Trust (Tom's Chapter)

Narrator: "This world is surrounded by crime, greed, and many other sins. When people gave up hope for peace there are a group of assassins that would cleanse the world. If you're truly tormented by anyone and want vengeance, then you must call upon The Sweepers and they will take vengeance for you."

It is nighttime and a woman is standing outside a man’s house in anger for what he had done to her. The man sees her through his window and looked worried.

Tucker: “She’s out there again!”

Sandy: “What are you talking about?” She looks out the window and doesn’t see anyone. “Beverly isn’t out there I think you should take some time off all that work must be getting to you.”

Tucker: “Yeah maybe...” (Thinking: “Is this what you're doing?! You think that you can get away with making me look crazy well nice try you bitch! Well, I’m going to make sure you don’t bother me anymore.”)

He looks at the newspaper clipping of The Sweepers number. Beverly comes out of hiding and looks at her hand to see the date on her hand that says May 28.

Beverly: “Unforgivable...”

It is the next day and Beverly went to meet up with her pen pal who happened to be Tom.

Tom: “It’s good to see you!”

Beverly: “I know I can’t believe that I’m meeting my pen pal for the first time!”

Tom: “Yeah so how are things?”

Beverly: “Not very well… I’m practically homeless.”

Tom: “What?!”

Beverly: “I had a great job and a wonderful boyfriend until he took it all away from me.”

Tom: “Who?”

Beverly: “Someone who I thought I trusted who I thought was my friend but he stabbed me in the back.”

Tom: “I know the feeling. Huh?” He notices the writing mark on her hand. “Hey that writing, did you?”

Beverly: “Contact The Sweepers? Yes, I did.”

Tom: “I don’t blame you I would have done the same thing if I was in your situation.”

Beverly: “Yeah…”

Tom: “You know something like that happened to me before.”

Beverly: “Really?”

Tom: “Yeah I pretty much dropped out of high school when I was sixteen and left the village I grew up in. I started traveling I wanted to see what the cities were like but because I dropped out, I couldn’t get many jobs so I started back at a school after a year in Bixby City and that’s when I realized that I trusted people too much.”

Beverly: “They used you didn’t they.”

A flashback to 1846 and Tom is going to meet up with a group of people with he thought was his friends.

Tom: “Hey there you guys are.”

Student 1: “Huh? What do you want?”

Student 2: “Yeah what makes you think we are really friends with you?”

Student 3: “Totally the only reason why we hang out with you was that you can buy us drinks.”

They laugh as Tom walked off angry and disappointed. As Tom explains the flashbacks continue as images of his past.

Tom: (In narrative tone) “No matter how much I try to make friends all they want is to use others. Hell, the same goes for my relationships. The guys I dated it turns out that they use me as a one-night stand or to get back at someone for cheating at them.”

The flashback ends and Beverly is surprised.

Beverly: “Wow and I thought I have trust issues.”

Tom: “Yeah there was a reason why I left my village and it wasn’t about trust.”

Beverly: “What was it?”

Tom: “I wanted to travel and see the country before seeing the world.”

Beverly: “Oh I thought it might have been...”

Tom: “Oh no it wasn’t because of my old man he accepts me for being gay. He told me he understands because his old friend went through the same thing you know wasn’t sure who he is yet.”

Beverly: “Oh it’s good to know he isn’t old fashion. What about you mom?”

Tom: “I don’t even know who she is. All I know is that she’s an Italian woman.”

Beverly: “Your half Italian?”

Tom: “Yep and the thing is I don’t even know how to speak Italian.”

Beverly: “Your dad never taught you?”

Tom: “He didn’t know Italian that well so he never bothered.”

Beverly: “Oh are you still in contact with him?”

Tom: “No not really I was going to go back home but my work keeps me busy.”

Beverly: “At least you have work.”

Tom: “You never told me how your so-called friend made you lose your job.”

Beverly: “I’m a pastry chef I own my own bakery.”

