7 Chapter 7 (2/2)
The assassin that has been trained for years to withstand high pain levels and to not break under interrogation starts shaking. ”No. I...uh...didn't think...uh...you wanted help.” ”Now we both know that is a lie.” He steps back into the crowd. ”How many of you watched me up on the stage?” I ask. It is so quiet, that I don't need to raise my voice for everyone to hear me.” Zachery is completely still, trying to get me to forget about him. Everyone in the guild raises their hand.” ”And how many of you tried to help me.” Garret and Wilker are the only two who raise their hands.
I look up and laugh towards the ceiling. The movement away from me is almost comical. I look around. The only ones without fear in their eyes are Garret and Wilker. I look down at Zachery. ”I have a proposition for you.” He shakes his head. ”You don't want a choice. You want to see what I am going to do?” He shakes his head. ”That is what I thought.” I look around again. Then I look back down at Zachery. ”You can either take all of the punishment, or you can have my spread it over the whole guild, with the exception of the two that helped me.” All around me, assassins urged him to take it to himself.
His words are a squeak. ”Everyone. Everyone takes it.” Some one hisses the word coward at him. I laugh. ”Zachery, I have to say, that is the smartest thing you have ever done. Until it comes to everyone else, because after I am done with the lot of you, they will all hate you.” I stand up and take a step back. This causes everyone to run for the door.” ”Everyone come back in this room right now.” Wilker yells. They all return. ”I am not making this a request. You will all listen to what Jaycie says. Have fun and good day.” He turns to me and whispers in my ear, ”Please don't hurt any of them beyond repair. I nod and he and Garret walk off. ”Well, everyone to the training room. We are going to have some fun. At least I will.”
Everyone fights to get in the farthest back reaches of the room. ”I want announcement rows.” I yell out. The yell is still in my calm voice. I can see that they don't like it that I am acting this calm. Announcement rows are rows of ten assassins. There are ten rows. They are evenly spaced across the room. Everyone tries to score the back row. Zachery manages one. As the rows fill in, back to front, ten assassins' decide to not fight the crowd, and take the front row. Usually when Wilker calls for these rows, they fill up the opposite way. When everyone settles, I stand at the front staring at them.
I am quiet for like ten minutes. I meet eyes with each of them in turn. When I get to
to then front row, they all look the most scared. I smile at the ones in the front room. ”You are very brave to take the front row. Very brave.” They are all nervous, glancing at each other. ”I will start with you ten.” They all go bone white. ”All of you...” I trail off for a second and they all suck in a breath. ”May go.” This take a second to sink in. ”What?” One of them squeaks. ”You heard me. All ten of you in the front row may go. You risked the front row, knowing quiet well that you could get the worst of my anger, so you may all go.” They all rush out the door. I realize Garret is standing in the doorway watching. I wink at him and turn to the rest of the group in front of me. ”Just so you know, the last row will get the worst part. No moving.” I meet eyes with Zachery, and he looks about ready to pass out.”
I step up to the second row, ”Now, why were you just watching me make a fool of myself?” I pin one of them with a stare. He wilts under my gaze. ”I don't know. I just saw you there, and I froze. I have never seen you do anything like that, and I was shocked. I move past him and over a few to the third row. ”Why didn't you try and stop me?” ”Uh...I...I don't even have an excuse.” I smile. ”Everyone from row two and three will run laps around the room until I say stop. No breaks until I tell you. Go.” They all take of running. I move to row four. ”Now, what should I do?” One of them has he audacity to answer me. ”Let us go as well?” My head snaps to him. He straightens.
”You are a brave one.” I walk up to him and he immediately cowers back. ”Ask me again.” I say. He stays silent. ”Well, don't you want to go?” I ask. ”Yes.” I smile. ”Go on.” His jaw drops. ”Yes.” He run out. ”As for the rest of row four, you will go practice your...punching skills. Go.” They run to the punching bags. ”I am disappointed in all of you. You are cowering in front of me, and you have been trained to withstand intense interrogation.” I shrug. ”I am getting bored. Rows four through nine. Today is you lucky day. If I see any of you for the rest of the night, I will personally make sure you can't move.” They all run out and now I smile at the back row.
”Now, which ever one of you can tell me for sure who drugged me, may leave.” Half of them looked at me with no clue what I was talking about. I looked at mt runners, and they all looked tired, and I tilted my head. ”Runners. Two minutes. Get water, whatever. Then you are back to running.” You turn back to row ten. ”Can any of you answer?”
Zachery raises his hand. ”I...I can.” My eyes go wide. ”Everyone out of this training room now. If anyone comes in, they die.” Everyone ran out, except Garret. He walked up to me. ”Out.” I scream at him. Then I turn and face Zachery. ”How the hell do you know who drugged me. I swear if you did it-” ”I did.” He says cutting me off. My eyes flare in rage and I am about to lunge at him.
Something takes him down first. Garret. Garret leaps onto him and drops him to the ground. He is throwing punches before I can stop him. When I un-freeze, pull Garret back. But Garret is still yelling at him. ”You drugged her drink. Someone from the same guild as you. Someone who saved you useless life less than twenty-four hours ago?” Zachery scrambles back right as Wilker come running in.
