Lorraine Lebedev

"Knife throwing is art." Josephine declared.

I studied each and every single knife that was displayed on the table in front of me. They all had different sharp ends, blade designs, weights and were different sizes.

Truly fascinated by them.

"First thing, choose your knife, and don't just choose for the sake of choosing. You have to pick wisely. Pick as if you're picking a baby at an orphanage. You must have that gut feeling..." she paused, picked up a small blade and whispered. "You are my baby."

I smiled at how silly she's explaining knife throwing.

"Anyone who can throw a stick, stone, or baseball can also learn how to throw a knife with skill and accuracy." She mentioned.

We've gone through most of the practical training. Shooting, dealing with dangerous bombs, one on one combat, and the basics of coding.

I've learned a lot throughout these months. They were all interesting but I had no passion for either of them and now that we focused on knives, I'm intrigued by it. So I'm guessing this will be something I will be good at.

"Choose your knife Lorraine." She said, gesturing to the table.

I took small steps towards the table, tracing my fingertips along the blades. "Remember there are three different kinds of knives that are good for throwing: blade-heavy, handle-heavy, and balanced knives."

I picked the knives individually and studied them, some light, some heavy, some long and some short. I had so many options.

My eyes scanned the table and stopped when I saw a 12 inch long and anodized double-edged, stainless steel blade with a black cord-wrapped handle with a finger hole. I picked it up and studied it.

"That's a united cutlery kunai. It is generally very difficult to throw it." she announced. I looked at her and said, "This is the one."

It felt right in my hand, it wasn't too heavy or light it was easy to motion it with my hands.

"Now I will teach you how you should hold a knife, correctly." Josephine appeared beside me with the exact same knife I'm holding.

"Grip your knife with your dominant hand." she explained. I switched the weapon to my left hand.

Her forehead puckered and a line appeared between her brows. "You are left handed?" She asked surprised. I nodded, wondering why it's such a big deal to her.

"Huh, interesting." She let out. "Anyway back to training."

"Now, though knife-throwers often develop their own gripping styles with time and experience, there are three conventional gripping methods that beginners usually choose from."

I nibbled on my bottom lip and raised a question. "What are those three techniques for gripping a knife?" Josephine turned to look at me with a smile on her face. "A firm but delicate hold is necessary for all gripping styles; too much grip will hamper your release, whereas too little might cause the knife to fly out of your hand prematurely, potentially hurting someone." She explained. "What if the goal is to hurt someone." I voice out my thoughts. Josephine looked surprised by my response. "We will get there Lorraine." her voice lowered. Nodding my head I turned to look back at the dummy ten feet away from us.

"We will start easy for today." Josephine re-positioned herself. "We are aiming for the heart."

"Place your index finger flat against the spine of the blade at the knife's center of balance. This is known as the 'thumb grip,' as you'll be using your thumb to guide the movement of the knife and your index finger to drive it forward as you release." she explained and I mimicked her actions.

"Keep your shoulders square to the target,"

"One foot in front of the other with wide feet and your knees slightly bent." She ordered.

I did what she said and got into my throwing stance, I turned to look at her making sure my stance is correct. My mouth curved into a smile when I realized that I did not make any mistake.

"Maintain momentum through your shot." She stated. "Power won't come from pure force alone – a consistent, controlled and repeatable throw will be based on transferring momentum through the entire shot. Having a 'break' in your stance will negate your throwing momentum, thus limiting your power." She added, everything she said sunk in. "Oh and make sure to know the distance from the target and your grip is important."

"When lifting the knife to throw, make sure you lift your arm straight over your throwing shoulder keeping your elbow tucked in so that the knife is raised directly beside your head. 'Elbow to ear' means that your ear will come down straight on your throw." She explained as she lifts the knife straight over her shoulder and her elbow tucked in, she takes a deep breath then throws the knife. It directly hits the dummy piercing through its neck.

She turned to look at me with a smile. "Might have missed the heart but the neck is a perfect shot."

I shook off the nervous feeling. This will be my first time throwing a knife and I hope I don't miss the shot.

I take my stance and repeat everything Josephine has taught me in my head. I lift my arm, throw it over my shoulder and tucked in my elbow.

My goal was the heart and I'm going to get the heart.

I took a deep breath then threw the knife, I watched it carefully as it spun in the air sprinting towards its target. My heart skipped a beat when it landed between the dummy's chest.

Embarrassment rushed to my cheeks.

Josephine caught me by surprise when she threw her arm around my neck. "Don't be an ass to yourself. That was a great shot for a beginner, I'm quite impressed." She cheered. I gave a small smile and looked away.

We were interrupted when the door's burst open and two bulky men in black suits walked in. Josephine and I looked at each other concerned.

Training doesn't end in an hour. What do they want?

"Miss Lebedev, your father is asking for you." The man with black hair spoke. They both looked at me with a cold expression and the guy with a buzz cut added. "It's urgent ma'am."

"It's okay we will continue this on another day." Josephine reassured me. I nodded then approached the men. "What does my father want?" I ask the man with the buzz cut.

He didn't dare to make eye contact with me but said. "We cannot say."

"Follow us." The man with black hair announced and walked away. The buzz cut guy followed beside him.

I sighed and caught up to them.

I was bummed that training was interrupted. I was enjoying it.

⋅⋅⊰∙∘∙⊱⋅⋅

I entered my father's office to find him pouring himself some brandy as she went through papers. I closed the door behind me and his head shot up. I met his cold eyes and they softened when he noticed that it was me.

He set his drink aside and smiled as the corner of his eyes crinkled.

"Lorraine, I'm sorry that I had to interrupt your training but this is important." he blurted out. I took a seat in front of him with my legs crossed and my back pressed against the body of the chair.

"What is it?" I asked.

He took a sip of his brandy then handed me a file. My eyes switched to him then back at the file.

I took it from his hand and opened it. As I read it my head shot up when I saw that specific name.

Holy fucking shit.

My eyes widened and my father looked impressed.

"It worked!?" I asked shockingly

My father nodded, leaning back in his chair.

"Your plan worked. You've tricked Raphael Romano."

-

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