Ghosteye - Stelle's NaNo '10 (Ch.15)

[Louise]

NaNoWriMo; 2010

She's the definition of evil. But she's my mother; I have to love her.

Bonita Ivanov was always evil, everyone knows that. Isn't that what you'd expect of the Leader, anyway? She causes chaos, and everyone is afraid of leaving their homes, just because of her.
However, she's not staying long. A sister-act, Gunner and Saber Ghosteye, have been ordered by the Foxtrot (assassianation group) to murder Bonita. Not that these two girls mind - Bonita murdered their father, and they lived on the streets until they met Nemisis Gale. He took them under their wing, and trained them in the Foxtrot. Now, everyone knows who they are; people rely on the duo to get rid of evil. Mainly, Bonita.
But underneath the veil, it's a whole lot more personal than that.

Official Boolprop Page

Wordcount: 10,071 / 10,000

[Louise]

Prologue – Listen to the Tale

I know it's a cliché to say that my childhood wasn't as ideal as it should have been. It's the same in every story - oh, poor me, my family hates me, yada yada yada. But, to be honest, if I pretended to say that my life was perfect...well, that'd just be boring, right? Maybe I should just tell the truth, no matter how clichéd it is.

My name is Saber Morana Ghosteye, and I solemnly swear to tell the truth. I won't tell anything but the truth, so help me God.

I grew up in a quite populous city called Lotus City - how original, huh? sIt' would've been a great place to grow up, if it weren't for my mother. Her name is Bonita Ivanov; most know her as the "Leader" now. Because, you see, my evil little bitch of a mum is the Emperor of Evil. Trust me, the name fits her well.
She was, and remains to this day, completely insane. Her thirst for power is so immense, that she killed my own father when he stood up to her. I remember that day well, ever so well. It's my worst memory.

I was probably about 13 or 14 at the time. My father, Jason Ghosteye, was fed up with the shit that he had to deal with from Bonita. So, he told her that he had enough. "I want a divorce," I recall him saying; I can still hear his voice so well. He was so determined to get out of this relationship, and you could tell.

My mother was not impressed - she loved Dad, she really did. But, her anger got the best of her, and she reached for a steak knife nearby. And, before Dad could even blink, the weapon stabbed his heart. He was gone within seconds.

I gasped in shock, and she turned on me. My eyes widened in shock as I ran, ran for my life. I was scared, I'd admit that. But, I wasn't fast enough, and she grabbed my long, blonde hair and pulled me close. With the same knife she used to kill my father, she struck my ear, causing me to become a modern Vincent Van Gogh. I thought that she was going to kill me, I truly was.

The rest was a blur, to be honest. I think I've repressed the memory or something. But, I do remember that my older sister, Gunner, struck Bonita from behind, grabbed my hand, and ran. I didn't have time to grab anything, other than my pet cat Mr. Whiskers, because we both knew that we had to get out of that hell hole.

We had nowhere to go, and, for a couple of weeks, we lived on the streets. We were constantly moving, in case Mum was searching for us. The thought of that being a reality was too much for me, but Gunner cared for me. She was more of a mother figure than Bonita ever was.

Eventually, we caught the eye of a young, mysterious man. He towered over me, and you knew that he was something different. His shoulder length, ebony hair blew in the breeze, and his ocean-blue eyes glistened in the light from the street light nearby. I was too nervous to speak, but Gunner, no, she was brave.
"Who the heck are you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes and clenching her fists. She stood in front of me, as if to protect me.

"Come with me, I'll make sure you're safe," was all he said, and, as he turned away, Gunner tugged on my arm. We knew we had to follow him.

And now, we're back to the present.

Current Wordcount: 623 / 10,000

[Louise]

Chapter 1 – Adapt to the Atmosphere

I groaned as the alarm clock began blaring in my ear, and felt around for the "stop" button. Waking up at 5am, everyday, annoyed the heck out of me, but it was necessary for my lifestyle now.

Now that you know exactly why I ran away from that hellhole I once called a household, I think it's vital to know how everything has changed since then.
Turns out the guy that rescued us from the streets in a man by the name of Nemesis Gale, who is the leader of a small little group called Foxtrot. The simplest way to explain Foxtrot is this - it's an assassination group. So, basically, all we do now is shoot people with evil intentions. Trust me; it's a lot of fun.

We were saved five years ago - I was 14, Gunner was 18. So, if you do the math, I'm now 19. My personality has changed in that mere half a decade. I was a person that used to be shy, quiet, and kind, but now I am quite the opposite. Gunner didn't change, really. She remained the same.

The strangest thing about Nemesis, who is now more or less our boss, is that he is only a year or two older than Gunner. When you'd think of someone that important, you'd think of an old, creepy man with a mysterious past or something, right? Well, Nemesis isn't like that. He's very, very, youthful. Attractive, too, but you didn't hear that from me.

Gunner and I now, are pretty bad ass. We kill people all the time now, and, like I mentioned before, it's very entertaining. Nothing's like sticking a gun in someone's ear, and watching their guts come out of the other side. Oh, it's ever so fun.

I stretched and slowly got out of bed, rubbing my eyes as I walked over to the calendar. Tuesday, 17th August, 2010. The date wasn't, and never was, important, unless circumstances made it such later. You'd never know, unless you got a task.

Getting a task is quite complicated. You'd think that Nemesis would decide who we would kill, right? Well, you're wrong. It's kind of like some crazy, voodoo stuff, so to speak. Finding out who to kill, and what time to do it, happened via a wheel. A very, very strange wheel that did everything without human contact. It was, to be honest, the strangest thing I've ever seen in my life. I never understood how it worked - Nemesis did, but he never did explain it to me. He wasn't one for talking.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I jumped in surprise. "Crap!"
The voice laughed. "Jeez, you're awful jumpy today, Sabey," he replied. I could imagine the smirk appearing on his face.
"Cross, cut it out," I complained, turning around to face him. Cross hadn't been living here as long as I had, but he was one of my best friends here. You wouldn't exactly expect for me to become so close with a guy like him, but I had never gotten along with the girl that was closest to my age. Which, ironically, was Cross's twin sister.
He smiled slightly. "Who pissed in your cereal?" he asked, shaking his head.

