Chapter 5

My first mission wasn't what I expected it to be. A murder investigation of a child is important but how was it a matter for the CIA? As I thought it over, Castor (or Aiden or Kaden) got out of the car. He had parked in front of the house where the child had lived and we were going to talk to the family. I knew we had to but seeing the family after their kid had died wasn't something I was looking forward too.

"You coming?" the fake card asked leaning against the car looking through the open door and I looked up at him. His eyes had settled on me in a familiar way that I knew as his I-am-working face. It was also his I-need-you-to-talk-about-what-you-feel look.

"They're going to be crying aren't they?" I asked quietly and he nodded, confirming my fears. Parents weren't something that I would be able to handle well after Jack's death. My thoughts went back to that night and then last night. My nightmares were getting worse and soon I wouldn't be able to sleep at all. A tap from his fingers on the car window startling me and I focused on him. A worried look appeared on his face and I wondered for a brief second who or what he really was. As I wondered about it, I glanced over at the house to find a small woman looking at us through the window. Her eyes weren't tear-streaked but were examining us with the intensity of someone who's paranoid much worse than I could ever be. I was beginning to see why we were sent.

"She doesn't look very distressed," I said lightly slamming the door on my way out and walked up to the door. Pulling out my newly acquired badge, I knocked on the door.

"Widows that need the help of the CIA never are," he replied and I nodded letting the information sink in. I was in a whole new world but the house that was reveled when the door opened was just like any other. White walls were lined with photos of people that I didn't know and I didn't care to know. I knew that something had changed in me, a hardness that I hadn't had before but I never felt the need to look at it.

Zoning back in for what seemed like the fiftieth time that day, I looked through the front rooms while Castor talked to the mother.

"Do you have anybody that you know that would hurt your child in any way?" he was going through the list of questions to ask when I found something that chilled me to the bone.

"Ma'am, did your son like to play with cards?" I questioned holding up a Queen of Spades that had been under a small bouquet of Baby's Breath.

"Not that I know of. Hubert didn't playing with cards too much. He preferred drawing. He loved sketching those plants and I kept everyone of them," she answered drawing a deep breath and let it out in a large sigh.

"Could I see some of them?" hoped and a silence settled over the room as she shifted around searching for the pictures. She finally found them in a drawer under the TV. Handing them over, I examined them looking for something that I was hoping not to find. The first thing I found was a small Q with a spade inside of it in the very center of each plant that was there. The second thing was a small trace of an unknown power that I hadn't felt before. It felt something like a Card power but much more alive. It was a power that squirmed under my scrutiny but it seemed to reach out to me with strands that latched onto my conscious. I let it run through my memories with a swift movement and then I forced it to open itself.

The images I saw were of a young boy drawing quietly with an impassioned look on his face. His eyes dug into the flowers and made sure to get every detail into his work. A pencil ran elegantly across the page that he held in his lap. The image suddenly switched to the dining room with a woman who I would recognize anywhere, Shelia. She was smiling at him happily, with a gentle hand resting on his head. For a moment her eyes sharpened as he gazed up at her but her face quickly shifted back to the kind person that she had displayed for them. Pulling back from the images, I glanced up at the mother and smiled at her.

"They're beautiful pictures," I said sincerely and she practically glowed.

"They really are, aren't they? You can have one if you like," she offered and I nodded taking a picture of a Castor plant to put up in my room. It was mostly a green plant that didn't remind me at all of the man standing next to the child's mother. Thinking it over, I nodded to myself and folded it carefully to put in my pocket. Handing the rest back to her, I said my salutations and left the building with Castor on my heels.

"I wasn't done questioning her," he pointed out sullenly. Getting in the car, I buckled up before looking over at him.

"You're named after a poisonous plant, you know," I told him taking out the picture and the power in it threatened to draw me into it again. The former card frowned at me as he pulled out of the driveway and shook his head.

"What does that have to do with anything?" He tried getting me back on track with what he wanted to ask me and I leaned against the back of the seat. I hated the fact that Shelia had actually seemed happy at that house but I needed to get over it.

"You saw the card. Not only that but I found some kind of new power in the drawings that the woman's kid had made. It showed me images of Shelia with them. The CIA knows about this. They're after her just like we are but why?" I muttered thinking about it.

