"Do you have to leave so soon? Can't I help?"
Bianca turned to face her Mother. "Yeah. Someday, when I ask you what it feels like to kill, don't lie to me. Don't tell me you don't feel a thing." She shimmered out.
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"Bianca, sweetie, I want to talk to you." Ten year old Bianca came running up and sat next to her Mother on the bed. "Now, you know how you are a Phoenix?" The girl nodded. "Well, do you know what it means?" The girl shook her head and her Mother sighed. "We are very powerful and, as you already know, a Phoenix is born with a birthmark."
Bianca looked at the mark on her arm. "This mark?" Her Mother nodded and continued.
"As a Phoenix we are hired to find and kill certain bounty."
"What's a bounty?"
"Bounty is what we are after. It will usually be another magical being." The little girl nodded in understanding, though she could not fully understand just what this meant yet. It wouldn't be long before she did though.
"Is that why we have powers?" Bianca asked.
"Yes. We have powers so we can kill others or escape danger."
"That's why we can reform and shimmer," Bianca said happily.
"Yes and why we can throw energyballs, steal other witches powers and conjure."
"What does it feel like to kill?" she questioned innocently.
"You don't feel a thing," her Mother told her simply. Bianca smiled. "I just want you to understand. Some day you will have to kill."
It was five years later when Bianca had her first assignment, although Bianca looked a lot older than fifteen with the tight black clothes that she wore. It was a simple one. She was hired to kill a witch who had an amulet which was to be brought back immediately. She had shimmered out after the orders had been given and reappeared in an alleyway.
She watched and saw her target walk by. She quickly followed her as the young witch unknowingly led her back to her home. The Phoenix followed her up to her apartment and hid around the corner as the witch unlocked the door. As the door opened Bianca made her move.
"Hi, excuse me," she said sweetly. The witch turned around and smiled. "I was wondering if you have any milk. I ran out…I'm happy to pay, but I'm looking after my younger brother and I can't leave him to go to the shop. He's ill you see."
"Right, of course. One minute," the woman replied, believing the story. She disappeared inside. Seeing her chance Bianca followed and quietly closed the door behind her. When the woman came back with the milk she jumped, not expecting to see Bianca standing there. "Um…here you are. I don't need any money."
"And I don't need any milk," Bianca replied with a smirk. The woman looked confused and then worried as she saw Bianca make a move towards her.
"I don't understand," the woman said, trying to keep calm. A sudden cry was heard from the corner of the room. "Oh, my baby is crying…let me see to her."
"Stay there. Don't make me kill you both." Bianca smiled when the woman didn't move, but just looked helplessly over to where her child lay. "I won't kill your baby, but sadly I want your amulet and I know you won't just give it up."
She knew she was right when the witch moved her hand up to her neck where a glittering blue amulet hung.
Bianca threw an energyball, just missing the witch who dived and hurriedly crawled over to her child who was now crying even more. In anger Bianca threw an energyball and a second later the crying stopped. She heard the woman yell out, her whole body was shaking and she was unable to stop the tears.
"You said you wouldn't kill her!" she cried out as she stood to face the killer of her only child.
"You said you wouldn't move," the Phoenix said coldly. She walked over to the witch and grabbed her around the neck before shoving her against the wall. "Now its your turn."
Bianca ripped off the amulet from around the woman's neck. An athame appeared in her hand and she stabbed the woman, ignoring the scream of pain and terror. "Thanks for this," Bianca said as she looked at the amulet she held. The woman lay slumped against the wall, a stab wound in her stomach and a pool of blood around her. Bianca shimmered out and appeared in her room where she fell on to her bed.
"What did I just do?" she mumbled. "I killed an innocent witch and her child. All for this stupid amulet!" She threw the amulet at her wall and sighed, blinking away the tears. She had been so cold to the woman at the time and that just made her feel worse. It was her first kill and she knew she had to do it, but it didn't stop her feeling guilty. Now she knew what it felt like to kill and she knew that you can't kill without feeling something.