¤Chapter Thirty-Seven¤ 

My bike's going so fast, everything is a mere blur around me.

Who the hell does Todd think he is? Threatening me is one thing but involving the people that are important to me is too far. My initial goal was to create a strong reputation for myself to the point where I could eventually confront him but at some point that stopped being important. Although I'm occasionally forced to recall unwanted memories from the past, his presence in my life began fading. I forgot my feelings of revenge and hate but now it's back and stronger than it's ever been.

If I was like this all along, I would have noticed things. The footsteps at the beach? It could've been nothing or it could've been someone tailing me. I should have looked into it. The shadow I noticed across the street? I should have kept watching to see if it moved again but instead I let unnecessary feelings get in the way. Brittney was right, I've gotten soft. Too soft. Realizing this now is a blessing and a curse altogether.

"Madi!" Mom rushes out to greet meet as soon as I pull into the driveway. She's wearing a white lab coat over blue scrubs and rectangular glasses cover tired looking eyes. "Back so soon?"

"Not now mom," I walk past her in a hurry. "I'm changing then heading out again."

My stupidity ends tonight.

Dad looks up from his tablet when I enter the living room. "You're angry." He noted calmly.  "Too angry."

I glare at him. I don't have time for any of his mind reading lessons right now. "Well my boyfriend has just been kidnapped by my psycho ex so forgive me for being tense, okay?"

He sets the tablet down, still calm but his aura changes. "Todd's back? Do you know where he is?"

I frown. That's partially why I came home. I don't really know where to look. "No, but I'll find out somehow"

Mom exchanges a look with dad and sighs. "I guess she finally gets to wear it after all"

"I'm going" I mutter and make my way upstairs, ignoring the questions I have for them. It seems I've had nothing but questions these last few weeks. 

The dull room that used be comforting to me feels suffocating now. My eyes travel to the nightstand where bright roses and a couple picture from a few days ago taunts me. If I knew how fleeting the moment would be I'd enjoy it more. I would have snapped more pictures and stolen more firsts. It hurts to think I may never experience that again. 

I hastily rummage through my closet for a few minutes until I find the black garment bag hanging in the back. Steady fingers slide across the smooth faux leather jumpsuit cocooned within. It reminds me of when I first became Madi. Back then I told dad I'd like to be exactly like him. 

He's a well known guard that always has people waiting for him. Many clients willingly change their schedules just so he can do the job and not someone else. I yearned for that kind of respect. Thanks to him, I was able to become strong and resilient. 

I was lectured on the basics of fighting when I was little but they were nothing compared to the summer I decided to be a changed woman. For a few months I struggled through a crash course on combat and sensory skills. It was more hands on than the lessons from my childhood but sheer anger and determination got me through it. 

Once I 'graduated' dad commissioned a custom made jumpsuit for me —just like the ones badass female characters wear in action movies. I didn't smile but it made me happy and he could tell. Mom thought it was absurd because I would never get the chance to wear it since it's not like I can sport this at the local diner.

I strip out of my current clothes and pull on the jumpsuit then unravel my ponytail so my hair flows free. Next, I reach into my drawer and grab my lucky dagger. The handle is gold with gaping snakes that wrap around it, ready to strike.

 Another dagger is slipped into the other holster on my hip. If Todd is holding Owen hostage he'll probably have me remove these but that's where the secret blade in my boot come in. If that doesn't work I'll have to use my fists. After all, the gear is just a distraction. A true fighter doesn't need to rely on tools to win a battle, with sufficient training, skill and courage is enough.

I stare at my reflection in the tall mirror and decisive eyes stare back at me. I will get him back. I will get them both back —although Jace should need less help once I free him. The silver zipper in the middle of my suit glistens as I fiddle with the secret compartments hidden beneath. On the outside, this thing looks light but for clothes, it's pretty heavy. The longer I wear it, the more pressure I feel in my joints. 

