The Assassin

Chapter 22

"I hate parties," I said. "They're absolutely the worst. And we have to be disguised. AGAIN!"

Julian paced the room. "I know. But what is The Wasp planning? With a group called the Kopfkinos? With a German lady as their leader!"

I wrinkled my nose at him. "Do you have something against Germans and ladies?"

He stopped pacing for a second and stared at me, then continued. "No. I'm just curious. What is he planning?"

I shrugged. "We'll just have to find out tomorrow morning. We have to blend in."

"At Gaea's garden..." the ex-Hive member trailed off. "Is that far away?"

"Gaea's Pavilion," I corrected. But I shook my head. "No. But it's usually used for weddings and that sort of stuff."

He stopped in front of me and blinked at me. "What does that have to do with the Kopfkinos?"

"Pretty scenery," I answered. "I'm guessing it's going to be a formal or nature-esque party."

The green-eyed man scrunched up his nose. "And?"

I glared at him. "Seriously? You are hopeless."

He clenched his hands. "Well, it's not MY fault that I'm not focused on what the 'theme' of the party is going to be! I'm focused on more important things, such as what the Kopfkinos have to do with the Hive."

"We'll figure it out AT the party," I argued.

"Well, I'm thinking ahead!" he snapped.

"We have to figure out how to disguise ourselves! We can't just waltz in there wearing black clothing! It's a PARTY, Julian. Not a murderer gathering."

The dark-haired boy scowled and turned away from me, muttering to himself. I rolled my eyes and stood up from my bed. "We need to go shopping again. You got more money?" I asked.

He turned around and nodded, holding a few dollars. "Stole some from Tommy's nightstand."

I laughed with sarcasticness in my voice. "Maybe after this is all over you can become a pick pocketer. You seem to be already good at it."

He gave me an icy glare. "What? When this is all over? Paula, it's never going to be over. We'll always be on the run! Maybe not from the Hive or your group of assassins, but the cops! The government! Do you not realize how many crimes we have committed? A LOT. We'll never be free so if you think you have a future, forget it."

I squinted at him in annoyance. "Okay, you don't need to tell me that. I'll still have a life. I don't know about you though. I might 'accidentally' assassinate you."

Julian's scowl deepened. "Let's just get this over with, alright?"

He began walking to my door. I followed him out. "We need food, too," I mentioned.

"We'll find a cheap restaurant after we're done shopping," he grumbled. "Or we can starve."

"If we starve," I said. "We won't be able to even take out the murder crew."

"Or your group of assassins," he added.

I jumped back, startled. "W-what? Group of assassins? What do you mean?"

Julian looked back at me, his jade-green eyes searching me as if he thought I was kidding. When I didn't say anything, he raised an eyebrow at me. "You realize you're going to have to kill them too, right? Or else they'll always be on the hunt for you. Unless you're fine with that, you have to slaughter them all."