I rolled my eyes slightly and began to dawdle towards the dining room, Cross walking beside me. It was vital to eat breakfast every day - if I skipped a meal, I would overindulge at lunch. And, to be honest, that wasn't good for my metabolism.

Once I reached the dining room table, I grabbed a bowl of rolled oats and sat down at one of the many tables. There were about 25 of us that lived in Foxtrot, but I only knew a handful of them. That was probably because I shared a room with Gunner, and, luckily, had a room near where Cross and his sister slept. We were, quite tight - with the exception of his twin, because she never liked me. I never knew why, but I always thought it could be because she was jealous of me or something like that. It was probably the case.

"Scoot over," my sister said, sitting down next to me and beginning to play with her food. Her dark green eyes looked grey and tired, and her beautiful, inklike mane was a mess. She didn't look like she had a good sleep last night - and I was her sister, so I could tell. She was quite the insomniac.

I pursed my lips and moved over slightly, turning to face Gunner. "What's your excuse this time?" I asked her.
She groaned, and rested her head on the table. "I'm just...tired."
"Yeah, sure."
I turn in the direction of the new voice, and narrowed my eyes. I was wondering when the *censored* would turn up - turns out, it's now.

Allegra Fiore, slut extraordinaire - I never, ever liked her. Her platinum blonde hair and blue eyes gave off an innocent vibe, but she had been treating me like dirt ever since I met her. However, she got away with it, because she was so damn manipulative. I hated it. The worst thing about it, though, is that she was Cross's twin. So, I couldn't avoid her.

Cross smiled slightly and scooted over so Allegra could sit down. "How are you, sis?" he asked politely. He was so oblivious to the fact that his own sister hated me, but whatever. I'd play nice - for now.
"I'm fine," she said in a monotone, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder (I swear, she did that so darn often it wasn't funny) and studied her nails. To no surprise, she had no food in front of her.
I sighed. "Hi," I said to her, but all she did was glare at me and say nothing. Huh, typical.

And then, since the whole group was here, we began to scarf down our food - well, actually, it was just me. The others just gave me weird looks.
But it was totally worth it, because Nemesis appeared behind us. "Gunner, Saber," he addressed.

Gunner and I turned around to face him. "Yeah?" I asked with a mouthful full of porridge. Gunner shook her head in disapproval, and looked up at Nemesis. The way she looked at him, it was if she was seeing God or something. "What?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.

Nemesis searched through his pocket, then grabbed out a small piece of paper. I snatched it off of him, and read the details -
Fred Isotope
265 Rosefall Lane
7:30am

Gunner pursed her lips as she read over my shoulder. "We have a job, don't we?" she asked.
Nemesis replied with a slight smile, something that he didn't do often. "You sure do."

Current Wordcount: 1,768 / 10,000

[Louise]

Chapter 2 - Dump to the Alligning

Okay, maybe eating the rolled oats like it was going out of fashion was not my best idea. Because, for the next 20 minutes, I had to sit there impatiently while Gunner ate her meal and drank her coffee. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat; I wanted to just get out there and get it over and done with.

I loved killing, just for the thrill alone. It sounds a bit chaotic, I know, but it’s true. For some reason, the thought of assassinating someone excited me. Maybe it was because I have been doing it for so long, or something. I wasn’t exactly sure.

"Alright, done," my sister finally answered, standing up and walking over to the kitchen. I followed her, and tossed my dirty dish into the sink. I couldn't be bothered cleaning up, to be honest. I was always a bit of a slob like that.

Eventually (Gunner insisted on cleaning the dishes, God knows why), we walked out of the kitchen and down the long, dark corridor that we were ever so familiar with. We passed our room, the training centre, and even the rec room. We only stopped at a door at the end of the hallway. It blended so well into the wallpaper, you'd have to double take to notice it. Foxtrot was clever like that.

Gunner and I stopped, exchanged poignant glances, and opened the door.

This would have to be the best part of the whole job.

The room was filled with guns, grenades, knives...if it was a weapon, it was here. This was my favourite room, and I always enjoyed visiting it. I enjoyed picking out my weapons, trying out stuff, and just admiring everything. I immediately grabbed for a simple pistol gun - my favourite, without a doubt. It was simple, but it still screamed "Hey look, I'm going to blow your motherfucking brains out!" I adored it.

Gunner took her time, eventually choosing a long-distance shot gun and a small dagger. She always over-analysed everything, and you'd never see her not prepared for something like this. She was a great fighter and was great at killing, too. The only person I could think that was better than her was Nemesis (although we've never seen him kill, we've seen him train, and he is pretty badass in his own right) or our own mother. I looked up to my sister as a role model, and always turned to her for guidance.

She attempted to hand me a silencer, but I shook my head. "I'll be fine," I told her, pushing it away from me.
"Are you sure?" she asked, rolling her eyes slightly.
She didn't believe me - but I knew I'd be okay. I was a bit clumsy, sure, but I wouldn't do anything stupid. "Trust me, I won't need it," I assured her, sighing softly and sticking my pistol into my belt pocket. "Let's roll out."

-----

Gunner insisted on walking.

I wasn't exactly approving of the idea, but Gunner wouldn't listen to any of my complaints. "But come on!" I sighed, "Rosefall Lane is on the other side of town. Can't we take a cab or something?"

"Oh my god, Sabey, you're so damn lazy." She rolled her eyes and shook her head in disapproval, before walking out of the weapon chamber and down the corridor once more. I followed her, exchanging glances at the others that crowded the hallway. I didn't know them well, but they nodded thoughtfully at me as I walked past - they knew from experience what we were about to do; kill someone.

