Aerie's Fallen Immortal

Chapter 9

"You're surprised, Aerie." Cade continued, "Let me guess, you got your copy from the thrift shop near Brian's address, right? It was pretty large, I must admit. And pretty obvious guess for anything funny. Catch your attention, in other words."

"How....." Brian started, mumbling the words out of confusion, "Did you know?"

"Do you expect yourself to go unnoticed, Brian?" Cade asked again, still smiling on his face, "bringing long sticks into school charged with batteries?"

"You're angry." Aerie said simply.

"Why would I?" Cade replied, "again, you are the one who have every reason to be angry."

"If you are not, then you would not just said everything in a hurry, exposing our plan so precisely with such confidence." Aerie replied.

"It was pure coincidence that I was there last month when the case happened, you have to believe me." Cade continued, in a tone so calm and professional that somehow spoke anger, in what Aerie believed, "I don't like to have problems surrounding me, especially the time consuming ones, like bring a suspect. Those."

"You still haven't explained yourself throughly." Aerie said, sighing.

"It's up to you to believe that the man accidentally burnt himself to his death, or believe what the book offers you." Cade said, "I respect that."

"A lot." Aerie said, "About you. Being a teacher. Or what exactly would happen if you left us in the restricted field. You explained neither."

"You really want to know?" Cade replied, leaning forwards, "The three of you except Aerie, out of the room. It's personal."

"Yeah." Aerie said, as she stood up and crossed her arms, "You're going to explain everything throughly, or we would stay in this very room forever."

"Okay then." Cade sighed, and eyed at the door as he waited for the room to be empty, leaving just the two of them. "Guess you are really angry. If I am not wrong."

"You?" Aerie said at once when the door was slammed shut, "Cade Canning? The dude I met eleven years ago, who picked me up from a dumpster. The smart arse dude who had me knowing nothing about my parents no matter how hard I try to find them, and the dude that I met on the back ally back a few weeks ago, a teacher. Medical school. Out of all the possibilities, you?"

"Yeah." Cade replied simply enough for Aerie to be completely pissed, "You are smart, aren't you? Figured out this much in less a moment, i guess, from your eye."

"Why a teacher. Whey here. Why show up after all these years without even a message." Aerie shot the words directly at him, "and why, heavens and hell, just why can't you even slip a single one, singular, message for me saying you were there— or you are here?"

"I understand." Cade said, "I— But I really— That was all I could do, Aerie. I tried my best."

"What? You had underground company business and got yourself into trouble? What? The Great Cade Canning is so damm worthy that people are paying for you to be assassinated?"

"The latter." Cade whispered, ditching away from Aerie's sight.

"What?" Aerie said, tone suddenly turned less sarcastic, "You're serious? Really?"

"The Association." Cade said, softly enough for Aerie to believe, "what the called. Were hunting people like me down. Started back to twenty years ago."

"What?" Aerie asked, "So you're saying that there are people out there chasing and hunting you down? But why? You are not like really really really rich."