No Time to Die

Chapter 05

Chapter 05

Dangerous

It's been three weeks and so far, my cover hasn't been blown yet. Nanahimik si Aiden tungkol sa mga nalalaman niya. I guess he won't reveal my true identity as long as I don't make a move on Colton Cortell.

I admit that it's hard to plan out how I'd isolate Colton. Hindi naman kami pwedeng lumabas ng Origen at hindi ko pa alam kung mayroon bang secret passages dito. Sure, I could ask Iris, Maverick or the twins if there is one but that would seem suspicious. Kung mayroon man ay dapat ako mismo ang maka-diskubre noon.

"Alright. Show me how you throw one knife," sabi ng instructor ko.

Today is my assessment for marksmanship. Ngayong linggo ay throwing knives ang pinag-aralan ko. Next would be arrows and guns. I'm actually enjoying it. It's like I'm a kid again... training so hard to impress Danté and get his recognition.

"Go Nyssa!" sabay na sigaw nina Akari at Iris. Nilingon ko ang banda nila at nakitang lahat ng kasama ko sa Empire maliban kay Natalia ay naroon. I didn't expect they'd be here. Kung sabagay ay marami silang oras. They're finished or already halfway done with their respective programs. Me, Natalia, Lucas and Colton are the ones who are mostly out for classes.

"Hinga ng malalim. Focus on the target," muling sabi ng instructor ko.

We're in the sixth floor of Empire. Bakante lang ang floor na ito at ginagamit para sa marksmanship training.

I breathed deep and acted like I'm nervous. Kayang-kaya kong itapon ang kutsilyo at tamaan ang bull's eye. I've done it a hundred times already, if not thousands. Stationary man o moving targets.

I am naturally left-handed but I forced myself to be ambidextrous. Hawak ang kutsilyo sa kanang kamay ay itinapon ko iyon. It hit the target accurately.

"Nice! Your form's not even proper but you managed to hit it."

"Guess I'm lucky," sagot ko at pilit na ngumiti.

Umiling ang instructor ko. "No. You have the talent for this, trust me. I have a good eye for potential."

"You think I'd be good with throwing knives?"

"I think you'd be good with anything I give you. Kutsilyo man 'yan o baril. I'm looking forward to your next classes."

I nodded. "Yeah... me, too."

Bothered that my instructor pointed out my potential, I performed lousy on the next rounds. When she asked me to throw two knives at a time, sinadya kong hindi iyon paabutin sa target board. Ilang ulit na ganoon ang ginawa ko. When I noticed that she's already losing patience, I decided to do it right. Ang parehong kutsilyo ay tumama sa bull's eye ng board.

"Finally! Fifth time's a charm!" sabi ng instructor at lumapit pa sa board para tignan ang binato ko.

I heard the twins cheering for me. Nang balingan ko sila ay nakita ko ang mga ngiti nila. They gave me thumbs up and encouraging smiles. Well, except for Lucas and Aiden who are both serious. Walang bakas ng ngiti sa mga mukha.

My instructor made me do it again. Without breaking a sweat, I did it three more times with the same result. Nga lang, ang huli ay sinadya kong 'wag tumama sa bull's eye.

Nang makuntento siya ay hinatid ko na siya sa elevator para makaalis. She already gave me a passing mark.

Uminom ako sa sports drink ko at lumapit naman ang mga kasama.

"You're good," puri ni Colton. "I wish I'd be like you."

Napaawang ang labi ko sa narinig.

"You admire her, Colton?" tanong ni Maverick.