“Wow…” That was the only word that escaped my mouth as I watched the police cam footage. During the raid of these boats that were bringing in crates upon crates of cocaine into the city for Hezekiah Wallace. It had started off with a dangerous shootout that Joshua and my daddy had helped settle in about 30 minutes. With as strong as protection auras that the two men shared, they could walk through waves of bullets and they would just bounce off them. We had three separate camera angles from three different police cams. This raid was conducted by the NYPD and the FBI, with my father and Joshua acting as special help. About halfway through this raid, the same girl as last night showed up at exactly 1:11 in the morning. This girl slammed into Joshua knocking him nearly off the boat and in a flash of dark red light that same single edged blade was summoned.
“Captain! None friendly jepei user on the boat!” A firm male voice called as he fixed his gun on this masked figure. “Should we engage!?”
From another camera angle I could see someone turn around and look towards Joshua. I could see the first cop in this footage, labeled as Captain Dwyer. “Do not engage directly, let Joshua Cash and Master Whisperwind handle their people. We do not want an international incident-” The man stopped and I knew the reason why.
The air seemed to shake as Joshua sped in right with a punch right as this girl swung down with their blade. As both attacks met there was a soft shockwave that spread throughout the boat. Now while most mainlanders could not see what I saw on the footage. I could make out a dark red jepei spreading from this small figure and a dark green jepei spreading from Joshua. “Jesus Christ.” The captain muttered. All three camera feeds locked onto this fight, and this truly was a fight, not the sparring matches I had been in at home. This was truly a no hold barred fight. Joshua held a major speed advantage as he sped through her attacks and landed a series of jabs and crosses knocking her around. He seemed to be winning this first engagement, until this girl ducked under his attack and kicked him in the side. Her blade seemed to be dripping jepei from it as if it was bathed in blood. An indication that she had to have had an animal spirit with some kind of poison.
Joshua let out a cry of pain as a much heavier looking bullet slammed into his shoulder. Not enough to penetrate his dark green protection coating, but it must have hurt like hell. In that one moment that he was caught off guard, the smaller figure speed in and slashed Joshua across the chest, slicing right through his protection aura like a warm knife through butter. Joshua cried out once more in pain as a shallow wound now ran down his chest, a tiny bit of blood dripping down. All three cameras turned around as the captain began to yell. “Snipers to the east!”
“Where did they get heavy weapons?!”
“All units are under cover.” The captain shouted, and while he looked up to try and gauge where these shots were coming from as well as call more back up. I could see the small figure in the background, she had placed a hand on head as if talking to earpiece before sighing and ducking leaping off the boat. That was how this first video ended.
“That was the same girl that attacked me at Trinity’s house.” I confirmed looking up at my daddy, and the pretty police officer that had joined us for breakfast. Office Cassandra Cooper, had a short woman with a head of curly light brown hair, she looked really nice in her black police uniform. Her hat resting off to the side, she had a pair of warm brown eyes but I had a feeling they could also be pretty serious and stern if she needed too.
“Are you sure?” The woman asked as she took back the headphones she had given me so I could listen to the footage. “And this happened at around what time?”
“I hung up on my dadd-” I coughed into my hand for a moment before straightening up. “I mean, Master Whisperwind at around 12:50, two men came to Mr. Wallace’s house at that time and stayed for about three minutes. She attacked me at around 12:55 if I had to guess, and made quick work of me.”
My cheeks heated up slightly as the older woman seemed to chuckle at my attempt to sound more grown up than I was. However, the serious side of her quickly returned as she went back to taking notes. “So we have the same figure protecting one of Wallace’s safehouses as well as fighting to at least stall us during our raid. This is actually very helpful information.”
“How so, Office Cooper?” My daddy asked.
