Retrospect

Fourteen

   Ana led Rich and I to the metro. I was beginning to adapt to moving with an injured leg, though the stairs leading down to the tunnels turned out to be a problem. Neither Rich nor Ana clued in that I had a bad leg, even after I was halfway down and they had reached the bottom.

   Once I'd finally gotten to them and heard Ana's complaint of how I was so slow, we continued past a machine that Ana quickly inserted three tickets into that she was carrying. "Stealing tickets is just as useful as stealing cards full of money on them," she informed.

   There was an escalator that descended to the metro tunnels and we stepped off it, finding a dark area of the platform to wait at. Rich had taken out a baseball hat from his backpack to cover his head and he popped two fake brown lenses in his eyes. Ana's hair was in a braid, so she took it out and put it up in a ponytail. Pulling up her hood, she turned to me. "Here, since you're the one the officers are looking for the most, put these on." She handed me sunglasses, then leaned up against the side of the wall, crossing her arms.

   I took the glasses and fit them over my eyes. Instantly, the world dimmed and the blue lights lining the platform brightened.

   We waited for a long while, preparing for what was to come. A beep sounded from the ceiling, signaling the metro cars weren't too far away. The whole platform rumbled and out of the pitch black tunnel came a long, silver train with purple lights dotting the sides. "This should be it," Ana said, unfolding her arms and stepping dangerously close to the edge of the platform.

   The metro cars zoomed past us, whipping air at my face and jacket fabric. Rich stood beside me, eyes on Ana, and leaned in to speak so only I could hear. "It isn't the right train, but we don't have to tell her that, do we?" he joked. I looked over at him and a small smile tugged at my lips. So I wasn't the only one who was tired of Ana.

   The train halted abruptly and the doors slid open with a ding. Ana was about to walk inside the metro car, when Rich eventually let her know that the train we had to take came later. I was still smiling about what Rich had said when Ana turned around.

   Her brown eyes narrowed when they met mine. "What are you laughing at, Carey?" she growled, standing right in front of me.

   The train closed its doors when nobody got on and sped out of the station. The only sound I could hear now was Ana's teeth grinding in annoyance. I stared at her through my glasses, not bothering to correct her about my name. "Nothing," I said. It was a stupid answer because she already saw my smile. She knew I was laughing at her.

   "Nothing, huh?" She pushed me around so my back was to the edge of the platform, laughing bitterly. "You think you own everything. Just because you're on broadcasts right now doesn't mean everyone will like you."

    I raised an eyebrow behind my sunglasses. "I know that. I'm a criminal, everyone isn't supposed to like me," I bit back. Ana stepped closer to me so I was now backed up to the very end of the platform.

   "I'm not talking about everyone in the city. I'm talking about this little group of ours," she retorted. Grabbing me by the front of my sweatshirt she threatened to push me off the side into the path of the trains. "You think you're the best one out there just because you stole that device. Where is it anyway?" she demanded, looking at my bag. She reached for it and I swatted her hand away.

    She looked like she'd kill me right there. I glanced around the platform, finding that no one else was here except for Rich who was just waiting for something to happen.

   Ana shoved me, but I was expecting it, so I quickly regained my balance and slipped away from her to the side so she wouldn't try it again. The beep came from the ceiling and the platform rumbled. If I had been pushed off the edge, I would have had only a few seconds to safety until the train ran me over.  I stepped away from the edge, standing next to Rich and watching Ana out of the corner of my eye.