Useless Importance

The building
in front of us is large and dark. Neena has once more given us the information
on the organization that conjoined here in privacy, and how we should infiltrate.

I stand at
the gates to the long drive, dressed in a black pencil skirt, white blouse and
a suit jacket over it. My heels clack along the pavement, giving way to my
arrival. Luckily, the dark evening is masking my snow white hair, and my
sunglasses help to disguise my face.

The guards
at the entrance stare down at me.

“Gentlemen.”

They don’t
respond.

I open my
purse, a few hundreds in my hands. “Would you like to make a bet?”

They glance
to each other.

As me and
the two men converse, the rest of the group sneak in the building through
first-floor windows and any side or back entrances.

“What’s a
girl doing with all that money?”

“I have a
bet, dear gentlemen, than by the time this knife,” I pull out my weapon. “Slices
my arm,” I lift my sleeve. “Your building will be no more.”

“The hell is
that supposed to mean?”

I move the
knife slowly down to my arm. “I'd start running if I were you.”

“You'd
seriously cut yourself up for some stupid bet?”

The knife
knicks my arm. Blood starts to seep out.

“You really
would.”

“Come on,
dear gentlemen. Start running.”

“There’s no
danger to-"

A large
scream is heard and the men turn around. They immediately rush inside.

I pocket my
knife and sit on the ground. I pull out a bandaid and
stick it over the cut.

And now I
wait. The screams elevate and the gunfire worsen.

After a few
minutes, I peer into the nearest window. Blood paints the walls and furniture,
bits of bone and flesh over objects. The bullets fire more and more.

I sigh. My
head hits the back of the wall. Here I am, once more, waiting for the work get
done. My job is to distract and annoy, where they handle all the other work. I
know that what I do is vital, but I don’t feel like It is. Not really.

Spoon has
his Tommy gun and Raf has her knives. They get to rip and tear and destroy. I
get talk smoothly and make bets.

I’m actually
useless in the field.

Neena's
instructionswere clear  and concise; stay
with the group. As much as I’m keen on following directions, I'm just not
needed.

I stand up,
strip down to my undies, then put on my usual outfit. I fix my hair, change my
shoes, then open up my phone. I go to text the others my whereabouts, but
decide against it.

They won’t
miss me out here anyways.

I fasten my
purse around my shoulder and I start down the drive. At the end of it, I crawl
over the gate, and into the evening. I blend in with the late stragglers
getting home from work or going to work at their night shifts.

Turning the
corner to head to the backstreets, someone’s hands go around my shoulders. I
tense up, not attacking since I’m out in the open.

“Sass, you alright?”

I relax,
recognizing the voice. “Yeah. Fine.”

“You’re not
back with the others.”

“I know.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not
needed.” I brush the hands off, and continue my walk.

I know I
shouldn’t be picky. Sure, I’m self-conscious about not being so important to
the group, but I shouldn’t be this picky. I was picked out by Dem and the
others for my natural talent.

I sit down
on a bench in front of a lake at the park. The rising moon reflects beautiful
off the calm waters.

It’s a good
natural talent, being able to charm and have copious amount of luck. I know
it’s good to have, especially in a group like this, but I don’t feel like it’s
enough.

Someone sits
down beside me. “You doing okay?”

“Yeah.”

Raf’s hand
goes around my shoulders in a side hug. “I noticed you were gone after the
party got done fighting.”

“Let me
guess, everyone didn’t miss me.”

“W-well, I
wouldn’t…say that.”

I look to
her with a knowing look.

“Okay. Yes,
we didn’t. You were only needed for-“

“A
distraction at the very beginning.” I hold out my arm, a bandaid on it. “A
silly bet.”

“You’re
important to the group. Really, you are.”

“Yeah, for
money.” I shrug off her arms.

“That’s not
true. We need you to be with.”

I stand up,
picking my purse back up. “I need to be alone for a while.”

“But Sass,
we’re needing you back at the Clubhouse!”

“I think you
guys will be okay without me for a day.” I swiftly walk away. I take off out of
the park through a familiar trail in the small patch of scenic woods beside the
park.

The
moonlight filters through the trees. Stars are starting to peek out of the
fading sunset. Along some of the trees are carvings of iniatials, some with
hearts around them. Other trees have park signs.

I come to a
bunch of trees that have wooden signs nailed to them. I go around each of them
before seeing a small, dead, white tree. I approach the sign, reading the
inscription messy and scratchy on the sign.

*Sassilia V. Abernthy*
Age 8

Family is with friends! :D

I sigh
deeply.

“Sass?” A
man’s hand goes to my shoulder.

I turn
around, familiar with the voice. “Yes?”

“Are you
coming back to the orphanage?”

I turn back
towards the sign, then back to him.

“It’s always
open.”

“No. Not
right now.”

He frowns.
“Why not? Did you find someone to take you in?”

“Kind of,
yeah.”

“No one
could be better than your caretaker.”

I smile at
him. “Yes, you were a good caretaker, but…I’m older now. I can make decisions
now. And my decision was to get away and grow as a person.”

He hugs me
tight. “Anytime you want to come home, you’re always welcome to.”

“I know.” I
let go of him. “And uh…thanks for giving me hope when my parents died.”

“It’s all I
ever wanted to give you.” He picks up the locket from my neck. “And this, of
course.”

I nod. “It’s
still as pretty as the day you gave it to me those many years ago.”

He kisses my
head gently. “Stay safe, Sass.”

“I will, Mr.
Erar.” I walk out the forest.

He grins.
When he moves his fingers into a fist, my locket faintly glows red.