Louis smiles and nods. He seems happy with her answer. "Good. And last question...is there anything that you cannot physically do or anything that you are afraid of? You must be honest with me. If something comes up during your training that you are afraid to do, you must tell me right away. You will not be punished for your fears; that's not how we operate. But I would prefer that you don't faint during combat training for example. I'd rather we adapt the training to you than vice versa. Does this sound reasonable?"
"...Alright...I'll let you know about it. But if I screw up during the mission...what will you do to me?"
Louis considers it for a moment with a cold look in his eyes, and then he speaks. "If you fail in your duties or show some major act of cowardice or betrayal from the organization, I will kill you without hesitation. But do not let that scare you...", his voice sounded a bit more gentle now, "...I will give you a lot of leeway when it comes to making mistakes. You are my first disciple, so you deserve the best of help. But you cannot show any sign of hesitation. Any sign of cowardice! Any show of remorse! Do you understand me?"
"...hai...", Lily said.
Louis nodded once again. "Good." His expression became kind and sincere as he continued, "You will need to get used to living the life of a criminal.
You're going to see, hear, and do all kinds of things you won't like or you may even hate. It will not be easy, but if you can handle that and prove yourself to be loyal...I swear to you, this life can be very rewarding. Do you accept all of this? You need to say it clearly so we are on the same page."
"...hai...", Lily's hope for a better life is now shattered for good.
Louis smiles and nods, looking quite proud as he continues speaking. "You have now made a commitment. You will live and die with the Moriartys. You are family.", he put his hand over his heart while saying this to her and he seems very sincere at this moment. "I know this all seems extreme for you now but just give it some time. You'll soon see that this is all very much worth it. You will come to love your life here as much as we do. Does this sound agreeable?"
Lily nodded her head and said, "Sooo...when do we start training?"
Louis seemed surprised at the sudden change in topic, but he recovers quickly and laughs a bit. "I'm sorry, I got too carried away. How about we start on Monday? You can use the next few days to get yourself adjusted to your new life. But on Monday, we begin. You're going to learn how to become a true Moriarty! We'll get you used to the family and your duties, and then move on to the more delicate topic of the art of murder."
~***~
Monday came and it was time for Lily's training.
"We shall now officially begin learning the art of murder. Do you know how to use a gun?"
"No...unless you count knives from the kitchen?"
Louis frowned a little. "I see...very well, we will put a little more priority in gun training then. Do you have any particular preferences when it comes to firearms? A favorite model perhaps?"
"... Long-range shooting sounds nice..."
Louis nods. "Very good...then it's settled. You will learn the fundamentals of killing with a pistol - just like every proper criminal. And after that, you shall become a marksman with a sniper rifle. You'll also learn some more brutal skills such as hand-to-hand fighting or knife throwing... If you show the potential of course.", he gives Lily a sly grin. "What about other weapons? Like bombs or traps? Are those something you have any interest in learning?"
"Knife throwing?", Lily's eyes widened with surprise.
Louis nods. "It's a necessary skill if you're going to be killing for a living. Throwing a knife with precision is quite advanced and takes a lot of training. But once you've perfected it...", his voice became quiet and serious, "...let's just say it's not exactly a common skill for a young woman to have. I'd be quite impressed if you could pick up the basics. So...does that sound like something you'd like to try?"
Lily looked around the room and spotted a scissor on the desk. She took it, opened its blades, and flung it across the room. It landed at the head of the portrait's painting.
Louis was shocked at the accuracy of the throw. "Wow...that's...incredibly impressive, Lily! ...my my...", he lets out a soft chuckle like he looks almost proud of her. "It seems you do have some skills after all...I think you'll learn the ropes faster than expected."
"I-I'm sorry...is that painting important? I'll do my best to repatch it!"
Louis shakes his head with a small smile. "Don't worry about it; we quite have an art collection in our vault.", Louis went towards to the painting and removed the scissors.
"So, do you want to learn more about the art of throwing knives like that? Or how about more advanced skills? What if you choose your top three?", a sly smile creeps up his mouth, "Pick the most appealing crime in your opinion and we'll start training you there instead."
"Hmm...since I am great in the kitchen, the knives are like an extension of my body. And then I could turn food into poison without it being noticed immediately. For my last one..."
He smiles. "Well...I like your enthusiasm. Okay, I propose this: we'll start with throwing knives. And once you have mastered that, we can start on the art of poisoning, and you can also learn how to get away with murder as a bonus lesson! Does that sound good to you?", an almost evil grin takes over his face as he speaks. "These are all valuable skills... and you seem like a quick learner."
"Hai.", for once Lily let out a small smile across her face.
YOU ARE READING
Living Hell (Louis James Moriarty short story)
FanfictionLily lived a tough life in the city of London. When she applied as a maid at the Moriarty manor, she didn't expect that she'll be working with the Lord of Crime. Unfortunately, she doesn't have the luxury to say "no." Will she set aside her morals a...