Landed Wings - By Skylhur Tranqille Page 0,27
and corny, but they actually get some good stuff done or at least I think they do. From time to time, when I’m all alone with my thoughts, I start to feel uneasy. What is it about Mocha? I’ve only known him a short time now, and I already feel like I’m in a deeper relationship than I should be at seventeen.
MOCHA
She’s like a child. Always needing attention…always wanting to talk. I’m tired of it already. I have to call. She picks up as always, on the fifth ring.
“Ginger?”
“Mocha.”
“I can’t do this.”
“Why?”
“She’s an innocent. And silly, foolish, naive, I can’t maker her into what you need her to be.”
“Why?”
“I’m sorry to say it, but I think the whole falling in love plan is a bust. She’s not focused. She’s starstruck. She asked me to dance with her. We’re getting nowhere.”
“Try to talk to her then.”
“We do nothing but talk. That’s not the problem. I don’t want this job Ginger. It’s not too late. I can still send her back, we can give her memory pills - she won’t remember me, except in dreams.”
“Why are you pushing so hard against this Mocha? Is she
getting to you?”
I can’t lie. Not to her.
“Yes. I can’t do my best.”
“Toughen up. I don’t have time for excuses. You know what you have to do. Don’t tell me this girl is so amazing that she is distracting you from our purpose.”
“No. Never.”
“Then the next time, I want to hear that you have practically turned her into a fanatic for our cause. And I want her at our next meeting. I need to see this girl.”
“What if she’s resistant?”
“Then do what you have to do.”
“It’s an invasion of privacy.”
“We’ve already discussed it, and we don’t have time to
discuss it again. Make it happen.”
She hangs up again. I need Ginger to be hard, and she knows I need it. It’s what I respond to. But I know she’ll be thinking about whether this was really a good idea.
Chapter 15: MISSING
OBSIDIAN
I call the number. I have no other option really. When it comes to Ash, my common sense flies out the door with my dignity. The first time I called, it said wrong number. The second, it told me the number was no longer in service. But I’m not giving up. I call again and this time, someone picks up.
“If you have been given this number, then you are eligible for membership. If you are unaware of who we are, please press one. If you know who we are and are ready to continue, please press three. If you were given this number by mistake, please press four and hang up.”
What? Recruitment? That’s not what Pepper told me. I am on the verge of pressing four when Ash’s smile pops into my head. How could I let anything bad happen to that smile? If I have a chance to help, then I have to take it. I press one and listen. Later on, I find Pepper and ask her what’s going on.
“What is this recruitment thing, Pepper? And for the VWP? How will that help us find Ash? Is this a joke?”
“It’s not a joke. Training from them will give you the edge you need to find her. And they have connections. Connections you can use Obsidian. Her mom is part of the organization. In fact, she’s the leader of the VWP. She can get you past Sky Patrol. And.”
Here Pepper pauses.
“I know that you might want to…explain to Mocha why taking Ash was a mistake. If you do explain to him, Ash’s mother has promised to look the other way.”
Is she saying what I think she’s saying? Is she insinuating that I would be allowed to hurt this guy and they would turn a blind eye?
“I thought the VWP was a world peace organization.”
Again, those cold fish eyes looked at me. She repeated the same sentiment she had expressed earlier.
“Things change Obsidian.”
“Is that your new catch phrase?”
I start to laugh but quickly stop. Pepper had never scared me, but those ice cold eyes of hers have something in them that a person with morals and character should never have. She just smiles and flies away. As I see her red wings fade into the distance, I finally figure out what creeps me out about her eyes. Even in broad daylight, her pupils are large and wet.
I have to find Raven and tell her what’s going on. Ash is her friend too. I walk into her room, but she