Assassin's Eye

Chapter 1.

Lucy stepped cautiously through the pine forest, the brisk chill of winter air making her nose numb with cold. The snow had begun to fall and she was almost to the clearing, where Jax awaited with the job options. She wasn't a huge fan of this business, but any way to get food on the table was a suitable way for those times.

It was hard to get money, especially with the debt Astaria had been plunged into, and if she had to kill people to do it, she would. A chill came over her, one that was unrelated to the frost forming on her eyelashes, and she turned to see Jax Fullbring, his electric blue hair catching a dim ray of moonlight. He was wearing a white tunic that was tucked into his black trousers, and tall black boots that went up to his knees. A collar was fastened around his neck, scarlet like the serpent style tattoos over his eyes.

Lucy almost smiled to see the stack of papers he had in his hand. She walked silently over to where he waited and noted the differences between herself and the man. Lucy had shoulder length brown hair, and she wore a fairly common dress that laced up the front, the bodice a deep shade of green. She had a brown coat that buttoned up to her chin, and stockings that went from her dark brown boots all the way up until they disappeared into the folds of her dress. Concerning her face, her deep brown eyes paled in comparison to Jax's golden eyes, and while her smile was normal, almost charming in the right light, the assassin in front of her had pointed teeth, his smile reminding her of a snake about to strike its prey.

"Hello, Jax," Lucy said, giving a bitter smile as she walked over to where he stood.

"Lucy," He replied, fingering through the papers he had. He handed her one, and she looked down at it. On the parchment, in large silver handwriting was written:

Assassination Job Offer. Target: John Harper. Payment: 25,000 Coin. Job Level:

"I think this one will be to your liking?" Jax said slowly.

Lucy shook her head, though, looking down at the paper in her hand in disgust. "Give me the stack and I'll pick one for myself."

She scrolled through the options, looking at each critically, then pulled one from the pile. The silver ink glittered in the moonlight and Lucy smirked as she looked down at it. "I would like this one please," she said, her smile growing. Jax craned his neck to see the paper, and an eyebrow raised.

He took the stack of papers from her hands and Lucy turned to look at him. "Are you sure? I risked a lot to bring you this, and if you're just going to throw it all away like that..." Jax protested in a way that, if she didn't know better, would have sounded sincere, and he began to search for another from the stack. He grimaced at sight of the disorder it was now plunged into. Finally, he held up the fluttering paper. "I think this one would be more—" She held up a hand to cut him off.

"No, thank you. This one will be just fine."

Jax looked at her, his mock concerned expression seeming to pierce through her, and he nodded, amused, beginning to walk back through the forest. In a moment, it was difficult to believe that he had been there at all. Lucy continued to smile as she darted off into the trees as well, her footsteps silent in the night. She thought to herself as she ran. Simon isn't going to be happy, but to be honest, that was sort of the point. A pair of glowing eyes caught her own through the darkness, and a bobcat stepped from the trees. It glared at Lucy for a moment, and she froze. It looked too sleepy to care that she was there at all, so Lucy winked, grinned, and took off again. Only twenty miles until the city. She could make it in one shot.

Lucy ended up stopping once, actually, and took a breather as she waited for her strength to return. The sun was just starting to come up, and she was glad for it, as she tripped once and it threw off her entire mood. She should have known better than that, and if she messed up on this mission it could be bad. Really bad. She decided that if she was going to go out, she may as well go out with a bang.