Tom: (Thinking) “I know the boss would love to go there.”

Beverly: “I made a really good dessert but he stole my recipe!”

Tom: “Really?”

Beverly: “Yes and the thing is that the recipe is my own I created it by combining my grandparents’ recipe with my own. I tried to prove that it was my idea but no one believes me... Everyone thinks I'm a liar...”

Tom: “I’m sorry that happened to you.”

Beverly: “Don’t be sorry. Tucker is the one who should be sorry after I paid the assassins to kill him.”

She gets up and leaves.

Tom: “Any reason why you took her request Boss?”

Christiana: “Not really it’s obvious that she is telling the truth.”

She walks up to him.

Tom: “I still don't understand how you can tell if someone is telling the truth or not.”

Christiana: “It’s a gift.”

Tom: “Where’s Meadow?”

Christiana: “Meeting a man.”

Tom: “A man? Could he be a friend of his? Honestly, I’m surprised that he has a friend.”

Christiana: “What are friends exactly?”

Tom: “Even though you two won’t admit it that the whole group are your friends.”

Christiana: “She reminds me of somebody.”

Tom: “Of course you would change the subject.”

Christiana: “Reminds me of someone who use to have trust issues.”

She walks away.

Tom: “That’s because you’re the reason why I can trust people again.”

Elsewhere Meadow is meeting up with his childhood friend who happens to be a vampire and who he hasn’t seen in years.

Dean: “If isn’t Meadow? God, it’s been so long hasn’t it.”

Meadow: “It’s been 500 years.”

Dean: “I didn’t think we would meet up again. I would have called but you don’t ever stay in one place.”

Meadow: “I need your help tracking Adam.”

Dean: “Adam? I thought a demon hunter killed him years ago.”

Meadow: “No he is still alive.”

Dean: “Is he still trying to get you back to his side?”

Meadow: “No he wants to...kill her”

Dean: “Kill who?”

Meadow: “My lover...”

Dean: “You have a lover? I must be hearing things.”

Meadow hands him a piece of paper with a date written on it and his mobile number.

Meadow: “I need you to come to Rhinestone City on this date.”

Dean: “Is that when you are leaving?”

Meadow: “Yes and before we leave, I need you to create a clone of yourself.”

Dean: “Why?”

Meadow: “I need you to watch over her in case Adam finds her before we find him.”

Dean: “I see. You must truly love her, don’t you?”

Meadow: “Yes she’s not just my lover but also my wife.”

Later on, Beverly walks into her pastry shop which hasn’t had any customers in a couple of months. She remembers back when she first opened up her shop.

Sandy: “I can’t believe you opened up your own shop by yourself and without a loan too.”

Beverly: “I’ve been saving up ever since middle school.”

Tucker: “You should have seen her in our university days she didn’t join any clubs because she was so busy working.”

Beverly: “Well I wanted to get the shop on my own. I had to work constantly at the time.”

She then remembers back on confronting Tucker.

Tucker: “Look why can’t you get it in your head I didn’t steal your recipe it’s my own recipe.”

Beverly: “Liar! You can’t bake nor cook if it saved your life! I can’t believe you did this to me! I thought we were friends!”

Tucker: “So? Who needs friends when you got what you truly need?”

Beverly: “I’ll never forget this! I’ll make you regret this!”

Tucker: “Yeah right.”

She snaps out of it when she heard the door open and gets up to see who it is.

Beverly: “Sorry but this shop is close for the time being.”

Christiana: “I was hoping to try one of your desserts.”

Beverly: “Oh didn’t think you would want to eat here.”

Christiana: “Because of the other pastry shop.”

Beverly: “Yes well anyways what would you like.”

Christiana: “Strawberry cheesecake with chocolate syrup.”

Beverly: “Okay I’ll have it ready in a few minutes.”

After a few minutes, she finished making the cake and adding the chocolate syrup then hands Christiana the slice of cake on a plate. Christiana picks up a spoon and eats the cake.

Christiana: “It’s pretty good you should be open.”

