Chapter 31: The Twins

They walked out of the bar. “What do we do, Mike?” The girl asked, showing signs of unease. “Stop fretting,” Michael stopped her. His frown never left his face. “How could I not? We never get anything. The James guy seems like a Reaper. But it’s normal for a Reaper to be in their own territory. What are we supposed to find out at all?” She continued voicing out her dissatisfaction.

Michael’s initial gloom turned into irritation. “I knew it! That old man never intended to give us a chance to contribute. I start to wonder if the order is from dad. I suspect he made this up in the name of dad’s order to stop us from making any progress,” Michael complained.

“I’m sick and tired of all this spying bullshit. How could we gather confidential information from such a public space?” Cecilia huffed. Rolling her eyes, she said, “and having to listen to that bartender flirt for hours made me sick. It’s disgusting!”

“That’s why I tune him out,” Michael sounded proud. His words made Cecilia frown. “If you don’t listen, how are you going to gather information?” She shot back, half reproachful, half questioning. “Weren’t you listening? It’s enough to input those marvelous details into a person,” Michael retorted. He emitted an air of self-righteousness.

Cecilia was fuming. “So, all these time, I’m the only one working hard listening to everything everyone says?” She asked through gritted teeth. Michael shrugged. “Yes,” his reply was so natural, it added fuel to her fire. “What’s the point of having you here?” Cecilia’s voice raised a pitch.

Michael looked around, shocked by his sister’s sudden outburst. “Shh! Do you want to gather everyone’s attention? Luckily we’ve traveled far. Do you want to die?” He reprimanded her in a hush.

Cecilia was still furious. “Is this my job? It’s our task! We’re supposed to do this together. Why am I the only one doing all the work?” She lowered her voice but her emotions remained at the top of the meter. Michael rolled his eyes. “Stop being so dramatic. I’m here all the time. What do you mean I didn’t do anything?” He retaliated, equally furious. He felt offended by her accusation.

“Yes, you’re here. But you’re as good as a lamp. What information have you gathered so far?” Cecilia shot back. If looks could kill, she would’ve already murdered him countless times. “I didn’t. Did you? The problem’s not us. The task itself is impossible,” he replied with the same self-righteous attitude.

Cecilia sighed. She calmed down, saying, “we’re finally given an important job. I don’t want to mess it up.” “Important job?” Michael snickered, “that’s almost laughable! What’s so important about listening to rubbish? Not that they say anything important at all.”

She gave him the side eye. “We did find out about that girl’s location from the conversations,” she reminded him. Michael gave her a bored look. “In the end, that task failed. Why? Those on the mission got distracted. They should’ve taken me along. We’re too young? That’s all bullshit! I could always do better than any of them,” he resumed his complaints.

Cecilia didn’t react to his pessimism. She got used to it. “To be honest, I don’t think we should put all the blame on him. His brother was in Buzz when the sneak attack happened. Father has already punished him. Let it go.”

“That’s crap! He got distracted during his mission. It’s an undeniable truth,” Michael didn’t buy her opinion. Cecilia stood her ground, “it’s his brother’s life on the line. Everyone has that person they care about.”

Michael wasn’t convinced. “We should remain professional when it comes to work. He’s given a task. How could he leave in the middle of it because of some personal matter?” Cecilia’s brows furrowed. “Let’s say one day you went out on a mission and I was kidnapped, would you come for me?” She held her breath as she threw the question at him. She was afraid of the answer she would receive.

He didn’t even give it a thought before answering, “I’ll complete the mission quickly and come for you.” Cecilia wasn’t satisfied. “What if it’s too late by then?” She felt a shiver as she raised the question. Michael brushed her off. “Nothing will happen to you. Stop overthinking,” he said.

Cecilia looked down. Her head bowed slightly. She stopped reacting to her brother. She realized that he wouldn’t understand her point no matter how she put it. Either that, or he pretended to not understand.

She kept quiet the whole way back, maintaining the peace as they walked side by side. She raised her head. The moon shone brightly in the night sky. It provided a slight comfort. The corners of her lips raised slightly. As her sight moved back down to the ground, the same feeling hit her again.

Their shadow formed on the ground as they walked. It reminded her of how close they once were. Mike was once a protective and caring brother. He’s changed. They walked beside each other, physically near, yet thousand miles apart. Along the way, he started to care about their father’s recognition. Sometimes, he cares so much that he’s obsessed with it.

She realized that he’d put the gang’s mission on top of everything, as long as he could complete what was given and gain their father’s approval. It scared her. He was the only person she held dear. In his world of big ambition, where did she stand? Could she even fit in? Did she even have a place in that world of his?

Her heart pounded as she was reminded of the conversation they just had. She knew it was just a situation she made up. But what if it really happened one day? She wouldn’t even dare to imagine how broken her heart would be when the time comes. She knew Michael wasn’t strong enough to save her but the thought of him not even trying tore her heart into pieces. She knew she would protect her brother even if it cost her own life. What would he do if they really faced danger?