Double Life: Daylight Nightmares

On the back of her mind she wondered why she was being sent so early this one time when usually she was sent around midnight but she didn´t care, she just had to do what she had to do. Why she did it seemed to be a mystery at times though She didn´t want to do it yet she was compelled to do it, there were so many things that forced her to follow her father´s orders. Josh´s words echoed in her mind. What does he know?, she mumbled to herself, I´m bad and he thinks I can be better, poor little boy, what does he know about me? she wondered while getting ready; it was always the same, all in black, a long black coat, her black baggy beanie hat, boots and gloves. Her cellphone on one of her pant´s pockets. Nothing else.

 “Do not wear anything that can let anyone know who you are, do you understand?” her memories were a blur but she could clearly remember those words being repeated over and over in her mind that first time that she had gone on a “mission” as his father had called it. “I´ll show you what you´ll do once, so pay attention”

She remembered a woman´s voice saying that and then that same woman´s hands had taken a comb and made her a tight braid. She talked while pulling Nichole´s hair tight. “You have to do it tight, no hair can be allowed to fall where you don´t want it” the woman had chuckled as if saying a joke. Nichole´s heart had been beating fast, she could feel it against her chest. “Do not forget that you always have to have you nails clipped and no jewelry, get it?”

This woman is like the weather, Nichole had thought, so cold at times and so warm as if she thought of her as a daughter. “See what happened to me” Nichole knew, she had heard that thousand times, somebody had ripped part of this woman´s ear, someone had pulled her earring. “Your father says you don´t need it, but, you should always carry one of these” the woman had slipped a little knife inside her boot, Nichole had fidget. “Do not worry, N, this has a special place there, it won´t hurt you, see?” she had smiled. “now, to make sure, do not forget the hat” she had put it on Nichole´s head and turned her around to admire her.”You look beautiful, like a death angel” the woman had chuckled again. “Walk to the corner” the woman instructed. Nichole went. “You´re going to show me how well you use that gift I just gave you” the woman smiled again and Nichole noticed she had dimples.

Someone was watching them. “Have you taught her to use that?” a male voice asked from a poor lighted corner
“I have taught her a lot of things, K” the woman purred
“How? she...” the man trailed off
“That the child doesn´t speak doesn´t mean she doesn´t understand -the woman explained, pride tinging her words- now, if you mean to say that she looks weak, I agree but there are ways to fix that, you´ll see” the woman smirked and continued “come on, baby, show time”

 The child didn´t move, the woman advanced, she, just like the kid had her hair in a braid. The woman quickly tried to grab the child who squatted down and then rolled to a side behind the woman who ran to her. A silver object shined, she child balanced it trying to wound the woman while she docked the long arms that tried to grab her. The woman finally jumped to the child who ran and almost escaped but the woman´s arms were long and she caught her foot, the child fell. There was fear in her eyes, the woman moved her under her weight to straddle her.

 “Do not show fear, Nichole” a flash of memories went through the child´s mind and her gaze changed “well done” the woman whispered. The kid wounded the woman´s arm. The woman grinned as if pleased “free yourself” she said loudly. She started to hit the child who saw an opportunity to wound the woman´s neck.

The child lifted her little arm, blade in hand towards the woman´s neck who was distracted punching the bleeding kid. The blade barely grazed the woman. The kid couldn´t hurt her, she knew what would happen, she was not like that. The woman became raged, she grabbed the child´s hand and took the blade.
“Are you stupid?” she screamed to the kid beneath her.”Do you think a man would stop just because you´re a child?”. The child grunted and felt a sharp pain on her thigh. “Do not dare to scream” the woman warned and punctured the kid again this time on her arm “you have to do what you have to do when you have the chance. Do you understand?”the woman screamed in the kid´s ear while she was opening new wounds to the child´s body.

 “Enough” a husky angry voice commanded and the woman stopped lifting herself from the ground. The child felt like she was about to lose conscience but she knew better, that´d make things worse.
“I´m glad you weren´t there for the rest of the training” the female laughed and threw the blade “get up and get the blade” she commanded the child who wobbled towards the blade coughing violently. The woman flipped open her phone “bring in Natasha” she ordered.
“This was uncalled for” the man that had been watching emerged from the dark corner
“Was it? weren´t you the one who brought me in and made me train a child?” she woman hissed “To dodge attacks not to find ways to get attacked” 
“You wanted a perfect angel of death, didn´t you, that´s what you´re getting”
“You are almost killing the child!”
“Almost is the key word, K. Natasha will fix her. She´s seen her worst” she said dismissively as if that was a good enough reason to hurt the child.
“That child was my wife´s only treasure, I have not asked you to kill her” the man said and slapped the woman who only smirked
“But she´s clearly not yours” the woman said and walked towards the kid again.
“Can you keep going, baby?” the woman asked sweetly to the child who only stared at her. “Come on, baby, let´s show daddy what you can do”

 The woman ran back to the farther corner and then ran again towards the child who ran to a side, blade in hand. The woman chased her and kicked the child in the stomach. The man saw the child´s hand grabbing the woman´s leg. The woman stopped for a little bit as the child ran away and from behind she appeared grabbing the woman´s hair pulling it hard until the woman fell, the child sat on the woman and started to punch the woman until this one, shouted “stop” The man saw the blade covered in blood. “You see, she´s your perfect angel” she said to the man, flipping her phone again “where is Natasha?”

