Silent Night

by Emma Couette

  Who in the Guild did I run into? What do they think they are doing? I will punish them dearly for their transgression.

  I smile as I drag myself to my feet. It looks like I’m not going to have to leave the base to get the fight I’m looking for after all.

  Across the hall from me, the other person is just getting to their feet. Groaning, they turn to face me. My smile widens, turning into a wicked grin.

  Why, if it isn’t Ms. Natalie Sophia Roseanne.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  “Hello, Roseanne,” I purr. “What brings you here?”

  She stares at me as she brushes herself off. “I could ask you the same thing, Assassin. I was just walking down the hall minding my own business when you barrelled into me. You should watch where you’re going.”

  “And you should watch your tongue,” I snap. “See, princess, you have just so happened to come across me at the exact wrong time.”

  “Oh, I heard,” she says, smiling. “Ajax finally saw you for what you really are: a monster.”

  I flinch, unable to stop myself. “Yes, well,” I reply, “these things do happen, but they woke me up. It reminded me that I am a monster and that I love it. I love the thrill of the hunt, the feeling of adrenaline and blood rushing through my veins, love watching my prey struggle futilely while I end their miserable existence. Unluckily for you, you’ve become my next victim.”

  Fear flashes in her eyes, cold and wonderful. She’s not so confident now that the two of us are alone.

  “You can’t hurt me,” she says, “and you certainly can’t kill me. My father—”

  “Screw your father,” I snap. “I don’t see him coming to save you. In fact, I don’t see anyone. Face it, princess, no one cares about you. You are alone.”

  “That’s a lie!”

  “Well, if it is, it’s a damn good one.”

  She swallows. “What are you going to do to me?” It’s amazing that she hasn’t turned tail and ran yet.

  “I don’t know,” I reply. “Not sure yet. Oh...”

  This should hurt.

  “What were your brothers’ names again, princess?”

  She goes white. “Leave them out of this!”

  I ignore her and answer my own question. “Oh right: Luke, Jeremy, and Ashton. I remember them. Jeremy’s the blond-ish one, right? He acted like everyone was beneath him too, but he bled just as easily as all of the others. Oh, don’t worry, it was but a scratch—if you’d call a missing arm a scratch.” I smile.

  She puts her hands on her hips, but that doesn’t stop them from shaking. “If you think you can hurt me by using my brothers, you’re wrong. They left father and me. They’re dead to me.”

  “That’s the excuse everyone gives, but deep down, it bothers you that I’m the reason Jeremy’s arm was amputated. It bothers you that I’m the one who put Luke’s leg in a cast. It bothers you that the scar up the side of Ashton’s head was caused by my switchblade. Don’t deny it, Roseanne. I know.”

  She looks like she’s about to be sick. “You’re a monster,” she repeats, voice wavering.

  “I am, thank you, and so are you, we’re just different kinds. I cut people down with swords and you... Well, you cut people down with words and pretty lies.”

  “How dare you? I’ll...”

  “Tell daddy on me? Save it. You’re just too weak to stand up for yourself.”

  “That’s a lie.”

  “Oh, really? Why do you think he sends you on the easiest missions? Because you’d have been dead long ago if he didn't, that’s why.”

  “You... You know nothing.” Her face is full of pain and I love it.

  “Don’t I?”

  “You’re a heartless...bitch and...And I hope you burn in hell with all the other soulless monsters of this world. You don’t deserve Ajax and I’m glad he saw sense before it was too late.”

  “As if he’d rather have you,” I spit. “He thinks you’re a nightmare.”

  She ignores my comment and continues on. “He fell for you and you tore him apart. You were toying with him all that time, waiting to kill him, just like you did his mother.” Her face is red with her fury, but it nowhere near matches mine.

  “Say that again, princess,” I hiss through clenched teeth, “Say that again, bitch, I dare you!”

  I see crimson and I hope to Guild she takes the bait. Regardless, she’s done for.

