Rebecca's Tale

Chapter 3

"We love you, sweetheart" called the voice of a man, childish giggles following the comment as a young Lucille nodded and smiled up to the older man.

"Uncle Arthur? Can I have a puppy?" she asked, seeing her uncle chuckle and kneel to her height.

"Keep up with what you're doing and I'm sure I can get you a pair of puppies. Two pets for the price of one. What do you say?" he asked, seeing her face light up with joy before hugging her uncle tightly. Suddenly, the screams of a woman upstairs caused the pair to jump. Arthur held Lucille's shoulders and looked at her, his smile changing to that of a stern, but caring look. "Lucille? Hide and don't follow me until I tell you it's safe to come out, okay?" he said, watching her nod before making her way behind a sofa in the living room. Her uncle made his way up the stairs when mere seconds later, sounds of struggling, loud bangs and the sound of ornaments hitting the ground. All of these sounds had the young Lucille panicking, but with her mouth covered, she couldn't be heard. After a short while, the sounds ceased as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Lucille excitedly awaited the arrival of her uncle and aunt down the stairs but was met with armed men in balaclavas. Upon noticing her, one of the men kicked her to the ground and pressed a hand on her neck to keep her pinned to the ground with the other hand aiming a handgun between her eyes.

"Hey! Kids are off-limits! Leave the brat alone, take the old farts and let's get going!" exclaimed a booming voice as the man holding her down released his harsh grip and stood up. She rose to her feet, dazed a bit as she saw Uncle Arthur being carried away, his arms cuffed together by cable ties and her Aunt Mandy being carried, her body limp as she had been knocked unconscious.

"I insist you wake up before I change my mind" one of the soldiers said, Lucille standing in confusion as she heard this, when all of a sudden, a slap to the face awoke her. She looked around to see herself laid on a cheap looking bed in a dank and rather dimly-lit office. Stood atop her was Rebecca, her hand moving from Lucille's face

"I didn't give you permission to rest that long" she said as she shook her hand before moving back a few steps. "One task doesn't put you in my good books, so get used to rude awakenings like that" she continued, taking a pile of papers and dropping it on Lucille. "Read it, acknowledge it, memorise it, live by it"

"The hell is this?" she asked as she sat up on the bed, speed-reading the papers to find that it was rules set for her position as well as a large list of assignments, these tasks ranging from targets to heists. She inspected each of them.

"For every task that gets completed to my standards, you earn yourself more freedom. At the moment, you are free to request tap water when you're thirsty. You will be given food when I want you to eat, you will be excused when I want you to be and you will be watched at all times, regardless of circumstance" Rebecca said, rubbing Lucille's cheek. "Such soft skin... it would be a shame if I had to bring harm to it" she said, grinning down to Lucille. "Pick a task, get to it and get out of my sight" she said, watching Lucille leave with the paperwork. She took a second look and upon seeing a photograph of one of the targets, her eyes widened with shock.

"Him...!" she said, recognising the face as one of the men from her dream. She rushed down and was about to leave alone when all of a sudden, Rebecca's men blocked the exit.

"Where are you goin', broad? The boss ain't told us you can leave yet" one of the men said to her, being stopped suddenly as she pushed past them, rushing to the address of the target.

As she got to the front door, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door, watching it open seconds later.

"Hello?" called a man with a scraggly beard and a head of curly ginger hair. He looked miserable and his apartment showed this, filled with litter and barely in a presentable condition.

"I have a question for you... do the Rhodes family members ring a bell to you?" she asked, looking to his face and seeing shock after she asked.

"Yes... a moment of my life I try to repress" he answered. She too became shocked after hearing this.

"Where are they!?" she demanded an answer, seeing him sigh.

"Sorry, kid. I was just an escort. We all were. Who picked em up was a mystery to us. We just did as we were contracted to do-" he was stopped as she pulled a gun out on him.

"I've worked too hard to be told that! Tell me everything you know!" she said as he panicked before pushing past her, trying to run away. Lucille's anger and desperation for answers got the better of her as she pulled out her gun and shot him in the ankle, causing the man to fall to the ground in agony, the gunfire setting off an alarm. She rushed to the man and pinned him down. He gritted his teeth, muttering swear words and insults to her as he fought through the pain.

"Gah-! I told you! I worked as an escort, our boss was a mystery to us! All I know is that he was loaded! I'm talking billionaire loaded. His orders were to take em to a truck and guard the truck until it left" he explained. "News outlets were immediately silenced and anyone seen as a witness was taken out" he continued as she pressed down on his chest.

"Except me" she said as she looked into his eyes, the eye contact bringing a flood of memories to the messy man. He looked in awe at just who the young girl had grown to become.

"W-wait, you're the kid" he said as his face soon showed fear. Before she could finish the task, the area was flooded by police.

"This is the Redbarren Police Force! Come out slowly with your hands behind your head or we will open fire when we see you. This is your only warning" called the police chief from outside the building through a megaphone, the voice clearly identifying her as a woman. Lucille grunted and got off him.

"The Whistling Dixie, 10PM. Any later and I'll finish what I started" she said sternly before sprinting to a window across the hallway. She opened it up and stepped onto the ledge on the outside of the building, out of the police's view. She got her hands on a pipe and slid down before heading away from the building from the back, evading the police with ease. Just as she was about to sit down, she was grabbed by Rebecca, who shook her head.

"Breaking the rules, I see" she said as she pushed Lucille to the ground. "I suppose with this rebellion of yours, you think you're better than me?" she asked. Lucille rolled her eyes and got up, pushing past the taller woman. Taking offence to this action, Rebecca kicked Lucille in the back. "Don't EVER disrespect me!" she commanded. Lucille turned to face her.

"You've got no flunkies around. Push me one more time and I'll do what I was paid to do right here and right now"