How does one go from a depressed and neurotic adolescent to a top ranking FBI agent?
For Agent A, it was as simple as taking candy from a baby. All she needed, however, was a plan and a set of rules. Luckily for her, she was a fast learner.
...
Oops! Ang larawang ito ay hindi sumusunod sa aming mga alituntunin sa nilalaman. Upang magpatuloy sa pag-publish, subukan itong alisin o mag-upload ng bago.
AS A HOMESCHOOLED kid, I spent a lot of the past six years with my head buried deep within the pages of books. The joy I received in escaping into a foreign world and the thrill I felt in immersing myself in someone else's problem was paralleled by none other. It was the quickest and easiest way to distract myself during an episode, and it was definitely cheaper than a therapist. The only problem, however, was that I could imagine myself sipping martinis on a beautiful island, surrounded by a group of exotic friends, but I could not feel it. The sun kissing my skin as the hypnotic smell of the ocean permeated the air around me looked picturesque in my head, but I had not experienced it myself; and, thus, could not truly envision it with all senses.
Laying on a beach chair on the roof of a six-floor building, gazing into the dark, starry night sky, however, I finally felt at peace. It was a warm night, but the watery breeze emanating from the dock tenderly brushing my face made it tolerable. At last, I knew what a serene night felt like. I wanted nothing more than to bottle up this feeling inside a jar and preserve it for the rest of eternity. Had this been any other day, I would have done just that. I would have laid there with my hands crossed behind my head, counting the innumerable stars and searching for constellations. It would have been a perfect night—a dreamlike scene taken right out of the pages of a fantasy novel. But, here I was, holding a pair of high-powered binoculars in one hand and a disposable burner phone in another.
Sitting up, I spread my legs in—what my uncle would've deemed—an unladylike fashion, and dangled the binoculars just a few inches off the ground. Searching through the numerous contacts I had added in a couple days ago, I found just the man I was looking for.
"Is it done?" I asked, not wasting my breath on any formalities.
"Yes, boss," a crisp, smoke-filled voice said on the other end. The men I had hired for this job were all run-of-the-mill thugs, recruited from nearby towns, covered in the filth of rough neighborhoods and alleyways, but he was different. "The traps have been set. Bobby is on his way up with the controller. Handle it with caution, unless you want the fireworks earlier."
"Thanks, Alfonso. You can head out with the rest of the boys. Don will hand-deliver the cash once the job's done," I said, breathing in the air like a drug addict.
He didn't protest, or second-guess me like either of my two regular accomplices would have done. "Pleasure doing business with you. Enjoy your night."
He hung up. I glanced at the abnormally bright phone screen with a mixture of relief and frustration. The corner of my lips lifted in a small smile. My heart, for once, did not feel burdened with heaviness. Laying back, I imagined Dex pacing the length of his bedroom, impulsively biting his nails, while Don sat in the background, probably perched on top of the bed, trying to figure out where I was. I chuckled.
While a small part of me felt guilty for ruining their night by making them worried sick about my safety, unaware of my whereabouts and my plan, I was comforted by the lack of their presence. I felt a special kind of peace in the depths of my soul when they weren't around, breathing down my neck, making me consider the consequences of my every action. It was liberating.
