E P I L O G U E

"Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for." 

-Undetermined

Sometimes you need to know your place in someone's life because you might get hurt if you expect too much

Mathias : Hey, Mary! I got a joke.

Marisol : What is it?

Mathias : OK, so, knock, knock!

Marisol : Seriously?

Mathias : KNOCK, KNOCK!

Marisol : God, fine! Who's there?

Mathias : Cynthia.

Marisol : Cynthia who?

Mathias : Cynthia been gone, I missed you.

Marisol : ....

Marisol : I miss you, too.

     Mathias couldn't help, but let a large smile stretch across his face. And even though after smiling for so long that it hurt, he still continued on smiling. This was the first time in a month and thirteen days exactly-that she replied, and out of all the things he could've felt from her responses he felt happy. He could've felt sad knowing she probably won't message him again, or angry that it took so long for her to reply, or maybe even jealous that someone else could be taking up her time leaving none for him, but that wasn't the case. Her response just made his heart flutter, perhaps even skip a beat, and it made his day.

     Regardless of that, he knew he was only in the eye of the storm at the moment. And let it be a reminder that being in the eye of the storm doesn't last forever; a thunderous storm was soon to come. One even Mathias -someone who has been through everything- couldn't take, or he'd end up badly beaten and bruised by the end of it.

 E P I L O G U E

"Truth is, everybody is going to hurt you; you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for." 

-Undetermined

Sometimes you need to know your place in someone's life because you might get hurt if you expect too much

Mathias : Hey, Mary! I got a joke.

Marisol : What is it?

Mathias : OK, so, knock, knock!

Marisol : Seriously?

Mathias : KNOCK, KNOCK!

Marisol : God, fine! Who's there?

Mathias : Cynthia.

Marisol : Cynthia who?

Mathias : Cynthia been gone, I missed you.

Marisol : ....

Marisol : I miss you, too.

     Mathias couldn't help, but let a large smile stretch across his face. And even though after smiling for so long that it hurt, he still continued on smiling. This was the first time in a month and thirteen days exactly-that she replied, and out of all the things he could've felt from her responses he felt happy. He could've felt sad knowing she probably won't message him again, or angry that it took so long for her to reply, or maybe even jealous that someone else could be taking up her time leaving none for him, but that wasn't the case. Her response just made his heart flutter, perhaps even skip a beat, and it made his day.

     Regardless of that, he knew he was only in the eye of the storm at the moment. And let it be a reminder that being in the eye of the storm doesn't last forever; a thunderous storm was soon to come. One even Mathias -someone who has been through everything- couldn't take, or he'd end up badly beaten and bruised by the end of it.

      Mathias rolled over on his bed with a groan. His duvet twisted between his muscular legs, dangling off of his bed along with a leg. Shuffling around, he attempted to find some comfort on the firm mattress he despised. Despite his hatred towards it, he was grateful for at least his duvet and some sort of a mattress, though in his defense he swears it's made out of rocks. Or maybe it was just the hatred that grew more and more everyday like ivy vines around his heart concealing the minuscule amount of love and gratitude he had left. Yet in the end it was simple to say he just really hated it.

     Not only referring to the mattress that was too hard, but just his undivided loathing for the not so beautiful place he had to call home. And much to his dismay it was "home," whether he liked it or not. He's been at this so called home for the past twelve years, ever since he was five years old. Home wasn't a cozy, little house or a stuffy apartment, home was a large building made out of bricks that were painted over in a dark maroon, gates as tall as giants surrounded the perimeter made out of metal that used to shine, but now covered in rust. Grass used to grow in the front of the building, too, but with financial problems they stopped caring causing the grass to turn a palish brown. It was one of the many signs of dying. Nonetheless, the most unfavorable thing out of the whole place were the letters that spelled out the words that scarred Mathias throughout the years he was in the place called 'Second Chance Home.' The name was quite ironic to Mathias, as you see the majority of the children put into this "care facility" haven't even had their first chance home, or even a real home before this poor excuse for a foster-home!

     Groaning in remembrance that he had work he ended up tumbling off of his bed. Letting out a moan of pain from the impact, he rubbed the side he landed on, soothing it slightly. Adjusting his body so his chest laid flat against the wooden floorboards, he stretched out and arm under the bed grabbing on to a handle that he used to drag out a small, beaten up suitcase. He refused to put any of his belongings in the provided drawers, because one day he was going to leave this crappy place to somewhere better. Sighing, he now converted into a kneeling pose and unzipped it, grabbing fresh clothes that were wrinkled, old, and black; all black. Every piece of clothing he had was black or a very dark navy that was practically black, too. It was the type of attire he needed for work. Plain, simple, and easy to blend in with; with the darkness, of course.

