Chapter one-hundred-and-six

"Why –?"

No, Harry.

"SHUT UP, I SAID." His voice comes close all of a sudden and I hear it echo in my head. I hear each time he'd yell at me. Each. And every. Bitter memory.

"Let her the hell go, Evans. Hands up." Silence. Harry doesn't let me go. "NOW."

Harry's hands slide gently from my back. Suddenly my back is cold, and I realise it's because he's lowered me to the floor. Good.

"Stand up." I think I hear Harry stand. "Have any weapons?" Silence. "Forget it." More silence. "ALLY." When he says my name, he somehow manages to emphasise the hatred in each letter, in each of the two syllables. Each word to me from him is a sledgehammer to my heart. "ALLY," he repeats louder.

I know what he wants me to do, but I don't think I'm capable, both physically or mentally. He'll shoot me again though.

"C-crouch… down… Harry…" I mutter a word at a time.

"Don't." I don't know how he heard me. "Ally, get up, you useless –"

"Stop it. I know what you want her to do."

No, no, no.

I turn my head just in time to see Ben flinch, and I flinch myself when I see and hear Harry's gun clang to the floor. He doesn't shoot, thank God. Harry's safe… for now.

Suddenly, Harry's crouching beside me. I can see his face through blurry eyes, and he looks worried; I may have groaned aloud. I haven't realised how much pain I've been in. I guess realising that Ben might not shoot Harry stole some of that numbness away.

"Good. Stay there," Ben seethes. "Ally." Firm voice. "Do you understand why I'm doing this?" My heart aches. I've heard these words before. I muster up enough energy to shake my head, slowly.

"Do you understand why you'll be helping?"

"Shut… up…" I say. "I –"

"You must never tell anyone."

I choke on what I'm going to say. I hear his footsteps echo through the room, I watch my father pace the living room in front of me.

"You both understand that once you're in, there's no backing out, correct?"

Behind Ben's voice I hear another grown man's voice. One which had scratched viciously at my ears, and one which had been worn dry and rough; he'd had a hard life.

"Nod, Ally." I squint my eyes closed, then try to do the same with my ears. "You didn't nod straight away, Ally, when dad told us the plan." No, no, no. "He shouldn't have trusted you, and then he convinced me to give you a chance, and look at where the hell we are right now, sis."

"'Sis'?" Harry exclaims.

"Ally. Tell Harry. You've already broken most of the promises dad made with us. Break the last one – You must never tell anyone. It should be easy, no?"

The lights are so warm. It feels nice on my cheek. I think I smile at Harry. But his eyes turn dark and cold, and his figure looms over me. The picture sends a tidal wave of nostalgia my way, and it's not a pleasant sensation. The picture triggers the memory, and somehow Harry's the one who pulls that trigger, unleashing my past.

After so much planning came the day that my father had been waiting anxiously for for years. He was going to complete his mission and finally surpass Harry's father Edward. They were once friends, once colleagues, long before mine and Ben's time. But then they faced the same challenge.

Both their families desired their success to live decent lives, and both our fathers were ambitious men, willing to sacrifice almost anything for their potential chance to achieve something bigger, better than the last.

At first, my father remained faithful to Edward; they were friends. He didn't expect it to change. And he intended to succeed alongside Edward no matter what. Until Edward offered betrayal in return of loyalty.

Friendship was over. But revenge meant destroying his only remaining reputation once Edward had taken their dream for his own.

Then we came along.

It was passed down to us, his faithful son… and orphan daughter, left behind when her young and distracted parents hurried off to fulfil their dream.

Ben was the only one who ever addressed my uneasiness. My adoptive father made sure to keep his eyes on me, but his trust in me surpassed my own brother's. I was already a part of the Reprisal when I first came to Harry's house. My father didn't know, and neither did my brother, but they were suspicious. I had been away from home for too long each time I went out, and I was careless with my supposed outing destinations. The only person who didn't or couldn't hurt me any more was my adoptive mother.

The car ride was filled with chatter between my adoptive father and Harry's father. They were getting along so well and I was surprised until I remembered that Edward didn't actually recognise him; we, well, he, paid a big sum of money to alter our appearances. My mother layered make-up on her face, put in eye-contacts and hair extensions; both my brother and adoptive father dyed their hair chocolate brown; and I remained same-old Ally. Because I already looked too different, I was given the same title as adoptive-daughter.

It hurt a little, but I was almost glad I wasn't as involved in this family as Ben was.

I had blanked out for a while and was staring thoughtlessly out of the window while Ben performed poetry for Edward, who exclaimed proudly when he finished his final stanza. Ben was smiling bright, but when he turned to me, the grin dropped away completely. His eyes held warning for my behaviour.