Second Life by Justin

Maria's past

I noticed something strange, Nia's wounds... they seemed to have healed a little. I don't know how, but I don't care. Maybe, if I give it my all. I began to give her CPR.

Nia's POV
I've died before, it's always dark. I look at myself, I'm curious to see what my spirit's form is... I think I see what Caroline was talking about, it seems like my soul is constantly changing. Maybe it's because a soul takes the form of it's visal, but I've had two vessels, so my spirit has no true form.
I wonder what will happen to me now, I don't think I'm going to get reincarnated a third time, I guess I move on to the after life... I heard a voice... it's calling me... I wonder if I should answer it, it sounds familiar. Maybe I should follow the voice...
My eyes spring open, I cough up a lot of blood, I've never felt a worst kind of pain, but I'm alive, somehow I'm alive. I look at the woman who was holding me in her arms, crying. "N-Nia?" she said, face covered in tears. She began to hug me, "Nia!! I'm so sorry!! I'm such a fool!! I thought... I thought for sure that-" she said as she hugged me, crying. "Ma-ri-a" I said weakly, "Y-yeah?" Maria answered, "y-our hur-ting m-e" I said, Maria stopped hugging me and said "I-I'm sorry!!", I smile at her and said "I-It's ok, I'm just glad you decided not to kill me"
Me and Maria rested while laying on a tree, [heal] I spent the time healing myself and Maria, it's a miracle that Maria is alive let alone standing, just about every bone in her body is broken. Maria finally breaks the silence, "Nia? Are you ok?" she said, "yeah" I lied, this is the worst kind of pain I've ever felt, I actually want to die because of it, but I can't tell her that. "My dad. He put you up to this, didn't he?" I asked her, she silently answered "yes", we remained silent for a moment, and then I ask "why do you even work for him?"

Maria's POV
Years ago
"MARIA!!!" I heard him yell, I didn't want to answer, but I had to anyway, I head down stairs, and entered the living room. Garbage and beer bottles littered the floor, and on the couch is my father, "Maria. Gimme another beer" he said in a drunken attitude, I rushed to the refrigerator, opened it and got out a bottle. I then rushed it to him, but then I stopped midway, "Maria? What do you think you're doing? Come here, and give me my beer" he said, I was too scared to come near him, I was afraid he might hit me again, "MARIA!!" he yelled, I jumped a little. I slowly made my way to him, I offered the beer to him, and he grabs it, I then moved away from him as soon as he grabbed the bottle. He opened the bottle and began to drank from it, after drinking some, he looks at me and said "Maria? Do you know why we're in debt? It's because of your slow ass, it's all your fault" he said to me, he says this all the time, I'm used to his verbal abuse. He puts the bottle down and stands up, he then made his way to me. I couldn't move, I was too scared. He looked down at me and said, "you know, maybe I should sell you, help pay off my debt, that might be the only way your useful" he said, he suddenly grabs my by my hair and pulls me to the couch, "NO DADDY!! PLEASE!! I'M SORRY!! I'LL BE FASTER NEXT TIME!!" but it was no use, he threw me on the couch and began to beat me, all I could do was cry and take it. After a couple of minutes, he was finally done, he ripped my clothes, and I'm bruised from head to toe, and I was silently crying, "be faster next time" he said, "o-ok" I responded, "I'm going to bed"
I went to my room, I cried all night, I feel the pain, I feel the heartbreak, I feel the fear, if only I could feel nothing at all...
I head down stairs. I enter the kitchen. I grab the knife. I enter my father's room...

The debt collector's POV
Brian's time is up, he failed to pay us, so now George Aqualis says that it's time for him and his family to pay. Me,three other guy's, and our boss are headed to his house. We stop the car at his house, we then get out and we knock at the door, "Brian!! It's payday!!! Open the fuck up!!" I yelled. I hear someone approaching the door, I hear the door being unlocked, I get my gun out, if he doesn't pay, he will then pay with his life. The door opened, but we were shocked to see what's on the other side, it was his brat! She was holding a knife, covered in blood, her clothes is messed up, but despite all of this, the one thing I noticed the most was the look on her face, it was an expressionless void, devoid of emotions. She looks at us, and asks in a toneless voice "are you here to collect my father's debt?", "U-um, yeah" I answered her, "well then you're too late, he's already dead, and we can't pay... so what are you going to do now? Kill me? I'm fine with that. I was going to drown myself in the lake anyway. You'd be saving me the trouble" she told us, this girl killed her own father? "What's your name?" I heard a voice say behind us, I turned around to see that it was the boss George Aqualis "Maria" she answered, "Maria? Did you kill your father?" George asks, "yes, but he wasn't much of a father to me, never was" she said, George walks up to her and takes the knife from her, "Maria... I believe you might be able to pay for your father's debt" he says to her, Nia looks at him and asked "how?", "come work for me, I will give you a new reason to live, you will live to fulfil your duty, as my executioner"

Maria's POV
After that, George took me in, he hired multiple assassin's and hit men to train me, but they are always hesitant to do so, they explain that my lack of emotions was unsettling for them, but for the sake of getting paid, they trained me anyway. By the time I hit fourteen, I was already one of the best assassin in the world. I never truly cared about who I killed, George points the way, and I kill with my swords. Children, women, whole families, they all fell before me, and I've never felt anything for them, no regret, no pity, no guilt.
One day, George told me that I will be working undercover as his maid, apparently his wife is pregnant, and he wants her to be protected, if it's my duty, then I will do anything.
It was a few days after the birth of Nia Aqualis, and I was getting used to my new life as a maid, I was sweeping the floor when I hear some cooing.

Nia's POV
I am so damn bored! Being a baby sucks. Why did this happen to me? How did this happen to me? I can barely control my limbs, and I can't speak, I... HOLY FUCK! IT'S A ZOMBIE!! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!! No, wait, it's not a zombie, it's just that maid. She's looking down into my crib, but there is something wrong with her, she doesn't seem to be showing much emotions, she only... stares at me. It's kinda creepyಠ_ಠ. I guess she's just trying to look professional or something. Wait a minute! That's it! This maid, she's going to be my source of entertainment. New challenge!! Try to make the stone face maid make an expression! I give the most sweetest smile I can muster.

Maria's POV
There is something odd with this child, she started to smile and giggle at me, I guess she likes me somehow. This child is nieve. So I just leave her to her own doing and continue my chores.

Nia's POV
...
This is going to be hard...
And fun...

Years later
I spent the next few years trying to make her smile or something, but it seems like nothing is working, by the time I hit 5 years old, I have just about given up at this point.

Maria's POV
This child fascinates me, at such a young age, she's already showing signs of personality, it's as if she has already seen the world, she seems to be especially sweet to me. But I feel nothing for this girl, other than her odd behaviour, she is no different from the people I've killed.
I was in the kitchen cutting some onions and Nia was in the living room when I suddenly cut myself, I didn't make a noise about it because I have a high tolerance for pain, but despite this, Nia entered the kitchen to see what was happening. I guess she saw I was bleeding, because she left the kitchen and came back with a bandaid. (Nia: when I see a girl hurt, I have to help her) she hands me the bandaid. "Is that for me?" I asked, she nods her head and said "yeah". She's sweet. I felt something in my heart, I didn't know what it was, but I felt it. I took the bandaid, smiled, and said "thank you". Wait? I smiled? I look down at the child... for some reason, she has this look of accomplishment on her face. (Nia: yeah!!! success!!) as the years began to pass, this girl continued to make my heart feel like this.