It's not as if we kill just because we have a grudge against anyone - Foxtrot is especially for doing away with the evil in Lotus City. You could think of it as the closest thing we have to a superhero, per say. We'd go around, eliminating anyone that is part of Bonita's fascist group. We'd make the world a better place, that's for sure. Maybe that was why I loved my profession so much.

But, if that was the case, why hadn't the Foxtrot wheel ordered the killing of our own mother yet? She was, after all, the leader of all this shit - shouldn't she have been done away with now? But, I knew it wasn't wise to ponder on questions like these. There was no point in questioning the Wheel, there never was.

Eventually, after walking all away across town (my feet were killing me), we reached the address. We stopped in front of an old, rusting warehouse - the red sliding were turning a disgusting brown colour, and it looked old and worn. "Wow, what a cliché," I commented, pursing my lips and crossing my arms.
"That it is," my sister agreed, before silently creeping towards the building. Ever so quietly, she unlocked the hinge on the door and opened the entrance. We wordlessly walked in, watching our steps carefully.

Finding Fred Isotope was quite easy. We had seen a photo of the man in question, she we knew exactly what we were looking for - he was a fat, grotesque man with thinning silver hair and a goatee. When I saw him, I cringed in disgust. "Ewww," I remarked, making a face, "his clothes are so ill fitting, I think I'm going to throw up. Doesn’t he know that skinny jeans don’t make you look skinny?"

Gunner placed her finger to her lips, signalling for me to shut up as we listened to Fred talk to the other people that were with him. They were both female - one looked as she was in her 40’s; the other looked closer to my age. They both looked identical, and both of them seemed familiar. However, I couldn't place my finger on it - where had I seen them before? I knew that I had seen them before, but I couldn't figure out why this was the case.

"Okay, so the Leader is going to strike that blasted Foxtrot when?" the older woman queried, tilting her head in confusion.
Fred chuckled softly. "That's classified information, Blanche, even for you."
The younger woman snarled. "Then why the fuck do you know?" she demanded, crossing her arms and glaring at Fred.
"Because, I'm the one supplying the explosives, of course. You're just the Leader's little pets." He seemed to be mocking his two companions, and neither looked impressed.

My eyes widened. They were going to blow up Foxtrot? But, we were living in secret, on the other side of town! How could they know about us?
Gunner had moved to a different spot in the warehouse, taking cover behind a bunch of boxes. She motioned for me to come over, and I began to walk over, when I tripped. Typical, clumsy me.

The worst thing about it, though, is that I accidently pulled the trigger of my pistol as I fell.

"Shit!" the woman, who was apparently named Blanche, exclaimed, looking around her cautiously.
Fred began to make his way to the door, his rolls of fat bouncing up and down as he waddled towards the entrance. "Let's get out of here!" he instructed, and the others began to follow suit. Gunner and I had to hide from them, because we both knew we would be dead if we were caught.

Once they were gone, I scrambled to my feet and looked up at Gunner. The look on her face explained it all - she was disappointed in me. I failed and, therefore, she failed too. Nemesis would not be impressed, and to my sister, it seemed to be all that mattered to her. She narrowed her eyes at me and began to leave.

I just stood there for a minute. To be honest, I was disappointed in myself as well. I had stuffed up; I didn't fulfil the task I was destined to do. But, that wasn't why I was so upset - I was more disappointed in the fact that I had let down my sister.

Current Wordcount: 3,115 / 10,000

[Louise]

Chapter 3 – Listen to the Heart

Only now, did we catch a cab. For the 20 minute trip, Gunner stared out of the window, refusing to even glance at me. I sighed softly and turned away from her, trying my best to hide my sadness from her.

The silence of the cab ride was suicidal.

Even when we got home, she didn’t utter a single word to me as we walked inside.. She immediately walked off in another direction, ignoring everyone that was surrounding us. People were asking how the job went, and she would stop and act as if the whole plan went off without a fault. I hung my head and slowly walked to my room, eventually walking in and sitting on my bed. I just sat there, as still as a statue. I felt as if I had let the whole world down.

I cried. I didn't do such often, but, then again, I never had a reason to. Everything was going right, but now I felt as if it was the beginning of a great unravelling of my life. The next thing that'll happen is that people will find out that Bonita was my mother or something; I'd be forced on the streets again. Or, they'd think that I was part of the great scheme to blow up Foxtrot. Something like that.

There was a knock on the door.

I didn't answer, and the door slowly crept open. I quickly lifted my head to glare at the person disturbing me, but looked down again when I realized it was Cross. "Hey," he said softly, sitting down beside me on the bed.

"What do you want?" I snapped, avoiding eye contact. I looked and felt like shit; there was no way in hell he was going to see me like this.
I heard a sigh. "Sabey, I saw you and Gunner enter Foxtrot. To be honest, you looked extremely suicidal. What's wrong?"

I turned to him and pursed my lips, then explained to him exactly what had happened. How I knew about the plot to blow up Foxtrot, how I had tripped over and let the goons escape, and how I had disappointed my sister. It was too much, and I let out a sob.

"There, there." I felt his arms wrap around me, and he pulled me close to him. I didn't do anything; I didn't try to wriggle out of his grasp or tell him it was inappropriate. I just sat there, grabbing the sleeve of his plain white t-shirt and using it as a tissue.

Cross laughed slightly. "I don't really want my sleeve to be used as a hanky, you know."
"I'm sorry," I blubbered, letting go of his shirt and wiping my tears on the back of my hand. I looked up to face him again, and saw his warm smile smiling back at me.
He shook his head. "It's fine. I guess you have a reason to be upset, after all," he replied, letting go of me. "Although, I really don't want you to be crying."
I pursed my lips and looked to the left, avoiding eye contact. "You don't mean that," I scoffed.
"I do, Sabey," he replied, nodding his head. "You're like, the most badass person I know. Seeing you cry, well..." he trailed off, seeming to think for the right words, "It’s kind of depressing, really."

