Chapter 1
"Be off we ye! Be off! Thy are not of god! Run foul demons from hell!" the preacher called. Ember and I laughed as we passed the church on Mark's street, holding each other close. The sun was shinning on this happy afternoon. By now everyone in the town knew that we were gay, and that we were 'together'. I loved Ember, god, I loved him with all my heart. And tonight, I would show just how much I loved him. It's been 2 whole years since he has made my life bliss, two whole years that all the jokes and insults have meant nothing to me. I've planned it all, from the color of my socks to where to eat. I just can't wait until tonight.
Not again, not tonight. Cruising down the highway, feeling as alive as ever. I'd only had a few beers, I was still good to drive, we'd be fine.
"GAB! GAB! Wake up, you were screaming!" I woke up and shook my head, looking around my bedroom, light streaming in from the one window. I grasped the cool silver medal frame of my double bed while staring at the gray of my walls. Every once in a while, I'd dream of that faithful night, normally when I was with a new partner. Thankfully Darren wasn't easy to scare, he'd sat with me through a few of my nightly nervous breakdowns. Darren was sweet and all, but he still wasn't Ember. I swear on my grave that boy will haunt my dreams for all eternity. "I'm fine Darren, thanks for waking me up" I glance at the clock, 7:45, "I think it's about time you leave though"
"Alright Gabriel, call me when your feeling better, okay?"
"Yea" I say, even if I have no intention what so ever of calling him again. I can't bear seeing Ember one more time. Not even in my dreams.
I lay there, head in my pillow, thinking. If I were to say that I was thinking about nothing in particular, I would be lying. I was thinking about Ember, the way he held me, the way his flesh felt against mine. Everyday I would find myself, at one point or another, thinking about him. Even for just the briefest moment. Clearing my head, I get up, deciding that it was about time to get ready for work. While getting ready I was thinking about who I'd have to kill today. Being an assassin was far from an ordinary job, everyday was a new experience. Just for an example, yesterday my mission was to kill a dog that kept doing his business on the neighbors lawn, while last week I killed a drug lord. Today was particularly interesting though, a new assassin would be joining us as my partner. I've never had a partner before, so this should be interesting enough. I've always thought being an assassin as a sole man job.
Entering the hectic office was always a challenge. People were always running about, telling someone this, getting that to the lab, making it practically impossible to get anywhere without getting run over. As I skilfully make it to my office I think of how much Ember would haven enjoyed a job as hectic and arbitrary as this one. I sit down in my padded office chair and ask my receptionist for my newest mission. She enters my office quickly and hands me some papers, following her was a man, around my age I'm guessing. He was tall, 6'4 I suppose, with gray pebble eyes. He was chubby, yet surprisingly well built. Something about him was vaguely familiar, maybe it was his brown wavy hair that shinned in the light. "Gabriel, this is your new partner, and that is your first mission together" the receptionist Marge states, while gesturing to the pile of paper she just handed to me. "I'm leaving introductions up to the both of you, I have to go. Goodbye gentlemen!" I gesture for the new comer to sit down while I sift through the papers. "Mr. White-" The assassin begins, but I cut him off, "Please, call me Gabriel" "Gabriel" he begins again, "I do believe introductions are in order" "Of course, please forgive me, I am Gabriel White, as you already knew, but please call me Gabriel, Mr. White makes me feel like my father." He was a professional, just like the Ember I once knew. "Okay Gabriel, then I must insist that you call my by my first name as well. I am Ember."