PROLOGUE
I’m not like other girls. I don’t look pretty in pink, I don’t like dressing up in pretty clothes or spend hours putting on makeup. It’s just not me. I prefer guns and bows and knives, inanimate objects that can actually get me somewhere in life. I have to admit, I have become very fond of my knife collection. Knives are probably my favorite weapon out of all of them because I can carry them nearly wherever I go. But mostly because I have been taught by my father how to use them. I have become a pretty lethal person over the years. I excelled in shooting, throwing knives, and hand-to-hand combat, though I haven't done training in years.
My father was very proud. One day, we found out that he had brain cancer. By that point, there was no stopping it. He died on my 11th Birthday. I will never forget that day. From then on, my mum would never let me do any of the things that I loved. I was banned from shooting, all of my knives were taken away, and I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere by myself. I have grieved over my father’s death ever since.
I would like to apologize for the rather unpleasant beginning, but that's how life goes. It may not always be the best to start with. Anyways, my name is Akecheta, my real name. The name comes from Africa, meaning “fighter”. It was my fathers mums name, who was born in Africa. I am only 25% African American, so I don’t look it. But I feel it. My father’s skin was a caramel brown color. Mum comes from Germany on her fathers side. I am very tan, due to my father. I have naturally straight dark brown hair. In the summer, it turns a lighter brown, but in the winter, it seems nearly jet black.
My father told me that my eyes were one of the many things that inspired my name. From the moment I was born, he knew who I would become. My eyes are two different colors, a side effect of the mixture of different races "mating", called heterochromia. My left eye is a stunning icy blue color. My right eye is a piercing green. I often get made fun of because of my eyes at school, although I was told by my father that they are beautiful. Sometimes, I can almost believe it. But not now, not today, and not ever again.
