I'm sitting in first period, Emma and Casey still haven't shown up and I am starting to wonder if they flew back home…wherever home is for those people. I am reading one of my journals that I take notes when I'm reading something that seems to have a hidden meaning. I've always been that way. I can see some texts and I can almost sense that it means something greater. But today, I am rereading some notes I took years ago, I remember how Emma reacted when I asked if she could bring Joel because I thought he was cute. I'm absentmindedly flipping through the pages, until I come across page XXXIV; I prefer roman numbers to the regular type of numbers, makes my notes look more official I guess you could say.
When God made men and women, they had two heads, two arms, and two legs. But they only had one heart. Afraid of their power, God split them in two. Now we constantly search for the missing half our heart, because when we find it and reunite, it's when we're strongest. When you find the other half, your world no longer holds you to it, your other half does.
I reread it and soon I hear the familiar laugh of my sister and her friend. I quickly shut the notebook and look at Emma and Casey as they sit down. Emma looks…elated I guess the word could be. She and Casey seem to be whispering about something and when the final bell rings for first period to begin, a boy walks in late. Who is he? I look at Emma whose eyes are closed, almost as if she is sleeping again. The boy in the front of class hands the teacher his slip and the teacher points to a seat behind Emma.
"Thank you," the boy says.
I stare at Emma, whose eyes are now wide open and almost glowing again. Eagle Sense? What was she doing meddling with Eagle Sense? The boy sits down behind her and I finally remember him. But of course when he leans over and kisses Emma on the cheek, my thoughts are confirmed. Emma blushes a little bit as the teacher clears his throat. Emma looks down blushing, but I can see a smirk on her face.
"È forunato figlio di una cagna," Casey hisses. (Translation: You lucky son of a bitch)
Emma glares at her and flips her the bird discreetly. I see Joel chuckle and leans forward, dangling his hand in off the side of his desk and I watch as Emma leans back and interlocks her hand with his. I have to smile at this. She's so lucky to have someone like Joel.
The rest of class is a workday so of course, Joel and Emma work together. Before I realize it, Emma is staring at Casey and whispers something that I don't understand.
"Stavi dicendo dicendo qualcosa su di me di essere fortunate? Guard ache appena entrato in asta di livello," Emma grumbles. (Translation: You were saying something about me being lucky? Look who just walked in dipstick.)
Casey seems to glare at Emma then when she looks at who walks in, her eyes widen and she smiles big. How is it that Emma and Casey have boyfriends and are Assassins as well? Unless they are Assassins as well. Joel is, that much I know. But the boy that sits behind Casey seems to be nice and not an Assassin at all.
Casey and the new kid just giggle and whisper in Italian, whereas Emma and Joel are more reserved. I wonder if Joel is aware of Emma's past. I mean, Jake and all. But the teacher doesn't see anything wrong with it. After the bell rings to dismiss us, Joel and Emma leave, their hands intertwined and I have to begin to feel some form of jealousy. But it's not like my adoptive parents said I can't date. I just never had any interest in dating. I didn't want to get my heart broken. I keep walking to my next class when I see Joel kiss Emma on the top of the head.
"Haley…" he murmurs.
She leans her forehead on his chest and sighs.
"I'll see you tonight for Patrols," he whispers.
I walk pass them and Emma quickly catches up with me. She gives me a smile and soon, I fall forward but Emma reaches out and grabs the collar of my shirt before I hit the floor. Tracey laughs like a moron and I see Emma's eyes glow gold. Eagle Sense. She hands me her books and walks up to Tracey.
"What is your problem you ungrateful little brat!" Emma spits at Tracey.
Tracey glares at Emma and tries to slap her, but Emma catches Tracey's hand and Tracey uses her other hand but Emma catches that hand too. This must be an Assassin perk.
"Nice try, I've dealt with little pricks like you my entire life! Now what is your problem? Are you afraid that Sarah might be better looking than you? Certainly has a better attitude than you," Emma grumbles.
Tracey glares at Emma and I am afraid for Tracey. Please don't kill her Emma.
"Look, stay the hell away from Sarah, you mess with her, you mess with me," Emma growls.
Emma lets Tracey go and I don't catch it, but soon Emma turns around and I hear a thud as Emma's fist connects with Tracey's face. Emma only walks past me with a huge smirk on her face and Tracey whimpering that her face is ruined. I follow behind Emma and when we are out of ear shot I have to say something. But I never get a chance to because Emma walks through one of the rigged doors and the alarm blares. I quickly cover my ears and run back to the other students who are being herded out of the school. I look around but I don't see Emma anywhere, I look for Casey but she must have left with Emma during the mad rush to get out side. I see Tyler Lawson walk up to me and hands me a note.
"Uh, Haley wanted me to give you this, said that she'll call you tonight after some family issues are taken care of," he mumbles.
Tyler is fair skinned with a brownish-blond mess of hair and hazel eyes. He's one of the cutest guys in my class and the nicest. Every time I see him, my heart does a little flutter and I know I blush when he talks to me.
"Thanks Tyler…" I smile.
He gives me a small hug and I have to be scarlet by now. He waves as he disappears into the crowd of students and I read the note.
