smiled crookedly “Why is it that you give Shelly a special treatment and you talk to me like I’m about to die?”
Chuck quickly sat down next to her “I didn’t mean to pity you…it’s just…”
Erin knew why he hesitated “Shelly, can you take the dinners inside the kitchen and heat it up?” Chuck gave Shelly the bags as she took them to the kitchen “It smells good.” The delicious aroma of lobster fettucine filled her nose “So are you going to stammer through the whole conversation?” she teased.
“Erin…this is serious.” Chuck said solemnly.
“Isn’t it always?” she smiled “It’s about TK isn’t it?”
“If you already know.” He sighed “Why?”
Erin’s lips slowly curled downwards “I’m not sure.” She shook her head “I just felt his remorse and something deep down told me he was not all to blame.”
“But he’s the one that pulled the trigger.” Chuck reminded her.
“I know.” Erin could never forget it “I just think it’s not the time to crucify him to the cross yet. I just want to give him a chance.”
He could feel the blood traveling up to his face “To do what? Kill another person??” he was outraged by her calmness and her ability to forgive a killer.
“No, to turn back to the good side.” Erin said firmly “I am in as much pain as you could imagine if you lost a loved one. Trust me, Uncle Chuck, I would never forget that day I witnessed Brad’s death. It haunts me every night! But don’t forget what this team is about. Joe created us to save the lives of many people, we’re not here to serve justice, leave that in the hands of God. He will get what’s coming for him.”
He shook his head with a snicker “You say it so easy yet you can’t find a way to forgive Reina.”
At the sound of her name, Erin shivered from the chill that ran through her body “I refuse to forgive her because she had no reason to hate me, to hurt my friends and to kill Brad. But she did it…TK was only a mouse compare to her, the owl. The wise owl. She won’t rest until she brings us down. Until she brings ME down. But I won’t lose to her little game. I’ll show her.” The serious tone in her voice made Chuck look at her carefully. Mia was right, she has changed.
“What’s wrong with you Erin? It’s like you’re looking through a transparent wall yet you still can’t tell what’s going on. How did he manipulate you?” Chuck asked.
“He didn’t!” she insisted “Why do you guys assume TK is the bad guy?”
“Because he is!” Chuck argued. He wanted to slap the sense into her but there was something oddly strange about her that day. He didn’t notice before but something had made her change overnight. He vowed to himself then and there that he would get to the bottom of the whole mess.
“Dinner’s ready!” Shelly announced as she returned with a pink apron around her waist.
Chuck stood up “I’m not hungry. You girls eat. Shelly, call me if there’s an emergency.” He left without turning back.
Shelly looked at her sister with wondering eyes “What happened?”
Erin stood up as she reached her hand out and Shelly quickly came to her side “Uncle Chuck is in a bad mood.”
“Why?” Shelly led Erin into the dining room.
“He has a lot of things on his mind.” Erin sighed as she touched the chair and sat down carefully.
“I see.” Shelly nodded as she took off the apron. She took a whiff of the food “Ga Jei, why do all the dishes have lobster in them?”
Erin froze as her mind recalled the scene clearly. The day she was wandering the streets and saw Chuck eating a dish of lobster legs. The conversation they had was embedded in her mind. She really looked up to him and it seemed she had hurt him pretty bad this time “Was I wrong?” she questioned herself.
“Wrong?” Shelly looked at her sister strangely “Ga Jei, you’ve been acting very strange lately.”
That was the fifth person that told her that, she counted. Maybe something was wrong with her? But what? She turned her head to Shelly “Just lately?”
“No, actually it’s just been these last two days. You’re so calm…Uncle Chuck told me that we’re still targeted by that man.” Shelly widened her eyes “Did he poison you?!”
Erin laughed with her head shaking “Silly girl. He didn’t poison me. How could he? He couldn’t even get two steps closer to me without the team hounding him.”
“But are you forgetting about the island? He brought us food.” Shelly pointed out.
“Then you are poisoned too.” Erin replied logically.
Shelly tilted her head “Oh…that’s true. He only gave me bread and water.”
“I only ate the first two days, after that I stopped eating.” Erin sighed, she wanted nothing more than to forget about those days on the island.
“He fed the mayor the same food too.” Shelly said before digging into her pasta plate.
