Chapter 2
Melbourne, Australia 2020
Ash
"Raphael!" I screamed, sprinting after the black van. I couldn't catch up. It sped away, leaving me in the dust. Suddenly something collided with my head and all went black.
I woke up panting. I sat up at the edge of my bed, looking at the packed suitcase on the floor in the corner of the room. I grimaced, today was the day.
Sam came bursting into my room, an aggressive expression wrinkling his unnaturally young face. His eyes flickered to mine glowing with a fiery rage.
"Get up!" He shouted before stomping away and slamming the door behind him. I gritted my teeth. I hated him, the scars on my back a permanent reminder. They also reminded me how I could never escape this, no hope for the possibility of a real life. My life was planned until the day I died, and there was nothing I could do.
I went through a mental check of what I needed to remember. We were flying to Los Angeles, California. Sam had bought a house and I would have to go to school. I groaned at the thought, I did not want to go back to school. I had endured it for a few years and that had been bad enough. But that was where she was so I had to go. It was just another mission from Alek, just like the rest. Track down, find the target, get rid of the target. Easy peasy, right? I'd soon find out how wrong I was. Sam had explained to me many times what the mission was about and who the target was.
The ancient prophecy, also known as "The Heir of Light and Dark", stared our target. That's why I had to kill her, for Alek of course. Killing people wasn't one of my favorite hobbies. Just in case you haven't realized that. The prophecy stated, "The descendant of the first guardian king and lumina queen will rise. She will be of immortal blood but mixed into a pool of lies. With four others by her side, she will change fate. One of the four, the guardian is a protector, her soulmate. A healer, the sorceress, will show her the true meaning of friendship. The mage will reveal the past so that they can face the coming hardship. The enchanter, who was once broken by the evil, will find the smile that disappeared for a while. Together they will face the darkest of them all. Together they will be his downfall. The worlds will not face their end, for this is a chance for them to mend."
Alek was terrified by the prophecy since it was talking about his downfall. So, I was assigned to do the dirty work. I couldn't say I was too thrilled about that. I mean it's not as if I haven't killed before, but everyone I killed had been horrendous people. People with no moral values, people who would kill with the snap of their fingers, people exactly like Alek. I didn't know the girl, but if she was to save the world I couldn't imagine she'd be anything but pure. She was also the only one who could kill Alek. My last hope in escaping the nightmare that was my reality.
I slid off the edge of my bed, brushing the thoughts away. There was no use, I didn't have a choice in this. If I was on my own, I'd openly accept death rather than kill an innocent but my brother's life was on the line and I couldn't risk that. I had to protect him. It was my fault we were in this situation in the first place.
I quickly showered and got dressed before heading downstairs. Once I finished getting ready I found Sam all packed up in the car. I slid into the passenger side, trying my best to conceal my frown. I openly despised Sam. I had prayed Alek would send me alone but I had no such luck.
Now Sam was coming to, well, babysit. I was extremely overjoyed.
Sam shifted the gears, backed out of the driveway, and sped at an obviously illegal speed down the road to the airport. I laid my head on the cold glass window, wishing everyone and everything would go away.
Once at the airport we were escorted to our private plane. It was quite nice inside, with expensive white leather seats, a bedroom in the back, and a waiter carrying a few glasses of champagne on a plate. Sam snatched one and took a giant gulp before he leaned back into his chair and fell asleep. If I had a choice in my assassination list, he'd be the second right after Alek. Too bad I couldn't, this would have been a great opportunity.
Instead, I slumped down in one of the reclining chairs and pulled my phone and headphones out. I flipped through my playlists finding my Mozart one, he was one of my favorite composers. Most modern music was shit, apart from a few exceptions. I pressed play then leaned back and closed my eyes, the soft piano melody echoing inside my ears.
14 and a half hours later we finally arrived in Los Angeles. I could see the crystal clear blue water from the plane window, the sun beating against the yellow sand. It was pretty but I preferred my home, Australia. I missed the surf not that I got much surfing time when I was there but some were better than none.
A car met us outside at the front of the airport, I got in and lounged in the back. A few hours later the car slowed to a stop and we were before a huge mansion. It was made out of dark wood and looked like a greatly oversized cabin. It was nice, I suppose. I stepped out of the car, the warm wind greeting my face. Just beyond the trees, I spotted the private beach. I followed Sam up the steps and to the front door. He entered a code into the pad and the door clicked open. We entered and the interior was as pretty as the exterior all modern but with a slight homey feel. Sam turned to me, with no expression on his face.
"The key to the house is 5851 and your room is on the third floor. I already had the guards bring your stuff up." He said before walking away. I huffed and made my way to the stairs and up to the third floor. Guards? No surprise there, not that I'd run away though. I would do it in a heartbeat if I could. If my brother was with me.
After opening about a third of the doors down the long hallway I found the room with my stuff. It was huge, but I was used to it by now. Sam was a fan of the saying "bigger is better." I didn't necessarily agree with that. I didn't necessarily agree with almost anything Sam thought if I was being honest. I unpacked all my stuff, which was mostly just clothes, and folded them into the dresser, organizing my drawers into categories.
Once I was done I pulled on some sweat pants and flopped onto the bed a book in hand. I flipped open to the spot I left off in "Warcross" by Marie Lu. It was an excellent book, one of my favorites. This was about the third time I had read it. I had read almost all of her books multiple times.
I lost track of time and ended up finishing the book. When I looked over at the clock it was almost 11:00 pm. I put the book on the nightstand with the clock, then went to the bathroom to take a shower and brush my teeth. The bathroom was ginormous, almost as big as the room. I turned the shower on and once it was warm I got in. The searing water ran down my back, relaxing my muscles. I poured some shampoo in my hand and rubbed it into my hair, massaging my scalp.
Tomorrow I had school, unfortunately. I had wanted to take a day to relax before starting the mission, but Sam had none of that. He wanted to get the job over with. I, on the other hand, wanted to procrastinate as much as possible. Oh and before I forget to mention it. Sam, being the genius he is, had the brilliant idea to take in an orphan for our duration here. He said something about blending into the community. I didn't get it, how was that going to help us blend? Los Angeles was a large city anyway, no one would even notice or care for that matter. I didn't see the point. I'd just avoid the orphan girl anyway. Sometimes I wondered how Sam was still alive. You know, being so smart and all.
I stepped out of the shower and wrapped a fluffy towel around my waist. I glanced in the mirror, turning sideways. I grimaced as I caught sight of the long white scars slashed across my back, courtesy of Sam and Alek. A mark for every failure, every mistake, every act of kindness.
I turned around shutting the light off and walked back into my room. I pulled on underwear and pajama pants then got into bed. I wrapped myself in the fuzzy blankets. The pillow was soft but supportive and the mattress was nice and firm but I didn't know how much longer I could take this life. That was if you would even call this a life. No matter how gilded a cage, it didn't change the fact that you were still trapped. I soon fell asleep, but only to be plagued by nightmares that felt all too real.