I didn't say anything, so he continued. "Sabey, you're like a special kind of awesome," he admitted, smiling sheepishly. "I hate to see you like this, and I want you to always be happy. Because, if you feel down like this all the time, that could lead to...you know, cutting or suicide." He sighed. "And those are really permanent solutions to temporary problems, and things are going to get better. I just know it."

I pursed my lips, and this time, I was the one to embrace him. Cross was my best friend, and I could see why, to be honest - he was there for me when I felt hopeless. He was there for me during the high times, and also when I felt as if nothing was going right in my life. This was one of those times, that was for sure.

I think it was this moment in time that I began to fall for my best friend - because, I could never look at him the same after that. He was something special, and I never wanted to lose him. Ever.

Current Wordcount: 3,869 / 10,000

[Louise]

Chapter 4 - Respond to the Pain
Dark themes used.

Cross was my strength, for my own sister was giving me the silent treatment. Even though we lived in the same room together, she wouldn't even speak to me when I tried to be friendly. Hell, she didn't even answer me if I asked her a question.

It was killing me inside.

Time slowly passed...hours turned into days, days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. I didn't know how Gunner could hold such a grudge against me - I apologized so much, but apparently, it didn't mean squat to her. I hated it, it made me feel so depressed. I couldn't really take it.

The alarm went off, as per usual, and instead of immediately getting out of bed, I just laid there. I wasn’t as mobile as I used to be.

I rolled over to see if Gunner was in her bed – she wasn’t. Then again, she didn’t really sleep here anymore. I didn’t know where she was, but any place would be better than next to your stupid little sister, right? The sister that stuffed everything up for you, the sister that you didn’t want to be associated with.

I finally got up, and went to the calendar. 6th of October. Oh, how time flies – and to think only a mere few months again, I let everyone down. I walked away and into the corridor, but, instead of heading to the dining room, I headed in the opposite direction.

As I walked, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around sharply to see what was going on, but no one was there. I shrugged it off and continued to walk down the hallway.

When I reached the weapon room, I opened the door.

I'd sneak into the weapon room when no one was looking, and I'd just sit there and play with the knives placed on the shelf. I got to the stage where I scarred myself for life - I regretted it. But to me, it was the only way to get rid of the pain.

I closed the door slightly and slowly walked towards the shelf which contained all the sharp objects you could ever dream of. I stood there for a while, then grabbed a small Stanley knife and walked to the corner of the room. I sat down in the confined space, and revealed the blade from its protective cover. I sighed and held out my wrists, then scrunched my eyes shut as I felt the cutting edge pierce my skin. I opened my eyes and watched as the crimson blood dripped onto the floor beneath me. I smiled weakly, and went to repeat the process.

The next thing I knew, someone grabbed my hand and yanked the knife out of my hand. I turned around, scowling when I saw Cross. "Leave me alone," I hissed, "this is making it all better."
"This is not making anything better, Sabey!" he exclaimed. I could hear the quiver in his voice; he couldn't stand to see me like this. I knew, he told me constantly. But, I never listened.
I sighed. "Well, what the hell do you want me to do?" I asked, frowning slightly.
There was silence. "You should see Nemesis. Tell him you need a break."

"Are you shitting me!?" I shrieked, jumping up to my feet. "No, no way. He'd be so pissed."
"He'll get over it. He isn't that heartless."
"But all Nemmy cares about is work, work, work," I sighed, "I honestly don't know how he would want to let me take time off."

Cross frowned, and hugged me close. "He will. Trust me," he replied. He went to tuck my hair behind my ear, and I jerked away from him. There was no way in hell I was going to let him see my lack of a hearing aid. I was embarrassed by that.

I sighed. “Fine,” I gave in, beginning to stand up. Cross immediately rushed to my aid, helping me steady myself.
“Are you going to see Nemesis?” he asked me, tilting his head in confusion.

I just nodded in response.

Current Wordcount: 4,561 / 10,000

[Louise]

Chapter 5 - Tend to the Wound

We began to walk out of the weapon room, and Cross began to steer me down the hallway. People were up now, and the hall was abuzz. As we walked, people moved out of our way - usually, they wouldn't care less. But today, something was up.

Everyone was staring at me. I felt uncomfortable - why were they looking at me like that? Did Gunner rat me out or something? I became worried, and I blinked back the tears that were beginning to surface. As much as I hated to admit it, I was a blubbering mess.

Cross walked me past Nemesis' office, and I frowned slightly. "What the fuck?" I exclaimed, tilting my head in confusion. "I thought we were going to see Nemmy."
"You need to get cleaned up first," I heard him say. He pointed to the ground, and I looked in that direction.

There was a trail of blood down the hallway.

Cross grabbed my shoulders and steered me towards the nurse's office, opening the door and forcing me inside. "C'mon, let's see the nurse," he told me gently, walking me through the room.

I wasn't the only one to stuff up...you may think I was selfish to make this sound like such a big deal. Others, usually rookies, would often mess up their tasks, resulting in all sorts of injuries. I looked around at all the people in the hospital beds - some had bullet wounds; others had broken bones, and one was even poisoned. It was depressing.

"Nurse Alice?" Cross called out as we reached a plump, middle-aged lady at the far side of the room. She turned around and smiled warmly at me - I had heard about Nurse Alice, but I had never met her personally. I was told that she was the kindest lady ever, and she had a smile that only a mother could give to her child - however, I didn't know what that smile looked like. I just hoped that the look she gave me fitted the description.
"Oh!" she gasped, running over to me and grabbing my arms. "Dear, this is not good. It's not healthy to do stuff like this!" She frowned, and then ran off towards a first aid kit.
"So I heard," I muttered under my breath, rolling my eyes slightly. Although that's what everyone said, I never believed it.

She came back with all sorts of gizmos and gadgets, and instructed me to sit down on one of the lounge chairs in the room. She grabbed a chair herself, dragged in into place in front of me, then sat down.