“The mayor? You knew he was there?” Erin asked curiously.
Shelly swallowed before continuing “Yes, I heard him in the room next to me. He was moaning for help. Then TK would come in and beat him.”
“How did you know he was the Mayor?”
“Because TK said it a few times.” Shelly replied.
Erin nodded as she pondered about something “Did he let the mayor go on purpose?” she asked herself “But why…”
“Ga Jei, the food’s getting cold. You should eat first. Mia will be home soon, you can talk to her about it. I’m sure she has some good insights.” Shelly smiled and she remembered her sister couldn’t see. Her face fell “Ga Jei…will you ever see again?”
Erin was having trouble getting the pasta on her fork “I hope so.”
After dinner, Mia came home. Her eyes wandered to Erin, who was sitting on the couch quietly while Shelly washed the dishes and got ready for bed. Mia began walking towards her room when Erin stopped her “Sit.” She ordered sternly.
Mia halted as she turned and hesitantly took the empty seat next to Erin “What?” she asked.
“This isn’t about TK.” Erin warned, “You know where I’m getting at.” It wasn’t a question, it was statement that was true.
“You don’t understand.” Mia sighed tiredly.
“Then make me.” Erin said.
Mia curled her legs up on the couch “I know it is wrong to lie to Darren. I feel horrible but after I learned the truth about Ethan’s feelings…I was torn. I didn’t know what to do, it took me days to come up with an answer.”
“I know Ethan likes you.” Erin said flatly.
“No, he doesn’t. He’s in love with me.” Mia sighed “That guy would do anything for me. I know he would love to take Darren’s place in my life, but he’s so righteous that he would never turn on a friend, not even a stranger. He doesn’t know Darren, he could easily say ‘forget him’. But he didn’t. If he was a bad person, it would have been easy for me to choose. Doug is right, he’s perfect for me. We have a history of friendship and he would die for me.” Her eyes were glossy as she talked about her feelings.
“Darren loves you.” Erin felt her friend needed a reminder “He went through hell when you were kidnapped and then you were in a coma. When you woke up, we thought you would be okay but then you have amnesia. How could you put him through all that and choose someone else?”
Mia’s brows furrowed “I know it sounds bad. But I want to be fair…to Ethan and to Darren. He loved no one else before me, he has a chance to find someone else better than me. I’m not saying Ethan is better than Darren or vice versa…but I want to give him a fair chance to be with me. I want to give myself a chance.”
Erin let out a long sigh, she knew her friend had her own way of thinking. As much as she didn’t agree with it, Erin knew it was impossible to change Mia’s mind once it’s set. She just wanted to see everyone happy. She heard from Becca that the new girl was a handful and she was living with Darren until Joe comes back. It sounded like they had a connection “I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.” Erin warned her for the last time “The heart is not something you can play with.”
“I know.” Mia replied. She had thought about it too long to back out now “The only thing now is to get Ethan to date me.”
Erin laughed at the thought “Getting the guy that loves you to date you? Gee, that is hard.” Sarcastic remarks only made Mia laugh now “How did it start?” Erin asked more solemnly.
“I had these flashbacks when I talked to Ethan.” Mia recalled “Then he told me he had all of our high school memoirs in a box on top of a shelf in his office. I reached for it and a surge of memories came rushing back. I remembered everything in high school. Then I began to have dreams about Reina, that’s why I made Doug take me to see her. She told me many stories, most were lies that I knew instantly. There were true ones too, like the time we were friends. Then one night, I had a dream that I was locked up in a dark room. I was trapped somewhere and my body felt heavy yet I didn’t know how to get out…”
“You were in the bag with a weight tied to your feet when Brad found you.” Erin finished for her.
“Yes.” Mia nodded slowly “I woke up in a pool of sweat. Everything came back to me. I was so happy that I wanted to wake you in the middle of the night to tell you. But I saw my old high school yearbook laying out on the chair by my bed. I was looking at it the night before. That’s when I stopped myself and was reminded of Ethan.”
Erin nodded with a small smile “Although I don’t agree with your hiding the truth from everyone. But I’m so glad you’re back.” She opened her arms and Mia giggled as the girls hugged it out.
“I’m not ALL back.” Mia pulled away with a laugh.
“Yes, you’ve gained some new personalities.” Erin laughed.
SIUBINGLIBRARY
