Ready, Aim, Fire

Chapter 3: That Time I Made A Life-Changing Decision

My heart sank. If I was supposed to meet this Ra's guy, then I was sure to be up shit's creek without a paddle especially considering the way Leah looked.

"Is this a bad thing?" I walked toward her hesitantly and took a shaky breath.

Leah shrugged slightly. "I got your back. Don't worry, Abigail," she said and clapped a hand on my back.

"You can call me Abby. Hardly anyone calls me Abigail anymore..." It seemed so elementary, so teacher-like. I hated it. I could still remember my teachers calling on me when I was little because it seemed like I wasn't paying attention, but then I surprised them and was able to answer their question. It was moments like that that I loved.

"Alright, Abby. We better get going."

I followed her out of the room, finally getting a sense of where I was. There was a hallway with rooms on either side and then a corner leading to another hallway with more rooms. It seemed like a never-ending hotel. We went down a flight of stairs and came to a door. Leah glanced back at me before opening the door and gesturing for me to go in. The only reason I didn't run right then was because she had already opened the door and Ra's had already seen me and I saw her.

Yeah, Ra's was a girl. I was shocked. She was definitely the opposite of everything I thought. For one, she was a female and not huge and muscular. Her straight black hair was pulled up into ponytail and she had the most vibrant blue eyes I had ever seen. To be honest, she didn't give off an intimidating aura and she looked as though she was in her mid-thirties. She, like Leah and Michael, was dressed in all black or at least what I could see. Her desk was made of elegantly carved wood and it looked empty.

I took another shaky breath and forced myself to step into the room. Ra's seemed powerful and if she was Leah and Michael's boss then she could kill whoever she wanted.

There was another girl in the room with Ra's, but she stood to the side of the desk twirling a small knife in hand. She was light skinned and had short, curly hair that barely touched her shoulders. Her brown eyes followed the knife as it moved in her fingers. It was as if she never noticed the door open. From where I was, she looked as though she was the same height as me, but she had more of an athletic build than I did. Maybe she was in her late teens, early twenties.

"Sit, Abigail. We have a lot to discuss," Ra's said and motioned to a chair placed in front of her desk. I sat and watched her closely. The girl twirling the knife was making me incredibly nervous. Now I was fully convinced that I was in a place full of killers and criminals. Leah closed the door and stood next to my chair with her hand placed carefully on the back.

"My name is Ra's," she said and smiled slightly. "Welcome to our humble compound. I'm very sorry about your accident. Michael is normally a little more careful."

"You don't have to apologize anymore," I said.

She watched me curiously and so far I wasn't able to get a clear understanding of who she was as a person. "I know, but regardless, we have high standards here and this is a huge ordeal. I'm sure you've seen the news that everyone thinks you're dead."

I nodded and breathed through my nose, my chest rising and then falling heavily.

"Abigail, when Leah pulled you out of the car-for whatever reason she had-she brought you into a world of trouble and danger. Without thinking, she introduced you to a group of people the world doesn't know exists. This group of people is full of highly trained, specialized and loyal individuals with a common purpose. Before I tell you anything else, I'm giving you a choice which I'm sure will be easy for you to make," she said and stood from her desk, placing her palms on it. "You have been sucked into this world not by your own choice but I am going to give you the option to join us in our mission. If you choose to decline my offer, then we have to dispose of you."