I run towards my house, my wooden sword in hand.
"Mommy! I killed the dummy!" I call excitedly. She stands on the front step of our small house, smiling at me.
"You killed the dummy?"
I nod enthusiastically and Mommy picks me up, her caramel coloured hair bouncing lightly against her shoulder blades.
"Good job, Justina! I'm so proud of you. Now, why don't you have some food? You must be hungry," she insists. I nod in agreement.
She places me down on a chair and hands me a plate covered in juicy red steak and steaming potatoes. I place my sword down on the table.
"Once you're done that, Daddy will come home and read you a bedtime story," Mommy says. I nod, finish my meal, and hop off of my chair.
"Mommy, when can I become a true assassin?" I ask, grabbing my sword off the table and swinging it. She chuckles.
"You're only eight now, but when you're older, you can become an assassin like your father and I and take out all the bad people."
I grin widely and jab my sword at the air.
"I'm going to be the most fearless assassin you've ever seen!"
Mommy smiles and ushers me off to bed.
"Daddy will be home soon."
I wait patiently in bed for my dad to come home. I can hardly stand being still while my wooden sword just sits on my side table, but still I wait.
I hear the door open and close and a smile spreads across my face.
"Justina? Are you in bed?" Daddy asks as he walks into my room.
"Yeah! Are you going to read me a story?" I whisper.
"I'm going to tell you a story, not read one. Listen up," he says. I stay quiet, and my dad begins to speak. "There was once a little assassin girl. She wanted so badly to be part of the Brotherhood like her mother and father, but she was so small. She thought to herself, "Maybe if I use blocks to make myself taller, I can join the Brotherhood!" So she tried, but it didn't work. It made her really sad. The little assassin wanted to become a real life assassin! Then a wise man came to her and told her how to become a real life assassin. He said that she had to train and become a good fighter. So she did, and she became the best assassin in the land!"
Daddy finishes speaking and I grin.
"That'll be me one day, Daddy."
"Yes it will be. Now good night, my little one," he says. He kisses my forehead, tucks me in, and leaves my room.
~~~~~
A sharp pain wakes me in the middle of the night with a yelp. It feels as though thousands of needles are being stabbed into my shoulder blades, growing more and more painful by the second. As it gets worse and worse, tears begin flowing down my face.
Who could be doing this? Nobody is in the room but me.
All of a sudden, the pain stops and I feel two protrusions coming out of my back. When I stand up and look in the mirror, I can see two small black and purple wings, just like the ones the Ender dragon has. My eyes have become a glowing purple and small fangs have replaced my normal teeth. Slender purple claws replace my fingernails.
I scream out and my parents come running. When they see me, their faces fall. Daddy has a look on his face like he knows why this is happening, but he won't tell me. Why won't he tell me?
"What am I going to do?! I can't be an assassin if I look like this!" I sob.
Daddy rummages through my drawers and finds a small pair of red and orange headphones. I watch his every movement.
"Justina, put these on and don't take them off until you know how to control this," he says, putting them on my head. I slowly turn back into a human, and my mom hands me some assassin robes.
"Wear these. The hood will cover the headphones. But you must promise to never take them off," she orders.
"Okay Mommy," I reply.
"Something like this never should have happened to someone so young," Daddy murmurs. My eyes flicker over to him.
"What do you mean, Daddy? Was it a sorcerer that did this?"
"No, no, honey. Only bad sorcerers do stuff to harm people, and there aren't any of them around. This is something else, something you won't understand right now."
I stare at the ground, frustrated and scared. Mommy kisses my head and leaves the room with Daddy.
I quickly change into my assassin robes and look at myself in the mirror. My auburn hair is pulled out of my hood and my blue eyes are almost covered, but not quite. My headphones are a small outline from under my hood.
I hope this outfit can keep me safe.
YOU ARE READING
Together as One: The Story of the Teams
FanfictionEveryone has lost something. A toy, a family member, maybe a home. For these kids, it's no different. They lost their homes. They've dealt with the pain of losing their families or identities. Now they must team up in order to survive and s...
