chapter 2

Analia Rayne ||

*TW: Small mention of rape*

Please tell me I heard that wrong. I always thought I had a hearing problem, so I wouldn't put it past me if I heard wrong.

Did I just hear her offer me, out of all people, to be an assassin?!

Is this lady crazy? Is she coo-coo for cocoa puffs? I think she might just be.

"You want me," I say pointing at myself.

"To be an assassin? As in I kill other people but secretly?"

"Yes that is exactly what I want," she says uncrossing her legs and standing up, making her way towards me. This lady seems.. serious. Is she really serious about me being an assassin? What kind of person just throws that job out like this? Especially such a dangerous one.

"Why me? Like seriously. Why me?"

No seriously.

"I chose you because of the guy guarding the door," she looks behind me and I turn around. Oh.

The traitor.

She continues, "He has been watching you, and well, looks like you'll need this."

The hell is that supposed to mean?

"What do you mean," I say as I make quotation marks with my fingers, "I'll need this." Wait a second. Is she calling me weak?

"Are you calling me weak?!"

"Not weak but just not strong enough. That's what we do. We examine from afar and pick out people who aren't as strong and-," I cut her off.

"And make them strong... right?" I ask looking her in the eyes. She nods her giving a small smile.

I know I'm not that strong. I'm constantly reminded every time I go home. But at work, I didn't need to be reminded that I'm not strong. I already know I'm not.

Home.

Should I even be calling it that anymore? Doesn't feel like home not since, yeah. I shake that thought from my head and focus back on the lady.

"I want to make people reach their fullest potential with my help, they reach it."

"So you turn people into assassins, to kill random people FYI, to make them strong?" I ask with my eyebrow raised, giving her a questioning look.

"I never said-,".

"No, you did say that." I give a small chuckle.

Just know if I laugh, I'm getting mad.

I continue, "You said you make them strong. By killing? You make other people strong by killing random, innocent people, who don't deserve it? How is that making someone strong? Is that really what you think makes someone strong?"

"Well-,"

"No, I'm not finished," I turn around slightly for a second and make eye contact with Lincoln. I hope he's enjoying the show.

I turn back around facing her, "I'm not being your little assassin who you can make send orders to kill people. Why would I do it when I get nothing in return but nightmares and guilt? Do you think I wanna live with the constant pain of knowing I killed someone? Guess what I don't. I already live with constant pain. I don't need one more thing adding to it. You can make your other people live with that constant guilt but I won't be. Nope. Not me. You are beyond crazy if you think I would possibly consider this. This life? It's not the life I want. Hell, I'll rather be a stripper for the rest of my life. So you can take your looney bin of guys and leave because I'm not accepting the offer," I say in one breath.

I turn around and make my way towards the door wanting to leave. Lincoln sees me coming towards the door and I guess he got the signal and moves away from the door. Just as I'm about to grab the doorknob the lady speaks.

"You'll get paid 100,ooo dollars, for killing someone."

100 what now?!

You're telling me I get paid $100,000 for killing one single person? That's not that-

Woah. Lia, what the hell are you thinking you can't possibly really be thinking about this?

"If you would have given me the chance to speak, you would've heard me say that you do get something in return," I hear her heels clicking their way towards me. "Yes, you might live with the pain however you get money for it. I also never said anything about them being innocent people."

"So what type of people are they?" I turn around and step away from the door, facing her. I hear a shuffling noise from behind, knowing it's Lincoln moving back to cover the door.

"They're not innocent people. All you need to know," she says. "It's not like you'll be accepting the job anyways. You declined it. No point in telling you."

"No, tell me. I want to know," I say. She gives a small smirk thinking I didn't notice.

WHAT?! ANALIA MAE RAYNE! You want to know what? Don't tell me you're thinking about this?

That is possibly what you're thinking, however, if you were offered 100k, tell me you wouldn't at least consider it?

"I get brought in the daily news of people who have done horrible things. Starting from mass murders, stealing money, human trafficking, rape, sexual assault, and sometimes we even get personal requests. Yup. People send in requests for us to kill someone else. Also, why do people hire assassins to go after people."

Rape.

That one word just shifts my whole mood.

"So you're telling me your people have never had to kill an innocent person before? or have killed an innocent person before?" I ask. For some reason, her telling me that all these people have done at least one of these horrible things doesn't make it so bad anymore. Maybe the guilt won't be so bad to handle, right?

"My people never having to kill an innocent person on command? No. My people killing an innocent person just cause? Yes. However, those are their choices to make. Not mine."

"So you just let your people kill innocent people? Is that very professional of you?" I ask.

"Again, their choice not mine. Even though it's more cleaning up to do but I have no say what they do after they complete their task," she says making her way to the couch.

"My feet are hurting from these three-inch heels. I don't know how you possibly survive in those 6-inch ones," she says taking a sit on the couch and relaxing.

"So," she raises her hands, "What do you say?"

All I wanted out of today was a normal day. Come in, snort my daily line, get ready and perform. Nope. Today life had other plans. I knew I should've stayed in, but then I would've been home with mom.

Maybe this is better.

The crazy part about this day is I'm considering taking this job offer. I just don't know if I can go through with killing someone.

She realizes my hesitant face and speaks up.

"How about I make you a deal?" she says laying her hands on her lap. "Does that sound better?" I nod wanting to hear what she has to say.

"How about until you turn 19, you won't have to kill anyone? You can have your whole 18th to yourself, training and practicing, before you start doing the real thing?" she asks raising both of her eyebrows. "I can give you a job to do also, so you can get paid throughout the year. You can help out finding out the locations of the targets. Yes, I looked into your school and saw you did well in computers. You were even in AP class for it. Maybe if you didn't end up here you could've gone to school for that."

Was that an insult? I think it was.

Wait she found my school? Man, whoever she has found out information must be good.

Now I'm considering this. Maybe through my 18th, I can learn to deal with the guilt. Maybe the fear will also wash away.

I think I'm going to do it.

"Okay."

That is all I say to make her spring up from the couch and hold out her hand. Guess we're about to make this deal official. I reach my hand out and grab hers and shake it.

It's official. I'm an assassin. Well not yet. Not for another year. But still.

Partially.

"Great! Here's my contact info just in case you need to call me for anything. You will be moving into the apartment building, I own, on Thursday afternoon," She says reaching into the bag, from the floor. Giving me her contact info.

"You never said anything about moving," I say grabbing the card from her hand.

"You think you're gonna be able to live in your house while you do all this? Being an assassin isn't something you write on your schedule, it's whatever duty calls. I'll have someone come get you on Thursday."

Guess I'm moving.

"Well, It was a pleasure doing business with you. Boys wrap it up," the men all unstick from the wall and make their way towards the door. I should move out of the way.

I do so and the lady walks right out with the men. Well, bye to you too.

That traitor didn't even say bye. Oh boo.

I walk out of the room and make my way towards the locker room. I walk through the door and make my way to my setup. I grab my bag from the floor and slip the card into it.

Oh my god.

Then it all hits me.

How am I supposed to tell mom about this? She's gonna be so pissed. Holy cookies.

I could go for cookies still.

This isn't gonna end well.