Sanity

1. Kamryn Matzen

Jaelyn Bronte was nineteen years old when she was given the task of killing the Prince of Jaquin. Living as an assassin-for-hire, she didn't have a choice but to follow orders, no matter how ridiculous the contracts were. One time, she got paid over a hundred gold coins to take out someone's old, sick husband. She did what she had to to survive. But when an anonymous source gave her a contract that had the crowned Prince of her Kingdom on it?

Well.

"Come on, this is obviously a joke," Jaelyn muttered, leaning back against the wall of her organisation's hideout. They lived out in an old noodle shop in the very depths of the city Rokq; the capital city of Jaquin. Well, they didn't live in the noodle shop. More like under it. They bought out the basement when the organisation began, and had worked ever since to stretch out the room to the sewer pipes, which provided a quick and easy escape after completed contracts.

"I picked you up off the streets eighteen years ago, do you remember this?" Tank said gruffly, pulling down the black cloth covering the bottom half of his face around his neck. This revealed his wide, thin-lipped mouth concealed by dirty stubble. But Jaelyn caught his smug smile nonetheless.

"I was literally a year old," she shot back, raising an eyebrow as she crossed her arms over her chest and pressed the bottom of her right foot against the wall she was leaning on. "You tell me."

"I remember as clearly as if it were yesterday," Tank continued, leaning back in his chair while shuffling his legs up on the table. "You were whining; screaming, even. I had half the mind to drive a knife through your throat."

"So kind," Jaelyn murmured, observing her fingers. "Does this story have a point, or can I go get a real contract?"

"But I took you in," Tank continued, ignoring Jaelyn's comment. "I raised you as my own. Since that day, I have trained you to be an assassin ever since you could walk, and you grew to be the most skilled and trusted sister our organisation has ever seen. You have not failed a single contract, and you are the only person I can trust with such a task. I would not joke about something this big."

"You forget that he's the Prince," Jaelyn hissed, pushing off the wall in her black work clothes. "Do you know how hard it's going to be to infiltrate that palace and kill him? It's probably got no way in but the front door; they don't make palaces with secret entrances anymore. Not to mention the security; it's too risky. I'll get caught, and then what use will I be?"

"It's not going to be that kind of mission," Tank replied, dropping his feet from the table. "You will be infiltrating their security in the most efficient way there is. I can't tell you much more, unless you accept the contract."

Jaelyn pursed her lips. "How much are they paying?" she asked curiously, and Tank looked at her, his eyes glistening.

"6 zeroes," he replied, looking down casually. Despite her attempt at a cool façade, Jaelyn's eyes bulged out of her head and she dropped her foot.

"6 zeroes?" she demanded. "That's ridiculous; who on earth would pay that much for some stupid Prince?"

"If you accept, I can tell you everything," Tank answered instead, crossing his arms over his chest. "Who gave the contract, why they want the Prince dead and how you're going to get into the palace. Are you in, or are you out?"

Jaelyn hesitated, but she knew it was too good to pass up. 6 zeroes? She could live the rest of her life without having to work ever again. She could buy a fancy house, order servants around and do whatever she wanted to. And all she had to do was kill some Prince. If the anonymous contractor was sincere and it was an easy gig, there was no way Jaelyn could say anything but yes.