Chapter 1

Aim, Fire

I took up my gun and pumped it- one… two… three… four… five… six. Then I aimed. My finger went on the trigger, and I focused on my target. The can flew off the box it was displayed on. I ran to it to see where I got it. "Woo! Right in the middle!" I shouted. My brother came over and looked at it, running his finger over the hole, and analyzing the target that we had drawn on it.

"You cheated Wednesday …" He said looking at his hole, which was through the box. My head tilted and I patted his head laughing.

"How did I cheat?" I let out a sigh laughing a bit more, "We both shot same distance, and at the same can and target. How did I cheat?"

My younger brother Dick sighed and took the gun, "You are a girl! Girl's can't do this stuff; you should be painting your nails then screaming at the thought of breaking them!"

I laughed at my brother and took the gun back. "The gender of a person does not matter."

He looked at me and rolled his eyes stomping off. I laughed and turned around pumping my gun again. Without aiming I shot at the box, and got it, directly in the middle. "Poor sport." I said under my breath turning, and watching my brother stomp through the back doors into the house.

I locked my gun and put it down in a safe place. I went into the house, and saw my mom cooking dinner, and my brother slouched over the dinner table with his chin in his palm, glaring up at me. "Defeat, isn't had to take in." I said laughing and walking out of the kitchen. My mom laughed a little.

I looked out the front windows, and saw my dad pull up. "Dad!" I yelled opening the front door, and security screen, and running out to him. He hugged me and laughed kissing the top of my head.

"Is dinner ready?" He said patting his stomach as I took his lunch pale. I shrugged.

"Don't believe so. But I think mom's started on it." I smiled at my dad, as he frowned in disappointment.

He walked into the house, and I followed behind his through the kitchen doors. I placed his lunch box by the food cupboard. My dad kissed my mom, and my brother gagged. I laughed and sat by Dick, and smiled at him.

"Dinners ready!" My mom said after the beep of the stove. Out came lasagna. My dad smiled in delight and kissed my mothers cheek, "Looks delicious!" He exclaimed.

"Good, go sit down and we'll eat." She said grabbing the plates she had placed beside her. I stood up and took the plates as she scooped out first servings onto them. I sat them on the table on the placemats, in front of where we would be sitting.

Finally we all sat down, and my brother said grace. "Dig in!" My dad shouted at the last word of 'amen.'

We ate in silence for a little while. "Sarahi, I am going to take Wednesday to the store with me." My dad said to my mom. She looked up at him.

"What store exactly?" She asked lifting an eyebrow. She shook her head and looked down at her plate taking another bite, "you're not taking her there again. It's dangerous."

My dad bit his bottom lip and looked at me. He smiled and took another bite as well. "Well Sarahi, Wednesday is old enough. And she needs an upgrade. She's been working hard for it."

"She can get an upgrade when she moves out." My mom said through her teeth looking at me and smiling, "And our sweet Wednesday doesn't want to waist her summer shooting at boxes and cans, now does she? She has plans."

I new the look she gave me, meant I had to agree with her, so I gave a low nodd poking at my food, "But I wouldn't mind. The thought of holding a boys hand, and twirling around together, with our bodies touching, and our.."

"She's getting an upgrade!" My dad shouted interrupted me. I giggled poking at my food. My mom laughed a little too.

"Nice try Wednesday, but no cigar." She said looking at my dad, "It's just like ball room. She'll be wearing dresses, and dancing in contests, and with Lords, and the Mayor's daughters, and stuff. It'll be great."

"I'm still taking her." My dad said setting down his fork and looking at me, "Let me know when you're done."

Before my dad could exit the kitchen I jumped up stuffing my last bite into my mouth, and shouting, "DONE!"

My dad laughed as I put my plate in the sink and ran into the living room, grabbing my jacket, and already at the front door. He got his car keys and we left.

We got to the gun shop, and got out of the truck. My dad held me close to his side as we walked passed men, and some women, into the store. My dad looked at guns hanging on the walls, and in cases, and boxes, and in shelves. The man at the counter watched me as I looked at a gun.

"I like this one." I said. My dad walked to me. " A shot gun." I said. My dad laughed at looked at the man at the counter. I felt my dads hand grow tense then he looked back down at me.

