Lady Josephine: Darkness BK2

Overtaking

“Oh? So it is only my skills that matter to you?”

“Josie, you know that is not what I meant!” Eleanor insisted

“Explain then.”

“Killing, well it is not something many do for the fun of it. We all have are different reasons, and few trust enough to tell many the reason why. But us, the assassins, we tell each other things. At the end of the day we really are a family.”

I backed up a shook my head in disbelief, “Family? What the hell is a family good for?”

“Josie! The point I am trying to make is you have never told anyone why you became an assassin! We supported you anyway. What has made you become like this? Many of us cannot help but think that the reason you became an assassin created this person that stands before me.” She tried to explain

“How I am I different from who I was?”

“Josie you empty. The person we knew. The passionate and adventurous you were is no longer here.”

I clenched my fists in frustration, in defiance “You-nobody knows me.”

Eleanor grabbed my hands and held them tightly so I could not pull away, “Josephine! Dammit! Listen to me.”

“Eleanor, you have no right to call me that name. I am no longer that person!” I did not know if I would ever be that person again.

“Yes, that is right. You are empty.” The anger and frustration I had were gone. I knew she was right, I knew what she was saying was true. I was empty and only served as a doll that was forced to move in silent activities. “Josephine, I saw you at court once, when I was visiting a contact of mine. I saw you when you were on your job and you didn’t even notice me. You were completely enthralled with dancing, you were radiant Josephine. I knew from the moment I saw that part of you that you were never meant for the hard life of killing. “

“It was only a façade I had created. It wasn’t me.”

Eleanor shook her head sharply, “No, no matter how good you are Josephine. No assassin can ever create a perfect replication.” I knew that, but I could not tell Eleanor this fact. I wanted her to see me as who I was: A strong and independent woman and not the girl that she had seen at the ball. I wanted to be respected by her. But really, who was the girl at the ball. Was the girl really me or an incomplete version? Although, I guess it did not matter much anymore because I would never be her again no matter how hard I tried to get her back. She was hidden deep within me, and only Jason had the key. Eleanor’s voice turned sympathetic, “I understand why you won’t tell me why. I hope in the future you trust me enough to tell me the reason.”

I nodded my head and we stood silently for several minutes until I finally spoke again, “What is it you really came here for? What went wrong with my mission?” I was eager to know and the possibilities rushed though my head. However, what came next was not what I was expecting.

“It seems you left someone alive. I do not know the details, but my source says there was at least one person was left alive in the aftermath. There might have been two.” Eleanor sat poised for my response, but I could do nothing but stare.  I immediately got rid of the possibility of the Duchess being alive. She had her head cut off after all. And Jason?  His image flashed through my mind. His cold body in my arms, his blood seeping into my dress, and finally are final goodbyes as his eyes finally went dead. Jason…there was no real possibility he could be alive, although, I admit I was under severe duress at the time. But his heart stopped beating…hadn’t it?

There was one more person

J

My grandfather

The possibility that he was alive…I could barely comprehend the thought.  He was everything to me before Jason. He was the one reason I continued living, just to kill him with my very own hands. When I finally thought I had finished the job that I had taken so long to finish, could it possibly be that he is still alive. Breathing? I finally thought I had sent the bastard to the grave.