14 Chapter 14 (1/2)
As I walked into the office, I put a grin on my face and my used mu usual confident walk with my shoulders back and my head held high. I sat in my chair and looked up and Wilker. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Garret staring at me and smiling. I had thought he would be one of the ones to see through this act I was putting up, but he was one less person to worry about. But I could see in Wilker's eyes that he didn't believe this. It was going to be hard to convince him I was fine.
He stared at me for a minute then he asked, ”So, is that outfit a little more up to Jaycie standards?” I nodded. Then quickly added, ”There not my clothes, but they will do.” I looked over at Garret and he was smiling at me. I could tell he wanted to come over and give me a hug, a kiss, something. But he didn't so much as shift closer to me. I wanted so much to just be able to stand up, and go give him a hug, but something in me had changed. My feelings for him, they had changed. He was still close to me, but in a different way.
I knew it wouldn't be me making the first move. I looked away from him. I felt guilty for some reason. I shook it away, and Garret asked, ”So, what has been going on for you for the past two months?” People keep saying two months, but it felt more like six, seven months. I think back over it. So much time in the mirror room. To much time in the reception room. And that father and son. I never saw the son's faces because he had taken to wearing a lower face mask and some tinted glasses. I thought over everything it did, and everything that hat happened. I didn't even thing to answer before Wilker said, ”Jaycie if you need time, take it. Don't keep pushing yourself to your limits.” I closed my eyes, took another deep breath, and put an amused grin on my face.
”There are so many stories I could tell. God, If I had all the time in the world, I don't thing I could fully explain the furry in Xalem's face. Or Sairyia's face for that matter.” Both Wilker and Garret perked up. ”What did you do?” Garret asked, right as Wilker asked, ”Who are they?” I decided to answer Wilker first. ”They are the leaders of the sand city. Xalem is like the king for lack of a better term, and Sairyia is like the queen.” I keep on explaining everything I learned and observed, from the many hidden passages to the small things like guard routes. Wilker started writing it all down. I purposely kept out the mirror room, I was going to wait for Garret to leave, to tell Wilker about that.
When I final finished with my explanation, I turned to Garret, but didn't meet his eyes. ”As for what I did. You are better off asking what I didn't do. I did everything from chucking my heel at the guards head, to dancing and singing on top of the dragon statue. To say I was the worst pink there in the history of the city is an understatement. And a big one at that.” Garret laughed. ”That's my girl.” I felt myself frown slightly at that statement and turned away from Garret, so he didn't see it. But I instantly regretted it, because Wilker saw my frown.
I shoved a smile on my face and said, ”If you don't mind Garret, I need to talk Wilker alone.” Garret immediately stood. ”I understand. Take your time. I will be in the sparring room. Come find me when you are done okay?” I nodded and he walked off. When I turned to Wilker, he was staring at my with a peculiar expression. Before he could get a word out, I quickly let out the news about the mirror room. I came out in on big rush and felt like a weight coming off my shoulders. When I finished telling him, his face had gone stone hard.
”And they repeatedly put you in there?” I nod. ”Yes, but I deserved it. I shouldn't have been throwing things at them and killing them. Causing trouble and making scenes. It is my fault I got in there so much.” I could feel my mask falling away. The me that Xalem had made was shining through. Wilker sat straighter in his chair. ”Jaycie, look up at me.” I meet his eye and he started talking. ”Whatever they told you to justify their actions was all I lie. He saw you in need of help, and he tried to take advantage of that. He tried you to shove you into a mold that was made for someone else. I know you, and I know you are faking everything right now. Don't try and fool me, because I am a lot smarter than that and you know it.”
I nodded trying to keep tears back. I don't know where they were coming from, but they were coming weather I wanted them to or not. I felt one slip down my cheek, and I covered my face with my hands. I spoke in a small voice. ”I am trying to act normal. I am trying to be strong. But I can only be so strong for so long. I can only give so much before I have to take something back.” It was quiet for a moment, then I felt a hand on my shoulder. ”Jaycie, you have given enough. Take some time. Get yourself in order. Then go out and try to give more. But you will break yourself beyond repair if you try and give to much.”
I look up at him and say, ”What if the only way to get myself in order, it to completely fall apart and start from scratch?” I ask. He looks down at me and gives me a smile.
