Chapter 1: Sisters

Ireland – 13 Years Ago

A young girl laid in a garden of roses. Her long wavy brown hair rested at the sides of her face as she looked up to the sky above her. Her eyes were as blue as a winter lake, her skin a soft pale hue. Holding a rose petal to her nose, she smiled to herself as she imagined the clouds becoming various animals. So far, she was able to find a cloud shaped like a deer and one shaped like a turtle. She loved this garden. It was located within a maze of hedges on the property of her family's castle-like estate.

Often times, she would come here to be alone with her peaceful thoughts. The flowers always seemed to bloom beautifully no matter the time of year. Leaning her head over to her left, she watched a small butterfly dance happily over the bed of flowers. She could see its shadow through the petals as the sun beamed down upon her. Laying hidden within the roses always made her feel safe and secure. Half the time, her family had trouble finding her because the rose bed was taller than her when she laid in it.

The butterfly flew closer to her now, bringing a smile to her face. It was almost as if it had sensed her and wanted to offer a greeting. The little girl's tranquility quickly shifted when she heard the distant sound of a gunshot. The butterfly fluttered away from her as she sat up in curiosity. Before she could get up to investigate, she heard a slight crunch in the grass behind her. When she turned around, she met with the eyes of her mother.

"Anna, there you are. I've been looking all over for you."

"Hello, mother. I assume father and Nina are training again today." Anna stood up from her spot and dusted herself off, fixing her hair back over her shoulders.

"Yes, dear, they are." Her mother walked over and placed her hands on her daughter's face, smiling into her eyes while wiping dirt from her pink cheeks.

"Why doesn't father allow me to train with him? He's always spending time with Nina and whenever I ask about it, he tells me to go tend to the garden."

"Anna, my darling, I do not want you to be involved in the sorts of things your father does."

"But why is it okay for Nina?" Anna's mother looked to the ground before running a finger gracefully through her daughter's hair.

"You and Nina are very different, my love. I have asked your father not to teach either of you. However, your father doesn't listen to me very much at all. Besides, I have taught you in the art of Aikido ever since you were old enough to walk."

"Please don't coddle me, mother. It's because father thinks I am weak and that Nina is stronger than me."

"Anna, that is not true. Your father loves you both equally." Anna laughed to herself and looked back to the clouds, wishing she could fly among them.

"No he doesn't, I've heard him say so before in his study. He said that I was weak and that Nina was the future of this family." Anna's mother took a step back and looked at her with a stern expression.

"What have I told you about eavesdropping, Anna?"

"I'm sorry mother, but you know how much I love my mischief." Try as she might to be serious, Anna's mother found herself stifling a laugh. No matter how many times she told her daughter to mind her own affairs, she always found her way into trouble again soon thereafter. Picking a rose out of the ground and placing it over her ear, Anna began to walk towards one of the many hedge maze openings.

"Where are you going, my little scarlet lightning?"

"I'm going to go change my dress before dinner."

"Good girl. I will see you inside soon." Anna looked over her shoulder before leaving, watching as her mother began getting ready to practice her Martial Arts training. As soon as she was out of sight, she ran through the large maze as fast as she could, trying to be silent at the same time. Once she reached the exit, she quickly made her way to the wide field by her home. Finding a tree to climb up into, she pulled out a pair of binoculars that she had been hiding. Looking across the field, she saw her father, Richard Williams. He paced back and forth while talking to his other daughter, Nina. The young girl had her blonde hair tied back into a ponytail, a rifle carefully held in her arms. Several targets lined the area in front of them.

Upon further inspection, Anna smirked to herself seeing that Nina had already hit one of the targets in the head. Watching carefully, she observed as her sister proceeded to fire precise shots into the remaining targets. Each bullet hit its mark with almost expert skill. Her father clapped briefly and offered inaudible praise to his daughter. There was a time when Anna allowed her feelings of resentment and disappointment show on her face around the man, but she had decided that those days were long over. Instead, she watched him from afar, observing carefully while he taught her sister.

Before long, she realized that the sun was beginning to set, which meant that training would soon be over. Not wanting to be discovered, Anna descended from the tree like a cat and quickly disappeared into the tree line. She tucked her binoculars into her pocket and made her way home. Along the way, she made sure to cover up her tracks in case her mother or father noticed she'd been sneaking around out here.

Later that evening, nightfall embraced the grounds as the Williams family sat down to have dinner together. Classical music played in the background, a favorite choice of Richard and his wife Loretta. Anna laughed under her breath as she kicked Nina under the table. Nina looked up with a shocked expression, before gathering her composure and retaliating with a kick of her own. Unfortunately for her, Anna had already moved her leg out of the way. Nina tried her best to hide that she almost ended up falling out of her seat. Making eye contact with each other, the two sisters began to smile and laugh quietly together. They immediately stopped when they heard their father clear his throat and begin to speak.