"Keep looking to make sure this is the one."

I laughed looking at another gun, "Musket." I said proudly to my dad. Me smiled and kept looking at more guns.

"M4?" my dad said. I looked at him, and saw him questioning me. I shook my head and smiled.

"Ill take the shot gun." I said. My dad nodded and walked to me,

"If it's what you want, then alright." He handed me the keys, "Go and wait inside the truck, hurry in alright. Ill but this and be right out."

I nodded and left. I felt odd walking past the men again, the woman gave me evil smiles as I looked up at them, hookers they might as well call themselves. Clothed? I believed they were half naked.

I shook my head thinking of those women, jumping into the truck. I looked back, and saw the woman standing there, but no men. I looked at the clock, and watched it, as ten minutes passed by. I looked back, and no one was there.

I jumped at a knock at the window. One of the women stood there smiling at me. My eyebrows knitted together. I winced when she moved her arm, and lifted a wallet. The front dropped, and she pushed it against the window… My father's driver's license. I looked at her, and she smiled trying to open the door, but I locked it. She lifted a flashlight and hit the window, then she hit the window again, and it cracked. I climbed to the back of the truck and tried opening the emergency seat.

I was frantic, I remembered the procedures my dad taught me, there was a button under the seat- push, then pull up. The seat opened quickly, and I pulled out the emergency gun. The Semmerling LM4. The girl laughed as she opened the front door and reached back for me. The gun pointed straight at her head, and I kept a straight face.

"Not a very smart girl." She said backing out and running into the gun store. I reached in and grabbed the protection gear, and put a jacket over it. I put the belt with throwing knives around my waist and jumped out the back seat.

The woman walked out with the shot gun I had wanted. She laughed pointing it at me. I lifted my hand gun, and shot. She fell to the floor with a scream, and the men came running out.

"Where is my dad?" I yelled walking forward. The men threw my dad FBI badge to my feet. I shook my head and picked it up. "What did you do?" I asked.

The men laughed walking to me. "We'll let him live." One of the younger men said walking to me, "if you take off those knives, and set down your gun- and come have a little fun."

I smiled and shook my head. "My dad."

The younger one came closer to me, so the gun was at his stomach. "Inside." He took my arm and lead me in. All the other man starred me down. They lead me to a back room, and threw me in to my dad. "Dad!" I yelled crawling to him.

"Get out of here! What are you doing fighting back! Remember that time I was called to a mission right when I was with you? And I told you 'If im not out in ten minutes, leave.' Don't you remember that? Now leave! And don't turn back!" my dad yelled.

"I can do it!" I whispered. My dad shook his head.

"Wednesday, get out of here!" He yelled. I shook my head back at him, and pushed myself up.

"It's my turn to save you, I can do it. Trust me." I whispered bending down and grabbing his emergency gun. I turned around quickly and walked to the men. "Let my dad go home." I said.

They looked at my dad and spat on the floor. "Or what?" The youngest asked.

"No fun." I said, "And if you don't let him go, then you're not getting either of us. You already have his money, what's the point? If you get arrested, you'll get out sooner then you would have with murder."

The youngest back slapped me, and grabbed my arm throwing me to the floor. My dad tried standing. The youngest laughed. "We keep the girl, get the man to his truck. And tell him the consequences."

"Trust me." I reminded my dad as he walked with them men by me. He looked away and closed his eyes. I stood up and walked to the youngest one. He smiled taking my chin and looking into my eyes.

"Yeah, she was a keeper. Never seen eyes blaze this much- Wednesday." He said kissing me. I jerked back and spat. I elbowed his chest and when he leaned forward grasping his chest, I lifted my knee, and kneed his nose.

He lifted a small gun he had in his pants, I couldn't tell but it seemed to be a Downsizer WSP, a semi automatic. He held the gun, and his wrist moved, seeming to try to aim on me.

My eyes moved quickly scanning the gun. A double action. I smiled and lifted my gun to him. I realized he wasn't a great aimer, so I figured I had the best bet, and I could put in some words, "You should have done some research, of who you were dealing with- before you went off, and shot at my dad."

I shot at the young man, and hit him in the chest, he flew back, and I figured since he had a slight groan, he too wore protection.

