Brisa sat there for a few moments, paralyzed by fear. Jaquan and his crew took their seats around the table. None of them said a word. Jaquan made it a point to sit just to the left of Brisa. They waited in silence giving Brisa time to think. Within a few minutes the servers brought food serving Brisa first.
Still, it took a little time for the truth to sink in: Catlin’s friends were the BigBad Crew. Brisa thought back to their earlier conversations. Each time Catlin giggled was a reaction to knowing this secret.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Brisa was still wearing the mask. There was thin black cloth covering her eyes along with a painting of a mantis designed to hide were she was looking. However, it was quite obvious that she was talking to Catlin.
“The first time we met, wasn’t under the best of circumstances,” was Catlin’s calm response.
“What do you mean? You knocked on my cabin door.”
Neely was sitting to the right of Catlin. He mumbled something to her. Catlin whispered a barely loud enough for Brisa to hear, “I dropped it a few minutes ago. We have to wait for her.”
After a time, she gathered her wits just enough to look them all in the eyes. Almost all the BigBad Crew was there: Jaquan, Neely, and Liana still in her mech suit. Even Justice was there. Brisa wasn’t sure if he was an official member of the crew. However, he had been with them since the championship victory party. The only one missing was…
OH NO!
Catlin sat across the table from Brisa with a bored look. Brisa had missed it all this time. Catlin’s eyes were different than before. Not red in black, not glowing, or spouting black flame, they were normal. Still, there was no mistaking it. Catlin had attacked her at the shuttle port. The one she had the most reason to fear had just become her close friend in the last few hours.
Brisa’s thoughts of safety were nothing but illusionary smoke. Catlin had tracked her down easily. Within the first few minutes of the flight Catlin was knocking on her door. Like a fool she opened the door embracing the enemy with open arms.
How did Catlin disguise herself so well? She must have used something, perhaps an enchantment to hide herself. She was never malicious and could have attacked at any time. Instead, they had what Brisa thought was the most wonderful time. Still Catlin used a trick to get close to her. If she was truly repentant, she would have apologized at the beginning.
“I apologize for my reaction to you earlier,” Catlin said, “I thought for sure you were a spy. I was looking for a good time to tell you but it never came.”
“We all apologize for our actions before,” Jaquan spoke up, “but now, let’s eat.”
Brisa was so full of conflicting emotions: ultimate deception by an enemy that had become a best friend; a lady that had given her so much to prove that she wasn’t what she had to be? Brisa said as she got up from the table, “I’m sorry. I can’t do this.” She walked away from the table, back towards her cabin. She half expected to be pulled back to the table and forced to sit. Since she was not she assumed she was free to go. Under the mask a tear left her eye.
Catlin stood almost grabbing at Brisa with her Kin-Po Talents but thought against it. Instead she called, “We’re planning to leave for Bear Gate at hour seventeen.”
Brisa paused at the information then kept walking. She was welcomed to join them but unsure if she wanted to.
“So,” Liana said, her mask altering her voice to that of a machine’s, “What do we do now?”
Jaquan simply answered, “We eat.”