“I still can’t believe you have your own car,” Natalie stated from the backseat and I smiled to her in the rearview mirror. “No seriously,” she continued leaning up in between me and Sam, “How do you even have your license? You are sixteen right?” That got Sam to look up in realization and look over at me too.
Tightening my grip on the wheel I stopped at the red light and said, “Uh yeah, it was another gift from the orphanage when I left, a girl needs a car to go places right?”
“Yeah but you shouldn’t have a seniors license right?”
Now that Sam mentioned it she was right; how did I have my senior license? Shrugging my shoulders I pulled into a parking spot that was ironically next to the museum. Hopping out squinting my eyes in the sun I said, “So why are we in town? I mean we can find something to do back at school if we put our minds to it.” While the other two were blinking at the light I stole a glance at my license and saw that it said I was nineteen, sweet.
Messing around with her camera Sam replied, “Oh yeah let’s get started on next semesters homework and get a tutor.”
“Oh shut the hell up.”
Linking arms with the two of us Natalie said, “Oh come on guys let’s be friends here. We are here to shop around the town Josey since you don’t really know where anything is.” Yes I did, they just didn’t know I snuck out of the building pretty much every night hunting down fellow assassins and thieves. The second the little boutiques came into view Natalie pulled me into one that sold cute little dresses. “Here’s my favorite store, Little Sunny,” Natalie stated twirling around in a circle.
Fingering the pink lacy dress right next to me I said dryly, “I have lost all respect for you Nat; this is just throw up in a form.” Instead of answering me the two of them pulled me to the back of the store where a bunch of punk rock dresses with rips, chains, and zippers all over them were hanging; oh hell yeah.
Completely ignoring the other two I walked around the racks looking at everything with wide eyes until I found a cute black dress with blue rips and chains all over it; this would so look cool with my blue jeans. I glanced at the price tag and saw that it was on sale although in all honesty it didn’t matter to me; the care packages I got included hundreds of dollars in ever one; best job ever.
“How does this look,” I asked holding it up against myself and twirling in a circle. Sam and Natalie whistled in appreciation clapping their hands and giving me two thumbs up. When Sam couldn’t find anything and Natalie found way too many dresses and couldn’t pick, we moved on to the shop next to it which turned out to be the shoe store in the state; Shocking Shoes. Pushing the door open I asked, “Where do they get the names for these things?”
Holding up a pair of red vans Sam replied, “I don’t know but I agree with you, they can be so much better.” We started coming up with a bunch of different names the store could have as we walked around until I found rainbow colored convers that were calling my name. “Wow those are so cute,” Sam exclaimed and then looked at the price tag, “Oh wait Josey, they’re over a hundred dollars.”
“Oh your right, that’s too bad,” I said and put them back. Mental note; come back later some other day and buy them, if they ask questions I’ll just say I got them at a thrift store. Looking longingly one last time at my dream shoes (seriously they would go with anything) I followed the other two back outside and saw the huge fountain in the middle of a flower courtyard. “Oh what is that,” I breathed as we walked across the street heading that way.
Clearing her throat dramatically Natalie said, “When this city was founded it was a beautiful meadow full of all of these flowers from around the world. No one knows how half of these are able to grow here all year round but so not to anger the gods the townspeople created this beautiful courtyard to keep them pleased.”
I caressed a red flower that was from Africa saying, “That is so cool, and these are so pretty.” The three of us sat down on the fountain wall and I turned my face into the gentle mist that was coming from it. I heard a snapping sound and saw Sam put down her camera smiling at the picture she just took. “I hope I look beautiful enough for you,” I stated dryly.
“Oh relax you actually look peaceful for once.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You are always so tense all the time and never have fun, and every time your phone rings you look like you’re going to have a heart attack.”
“That-that-that…” is actually probably true, I thought to myself as I angrily stormed off through the flowers. I heard Natalie shout something at Sam before quick footsteps told me I was being followed; before whoever it was could catch up to me I crouched down in a rose bush not caring that thorns were pricking my skin.
“Josey, where are you,” I heard Natalie shout and then run off deeper into the flower garden as I lied back on the cool ground.