“Well for one we know of two safe houses that Hezekiah Wallace keeps in Brooklyn. He is frighteningly good at keeping which one he truly stays at a secret. Anytime we try to trail him or his daughter, he either returns to another hotel for the night or his daughter will go to the only house we truly know is his. One that he keeps for public records.” Office Cooper took out a small tablet, and showed me a map of Manhattan. The port and two other locations were highlighted. “Let’s say hypothetically that she was guarding them and then was called back to the port when our raid turned in our favor.” She drew a line from one house though the streets until she stopped at the port. “If she was at this house it would take her at least 15 minutes to get there on a motorcycle if that was how she got there. Now if she came from this house.” While the first line she drew had different turns she would have to make. This house had a direct route to the port. “It would take her less than ten minutes to get here.”
“Maybe even less time if she had an animal spirit to help her travel at night.” My daddy spoke up, turning to look at me. “My daughter, and I happen to know of a large liger spirit that belongs to my ex wife. One that could reach speeds that put the fastest cars to shame.”
“Be that as it may.” Office Cooper said. “We have a good idea which house he is using so now we can at least get a warrant to search one and have our officers head to one location instead of splitting them up to search two of them. This information has helped us very much.” She looked at me for a moment before smiling and rolling her eyes. “Special Agent Whisperwind.”
My face beamed a bit as she said those words. I coughed into my hand once more to suppress my joy for a moment. “What are you gonna do now?”
“We have a lot of people to process into our correctional facilities. We captured nearly 30 people last night, ended up having to use lethal force on another 10. We also lost a few officers in the process, however this is a major win for New York City, and hopefully this is gonna be the first domino to fall in our plan to finally put Hezekiah Wallace behind bars.”
“Can I ask another question?” She nodded her head. “What is gonna happen to Trinity if everything goes as planned?”
Officer Cooper sighed. “That is more complicated than you might think.” She folded her hands in front of her. “If Trinity Wallace is confirmed to be this white masked figure that has been killing people left and right for this operation. She could be facing life in jail starting at juvenil to actually prison. However after the pure quality of her kills. It could be decided by the court that since she committed these crimes on American soil, and has no ties to Tarun Island. She could be in juvie until she is 18 and then placed on death row.”
“What is death row?” I asked, feeling a lump grow in my stomach and my heart start to sink in my chest. I knew what that meant, part of me just really hoped that it had a different meaning on the mainland than it did back home.
“It means once she turns 18 years old, she will be sentenced to death.”
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While our meeting with Office Cooper had gone fairly well. The last part had completely taken the wind out of my sails. I had been mostly curled up into a ball absentmindedly watching youtube videos on my phone and scrolling through Tiktok. I didn’t really know what to do, there was no proof that Trinity had been the one in the white mask, she seemed to know who the figure is. However, what if it was just a really big act and she was just playing me? Trinity seemed really sweet when she wasn’t trying to be mean or a jerk to everyone. She was just a few months younger than me, she was probably being manipulated by Katherine in more ways than one, most likely into being the fighter she is now. Or maybe she was being treated as the daughter that Katherine wants to replace her bond with me, and this other girl was being molded into the warrior that Katherine wanted me to be. If Trinity was the girl behind the mask she would spend the rest of her life behind bars or spend the rest of her life in the afterlife. Or if she wasn’t then she would probably A be put in a foster care system if her daddy was arrested, or B, be sent to Tarun to live the rest of her days.
I could only hope and pray for the latter of those options.
I don’t know when I did it or why, however in my need for advice. I must have absentmindedly called the one person that had given me so much advice in the last five years. It wasn’t my momma.
It was the best therapist that a girl could ask for.
Mrs. O’Brian.
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My phone had only rang once before she picked up my video call. I recognized the background as her family’s very impressive marine life lab that was in their home. Her husband was the top researcher in marine biology. So their home was in a cove on the southside of the island, with a large lab of underwater cameras, biology tools, and so much more. Mrs. O’Brian was wearing dark blue pajama pants and a matching top, her blond hair was protected behind a blue cloth that was around it. “Verone,” Her irish voice was as warm as it always was but now held hints of the stern tone that she often used if I was being a bit too extra during one of our sessions. She set her phone off to the side so I could get a much better look at her, the places that her hair wrap didn’t cover were damp and dripping a bit. She had probably gotten out of the shower and was watching the many underwater camera feeds they had to track sea life. It was honestly one of the calmest views you could get of the sealife surrounding the island without just going underwater to see it yourself. Her eyes went up and down as if she was studying me. “When your mother told me that you were in a disguise I was not expecting this one.”
