“Did you check her room?” Bellamy asked, annoyed and unbothered.
Cedar huffed. “Figured she’d be attached to her preciousVessiethis whole time,” she grumbled, leaving the door wide open as she stomped next door to Cypress’s room.
Vesper let out a sigh of relief when she heard Cedar order Cypress to come over to the other room. The kid darted immediately over to the empty spot next to Vesper, lying her head on Vesper’s chest. Bellamy made a gagging sound from her spot in the corner.
“I assume this means you’ve found something?” Vesper asked Cedar hopefully.
“Yes,” Cedar took a deep breath, perching on the edge of the bed and looking at Cypress. She smoothed out her lap. The movement drew Vesper’s attention. Cedar had brought a folder with her. A thick, light blue folder. When Vesper squinted, she could just make out the Embunuh emblem in the top corner.
“Is that—?” she started, but Cedar cut her off, pretending not to have heard her at all.
“Cypress. Our parents are alive. I’ve confirmed it. I’m sorry. And they’re also the head of the Delnian district’s branch of the Embunuh.”
Vesper’s jaw dropped, that would mean…
“This folder,” Cedar continued, “has everything about that assignment. The one that was supposed to kill you.” Her voice was a mere whisper. Vesper had never gotten that close. And that folder was fucking huge. “That’s not all.” Cedar hesitated, her attention finally shifting to Vesper. “We can get to them.”
“Finally, some good fucking news!” Bellamy said, throwing her hands up and uncrossing her legs, dramatically flopping back into the chair with an exaggerated sigh of relief.
“Okay,” Vesper nodded. This was great. They could kill them like they should’ve. They’d all be free. “So, how do we get to them?” She watched Cedar expectantly.
Cedar fidgeted with the edges of the folder and looked down at her lap, shifting on the edge of the bed where she’d perched.
“Well,” Cedar started, and Bellamy rolled her eyes.
“Oh great,” Bellamy mumbled under her breath. Vesper shot her a look and waved for Cedar to continue.
“We couldn’t find them exactly. No one knows where they’re hiding out. But we did learn they have come out of hiding for important matters before, which means we can draw them out again. They’re not recluses.”
“That’s not—” Bellamy started complaining, but Vesper cut her off, sitting up urgently. Arguing was going to get them nowhere right now.
“How do we draw them out, then?”
“We’re working on it. I’ve got some contacts in place. They might be able to find something important enough—big meetings coming up that we can intercept. Stuff like that.”
“So, you don’t actually have anything?” Bellamy rolledher eyes.
“Excuse me for thinking you’d appreciate the news. We can draw them out instead of having to fucking find them!” Cedar snapped back, her voice raised.
“But you don’t know how, so it's useless news!”
“Me?” Cypress asked in a small voice. The room fell into an awkward silence. Cedar looked like she was warring with what to say.
“No offense,” Vesper murmured, “but I don’t think that’d be enough.”
“Why not? I’ve had to hide for years because they want me dead, and now you don’t think I’m important enough? That they don’t think I’m worth it?” Cypress’s voice got higher with each word, cracking with a sob she tried to hold back.
Vesper rubbed the back of her head. She immediately felt like an ass for saying it like that. She knew how much Cypress struggled with the frustration of not understanding why she’d been abandoned. Struggled with feelings of inadequacy and guilt, like what happened was her fault.
“No, that’s not what I’m saying. I know that they already have contracts out on you. They won’t think that you’re, um,” Vesper hesitated, looking at Cedar for help. But she was all too willing to let Vesper flounder alone. “I just meant that they’ll send regular assassins. They won’t come themselves.”
“But I’m a?—”
“Cy,” Cedar cut her off harshly, and Vesper glared at her, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Let’s look through the folder. I’ve got the assignment details, you know, maybe that can help us.” Cedar gently reached over and took her sister's hand. “We can go to your room, yeah?”
Cypress flinched and looked down at their hands, frowning, her brows furrowed. “Fine,” she snapped, yanking her hand away and shoving off the bed. Cedar followed her without another word, letting the door slam behind her.
“She’s a what?” Bellamy asked as soon as they’d gone.