     Getting up, he tossed the bundle of clothes on his bed as he stripped out of his sleepwear, which was usually the same thing he wore at work unless he wasn't to exhausted and bleary eyed. Putting on a pair of jeans and a V-neck shirt he trudged towards his bedroom door. Creaking it open enough for him to escape out of his room. He started to silently tiptoe to his desired location. Not wanting to get caught or wake anyone up knowing that if he did he would get punished, again.

     Creeping down a spiraling set of stains he slipped on a pair of dirty and worn out shoes that lived in a rack beside the front door. Creaking the door slightly ajar until a small voice spoke softly making him freeze.

     "Mateo?" A little girl whispered, rubbing one eye with her small fist. "Where are you going?"

     Mathias mentally cursed himself for getting caught by Juliana, one of the younger fostered kids that lived there. Her mother abandoned her here, she wasn't able to take care of her. Well, that's what she claimed, but Mathias and Jules knew the truth and the reality of it. For a seven year old she understood the world quite a bit.

     "I'm going outside for a bit, Jules." He mumbled in a hushed tone. "Go back to bed, okay? We don't want to get you in trouble, now do we?"

     Jules ignored him and started to tiptoe closer to Mathias, floor boards wailing quietly until she stopped in front of Mathias.

     "You're coming back, right," she asked in a meek voice, hugging his leg tightly. "Please, don't leave me." Her voice slightly cracking, clutching his leg tighter than Mathias though possible. It seems to Mathias it's becoming a habit for this to happen. You see, this wasn't the first time Jules saw him leave to work, yet it irked her each time she encounter him leaving in a painful way that scared her. Knowing how easily people can leave, and being afraid of him leaving used to be only a thing in her nightmares, she couldn't help but be terrified each time he left and shed a few tear. They were practically siblings, and she could not lose her only family.

     Mathias looked at the broken girl clinging to this leg, sighing heavily knowing he'd be late and had to calm her down (as always) before he needed to leave. Carefully unraveling her small hands from his leg, which was very hard to since she clung to him like the small child she was, he crouched down to her height. Wrapping his around the fragile child in a tight, warm hug, whispering somewhat soothing words to her, just like the time he had to leave for a mission the other day, his routine mirrored today and previous ones, too. 

     "I'm not leaving, Jules." He promised. "Never."

     Hearing a small sniffle, he reeled back staring at her flushed face with tears trailing down on each cheek. Cupping her face with his hands, he used the pads of his thumbs to wipe them away.

     "Never," she repeated.

     "Never."

     'Never' was like their own 'always' or 'okay,' just like Monica and Isaac or Hazel Grace Lancaster and August Waters from 'The Fault in Our Stars.' Though it was a bit funnier to Mathias than it should be, seeing as Jules never understood the reference he mentioned once and the fact that the first time he watched it he may have cried. It was quite embarrassing for him to cry during the movie he watched with an close friend a while back, when things were a bit more brighter for him.

     She pulled Mathias back in to a hug, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck as they just stayed in that position for a good two minutes. She was the first to pull back, her face more calm and collected now.

     "You better," she tried to say in a stern voice. "Or else I'll never forgive you," pointing a finger directly at him with a shaky smile.

     Mathias gave one in return along with a swift hug, before ushering her upstairs to her room. Rising back up to his normal height, he exited the building, closing the door softly behind him right before he broke out in to sprint. Making sharp turns at the corners of the end of a block or when the street ended till he was at the final block he needed to go across. All the lampposts were unlit on this block, except the one at the very end, but it still flickered showing a sign that it was soon to burnout. His pace has now slowed down as he was going to arrive soon to his desired location.

     Panting, he was slightly out of breath as he gazed upon the scenery, well he tried to at least. It was too dark for him to see clearly, but he could make everything out and knew where everything was place. Now if it wasn't for repeatedly coming here so often, then everything would've just been stygian and have blurry outlines for each unique shape. However, this time something was different. Something seemed out of place, giving off bad vibes toward him.

     Shaking it off as nothing, he still kept his senses alert. The crunch of leaves brought him back out of his cautious trance. His head whipped fast to the noise, almost making him dizzy, only to be met with an unknown figure-like-silhouette that was blurred like a man's vision without his glasses that helped him see clearly. He was probably just paranoid, but Mathias wasn't a bulky guy, you could say he was quite scrawny. Yet being tall, too tall, was good enough for him. Regardless of that, Mathias was reluctant on staying longer. Cowardly. He knows. You'd expect him to be used to all of this after everything malice he has seen and done.

     "Thought you wouldn't be afraid this time," a raspy voice chuckled cutting him off.