”Jaycie, sometimes I wish you were more like the boys. They would just take the time off and come back telling me they were fine. You are to smart to do that.” I give what I think is a small laugh. ”I want to kill them.” I say. ”Who? The boys or Xalem and his wife?” I am about to give say Xalem when I feel a remark come to me. I say it, not with my usual snarky tone, but I still say it. ”Can't it just be both?” He laughs and says, ”When ever you are ready to go take Xalem down, tell me. I will be waiting.” I stand up and nod. ”I want to take the break. If not to get myself in order, to get my thoughts in order. To figure out what I need to do. If Garret comes looking for me, don't tell him I went home. Please.” He nods and says, ”Go home. Go to sleep, figure out what you want to do. We will all be here in the morning.”
I nod and walk out of his office. When I pass the door of the sparring room, I look in and see Garret smiling. He is talking to one of his friends. They are circling each other, getting ready to attack, but they are still joking around. I watch for a second before walking out of the building. ”Call me a coward, but I can't face him right now.” I think. I walk through the streets, no one bothers me. I can't help but see the irony. ”When I am wearing all my blades, and am a hard target, I always get attacked. The one time I am not wearing a single blade, I don't. I mean I am not complaining but, go figure.” I thought.
When I get to my apartment, I let out a deep breath. It feels surreal to be back. I thought I would never see this place again. I quickly made something to eat, then changed into my pajamas. I neatly stacked Garret's clothes in a chair, then lay back in my bed. I expected my thoughts to keep me up, but I felt myself falling to sleep quickly. The last thing I think of before I am dragged under is, ”I am finally safe. Or at least as safe as an assassin gets.”
When I wake up, I feel like I have calmed down. I see Garret's clothes on the chair and sigh. I am going to have to take them back today. After laying down for a few minutes, I get dressed. While I ate breakfast, I decided on something. ”Before I get over everything, I need to finish off Xalem. And I already have a plan. I will need Garret to be on board with it though.” After putting away my dishes, I grab his things and work my way back to the guild.
When I get in, I walk directly to the sparring room. Sure enough, Garret was in there, with about half a dozen other assassins. Training and fighting. Zachery was among them, in fact, he was stepping up to have a go at Garret. I saw the smirk on Garret's face. I hurried to the middle of the room, grabbed Garret by the arm, and pulled him to the far side. At first, he looked annoyed, then realized I was the one who pulled him off and looked happy. I handed him his clothes and said, ”I think these belong to you.” He laughed off the comment that had taken me the whole walk over to come up with. ”I think you are right.” He said.
I opened my mouth to say something when I heard Zachery. ”Hmm, now I wonder how it ended up that Jaycie had Garret's clothes at her place.” He knew very well that I had worn them out of the guild, but very few others did. From the shock on the other assassins faces, and the fact that they were looking in between us, I knew exactly what they assumed. I stormed up to Zachery. ”Why do you think. You saw me wearing them home.” He smiled coming up with a way to turn that on me to. ”So, you couldn't even wait to get to your place first?”
I was speechless. I looked at everyone else in the room, ”Every last one of you know that I have been missing for two months. I had no other clothes when I got here. I just barrowed his.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zachery open his mouth again and I spun to face him. I expected my fist to fly, instead I heard words coming out of my mouth. ”Zachery, please stop. You know why those were at my house. Please, just stop talking.” My words are only loud enough for him to hear.
He looked shocked that I didn't take a swing at him and just stood there. After a few seconds he nodded and just walked off, like he was thinking. I turned to Garret, and he looked shocked as well. ”I need you to come with me. I have a plan and you are part of it. I just need Wilker to approve it.” Then I walked out. I didn't wait to see if Garret followed. When I was almost all the way to Wilker's office. I felt a hand wrap around mine. ”Jaycie, what is wrong? Why are you acting like this?”
I try and pull away, but he doesn't let go. ”Acting like what?” I ask playing the innocent card, but it didn't work. ”Practically begging Zachery to be quiet. Not talking back every chance you get. Missing out on a chance to slap Zachery silly. What's up?” ”How did you know what I said to Zachery?” I ask. ”I can lip read. Remember?” I had completely forgotten about that. He used the skill a long while back and I use to tease him about only using it as an excuse to 'look at my pretty face' while he was practicing.