A PURE HEART

iii

the man sits on a bench in the changing room, in full gear. the changing room is empty, all the girls have cleared out. it is late, they should all be in bed by now.

the red-haired girl sits next to him, leaning her head against his left arm. the cool metal of his shoulder feels nice against her cheek, her body is still heated up from training. she is also geared up in a black suit. she is another few years older now, not a young girl anymore but rather a young woman.

he twirls a taser in between his fingers, creating a quiet clinking sound every time his metal fingers collide with the taser. he huffs.

"do you know how to use one of these?" he asks in russian and his voice is very deep. he barely uses it. the red-haired girl nods, extending her hand to lightly snatch the taser from his grip. his eyebrows are pulled together tightly, he is buried deep in thoughts.

he can't remember when he has last seen her, when he has last trained her or when she's had to tell him her name the last time. he can't remember when he had been outside to execute an assignment. because he is not himself anymore when these things happen, when he does these things. and when they allow him a clear moment or two, it scares him.

"i want you to keep it. and when i want to hurt you, i want you to use it against me. it willgive you a head start. you can get away, you are fast," he grunts. he knows that she wants to run away. and something inside of him wants to join her. but he also knows that he won't be himself by tomorrow.

without any warning, the red-haired girl tasers him, dislocating his metal arm. the silvery limb now hangs down lifelessly, motionlessly. he looks at her with a grim expression but she knows that he is secretly proud of her. he has never been creative with facial expressions, his only expression can mean a thousand things.