Nonetheless the fabric clings to me like a second skin, outlining the natural shape of my body. If I didn't look so intimidating I'm sure it would attract creeps like a magnet. Because I received this when my skills were at it's highest, I'm more connected to my broken self when I wear it. I'm reminded of my reasons for transforming in the first place —to be strong and hit Todd where it hurts. If that doesn't work, I'll just hit him so he can't produce an offspring. 

"Wow Madi," Mom beams when I arrive downstairs. "You look great"

"I feel like a spy or something wearing this but I like it," I adjust the long sleeves at my wrist. "I'm more in tuned with myself this way"

Dad cleared his throat. "I know you want to rush out there and destroy anyone who gets in your way but why don't you tell us what happened in detail first?"

I glance at the clock. "There's no time. What if—" I stop to contain myself. Up until now I've successfully shut down my emotions so I can think and act logically. I can't break down now, not when I don't know anything. What ifs are dangerous. I have to not think about what could be happening so I can focus on saving them. It's the only way.

"Good job maintaining your self-control," Dad notes as he approaches me. His eyes gleam with pride and authority. "Now think about me and your mom —what we do for a living. We can help. Talk to us."

My eyes widen. A well known doctor and a skilled bodyguard. Considering the fact that the town sheriff hasn't seen any real action in almost a decade, these two might be the best backup I have. I take a deep breath and explain what happened at the bonfire, making sure to keep my voice restrained and unexpressive. They listen silently only interrupting for specific details until I finish.

Mom shakes her head. "You're too young to be experiencing this, sweetie"

It isn't pity but I'm irritated anyway. "That's not helpful."

"She's right. Liz?" Dad glances at mom who nods in agreement to whatever telepathic conversation they just had. He walks towards the inconspicuous bookshelf and pulls one of the oldest looking books in the middle row. A hissing sound like steam being released from a pot erupts and the shelf slides open, revealing metal elevator doors.

My jaw drops.

"No time to explain," Dad says when he takes note of my expression. "Get in."

My feet refuses to move so mom grabs my hand and pulls me in next to dad. He places his hand over a palm reader and the machine scans it before it begins going down. We have an underground compartment in our house?! I can feel the air pressure change as we travel further beneath the surface and Jace's warning comes back to me. Did he know all along?

The elevator doors open and a feminine robotic voice greets us. "Welcome back Mr. and Mrs. Fields"

The room surrounding me looks like it came straight out of a sci-fi film. Dozens of monitors large and small lined out in front of us. The ones that are turned on reveals live footage from every room in our house except for the bedrooms and bathroom. The outside is included as well. I look at the recording of the living room and immediately think back to the evening me and Owen made out on the couch on screen in front of me.

One time after we kissed, I recall, my parents appeared out of nowhere. Did they see what was happening and decided to break things up before it escalated? Mom was ecstatic but dad seemed grumpy. Maybe they were down here all along and wanted to leave so they interrupted us. Has this been their real job this entire time?

Mom places a hand on my shoulder. "Are you thinking about that day Owen came to visit you?" She asks softly. "Your dad wanted to chase him away but I managed to give you guys some privacy which as you've noticed—" She points at the monitor. "Is rare in this house"

My head turns towards her, trying to analyze her sincerity. She doesn't seem any different from earlier even though they've just revealed this strange secret. "Have you been watching me all along? Who are you guys?"

She grabs my hand and pulls me closer to the monitors. A huge U shaped panel of controls lights up after she types in a code. The remaining blank screens on the wall turns on, showing footage from indoor places like offices, clubs, and restaurants. There is also live-feed from the park, traffic cams, and CCTV from outside what looks like government buildings.

"If anyone were to find out about our secret entrance and sneak in here they would think we're a couple who cares a lot about safety. The truth is, our home surveillance is just a cover up although it does provide some level of protection." Mom pulls out an office chair and gently ushers me in. The courage I had worked up earlier feels like a complete joke now. How can I save others when I don't even know what's going on in my own life? I'm in way over my head here.

The robotic voice appears again. "Incoming call from the Clarks. Would you like to accept?"

The Clarks? I sit up from my deflated position in the chair. "That's Owen's parents!"