"What's your name, sweetie?" she asked, grabbing a white rag and pouring some disinfectant on it. She motioned for me to hold out my arms, and I did what was instructed.
"My name's Sab-" I began, before squealing in pain as the cloth touched my wounds. "Fuck! That hurt!"
“That’s what she said,” Cross chirped, and began to laugh.
I turned to glare at him. "Shut up, it's not funny."
"Sorry," he apologized with a smirk.
Nurse Alice shook her head and tsked. "I've never understood your humour, Cross," she remarked, "and I probably never will."

For the next half an hour or so, Nurse Alice devoted her time to make sure than I was cleaned up. She asked me simple questions, such as my favourite colour, and what I like to eat for lunch - basic small talk, really. The best thing about it, though, was that she didn't ask me about how I felt or why I was harming myself. She was avoiding questions like that...it made me feel comfortable with being around her.

Time passed. "Alright, you're all free to go now," she finally spoke, smiling warmly at me as she stood up. She grabbed her stuff and placed it on a nearby table, then turned to face me once more. "If you feel like this all the time, I think it'll be best if you told Nemesis," she told me, nodding thoughtfully.

I sighed slightly and ran my fingers through my long, dirty blonde hair. I hadn't brushed it yet, and it was incredibly knotty. My fingers got caught. "I don't know what he'll say," I admitted, tugging at my hair.
"He's not that strict." Nurse Alice pursed her lips. "He may sound tough, but he only does it in memory of his father. When he died, Nemesis felt exactly how you feel now."
Cross frowned. "His father? What happened, exactly?" he queried. I shrugged and bit my lip - Nemesis never told us about his past. He was all mysterious like that.

"Promise not to tell?" the middle-aged woman pleaded, and, before she even got an answer from either us, she continued. "About 5 or 6 years ago, Nemesis' father, Dominic Gale, run Foxtrot. He was training a bunch of people in self-defence, so they could look after themselves if ever stuck in a situation with one of Bonita Ivanov's goons. Y'know, the so called 'Leader'?" I was tempted to tell her that I did indeed know Bonita, but I kept my mouth shut and listened to her continue. "Well, one day, Bonita ordered his assassination, and he was killed.
"A bunch of Bonita's fascist followers found Dominic and Nemesis, and they tied them up. They set Dominic on fire, and Nem was forced to watch. He's still quite uncomfortable about it, to be honest.
"So that's why he uses Foxtrot as it is now - to one day kill Bonita in return for killing his dad. He's even said he'd vow to kill anyone that's related to her in anyway - sisters, brothers, children..." Nurse Alice trailed off, and I blinked in surprise.

If I had a good enough excuse of never revealing my parents' identity, this was it.

Current Wordcount: 5,541 / 10,000

[Louise]

Chapter 6 - Explain to the Boss

I wasn't exactly confident in going to visit Nemesis now - hell, who was I kidding? I was never confident about this. I never knew him outside of work; to me, he was just my boss. I wouldn't exactly go to him in situations like this, but both Cross and Nurse Alice insisted that I had a chat to him.

I wouldn't budge.

"Come on, love," Nurse Alice said to me, grabbing my arm and dragging me towards the door.
I frowned. "I'm not so sure..." I sighed, "I mean, I can deal with this myself."
"I don't believe you."
I turned to Cross, who had his arms crossed (no pun intended) and was glaring at me. "I'll be fine," I tried to reassure him, but in reality, I was also trying to reassure myself as well… that I was strong.
"I don't believe you," he repeated, shaking his head. "You're going to see Nemesis whether you like it or not." With that, he grabbed my other arm and joined Nurse Alice in the tugging towards the door.

I wriggled out of their grip and scowled. "Fine, fine, I'm going. But for fuck's sake, can you not force me?" I sighed dramatically and stormed out of the room. I walked down the corridor, ignoring all the looks and stares I was getting.

Nemesis's quarters were on the other side of the damn building. To be honest, I was not interested in walking that far - I know, I know, I have a lazy ass. But I was determined, so I endured it. Never mind that I wanted to complain and ask someone to give me a piggy back.

When I got to his door, I stopped. I hesitated, then sighed and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" I heard his voice on the other side of the door.
"It's Saber."
There was silence. "Come in," he eventually answered, and I opened the door.

Nemesis obviously treated himself well - his room was considerably the biggest in Foxtrot, and also the most expensive. Instead of the basic necessities in our rooms, he had it all - lush carpeting, beautiful drapes, and the nicest furniture I had ever seen.

He was sitting at his desk, reading a piece of paper - a job for someone, I assumed. I had never worked since I accidently let Fred Isotope away. I guessed that he already knew of my stupidity. "Uhh, Nemmy?" I asked.
"Yeah?"
I sighed and sat down in one of those plush, velvet couches nearby. "I need a break," I told him, avoiding eye contact with my boss.
"And why is that?" he queried, frowning slightly.
I hesitated, trying to find the right words. However, I was struggling to phrase my situation. So, I held out my wrists to him, revealing the faded scars and the cuts on my wrists. "I don't think I can handle it right now," I admitted.
His eyes widened in shock. "I have to say, I agree with you," he spoke, nodding thoughtfully. "However, I was hoping you can do this job for me. But if you can't..."
I lit up in excitement. I hadn't had a task in ages! "Oh no, I can manage," I told him, sitting upright in my seat and looking eagerly into his ocean-blue eyes. "What job, exactly?"

He handed me the piece of paper that he was holding before, and I took it from him and read it.

On the note, it read Gunner, Cross and my name across the top. It also had Allegra's name too, which was surprising - I never thought she was capable of doing anything but flipping her hair and being a vain little bitch. The next detail, was simple - "Location unknown." Okay, so turns out whoever we were killing was on the run. Huh, sounds like a bounty hunt. I've always wanted to be a bounty hunter.

