Sandy
faced the street. Finding no interest in the cars, the pedestrians
and the scenery, she instead looked up to gaze at the clouds in the
sky high above.
"Sandy,
remember I told you once not to be a mercenary?"
The
teenager glanced at Selina. "Kind of. It's something like what
you do, right?"
Selina
nodded. "Yes. You're not really suited for this kind of life. A
mercenary's job can be questionable. You've to do things that may not
seem right, even to your friends... You may have to leave them behind
sometimes."
The
taller girl sighed and looked directly at Sandy. "Study hard and
get a good job behind a desk or counter."
"But
I won't need to, right? I'm going to be rich."
Selina
turned away. "Come, we've to go." She stood up.
The
taller girl was troubled about something. Not that Sandy was sharp
enough to pick up on it. Especially not while she had her head full
of anticipation for riches almost within her grasp. She was already
dreaming of what she would buy with her money. Clothes, treats, a
house... Sandy wondered what form her wealth would take? Bags of
money? Trucks of gold?
Sandy
stood up too. "Today's the day, right?"
Selina
nodded as they walked along the sidewalk. "Yeah. Time's up for
them."
"So,
what now?" Sandy asked.
"Detective
Brunel's going to pick you up," Selina answered, "He'll
take you where you need to go."
"Then
I'll get my money?" Sandy asked excitedly.
Selina
gazed at the distant sky. "Just so you know, we're not going to
meet again after today."
"What?
Why?" Sandy asked.
Selina
faced her. Her eyes were a little sad. "It's the kind of life I
live. Once my job's done, I leave."
"But
why leave?" Sandy asked again. Could not all her money change
anything?
"There
may be people after me," Selina replied vaguely, "You won't
really be safe while I'm around. That's another reason you shouldn't
be doing this kind of job - you'll never really be safe."
Sandy
remained quiet as they walked to the parking lot for Selina's car.
Gain her wealth, lose a friend. Life was not always to her liking.
***
Selina
parked her car in the parking lot of Anderson Park.
To
Sandy's untrained eye, the scene appeared ordinary. There were a few
other vehicles parked there and there were people walking. Two young
men were checking a car engine and a family was just getting into
their SUV. It was pretty much what Sandy expected the place to look
like on a Friday afternoon.
Selina
was calm, so Sandy assumed that her friend had not noticed anything
unusual either. She trusted her friend's instincts - it had kept her
safe the past few days.
During
their ride there, Sandy had taken off her hat and wig and tossed them
into the back seat. The stuffing in her bra and the high-heels she
had kept. She liked the mature look and wanted to keep it for a
moment longer.
"Okay,
Sandy. This is goodbye." Selina looked at the teenager in the
passenger seat. "Just wait here until Detective Brunel picks you
up."
"Is
it safe for me to be alone here?" Sandy asked apprehensively.
She had been on the run for the past few days, hunted for almost
two weeks, and suddenly, she was about to be left on her own.
Selina
nodded. "Even if they get you now, they won't get paid. Time's
already up."
"Won't
they just kill me anyway?"
Selina
shook her head. "This isn't an action movie. There're laws
protecting you. If they kill you, the authorities will be after them.
And they won't risk that if they're not getting paid."
Sandy
looked out the car window, at the men working on the car engine. She
still felt a little uncertain. But she had trusted Selina thus far.
She turned back to her friend and said, "Thanks for everything,
Selina."
"You
better take the hat too, it's hot out." Selina reached for the
hat on the back seat and passed it to Sandy.
"Thanks,"
Sandy said as she accepted the hat.
Selina
gave a wry smile. "Sure. Goodbye."
The teenager got out of the car. She waved once as Selina drove away. She was not
going to see her friend again, ever. Sandy really wanted to do
something for Selina, for keeping her safe. With the money she would receive, she
thought she could.
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