Beverly: “I know but after what happened between me and the owner of the other shop, I had to close my shop temporarily.”

Christiana: “I’ll take the rest to go.”

She puts down the money for the cake and grabs the cake in the box.

Beverly: “Wait! You forgot your change.”

Christiana: “Keep it oh and one more thing.”

Beverly: “Huh?”

Christiana: “Those who betray others will find themselves killed by an act of betrayal*.”

*This quote is from one of my favorite shounen anime series Hunter x Hunter 1999 version.

She walks out of the shop and Beverly stood there puzzled looking at the 50-currency bill.

Beverly: “What did she mean by that? I can’t believe she gave me this much money.”

Meanwhile, Zachary and Macy are pretending to be representatives to the group as they are talking to Tucker.

Tucker: “I’m glad you took my call I was worried for a minute there.”

Macy: “What do you mean?”

Tucker: “Oh it’s just that I heard you guys don’t always take requests.”

Zachary: “That’s just rumors in the street don’t always believe in it.”

Macy: “Hearing can be deceiving.”

Tucker: “Anyways I need you to kill this woman.” He hands them a photograph of Beverly. “She is getting on my nerves she keeps claiming that I stole her recipe.”

Zachary and Macy look at each other as a signal to continue on with their plan.

Macy: “Well of course.”

Tucker: “So how much is it going to cost me?”

Zachary: “Don’t worry it’s on the house.”

Tucker: “Really?”

Macy: “Of course you don’t have to pay us.”

Zachary: “We should get going we have other clients.”

Tucker: “Oh yes I should have guessed.”

They left Tucker’s shop and were walking to the hotel then the two busted out laughing.

Zachary: “I can’t believe he actually fell for that.”

Macy: “I didn’t think you guys would do this kind of thing. I have to admit it was pretty funny that he bought our story.”

Zachary: “The boss wasn’t kidding it is funny to mess with others.”

Elsewhere Meadow and Dean are at a coffee shop.

Dean: “I still can’t believe that you're married to a human woman honestly I figured you wouldn’t want to be involved with anyone in general.”

Meadow: “I’m not surprised you’d say that.”

Dean: “So what does she look like?”

Meadow shows him a photograph of the group together and points to Christiana.

Meadow: “That’s her.”

Dean: “Well I’ll be damned you sure know how to pick a woman. She’s smoking hot.”

Meadow: “Don’t say that ever again.”

Dean: “Don’t tell me you’re the jealous type.”

Meadow: “No.”

Dean: “Any particular reason why Adam’s after her?”

Meadow: “Because he is in love with me.”

Dean: “I knew he is into men but I didn’t think he wanted you.”

Meadow: “He just believes that she’s my hunting partner he has no idea that she’s my wife.”

Dean: “If he does find out it’ll give him another reason to kill her. Don’t worry too much about it after all you should be spending time with her as much as you can before we hunt for Adam.”

Meadow: “I suppose.”

Dean: “Is she pregnant?”

Meadow: “No.”

Dean: “I see I kinda figured that you would have put a baby in her already. I hope you know what to do when the time comes that is.”

Meadow: “What do you mean?”

Dean: “About a half-human half-vampire child. Don’t you know it’s really rare for that to happen?”

Meadow: “How rare?”

Dean: “Some human women don’t make it after giving birth and some vampire women end up giving up their child or kills that child one.”

Meadow: “Really?”

Dean: “Well that’s what I’ve been told I don’t know if it’s really true.”

Meadow gets up.

Meadow: “Don’t forget about our agreement.”

He walks away.

Dean: “Alright alright he always leaves when it comes to touchy moments. He hasn’t changed one bit he’s still the same Meadow.”

Later on, it became nightfall Christiana and Meadow are at the park and she is sitting on his lap.

Christiana: “It’s such a nice night out tonight.”

Meadow: “Yes it is.” He has his hand on her knee. “Don’t we have a job to do?”

Christiana: “Don’t worry the others will handle it.”