"So, Anna, what did you do today?"

Before answering him, Anna carefully and gracefully wiped her mouth with a napkin and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I planted some more flowers and trimmed the hedge mazes a little, too."

"That's wonderful, darling. You are so good at taking care of the gardens." Anna smirked to herself and looked across the table at her father, who had yet to look up at her.

"But father, how would you know? You never come to see my work." The table fell silent as Richard stopping chewing and looked up into his daughter's cerulean eyes. Nina looked over at her sister in shock. Feeling satisfied with herself, Anna took a sip of her water and casually returned to eating her dinner. Her mother quickly intervened, trying to bring cheer to the air.

"Richard, you should see the beautiful roses she's been growing. I've never before seen such a vibrant red. Maybe tomorrow sometime, you and I can go take a walk and I can show you." Richard swallowed his steak and looked to his wife.

"Yes, Loretta, perhaps we should do that." Once he looked back to his plate, Loretta gave Anna a silent scolding look of displeasure. Hiding her true feelings, Anna got back to eating her vegetables and allowed the sound of Mozart to take her mind to other, more pleasant places.

The moonlight shone brilliantly through the glass in Anna's room. Looking at the sky, she counted the crystal looking stars and waited patiently. A few moments later, she heard the sound of her bedroom door creaking open. Glancing over, she watched as Nina quietly snuck in and closed the door. Smiling, Anna scooted over in her bed and lifted the covers.

"What took you so long?"

"Sorry, Anna. Father just wouldn't stop talking to me about today's training." Anna hid her expression as best she could, but it always saddened her that her father made it a point to only check in on Nina before bed. Changing the mood she was feeling, she smiled and tucked Nina in next to her.

"So how was it today?"

"It wasn't too bad. But the rifle hurt my shoulder a little bit. Father says I'll get used to that soon. What was that all about at dinner earlier?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know what I mean, you were being facetious with father." Anna chuckled at her sister's remark. Nina wasn't just a sister to her, she was her best friend. They'd been through everything together and more often than not, they were all each other had mostly. Shrugging, Anna started to braid her sister's blonde locks for her.

"I just feel like father doesn't care for me. He's not home often and when he is, he is spending most of his free time training you. And I wouldn't care but how come he never wants to train me?"

Nina moved to face Anna and thought of how to word what she wanted to say. Secretly, she knew deep down inside that Anna was always jealous of the attention she'd been given by their father. She didn't choose it but she didn't want to reject it either. All the training she was receiving made her feel stronger and she knew that one day, she'd grow to be just as strong as their father. She would protect their family the way he did for them.

"Anna, at least you get to spend a lot of time with mother. I don't really get to be with her all that often, but you do."

"That's only because father always takes you away to train all the time. Mother doesn't treat you any different, I'm just the one who's left behind. Either way, let's make a promise." Nina sat up straight and leaned in, as if about to hear a big secret never to be repeated.

"What?"

"No matter what happens, we'll always be there for each other. Promise, Nina?"

"I promise" said Nina with a smile.

"AHHHHHH!"

"Nina?! Where is mother?!"

"Anna, where is it? Anna?!"

Present Day – The United States of America

Anna Williams, now a young woman, sat in a bar. Her red dress came just past her thighs, accentuating her sleek leggings and heels. With a sigh of boredom, she finished her martini and placed the empty glass on the counter. Smiling to herself, she glanced briefly over her shoulder and spotted her client approaching.

"Hey, Scarlet. Can I buy you another?" The man wore dark glasses and a larger hat, covering his appearance. Not fully looking over at him, Anna chuckled to and shook her head. With one more glance, she winked at him and started to speak.

"Just a tip, sweetie. You wearing sunglasses in a place like this, makes you look suspicious. Well, that and an asshole."

"Sorry, I'm new at this…so…"

"Job's done, sweetie. Your problem is dead and buried. Well…burnt actually. I take it you have the rest of my money?"

"Consider it deposited as of now. Thanks. Dress looks great by the way. Any chance you have any free time later?"

"Job's done. Pleasure doing business with you, hun." The man laughed and took a step back, heading for the door. Looking up at the television, Anna saw an advertisement for a global Martial Arts tournament. The prize was a large sum of money and the title of strongest fighter in the world. When she saw that it was female inclusive as well, she smiled and grabbed her purse. Leaving the bar, she walked out into the night air and headed towards her car.

"Looks like I get to go have some real fun."