"Keep reading, Saber. The next part is the best."

I scanned the paper, and my eyes widened when I read the name underneath all the little details. It was in capital letters, underlined, and written in red pen. It was understandable that Nemmy was excited, but I was still shocked.

The name of who we had to kill was "Bonita Ivanov".

Current Wordcount: 6,263 / 10,000

[Louise]

Chapter 7 - Talk to the Estranged

My lips curled into a smile. "Oh, I like this," I told Nemesis, looking up to him. “I like this a lot.”
"So do I," he replied, an amused look appearing on his face. "More than you can imagine."
"Ditto." I would never tell him how I was connected to Bonita, ever. It was a need-to-know basis, really, and he didn't need to know. "You know, I don't need to have a break anymore," I said to him, smiling slightly.
He pursed his lips. "Are you sure?" he asked.

I just nodded in response. "I'm going to tell Cross about it," I said, standing up. I began to walk to the door, when Nemesis interrupted me. "Saber?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you tell Gunner, too? Oh, and Allegra, as well. She also has the right to know what’s going on."
"...Sure."

I left the room and began to run down the corridor, looking around frantically for Cross. I didn't know where he was... was he still at the nurse's office? Or was he in his room, perhaps? I didn't know, so I stopped a bunch of random people in the hallway. "Have you seen Cross Fiore?" I asked impatiently, hoping someone had. However, no one could give me the answer I was looking for. They'd say things like "No, sorry," or "Who's that?" It pissed me off. I decided that asking wasn't the best thing for me t do, so I just trusted my instincts.

When I found him, it was by accident. I ran into him, causing me to fall backwards and onto my back. "Oof!"
"Are you okay?" Cross asked, holding out his hand.
I took it and stood up, steadying myself. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Did you just fall over?" he asked, smirking.
"No, I attacked the floor," I replied, rolling my eyes.
"Backwards?"
"Yes. I'm that freaking talented."

Cross shook his head and laughed at me. I loved his laugh; it always brought a smile to my face. It was one of his perks, per say. It was one of the reasons why he was my best friend, and why I was beginning to feel something more for him.

"Oi, I have something important to tell you." I handed the piece of paper from Nemesis to him.
He stood there, a look of deep thought written across his face. Then he smiled. "This is awesome."
I smiled. "Duh."
"We should find Gunner and Allegra," Cross declared, grabbing my hand and beginning to walk down the corridor.
I sighed; I wasn't looking forward to either of them. But, I guess I'd just have to suck it up.

~

We walked, and walked, and walked. How hard was it to find people these days? We couldn't find Gunner or Allegra anywhere... although, that could be considered a good thing. Maybe Cross and I could kill Bonita on our own. That would be cool.

My happiness was short lived, however. "Gunner!" Cross shouted, waving in the air when he caught the attention of my sister. She was leaning against the wall, not doing anything in particular. She waved Cross over, and he began to walk towards her. I began to protest, but he wouldn't have any of it.

"Hey Gunner," he said to her, smiling slightly. "Long time, no see. What's up?"
"Oh, just standing here and watching the day go by, just like usual." She pursed her lips and shrugged.
My eyes widened. "Seriously?" I asked in disbelief. "You're life's been boring too?"
"Of course it has," she replied, rolling her eyes. "I haven't been on a job since last time."
"Huh. Oh, that reminds me," I stopped to nudge Cross, who handed her the informative note. "Read this."

Like Cross, she just stood there and read it for a while. "Oh, that is just so coincidental," she declared, scoffing slightly. "I was just thinking of Bonita. You know, count me in." I smiled at her, and was about to tell her I was glad we were speaking, but she continued. "You and Cross should begin to get prepared, and I'll tell Allegra." With that, she walked away. She seemed to know where she was going, as she made a beeline towards Allegra's room.

I guess at this moment in time, things started to turn around for me. I mean, Gunner was talking to me again, so that was a good sign, right? I hadn't conversed with my sister for so, so long, and it was good to hear her voice again. And although our relationship was somewhat strained, and I'd have to deal with damn Allegra while we hunted down that snivelling bitch I called my mother, I was content.

I think that was all that mattered, right there and then.

Current Wordcount: 7,060 / 10,000

[Louise]

Chapter 8 - Hearken to the Soul

So, while Gunner searched for Allegra, Cross and I headed towards the weapon room so we could be prepared.

Walking into that room, it was both familiar and strange at the same time, Familiar, because I had been visiting the room for a couple of weeks now, but strange because for once, it actually had use. I stood in the middle of the space, just thinking about everything for a moment, while Cross grabbed a bunch of sharp knives and guns off the wall randomly. I phased back into reality, and turned to him. "You're very specific about what to bring," I remarked sarcastically, looking at the random weapons in a large pile beneath him. He smirked slightly, but didn't say anything. He still detached stuff from the wall, and placing them in the pile.

The door opened, and I turned around to see who was entering the room. I snarled when I saw who it was.

"Well, this'll be fun," Allegra commenting, rolling her eyes and walking towards Cross. As she passed me, she knocked me rudely with her shoulder. She didn't apologise, unsurprisingly. When she reached her twin, she stood there for a while, tilted her head in confusion, and then grabbed a hot pink pistol off the wall. What it was doing there, I had no idea. I mean...why was it even pink in the first place? Seriously?

I pursed my lips. "Hi, Allegra," I said to her, waving slightly.
She scoffed and flipped her platinum blonde hair over her shoulder. "Oh, hi Saber. I didn't see you."
"Bull crap."
Allegra rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms. "Whatever. What are you doing here, anyway?"
I frowned slightly - she was really trying to test my patience, and she knew I wasn't a very patient person. "I'm here to kill Bonita fucking Ivanov. What are you doing here?"
"I'm doing the same thing. Huh, how coincidental."

