The assassin {Crimson Red}

part 3

"What are you doing here?" Mallory asked, not even looking at them.

"Cut the crap, Kieran, you know exactly why we're here," Claire said, glaring at her.

"You're here to take me back to Stalia," Mallory scoffed. She didn't need to be told why they were here, she knew, and she didn't wanna go.

"It's time to come back, Kieran" Allison demanded.

"My, my, my, how you've grown, Ansel," Mallory chuckled, remembering the younger version of the blonde, how she used to hang out with Briar. "I see you're able to go with the big kids now."

"Kieran, your mother brought us here to take you back home. We intend to complete our task." Vivianne said.

Mallory turned to her. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms while whispering. "I see she still needs to make others do the speaking for her when it comes to me. Guess she hasn't changed either."

Mallory met their eyes. The once innocent and joyful look in her eyes was gone. This much Alex could tell. Instead, she saw a dull and blank look in her eyes. She didn't recognize her. She didn't recognize the girl who was once her best friend.

She'd been watching Mallory interact with Shawn and the others, and the genuine happiness look she saw was real. Alex knew that look all too well. It was the look she used to have with her and their old friends.

"Okay, first of all, my name is Mallory, so use it." She told them. "Second of all, you can tell mommy dearest to pack up and leave 'cause I'm not coming with you."

"Your father and his team have gone missing," Matthew blurted out. This made Mallory go quiet.

"They went on a mission and we haven't heard from them indicating that they were fine." He continued.

They all watched as she hesitated to speak. As if she were debating with herself whether to know more or to ignore it.

"How long?" She asked after a while.

"About three months now," Matthew replied.

"We used to get fire messages from Ara, Liv, Stell, and occasionally from Mia now and then. But after a while, the messages became less and less, 'till one day, they stopped." Alex explained.

"We thought that maybe they got busy so we let it sit for a couple of days. But days became weeks, and weeks became a month with no reply."

"The council said that it was probably because they got too busy. But when a month became two. Your mother sent out search parties in all the places they were or they could have been and found nothing."

They all watched Mallory for any kind of sign that she would help, but saw none. She just stood unalarmed or unfazed by what she was just told. Like she didn't care about them. Like they were strangers to her and she didn't care.

"Guess Mother and the council have their work cut out for them," She said, she got up and gathered her stuff.

"So that's it? You're just gonna walk away? After everything you were just told?" Allison angrily asked.

"It's not my problem anymore, I left, remember?" She simply replied.

"Kieran, my sister is on that team," Vivianne angrily stated. "And so are your father, brother, and sister."

"As I said, it's not my problem" Mallory replied as she opened the door.

"Ethan is on that team," The voice of Matthew made her stop in her tracks, one hand on the door handle.

"He joined a year after you left,"

Alex began to gain a bit of hope as she watched her. Hope that Mallory will go back with them. Hope that she will get her best friend back.