Blood For Blood
Blood For Blood
I hated walking down quiet, deserted hallways, my mind always back peddled into those creepy retro thrillers where the girl helplessly clutches her schoolbooks while the predator is lurking not far behind. I sped up my footsteps, I had the apprehension something was following me, but I knew I was just creating a storm in a teacup to scare myself.
I reached into my tote bag for the added comfort of a cellular phone which I found after a minute of rummaging. Why is it when the one time you need service the most there isn’t any? On second thought, there was usually no service on school grounds, I think it’s a conspiracy to keep kids from texting during school hours.
The glinting glass of the doors at the end of the hall seemed like my savior after the laborious labyrinth of hallways. My heart began to race, for the imaginary footsteps I had concocted in my mind began to grow louder and heavier. I didn’t want to turn around, I was afraid my greatest fear would materialize right before my eyes.
There was a low, satanic grumble right behind my ear which made me jump, tossing my cell phone to the floor in a very cliché manner. I felt a pair of large arms envelope me in a tight squeeze. I was too frightened to scream, and yet in the back of my mind it felt too surreal.
“Hey, Sexy.”
“ASSHOLE!” I tried to break away but he was far too strong, “Let me go, you’re all sweaty! You made me lose my phone! Help me find it or I’ll cut your gonads off.”
“You should be a little less finicky,” Travis grinned as he let go of me. I was infuriated to say the least, I had never been so afraid in my entire life… and I was supposed to be the tough chick.
“Did you find it yet?” I asked as he illuminated the hall with the glare from his cell phone. He shook his head as he continued to scour the floor. “Why are you here so late, anyway?”
“Wrestling practice barely ended,” he began, “I couldn’t help but catch up with you after I saw those cute little legs of yours walking down the hall through the gym doors.”
“Shut up,” I joking socked him, only to hurt my knuckles against his tense muscles. “Damn, Travis.”
“Ooh yeah,” he winked as he flexed his muscles. Travis was tall, bulky and incredibly handsome. He was your average jock, closely shaved blonde hair and pale blue eyes that nearly blended into his complexion. I was completely gaga over him, he was the theme to many a midnight dreaming. “I think I found it.” he bent down and picked up something that was on the floor.
“Did you-” I turned to face him, he was standing directly behind me holding my phone in the air a couple of feet above my head. “Give it,” I reached for it and he pulled it back, “PLEASE.”
“I’ll give it back to you,” he paused, his eyes always had this lusty tint to them, I didn’t know whether it was due to the opacity of the color or something more devious, “If you go to Prom with me.”
“I’m not going to Prom,” I shrugged, “Plus, isn’t it a litttttttle too late?”
“No, there is still like a week and a half, tickets aren’t even on sale yet. So what do you say, you and me?”
“Um, I thought I was clear when I said I wasn’t going. Now gimme my phone!” I took a step back from being in such close proximity to a member of the opposite sex.
“Nope, I think I’ll keep it for a while.” He raised his eyebrows as he stared at me with narrowed eyes. I guess it was his weak attempt to break me, but it was clearly failing. “Tell me why you aren’t going to Prom. All you need to do is look pretty, I mean, I got your ticket taken care of.”
“I think it’s an outdated institution and the only way you’ll get me to wear a ridiculously frilly dress is if you kill me first.” I folded my arms as I stared him down threateningly, “Give me my phone or I will kick you in the balls.”
“Who says you have to wear a frilly dress? You can come in a potato sack for all I care.” He had this way of sounding extremely stern and demanding, which was also blended in with his regular voice, I figured it was to gain seniority against the other alpha males.
“Okay, I guess.” I shrugged, “Now give me my phone.”
“Really?” He cocked his brow, “You’re willing to break your moral?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I sighed, “I’ll probably regret not going to my Senior Prom twenty years from now.”
“Good.” he smirked as he tossed me my phone. “Let me walk you to your bike.”
________________________________________________________
“I hear you’re going to Prom with Travis?” Edward smirked as he shot his gun casually at the target.