It isn’t my fault I don’t know how to fully have fun, I’ve never been around other teenagers in my life. That and fun isn’t really what my entire life was made of, Sam knows that, I just don’t understand what I’m doing wrong around her! I’m being myself! It’s a good thing that I’m only here for a short time and don’t have to really get to know these girls because if I did have to stay here longer than one or two more weeks I would probably end up killing the entire student body.
Sighing angrily I ripped a rose off the bush and felt the thorns tear deeper into my skin as a trickle of blood ran down my thumb. Placing it into my mouth I gently sucked on it thinking, but maybe she’s trying to make me have fun because she cares about me and wants me to forget about my old life. Damn it was Sam trying to be nice to me this entire time?
I stood up quickly then shrieked in pain completely forgetting I was in a rose bush. Stumbling out of the bush pulling thorny stems out of my hair I started walking back to the fountain only to stop dead; no one was even there. I went to pull out my phone when I realized that it was in my backpack, which was with Natalie.
“Dammit,” I muttered stuffing my hands into my jeans and walking through the garden. Even though this day wasn’t going so well, the flowers were really pretty. There was lavender hanging in drapes across a stone wall, azaleas were everywhere, and there was a Japanese apple blossom tree at the corner of the garden. Walking over to it I pulled a branch down and looked at all of the beautiful petals, which then gave me an idea.
Pulling down a few stems I wove them together until I had a flowery head band which I put on right away. Picking even more flowers I made two bouquets and then started searching for my friends. It took me a few minutes but I finally found them near the back of the garden calling my name repeatedly. Walking up I smiled shyly and said, “Sorry about that I got a little side tracked.”
When the two of them turned around their eyes got really big and I handed each of them a bouquet. Smelling hers, Natalie said, “Wow Josey these are so pretty, and so is your head band, it makes your eyes stand out even more than usual.”
I sent her a smile then turned to Sam opening my mouth to apologize when Sam said, “I’m sorry for earlier Josey, I shouldn’t have said that you were always tense.”
Brushing my bangs away from my eyes I smiled at her saying, “Its fine I’m just not used to being able to relax around people since I never had friends before. I’m happy I came to the gray building actually.” And what I just said was true, back at my house I didn’t have any friends besides Adam and he was older than me by like seven years. This job gave me the chance to meet kids my age and act normal, not like the psychotic killer I am, maybe life isn’t really about hunting people down.
Sam smiled and Natalie pushed us together in a hug; which I actually didn’t mind for the first time in my life. Laughing the three of us started walking back through the garden on our way to human civilization.
Rustling through her bag Natalie said, “Oh you wouldn’t believe what I found while we were looking for you. There was a newspaper sitting on a bench we passed; oh here it is!” She handed me a today’s paper and I read the main title, “Mystery Girl Saves Kidnapped Child!” My eyes flickered to the photo and saw the guy I attacked last night; actually it was his mug shot. As I continued to read I saw that the guy admitted that a girl attacked him but he didn’t know what she looked like; oh good I kicked his ass so badly he couldn’t even remember the previous night.
Trying not to let my mouth hang open I said, “Oh wow that is really cool, who do you think she is?”
Closing her eyes in a mock dramatic look of being dreamy Sam said, “Maybe it’s this amazing girl who only goes out at night time and is our town’s new hero. I always thought a girl super hero would be so awesome and now we have one apparently.”
Natalie added, “Yeah it is pretty cool, maybe the boys will stop being sexist around here now although that probably won’t happen anytime soon.”
“I would go for a smaller dream that has a chance of happening Natalie,” I stated letting my eyes wander around window shopping. When my stomach growled the other two grabbed my arms and dragged me into this cute little diner that barely had anyone in it besides a few elderly couples. It was self-seating so the three of us found a booth in the back next to the window. I got the inside seat in the corner because as an assassin I have issues with someone behind me.
Handing me a menu Sam asked, “So how do you like our diner? It doesn’t really have a name or anything but it is nice in here.”
“It’s cute.”
Natalie was drinking water as I said that and had a major spit take. Gasping for breath she exclaimed, “I have never thought I would hear you say those two words, or still have a wreathe of flowers in your hair.” I touched the pink flower hanging over my eye and stuck my tongue out at her; I’m allowed to have my own girly side if I wanted to.
