Red Reaper // Twilight J.H.

02 // FORKS, WASHINGTON

//

Forks, Washington was the location Nikita was being sent to. After more than a month of studying and learning about American cultures, the young woman was prepared for her mission. She had perfected not only her knowledge, but her accent as well. Before she was tasked with this mission, she had a thick Russian accent when speaking English. Now, however, it had faded almost completely.

Her alias was interesting. According to her cover, she was an ordinary seventeen-year-old named Nicole Reynolds. Her parents recently died in a car crash, and with no other place to go, she would be adopted by her father's longtime friend, Owen Nichols and his wife, Sarah. She was raised in Seattle, Washington and had no other living relatives. She only spoke English and Spanish.

Nikita was satisfied with her alias. Nicole sounded similar to her real name, which was, for some odd reason, relieving. However, it was a bit disappointing she would only be able to speak English and Spanish. After all, she had been taught twelve languages; thirteen if you included the one she only knew the basics of.

After almost two months of learning to be an American, Nikita was ready for her mission.

The flight to America was uneventful and bland. Nikita spent most of the flight reviewing the notes Madame B and another instructor had given her. The rest of the flight was passed by observing the view outside the window, reminiscing on how far she had come from that frightened six year old that had been dragged into Red Room.

When the plane landed, Nikita exited and headed to find where Owen Nichols would be waiting for her. He would be driving her the rest of the way to Forks.

It did not take long for the seventeen-year-old to spot the man in the crowd. He didn't carry a sign with her name, but instead stood there, arms crossed. When he noticed her approaching him, he smiled politely and offered to take one of her bags.

'How ironic,' Nikita mused. 'Offering to take one of my bags, despite knowing what I'm capable of.'

Instead of voicing her thoughts, Nikita returned the smile and murmured, "Thanks, but I've got it."

Owen nodded and began leading the way to his vehicle. It was a dark gray truck, with plenty of room for luggage and passengers.

Nikita placed her bags in the backseat, then hopped into the front passenger seat. As they began driving towards Forks, she stared out the window, barely masking her expression of awe.

She had been raised in a sheltered environment, and therefore did not see much of the outside world. Yes, she had studied and learned for missions, but it was different seeing the things in real life versus on a screen or paper.

The drive dragged on, full of awkward tension. Owen kept trying to start conversations, but Nikita would shut them down with simple, short responses and purposely vague answers. Eventually the man gave up, opting instead to turn on the radio to fill in the blanks. Although she didn't show it, Nikita was surprised by the rock music that played; she usually only ever listened to piano music, due to Red Room's pianos and ballet practice.

A couple hours passed, and Nikita spotted a sign that displayed Forks' name and its population. Just knowing there were vampires in the area made the brunette itch for a weapon in her hand. She had multiple weapons hidden in her clothing (knives, guns, etc.) but none in her hands.

Owen lifted a hand off the steering wheel to dial down the radio. Once he was sure the volume was low enough for her to clearly hear him, he exclaimed, "Here we are."

"Where do most of the killings take place?" Nikita queried, bypassing his exclamation completely.

Owen answered, "All over Forks, and one in a town over. There's no specific hot spot."

Nikita stared out the window yet again, giving no sign that she had heard what he said. She focused on the beautiful scenery passing by them. It was gorgeous! So much rich green. The sky was cloudy and vacant of sunlight; perfect weather for vampires.

The town must have been fairly small, because it only took a minute longer for them to reach Owen's residence. There was already another truck in the driveway, looking identical to Owen's, except lighter in hue.

'Must be his wife's,' Nikita thought to herself.

The house was a one story house, cute and decorated with a white picket fence. There were a few other yard decorations, but not anything noteworthy. The outside walls were composed of tan bricks and white painted wood.

Owen parked the vehicle in the driveway, then switched off the engine. Nikita unbuckled her seat belt and exited the truck, not sparing her employer a single glance. She opened the backdoor, retrieving her luggage. The suitcases mostly contained weapons, notes, and new clothing.

After retrieving her belongings, Nikita trailed after Owen into his house. Immediately upon entering, the Red Reaper could smell something being cooked. She also picked up whiffs of feminine perfume with her enhanced senses.

A gorgeous woman stepped out from around a corner, which probably led to the kitchen. She had light brown hair with blonde highlights, as well as a few silver strands. Her eyes were a warm brown, appearing welcoming and motherly. She had an hourglass figure, and was dressed in jeans, a long-sleeved shirt, and tennis shoes. Her makeup was light and natural. Overall, she seemed beautiful and inviting.

"Owen, you're home!" the woman greeted happily. Nikita deduced this was Owen's wife, Sarah.

"Sure am," Owen replied. He gestured behind him and added, "This is Nicole Reynolds." He emphasized on her alias, probably hoping his wife picked up the hint and used her fake identity.

Sarah took the hint and smiled at Nikita. "I'm Sarah. Pleasure to meet you, Nicole."

"Likewise," Nikita murmured stiffly, unused to such kindness.

They seemed like such a nice, normal couple. How did they get involved with Red Room? How did they even know of Red Room?

"I'll show you to your room," Owen murmured, waving his hand towards a nearby hallway. Nikita wordlessly followed after the man, while Sarah returned to whatever it was she was cooking.

Owen led the way to a simple white wooden door, vacant of decoration. He swung the door open, revealing a simple room with white walls, a dresser, closet, nightstand, and bed. The nightstand and dresser were a dark brown wood material, and the covers on the bed were composed of a navy blue fabric.

"You can go ahead and unpack while Sarah finishes up dinner," Owen suggested. "We'll call you when dinner is ready."

Nikita nodded silently, and began unzipping her first suitcase. Owen abandoned his stand by the doorway and left the seventeen-year-old to herself.

She exhaled quietly through her parted lips, folding away her clothes in the dresser drawers. While doing so, she lost herself in her thoughts.

Sarah and Owen seemed like such a normal couple. How did they know of Red Room and the Red Reapers?

Despite not knowing the answer, Nikita did know one thing.

She was going to finish this mission no matter what.

//