Landed Wings - By Skylhur Tranqille Page 0,31
to get the secrets and intel he was promised, then it will be your job to get something out of him.”
While my mind is still trying to process what Ginger is
saying, Mocha stands up.
“With all due respect Ginger, Ash is a newcomer. She hasn’t had any training, hasn’t done any RECON, and doesn’t know what we are looking for. She hasn’t been trained in manipulation, or any of the things we were all taught before being put in the field.”
“We’re running out of time Mocha. And she doesn’t need
training. The more naturally she can act, the better. You know that as well as I do.”
Mocha is wasting his time. I’ve already decided to do this.
“How will we keep my mother…Cocoa from finding out who I am?”
“We’ve decided that you will go in under a different name, and in disguise. Your wings and hair will be dyed red.”
“The second she hears my voice, she’ll know it’s me.”
“We are attempting to make sure that she doesn’t attend the event. We will send a message from a reliable source about your being seen with Mocha in the far east.”
“And if she comes anyway?”
“Then act. Pretend you don’t know her. She’s not the one you need to deceive and she won’t know our plan. And Ash…follow any whims or thoughts you have during the event.”
I’m puzzled by that. What could she possibly mean? Mocha looks sick. He’s clearly not happy about any of this. He grabs my hand in an abrupt protective gesture. I stare at him. What am I here for if not to help?
“It sounds like you had this all planned out. When did you go behind my back to plan this?”
“You’re just proving the decision not to tell you right by
getting angry and irrational Mocha.”
Ginger is calm and cool in the storm of Mocha’s anger.
“It’s her first day! She’s seventeen!”
“I see you avoid the obvious fact. That she can help and that fact that she’s here means she wants to. You started working for us at age eleven, Mocha. Or have you forgotten?”
“I didn’t have a choice. You can’t see what I saw and have a choice.”
Everyone is quiet for a second, and I realize that Ginger
probably had known Mocha’s mother.
“Everyone here has their cross to bear Mocha. You don’t own that. I have to make the necessary decisions to bring down the VWP once and for all. I make no apologies for that. This meeting is adjourned.”
He doesn’t respond, he just looks ahead but his hand
tightened in mine. We leave to start walking towards our place. We have a two mile walk ahead of us – times like these I really wish we could just fly there, it would be so much faster and easier. Living down here is so much harder than I had ever imagined. Oh well, I guess we have time to talk.
“Mocha don’t be mad.”
He turns around so quickly that I can’t help but take a step back. That savage look is still in his eyes. His eyes are a dark coffee color now.
“Cocoa is not stupid. Even if she does believe the message, she will just send someone out. She’s the head of the VWP, she will be at the charity gala and I know that she won’t be fooled by some hair and wing dye.”
“Mocha. I want to do this. I need you to trust me. Trust me. I have wanted to do something for a while now. I don’t really have to fool her, do I? Even if she recognizes me, she can’t say anything because she doesn’t know what I’ll say or do. She’ll have to go along because she is the head of VWP.”
Mocha sighs.
“Okay.”
He sighs again.
“I’ll be fine. Will you be there? You know, as moral support?”
He smiles.
“Nothing could keep me away Ash.”
“Good. And…if anything goes wrong…you’ll be there to “help”, right?”
Mocha knows what I’m really asking.
“I won’t leave you Ash.”
MOCHA
As soon as Ash falls asleep, I call Ginger.
“Ginger.”
“Hello Mocha. I was expecting your call. You did great today. And I could tell that Ashlynn had no idea.”
I am quiet. Too quiet. I know Ginger knows what I am feeling.
“You weren’t acting. All that happened today, you felt. Is that what you are telling me? That you have lost control of the situation?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to fix it?”
“There is only one way to fix it, Ginger. Just one. And it won’t be pleasant. It will be painful. For both of us.”
“I know, Mocha.”
“I’ll have to break my mind from hers.