The Ninja Assassin
I grabbed a white towel from the bleacher and wiped the sweat from my face and my neck. I just had a nice workout from my high school's Karate club. Even though I know all about it, it's still great to practice up on the moves. I learned everything from my grandfather. He taught me all I needed to know about martial arts when I was a young girl. Though, my father, his son and my mother, his daughter in law, didn't want me wasting my time with that lunacy. I was born into a mixed family. My father and his side of the family are Chinese. My mother and her side of the family are African American. My mother and father wanted me to focus on things that were important like my studies. They thought martial arts were going to distract me from that. But, the young me was a tomboy, who was a very intelligent girl who studied enough and didn't really have much of a social life. When my grandfather introduced me to martial arts, I secretly yearned to learn it. My grandfather secretly trained me behind my parents back. As I learned it, I grew to love it and dedicated my life to it. Martial arts are now my life and I protect those I care for with it. But as I grew into an adolescent, I found out what my grandfather was training me for.
I watched as my classmates dragged their bodies out of the gymnasium, carrying their duffle bag and backpack. I slightly laughed to myself at how out of shape they were. I checked to make sure there was no one around. When the coast was clear, I rummaged through my duffle bag, getting out a long blue beach towel, a small blue wash cloth, my shower gel, deodorant, a pair of jean shorts, knee high fishnet stockings, a tight, thin strapped black tan top and black shoe boots. I walked into the girl's locker room. I placed my clothes and beach towel down on the floor next to the shower stall. I turned on the faucet and waited for the water to warm up. I stripped down from my sweaty uniform. I folded it up and set it down next to my clothes. I stretched out my hand to the running water to check and see if it was hot. Satisfied, I grabbed my small wash cloth and shower gel and stepped into the stall. I sighed in relief as the warm water hit my face. I ran both of my hands back through my long brunette hair, getting it soaked with water. My body felt relaxed. The warm water was soothing. I grabbed my cloth, dabbed shower gel in it and rubbed it together in the running water. I started washing my face first and worked my way down to washing my feet last.
As I finished rinsing my body off from the soap, I heard a slight creaking sound. My eyes were closed, so I wouldn't get water in my eyes as I washed my face, so I couldn't see anything. My grandfather taught me to use my other four senses. He taught me how to see without using my eyes. I kept my guard up as I turned off the faucet. Once the water stopped, there was nothing, but complete silence. I squeezed the water from my eyes and squinted them closed. I wrung my hair out, so it wouldn't be dripping on the floor when I got out. I stepped out of the stall and grabbed my beach towel. I wrapped the towel around my wet body and tucked in the top part of the towel into my cleavage. I had a weird feeling in my chest. I felt that someone was watching me. My guard was still up as I turned to face my clothes. There wasn't a lot of lighting in here and they were dim and they flickered. As I stared at the green wall in front of me, I felt a presence drawing nearer behind me. On the wall reflected a faint shadow moving towards me. I eyed the shadow carefully, waiting patiently, before I could make my move. The shadow rose up what looked like the shadow of a sword. When the sword was drawn down, that's when I quickly made my move. I blocked the attack on my head with my left wrist. I heard a faint growl escape from his lips. Without taking my gaze from him, I swiftly tripped him by swinging my body around and kicking the back of his ankles. Before he fell on the floor, I knocked the blade up and out of his hands; grabbing the handle of it when it descended. I grabbed the handle with my other hand and swung it down, but he blocked it and knocked it out of my hands with a dagger he hid in his black robe. He pushed me away, slashing my cheek in the process and flipping back, landing on his feet. My eyes started to glare at the guy as he pulled his face mask down, so that his lips were out and licked the blood off his dagger. I wiped the blood that started to trickle down my cheek with my arm, without taking my gaze from him. I waited for him to make the next move. He charged at me with his dagger in hand swinging from left to right. I kept stepping backwards with each of his step forward, dodging his attack. I leaned my head back when he jabbed his dagger forward and grabbed the blade part, so it wouldn't stab me in my face. He kept pushing his dagger forward with his strength, but I matched it, pushing back. I kicked his stomach, so that he was pushed back, quickly taking the dagger from his hands. I felt my towel loosen, so I quickly made my next move and stabbed his dagger in his stomach. A metallic taste traveled up my throat, making me cough and spit it out on the ground. I realized that it was my blood. I stared down at my stomach to see that he hid another dagger somewhere in his robe. Right when I stabbed him in the stomach, he did the same to me.
"Bastard….." I mumbled angrily to him.
A delightful smirk curved its way up to his lips as he too coughed out blood.
"Who do you work for?" I asked him, but he didn't answer. Instead he stayed silent.
His right hand dug in his robe again, taking out a smoke bomb.
"That information is confidential. Don't worry, Aaliyah, I will be back for you and finish the job."
He threw the bomb on the ground, creating thick white smoke. I coughed and waved my hand from side to side trying to disperse the smoke. When the smoke dissipated, the ninja was gone. My body wait was beginning to put a toll on me, so I knelt down on my right knee, breathing heavily in and out.
Who was he and who did he work for? Why were they trying to kill me?
A million questions were running through my head all at once and none of them were answered. I forced my body up and walked back into the shower stall. I turned on the faucet and stepped inside. I flinched as the hot water grazed the wound in my stomach. I stared down at it and sighed in relief. It was nothing serious. It was only a flesh wound. After cleaning myself up again, I turned off the faucet and stepped out of the stall and got dressed.
As I walked out of the girls' locker room and into the gymnasium, I was distracted by my thoughts to notice someone was running up to me. I was tightly embraced by surprise, so I fell back on the hard, waxed floor. I groaned out because I was still sore from the fight and still aching from the wound in my stomach. I rubbed my head and looked up to see my best friend Taesung. My lips curved into a warm smile.
"Yo, Tae-chan." I greeted him.
"What took you so long? I waited here for the past hour for you." He complained to me.
I rubbed the back of my head nervously.
"My bad. I had to take a shower and it ended up taking longer than I expected."
He eyed me suspiciously and then noticed I was holding my stomach tightly.
"What happened to your stomach?" He asked me, touching it.
I smacked his hand away. I didn't want him to feel the wound the Ninja had left.
"Ano, uhm, I tripped and fell down." I lied to him.
"Geez, for a martial artist, you sure are clumsy." He teased.
I laughed and pushed him off me.
"Shut up…" I playfully smack his shoulder with my fist.
"Anyways, we should get going. Your parents are probably wondering where you have been."
I simply nodded my head in agreement.
I slowly got up from off the floor, but I felt an odd presence. Like someone was watching me from behind. I quickly turned around to see that no one was there. I didn't let my eyes fool me. Someone was definitely there and I knew who exactly it was.
"Aaliyah?" Taesung snapped me back.
"Sorry. Let's go." I told him walking ahead of him.
I have a lot questions that need to be answered and I know exactly who it is I need to ask.
