(A/N: Hey guys :) I'm going to try to do a songfic with Speedy and Cheshire. Oh geez, I'm nervous. But I wrote this chapter and I spent like... a week re-editing it and re-writing it. Let me know what you think! If I don't get more than 2 reviews, I won't continue it.)
What's wrong, what's wrong now?
Too many, too many problems
Don't know where she belongs
Where she belongs
She wants to go home
But nobody's home
That's where she lies
Broken inside
Jade Nguyen sat on the windowsill of the desolate room she was taking shelter in for the moment. A wind blew, making her long black hair fall in front of her face. She closed her eyes enjoying the breeze, not bothering to tuck the strands back. Her Cheshire Cat mask was laying face down on the dusty floor. Jade had abandoned the mask, shortly after arriving in Steel City. She had found this abandoned building when arriving in the outskirts of Steel City. It looked it used to be an apartment building. She had chosen this room because of the large window and the view of the city. The room was aged and dirty. It looked as if no one had been living in it for quite some time. It was as if people had forgotten completely about it. Perfect for the young assassin.
She was only in Steel City for the moment. Until she was done with the job at hand. Then, she would leave, following the wind until she was hired again. Such is the life of the young assassin. She took jobs whenever she felt like it, not abiding to any rules. She was free. In her own way.
Jade touched her face which felt naked without the mask she was always wearing. This was a rare moment when she finally stopped playing her part and was finally able to breathe. At least for the moment.
She pulled her knees to her chest and looked at the full, bright moon. she pulled her thin kimono tightly around her, shivering slightly. The nights were colder than she thought in Steel City. "But it's not a big deal," She thought, looking down, "It's only until the job is done," She brushed a few long hairs back as she thought about the new boss that hired her. He was mysterious and spoke too vaguely for her liking. Why did she even take the job? She wondered, thinking back to the way the man treated her.
He had confronted her after she had finished a job. She had just left the room, spotless as usual. No mistakes. A man came out of the shadows and asked about her.
"You are Cheshire," It was a statement, not a question. Cheshire nodded, keeping a safe distance away from the man who had just came up to her. She was glad her face was hidden so he would not see her anxiousness as she studied the mysterious stranger. He kept his face hidden as well with a fedora hat and was wearing a trenchcoat. He kept his hands in his pockets, which Cheshire kept an eye on.
"I've heard of your talents," The man said. Cheshire could hear the smirk in his voice. Cheshire gave an unfathomable shrug. She always refused to talk in front of her clients. Anything that would identify her was forbidden.
"I actually have a favor to ask. A job, if you will," He said, pulling his hands out of his pockets. Cheshire tensed immediately. Swiftly, she was suddenly in front of him and grabbed his hand. She crouched back, revealing her other hand which had her metal claws attached to it. She aimed it threateningly at him, the knives glinting in the moonlight. The man barked a short laugh.
"Relax," He said, pulling out what was in his pocket: which was a cell phone. "I'll contact you later with the details about the job. This is the only contact we will have from now on," Cheshire let go of his hand, but kept her iron claw s out. He held out the cell phone out to her, but she did not take it. Instead, she took a couple steps back and turned her head disdainfully, her claw knives still out. The man smirked again.
"Consider this a wager that you'll take the job," He said and pulled out a huge wad of cash. He threw it at her feet.
"You'll be paid handsomely when you finish the job I have planned out. We, after all, want the best of the best," The man turned to leave. He turned his head again when he heard movement. The wad of money was gone and Cheshire had put the claws away. The man smiled.
"For now, we'll meet in Steel City. Be there as soon as you can. We'll know when you're there. We'll be in touch," He said, tossing the cell phone to her, and then he disappeared. Cheshire took the cell phone when she knew he was gone and pocketed it. She then flipped her hair back and disappeared from the soon-to-be crime scene.
It was most definitely the weirdest client that had ever asked for her talents. And Jade had met a lot of weirdo's, being in an occupation like this. It was curiosity that drew her in and got her to take the job. She looked up to the sky again. She was still so young, just 17, and she had already done things no adult would ever do. Jade heard the cell phone the man gave her beep and she slowly stood. Would he tell her the plans now? She grabbed the phone which was laying beside her mask and began searching through it to find an unknown number texting her. Scrolling through the inbox, she found a text that just gave out an address. Time for work.
Jade made her way to the broken mirror positioned in the dusty corner of the room and began pulling her long, shiny, ebony-colored hair back. Careful not to step on the glass, she studied herself. With her hair down, she looked her age, maybe even younger. Slender, but muscular, she stood at almost 5'4 inches tall. There was nothing about her face that she really liked. Three, long, pale scars ran on the side of her left cheek, a noticeable imperfection on her smooth porcelain skin. The scars started above her left ear, and the longest one stopped short of reaching her chin. The shortest and the thinnest one lay inches away from her pouty lips.
She received these scars when she was just 10 years old, still in training. She had tried to fight two guys off while she was walking around the city. She had succeeded in the end, but was unable to stop them from carving patterns on her face. Jade touched the scars lightly. These were the marks of an outsider. People stared so much that she wore the mask to hide her scars. Then, she wore the mask as her trademark when she became an assassin. Besides, the scars would identify her too easily. She must leave no trail when she's on the job. But, nevertheless, Jade liked the scars. She thought it added more to her plain face. In the moonlight, the scars shone out from her face.
The next thing Jade liked about herself were her eyes. They were large and a beautiful, rare, dark, emerald green. It added a glow to her pale face and in the proper light, there were gold flecks illuminating in her eyes. It was almost a shame to cover her eyes with the mask, but it had to be done. Jade picked up the mask, still eerily grinning in the moonlight. She put the mask over her face, and fastened it tightly. She knew that it would never come off until she wanted it to.
When she looked in the mirror, Jade Nguyen was gone, and Cheshire had taken over; the cold, unfeeling lips of the mask still curled in a grin.
Her feelings she hides,
Her dreams she can't find
She's losing her mind
She's falling behind.
She can't find her place
She's losing her faith
She's falling from grace
She's all over the place.
She's lost inside
(A/N: I know, it was kind of wordy. I really really love the character Cheshire. I think she is so badass and I think she is so graceful. Plus, I love Speedy and Cheshire together! Which is why, I'm going in a lot of background on Cheshire. She seems cold and heartless and first but remember, she was taught that way :) Btw, a 'job' means an assassination. So we'll see how this story goes. PLEASE REVIEW!)