"Accept." Dad says and the biggest monitor in the center switches to the image of two people huddled together in what looks like a similar room. Don't tell me they're the same? Another dose of reality hit me. When I visited them Owen's dad got injured suddenly and the mom mentioned they knew a good doctor. I should have known who she was referring to, the most popular doctor in town —Dr. Elizabeth Fields. 

"We've lost connection with our son. It seems the tracking device placed in his phone was destroyed or—" Jen pauses after noticing I'm also in the room. "Madi?"

I grit my teeth and stand again. "I'll ask once more because I'm losing patience, who the hell are you people?"

Are they the ones Jace warned me about? My own parents? Owen's as well? But why leave me in the dark when he knows how close I am to them, how dangerous they are?

Owen's dad —I believe he told me to call him Chris— is the first to respond. "We're undercover agents, or spies as the cool kids call it"

My brows furrow. "Undercover..." A gasp escape my throat. "Spies?! My boring parents are spies?"

"Hey," Dad grumbles. "I'm not boring, maybe your mom is but—" Mom smacks his arm, silencing him.

"Yes, sweetie." She reaches into her coat and pulls out an official issued ID. "We wanted to tell you sooner but that would have put you in danger. It's best to think we're boring workaholics than government agents protecting important people and tracking down threats"

If my eyes open any wider I'll start to look like a cartoon character. "I-I don't understand"

"Forgive me Madi dear but our son might be dead right now so can we save the chitchat for later?" Jen's usual chirpy tone transforms to something grim.

"D-Dead? Owen?" I stumble backwards. A firm hand grabs my wrist, steadying me.

"Get it together, Madi." Dad says then turns his attention to Owen's parents. "You know better than to jump to conclusions, especially now, Jenifer"

"Well maybe if you eliminated the Walkers like we suggested, the Andersons wouldn't have teamed up with them, Frank" Jen snaps. I can tell she wants to strangle him even through the screen.

"Wait," I hold out a hand. "Walker as in Brittney Walker's parents?"

"They weren't always like this," Mom reflects, nodding. "Neither were the Andersons I suppose"

"Madi the guy you dated was told who he was from birth," Dad explains. "He knew his parents were spies because they wanted to be transparent with him. Gradually, he began to despise spies due to his parents missing out on certain events in his life —events we made an effort to participate in for you like birthdays and school ceremonies"

"He was neglected" I summarize, earning a unanimous nod in return.

"At some point," Jen takes over, clearly wanting this explanation to end sooner rather than later. "He told one of his elementary school teachers about his family. Of course they didn't believe him but the wrong person overheard and word quickly got around that his parents worked for a secret government agency." 

She stops to take a sip of water before continuing. "The thing is, our job is so secretive, sometimes the people we work for don't even know we're working for them. It's usually better that way because being an undercover agent means we garner a lot of intel on a wide variety of people"

"That's the kind of info your enemies will want" I interject.

"Exactly." Mom agrees. "And they don't mind killing and using our kids as leverage to get it —that's why we keep a low profile. You see, although one could say we work for the 'good' side of the government, there are also groups that have bad intentions. Todd was hunted like fresh meat because he tried to gain his parent's attention in the wrong way. We constantly had to rescue him—" She pauses to exchange a sad look with everyone. "Sometimes from the brink of death. He was the Anderson's responsibility but we all failed him."

I curiously glance at each of them. "So you're telling me this has nothing to do with his psycho obsession with me?"

"Partially." Dad types something on the endless selection of buttons in front of him and another monitor switches to different mug shots of Todd. He looks more sinister in each one. "One time he was kidnapped for over a week but all the agents in town were so booked there was no way we could get to him in time"

"Why not?" I ask, still trying to make sense of everything. 

"We each have different jobs," Chris responds. "Some spies are scouted and sent to a special academy for training but many of us are like you —Spy Born. Essentially, a child born from spy parents. If both parents are spies, you've won the lottery and have automatic acceptance. If there's only one parent, you'll have to be tested first. Jen and I didn't send Owen to this academy because we realized how kind hearted he was from a young age. Spy Born children are some of the most feared and respected in the academy. They're assassins and he's not cut out for that."