"Tell me about this power," he said in a strange voice and I looked over at him. His hands were on the steering wheel a little too tightly. His knuckles were white with the pressure he was putting on them as he gripped the wheel. A deep scowl was set in his features. His fake tattoo on his neck glittered and writhed on his skin as it moved into something different. I didn't answer him as I watched the marking glide and slide until it formed the letter K as the backdrop of a small set of crossbones and a skull sitting on top. Confused, I reached over and was about to touch it when, he pulled over to the side and covered the tattoo.

"What are you doing?" he stared at me, my hand trapped in his other hand.

"You're tattoo changed. You're...you're really not a card are you?" I murmured reaching out with my other hand to gently remove the one hiding his neck. The cross bones were still there with the K in the background and I wondered silently what it meant. I knew all of the Card markings but what was this? Deciding that it wouldn't be a good time to ask, I dropped my hand and he slowly let my other hand go.

"The power you asked me about felt like a Card's power but it was more alive. That's all I know about it for now. That and it can retain memories," I added, answering the question that he had asked before. My gaze was out the window making sure that I didn't look at him in the reflection of the glass. The day had gone by fast and we had visited the widow's house in the afternoon. It was getting dark now with the sun's last fading colors lighting up the sky before it went to sleep. I watched the sun make its descent for a few seconds before Castor's voice broke the silence.

"The man that I told you about had me for two years before I was able to kill him. He never let me out of the room but I finally was able to try the lock on the door. He left it open. I learned later that he had a phobia of locked doors. I could've walked out at any time. He thought I knew that but I didn't. I didn't understand anything at that point. When I turned the doorknob and found it open...I knew the first thing for me to do was to kill the one who had imprisoned me. My mind was beginning to come together and I planned every step of it. Shocking in my state but I did. I walked to the kitchen and grabbed the nearest knife. It was a carving knife, long and sharp as I put my finger against its ridges. I considered the best way to kill him with relish. I decided on waiting until he went to bed to cut him into small pieces but that wasn't going to happen. He came in the kitchen right after I made my decision. He didn't seem to notice the object in my hands and even came near me to draw me back to that room...I...I panicked. I did the only thing that I had thought of doing all along. I stabbed him...over and over again. The entire act of actually killing him didn't take more than ten minutes tops. Being so young though, I had no idea what to do. So I ran. I ran to the point where I couldn't run anymore. As I collapsed, I saw a familiar person running towards me with a shocked look on his face. Not even a few days later did the town's police; I guess you could call them, found me. I was cleaned up with the help of the boy who had taken care of me before. They told me that the man had left all of his possessions to me and that I was to come back with them to sort everything out. I didn't go with them then or ever. I ran again but this time I didn't stop until I had run for days. I never knew what had carried me then or now but I knew that...I knew that I had some kind of gift. Although for me it was some sort of curse..." he trailed off. Castor had been looking ahead the entire time. His eyes were set on not seeing what he was talking about and I couldn't help but touch his neck again.

His tattoo writhed around until it formed an oval with the four card symbols and a single K in the middle. A copy of the one I had on my back but with a Q. He stared at it in the mirror for a moment before looking over at me.

"I'm not a card," He said softly tracing the oval with his fingers. I stayed quiet. I had never cared if he was a Royal or not. It was better that he wasn't in any case. It didn't mess up my system then but it didn't help either. As it was, people were getting suspicious of Castor because he's not the Ace of Clubs. Not only that, but the numbers are getting divided by the whole aspect on if I should kick him out or not.

The Royals didn't care due to the fact that he's protecting me. Kyle even seems to be on especially good terms with him after he found out about it. I had never once thought that he should be kicked out. It was just more comfortable with him next to me.

"You seem preoccupied. I hope I didn't bother you too much with that little bit of my history," He apologized. I shook my head.

"Not so much that I couldn't handle it. I had a feeling that you would kill him. I know I would've," I responded and settled my eyes on the tattoo I gave him. With ease, I moved it down to his back and felt it spread out as it took the area around it for space. His original tattoo seemed to grin almost happily at me with its skull smile and I suppressed a shiver.

"We should be heading back," I told him and he nodded his consent as he started the car.

Author's note: Next part! Yay! :D Vote and comment!