When Memory Dies

Chapter Two

            “Xavier! Have you got a blade sharpener I can borrow?” Zoey called from the kitchen. I sigh, grabbed my spare sharpener, and walked into the kitchen. I leant against the door frame holding the sharpener out, letting it dangle down on one finger.

            “Děkuji.” Zoey said, taking the sharpener from my grasp. I cocked my head to one side.

            “Děkuji?” I asked, stepping into the kitchen. Zoey sighed and set the blade and sharpener down on the counter.

            “It’s thank you in Czech.” She replied, evidentially exhausted. She picked up the blade and sharpener, and started sharpening again. I stood there watching her for a minute, then turned around and walked into the front room. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket as I flopped down onto the sofa. I pulled out my phone, and read the IM that Noah had sent me.

TheFabulousNoah5352: Xavi-boy. Stop flirting with the new girl and grab me a cola from the fridge.

ExcellentXavier870: Get off your lazy ass and get it yourself!

TheFabulousNoah5352: Oh I see. Zoey’s in the kitchen, right?

ExcellentXavier870: WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?!?!

ExcellentXavier870: Ok.

ExcellentXavier870: Maybe she is.

TheFabulousNoah5352: I knew it. I cancel my request. But still go into the kitchen.

ExcellentXavier870: If I’m going into the kitchen, I could still get your cola.

TheFabulousNoah5352: Excuses, excuses. Now continue with your conversation with Zoey.

ExcellentXavier870: But… I don’t know what to conversate about.

TheFabulousNoah5352: *converse

ExcellentXavier870: Shush you.

TheFabulousNoah5352: GO!

I yawned, and stood up, walking to the kitchen. Zoey was still there, working on her blade. I smiled.

“Hey.” I said quietly. Zoey looked up, her eyes widened, and then softened when she saw it was me.

“Hi.” She replied, only louder. She placed the blade and sharpener on the counter, and leaned against the sink. “Did you want something?” I realised I had come in there with nothing to say.

“Oh – yeah – uhh, Noah wanted a cola, and I wanted to remind you that we have to meet Dex on that job in a few hours.” I blurted, slightly too fast. Zoey raised an eyebrow, and then pulled a cola out of the fridge.

“You better take this to Noah, he doesn’t like waiting.” She said dismissively, grabbing the blade off of the counter and walking out of the kitchen. I quietly banged my head against the door frame repeatedly, mentally cursing myself for looking like an idiot in front of her. I stopped, rubbed my head, and then ran upstairs, heading straight for Noah’s room.

“Salutations, young Xavier,” Noah said as I walked in. He was lying on his bed playing The Guild 2 on his Xbox. “I see you have arrived with my beverage. I assume you have spoken to Zoey yet?” I sighed, and threw the can of cola lightly to him. He caught it, snapped it open, and took a long drink.

“Okay. Two things: One, I did talk to Zoey, but I bluffed and reminded her about the job,” Noah scoffed and started to comment, but I held one finger up and continued. “Two, you have been playing too much The Guild 2. You never usually say ‘salutations’ and ‘beverage’, they’re too long for you to understand.” I grinned, and caught the pillow Noah hurtled at me.

“Dude! When I said talk to her, I meant talk to her, not talk at her!” Noah said, chuckling slightly at the end. I smirked, threw the pillow back, and walked out of the room. I shuffled down the hall and into my room, plopping down on the bed whilst grabbing my iPod from the bedside table. I cursed as my hand hit the hard, cold wooden surface, and slipped my ear buds in. I let myself slowly drift to sleep to Explosions in the Sky’s soothing music.

***

I shot up quickly in my bed panting, my palms sweaty. That stupid nightmare again! I thought angrily. I got up out of bed, and stumbled into my bathroom. I stared at myself in the mirror - my eyes were wide and bloodshot, crust starting to form in the creases; my hair was a big, black, tangled mess; my skin had turned deathly pale, making my lips looked redder than usual. I splashed some water over myself, turned around, and started getting ready for the job. I walked sleepily down the stairs in my usual attire, yawning loudly as I walked into the kitchen.

“Hello Sleeping Beauty,” Dex said grinning at me. I smirked back, grabbed the plastic basket strawberries from the fridge, and sat down at the table. Dex walked past towards the fridge as the kettle popped. He looked at me, knowing what was coming. I waggled my eyebrows and pouted like a whiny child. He sighed, and grabbed my black mug out of the cupboard. I smiled at him, and turned back to my strawberries.

“When is this job supposed to be then?” I said half-interestedly, examining the strawberry in my hand. Dex placed the mug of steaming coffee in front of me, and I immediately dropped my strawberry to drink it. I brought the mug to my lips, taking a hefty sip, and instantly regretting my decision. I darted out of my seat and spat the scalding drink out, filling a glass full of water to cool my burning mouth. Dex chuckled, and picked up his phone from where it was lying on the table.

“The job’s on in twenty minutes, Einstein. Can’t you read a clock?” He said sarcastically, keeping his eyes locked on the phone’s screen. I glared at him, picked up my coffee and strawberries from the table, and walked into the front room.

I sat watching TV like a zombie, waiting for the rest of them to get ready. Zoey waltzed in, picked up her pistol, and skipped back out again. I stretched, and turned the TV off. I snatched my blade from the mantelpiece, and followed Zoey outside.

“You ready?” She asked, shrugging on her cloak. I nodded, and started walking. The journey was deadly silent and awkward; the only time we communicated was to ask ‘Is this the right way?’ After an hour of walking, we found where we needed to be. I grinned, and pulled out my lock pick as I jumped over the fence into the back garden, Zoey following close behind. I unlocked the back door swiftly and quietly, and ushered Zoey in. We crept through the kitchen, constantly looking over our shoulder for any unexpected disturbance. Zoey pulled out a mirror from her pocket, and as quietly as she could, angled it so that she could get a full view of the front room. She nodded to me, and we sneaked in, tiptoeing carefully to not alarm anyone. We reached the stairs, and I crept up slowly and silently, surveying the whole first floor. The place was empty apart from one room – the study. We heard the slight tapping of a keyboard, and the occasional mutter from a man. Zoey and I grinned at each other, and then surrounded the door. We waited. Twenty minutes later, John Anderson walked out of his room, muttering under his breath.

“What the--!” He exclaimed as he spotted us, and we leapt on him. I punched him forcefully in the face, whilst Zoey gagged him. He head-butted me and kicked Zoey off of him, and ran downstairs. We shot up and raced after him. I pulled out my blade. Zoey grabbed the pistol she’d hidden in her jean pocket, quickly turning the safety off. John stopped dead in his tracks and pulled out a shotgun that was hidden on top of the kitchen cupboard, and turned it on us. He fired at Zoey, missing her by a few centimetres. Zoey chuckled, and aimed her pistol at him. She fired, but he dodged the bullet, firing once more. The bullet shot past me, and I ran forward, throwing my blade at John’s hand. It was a direct hit. He screamed in pain as the blade went through his hand, the shotgun falling from his grip. I kicked the shotgun away, and pushed John over.

“Have fun robbing the dead, Anderson.” I said through my teeth, and quickly stabbed him in the heart. His eyes bulged, and I swiftly got up, pulling out my blade from his chest. I turned on my heel and walked out.

“Well that went well,” Zoey said, walking out behind me as she popped the pistol back in her pocket. I turned to her and smirked.

“Yeah I guess it did; one thing though.” I said as I stopped walking. She stopped and turned to me, her eyebrows raised. I smiled. “You are a really bad assassin.”