Our food arrived (I got this awesome plate of steamed vegetables with a side of chocolate cake) when Sam’s eyes got super big and she whispered, “Josey do not turn around no matter what.”
Training my ears to pick up sounds behind me I heard a high pitched voice snort, “Oh you bring me to the cheapest place you can find, thank you so much.” I started to smirk when I heard Nick grunt in anger as he and Crystal sat down in the booth right behind me. Sam and Natalie both put their heads down on the table as they started laughing hysterically.
“So Nick, what do you want to do later on tonight?”
“I don’t know, sleep.”
I heard Crystal sigh in annoyance and rolled my eyes at Nick’s stupidity; can boys get any stupider?
“So Nicky…”
“I already told you once Crystal, I don’t like any of the nicknames you give me.”
There was a huge crash right behind me so I whirled around and saw a chair go flying back into the wall with Crystal standing there snorting like a bull. “You know what Nick you are an arrogant dick, we are so through!” I watched in disbelief as she stormed out of the diner with angry customers muttering at her back. Before I could even react Nick turned around so we were face to face.
Narrowing his eyes in anger he exclaimed, “What the hell do you have to say?”
“Um, you’re an idiot who can’t pick up a girl for your life that is all,” I mused and spun back around; I heard him sigh in annoyance before the seat caved in and I found myself sliding towards Nick’s shoulder. Scooting away from him I asked, “And what are you doing over here jerk wad?”
“What is wrong with girls?”
Sam and Natalie both looked at me and the three of us burst out giggling like mad while Nick narrowed his eyes in confusion. “The bigger question is what is wrong with Crystal? The answer to that would be she’s the biggest bitch in the entire world, everyone can see that except for you apparently,” I said then continued laughing.
I heard a deep rumbling sound and then the seat was shaking from Nick’s laughter. His blue eyes were crinkled in amusement and his white teeth flashed in the low light. Damn this boy was hot; too bad he was an air head.
In all honesty the car alarm that rang through town was a dead giveaway to me that something was going on; especially since it was one in the morning. Leaping down from my perch in the tree I followed the sound down to the edge of town near the dumps and saw a group of three men surrounding this nice looking car as one of them tried to pry the door open without damaging the exterior.
Slightly amused I leaned on one foot observing them unsuccessfully try to steal the car for the next five minutes before I coughed slightly. When the three of them spun around I said, “You do know that you can hear the alarm from three miles away right?”
“Get lost girl, we don’t have time for a kid trying to play hero, boys show her how it’s done.”
The two bigger looking guys ran at me and before either one of them could touch me I tripped one and watched as the other guy fell over his buddy. Growling the one I tripped grabbed my leg but then howled in pain as my other foot came around and broke his nose. I watched as blood poured down his face while moving back a few steps so I wouldn’t get my shoes dirty.
The second guy stumbled to his feet finally and lunged at my neck; before he could get another inch closer I had already shot a net from my bracelet over him and he fell on top of the other guy getting them both tangled up in a mess of random limbs and body parts. “Great, just my luck, you two can’t do anything,” the leader said and spit on their squirming bodies.
Picking at a hang nail I had I stated, “So do you want to get into that net and wait for the police the easy or hard way? Please pick the easy way because I can’t oversleep and miss English class tomorrow because my teacher will kill me.” He swung a fist at my face and in what seemed like slow motion I ducked down and kicked him right in the stomach as hard as I could sending him flying backwards into the wall right next to the car. Standing back up straight I sighed, “I guess the hard way it is.”
About ten minutes later I had the three of them completely wrapped up and gagged in the middle of the road so the police couldn’t miss them. Tying one last knot I took out a simple camping flare gun from my pocket and shot three flares up into the air and waited a minute; the sound of the police sirens started up in the distance.
Looking at my watch I saw it was nearly two in the morning and complained, “Great if I’m late for class tomorrow I will personally come back to the police station and kick all of your asses, hope you have a good time in jail.” With that said I leaped up into a tree and started leaping back to the gray building listening to the sounds of muffled cursing get dimmer and dimmer the further I went.