The game's not over yet.

" I think we'll be okay here Leon"

I say; I feel him in the wind brushing my hair across my face.

I leave the plant there, making a silent promise that I will come back and water her, Leon's best friend.

I walk back to the porch of the boarding school where a few kids sit on the front steps. I'd inspected the lot briefly before on the way out of the Dean's office and as I get closer to them my eyes single down to a little boy sitting on the lap of a girl who looks about the same age as me.

His mother?

Couldn't be

Maybe his sister…

I wince at the thought of this. Jealous. Remembering my own little brother and the fact that Leon was right. Stansfield was dead along with all the other bastards who stole them away from me, but revenge didn't take away the grief. 

"Hey" I say nonchalantly

"Why you looking all dirty like kid?" A girl says

Making me pull my gaze away from the boy and towards her.

"You're one to talk"

My eyes glaze over her off white men's t-shirt, an ambiguous green stain splotched in the middle. I could smell the stench from her although I wasn't standing close enough that I should have been able to. Her blonde hair greased and unwashed, her fringe sticking to the sides of her forehead.

" This is Eli "

She says, ignoring my remark and pointing to the girl with the boy on her lap. Her skin was rich and dark like the coffee from the spot near Tony's and her eyes deep and round like black pools. 

"The boy's name is Mason. He's just turned 6 but doesn't talk much, the Dean says he's got 'issues' from his last foster family."

Her eyes flicker to the boy hesitantly, then to me.

" They were hitters " she whispers, putting her hand over her mouth so that the boy couldn't see.

I nod, knowingly. Leon's voice echoes in my head "Always like this". Life is always hard, kid or not.

"And I'm Claire. There aren't a lot of kids at this school and the ones who aren't us are trash, as you'll soon find out. They think they've got it good cause they've got a roof to go home to on the weekends but we don't got no folks around here. Eli's parents skipped out on her after they dumped her here with the Dean, suppose they had other trails to follow. Mason came straight from the delivery room, God knows where his folks are; And I ran out on my parents a while ago, they didn't notice I was gone, well if they did they haven't come lookin for me. Not that I care….the point is, we know what's up. And from the looks of you, you do to, so stick close kid. What's your damage anyways? Parents still around?"

Wow this girl can talk, and fast I thought.

"Mathilda. The name's Mathilda. And its just me these days"

I sigh, exasperated, recalling the moments from the past 24 hours. I wasn’t in the mood for small talk or any talk about my parents.

"Look, you're real nice to be taking me in like this, but I'm gonna get straight to the point. This is how it's gonna work. I didn't come here to be a prep school girl, I've learned too much from the world out there. I can't sit around all day when there are bigger things going on. I've seen things -"

"If you don't want to be here then why are you?"

Eli cuts in coldly.

"What if I told you we could clean it all up? The shady drug deals that tore your families apart, the secrets , the corrupt legal systems. What if I told you I have been cleaning up this mess for the past few weeks?..."

They look at me, puzzled and I pause for a moment, wondering if what i was about to share was too much

"See that plant I put in the soil over there?" I say, gesturing to it. " The best guy in the world gave it to me. We were partners you see, he trained me, taught me everything I know. I'm strong now though I might not look like it and I can shoot a man between the eyes from a mile away; because of him I know how to clean and I owe him my life. I'm not just gonna throw that all away for some prep school."

I lament over Tony's words for a moment. "It's over, the game is over, Leon's dead". I hold back tears as I continue. Tony didn't believe in me like Leon did. 

"He's gone now but I'm not done yet. It's not over… but I cant do it alone, I know that now. Let me teach you what I know. Listen to me we can change things around here"

Claire chuckles as if I'd said a joke. " you're lying! No way you've ever even seen a gun and if you have I bet you wouldn't even know which way to hold it. Whatever you're playing at, stop. We're not looking to get revenge on anyone, we've got it good here, Eli, Mason and me; we're not interested in any of your lies and games"

And with that I pull out my pistol from inside my bomber jacket and shoot at the can of Coca-Cola on the step below Claire's foot. The bullet creating a puncture for the liquid to glug and sputter from slowly. We listen to the sound it makes through the stunned silence.

The three looked at the can and then to me, mouths open and eyes wide.

" I never said I was looking to get revenge. It's called justice"

I say, clicking on the safety latch and carefully placing the gun back in my jacket.

"wooowww" Mason says, breaking the silence. "teach me, teach me pleath! Lemme play !" He jumps up and down on Eli's lap excitedly.

"Mason stop it. It's not a toy " Eli says, grabbing Mason's outreached hands, half stunned that Mason had spoken a word and half angry that I was the one who made him speak. She stares at me, squinting her eyes, trying to figure me out.

" I want in " she says finally.

"Eli !"  Claire shouts " Hell no we're not in. What are you thinking Eli? We cant just get up and leave school to run around like criminals with guns in our hands- "

"we're not leaving the school" I cut in

" It'd be too obvious that we were up to something. The school is the perfect cover, that’s what makes my plan so foolproof. We stay in school, kiss the dean's ass during the day and at night I'll teach you how to clean."

I can tell Claire is weighing up her options so I push on

" you know how messed up this town is Claire. It's the reason we're all here in the first place. Don’t you want to change that?"

She pauses then says

"okay...i'm in"

---

At night I crawl into the stiff bunk bed, surrounded by the people I was going to embark on this plan with. I think of Leon and I want him to know that I'm not leaving us behind, so i pull out the workbook and pencil the Dean gave me for my first day of class and I start.

---

Dear Leon, 

I'm sleeping on a bed tonight and you're here with me too, just like you wanted. I've been here two weeks now and i'm starting to settle in. The kids I've met are like family Leon. There's a little boy named Mason, my brother would've been his age and I wish you could meet them all. I want you to know I've found us a good home. I've decided tomorrow night is going to be our first training lesson and I promise I wont let you down. Tony says he cant have me cleaning for him anymore but he gave me some of your old guns to get me off his case. I've cleaned them all with a damp black cloth like you taught me. I want to be prepared. I don't want the others to think i'm just a kid with a toy so I've made a list. Everything that you've made me see as important. 

1. Love

2. Milk

3. Beanie 

4. Cleaning

Am I leaving anything out? I want them to believe in me like you did Leon but I'm scared. What if I screw it up? what if I get us all caught? or worse ?... you wont be there to save me anymore. Do you remember when I told you about that feeling in my stomach back at our apartment? Well it's still here, and I think it grows with every passing second. I ache for you Leon. I feel your presence everywhere but before we meet in the sky I know I have to finish what we started and I wont won't stop until it's all clean. 

All my love,

Mathilda.

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