003

Gaia

“Gaia Rourke." I groaned out loud as the gruff voice rang painfully in my ears. “Do you know you could get fined for sleeping on the job?"

"Tatum Reeves." I glared at the incredulously tall guy in front of me, his smirk doing nothing but fueling the fire. "Do you know you could get murdered for bugging me right now?"

"I don't." He scooched closer to me, his knees painfully hitting mine under the table of the booth I was currently occupying. “Would you care to elaborate?"

"Hell yes, I would." I seethed, raising my right hand as high as I could, preparing to slap the living daylights out of the annoying creature beside me. But somehow, someone's dainty fingers wrapped around my wrist almost immediately, pulling my vibrating hand back to the table. “What the hell?"

"Don't let him get to you, Gaia." I came face to face with Alyssa's pleading eyes. “We both know Tatum's just trying to rile you up."

"And it's working!" I yanked my hand free from her wrist and turned to Tatum again, who seemed to be indifferent to my outburst. “Just let me snap a few bones of his into half first."

"Gaia, do you really want to do this?" She pouted, putting on her all so familiar motherly gaze. “Do you?"

"He started it!" I groaned, my cheek coming in contact with the table. “I just want to sleep."

"On a Monday morning?" Tatum sneered, pressing his cheek to mine. “That's not professional."

"I'll show you professional!" I made for his hands, grabbing them and pinning it behind him. “What is your problem, Tatum?"

"Ow, ow, ow." He yelped. “I was just messing with you, now let me go."

"Gaia, please," Alyssa whispered, her eyes darting around the common room. “People are staring."

Unfortunately for me, they were. Different bodies clad in the black ensemble the organization made us wear stared back at me, just waiting for me to snap Tatum's hand into two. Their eyes darted from Tatum to me, the golden encrusted academy badges glistening under the lightning of the common room. Groaning inwardly, I let go of his hands causing him to jump farther away from me.

"Saved again by your bad reputation." He winked and I rubbed my hands over my face.

"I told you so." Alyssa rubbed circles around my back to try to soothe me, and it worked. “We both know Tatum's an ass."

"Hey!" Tatum pouted. “Take that back."

"You take that back!" Alyssa let out, and I fought back a loud groan.

"Stop!" I closed my eyes in frustration. “This is not the time. Please.”

Alyssa and Tatum were my best friends at work and literally the only people I associated with. I had somewhat of a bad reputation and I liked it because no one dared to cross my path, except these two.

When I was first recruited I mostly kept to myself, picking fights and causing unnecessary drama because I was somewhat untouchable. It went on for a while until I got into a fight and was badly beaten up. No one came to my rescue, except Alyssa. She helped treat my wounds and found out the douchebags who ambushed me.

Two days later, the said douchebags were revealed with evidence of similar crimes they'd committed in the past. It was all Alyssa's doing which made sense because she was under the academy's Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch.

Tatum on the other hand had always been an annoying creature from the very beginning. Right from the time he took my fries during lunch in the common room I knew he was trouble and just like trouble, he never left me alone. I eventually warmed up to him because he wasn't completely useless. He was a great fighter and skilled in gadgets and weapons, hence him being under the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate.

Alyssa had always joked he liked me but was too afraid to come clean about it but I always shrugged it off.

"Earth to Gaia." Tatum snapped his fingers in front of me, forcing me to stare at his face. His jet black hair was perfectly combed and styled to the side, framing his oval face perfectly. He had hazel pair of eyes and perfectly pearly white dentition to go with his baby face. “What'd you slip up your ass that's making you cranky way before 9:00 am? Your usual time is eleven o'clock."

"More like who, you mean." I sighed softly, rubbing my temples. “I'm just hungover."

"Did I just hear you right?" Alyssa's wide eyed face was the next thing I saw. “Did you?"

"OMG!" She squealed, not giving me a chance to reply. “When was it? How was it? With who?Come on, I need the deets."