I was about to protest and tell her that there was no way she could even harm a fly, but a hand was placed on my shoulder. I turned around to see Cross, who was looking at Allegra.
"Saber's one of the best killers at Foxtrot," he told her, smiling slightly. "It's no wonder that she's going to do this, really."
"What a load of shit. You mean, Saber, the one that let 3 fucking people get away, is a great killer?" Allegra made a face in disgust. "That's so stupid."
Cross sighed. "You're in denial, sis," he replied, shaking his head. "You and I both know that she is really strong, and is great at this kind of things."
Allegra crossed her arms. "You're only saying this because you love her or some shit, right? And since when aren't you defending your own sister?"
"I may love her, yes. But only as a friend," he admitted. "And besides, you seem to have a grudge against her, Allegra. I'm not oblivious, you know." He pursed his lips, and glared at her slightly.
My eyes widened. "Uh... I think I'll leave you two to shout at each other in peace," I told both of them, wriggling out of Cross's grip and walking out of the room.

~

I think my heart sunk a little.

Hearing those words come out of Cross's mouth, it made me feel stupid. Stupid for feeling the way I did about him. "You're such an idiot," I told myself, shaking my head and blinking back the tears. "Why the heck are you upset, anyway? You're Saber fucking Ghosteye, for crying out loud." Despite those words of assurance, I couldn't help but feel even worse.

I decided to walk around Foxtrot, and take a breather. Maybe the fresh atmosphere would calm me down...

I had to be strong, I was always strong. Well, on the surface, at least. Only 3 people knew about what was going on in that fucked up brain of mine - Cross, Nemesis, and Nurse Alice. I mean, I could trust them with my little secret, right? I trusted Cross with my life, Nemesis would never reveal secrets, and Nurse Alice... well, she's a bubbly, middle aged woman. They're trustable, I think. She seemed to kind to spread things around. Well, unless it was absolutely necessary, I guess.

The fact that I'd get hell from Allegra made me fall into a depressive state that would last for... ages. But, I guess I couldn't blame her, really. She didn't know about the situation, so she didn't understand. But, to be honest, I don't think I would ever trust her the way I trust her brother. She's the exact opposite of him, she'd spread the word to everyone and their uncle. Oh well, I'll just stick with Cross.

My thoughts came back to him. Did he really mean what he said? As me only being a friend? I shouldn't really dwell on things like this; I'll probably go insane, or at least love sick. Wait... was I love sick? Lately, I couldn't think of being with anyone but Cross, I felt as if he was the only person that mattered. Heck, I'd give my life for him. But what did that mean? I felt that way about him before, but my feelings for him had grown much stronger than that. I wasn't sure if I was in love with him, or if I was in love with our friendship.

I had reached Nemesis's room again, and, since that was the end of the building, I began to turn around. However, I heard him talking inside his quarters. Being the nosy person I am, I leaned against the door and tried my best to listen.

"I don't want..."
"But I ... no."
"You're .... for this."
"I don't want to leave ... can't ... and Saber do it?"

I couldn't understand the words, exactly, but I knew for a fact that that was Gunner talking. I knew her voice, it was quite distinct. It was always a bit lower than everyone else's.

The next words, which came from Nemesis, I understood completely.

"Gunner, I love you."

Current Wordcount: 8,084 / 10,000

[Louise]

Chapter 9 - Ache to the Heart

My eyes widened and I stepped back a couple of steps in shock. Well, I wasn't expecting that...

But, it explained so much - the way Gunner looked at Nemesis, and how she never wanted to let him down. How long was this going on? If Nemesis and Gunner were in love, all hell would break loose if the members of Foxtrot knew about it. I guess that was why no one ever knew about this - even me, her own sister.
I didn't exactly want to listen to any mushy stuff at the moment, especially with Cross's words repeating themselves in my mind. I began to head back to the room, hoping that I could clear my head. That was the initial plan for this little trip, anyway.

But, no matter how much I wanted to not think about this, I think trying to get it out of my head just made it worse. His words just kept looming in my mind, unwilling to get out. "I may love her, yes. But only as a friend." It was as if Cross had torn my heart out and stopped on it repeatedly, until it was no longer beating. This feeling - my spirit breaking - was the worst thing that I had ever experienced. My heart was aching - aching for him, aching for returned feelings. But, I wasn't confident that he would ever feel the same way that I did for him. After all, I was just a friend to him...

I stopped walking and leaned against the wall, then slid down into a sitting position on the cold, stone floor. There wasn't anyone occupying the hallway, which was good, since I wouldn't want to be disturbed. I scrunched my eyes shut and took a deep breath. All I wanted was you, Cross, I thought to myself, and then shook my head. As if that would help the situation.

Forcing myself to immediately change my feelings for him was perhaps the stupidest thing I could ever think of - but I couldn't help it, I was extremely love sick. I guess I wasn't just in love with the friendship. I was in love with him, and him alone.

I guess I had good reason to feel the way I did. I mean, he was the only person that was there for me during the worst months of my life. He would be there to hug me when I needed it. He would be there to calm my tears. He would be there to tell me that everything was going to be okay. And just this morning, he helped me when I was at my lowest point; when I had resorted to cutting myself. Where was Gunner when all this was happening? Was she with Nemesis, or was she just so ignorant that she didn't know that I was suffering?

But no, I shouldn't feel this way about Cross. He was my best friend, for crying out loud - and he felt that way about me. If his feelings were different, I was pretty damn sure he'd have told me by now. Hell, he told me everything. So, why not this? The answer was as simple as one plus one - he just didn't feel that way. And, as much as I wished it wasn't the case, I had to suck it up and deal with it.

I loved him, more than anything. I even loved him more than I loved Gunner, and more than I had loved my father while he was still alive. But I knew that I shouldn't feel like this, especially towards my best friend. I stood up and began to walk back to the room Cross and Allegra was in.
I decided there and then what I would do - I would keep my feelings hidden, and I would push all thoughts about Cross into the back of my mind. And if anyone asked me if I was in love with him, I'd deny it.