 The child had spent over a week in bed with wounds that hurt more and more. The woman had instructed no pain killers for the child. Natasha had given her some but it was not enough. Another two weeks later and the scene was repeated, except this time the kid was doing her own hair, pulling it tight as she had been taught to do. The woman and the man were again watching her. She ignored them knowing what was coming, this time she was not going to allow the woman to send her to bed for a week. Her father had gone to her bed the last day she had been there, he had talked to her. She knew what was coming.

 “Let´s ignore last time happened, baby -the woman said with mellow voice- I got you a new present -another blade, longer this time- you´ll know what to do this time the woman said slipping the blade in the hidden compartment of the child´s boot. The woman ran opposite the child who prepared herself. The woman ran back again and the child ran away, the woman chased her but the child had learned her moves so she was faster. The woman ran to the child´s direction who ran the other way but got caught by the long arms of the woman again. The woman smirked and so did the child.

“That´s a new one, baby, I like it” the woman said. “Fight her and then make her believe she´s got you...” she was remembering the man´s voice. The kid felt her back hitting the ground hard. Her little arms over her head, the woman´s eyes piercing through hers. “Ha, still smirking, baby?” the woman said. The child brought her little hands to the woman´s cheeks who gasped. “Your gloves?” was the last thing she said and her eyes changed from piercing ones to a look of panic. She tried to escape the child´s grip but as the kids kept her hands there she grew weaker. All emotion was drowned from the child´s face when the woman fell to a side, no trace of life in her body.

 “Well done, Nichole” the man watching on the corner said. He walked towards the child who quickly put on her black gloves again “not a single hair out of place”, the man commented, smiling, “my perfect angel.” he walked away towards the door but stopped next to the corpse. “Never let anybody hit you or wound you like she did. Do not let anybody scar or mark your body. Make them go the instant they try it. Do you understand?” The kid was silent. The man left.

 As Nichole jumped off the wall that divided the school grounds the memories seemed to be blown away by the wind that caressed her face. “I wonder what was her name” she muttered as she entered the black car a few minutes later. She had ran through the woods to the road where she and Josh had been attacked. The car was waiting there.

“I´m Philip” the young brunette man inside the car said. She didn´t say a word. He was the new guy that was going to drive her around now. The woman had taught her not to talk when it wasn´t necessary. Philip stared at her for a little bit only stopping when she stared back at him. He started to drive. Nichole grabbed the electronic pad that lay on the seat. Her instructions were there. She could feel the young´s man watching her. She lifted her eyes and could see herself on the rear mirror, her eyes seemed to be the piercing woman´s eyes. It scared her but she didn´t blink or waver. Sweat seemed to be glistening over the man´s forehead. 

“It´s hot. I´ll turn up the air conditioner, you don´t mind, right?” he asked looking at Nichole through the mirror. She kept looking at the electronic pad. The young man cleared his thought. “I was a little nervous to drive you. The things they say about you and how Sid...” he said, her eyes shot up to see him intently, Sid, she thought, that was the name of that good for nothing pervert. She went back to read. “I thought you´d look different, like, scary” the young man continued. She wanted to tell him to shut up but she knew talking would only make him keep talking. “But you are just a girl, a cute one, how...” he trailed off when he saw her eyes looking at him through the rear mirror. Only that made him shiver, it was like she was piercing holes through his skull, giving him death threats. He finally fell silent.

“Merci, soeur” she muttered looking out the window, the image of the woman flashed through her mind. So, I used to call her sister, she thought to herself. Indeed, she let her thoughts to continue, thank you for that look you carved in my eyes. She wondered why she was thinking of her now, she was usually only on her nightmares.

 “Parle vous français?” the young man said in a fluid french. “Je suis français” he said “Je pensais que tu parle anglais” The man thought she couldn´t understand him. She wondered why he was trying so hard to talk to her. He seemed young, maybe that was why or maybe she was just noticing because he reminded her of Josh, she felt like smiling but she didn´t, her years of training stopped her from showing her thoughts that easily. The man fell silent again.

 Two hours later they stopped at an alley, it was dark already, she slided over to the door. The man spoke “will you be ok, by yourself?” and he took her hand in an attempt to stop her from going alone, she quickly released herself from his grip, and faster than the man could realize there was a blade on his neck, he could feel that it was sharp. The girl had grabbed his hair and she was pulling it keeping him in place. His eyes went wide and he lifted his arms in a surrender motion. She didn´t say a thing only removed the blade and left the car. Her instructions said she had to walk a few blocks.