Fire And Ice

2.Ghost Bird.

After 3 years.

I sat in Derrick's car watching as he talked to a dog team leader as the other team member took care of the drug dealers that we had captured.

It's been three years since Derrick came into my life. We share a bond much like father and daughter but we act more like friends. After a few months when he learnt about my home life, he starting to train me. He taught me everything he know from different languages to fighting. But it wasn't after a year he taught he about his world.

He hadn't fully told me yet about it. It all started when I asked him about how to know who trust and who not to and that's when he told me about a community or some people who help other people when police or any government can't help, and they use coded names like dogs and birds for boys and girls.

Then about the favour system and money system, and the most useful one, to know who these people are, is to say a word and if the other person say a word that has nothing to do with the word we said, then they are good people.
Random. Random is always the code with these people. I learnt to trust these people even when Rick says that I'm not ready. He wasn't ready to tell me all this in one go, but I managed to extract all these information in these years.

I learnt to trust these people as Rick started to take me with him to his assignment. We usually did something dangerous and he always gave me the option to stay at home. But when you have a abusive mother, and a father who you don't see often and sister who hated you it's not always good to stay home. Plus I like helping people. We usually fight and tie drug dealers or traffickers.

I was pulled out of the thoughts when I heard the door of the car shut close and the smell of honey and fruity Shea filled my nose. I turned to Rick with a small smile.

"What's going on in the pretty little brain of yours." Rick asked as he started the his black convertible mustang.

"How did it go?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"Those fu*kers are taken care of." He said in his colourful language while I shook my head slightly at his swear words. "Now, tell me what were you thinking?"

I sighed and said, "You know. I feel like there's something you're not telling me. Like since last week." I said looking at him. "I'm just trying to figure out what it is about." Truth. He had been different since last week when he searched about me or something like that.

"Oh." He said and I waited for him to explain. I sighed went he didn't. The rest of the car ride was in silence and I regret bringing it up.

"I'm sorry." I said softly climbing out of the car which he had parked inside the garage door and entered the house through the door in the garage.

"It's not your fault." Rick said coming behind me. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologise. I was just worried since you were acting differently." I said grabbing a water bottle and sitting in his grey colour sofa.

"I know." He said sitting next to me and rubbing his palm over his face.

"You don't need to tell if you don't want to. I can understand." I said offering him the water bottle which he took.

He let out a deep breath and rushed his words, "Your a ghost." I looked at him in confusion. Ghost? What does that even mean. Sensing my confusion he continued.

"You don't exist in the eyes of the government. Yes, you have a birth certificate but that is an exact copy of your sister, Marie. And other than that there's nothing about you. There is a social security number and other things but when I looked it up it was all fake. Which means if you go missing then no one can find you." He finished with a sigh.

"Is that a bas thing?" I whispered.

"Yes.. no...uhh! I don't know." He said frustratedly

I placed my hands on his shoulder and gave him the look that I had learned from him 'Explain now' he sighed and said, " you know about the people I said to you about?" He asked and continued when I nodded. "They would want to recruit you now that you're a ghostbird. I don't want you to join because if you join.... Then....they would want you to join an all bird team and we wouldn't be able to stay together." He said the last part looking away.

My heart broke at this. He didn't want me to join because he taught they would seperate us! I wrapped my hands around him and said, "Thank you, dad." I said looking at him when I said dad.

He looked suprised but then got out of it and hugged me back, with a big grin. "You'll always be my daughter." He said and I couldn't help the tears that flowed down my eyes.

He had always wanted me to call him dad. Since his wife and daughter died in a car crash, he was alone but not anymore, he had me!

"You're not alone and I'll never leave you. If that means that I couldn't join you then so be it. Atleast I'll have you for the rest of my life." I said as he hugged me closer. We stayed that way for a long time and only pulled back when Rick's phone pinged with a message.

He looked at me and said "There's a containment coming with full of exotic animals and likely humans."

I smiled and stood up to go to my room to get ready -Yes, he have a room in his house for me- when he stopped me and said,

"I want you to join officially since they still think it's only me who's doing the assignment but they'll find it out eventually and when they do see you and all the things you can do, they'll definitely will want to recruit you. So I'm going to be a little possessive and not to tell them and to wait untill they find out." He said, " After all Family comes First, right." He added with a happy smile

I smiled shaking my head at his behaviour, but still happy and going to my room to get ready for tonight. I am a little -okay a lot- happy about the fact the he still wants me as a daughter and I can't help but rethink over the motto/ rule thing of these people.

Of course, Family will always come first.