I turned knowing I could not waste time, but the other men stood behind me. "Maybe you should have done research on who you were dealing with." One man said with a gun to my head.

The other man had a gun to my chest, and I stood there, trying to remember the strategies I was taught training with my dad. I dropped my gun and lifted my hands. The younger man grabbed the gun and hit my side, "B shot me!" He said putting my gun in his pants.

I was on the floor now, with them not realizing this was my advantage. I took a throwing knife and stabbed it into the leg of one of the men, and moved quickly to the other one and stabbed his back. The young man aimed at me, as I ran out the door.

Bullets hit my back, and it launched me forward to the floor. "God that stings!" I yelled standing up trying to run again. I looked down at the floor, and saw my dads shirt, ripped with blood, then a trail of blood leading to a wall.

A bullet came and hit my arm; I screamed falling to the floor. I could feel the blood gushing, and my arm throbbing and burning.

I examined the wall, and how the blood didn't finish up it all the way. My eyes followed it down, and I saw a figure on the floor, I looked closer, and saw… my dad. My eyes became blurry as tears came into my eyes.

I stood up screaming throwing knives with my good arm. I took a gun from my pant pocket, that they had not remembered, and shot at their faces, then I was knocked to the floor.

"Please, stay still. My names Caleb and I am going to help you." He said. Caleb helped me up, as more men moved in and took the killers down. Caleb got me into a BMW and rushed down the road.

"You're lucky I saw the whole thing." He said, "Those people have been wanted for so long, and you lead us to them."

I looked at Caleb and glared looking away. Then car swerved and we went into a dark area, as he turned on a light. "You're shot." He said looking at my arm that I was grasping.

"I'm fully aware, thank you very much." I said rolling my eyes and looking away.

He smiled and tried moving my hand but I gave him a fierce look and looked away, "I can handle myself!" I yelled.

I chuckled a little. "Alright." He agreed, "you try stopping that blood with your hand, and infecting it more with your oils."

I groaned and moved my hand. He smiled and reached back pulling out a dark case. He opened it and cleaned my arm.

"Shall I stitch you right here, right now?" He asked. I looked at him, my eyes wide.

"Stitches?!" I yelled. He nodded and took my arm. "Just about seven"

I looked away as he placed my arm down, and put my chair down. I clenched my teeth together, as the needles and string sewed my skin together again.

"Alright." He said bandaging up my arm. "Wednesday Abira." He said smiling and starting the car. He backed out and drove quickly down the road.

"So why did the chicken cross the road?" He asked. I hit the dashboard and yelled.

"My father just got killed! And You want to tell corny jokes?"

he shrugged and smiled at me, "Well, Your father actually go tortured, but he got to the wall and yelled. Then I came in and took the girls down. We couldn't move in until necessary. Or… until your dad said so. He told us to protect you when the ambulance took him away. That was a dummy on the floor that you saw."

He smiled and shrugged.

"A dummy? So my dad is alive?"

"Suffering.. But yes. Alive."

I lifted my eyebrow and looked gloomily at the dashboard, remembering how the young mans wrist moved around trying to aim. And realizing, there was a shadow in the corner of my eye. He was stalling me. So that they could hurt my dad. I clenched my fist.

"Suffering…" I repeated. I closed my eyes and looked away, as a tear rolled down my cheek. Caleb's hand touched my shoulder, I wanted to hit it, or shrug it away, but I liked the comfort he was trying to give me, so I just sat there.

The tears came on harder when my dad's expressions went through my head, especially the last one he gave me before he went out the store…

He looked away and closed his eyes. It was as if he was looking away and holding back, disappointed that he raised me to be like this. Mad at himself. His face was as white as a ghost, but he held back. I knew his fears, and that he had doubts that I would make it, and that I… was the reason he had gotten hurt.

"What are you thinking about?" Caleb asked. I didn't realize we were pulled over, and he was standing at my door starring at me.

"N… No… N-nothing." I stuttered trying to open the door, but he held it closed. He looked down at me, and saw my eyes filled with tears, and the escaped tears running down my face.

"It was not you're fault." He said catching a tear at the end of my cheek. I moved away and pushed the car door open and walked passed him, "What would you know?"

"CALEB!" A man yelled running into the parking lot, "Agent Abira request you and his daughter immediately!"