The Guadeloupe Squadeloupe

Chapter XXXIX: Guad

"This is how it feels to take a fall."- Icarus // Bastille

"We have to get out of here, guys," gasps Perry. He runs a hand through his sand-caked fair hair. What were they doing out on the beach? Wrestling in the sand?

"Gosh, is Alice that bad of a date?" Asks Janis from our spots on the couch. Bob and Diana laugh and giggle. "You'd think that all of the practice she did for Ronnie Simmons she would have it down."

The brunette twin furrows her brow in a rare look of utter confusion. "What?"

I glance back to Janis and know that her jokes are wrong. Nothing could make Perry look that distressed. Something isn't right.

"It must have gone really badly if you guys need to leave the country now," snorts Janis. Bob bowls over in laughter and I punch him in the shoulder.

"No," Perry cries desperately. "We have to leave right now."

His sister giggles and leans back, laughter lines drawing the contour of her face. No, Guad, stop gawking at her. She's wrong to be laughing, something serious is going on.

This time Janis almost falls off the couch wheezing. "I can't-"

"Guys!" I snap finally, standing up. The "man bun" Diana put on me flops a little. Furiously, I undo it as the laughing stops. "Perry is right. Stop goofing off because HEXA could be here right now."

As strange as the idea is, it seems that when I'm the one to command the squad actually listens to me. Perhaps it's because I normally prefer to say nothing at all, but right now Perry and Alice have something important to report, so if I have to embarrass my friends for a second, what loss is it?

Biting her lip, Janis sinks into a pillow and grabs Bob's hand. I look down at Diana and watch her attentive, sharp eyes meet mine. Lo siento, they say. Sorry.

"HEXA is here," explains Alice. She takes her hair out of a braid and rolls it up into a bun, causing most of the room to gasp. "They shot at us in the sand."

My eyes return to Perry's hair. Oh.

"Also Ashton was in a building off shore. He's definitely blown his cover at HEXA by now," adds Perry. My shaking hand crawls under my scarf and I scratch my neck nervously. "They mentioned your dad, Janis. They know they worked together."

The blonde twin has lost all her jokes. But what a life Ashton has lived, I think. He's only around age 30 but he's been a double agent for PHIE while helping to organize it. What must it have been like when his mentor died? And why couldn't my parents fight HEXA too? My unread letters grow heavy in my pocket. What made them choose to run experiments on people like Bob? Children like Bob?

"What do we do now?" Asks one of the squad. My mind is too far away to identify which.

"We're going to San Diego," answers Perry confidently. "We have to trust Ashton that it's the right place to meet."

My heart races faster, as if it's trying to outrun everyone else's. "Que si... que si Delgato-" I stutter.

"Guad," Bob mutters to me. Guad! I scold.You look like an idiot! You're supposed to be a leader like Perry! So act like one.

"Sorry. It's just, what if Delgato is there in Saint Diego?" I gulp, accidentally translating half of the city's name.

"Then we'll go prepared," Perry assures in a commanding voice. "Let's gather our things and meet back here in 10 minutes. And this time, we're stealing another car."

We all nod gravely, finally accepting that hard life which we have been living. It weighs us down, going around and stealing to get away from HEXA. But now we must finally recognize what we might not have: it's necessary.