  “You tried to kill Ajax. You hated him. You never wanted him. It was all just a game!”

  Yeah, well, the game’s over now.

  Before she can say another damning word, I lunge.

  She shrieks like a banshee and turns to run.

  Too late for that, princess.

  I grab her around the waist and tackle her to the ground. She hits the floor hard. I hear her bones as they bang against it.

  She rolls around so she’s looking at me and reaches her fingers toward my face. I dodge and her fingernails claw the side of my throat instead.

  Bitch! She’ll pay dearly for that one.

  I grab hold of her wrist and twist, feeling her bones move under my fingers.

  She screams and goes limp enough for me to sit up and punch her in the face.

  Let’s see how she likes having ugly bruises marring her skin. Maybe next time, she’ll learn to keep her mouth shut. If I let her live.

  “G-get off me you lunatic!” she yells. It’s a feeble attempt.

  “Oh shut up!” I slam my fist into the side of her jaw again and she flinches, curling in on herself. “Fight back you useless little girl!”

  She doesn’t move.

  I get to my feet and kick her in the ribs.

  She moans.

  “If you have even an ounce of courage in you, fight back!” I spit.

  “L-leave me alone,” she whimpers.

  I shake my head in disgust. “You’re a pathetic waste of space. Your father might thank me for ending your miserable existence.”

  She jumps at that and scrambles to all fours. She tries to drag herself away, but I walk over and step on her calf, just behind the knee. She freezes.

  “Any last words?” I croon.

  “You can’t!” she gasps. “You won’t.”

  “Won’t I?” I take my foot off of her leg and walk around in front of her. Before she can make another move to escape, I grab her by the wrists and yank her to her feet. I wrench her left arm up behind her back as I hold her against me.

  She whimpers.

  I use my free hand to push my left sleeve up past my elbow. Then I switch hands, draw a long knife, and shove my left arm in front of her face, blade gleaming in the artificial light above us. My tattoos are beacons. “See these?” I whisper into her ear. “These are the names of all of the people I’ve killed. I can make room for you. My arms, back, and chest are full, but I still have plenty of leg left.”

  She shakes as I raise the knife to her throat and touch it against her perfect skin.

  Then she’s crying, tears streaming down her face and sliding across the blade before continuing down. “Please don’t kill me,” she gasps. “Please... If you have an ounce of un-blackened soul left in you...”

  “And what’s in it for me, princess?” I ask her, pulling the knife away a hair. “What will you sacrifice for your life? I’m not going to spare you just because you asked nicely. You have been nothing but a nuisance since I met you.”

  She trembles and for a moment, I don’t think she’s going to answer. For a moment, I think I’m going to kill her, but then she says, “I’ll stay away from you. I’ll return to my original room. I promise, you...you’ll never see me again.”

  Her body tenses, wondering if it will be enough.

  It isn’t, at least, it shouldn’t be, but I am suddenly exhausted and I don’t want to spend another moment with her.

  I drag my knife quick against the skin of her throat, barely more than a whisper.

  She hisses in pain and blood drops to the floor, but the cut is shallow.

>   “This is a warning,” I tell her. “Next time I won’t be so careful. If you renege on your promise, your death will not be so quick.”

  I shove her away from me, letting go of her arm and she staggers. She doesn’t get far before I knock her legs out from underneath her again with one swipe of my good leg.

  My sword is out before she hits the floor and I slam my pommel into her head before she can raise it again.

  “Sweet dreams, princess,” I mutter.

  I leave her unconscious on the floor and head back to my room.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  I slam the door shut and strip out of the ridiculous clothes I’m wearing. The real me wouldn’t be caught dead in green. I tear through my closet for proper assassin attire and finally find what I am looking for.

  It takes me a good five minutes to pull on the pants over the brace and I have half a mind to tear the thing off of my leg before I’m done.

  Next comes black leather boots, the tallest I can find, and then my shirt. I choose a midnight black sleeveless piece with a zipper up the front. Let them see my arms; I’m not ashamed anymore.

