Target Down - The Ghost Assassin

Sweet 16

My 16th birthday was fast approaching and my mother had told us that she wanted me to spend the milestone with her.

I wasn't going to complain. I missed her and my friends and I really needed a break from my aunt. My uncle was a hoot, not to mention my personal thread to what is happening in the world.

As a journalist, his boss had put him in charge of covering the all the mob hits and assassinations for the paper. My target had caused quite the stir around not only the country but internationally as well. I found it helps having such a connection. He would come home for weeks, spewing out how useless the cops were for not being able to find any traces of the assassin who took down one of the members of the Romanov family.

The poor man had no idea but I couldn't feel sorry for him. I'm just glad that he wasn't the only one who didn't have a clue.

"So, what time am I supposed to drop you off at the airport, Sky?" He enquires of me inbetween bits of his dinner.

"The booking mom made is for 7am on Thursday." I tell him with my mouth just as full as his was.

He looks at me and nods then looks at his wife. "I'll take her through. I need to stop over at the office before heading out to the FBI conference." To which she acknowledges with a head nod of her own.

"I guess you'll get to see your friends again. I'm sure you've missed them quite a bit, especially that boy, the one you stood up for, what's his name again?" He carrys on a conversation with me.

"Hun, she put a boy in the hospital. I don't think you should reffer to it as something as mild as standing up for someone." She warns her husband.

"True. Sky did put a boy in the hospital." He says looking at his wife and turns to me. "Not necessary." And once again turns to his wife. "However, as much as I don't condone violence. Sky was in all terms, standing up for her friend. He'd been thrown down a flight of stairs, you can't expect her to just stand there and do nothing." He earns a look of disappointment from his wife.

And... Just so I get to rub my aunt the wrong way, because I can. I say to my uncle." Nathan. His name is Nathan. "

He turns to face me with a genuine smile on his face, the type that reaches the eyes, and and nods. However, the conversation dies there.

The flight home was boring, too short to find a decent movie but too long for my nerves. I hadn't seen my mom and friends in nearly two years. I kept in contact with them all but seeing them again would be different. I was different. Im not the same carefree jovial little girl I was. A lot has changed. A lot has happened.

The journey of not only getting to know my dad, but exacting his revenge has made me grow up and quickly. I also don't have that same laxadaisy outlook. Now, I look over my shoulder, think before I speak and internally analyze everything everybody says to me.

"Trust no one, Angel. Not even those you think are your friends. This path is a lonely one, especially if there people you love." His words run through my mind as a contant reminder of the choice I've made and out of everyone, he should know.

My plane lands and I head out to grab my bag and go through the exiting terminal to find my mother and Nathan waiting for me.

I run over as mom stands there with her arms held out wide as if she was waiting for a toddler to come running at her and Nathan stands patiently beside her for his turn for a hug fest. All three of us smiling from ear to ear with my mother adding tears to hers.

"Oh my baby Angel!" She croons as she hugs me. "I missed you so much."

"Missed you too mom." I ring in her ears and squeeze her a bit tighter.

She pushes me to arm length away from her and runs her eyes over me. "Look at you! You've grown so much." Her tears roll heavier down her cheeks.

"Hey, Sky." Nate says trying to give my mother a chance for her emotions to play catch up.

I loll my head to the side to get a better look at my string bean, who has surprising filled out quite nicely. His voice no longer as volatile with adolescent hormal changes.

I step up to him and threw myself into his arms, realizing he still stand about two feet taller than me. I'm glad some things haven't changed.

"Hey Nate." I whisper into his ear and we hold only each other tightly. "I'm so glad you're here."

That night Nate, slept over and I got a full run down of what has happened since my move to New York.

Both Mila and Cheyenne now had steady boyfriends and Nate was onto boyfriend number 5. Fred was no longer in the school as he was caught having sex with a cheer leader in the change rooms by his coach. That was something his father couldn't pay to hide, apparently.

I had to spare on the details of what I had been up to, making it seem as though not much has happened but at least I could share with him all the places I had seen and actually act like a normal teenager by complaining about how nosey my aunt was.

The next morning I could tell something was up, just by the looks and nods happening between Nate and my mother, but for their sake I would play dumb.

Nate suggested that we go out for  a bit and leave my mom to baking my cake for a supposed quiet birthday dinner at home. Like hell. I saw the wink, ol' lady, but I gladly let Nate usher me out the house with the promise of ice cream.

"Sky. I've wanted to ask you for a while now." Nate says, avoiding eye contact while taking a lick of his cone. "Where the fuck did you learn those moves to kick Freds ass like that?"

I couldn't help it. His voice might no long be breaking but he was still all feminine.

He looked at me, probably knowing exactly what I was thinking because he added a hand wave to his next comment. "Bitch got his ass handed to him!"

After calming down i told him the answer was quite simple, that after he ended up with a black eye and a split lip I had hit up all the martial arts Youtube videos I could find. He was satisfied with that explaination and proceeded to say that he would try that out himself. After all, girls needed to learn some self-defense.

Seeing him keeping tabs on the time I knew. I just knew something was up and after three hours of walking around the small town and not bumping into any of our other friends, it became obvious.

Just play along Sky.

You'll need to act surprised.

Smile.

Blush.

We headed back to my mothers house after he checked the time on his phone yet again.

Nothing out of the ordinary. No extra cars parked outside, but the dead give away were the drawn curtains. My mother never closed the curtains during the day. Sorry mom.

Nate opened the front door and stepped aside like a gentleman to let me go through.

The silence was obvious too.

As he walked in behind me and closed the door, a little harder than necessary, dead give away, the hiding crowd jumped out from their hiding spots screaming 'Happy Birthday!'

I screamed.

I acted surprised.

I smiled.

And I blushed... For all the people I loved.

I'm going to miss this.