The Mission

Nora’s POV.  

“Goodbye, Mon Amour” she said as she pulled the trigger. Her blood splashed over my face, with her vengeful eyes fixed on me. Those eyes burning with promises of retribution, as if she was coming for me, even in death.  

“No!!” I screamed from my sleep, jolting my eyes awake, only to be met with the ceiling. I was lying on the bed, with beads of sweat formed on my forehead.  

I sat up, reached for the jug placed on the table beside my bed. I poured myself a glass of water, wanting to quench my thirst and calm the raging storm within me.  

Since the day mum died, I had never had a peaceful sleep. She kept appearing in my dream every night, as if wanting me to remember how she died.  

I rested the back of my head on the headboard, breathing in and out. Just then, I heard a loud thud on the door. I knew who it was and so I didn’t bother to ask.  

Whenever I heard a knock on the door, I already knew the reason for that. It was always a call from my father. I lived in my father's house more like a prisoner than his daughter.  

I was never allowed to step out of my room talk less of the house except when my father needed my attention, or I needed to carry out a mission or go for my practice. I most times wished that I had died alongside my mother that day. 

I was homeschooled right from my childhood. No one apart from my father’s staff knew about my identity. People only knew my father had a child, but they couldn’t identify me.  

I rose from bed, picked my robe and put it on before I proceeded to the door. I opened it and met who I had expected to see, standing before me, looking at me with disgust.  

“Your father seeks your presence” Alaric’s icy voice said. He hated the sight of me but trust me, the feeling was mutual. He was my father’s right-hand man, and my father gave him free access, making him behave the way he wanted.  

We could say he was my rival as he always tried to be the son my father never had; to be his heir. He always tried to gaslight me, bring me down at any opportunity he had. I tolerated him for quite some time and when I couldn’t do so anymore, I put him in his place.  

“Don’t mess with me. I can make you vanish anytime I want without a trace. I hope you understand me?” I had said to him the last time he tried nonsense with me, my gun pointed at his head.  

Since then, he had always thrown me dreadful glances, pained that he couldn’t touch a strand of my hair, but I could care less.  

“You can go. Would join him soon” I instructed firmly turning around, ready to close the door.  

“No, he said to come with me” Aleric’s authoritative voice made me halt in my steps. Hearing this, I scoffed, with my face burning with fury. 

“Did you just try to question my authority right now? Did you?” I yelled, with me slamming my hand angrily on the door.  His once firm face softened, as if he got shaken by my outburst.  

“Let this be the last time you will try this with me. The next time you do so, you will find your head rolling on the floor. I am the Queen and you, a mere slave to my family, must bow down to me! Is that understood?” I questioned him as I pointed my finger at him, wanting to make sure my message was well received.  

“Yes” he answered, ready to leave.  

“Halt” I commanded, making him stop to face me.  

“Yes, ma’ that’s what you are to say, and you are yet to apologize for being rude” I demanded. He frowned at my demand, but he had no option but to obey his Queen. 

“Yes, ma and I am sorry for being rude ma” he apologized reluctantly, frowning his face. I wanted to bring him down, to crush his ego and make him feel like nobody. And that was exactly what I did.  

“Get on your knees” I mandated authoritatively.  

“What?” he queried, surprised.  

“Don’t make me repeat myself. If you do, you are going to regret it” I pronounced. He knew I was always true to my words and so, he begrudgingly got on his knees. I put on a satisfying smile on my face, seeing how defeated he was.  

“Good boy” I mockingly complimented, tapping his shoulder, with a smile on my face, enjoying his sadness. 

“You may leave” I instructed, slamming the door in his face.  

I hurriedly changed into a more appropriate dress and hurriedly ran out of my room, wanting to avoid my father’s wrath. I might not have feared any other being, but I feared my father so much.  

I had already wasted more than enough time calling Aleric to order.  

I got to the doorstep of his study room, and I was hesitant to open the door, due to the fear of what awaited me. But eventually, I pushed the door open, prepared to face whatsoever Dad had in store for me.  

As soon as I stepped in, the thick scent of cigar smell and leather filled my nostrils. I hated the smell but my father’s life, on the other hand, depended on it.  

My father sat behind a massive desk, surrounded by his most trusted and always armed men.  

“You called for me” I said, facing him. I was always intimidated by his presence, but I dared not show it, as that would only annoy him and make him batter me up.  

“Never be scared. Only a weakling does” he had always told me.  

“Sit” his deep and authoritative voice commanded and I obeyed.  

“You have a mission which must be carried out tonight” he informed, as he slid a photograph and a slim file across his desk. I laid my hands on them and skimmed through the information about my next victim.  

“He is just 25 years of age? Why would anyone want a young man like him dead?” I ruminated; my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  

All the men I had ever taken down were in their 40’s above. That was my first time getting an assignment to murder someone his age. 

But my confusion didn’t take long to vanish as all I knew was that he had to be dead whether he was young or not.  

“You will be acting as his escort at Lavender club tonight. Here is your pass” he further informed, passing me a forged identity card.  

“You just need to inject him with this once you both are alone. He is always heavily guarded. Be careful not to get caught and make sure you end him tonight. There is no room for failure and the penalty for it is death” he warned, passing me a syringe, which in it was a lethal injection meant to take down my target.  

“Duly noted” I acknowledged his warning, unwavering.  

“You may leave” he said and with that, I rose to my feet and exited the room. I headed to my room, to get prepared to throw another family into mourning, just like I had always done.