Gold-rimmed figure skates glazed across every corner of the rink. My grip on the camera loosened as I stared, watching her every movement on the ice; the wisping of silk-straight hair, pale skin glowing in the cold, black joggers contrasting to her flexible white turtle-neck.
My thick, black puffer jacket was zipped up to my scarlet scarf, it tucked under the coat with me.
"Lucía." My eyes flickered to the camera and then to the girl. "You're tired. Let's go now." I smiled, shaking my hands, the strap of the device wrapped and secure around one of them.
"Nah, I'm fine." I began. "Just a little distracted." I then readjusted the object, positioning to film again when the skater stopped me.
"It's 21:49."
"So?"
"We have school."
"Ah."
After twenty-or-so minutes, we were both sitting in the back of a black Cadillac, an old chauffeur at the wheel. A yawn escaped my mouth as I scrolled through the recordings I had taken.
"Is this okay?" I asked, tilting the screen of the device in my her direction, she turning from the window and her chestnut eyes now attentive to it.
"Yeah, but don't worry about them now." She told me as I passed her the camera. "You stayed up long enough last-night, and now you're doing the same now."
I smiled, leaning my head against the window; my eyes fixed on the rear-view mirror.
"Excuse me, Mr Nakamura, could you please let me off here?"
"But we're still miles away from your house." Akira, the girl beside me, stated, confused for a moment before taking in the tired smile on my lips. "Oh. Mr Nakamura, you can stop."
"If you say so." The driver curtly nodded, turning the corner before pressing the breaks. "Please, get home safe, Miss Hester."
"She will." The skater stoically said as I got out of the vehicle, sure to take my large duffle from the back of the car.
"So, I will see you tomorrow." I grinned, looking through my friend's opened window.
"Yes." That was the only reply I received from her, her chestnut gaze not once leaving the dark screen of the camera in her grasp.
I watched as the Cadillac drove off, another vehicle, a large navy CUV Ford, slowly coming around the corner whilst I was kneeled on the floor, going through my now open 'sports' bag. Finding what I needed, the abrupt stop of the car behind me caused me to turn around, placing the object in my hood.
"You seem to be expecting us, little Angela." A muscular tanned man stepped out of the Ford, hand revolver exposed in his right hand.
"I'm sorry, but I don't really know what you're on about." I replied, wide-eyed suggesting naivety.
It was then two more stepped out, similar in stature to the initial. I sighed, taking out two phones from my pocket, one with a lilypad case and the other with plain white. Choosing the first, I dialed a familiar number before taking off the case and placing it on the ground, now zipping up my bag.
"You guys are quite polite, you know, for waiting for me to finish dialling 911." The first figure chuckled, loading his gun as he spoke.
"Its just that you are quite calm despite knowing what we're here for."
"Well, you wouldn't be the first to assume that I'm the child of the alleged second-largest money-launders in the States, so I would have to say I'm used to it."
"911, what's your emergency?" The operator spoke through the phone, now lying idly on the ground. "Hello?"
"You're not going to answer?" I was asked as I secured the strap of the duffel across my body, and took the object from my hood again.
"Nah. It wasn't for me anyway." I said, the voice of the phone still speaking. "But maybe I should so I don't seem like I'm wasting their time."
However, before I could move, I paused at the raised weapon to my face.
"Actually, I think we're done with you wasting our time."
"Hasty, aren't you?"
"Get in the car."
"No." In a swift movement, three bodies lay on the ground, chests heaving to show life; them simply unconscious. "I really need to get more of these rubber bullets."
°•◇•°
Sleep. My life really could benefit a lot more from that… or maybe not. I thought back to all the times being awake saved my life. Maybe it's a sign? Symbolic? I mean, Jesus told his disciples to stay awake and pray so that they wouldn't fall into temptation. Thinking of it like that makes me feel better about it; I know that was more spiritual, but it can be applied to the physical too, right?
"Lucía Hester, would you do yourself a favour and sit up for once!" I was again torn from my thoughts, caught again by Mrs Forbes, and again now without much sleep. "Thank you, Lucía."
"Hey, Lucy!" A voice behind me hissed as I turned to face them. "What midnight job were you on this time?" I grinned at the continuation of this joke.
"My neighbour's dog's old owner needed someone to pet-sit her piranhas whilst she was out for the night with her husband." I grinned. "Hearing about the time I fought a jackal, she thought I was more than cable to watch them, so I-"
"LUCÍA!"
I gave the girl a brief toothy smile before turning back to the teacher, glancing across the room for a moment at the focused form of the figure skater from last night. I wonder what she actually thinks of my 'midnight jobs'... well, not like she didn't know when we became friends in the first place.
A couple hours later, I found myself lying along a gymnastic mat in the sports hall, a chocolate nutrition bar in my mouth whilst all the other girls around me were having fun with the task given to us. My soft loose-curly hair was sprawled out beneath my head, eyes shut as I finally rested.
"Lucía, I want to do a trick with you on the beam." It took a moment for me to return the gaze of the person standing over me; long silky hair now tied in a high-bun and plain white shirt perfectly tucked into her black gym skorts.