Elsewhere Beverly went to confront Tucker.

Tucker: “Here to accuse me of something else.”

Beverly: “I want to know why you did it. Why did you steal my recipe from me?! You don’t even know how to bake let alone cook.”

Tucker: “Why not?”

Beverly: “What?!”

Tucker: “You know when it comes to the competition you do whatever it takes to win even if it means crushing the weak ones.”

Beverly: “Competition? What competition?!”

Tucker: “Life itself. In this world, you have to win even if it means hurting those all around you.”

Beverly: “Fine then if this is how you are then this is goodbye.”

Tucker: “What? You think you were the only one who contacted The Sweepers I called them to any minute now they are going to kill you.”

Nearby Zachary, Macy, and Tom are wearing their masks waiting for the right timing to kill him.

Zachary: “How should this bastard be killed huh?”

Tom: “Should it matter?”

Macy: “I think you should kill him.”

Tom: “Me?”

Macy: “Yeah.”

Zachary: “She has a point when was the last time you killed somebody.”

Tom: “It’s been a while so I might as well.”

Beverly: “They are not going to kill me.”

Tucker: “What makes you think they won’t?”

Beverly: “Because if they were you would have a date on your hand and from what I can tell you don’t have it.”

He looked at his hand.

Tucker: “What?!”

She shows him the date in her hand.

Beverly: “This here is proof.”

Tucker: “You! You bitch!”

He grabs a pocket knife and was about to kill her until Tom stabbed Tucker from behind the neck then slashes his neck killing him in the process.

Beverly: “What the?!”

Tom: “Our job is done.”

Beverly: “What do you mean?”

Macy: “Check your hand.”

Beverly looked at her hand and the date is gone.

Beverly: “It’s gone!”

Just as she looked up, they vanished meanwhile Christiana and Meadow were talking about the past.

Meadow: “Remember when we got married?”

Christiana: “Yes we had a hunting job just right before the wedding.”

Meadow: “Our clothes ended up torned everywhere but you still looked so beautiful regardless.”

Christiana: “Afterwards we went on our honeymoon using Piper’s transport key.”

Meadow: “We went to the beach late at night and you have worn your swimsuit and I couldn’t help it but to undo the strings with my teeth. You got embarrassed that you started to blush God you looked so sexy when you blushed, I almost didn’t want to tie the strings back.”

Christiana: “Then I told you to fix it or else. That was really the only time I was able to go swimming that weekend.”

Meadow: “That whole weekend I held you in my arms and didn’t want to let you go. When we said our vows, I was so happy knowing that I would be with you for the rest of our lives. Then the day you went missing I left a sharp pain in my chest I had to find you no matter what. I kept blaming myself for what happened to you.” He slips his hand under her shirt and touches the mark on her upper stomach. “If only I was there with you then you wouldn’t have been in the black market and sold as a sex slave.”

Christiana: “Meadow.” She moves her hand on his face and touches his cheek. “It wasn’t your fault you shouldn’t still be blaming yourself for what happened to me.”

Meadow: “That bastard he violated you in your sleep.”

Christiana: “I know but it was a long time ago… When I was kidnapped and sold the only thing that was on my mind was you. I didn’t give up on you looking for me I kept telling that bastard over and over again that you’re the only man that I’ll have sex with.”

He holds her tight.

Meadow: “I’ll never ever let that man get you ever again.”

Christiana: “Meadow.”

He kisses her tenderly and passionately over and over again until they heard footsteps.

Dean: “This must be the lovely wife huh?”

Christiana: “Who is he?”

Dean: “You didn’t tell her about me I’m hurt, Meadow.”

Meadow: “That’s Dean.”

Dean: “I’m his childhood friend.”

Meadow: “So to speak.”

Christiana: “Aw Meadow you have a childhood friend. Were you born a vampire or were you turned into one?”

Dean: “Just like Meadow I was turned into one. I had an uncured illness so my brother turned me into a vampire. We only had each other and our parents abandoned us so it was either let me die or become a vampire.”

