Antithesis

Chapter 2

I told Terrin everything about my most recent target, he loves hearing about them. For his enjoyment I may have exaggerated a few of the gory details but he ate up my words like a starving man given a feast. I knew he missed being an assassin.

Fifteen years ago Terrin was just like me, but he was attacked by an enemy he had made and stabbed in the thigh. The knife hit some of his nerves and since then he has been lame in that leg. But he does the best he can with it. I think that he feels indebted to Jack, as we all do, for being the parental figure in his life. That, and if Jack had left, we would have been forced to hunt him down.

As I finished my story I saw a gleam of pride in his eyes. I had come a long way from when I first started training. Now I was completely confident in myself, some might say too confident, but I didn't really care what they thought about me, they didn't know anything about me. The only opinions that mattered to me were those of Jack, Terrin, Gavin, and Nick. It's a pretty short list but it consisted of all of the family and friends I had and would ever need. The more people I cared about, the easier it was to put myself in danger, and I wasn't a huge fan of risking my life. Never done it, never will. It was that simple.

"I'm going to head to bed, I have to get up early. Thanks for supper it was okay for a common meal," I said jokingly. We both knew I had thoroughly enjoyed it. Terrin let out a laugh that turned into a large yawn and he muttered something about going to sleep too.

I headed up to my room and flopped on my bed. It was soft, not as cushy as I was used to, but I could put up with it for a night. I wondered what my next assignment would be as I drifted off to sleep. Our code word for the targets was present, and Jack always gave me interesting presents. They were always so mouthwateringly delectable, like Greek gods, and sometimes it almost pained me to end such beauty.

A soft knocking on my door woke me up. I looked at the window, but it was pitch black outside.

I walked to the door and opened it to reveal Terrin, holding a tray with a bowl of porridge, a spoon, and a glass of water on it. Not much, but hopefully it would be enough substance to keep me going until I was home.

"I refilled your water and added some snacks to your bag while you slept," Terrin said kindly. He always did this sort of thing, little kindnesses that were foreign to me.

"Thanks Terrin," I said, giving him a small smile and taking the meal before closing the door to my room. Being brought up under the extreme tough love of Jack, where compliments were so rare you were more likely to see a unicorn walking on two legs, made me unfamiliar with generosity and consideration, and I never knew how to respond to those acts. 

I scooped the porridge into my mouth and downed the glass of water, leaving the tray on the bed as I grabbed my bag, fastened my cloak around my neck, and left the room. I gave Terrin a hushed goodbye, the houses were rather close together and I didn't want to wake anyone. The less people that saw me the better.

"I'll see you in a week or two," Terrin whisper called as I left the house, enjoying the morning breeze wash over my face. I knew my way around almost every town within a five hour brisk walk of Jack's castle. Exploring and knowing the right places to get things was important, or the people who would turn a blind eye to the baggage I would bring. With the right kind of persuasion, usually a silver coin or two, I could bring in a dinosaur and no one would say anything.

I walked, keeping a quick pace, until the sun rose and the world came to life. Once I was no longer concealed by the shadows of the morning I pulled the hood of my cloak over my face so it was concealed from passerby.

The sun was nearly straight over me when I saw the tall towers of Jack's castle, and out of pure relief, let out a small whoop. My feet were killing me, even in my favorite and most comfortable leather boots.