“Word’s out already?” I laughed as I loaded bullets into my gun. “He asked me last night.”
“Ooh, what were you guys up to?” he said with his broad, secretive smile. Edward was a very passive young man who could settle any dispute with his calm words and gentle nature, but whenever something truly upset him the inferno within was irreconcilable. He was probably the tallest guy at East High, with a face like an Abercrombie model and a thin, lanky frame.
“It’s not what you think,” I rolled my eyes, “He caught me after tutoring. So he’s been telling people I finally caved into the establishment?”
“Just the boys in the locker room.” he grinned, “Be careful, you can’t trust guys like Travis. They’re only after one thing.”
“Oh please, you’re not going to give me the sex talk.” I laughed, “You’re forgetting the fact that you’re dating my best friend, she tells me EVERYTHING.” I widened my eyes for dramatic effect. I had always thought of Edward as a closet homosexual, his pretty boy looks and kind gentle nature were incredibly odd for me to accept.
“That’s different, we’ve been together for almost two years.” he smiled crookedly as he shot the bulls eye. “Wah!” he did a little victory dance as he wiggled his little white boy butt.
“Atta boy.” I nodded, “Are you coming with me next week?”
“Of course. I can’t let you do anything alone, you might get hurt.”
“I think I can take care of myself.” I reminded him, “Are you forgetting when I did the double hit while you and Steph were camping with her parents?”
“Yeah, and you’ll never let me forget it, either.” he chuckled, “But since I’m not busy, I’ll accompany you.”
“Thanks, I guess.” I shrugged, “We’ll have to go pick up some neat new disguises, I’m so sick of the old ones.”
“Sure, we’ll have to stop by headquarters first though, I need to talk to Kat about the hit.”
“Why?”
“This guy is an international spy, Ava, we need all the information we can get if we want to live.”
“You’re so dramatic.” I waved him off as I emptied the cartridge from my gun. “We’ve been doing this since we were sixteen, I think we know what to do. Aim, shoot.”
“There are things you have yet to learn,” he shook his head, “He can probably already sense there is something afoot, he’s like the James Bond of the terrorist world.”
“Ugh, stop, you’re starting to scare me.”
“Well, you need to start taking this job seriously. Believe it or not, I actually care about you, what good are you to me if you make a fatal mistake and die?” he grinned slightly as he lazily slung his arm over my shoulder.
“That sounds incredibly positive.” I replied as I patted his back in faux camaraderie. “So did you and Stephanie color coordinate for prom yet?”
“Yeah, she made me reserve the suit like a month ago. You won’t believe what color.”
“What?” I asked excitedly, “Is it some disgustingly girly color? Like SALMON or HOT PINK!?” I giggled.
“Worse.” he widened his eyes in horror, “Avocado green.”
“EWWWWWWWWW. What possessed her?!”
“Her grandmother’s refrigerator.”
“I feel so sorry for you.”
“Yeah, well,” he shrugged, “Are you and Travis going to match?”
“Um, no. How lame, we’re not even a couple. I’m going to wear the same dress I wore to my cousin’s christening three years ago.”
“I wish Steph was simple minded like you. She wants me to go all out for Prom, and frankly I don’t care.”
“Don’t tell me she made you rent a Limo?”
“That one had a hundred asterisks next to it on the list she gave me.” Edward and I began walking back to the front desk where we handed our guns and retrieved our identity cards. “I’m shelling out the same amount as I’d get for a hit, isn’t that scuzzy?”
“Incredibly. Thankfully I don’t have to worry about that crap. I just have to be there and look pretty.”
“Oh, I’m sure that’s all Travis expects.” Edward and I walked outside the shooting range complex and toward his car.
“What do you mean? He doesn’t think I’ll sleep with him, does he?”
“I told you, guys like Travis sleep with girls left and right. Be careful is all I’m saying.” Edward opened my door and I hopped into his tiny sports car. “If it were up to me I would have said no.”
“Well, he didn’t ask you!” I retorted as I folded my arms indignantly. “Plus, he had my cell phone for ransom.”