  There’s only one more thing to do. I grab my best dagger and stand in front of the mirror. It’s about time I cut my hair.

  Ten minutes later, I’m ready. The old me slips back on effortlessly. It fits like a glove. Silent Night is back and she’s better than ever. I don’t know why I tried to change, why I thought it would be a good idea.

  Why had I been so stupid? Why did I let another person have my heart, let them have the power to crush it?

  It won’t happen again; my heart is made of ice now. You can shatter it, but I won’t feel a thing. Never again will I let emotions get in my way.

  Oh, it feels glorious to be back.

  Now, it’s time to pay Jenson a visit. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he realizes what kind of monster is loose in his base.

  …

  I burst into the council room with a satisfying crash as the door slams against the inside wall, nearly coming off of its hinges. The men around the table jump and Jenson looks up sharply.

  “Afternoon, gentlemen,” I purr.

  “Assassin,” Jenson growls.

  I draw my sword and point it at him. “That’s Silent Night to you or so help me, I will slit your throat.”

  “Oho,” Jenson says, smiling. “So the assassin is back is she? I was terribly afraid you were going soft.”

  “Yes, well, as it turns out, you can take the girl out of the Guild, but you can’t take the Guild out of the girl.”

  “Very well put.”

  “Of course, but I shall cut to the chase.” I slash my sword through the air and start walking towards his end of the table. “I’m here about our mission, particularly a certain Stage Three.”

  “Go on, Assass— I mean, Silent Night.”

  I smile.

  That’s right, Jenson, you will obey me.

  “There has been a little change of plans,” I tell him.

  “How so?”

  “I’ve realized we need to try something a bit more...drastic, so to speak.”

  His eyes darken. “What exactly do you have in mind? Spit it out.”

  I reach out and touch my sword to his throat. “Shhhh... Patience, my dear Jenson. Patience.”

  He doesn’t say another word, nor does he make a single move.

  “At ease, my good man,” I tell him and he relaxes, but only slightly. “I was thinking, for Stage Three to be most effective, we need to bomb a certain south end. What do you think?”

  I look at him and he eyes the sword.

  “Oh, right,” I say, as if I forgot. “Terribly sorry.” I pull the sword away. “Go on.”

  He rubs his chin before he speaks. “I think it is a s-splendid idea. When do you want to act?”

  “Tonight, and tomorrow morning, while smoke and the screams of dying assassins still fill the air, we shall march.”

  “Tomorrow? The invasion was planned for two days from now.”

  “Yes, well, it has just been moved up.”

  He swallows and stares at me with wide eyes before hanging his head. “Very well, Silent Night, it shall be done.”

  “See to it that it is.” I sheath my sword and head for the still-open door, pausing in the frame. I turn around. “Oh and Jenson?”

  He looks up.

  “Try not to bomb the tunnels we’ll be using or we’ll have even bigger problems, now won’t we?”

  I smile sweetly at him and whirl around, leaving the council room in a flourish of black. Then I head to the cafeteria, my high-heeled boots echoing up and down the halls.

  …

  All eyes turn to me as I enter the cafeteria. People stare at my tattoos and my outfit with wide eyes. Soon, the whispers start, but I could care less. Let them talk about me, they are insignificant.

  I march up to the food counter and fill my tray. Then I head over to the table beside the one I used to share with my so-called friends. I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they realize the monster I truly am.

  Let Ajax come too. He can’t hurt me anymore. I no longer care what he thinks. He had been a weakness, nothing more, and I rectified that. I care no more for him now than I care for a bug on the street. He is merely a boy, a tool I used to get where I am. A tool I will use again if I have to, but never in the same way. I won’t fall into his trap, will never again fall prey to that deadly four letter word. Love.

  Ugh. It makes me sick.

  I don’t have to wait long before my “friends” show up. Sebastian and Blake come first.

  They stop by my table and Sebastian says, “What are you doing over here, Night? You do realize you’re at the wrong table, right?” He grins at me and I smile wickedly.

