The Assassin's Assistant

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven – JASON

I knew I was an idiot as soon as I said it.

“You’re right. Yeah, I guess I’m some sort of stone cold freak. Do you want to know why I haven’t quit yet? Because I don’t know what else I’d do! I don’t have any other skills! I’ve missed so many days of school I might as well have not gone at all, as ‘Britt’ has told me only a million times!” She stepped closer, so that we were only inches apart. “It’s because I’m scum, just like you’ve said. It’s because I know the minute I walk away, I’ll be right back on the doorstep of the shelter. I guess becoming numb to it all was my only defense.” Lux sobbed. “So go ahead and rub it in.”

She picked up her coffee, threw it at the glass window, and stormed out. I stood there, dumbfounded.

Maybe I had pushed it too far, but so what? She kills people. She doesn’t even care about it either. The only reason why she’s even thinking about it now is because I brought it up. Lux wasn’t normal, and she certainly wasn’t human. Nobody should be like that. It’s unnatural.

I looked at the coffee stained window. It was more like a wall made of glass, spanning the entire side of the room. I won’t lie; I purposely got Lux decaf just to tick her off.

I was okay with Britt because she did feel bad about what she did… to some degree. She told me that after every mission, she would get vivid and horrifying nightmares. She said that once she became a full-on assassin, she couldn’t quit. In the “Underground”, as they call it, knowledge is power, and assassins who work in it have a dangerous amount. If Britt quit, she would be killed. Her bosses would be terrified that she would leak information. But Lux had a way out. She was only an assistant. If she were to quit, they would keep an eye on her, but she would be okay. Britt even said that she her past assistants quit before becoming official assassins. Most of them worked in the military now, using their learned skills, but that’s fighting with a purpose. Here, it was all about money, power, and business.

All of this makes me absolutely sick, but I have to be a part of it. I need the money for Georgia’s treatments. You can’t really pay for chemotherapy working at Mc Donald’s.

My parents don’t know about my real job, I wouldn’t want them to. They just know that I’m an assistant for somebody. My parents only know that they get money in the mail every other week from me, along with a letter telling them how college was, and saying that I love and miss them and Georgia.

Yeah, I’m already in college. I skipped third and tenth grade. I graduated when I was 16 as a member of the National Honors Society. My IQ is two points shy of genius. Last year I moved from San Marcos, Texas and started attending Colombia University in the City of New York with a full scholarship, majoring in science and technology, with a minor in engineering. I had it pretty good until she got diagnosed.

Three months ago, my little sister, Georgia, was diagnosed with Leukemia. My dad started working overtime, and my mom went back to her job as a secretary. It wasn’t enough to pay the bills and Georgia’s treatment. They were going to sell the house just to pay for chemo. I even considered dropping out, so that my apartment bill would be one less thing on my parents’ plate. Then, Britt found me.

I don’t know how she found me, but she seemed to know that I needed money. Maybe it was a coincidence, all I know is that I’m here now, standing in a soulless freak’s penthouse, watching coffee drip down a window.

I sat down on the floor. Suddenly, an alarm went off. I jumped to my feet. Fire.

I ran to the door, into the hall. Britt grabbed my arm, still holding her phone to her ear, and mouthed ‘Lux’.

Britt said goodbye to whomever she was talking to on the phone. She then herded me back into the apartment. We both waited for the sirens to stop before we talked. After 10 minutes, it finally stopped.

Britt looked me straight in the eyes. “What did you say to her?”

The truth. “She doesn’t feel bad about killing people, at all.”

After a deep sigh, Britt said, “Well you pick today to confront her about it?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Jason, do you know where Lux was yesterday? Why I got a new assistant?” She sounded like a teacher, spelling things out for the hopeless student.

I didn’t. “She was missing or something.”

“Lux was kidnapped, Jason. She spent her weekend inside of an enemy company headquarters. She barely got out, and now you’re chewing her out the day after it happened? If you think she’s heartless then I’d say you’re a bit of it yourself.” Britt looked at the window. “Lux is tough, she doesn’t break easily. What could’ve you said to get her to snap?”

I felt awkward about being confronted. It wasn’t something I was used to. “I told her that she could’ve left. That it was wrong for her to stay.”

“Well, maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. We don’t know why she makes the choices she makes, but she always has a reason. Like you. You’re doing this for your sister, that’s your reason. Lux has hers.”

“Well what ab-“

“Jason? You’re being a jerk.” And, with that, Britt turned out the door. “I’m going to talk to her.”

“No, I need to,” I said.

I looked into the hall and saw the emergency door open. That’s why the alarm went off, because Lux opened it.

I took off my left shoe and stuck it in the door way, closing the door until it hit my shoe, almost closed but not quite. I didn't want the alarm to be set off again when I left.

I walked down the stairs. When Lux saw me, she tried to get away, and I called after her. She couldn’t move very fast in the dress, so I caught up with her fairly easily. I grabbed her arm.

“Lux, stop, I need to say something.”