The Assassin

The Assassin ~ The Man Without a Past

Well since I wanted to get an actual story group formed, and because I think this may jog some interest in the story, I have decided to post the very first chapter.  Until the story is full written, I will not be posting more, and from there it will be one upload a week, except in the cases where I cannot post that scheduled day, in which case I will post a day before or after.  Sooo yeah. Don't steal my story pleaseeee, I worked hard on it. Here's Chapter One - The Man Without a Past.  Enjoy. ~D

            "I don’t want to practice anymore!” complained a bell-like voice, “Please, Uncle Rufus, can’t we just take a break?”  A girl of about 5 or 6 dropped a small blade to ground and sat on the wooden floor, leaning against a practice dummy riddled full of holes.  Her jet-black hair fell in waves to the middle of her back. 

            “Fine, but only for 5 minutes, Emmy.”  The man broke under her pleading silver eyes, smiling when she sighed in relief.  The girl picked at the pieces of stuffing from the dummy on her grey sweatpants and white tank top that now clung to her in the summer heat.  “I’ll be back… Want some water?”  The girl nodded, and Rufus slipped out into the dark hallway. 

            Emmy walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, wishing she could go beyond the tinted glass.  The garden was full of trees and flowers, most of which containing some poisonous element.  A brick wall covered in ivy enclosed the small, plant-infested yard, discouraging intruders.  Her reflection stared back at her, on the other side of the thick window.  Skin pale as paper and ocean waves of hair provided great contrast on the stranger she saw. Storm-cloud eyes implored her for a reason to be there, in the oak room filled with weapons of shapes and sizes and dummies on wooden posts. 

            Spinning around, she saw her teacher come back through the door.  He smiled and threw a pack of peanut butter crackers towards her, followed by a sandwich.

            “Lunch time!” he had a sandwich and crackers of his own.  Water bottles were balanced on his arm as he carried in a small folding table and two mats.  Emmy walked over and helped to lay out the mats for seats while Rufus unwrapped their saran-wrapped sandwiches.  The bread was soggy from the jelly, but they managed to stay intact as they silently chewed through them.  “Sorry, I made them this morning… I forgot how fast they get all nasty.”

            “They were fine!” Emmy protested, picking up her pack of crackers.   The plastic crinkled as she tore them open.  “Uncle Rufus, who were my parents?”

            Rufus swallowed nervously.  He still didn’t know the answer to the question, and he didn’t want her to know how she came to live with him.  “I’ve told you before… I don’t know.  I was told they died when you were an infant.”  In fact, you’re the reason they are dead, he added silently. 

            “Do you know who your parents are?”

            “No…  I don’t remember anything before my 20th birthday.”

            “I’m not even twenty and I know that’s a lot to forget… Did somebody poison you?”

            “No… My teacher explained that I was in some sort of traumatic incident and it erased all of the memories instead of just the accident.  I still had all of my training, but it became instinctual instead of learned.”  He played with the long silver chain that led to the grenade hanging on his chest. 

            “Why do you wear that grenade?”

            “Why do you ask so many questions?”  Emmy went red at his question.  She didn’t know better, and she was very curious.  “Come on, it’s time to get back to practicing.  I want you to master this by sundown.”  She groaned and picked the small dagger off the floor.  Resuming her assault on the dummy, she received both praise and criticism from her teacher, who watched with a trained eye.  As the sun receded behind the brick wall, the criticism became less and less. 

            “Good, good. I think we’re done with this move for a while…”  Rufus’s announcement was answered by another sigh of relief.  The room was now lit by overhead lights instead of the sun, which only provided a small glow from behind the wall.  He wiped the sweat from his only pupil’s face with a rag and led her through the door to a study full of books.  The smell of old paper hung in the cool, air-conditioned room. 

            “Uncle Rufus, what are we doing in here?”  Her storm-filled eyes brimmed with curiosity as she glanced around the unfamiliar room. 

            “I have something for you.” He rummaged through an old wooden desk, stirring up dust that had long since settled comfortably on the contents of the drawers.  After a few seconds of searching, he pulled out a silver chain, which matched the one he wore.

            All it’s missing is the grenade, Emmy thought with a smile.  “Is that for me?” Her eyes were wide as she stared at the delicate chain. 

            “Yes.  All… people in my line, and your future line, of work have one.  Its purpose will become known at the end of your training. But for now, you can wear it as a plain chain.”  He deposited the metal into her open palm, allowing her to examine it further.

            “Can you help me put it on?” She struggled with the small clasp, her nails not being able to find purchase on the small metal tab.  Smiling, Rufus took the two ends from her and gently touched the two ends together for a second, and then let go, allowing it to fall about her small neck.  Smiling, the girl leaned to give him a kiss on the cheek before skipping up to her room.