"Ew. No." Tatum snapped, clearly irritated. “I don't want to hear about it."

"Why?" Alyssa smirked." Are you jealous? Do you wish it was with you instead...."

"Ew, Alyssa, no." I cut her off. “Why would you say that? I'm sure Tatum doesn't even see me that way. Right, Tatum?" I turned towards him.

"Yeah." His lips were pulled into a thin line, as he bobbed his head quietly. “I don't see you in that light at all."

"Tatum?" My hand found its way to his but he slipped out of reach. “Are you okay?"

"Super." He quipped, rising to his feet. “I'll see you later."

"Gaia..." Alyssa started, but I cut her off immediately.

"Don't." I raised a finger to silence her. “Don't bring this up again. He's probably mad about something that's why he left abruptly. Nothing more."

"Do you seriously and honestly believe that?" She chipped in again, but I refused to think too much about it.

"I don't care." I shook my head. And to be honest, I didn't do love. The only thing in my heart was hatred, rage, and revenge.

"Well, well, well." Painfully slow claps reached my ears. “What did the garbage truck drag all the way down here?"

"Oh good lord, not you." I exhaled. “The last thing I need is you making my headache hurt more."

"Oh, sweetie." She chuckled bitterly. “You know I'm always here to make your life miserable."

Meet Susanne, the city's academy’s resident douchebag and my number one nemesis.

"I'm not in the mood Susanne. “I quipped." Please leave."

"Yeah, don't you have somewhere else to be?" Alyssa scoffed. “Like the death hole, you crawled out from?"

"You tell your redhead friend to shut up." Susanne yelled and if the frown on her lips meant anything, it was the fact that she wasn't pleased.

"Or what?" I leaned in closer. My head was a throbbing mess, but best believe I would be in pain than let Susanne walk all over Alyssa.

"You don't want to cross me today." Susanne glared. “I'm warning you."

"Trust me." I cracked my knuckles loudly." I do. I'm kinda in the mood for some violence right now."

"Gaia, no." Alyssa shook her head, her red bob flailing around her face. “She's trying to get under your skin."

"Of course she'd be digging violence." Susanne checked out the polish on her nails, blowing over them slightly. “She is a murderer after all."

Those last words got my ear ringing.

"What did you say?" I lunged for her before she could comprehend anything, grabbing her tightly by the corner of her uniform. Fear danced around in her green irises but was immediately replaced with an annoying smirk. “What the fuck did you just say?!"

"You heard me." She snarled. “Not only that, but you're also a coward who's been hunting her father's murder for more than ten years now with no leads whatsoever. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if you fabricated the entire thing so…"

"Shut up." I barked, tightening my hold on her collar. “Don't you dare utter another word?"

"Why?" Susanne pouted. “Does the truth hurt? Let's not forget the nightmares too. No wonder you're such an angry child who..."

My knuckles came in contact with her nose before she could let any more words out, sending her reeling backward and way unto the counter.

"Gaia, stop." Alyssa's tiny hands did nothing to pin me down as I scaled the empty booth and strode over to a disheveled Susanne. Screams filled the room as the others cleared my path, leaving me face to face with a bloody Susanne. “You could get into trouble."

"I don't care." I pulled Susanne's hair and tossed her to the ground. She slid mercilessly on the tiled floor, gasping for air and something solid to hold on to. "She started it, so she's going to get what's coming to her."

"G-Gaia." Blood gushed out of Susanne's nose as she spoke. From my angle, it looked broken and I could only imagine the amount of pain she must be in. "Stop."

Good.

"What's that?" I kicked her in the guts and her screams pierced the room. “Why aren't you running your big mouth anymore? I'm a coward, right? I'll show you what a coward can do..."

"Gaia Rourke." A loud voice blared from the speakers above. “Report to Chief James Keith's office, now."

Scanning the crowd one last time and stealing a glance at a badly bruised Susanne, I walked out of the common room with my head held high and a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Great, I groaned. Just fucking great.