Next Steps

                                    

                                          
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NATALIE POV
1 week after
                          
Repairing BlackLight was going to be a big job. Once my shoulder healed a bit, all of the agents including Boss came together to fix our agency headquarters.
                          
It was a Saturday, and we all spent the day ordering new material and fixing up broken areas. It felt like family and a fresh start. Many of us were much more rested and mentally ready to start training again.
                          
I was in the office with Boss ordering new bulletproof glass panes when a knock raps on the door. 
                          
I look up to see Laura emerge. Surprised, I rush to her as she gives me a big hug. 
                          
"How are you?", I ask her in the hug. 
                          
"We're good, I feel much better now", she replies speaking for her and her baby. 
                          
"I'm glad. They took you off of bed rest?
                          
She leaves the embrace but holds my hand. "No, not really but they let me come see you. After this I'm back to the bed."
                          
I laugh as I take in her pretty and dark Italian features. She looked a lot better. 
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School
                          
I head over to Jasmines locker to see her banging her head  against the metal lockers. 
                          
"Woah woah, please don't break any more brain cells than you already have", I say moving her away from the locker. "What happened, Jas?"
                          
"FINALSSS are gonna kick my thick Hispanic ass", she complains, smacking her head with a book.
                          
I snatch the book away and turn to her. "We'll do fine, it's our last finals and then we are off to college. We have a month of highschool. That's it."
                          
She looks up at me, pieces of her ponytail slipping out. "You're right. Can't believe we spent the whole year on that mission."
                          
I sigh. "I know. But at least we completed it. And we got a lot of good out of that mission", I say as I turn my face to Lucas, who's chatting with Jayden at the end of the hallway. 
                          
Good things like Lucas.
                          
"Man Lucas and Joshua are such a package", Jasmine says. 
                          
We look at each other and burst out laughing. 
                          
Best friends dating cousins.
                          
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May 16
                          
80% of the damage done was reconstructed, the remaining 20% was our mental stability. 
                          
Our trauma. Our battle wounds. Our mindset. 
                          
Boss did well, leading everyone physically and mostly mentally, letting them repair from the battle we fought to save our agency. 
                          
I enter our fighting Pit, a spacious echoey room with grey filing walls and an arena in the middle. It was one of the private areas. 
                          
My eyes head to Lucas, standing in the middle of the arena, full lips emitting soft grunts from fighting. 
                          
His arm muscles were tense and glossy as he was training on punching bags. 
                          
He moves on to the darts, cocking his gun and throwing a few freestyle shots that basically reach the target. 
                          
I clap, entering the pit when he stops and turns around.