I run face first into a wall and fall backward.

WarWolf leans over her bed and points her knife to me. “Why did you follow me?”

“Because I want to learn from you.”

She blinks and her grip softens. “You want to learn how to get your legs broken.”

Her tears drip on my face.

Before I realize it, I am hugging her tightly.

She pushes me off. “No touching. I don’t need affection. I don’t need anything from you.” She turns away.

“Sorry. Umm, I’ll go tell your parents about your injury. Maybe they’ll know what to do.” I head toward the door.

She throws a knife at it as I open it. “Don’t bother. My parents won’t care.”

“But mommies and daddies all love their children.”

“Your parents lied to keep you safe. You’re not like us. You’re not ready for the truth of things.” She turns her gaze away from me.

“I’ll prove to you that they love you.” I open the door and leave her room.

The layout of her house is identical to mine, only all the chairs have been removed in the living room and replaced with pillows. Beakers filled with unknown liquids and other sciency stuff are on a small table.

This must be where she makes those potions.

A shadow descends upon me. My vision is blocked by a cloth of some kind. I feel something sharp at my neck.

“You have one sentence to explain why you’re here before your blood ruins my carpet,” says the woman behind me in a shrill rushed voice like a dagger through the wind.

I take a deep breath to calm my shaky hands. “Your daughter was injured in class. Her legs are broken. You’re her mom, right? You have to help her.”

I hear footsteps. “He lacks the instinct to kill. You can release him,” says a gentlemanly dark voice that’s slow and deadly as poison.

The mother removes the cloak from my eyes and I see both parents.

Her mom looks jittery and her hair is a mess. While the father has a groomed goatee, calm demeanor and is wearing shades.

I look to her father. “Her legs are broken. She needs her parents. She’s just too proud to admit it.”

The father raises his nose. “She can fend for herself.”

Does he really not care?

“A mouse does not heal the cat who hunts it,” says the mother before wandering off.

I step up to her dad. “Well can you at least give me a leg brace or something?”

“You know nothing of my daughter. There are consequences to killing a KIT. Test me again and I will gladly brace those consequences.” He carves on my cheek.

“Stop it father!” yells WarWolf, bracing herself against the bedroom door.

“Your legs were broken. You were overconfident, weren’t you?” he walks past me and steps to her.

“I was scared,” she looks down.

“Fear is a poison. You’re an assassin. Use that poison,” he says grabbing her cheeks.

WarWolf nods.

“Killing the boy now would be merciful. He won’t last,” he says, speaking loud enough so I can hear.

He’s right. What chance do I have? All the other kids are more experienced than me. The thing I cherish more than anything: my parents’ overflowing love. That is what is going to be the death of me.

WarWolf uses a sword like a walking stick and comes up to me. “Let’s go cook something in the kitchen, alright?”

She nearly falls over but I catch her.

“Insulting. You should let my daughter fall. I won’t let you undo all my hard work with your coddling,” he spits as he speaks down to me.

WarWolf grabs my hand and squeezes it hard. “Let go. You’re just causing more problems.” Her nails dig into my wrist.

I hold onto her tightly. “This is what it means to love someone! Holding onto them even when it hurts. Supporting them no matter the circumstance.”

The father removes his shades, revealing injured pale eyes. “How did such a naiive boy get chosen to be an assassin.” He leans toward me.

“Enough! I’m hungry! Leave now, father!” She growls at him.

He smiles. “Don’t let that boy remove your bite. A growling dog can only defeat cowards.” Her father retreats into his bedroom.

“What happened to his eyes. Was he born that way?” I ask, walking with her into the kitchen.

“He was punished for being too fearless.” WarWolf cringes in pain as her foot bumps into the wall.

“You really are his daughter.” I smile at her.

She growls at me and then grabs onto the fridge for support. “You hungry too?”

“Yeah!”

Minutes feel like seconds as I see her prepare our meal. Her precision with a blade, the violent way she tears the skin off an orange and the slight smile she has when she samples the meal…everything she does is just so beautiful. And she leans against me the entire time. She tells me things about recipes and nutrition but my ears hear nothing as my eyes gaze upon her lips.

WarWolf pops a strawberry in my mouth. “Is it good or too much syrup?”

It’s the greatest thing I’ve ever tasted and her fingers touched it. It’s like I’m licking her fingers!

I start crying and nod.

She smiles. “That good, huh?”