“Y-Yeah…” That was the only word that escaped my mouth as I looked at the woman. It took a moment for me to realize that I was crying, my tears having been silent, sneaking up on me like an owl in the night. A sickening feeling of guilt began to spread through my chest as I looked at one of the women I had tricked to get here today. I had lied to her when she tried to stop me in the village before Valeria had sent her spirit animal to save me. “I-I’m sorry…” I whimpered as I tried my best to wipe my tears away from my face. “I am so s-sorry for trying to lie and trick you.” That was all I could get out before I lost the fight to stop my tears.
“Verona,” her voice held a softest to it. One that I had missed so much since I had been gone. “It’s okay, I am a bit upset with you for what you did. However, I am glad to see that you are alive and well. Look at me please.” I forced my eyes open and watched her blurry frame smile up at me. “It’s okay, I promise it is okay.”
I probably spent a good chunk of time just crying as her soft voice consoled me. I missed her arms, I wanted to dive head first into them and just hug her. By the time I had recovered my eyes were probably bright red and itched like crazy. I finished blowing my nose and ended my very long tale that I had started halfway through my meltdown. “That is e-everything.”
Mrs. O’Brian had been writing most of the time, probably to make sure she had gotten everything down. “So just to clarify. You are currently undercover spying on the daughter a known kingpin who is confirmed to be working with your mother-”
I softly interrupted her. “She is not my-”
“Verona,” Mrs. O’Brian said in a deadly calm voice. “Right now I am not in the mood to have our usual debate about whether or not she is your mother. Especially not after you have Valeria’s animal spirit slam into me back at the village.”
“You knew that was Valeria’s spirit animal?” I asked with a nervous gulp.
“I knew it was hers and I knew that Valeria was probably the one that helped you, and believe me your mother had a serious conversation with her once she put things together.” I had a feeling that Valeria might be on the list of people that I needed to apologize to once I got home. “Now back to what I was saying, little lady. She is confirmed to be working with Katherine and she is probably training that girl to kill much like she did you.”
“We don’t know if it was actually, Trinity.” I said showing her a bit more respect than I had in recent days or sessions. I knew I was on thin ice with the woman, and while she told me she was not mad at me. That word seemed to have different meanings to parents. “I don’t know what to do. Cause if it is Trinity, I don’t want them to have her in jail for something Katherine has done to her. The office we spoke to even said that it is very possible that whoever this small figure is. Once they turn 18 she might be executed.” I hugged my knees against my chest as I let out a loud sigh. “I’m scared to keep doing this.”
“How come, sweetie.”
“Because if Trinity is this figure, I don’t want to be the one responsible for getting her caught and killed.” I closed my eyes for a moment and I could see the smug but smiling face of Trinity. “She is not that bad of a girl, a bit of a brat and kinda annoying but she is just confident. She was like me when Katherine was around.”
“Verona,” Mrs. O’Brian said gently. “I know it is gonna be hard, I know you don’t want this new friend to go through the punishment for actions that might not have been her own will to begin with. However, the sad reality in all of this is that this child, whoever they are, choose to take many lives, I know that is hard, but trust me. If this is the case, I am sure your father will do whatever is in his power to keep that child from paying the ultimate price. He will be able to convince them to give her back to the island so we can rehabilitate and get her mind out of Katherine’s teachings. Whether or not this is her fault, she will have a place away from the darkness and into our light.”
“What happens if she is too far gone?”
