Secrets Upon Secrets

13 - Avery Slayer

"You're f-ing kidding me," I swore. "Where the bloody hell is she?" I demanded over the phone.

Over the last two weeks Riviera had been MIA.

Now, I don't mean actually missing, it's just that she's been otherwise occupied for missions lately, leaving me to deal with that recruit and Sasin and Astaril. All in addition to the usual stuff.

I wiped blood from my face. (Don't worry, it's not mine.)

Mrs Grey has been having me take care of a lot of loose ends lately. Apparently some scandal had nearly broken out recently with that one mission where Eddie tagged along, (he's the annoying recruit,) and our appearance ended up connecting us to the crime scene.

While, yes, technically we were publicly known for who we were and what we did, we still operated for the most part in the shadows. Whatever rumors float around that build our reputations are no exaggeration. If anything they're the opposite. People only hear about the things that slip through.

Even the SPD and LIGHTS don't even know the half of what we do, and how we do it.

Riviera is a prime example.

Sure those 'Heros' think they know all about her. What she's capable of, what her ability is, how far she's willing to go.

But in truth they don't know a single one of those things.

I know.

I know firsthand what she's done, how she's done it. How far she'll go, what she can do.

That's because I'm her best friend. And have been for years now.

She knows me equally as well, and once, Robin did too.

The three of us are cut from the same branch of cruelty and power, despite not being blood related.

We were our own sort of little family before my brother went and joined the even darker, dark side.

Both River and I knew that his choice would be his undoing, despite the 'protection' offered by his biological mother.

Psh, like Lotus Moltenore, would ever protect something other than her own personal interests. She's just taken him in now because he's useful. I thought. While it wasn't an unusual tactic here, we generally treated family with more respect.

Anyways, over the last few weeks the Red Hounds have been rather quiet, only a few petty assaults and no major break-ins or robberies.

They're planning something, I knew that much.

But I wasn't the calculating one. That was River.

And like I said.

MIA.

Mrs Grey said that she was looking into something relating to the Red Hound or the LIGHTS or something, but even she didn't know the details.

"I just hope she's not out there hunting that Robin boy," her mother had said, "Don't need her to be going around starting anymore clan wars," she grumbled.

All of that leads me to why I am here today.

At Taylor Astaril's stupid halloween party.

Did I want to be here? No.

But I'm here anyway, making sure Veronica Sasin does not fluffing show up and bring more freaking acid frogs. (Yeah, she did that.)

I'd just entered the 'party', finally bored of waiting around in the hidden passageways and in the security room.