Their Special Kin

(1) Retirement

Adrian's pov

I should have known.

The organisation hasn't ever cared for me, or any of the others like me.

So why did their betrayal hurt so much? Had I grown too self-confident? Or was it that I had forgotten that to the organisation we have never been and never will be humans like them

I don't know, and I don't need to. In the end, the result will be the same regardless, finding out why won't change my current situation.

I was at my retirement party with Danny and Florence, my best friends, but the festivities didn't last.

Danny was 3 years younger than me and came from the same orphanage as me. He was left at the orphanage immediately after his birth and we happened to arrive around the same time so I had helped raise Danny like a little brother before the organisation adopted us and a few of the other kids both older and younger than us, sadly most of the others who came here with us are no longer a part of this world...

Florence, however, I met after being in the organisation for a few years. I was 15 at the time and so was Florence. He was an older child from a batch that arrived a few after ours. At the time I was sure he wouldn't survive yet, he did miraculously and we became close after we went on a mission together at the age of 17, ever since then we've been best friends which is rare in our environment.

Now when I look back at the kids that these two used to be it's like magic that they managed to become who they are today. The shy little ball of fluff that would shudder at the sound of thunder became a top assassin known for being unaffected by everything, luckily I know that's not true, and the lanky teen who appeared as if a harsh breeze could carry him away has become a man like steel and flames.

Now to explain why I'm lamenting my foolishness to you.

As I previously explained, I was at my retirement party. I was finally about to escape the organisation and gain my life back. But the organisation is a heartless group. During the celebration of my new beginning with my two closest friends, I was murdered in a flurry of lights and the heat of blue flames by my ONLY TWO cared-for people. The two whom I believed I could always trust even if I couldn't trust the world itself. By the boy I RAISED and the man I had SAVED FROM DEATH!

Danny's face as he slit my throat was filled with a sense of deep sadness, but why did he kill me then? Florence also wore an expression as if he was tearing out his own heart as he pinned me down, so why did he do it? I could hear their cries of pure anguish and sorrow that pierced the otherwise silent night as my consciences began to flicker and fade.

...why? Why? WHY?!

"...why...?"

The question finally left my body as I held onto the last threads of life as I craved to hear the answer from their own lips. The answer, however, was what shocked me most, Florence was the one who answered me.

"Because we love you..." He muttered into my ear as he cradled my cooling body on his own which still carried the characteristic warmth of the living. After he had answered me he kissed me and my eyes widened in surprise. His face filled with love, longing and despair was the last thing that I saw before I eventually succumbed to my death.

You can imagine my surprise when I awoke after being asleep for 3 days with these memories.

My name is Adrian Falcone and I'm a 10-year-old, commoner, boy. I was pushed into a ditch by the roadside by some bullies and hit my head badly which lead to my 3-day nap and was also likely the reason my past life memories came back.

At first, I was going to take revenge but then I dismissed the idea. I'd rather wait a bit longer, nurture can be just as strong as nature if not stronger. Those kids might not be that bad, and even if they are that bad it would be more satisfying to wait until a better time before I act. Despair can be one of the ugliest things but also one of the most beautiful sights on your enemy's faces.

I pried myself from the mattress that poked and jabbed me through the old worn sheet and out of the itchy yet warm blanket that covered me from my chest to my ankles when I lay flat.

I realised how different my past body was from my current body as I stood in the mirror which actually was a wall that I had used my habit on. I am 10 so of course, there are differences from my adult self in my last life but I also seem different from my last life's childhood self. I was on the shorter side for a boy my age due to malnutrition. I could tell due to how in my last life something similar happened before I moved to the orphanage at 3 years of age. My hair is a badly tangled mess but it was also long and the colour of sunlight like before, the icy blue-white colour of my eyes also remained in this life.

Other than the colouring of my eyes, hair and skin nothing was the same as before. My naturally pale skin was painted in an uneven layer of bruises and cuts from the abuse of my peers and the neglect of my parents in this life.

Speaking of parents, they barely count. They are the ones who gave birth to me but not a whole lot more. When a child turns 1 they will reveal their habit and when I revealed mine was when they gave up on me it would seem.

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Hope you enjoyed!