     Mathias couldn't help but frown in disgust and hatred towards the filthy lowlife that played him like a sucker. He caused so much good in his life to go away; along with his joy to disappear without a trace like a cloud of smoke.

     Lorenzo Peterson. 

     "What's it tonight," Mathias growled out with a huff, but bit his tongue back from saying more than needed.

     "Geez, Mattie." He slurred slightly, most likely still on a high from what he's on; it's always something new. "Chill." Mathias rolled his eyes, not in the mood to put up with his intoxicated state. "Anyways...." Lorenzo trailed off.

     "God! Just spit it out." Mathias, or as Lorenzo calls him, Mattie, snapped.

     Mattie hated this part so much. The part where he sounds so desperate to find out what's his next mission. Then, he goes through with it and ends up hating himself till the next mission and the cycle repeats. Endless hatred.

     "Caesar Reyes."

     And with that he left the sad, intoxicated man alone at the end of the block and began his journey to HQ for more information about the mystery man called Caesar Reyes.

* * *

     Soon after running away from Lorenzo, Mathias stumbled upon the place he was craving to reach so he could get away from him, HQ. An abandoned construction site that had a partially built building, but it's hardly close to complete. Well, to what the naked eye sees at least. But beyond the outer layer of the sight shown in front of the eye, if one was to look inside, a shocking sight would be seen. It would be bound to be questioned by outsiders who weren't supposed to be granted access inside the HQ.

     Stepping into a rusty hoist which used to have its very own coat of red paint, but by now its majority of it was gone Yet small amounts scattered around, peeling off and rusted. A rope looped around the pulley that weaved its way through its sheave that carried the medium sized cart up and down. Mathias strongly griped the rough rope with his callused hands and pulled. Slowly, but surely, he made it to the top of the building. However, Mathias was oblivious to the stinging pain on his rough hands, and the tearing of the first layer of callused skin on his palms. This wasn't the first time he ignored it, or maybe he just couldn't feel it. Because the sharp, everlasting pain in his heart, weighing down as a large burden on his shoulders was way too much that every other form of pain was nothing compared to it.

     He gingerly walked across the supporting beam on the, glaring down at the rugged piece in concentration as he bit his lip. Thinking, infuriated at the thought of this, yet it could not be stopped. This is so unreasonable. A low, irritated groan glided through his lips like a ice-skater wandering on the ice with ease, only after the Zamboni just went over the surface.

     The beam that wobbled slightly after every step was eventually cut off.  A large gape was in the center of the building frame, all metal beams around Mathias were cut to form a rough circle, melted slightly at the ends. He looked down at the abyss of darkness, and did what he was taught; he jumped. As tempted as he was to let out a scream, he kept it in. Tucking his knees into is chest and using his arms like ropes to keep them in the same position. His body was touched with wind, blowing his hair back slightly. As momentum grew his body fell at a faster pace causing Mathias to let go of him legs, colliding with rough rope that had been weaved into a net.

     The net has caused numerous burns on his legs, occasionally his arms, too. However, after training and learning his lesson from each previous mark on his body, pants became an essential and landing was everything. Rolling over, he turned his body, swinging his legs over the net and pushing off to land on cool concrete. 

     His eyes wandered the bland scenery. Nothing but concrete walls dividing the area into different sections. Take a wrong turn you set off an alarm. This has happened on only a few cases which Mathias is aware of. And like they say, you can run, but you cannot hide. Each person was found and made an example of in front of the new trainees. It was to scare them. To scare spies away and the ones who weren't as dedicated to leave. Unfortunately for those, they all died the moment they tried to escape a life they didn't know would kill them.

     Mathias rolled his eyes at those foolish enough to join not expecting the worse. Each one who joined had a personal reason why and that's why he wanted this job done quick and clean. The more he does the less he owes and revenge crawls closer into his grasp. Determined to find the most about his next victim he walk straight down the first hall. One step in he dropped to the floor and army crawled half way down, because standing and walking would alert the sensors, notifying the head of the defense team and cause the automatic machine guns to go off. Making it half way, Mathias pushed himself up onto his feet and started to jump forward. Skipping the loose concrete blocks that would trigger the walls to close in and another signal would be released that the alarm had gone off. Landing on the last stable block that was straight ahead, Mathias punched in a lengthy combo of numbers to be allowed access. Nonetheless, it was changed every month for security purposes.

     The steel doors sealed tightly with countless locks slowly unraveled themselves, opening with slight screeching and boisterous sounds. Once the heavy doors were pulled open another dimension was revealed. Though Mathias was used to seeing this he could always remember when his eyes widened with wonder at the sight in front of his hazel bug eyes.

WRITE AT LEAST 4500--AROUND