That was the plan, and I was sticking to it.

Current Wordcount: 8,775 / 10,000

[Louise]

Chapter 10 - Ignorance to the Pain

I sat there for a while, trying to get the energy to get up. But, thinking about Cross exhausted me. I really loved him, and it caused me heart ache...
No, I wasn't going to think of him anymore. Not like that, anyway.

I pushed against the crimson wall with my hands as I stood up, using the wall as a support to steady myself. I began to walk to the weapon room, where Allegra was; where he was.

My feet felt so heavy, as I walked. I didn't know why - I think I was dreading having to face him again. But, why the hell did I care? I mean, I didn't want to care. I just wanted to be like I was, before all this happened. I used to be a confident, happy young woman. But now, I was the exact opposite. I was insecure; I was depressed. And all this damn romance business was making it worse.

No, Saber, you aren't allowed to worry about shit like that! I thought to myself, clenching my fists and quickening the pace. I refused to be another of those love sick girls, who let their feelings get the best of them. No, no way in hell was I going to turn out like that.

When I reached the weapon room, I took a deep breath as I opened the door and entered the room. The two twins were now separated - Cross was on one side of the room, going through all the shit on the floor, and Allegra was on the other, just standing there with her head hung. Neither of them was talking, and the silence was driving me insane.

The next thing I knew, I was staring at him.

I heard Cross sigh, and he looked up and smiled slightly when he saw me. "Saber," he said, "can you help me sort through all this junk?" I nodded, and walked over, sitting next to him on the floor. I began to go through the assorted knives, guns and stuff that Cross had put in that huge pile before.

We only could bring so much - and apparently, Cross's method of choosing what to bring was to take everything off the shelf, and then go through all the crap. I didn't understand how that concept worked, but if it helped him, then I didn't really care.

While going through everything, it felt as if someone was glaring at me. I turned around, and, sure enough, saw Allegra. She snarled at me and clenched her fists when I returned the gaze; she was so angry that she didn't even brush her hair back when it fell in front of her face. I didn't understand.

The way she looked at me, was like the look one would give a girl if she was trying to steal your boyfriend. It made absolutely no sense why, though - she was his twin, not his girlfriend. Because of this, I never understood why she hated me so damn much. What did I do? Did I walk over her grave or something? I was pretty sure I would never know, nor never understand. But hey, that wasn't my problem, was it? I didn't need to worry about the haters.

My train of thought stopped as I felt something brush against my hand. I turned around quickly and saw Cross, grabbing a gun that was next to my hand. Huh, so that's what it was...

My heart skipped a beat, and I felt my cheeks warm. I quickly realized I was blushing, so I tossed my hair over my face. That way, no one would know.

We were about halfway through sorting all this shit, when the door swung open. Gunner walked in, and, once she saw our reject pile, made her way over to us. She leaned down to our level, brushing her long, ebony hair behind her ear. "We'll take your reject pile," she told us, smiling from ear to ear. She was really happy, but I couldn't place my finger on it.
Cross tilted his head in confusion; it was so cute when he did that. "We?" he asked. "Who's we?"

It was then when it hit me - we. Of course, someone we knew was going to join us on this bounty hunt. Someone, who wanted Bonita dead as much as I do; someone who was madly trying to convince Gunner to come with us. Someone who loved her...

I decided to play dumb. "Yeah, who's coming with us?" I asked, looking up at her.
She was still grinning; I swore her cheeks must have been in a lot of pain. "Well..." she began, her smile turning sheepish. She blushed slightly, and scoffed. "Nemesis is."
"Nemesis? Cool!" Allegra chirped, suddenly returning to her "bubbly self". “He’s really hot.”
Gunner didn't appreciate that, and frowned slightly. Not that I blamed her - if someone was swooning over Cross, I'd probably be annoyed too. Although, I wouldn't have the same amount of self control as my sister, so I'd probably punch them in the face.

Once Cross and I had been sorting our stuff out, Gunner grabbed our reject pile and began to split it into two. I watched as she grabbed two large backpacks that she left at the door, and then walked back. As she began to stuff everything into the two bags, I began to think.

If she and Nemesis were together, what would this mean for Foxtrot? There was a possibility that he could become biased, and, if that happened, there would be mutiny. And that would not be good.

Or, even worse, what would this mean for them? Asassination was a serious business, and it was very risky. What if one of them got injured, or, god forbid, get killed? That would be horror for the other... and everyone else. And the worst thing of all, was that no one would've known how the other felt. I prayed that my thoughts didn't become real, and just stayed that - thoughts. If it happened, I would feel as if it was my fault.

"Okay, Nemesis said that he'll meet us at the front," Gunner suddenly declared, and I snapped back to reality. She swung the backpacks over the shoulder and begin to leave. Allegra followed, and then it hit me - crap! I forgot to pack. My eyes widened, and I began to panic inside.

I felt someone touch my shoulder, and I jumped. It was then when I heard Cross's voice. "Relax, Sabey," he told me. I turned around to face him, and saw in his spare hand, two backpacks. "You were off in your own little world," he explained, smirking, "so I packed for you."
I blushed slightly. "Oh, thanks," I said, and he held out his hand to take. I grabbed on tightly, and he pulled me up to my feet.
"You've got a death grip," he told me once I had let go, and put the bags down to rub his wrist. "That really, really hurt!"
I grinned. "That's what she said," I told him with a wink, then grabbed my bag and put it on my back. I was feeling confident again, and that made me beam inside. It was if I never loved him, which was my original plan.

Cross laughed, and shook his head. "Come on," he told me, "we need to go. The rest are probably waiting for us." He followed suit, swinging the bag over his shoulders and onto his back. Then, he turned around and walked out of the room, and into the corridor. I stood there for a while, listening to his footsteps fade as he walked away.

Then, I followed.

Current Wordcount: 10,071 / 10,000

[Louise]

I'm lazy, so...

Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15