“Did your momma teach you how to cook? My momma taught me the basics but that’s all she really knows.”

“My parents didn’t feed me so I learned on my own. Cooking is like chemistry, mixing different compounds together to create something new.”

I grab her hand. “Do you think we could maybe make something new together someday?”

“You mean like cooking or…?” Her cheeks go red.

Too cute!

I suddenly find myself on the hard floor. I’m on top of her and kissing her lips in a frenzy.

She shoves me off. “What are you doing? Try that again and I’ll cut out that tongue!”

I scratch my head and help her back to her feet. “I lost control. You just looked so pretty. I’m probably gonna drop out of school soon so I got scared of never kissing you.”

“Just stop talking.” She shoves a banana in my mouth. “It’s got a coco butter coating. Yummy, right?”

“Mmmrrhmm,” I say, melting with bliss.

She pushes off the counter with the fruit bowl and lands in a chair.

I sit next to her and stare at her pretty face.

“Hey Weech. I’m kinda scared. Don’t tell anyone, okay?” She solemnly nibbles on a banana.

“When I get scared I give a big smile. That way the joy dust in my brain makes me happy.”

“Endorphins? Maybe your parents did teach you something.”

“I won’t talk about them if it makes you jealous.”

She looks at her banana and takes a big bite. “Nah, I’m not jealous. I’m strong because of their neglect. I do the cooking, dishes, wash, everything. I don’t need them for anything, and most of the time they stay out of my way.” She turns the banana to mush as she tightens her grip.

“I know you’re strong but having broken legs is gonna slow you down. I’m gonna tell my parents that I’ll be coming here every day so I can help you heal faster.”

“Why do you care what happens to me?” She stabs a strawberry with her fork.

“I wish I was like you. You’re so strong and brave. Plus, we’re a team.”

“That’s not good enough for me. Come back here again and I will kill you.” She glares daggers at me.

I’m really in love.

My heart races.

She scoots her chair back. “Eeesh, what’s with the creepy smile?”

“Heheh. Told ya.” I scratch my head.

She laughs nervously. “Hey, I felt something…when you smiled.” She looks down so I can’t see her pretty face.

I lean forward. “What did you feel?”

She holds herself in her arms. “Fear.” She takes a deep breath and then looks back up at me. “You’ve got that killer instinct in you. It’s just buried.”

I bounce in excitement. “You mean it!”

She shoves an orange slice in my mouth. “Not so loud, alright. And you still owe me a better explanation. We’re all a team, right? So why me?”

“You’re so strong already. Like I said, I wish I was strong and smart like you. I may end up a failure but I will do what I can. I won’t let a gifted girl like you fall behind because of some injury! I want you to be the best you can be!”

Her hand moves like a whip and grabs onto mine. “I’ll accept that answer.”

“Are you afraid your legs will never heal?”

“No. That’s not it. I just felt like I’d be the greatest assassin, that way all the neglect from my parents…it would all have meaning. But now that I’ve seen StarBorne, I guess I feel like you did when you saw me.”

She loves StarBorne. Oh no. I can’t compete with him even if he is really a girl.

“He’s not so great.”

“Yeah, she really is. I can sense it. She’s going to be the next top assassin.”

“Not if I kill him.” I smile wide.

“What?” she laughs. “You’re serious?”

“Yeah. It’s just like in the story Blood Love, the smitten assassin murdered every enemy of his beloved until he was the only one in the castle.”

“Sounds like he killed more than enemies then,” she pops a grape in her mouth. “StarBorne is no pushover though. You sure you can take her down?

“I know I’m not as skilled as him, but I’m also not as arrogant. If he’s out of the way, then you’ll be leader again! And you won’t be scared!”

“You’d really kill someone for me?” she asks, biting her thumb while blushing.

“I’d stab him all day if it made you smile.”

She giggles again, but then covers it up with a growl. “You’re bluffing.”

“Hey, if StarBorne is dead, maybe we could celebrate? You could come to my place and meet my parents. I bet they’d love you!”

“Alright, fair enough. But what if she kills you?”

“Well then my worries are over.” I smile at her.

Her eyes go blank and she shivers. “You don’t fear death.”

“Come on. I got the fairy tail ending already. I got a kiss from a fierce girl!”

“Hey, you stole that kiss.” She growls.

“My parents would be sad for a while, but they’d make a new child and then raise them with love. My death would bring about new life.”

WarWolf flicks a grape at my eye. “Who’s gonna keep me steady while I cook, if you die?”