"What makes them...?" My voice trails off. It makes sense for Spy Born children to have an advantage over others since their parents can teach them specific skills but to be called assassins...

"That story is for another time, sweetie" Mom pats my head with a distant expression. "As for us, you are our only child so we never considered sending you there. It's a school that teaches basic combat skills then afterwards, assign jobs considered to be most beneficial for the organization. I was sent to the science department with Jen but I diverged to medicine and became the number one student in my field by graduation."

"Your father was deemed a more physical person," She continues. "He received vigorous training in fighting and leadership. He was also the top of his class with Chris coming in a close second. We all became good friends since this school is a boarding facility and we basically lived together. Once you arrive, the only time you see your families again is if you graduate or get kicked out."

I try to organize their titles, "So mom is a doctor many agents go to for treatment —especially for injuries that can't be explained. Dad is one of the tough dudes that fights on the front lines with Chris while Jen..."

"I make a lot of cool gadgets like sunglasses that scans the people you talk to and lets you know personal information such as their name, age, and criminal record. I'm not good with handling gore like your mother but I'm responsible for making sure her patient list is smaller than our enemy's." Jen's eyes sparkle as she speaks. There is true passion and enthusiasm in what she does. The glint in her eyes reminds me of Owen, he definitely gets his gentle side from her. 

"How does this all connect to Todd and his transgressions?" I ask impatiently.

Jen sighs. "His parents lost faith in our agency because we weren't able to help when they needed us most." 

"The Andersons ended up joining the corrupt side with the common goal of dissolving our agencies and anyone connected to it." Chris says while furiously typing something I can't see. "Recently, we got intel that the Walker's daughter was seen fraternizing with a dangerous group of people—" Blurry images of Brittney looking suspicious in different areas pops up on the screen followed by the surprising contrast of her smiling brightly at school. 

He allows us to focus on the pictures for a few seconds before continuing. "She went in and out of gang led clubs at night and pretended to be a sweet, innocent girl during the day. We figured if the daughter knew these people, her parents might too. The Walkers have always kept to themselves so no one knows for sure."

Dad let out a frustrated breath. "We can't interrogate them without evidence. Things are already rocky between the spy families —those of us at the top of the ranks are hated by people on the bottom, especially Spy Borns."

"You guys are Spy Born too?" I can't hide the shock in my voice. My grandparents died before I was born but from the pictures I've seen, they looked way too average to be undercover agents. But then again they were trained to remain under the radar.

"Yes," Mom smiled, suddenly dejected. "Mine and your father's parents died on the job. That's another burden we have to bear as Spy Born kids —not having a lot of quality time with our parents, being deployed to a random place far from where you once lived, and getting a call one day saying how bravely they fought for the cause"

Dad reaches out and grabs her hand, squeezing it tightly. My heart twists and I turn away. A few hours ago, Owen was doing the same thing to me —providing comfort and giving me strength. Don't think about him! I scold myself internally. I look around the large room again as a distraction. The shiny floor is made of tile and there's a few glass shelves towering behind us with all sorts of random collectables. 

I spot a unique pair of sunglasses laying next to a baseball. That must be the ID thing Jen mentioned earlier. On the other side of the room, a door is left half opened and I glimpse rows of clothes hanging on a transportable rack. Piles of boxes are stacked in there as well. Maybe it's a storage room. I open my mouth to ask what's in there when Jen cries out.

"What is it?" Dad is the first to react.

"Owen's tracking signal is back on" She stares with teary eyes at a screen in front of her. It's most likely a similar set up to what's on my side.

"Quick, send us the coordinates and we'll find the location" Dad taps a few buttons on the control system.

"Rodger that. Sending coordinates... right..." There's a slight pause then a click. "Now"

Dad does some more tapping and a beach house appears on the screen. Everyone stares blankly but I gape at it in shock.