“I don’t even want to know.” he started the engine and we were on our way. Edward and I had been professional assassins since the tenth grade, that’s how we initially met. Although we had been going to the same school since the sixth grade we had never really known each other until the day we received the call.
Nobody knows exactly how a person is chosen for the League of Assassins, but once they are sworn in they must keep their mouths shut or suffer intolerable consequences. Every month or so each of us are sent on a hit to eliminate the world from one more terrorist. Although our targets are unknown to us most of the time, we are still prohibited direct communication with our suspects or their entourage. Sometimes our jobs come from private parties who have paid our organization large sums of money to do one of their enemies in, usually these people are unsuspecting family men or housewives. Those are the kinds of jobs that pain me the most, I don’t believe anyone deserves to have their lives cut short due to competition. For those cases, I usually hand my gun to Edward, who could care less as long as he reels in the dough.
The origin of our firm is unknown, we were taught not to ask questions and only to do as we were told. Aggravating the committee of head chiefs was something quite rare, and when it happened it was a public event amongst the rest of us. Within the walls of the League a different set of rules were applied, we were working for a different kind of Government than we were taught in school. We were in no way a branch off the American government, but we were a key partner against the war on Terror. We were a new type of hybrid soldiers, young and agile, highly skilled with the ways of the world.
“Are you nervous?” Edward asked me as we stepped out of the rental car.
“No, why, are you?”
“Ha!” he laughed, “Let’s do this.”
I followed him into the casino where we were told Alejandro De Santos would be playing his regular round of blackjack.
“Don’t you think we’d bring unwanted attention to ourselves dressed as Mr. and Ms. Smith?” The tight fitting black dress limited my movement, but I tried my best to look inconspicuous as we walked over to the slot machines. Thankfully, the age limit at an Indian reservation casino was only 18 so even if we were carded we’d still pass.
“I think it’s cute.” he grinned as he turned to face me, “Do you want to do this or shall I?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged, “I think it’s better if you do, it’s going to be obvious when I struggle with the gun in my garter.” I pointed out.
“True.” he replied, “Cover me.” I took a few steps in front of Edward as he reached into his pocket, I think he had spotted our suspect.
Edward pulled out his sniper gun and before I could take another step he had shot the man square between the eyes. “OH SHIT,” he whispered, “RUN!”
“What? WHY!” I looked around only to see the two men in suits coming towards us with their hands in their coats reaching for their own munitions.
I waddled in my skintight dress a good yard or two behind Edward as we ran toward the exit. Bullets stated flying just as he reached the exit and I was a few feet away. I was able to dodge two of the bullets that were headed my way, but once I reached the car I blindly realized one had penetrated my lower back.
“Ow, ow, ow,” I cried, “Drive.” I choked.
“What happened?” Edward asked as he swiftly pulled out of the parking lot of the Palm Desert casino.
“I got shot.” I winced, I was in excruciating pain, it felt like a thousand tiny needles were thrust into me all in one spot.
“Shit!” Edward cursed, “I’m so sorry, it was my fault I should have been more careful! I’ll get you to the League as soon as possible.”
This would be my second time getting shot on the job, I couldn’t say I was used to the pain, but I wasn’t as panicked as I was the first time it had happened.
I watched the speedometer jitter a little passed a hundred as the car zoomed down the empty desert highways. I cold feel my dress soaking up the blood from my wound, the only thing that was running through my mind was how we were going to get the blood out of the upholstery before we had to return the car.
“Are you doing okay?” Edward asked as he glanced over to the backseat where I was sprawled.
“Yeah, yeah, just drive.” I moaned. This reminded me of that once scene in Reservoir Dogs where Tim Roth (aka Mr. Orange,) was in the back dying of his gunshot wound. I hope Edward didn’t have similar intentions, after all we were living in a dog eat dog world.
No, he was better than that. Edward wouldn’t hurt a fly amongst his friends and that’s what I liked most about him. He was a good guy, and for that I was jealous of the fact he was dating my best friend Stephanie and not me.