  “Oh, I’m well aware, Sebastian, but I don’t intend to join the two of you at your table.”

  He looks at me with utter bewilderment and then, running a hand through his mop of hair, he says, “Listen, Blake told me what happened and I’m sorry, but I won’t let it come between our friendship.”

  I shrug. “Whatever, what’s done is done. What Ajax and I had, whatever it was, it wasn’t real and I’m glad it was short-lived.”

  Blake gasps. “How can you say that?”

  “Because it’s the truth. Ajax was merely a distraction, one that led me astray, but I’m back on the right path now. I suppose I should thank him, though it was entirely his fault in the first place.”

  Blake looks at me like I’ve killed her best friend and I guess I have, in a way.

  “What happened to you, Night?” she asks softly.

  “I woke up,” I snap. “Everything—friendship, changing my ways, Ajax—it was all just a horrible nightmare. Thankfully, I managed to find my way back to reality before it was too late.”

  “Don’t say that, Night. It wasn’t a nightmare. It was real. Please, don’t leave us. This isn’t you.”

  “Oh, yes it is. This is the real me. The person I paraded around in for months was a disguise, a crutch my wounded, betrayed heart could lean on, but I’m healed now and it’s time to focus on what I really want: revenge.”

  She says nothing to that, only stares at me with her sad, pitiful eyes. Her caring heart will get her killed someday. Maybe I’ll still be around to see it.

  Ignoring their presence, I turn to eat, but then Sebastian’s voice interrupts. “What’s with all the ink?”

  I flinch at first, but then smile, remembering something he asked me way back when. “You wanted to know how many people I’ve killed. That’s only a small portion of them.”

  He and Blake both blanch.

  I laugh. “Who knows, “friends,” your mothers’ names might be on there too. Still think I’m worth saving, Blake?”

  She doesn’t say a word at first, just shakes her head in disbelief. Then, “I don’t care what horrible deeds you’ve done, Night. You’ll always be worth saving because you are my friend. I don’t care if it was a lie fo
r you. For me, it was the truth. I won’t stop fighting for you. I don’t leave my friends alone in the dark. I promise you that.”

  “Then you’re going to end up breaking that promise,” I tell her, “because I’m doomed.”

  I stand up and walk away, leaving my food untouched. I don’t have time to play knight in shining armour with the enemy. I have an assassin kingdom to overthrow.

  …

  I’m sitting on my bed later, sharpening my sword, when a knock comes at my door.

  “Who is it?” I call out, daring it to be Blake or Sebastian.

  “It’s Trey, Night.”

  Lovely.

  “What do you want?”

  “Just to talk. Can I... Can I come in?”

  I sigh and get up, stomping over to the door. I unlock it and swing it open. “There,” I say, “talk.”

  Trey stares at me with grief written in her eyes.

  So, she’s heard the news, eh?

  “If you’re here to ask me what’s wrong or to try to talk me out of who I am, save it,” I tell her. “I don’t want to hear it.”

  “That’s not what I was going to say.”

  “Then what?”

  “Jenson sent me for you.” She looks pained.

  “What’s the old fool want now, more time? He’s not going to get it.”

  “No, Night, they... They found Natalie. She was attacked and she says it was you. Unless you can prove otherwise, they’re going to punish you.”

  I laugh. “Oh, they finally found her did they? How long did she lie on the floor, bloody and broken?”

  “Night...” she warns.

  “Save it, Trey. I won’t try to prove it otherwise because I admit to doing it. I broke Roseanne’s spirit, almost slit her throat, and enjoyed every second of it.”

  She gives me a grim look as the light in her eyes dims. She looks deadened, defeated. “So what Blake and Bast said is true. You’ve gone back to the assassin.”

  I shrug. “It was suicide to have ever changed.”

  “If that’s the way you see it, but that’s not the current issue. Are you going to come with me willingly or will I have to use force? I’d rather not, but I will.”