“Oh, good point. I’ll kill StarBorne once your leg has healed. Yeah! And then people will think I’m a good assassin too. Do you think they’d write a story about me?”

“Nope. The best assassins have no stories. We excel to the point of non-existence. My parents haven’t spoken to me in months. That must make me a master assassin already.” She smiles through her tears.

I get out of my chair and crouch down to embrace her. “They don’t read you bedtime stories?”

She shakes her head.

“Or bathe with you?”

She giggles. “You still bathe with your parents? Aren’t you a bit old for that?”

“I’m too lazy to bathe myself. And hey! I’ll read you a bedtime story! Every night!”

“I’ll hold you to it.” She leans on me and we head to her bedroom.

“You said you’re so skilled because you learned everything on your own.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Then your parents must love you lots and lots! They just show it a different way!”

She holds onto me and sobs on my shoulder. “I tell myself that every single night…but when you say it…it feels like it’s true.”

“It is true. I’ll prove it!” I set her on the bed and rush to the kitchen. I grab the sharpest knife and then go into the parent’s bedroom. “Go tell your daughter you love her or I’ll kill you both!” I exclaim with a big smile like a fairy tail assassin while I hold the knife out.

The mother grabs throwing knives from the table, but the father stops her.

“I heard every word you said in the kitchen.” He approaches me and runs his finger up my knife. “Every single word.”

Fear seizes me and I start swaying the knife around in a frenzy.

I cut his arm before he slams me to the ground.

He steps on my hand but I won’t release the knife. “You do have the spark, after all. Let go or I will break your fingers.”

“Go ahead, the pain makes me think of your daughter.”

Owwwww! Too much pain! What did he do?

I start sobbing in agony.

He raises his foot.

My fingers are broken.

Her father smiles at me and removes his shades again. “She’s the reason I’m blind. WarWolf will kill you if you cross her.”

I give him a thumbs up with my other hand. “That’s fantastic.”

The father loses all intensity. “You’re mad.”

“Are you kidding! I’m super happy. When you kill someone, they stay with you forever. I’m going to be with your daughter one way or the other.”

The mother throws a knife but the father catches it. “What are you doing? He’s a crazy KIT. Kill him. I’ll take the blame.”

“No. He’s good for her.” The father pulls me back to my feet. “It’s true what you said before: broken legs will stunt her progress. She needs to heal. If you’re willing to help her recover, then you will be…permitted to visit.”

I smile. “I knew it. You do care. You don’t want to help her because you’re afraid of spoiling her. You need me.”

“Yes…” He picks up the dagger from the ground and puts it in my good hand. “I need you to help her past this impediment. My hands are indeed tied.” He growls.

“Okay, but on one condition.”

“You know I could kill you right now. With a single finger no less.”

“Yeah, but you won’t. I want you to tuck her into bed tonight. You don’t have to say anything. You’re not spoiling her or hurting her growth. You’re just showing that you love her.”

The mother stands up. “You need to learn your place boy.”

Father gives her a killer stare and she freezes in place. He fixes his tie and turns to me. “I accept your terms.”

He walks with me to her room.

“Dad, you know you’re not allowed in my room,” says WarWolf with a growl.

He says nothing as he pulls the sheet up and places a hand on her head.

“Huh?” She looks at him with disbelief swirling in her hazel eyes.

“You’re the fiercest beast in all of Steam. A mere leg injury won’t stop you. Heal swiftly so you can chase down your enemies.” He smiles and then walks out of the room.

I slide inside after he leaves. “Told you I was right.” I grin.

WarWolf hops out of bed and lands on me. She leans in and kisses me. Her teeth nibble on my bottom lip and she growls as she snuggles up to me.

She feels so warm.

“Don’t expect another kiss like that. I just…lost control.” She sits up on my lap and smiles at me with teary eyes.

“Well then I’ll just have to get you to lose control again! But right now, you need to rest. Your dad would kill me if I kept you awake with kissies.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” she says with a giggle.

“I really like your laugh. It creates a false sense of security. Great for an assassin.”

“I will sleep but only after you tell me a story. You can’t refuse.”

“Okay, then how about the story of Kira, the beautiful assassin who eats her enemies.”

WarWolf grins. “You’re spoiling me.”

“I can’t help it. I love you.” I sit at her bed side and kiss her forehead.

Well played. I’m starting to see how this clever boy became the assassin I am today.