"Sure." I answered, quickly finishing my snack whilst tying back my own locks with the hair tie around my wrist.
It didn't take long for us to both be standing on the long beam; I in the middle and Akira on the end. Most of the girls around us paused their own activities, turning their attention to us. After sending her a subtle nod, my friend immediately started to take long strides towards me. Finally reaching, I took hold of her waist and thrusted her upwards - a cacophony of awe-struckness rang around us as she completed a perfect front-flip before landing atop of my hands.
Claps and cheers erupted, me and Akira pausing in the position for a couple of seconds before I gently pushed her into the air again, catching her and letting her down onto the beam.
"Thanks." The girl said, slightly dipping her head.
"No problem." I smiled, stretching my limbs before returning to my spot on my mat, the term 'sleep' feeling gradually further away from me as each minute passed.
Once another hour had passed, my large Adidas duffle bag across the back of my body, as per-usual, I made my way to the roof after picking up my lunch box from my locker.
"Lucy, Lucy!" Upon turning, I grinned, greeted by the excited figures of two of the freshmen that had joined this school, 'San Francisco Girls' Private School' (S.F.G.P.S.), recently. "We found something!" Carly beamed, short brown hair tied back in a pony-tail, and dark green eyes sparkling as she stood beside her twin, Kaylee; the only difference between them being that she had blue eyes.
"She - I think she's a she - is so HUGE!"
"What's a 'she'?" I asked, raising a brow whilst resting my hands in my pockets.
"Come! Come!" They both beckoned me, each grasping a hold of either of my arms and dragging me away.
'I hope this doesn't take too long…'
After about ten minutes of being pulled along by the two freshmen, we found ourselves outside, staring up at one of the oak trees that stood in the shadow of the math building.
"There!" Carly pointed up into the leaves, me squinting into the dark, trying to make something out, when my eyes suddenly widened.
"It's a horned owl!" Kaylee bounced.
"What? No, it's a burrowing owl." The other twin folded her arms.
"No, Carly, burrowing owls are found in burrows!"
I couldn't help but smile at their antics, them both putting their debate on hold as they watched me put down my bags, take off my blazer, the colour a shade darker than the grass below us, before beginning my climb.
The sound of flapping and the rustling of foliage enveloped my ears as I began to go back down.
"It's not a horned or burrowing owl." I started, feeling my curly hair in somewhat disarray as I jumped the final ten centimetres and turned to the girls. "It's a-" I ducked, my sentence cut off by the swooping of the creature, its white feathers and flat head soaring over me before perching itself momentarily on the fence that separated the girl's school from the boy's. "Well, it's a barn owl!"
"So COOL!" Carly grinned, emerald eyes sparkling, whilst her twin turned to me.
"Lucy, if you find it so easy to climb a tree, why don't sign up for the bouldering club?"
"Yeah, and you're really good at other sports too! Why don't you do any extra-curriculars?"
"Remember my other 'jobs'?" The pair nodded, a humored smile on their lips. "They can be very draining at times, and it's by God's grace that I even have the energy to get ready for school in the first place." I answered them, straightening out my blazer and putting on my duffle bag again. "Anyways, I really should go now, so see you two later." I waved, walking off as the freshmen said their farewells back.
'I really hope she isn't too upset with me…'
"Where were you?" I heard a voice question, smooth and elegant, but with an undertone of worry. "Did something come up?"
"Carly and Kaylee found an owl they wanted to show me." I told her, approaching where she sat on the roof bench; her bento opened in her lap with an array of food. I sat beside her, placing my larger bag on the ground and my lunchbox in the space next to me. "Sorry for coming late."
"It's fine." Akira said, eating some of her meal. "How was last night?"
"I dealt with it quickly, and the police showed up pretty soon after I made the call." I explained, taking out my home-made hamburger. "They basically allowed me to knock them out." I took a bite, the juice from the meat filling my mouth. "Probably unaware of my M.O."
"I wish you didn't have to live like that." She whispered, but I heard it. I paused, turning my head to her; her hazel eyes slit and silky hair hiding the side of her face. "You're only good at what you do because of your so-called 'midnight jobs'."
"Well, I do actually have jobs that are somewhat close to midnight." I said in a matter-of-fact way, before glancing at my friend and clearing my throat.
"But you know, every time I'm able to get out of trouble, I remember something my Tía told me. 'No man is an island, and no woman is left uncovered.'"
"..."
"It means 'one is never alone, and' - because I believe - 'one is always covered'." I finished, licking up the ketchup that began dripping from my burger.
"... I can understand why your faith is so strong." My friend said, my lip now curling into a wide smile.
"Well, if it wasn't for my Tía, I would have never known the lover of my soul, so I can only thank God for her."
"But, it doesn't change the way you live." Akira told me, now holding her chopsticks and twiddling them around her sausages and salad. "How can you not… not feel any resentment?"
"... 'anger only resteth in the bosom of fools'." I looked up into the clouds, my legs stretched out in front of me whilst taking another bite of my lunch. "Besides, how can I be resentful when I'm at so much peace?"
That conversation ended there; me and Akira in perfect silence until the bell for next period rang.
.
.
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