"Zero, would you like to say a few words?"I stand behind my chair and clear my throat,
"Thank you all for showing up here tonight. I"m not one for public speaking but let me say this..."
I look over to my mother who has a serious expression on her face. I guess she knows what"s about to happen.
"This place is evil. That woman is evil and thanks to her, i"ve lost a loved one. But that doesn"t matter now. My job is to be the best bounty hunter any of you have ever seen,"
I pull up my dress and stand on the table,
"Thanks to her, I am an emotionless being. So thank you mother, I now know that your harsh ways were meant to prepare me for the real world."
I hop down from the table and leave the ball room. I can feel her glaring at me as I walk out but I don"t care, i"m ready to face her head on.
***
"Wow, that was some stunt you pulled young lady,"
I turn around and see a y"all man, maybe in his early 20"s approach me as I sit on the balcony.
"You"ve got guts. I like that."
"You"re the man from earlier, the trainer, right?"
"Manny,"
He holds his hand out but I don"t shake it.
"Ok then,"
He shoves his hands deep into his pockets.
"Why did you leave dinner?"
"Why is that any of your business?"
"Ouu, you"re snappy. I like that."
He plops down next to me.
"Well if you won"t tell me, can I guess?"
I shrug.
"Ok, I think you"re having a hard time figuring out who you are and why you"re here. That sound about right?"
"Hm, bits and pieces."
"Well since I was close can you just tell me?"
"Fine. She wants me to be this emotionless robot killing machine. But that"s not me...or maybe it is. I have no idea, but I also have no other choice. I"ll let her mold me into whatever she wants,"
I dangle my feet over the edge of the terrace,
"I can"t keep fighting her anymore."
"So you"re just giving up?"
"No, i"m letting her train me. That"s it."
"Actually, i"m the one that"s gonna be training you."
"Oh yeah, when can we start?"
He looks at me in disbelief,
"I though you didn"t wanna do this."
"As if I had a choice. Now please,"
I grab his cold hand,
"Make me into a weapon."
He looks me in my face,
"You"re only a child, what can you possibly be capable of?"
I increase my grip on his hand and pull his finger out of socket.
"AH f.u.c.k! WHAT THE h.e.l.l?!"
I giggle,
"I"ll pop it back into place if we can start first thing tomorrow morning."
"OK OK, PUT IT BACK!"
I snap it back mad he holds his hand.
"d.a.m.n, you really are unpredictable, Zero."
I grit my teeth,
"I hate that name. Zero. Makes me sick to my stomach."
"It"s not a name. It"s a rank, a d.a.m.n good one too."
We sit on the floor and watch the sky in silence. I enjoy his company even though there"s a pretty big age gap.
***
"Again!"
I continue to punch the same spot.
"Hand."
I hold up my hands,
"They"re barley bleeding. Again."
Beads of sweat roll down my chest. This time I hit harder. The wood breaks and cuts my knuckles.
"You did it again Zero. Go wash up, i"ll be up there soon."
I leave the room and open a door and head to my room
I turn the sink on and run my hands under the cold water, washing the blood off. There"s a soft knock on the door,
"Zero, i"m coming in."
I turn the water off and dry my hands on my shirt.
"Come sit."
Manny pats my bed and I join him.
"You"re 17 now Zero. Do you know what that means?"
I shake my head.
"It means you"re ready."
"Ready? For what exactly?"
"You"re first time."
"WHA?!"
He laughs,
"Not like that, although i"d be down."
I slap his arm,
"So what do you mean?"
"I want you to take lessons in seduction. That way when you"re needed for a mission you can get to your target easily."
"But isn"t that a little risqué?"
"That"s the point sweetness. Now go get changed in the walk-in and come back here."
"Mhm."
I open the closet and flip the switch on.
"Oh h.e.l.l no! I am NOT wearing this!"
"Yes you are, hurry up!"
"Ugh!"
I put on the embarra.s.sing costume and walk out trying to cover as much as I can.
"Wow, you really fill out that outfit."
I blush,
"P-please don"t say things like that. It"s embarra.s.sing."
He stands up and walks around me,
"Put your hands down."
I slowly put my hands by my side and he runs his hand down my exposed back.
Chills run down my spine and I shiver.
"What"s wrong Zero? Never seen like this before."
He pulls me close to his chest and wraps his arms around my waist.
"How is this helping me?"
"Seduce me kid."
He sits on a chair and folds his arms,
"Make my d.i.c.k stand up and you can leave, waste my time and i"ll have to punish you."
"WHAT?! But your like 30!"
"How dare you?"
He clasp his chest dramatically,
"I"m only 29. And besides, 17 ain"t that young. Now chop, chop. Make me h.o.r.n.y woman."
"I have no idea what the f.u.c.k i"m doing."