Hazy clouds conceal the moon, leaving me with street lamps to illuminate the sidewalks. Slowly, melodious buckets of water fall from the heavens. My eyes sparkle as I throw my head back, beaming at the sky. Cool water streams down my face and trickles from my dark hair. I relish the sensation. I softly hum as I amble towards the donut shop.
⧖⧖⧖
My shoe sponges up the puddle as I deliberately splash it on my ankles. Footsteps sound ahead of me. I glance up and do a doubletake when I recognize those infamous shorts. My humming cuts off and I freeze, staring at the boy ahead of me. He hasn't noticed my presence, and I take a sigh of relief before darting against a building wall.
Where is he going?
I peer around the corner and discern he's holding something. I lean forward, squinting at his hands. It's a napkin. My thoughts immediately travel to when we first met in the donut shop. With that man. That man who had given him an address. I remember Five wrote it down on a napkin. I pause, replaying the man's words in my mind.
"I need an address. Gimbel Brothers."
"Oh, it's uh... 721 Appetence Ave. Looking for anything in particular?"
Five ignores him, stuffing the napkin in his pocket.
I smirk. My heartbeat quickens, the adrenaline pumping through my veins as I plot my next moves. I do not follow Five, no. I do not need to. I hold all the information in that dazzling head of mine.
When I am assured that he's distant enough, I commence my walk to Gimbel Brothers, my insides vibrating with anticipation.
I can't kidnap him just yet. He must answer my questions first. Once I have all the information I need, including what his family's objectives are, then I can finally turn him in.
I trail him to a vacant parking lot. The murky road is lit up with just one fluorescent street lamp and a dimly lit red Gimbel Brothers wall sign. The rain has grown heavier; drops splash up when they plunge to the ground.
I wipe my smeared eyeliner with the back of my hand, most likely smudging it more. I drape my hood over my head and wrap my scarf around the bottom half of my face. Thunder rumbles in the distance as I slow my pace behind him and watch him approach the glass door. I blink, and the next thing I know he's vanished.
What could a department store possibly have to do with that eye?
I pull out my lock pick and force open the sliding door. I stagger my way inside, and darkness encircles me, excluding the displays of mannequins dappled with midnight blue floodlights. I survey the store, vigilant for any sudden movement. It's so quiet I can hear the faint sound of crickets from outside. To my left sits a sign that reads Seniors Tuesdays 10% Off! Strange. Today is Monday.
I walk alongside the perimeter of the room, my head ducking behind clothing racks as I search for Five. Before I have the chance to take out my own flashlight, I spot a beam of moving white light towards the middle of the store. My hands grip together. I tiptoe closer and crouch behind the nearest clothing rack. My gaze follows the trail of light back to its source.
There he is.
His right hand is stuffed in his pocket, the other holding the flashlight up to a display of mannequins. He appears to be searching for something. But what? His posture is relaxed as he walks away unhurriedly.
He looks so... serene.
Then he stops. His flashlight points directly at another display of three mannequins, and I notice his face soften more than it already had been. Five gives the mannequins a slight smile, and I cock my head. He stays still for a few moments, seeming to just admire what's ahead of him. Then he slowly walks closer, taking what feels like hours to finally reach the display.
Five sighs and looks up at the one in the middle. "Delores," he murmurs.
My eyebrows draw together. Uh, what?
He pauses a bit, having a fixed gaze at the piece of plastic. His flashlight holds a spotlight on the mannequin in polka dots, and I cannot help but wonder if this is a trap. Did he know I was following him, and now he's trying to catch me off-guard?
"It's good to see you." The mannequin doesn't respond– how peculiar! "I've missed you... Obviously." He smiles as his eyes go distant. "Well, I... It's been a rough couple of days."
Yeah, no kidding.
I've been sent to stop him from preventing the apocalypse and come to find he is even more delusional than we all thought. I feel the laughter bubbling in my chest, and I take deep breaths, desperately trying to quench the urge to snicker. My eyes grow teary from holding it in.
I look away from the scene, but as I turn around my arm bumps into the clothing rack. The hangers fall off with a clatter. Oh God... My eyes grow wide as Five's head draws back quickly and his mouth goes slack.
___
uhoh what's going to happen??
yay! i updated!
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Ocean of Lies | Five Hargreeves
Fanfiction"The only people who should kill, are those who are prepared to die themselves." *ੈ✩‧₊˚ Mallory is a sixteen-year-old assassin working under the Commission. Born with an insatiable appetite for destruction, she wears the smell of blood and death lik...