Christiana: “You must have been eighteen when you turned.”

Dean: “Beautiful and smart you sure know how to pick ‘em don’t you Meadow.”

Meadow: “Oh God…”

Dean: “Don’t be like that Meadow.”

Christiana: “How come you’re here?”

Dean: “We are planning a hunt a vampire we know we have to kill him.”

Christiana: “A vampire?”

Dean: “Yeah a vampire name Adam.”

Christiana: “Adam? Who’s Adam?”

Dean: “Hm? I thought…”

Meadow: “Dean can we talk alone?”

Both of them went somewhere to talk so Christiana couldn’t hear them.

Dean: “You never told her about Adam, did you?”

Meadow: “No and I’m not going to.”

Dean: “Why not? She should know.”

Meadow: “She already met him he almost killed her so I made her forget what happened that day.”

Dean: “You manipulated her?”

Meadow: “I had to I almost lost her she was almost thirteen at the time. I knew that it was for the best.”

Dean: “You better hope we find him before he finds her. If he does find her that memory will come back to her the moment, she sees him.”

Meadow: “I hope we’ll find him before then.”

It is the next day and Tom decided to go see Beverly before leaving the city. He sees that her shop is packed with a lot of customers.

Beverly: “Thank you have a nice day. Hm? Hey Tom! What are you doing here?”

Tom: “I came to see how you were doing before I go.”

Beverly: “Your leaving?”

Tom: “I have no reason to stay after all my job is done so.”

Beverly: “I get it oh get this my boyfriend explained to me why he kicked me out. He said he was protecting me apparently he saw Tucker steal my recipe and he threaten him.”

Tom: “He was just looking out for you.”

Beverly: “Yeah how lucky am I.”

Tom: “Anyways I better get going I don’t want to miss my train.”

Beverly: “Okay but promise me you keep writing.”

Tom: “I’ll stay in touch.”

As he is walking to the train station Macy is there waiting on him.

Macy: “It’s about time the train is about to leave the station.”

Tom: “I know I know.”

They went in the cart where the others are at.

Macy: “How come you joined?”

Tom: “Hm?”

Macy: “I pretty much know why the others joined but not you.”

Tom: “Oh that well…”

He remembers back two years ago when he was dating a corrupt police officer. He was heading home until he saw the man killing a drug dealer.

Corrupt Officer: “Oh Tom it’s not what it looks like.”

Tom: “Not what it looks like. You killed a drug dealer.”

Corrupt Officer: “That’s because he was conning me with the fake goods.”

Tom: “What the hell?! You're supposed to arrest dealers not kill them.”

Corrupt Officer: “Sound to me that you're not going to keep your mouth shut.”

He pulls out his gun and pointed it at Tom.

Tom: “You won’t do it you love me.”

Corrupt Officer: “Love? Ha! Don’t make me laugh you were just a toy and nothing more.”

Just as he is about to pull the trigger he was stabbed and slashed from behind and is dead.

Tom: “What the hell?!”

He sees Christiana in her mask putting her sword up.

Christiana: “Another corrupt officer… This is becoming a bore killing those kinds of people.”

Tom: “You You killed him.”

Christiana: “Someone made a request to kill this man and I simply granted it.”

Tom: “Are you going to kill me too?”

Christiana: “Why? You’re merely a victim.”

Tom: “Then let me join you!”

Christiana: “Why should I?”

Tom: “People like him don’t deserve to get away with all the stuff they do they deserve to be punished!”

Christiana: “Quite a determination you have. Fine. I hope you know how to use a weapon.”

The flashback ends and it’s back to the present.

Tom: “At first I only said that because I owe her for saving my life but the more, I think about it I realize that I don’t owe her anymore.”

Macy: “What makes you say that?”

Tom: “Because she gave me the one thing I always wanted. True friends and my faith in trust.”

The train started to move and they all look forward to heading back to Rhinestone City.

To Be Continued…