An Assassin's Heart

Chapter • 5

Over the course of the next week, the two assassins trained relentlessly. They worked hard, day in and day out, until the day of the mission was upon them. Alice woke up extra early, then ran down to the lobby's front desk. She talked excitedly with the clerk for a few minutes before being handed the ornate black box. She smiled brightly before thanking the clerk and heading back to the apartment.

She silently entered her home, box in hand, and was greeted with silence. It was a kind of calm before the storm that she had learned to love and appreciate.

She placed the box on the coffee table before heading to the kitchen. She turned some music on, playing it quietly, as she began to make some breakfast. She pulled bacon and eggs out of the fridge, then she put a pan on the stove.

She quickly cooked the bacon, then the eggs, before placing them on bagels. She took one of the bagel sandwiches, along with the box, with her as she went to wake Leo up.

"Leo?" She squeaked, walking into the dark room quietly. It was pitch black in the confines of his room, and she slid her feet across the carpet carefully as she tried to find the bed. "Are you up?"

She closed her eyes momentarily, allowing her senses to adjust and magnify, before opening them to a new clarity. She sighed, heading towards the lump on the bed. She placed the plate on his nightstand and placed the black box on the floor at her feet before shaking him lightly. He groaned and sleepily swatted her away, rolling over to face away from her.

"Leo, you have to get up." She cooed, shaking him again. He whined, flopping over to face her again. He glared at her with groggy eyes through the darkness, pouting. He really wasn't a morning person.

"I don't want to." He yawned, closing his eyes in defiance. She clicked her tongue, and her eyesight shifted slightly as she bent down, now eye to eye with him.

"If you don't wake up now, then I'll stop playing nice." She whispered, face mere inches from his. He opened one eye, examining her, before he sat bolt upright. "Good boy."

"Morning." He muttered, rubbing his eyes and stretching.

"I have something for you..." She sang, smiling an ever so rare smile. He looked at her silently, blinking, while she sat there.

"Oh?" He cocked his head and turned towards her slightly. "What is it?"

"Here." She chirped, handing him the long, black box decorated with flowers. He took it from her carefully, setting it in his lap. Alice rested her chin on the edge of the mattress, watching him intently.

"A... Cane?" He pulled the long, slender piece of wood from the box, trying to examine it in the little light. It seemed to be a long, black cane with ornate carvings along it. There wasn't enough light in the room to make the carvings out, though, so he ran his finger over them.

"Pull the handle thing at the top." Alice whispered excitedly, and he did as he was told. There was a small click as he pulled the top, revealing the blade hidden within the cane. His eyes nearly popped out of his head as he examined his new weapon.

"This is mine?" He asked, sounding like a child. Alice nodded, still smiling. "What's the occasion?"

"Well, most of us have custom weapons, so I figured you should too. The ones in the gym are supposed to stay there. They're for practice only." She explained. "If you make a request with the details of the weapon, and pay for it, you'll get it within a week. It's a welcome present for the mission tonight. Oh! Speaking of, you need to eat and then get ready."

"Can you sum up the plan again?" He asked, grabbing the plate from his nightstand and thanking her.

"The party is at seven. We go there and I lure our target away from the crowd, then you poison him from a distance with a dart, and we get the hell out of there." She went over the details, yet again, with a sigh. She went over them at least once a day.