We were almost to the league when I began to feel a little dizzy. My eyes began to droop and sleep threatened to dominate my body. I couldn’t speak, I was far to weak to even lift a finger or to even keep my eyes open. I was adamant to stay awake, the one piece of advice most crucial when faced with mortal danger was to never fall asleep. I knew I had lost too much blood and if hadn’t received immediate attention as I did when we arrived at the League I probably would have been in critical condition.
I worried how this would affect Prom, would I even be able to go? Travis had already bought my ticket and I wouldn’t have wanted to go to waste; of course he would probably substitute some bimbo in my stead.
“How are you feeling?” Edward said softly as he walked into the brightly lit room with a bouquet of flowers.
“Much better now that they’ve got me hooked on morphine.” I grinned as he placed the flowers next to me. “Thanks, by the way.”
“No problem,” he shrugged, “It’s kind of my fault.”
“No, it’s not.” I reprimanded, “Don’t say that.”
“Thanks, but we both know it is.” he sighed, “The doctor’s say you can leave tomorrow.”
“Thank God. What bull did you tell my mother to cover up me being here?” I said as I took a sip of water that was beside my bed.
“I told her you went on a sporadic trip to Sacramento with Steph’s family, and don’t worry, I asked Steph to cover up if your mom decides to call and check up on you.”
“You are my savior.” I gushed, “I guessed this means I still have to go to Prom with Travis.”
“Why are you dreading Prom so much, I thought you kind of had a thing for him.” he chuckled mischievously.
“Well, he’s not that bad,” I lied, the boy was gorgeous, but completely full of himself at times. “I just don’t like the idea of Prom, not only is it boring, but half the girls there expect to lose their V-Cards there.”
“V-Cards?” Edward smirked inquisitively.
“Yeah, like virginities.” I laughed, “How lame is that.”
“I’m not going to lie, that’s pretty lame,” he agreed. I loved how beautiful his eyes were and how they danced whenever he spoke. They weren’t quite green, blue or brown, but a mixture of the three which complimented his brown hair and sun kissed, yet fair complexion. Edward was everybody’s type, he was wanted by girls and envied by all others.
“You never called,” my mother was sitting on the sofa as I stepped into through the front door.
“I’m sorry, there was no connection up in the mountains,” I lied as I began heading upstairs to my bedroom. The best thing to do was to avoid my mother, hoping she would avoid my slight limp.
“Sit down, we need to talk.” she snapped angrily as I reached the fifth step. I dreaded upsetting my mother, it was worse than bathing with a thousand scorpions.
“Yes, Mother.” I obliged as I dropped my bag and walked into the living room. I tried my best to mask the unbearable pain on my face as I took a seat as far from her as possible as she muted the Golden Girls.
“So you went camping in Sacramento?” she set the remote beside her and looked into my eyes intently, I always said she would have made a great CIA agent.
“Yes, up in Sacramento. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing.”
“Yeah, I called Stephanie’s mother,”
“You did?” I gasped, then I darted my eyes back to the silent television screen to try and change the subject, “Haven’t you seen this episode before, how can you watch reruns?”
“She told me you, her and her older brother went.” my Mother narrowed her eyes suspiciously, “There wasn’t any funny business going on, was there?”
“No, ew, he has a girlfriend. You know I’m not like that.”
“Yes, but boys only want one thing.”
“Pre nuptials?” I kid, “I think we’ve had this talk when I was like ten.”
“Yeah, but if I constantly remind you you won’t make the same mistake your sister Brittany did.”
“Okay, she was a whore, what makes you think I’ll end up like that?” I crossed my arms indignantly as I watched my mother relive the horrifying years that Brittany spent under this roof. Brittany was my older sister, she was from my mother’s first marriage and she constantly blames Brittany’s outcome on their messy divorce.
“You’re the only one I’ve got left,” she sighed, “There isn’t much time left until you graduate and leave for college to start making your own mistakes.”
“Mom, I already told you I’m going to the community college for my general ed. I know I won’t be making any mistakes under your watchful eye, plus, you’d think I’d know better. I haven’t done anything too drastic.”