Mrs. O’Brian’s smiles did more than enough to chase away those feelings. “If what you have said about her is true, Verona, then I doubt she is. Especially if she has you by her side. Cause you know what she is going through more than anyone in the world could.” She straightened up a bit more. “Now I know you are gonna very much dislike me for asking you this question.” I knew just the question she was gonna ask. “How do you feel about Katherine after seeing her again?”
“I’m scared…” I answered honestly. “I am terrified being near her, just being in her aura is enough to make my knees clatter and shake.” I looked over at Mrs. O’Brian who had her eyebrow raised slightly at me. One of her many looks that always prompted me to keep going. To speak honestly with her. “Don’t look at me like that please.”
“Verona, you know the way to make me stop looking at you like this young lady.” My hand briefly hovered over the end call button, cause I knew if I kept looking at her she was gonna get me to talk more, talk about the feeling I didn’t want to talk about. “Verone Aisu Whisperwind!” I jumped as she called me by my full name. “If you even think of hanging up on me, I will personally take the first flight to New York tonight! Do not play that game with me, little girl.”
“Okay, okay! Part of me is mad that she doesn’t even recognize me.” I said with a huff as I crossed my arms over my chest. “Is it wrong that I am upset that she didn’t immediately recognize me? I overheard her talking to Mr. Wallace one day, I had Aisu nearby to listen in. When he said something about me she got upset, she apparently keeps comparing Trinity to me. Part of her misses me I think… If she still thinks all of that or even feels like that, why didn’t she recognize me right away?” I hung my head a bit. “Why doesn’t she know it’s me? Has she forgotten what my aura feels like, or am I too different that she can’t recognize it?”
“I told you once before Verona, it is okay if you miss your mother.” She held up a hand as I wanted to protest. “Let me finish. It’s okay to miss her, even a tiny bit. It is also okay to have anger and rage towards what she did to you, your dad, and your island. You snuck all the way here to get the closer you needed, now what is gonna come from this I am not sure. Only you know what that is gonna be, and once that is done, I am sure you can finally put all of this behind you, to finally move forward.”
“I want her dead,” I said bitterly. “That is the only closure I want, it’s the only one that can pay for her sins towards me and everyone else on the island.”
Mrrs. O’Brian let a heavy breath escape her mouth. “Sometimes the death of our problems isn't what brings us closure. That is a lesson I don’t want you to be forced to make.” She reached out and traced a finger on her screen, probably around my face. “Verona, listen to me carefully, death is not always the best thing, and you will find that killing is much harder than you think it is. Help your father bring her in alive, cause what you need most of all. Is to talk to her in a safe location, one with no fear of her striking you or hurting you. What you need most of all is to talk to your mommy, and let it all out. Every bit of anger and rage, to ask the questions on your mind that you need answered. Questions that I will never be able to answer.”
“W-Why would I do that?”
“Cause until you do, you will forever hold onto the pain that she delivered, the scars that you won’t let heal. The trauma that you refuse to let go. I need you to trust my words, not as your therapist but as an aunt, as someone that loves you so much more than you seem to know.” I nodded my head letting her words sink in. “Now you actually have really good timing. Cause I think there is someone else that is gonna want to speak to you.”
“Is it Nene?” I asked. I assumed that Beatrice had probably told the others what I had done and she was probably just as worried about me as Beatrice was.
“No not Nene… well maybe she will have words for you too however, this is someone I think you are much closer to.” Mrs. O’Brian stepped away from her phone, and my eyes went wide in surprise as a new person took the seat that she was once sitting at. A girl with curly brown hair and bright brown eyes, her skin never seemed to tan to matter how long she stayed outside.
“Beatrice?” I whispered mostly to myself.
“Hi Verona,” she gave me a small wave. “How are you?” The last time I had seen Beatrice was when I was leaving the island. She was waiting on the runway with a sad smile on her face. Her last words she mouthed to me slammed against the back of my head. “Stay safe, I love you.”
I thought that I had cried all my tears out, but now that I was seeing my best friend in the entire world. After what I had done to her when I was trying to escape, all I could say once more were two words.
I’m sorry.
I’m sorry.
I’m sorry!
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