”Zachery. What the hell is this about you knowing who drugged Jaycie?” He sees me holding back Garret, and the blood that is on Garret's fists, Zachery's face, and the ground. ”Who did it?” Wilker asks. I turn to him. I feel tears behind my eyes now. I try and blink them back, forcing them not to spill out. ”Zachery.”
Zachery immediately starts talking. ”That mystery assassin asked me if I knew were to find any of the stuff, and I didn't want him to get suspicious, so I sold him some of my personal supply. I always keep some on me, especially on times like these when I know there might be someone who needs to be cooled down. Like if Lee had gone crazy. I didn't realize he planned to put it in her drink.” Wilker looks back at me, ”Go to my office Jaycie. I will be right in. Okay?” I nod. He is saving me the embarrassment of crying in front of everyone. As I walk out, I hear Wilker kick Zachery out to the guild. Cutting all ties to this guild ”You knew he was under watch, and you sold to him. You knew he was under watch, because Jaycie pointed him out, and you sold to him. Never come back.” I leave before I can hear anymore.
As I fall into my favorite chair in his office I start thinking. ”Why did that guy want me out of it. He had to know I had others with me. What was he playing at? Oh god. And I can remember him saying he will see me later. What does he mean by that? Oh go no. This is really bad.” I feel tears streaming down my face. I am embarrassed. I hadn't sensed the drug. I had practically let him give it to me. And Zachery had been the one to give it to him. I hear the door open and Wilker comes over to me. He pulls me into a hug without asking me anything.
This was the thing about him. When he knew I was truly hurting, he was more of a father than anything. He didn't shame me for my tears or make my go off till they were gone. He was always there to help my, even in my darkest hours. That is why he was the one I fully trusted. Ans the one that I could open up to about almost anything.
”Jaycie, what is wrong. Why are you crying?” I wipe away my tears, only to have new ones follow. ”I should have sensed the drug. It was Calveis wasn't it?” I ask. He nods. ”What else? I know that isn't all.” ”I don't know who that is, but I can remember him saying something. Everything is foggy. Someone was holding me, and he told me he would see me later. Like he was expecting to bump into each other again.” He rubbed my back. ”It is okay Jaycie. It is not your fault.” I nod and back away. ”I want a mission. One that will get me away from the guild for a while. I don't care what it is, but I want to be on my own.”
Wilker's eyes go wide. ”Jaycie, we never do completely alone mission's, there is always a backup, a guard, something.” I feel everything welling up inside me. Everything from the past week, two weeks, everything in my life that I have worked so hard to completely shut out. Everything is raising to the top. ”Wilker, I need this. I need to get away from everyone. Away from this town, from you, from my fellow assassins.” He actually looks scared. ”Jaycie.” ”Please. I can do something easy. Anything that will get me away.”
He walks to his desk and look's through the files. ”Jaycie, we only have one, that you could do. But if you get caught, you are on your own. We have no information on him. We don't know where he lives, or anything. There will be no me to save you, or assassin search party to find your trail.” ”What is the mission?” He sighs. ”A pickup. He is paying for a mission that he made. All you have to do is take the money and figure out where he lives. That was the payment agreement. But he specifically said only one assassin is aloud to come. That is never good.”
I think. ”I know the probability of me getting caught is high, but I need to do this. I can't stay here. I will be careful, and if I get caught. I will get away. I promise.” Wilker looks into my eyes. ”You are serious, aren't you?” He asks. ”Deadly.” He looks slightly sad. ”Okay. Have the mission, but please be careful.” ”I will.” ”Go home, rest up, come here tomorrow with an overnight bag. It will take one night to get there. You will stay in a hotel for a night, pick up the money, and head straight home.” I nod. ”Thank you.” Then I head out the office door and out the front of the guild. As I get out, someone catches me in and alley. ”Jaycie. What is wrong?” I is Garret.
I am flustered. ”I am getting ready to leave. I am going on a mission on my own. I need a break from everything.” He tries to pull me closely, but I pull away. ”Jaycie, that isn't safe. Just think-” ”I have Garret. But I need this break. From everything. From us, from you. I am almost at me breaking point, and if I break during a mission, it could cost someone their life. If I am on my own, no one will get hurt.”
He takes a step towards me and tries to wrap me in his arms, but I push him away again. ”Jaycie. Stop pushing me away. I am trying to help you. You aren't thinking straight. You are mad and confused. Stop.” I shake my head and let a tear down. ”If you care about me Garret, you won't follow me. Won't be at my apartment, won't try to stop me. You won't try and get in my way. You will let me go.” He shakes his head.
”No. I care about you, so I am talking you out of it.” He grabs my hand and pulls me to him. I shove him back, feeling myself close off to him. Everything he has done to make me open up, down the drain. ”NO! BACK OFF!” I yell at him. ”If you have ever really cared about, ever wanted to help me, you will let me go. Hold me at arm's length. You won't come near me. Will let me come back to you. Just back off and don't try and hold me back.” I turn and run. He doesn't follow. I feel tears rolling down my face. I am breaking.
I have held everything back for so long, I was breaking. This image I had made for myself, was burning. I was becoming the Jaycie, before Wilker's training. Scared, weak. Needing space at all times. I run home and pack. My whole world was falling apart, and I needed to get away from it. Re-build it. Make myself whole again. And this was the only way. Even if it got me caught.