Chase is up to.” Gabe smiled at me and winked. “Best of luck.”
Oh boy.
* * *
When I hobbled into the kitchen a couple of hours later, I felt bruised, battered, yet somehow invigorated. The hangover seemed like a distant memory, and I was buzzed. River had put a set of boxing mitts on my hands, and had me sparring with him, and forcing me to do all sorts of unsightly things like crunches, press-ups, and stretches.
I had never really been fanatical about exercise, but I could now understand the thrill behind it. Right now, I felt relaxed and focused, and I was starving. Gabe was sitting at the dining table with a hot cup of coffee and his headphones on as he stared intently at his laptop screen. I walked up behind him, and lightly placed my hand on his shoulder. He jumped about a million miles into the air, and ripped his headphones off.
“Jesus Christ,” he snapped as he glared at me. “You gave me a hell of a fright.” He patted the seat next to him. “But now that you’re here, sit. I have something to show you.” He handed me the headphones, fiddled with the computer mouse for a second, and moved the laptop to in front of me. “Watch.” He pressed play on a video.
I raised my eyebrows in question when I saw the clip was of a beauty pageant. “What the hell, Gabe?”
“Watch.” He grinned as he disappeared into the kitchen. I turned my focus back to the screen, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. It was footage of Carmen Amaro, back when she was about eighteen. Well… Carmen Quintero, as displayed on the screen. The name Quintero was familiar, but I had no idea where from.
‘And what’s one thing you would like to do with your life, Carmen?’
I snorted. The questions they asked were ridiculous, but I continued watching, thanking Gabe as he passed me a freshly made cup of coffee.
She paused before she answered and smiled shyly at the audience. ‘I would like to study medicine and work in countries that need medical assistance.’
I practically spat out the coffee I had just taken a sip of. “Medicine?” I muttered, “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Gabe smiled. “Keep watching.”
‘And what draws you to that profession?’
‘I want to help people in need. There is so much suffering out there… I feel that I could contribute a lot to helping those who can’t help themselves.’ She sighed, ‘I think being a doctor is a very noble profession.’ When she finished her sentence, she smiled brightly at the host. ‘It may not achieve the ultimate outcome of world peace, but it will certainly contribute to peace in some people’s lives.’
I snorted with mirth and pressed pause on the clip. “Is this for real?” I asked Gabe.
He grinned. “One hundred percent. You know…some people believe that was her winning statement – about not achieving world peace, but helping people with their peace.”
I shook my head in disbelief and looked back at the frozen image on the screen. The girl in the video clip seemed so young and innocent and nice. I was having a hard time comparing her to the same woman who blew up a freaking plane all because I was supposed to be on it.
'So tell me, Carmen,' the host continued. 'What is your definition of success?'
She looked thoughtful for a moment as she considered the question. 'A job well done," she answered smiling. 'I'm one of those people that when I set my mind to doing something, I like to make sure it's done properly and done well.'
My smirk froze on my features. This was some serious insight into the woman that was hunting me - unless all of this pageant rubbish was bullshit. A job well done... At the moment, I was just a job to her. And she was willing to pay through the teeth to kill me.
'Who or what inspires you the most, Carmen?'
'Mother Teresa. She is a truly selfless soul who helps all those that she can. One day, should I ever reach the same level of achievement as her, I would like to be recognised for it just as she has
Oh boy.
* * *
When I hobbled into the kitchen a couple of hours later, I felt bruised, battered, yet somehow invigorated. The hangover seemed like a distant memory, and I was buzzed. River had put a set of boxing mitts on my hands, and had me sparring with him, and forcing me to do all sorts of unsightly things like crunches, press-ups, and stretches.
I had never really been fanatical about exercise, but I could now understand the thrill behind it. Right now, I felt relaxed and focused, and I was starving. Gabe was sitting at the dining table with a hot cup of coffee and his headphones on as he stared intently at his laptop screen. I walked up behind him, and lightly placed my hand on his shoulder. He jumped about a million miles into the air, and ripped his headphones off.
“Jesus Christ,” he snapped as he glared at me. “You gave me a hell of a fright.” He patted the seat next to him. “But now that you’re here, sit. I have something to show you.” He handed me the headphones, fiddled with the computer mouse for a second, and moved the laptop to in front of me. “Watch.” He pressed play on a video.
I raised my eyebrows in question when I saw the clip was of a beauty pageant. “What the hell, Gabe?”
“Watch.” He grinned as he disappeared into the kitchen. I turned my focus back to the screen, and I felt my breath catch in my throat. It was footage of Carmen Amaro, back when she was about eighteen. Well… Carmen Quintero, as displayed on the screen. The name Quintero was familiar, but I had no idea where from.
‘And what’s one thing you would like to do with your life, Carmen?’
I snorted. The questions they asked were ridiculous, but I continued watching, thanking Gabe as he passed me a freshly made cup of coffee.
She paused before she answered and smiled shyly at the audience. ‘I would like to study medicine and work in countries that need medical assistance.’
I practically spat out the coffee I had just taken a sip of. “Medicine?” I muttered, “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Gabe smiled. “Keep watching.”
‘And what draws you to that profession?’
‘I want to help people in need. There is so much suffering out there… I feel that I could contribute a lot to helping those who can’t help themselves.’ She sighed, ‘I think being a doctor is a very noble profession.’ When she finished her sentence, she smiled brightly at the host. ‘It may not achieve the ultimate outcome of world peace, but it will certainly contribute to peace in some people’s lives.’
I snorted with mirth and pressed pause on the clip. “Is this for real?” I asked Gabe.
He grinned. “One hundred percent. You know…some people believe that was her winning statement – about not achieving world peace, but helping people with their peace.”
I shook my head in disbelief and looked back at the frozen image on the screen. The girl in the video clip seemed so young and innocent and nice. I was having a hard time comparing her to the same woman who blew up a freaking plane all because I was supposed to be on it.
'So tell me, Carmen,' the host continued. 'What is your definition of success?'
She looked thoughtful for a moment as she considered the question. 'A job well done," she answered smiling. 'I'm one of those people that when I set my mind to doing something, I like to make sure it's done properly and done well.'
My smirk froze on my features. This was some serious insight into the woman that was hunting me - unless all of this pageant rubbish was bullshit. A job well done... At the moment, I was just a job to her. And she was willing to pay through the teeth to kill me.
'Who or what inspires you the most, Carmen?'
'Mother Teresa. She is a truly selfless soul who helps all those that she can. One day, should I ever reach the same level of achievement as her, I would like to be recognised for it just as she has
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