Sorry about ditching school, some "family issues" came up and I didn't want you to be in the thick of the problem. I will call you after I'm done and don't freak out if you see a couple of shadows outside your window.
-Haley
I fold the note back up and when everyone is back in the school, I look out the window. I wonder where Emma and the others went.
Emma's POV:
Of all the rotten luck, I punch Tracey in the face—which now that I think about it, wasn't a bad idea—but I set the alarm off as I shove through the emergency exit of the school. Casey and I meet up a mile away from the school and I see Heather and Derek waiting for us. They must have taken our bikes from the Parking Lot. Heather tosses us our jackets and as we put them on, Derek starts briefing us.
"So, we got a tip from an anonymous source claiming that the Templars plan to regain their influence here in the states. Someone going by the name…"
"Brother Richard," I whisper.
Derek looks at me, as does everyone else.
"During my Patrol last night, I overheard a man by the name of Brother Richards and someone else talking about regaining influence in the states," I remind them.
"You also said they have a map, a map of what?" Casey asks me as she plays with her hookblade.
I shrug, "I wish I knew."
Derek shakes his head at me.
"We don't have a lot of time before the police and fire trucks arrive. We better get moving."
Casey and I mount our bikes and Heather gets on her own bike, same as Derek. We speed through Los Angeles and soon, we arrive at the same Port where I heard Brother Richards and his friend from before. Casey and I hide our bikes under some netting and put our hoods up as we sneak around to the entrance.
"Minimal Security…." I whisper.
I hear a clanking noise and freeze mid-step. I turn my head an inch and I see a drunken man stumble along the Port singing some slanderous song. I sense Casey chuckling and I smack her upside the head. Not now, I glare at her.
We continue to walk along the side of the building and when we enter the old warehouse, I see Brother Richards and the man from before.
"Silence my brothers….silence. Good. Now do you know what brings us here?" Brother Richards says calmly.
No one answers and I have to smirk at this.
"Retribution, honor. Those Assassin dogs continue to keep mankind ignorant and stupid. They wiped out everything we hold dear to us in this Great Nation because we left two teenager girls in charge of everything. We misplaced our trust in a girl who was raised as an Assassin and a girl who was raised to be a Templar but today, we will take everything back and destroy the last of the American Assassins!" Brother Richards says.
Everyone cheers and I see Brother Richards settle them down.
"But we will begin…with him…." Brother Richards says as the man from before brings out an Assassin. Kevin! One of the newer Recruits that just graduated! I sense Casey tense up and I place a hand on her shoulder to remind her we are here to listen and intervene if we are caught.
"There's nothing we can do for him," I whisper.
"We have to try," she growls.
"Case, there are about sixty Templars with guns we wouldn't survive."
Casey huffs and we continue to watch.
"We will find their HQ and slaughter this young blood in front of them. No one will be able to stop us! We have the location of every Assassin faction in the world!"
My face goes ghostly pale and Casey and I make our way out of the warehouse. As we leave, we hear the gunshot go off and a dull thud. Hot tears are stinging my eyes. Is this it then? The end of a generation of Assassins? No, it's not. Sarah is still alive and the Templars don't think of her as a threat. I have to warn her, to get her away from here. Witness Protection Program, I think to myself.
Casey and I make it back to our bikes but two Templar Guards spot us but I chuck two throwing knives at them and they drop dead. Before any other Templar can come running, I remove the knives from their throats and Casey helps me shove them into the water. They will sink in a minute. We jog back to the bikes and take off.
"We need to stop at her house," I mutter into the Bluetooth.
Casey doesn't respond and only follows me. When we reach her house, we hide the bikes in the woods and climb up her back wall and into her room. It's only five in the afternoon but the storm coming makes it look like nine in the evening.
"Wow, she sure likes to read…" Casey mutters as she looks at Sarah's book collection.
I roll my eyes at her and I see a book with gold trimmed pages on it. Interesting. I walk over and open the book up to the page she bookmarked many times.
They say that the world was created in seven days. That if man would look deep enough; there would be treasures beyond their wildest dreams. But God had given Jesus the gift of infinite knowledge. Christ knew of a People. He claimed that they were The Ones Who Came Before.
"Hey Sarah I thought you could…." A little boy with blonde hair and blue eyes says then stops as he takes a look at us.
My face goes pale and I see the little boy look at me then Casey then at my wrists.
"Are you what I think you are?" he asks.
"Cristo, per un anno sei anni, che sia piuttosto veloce," Casey mutters. (Translation: Christ, for a six year old, he's pretty quick)
I hear some footsteps coming and Sarah enters the room and nearly slips on her rug. Who puts a rug on a wooden floor?
"Scott, go do your homework…these are some friends of mine that are pretty weird sometimes."
Scott smiles at us and we nod a hello back to him. Sarah closes the door and hides the book I just read.
"So, thinking about becoming a Scholar?" I smirk.
She shrugs.
"It's a fascinating life that you live Emma. I only wish I could live it as well…"
"Take from me," Casey says, "being an Assassin is cool and all, but it takes a lot out of you. Just look at Emma here."
"Thanks Casey," I spit at her.
Sarah stops us from going any further on the insults.
"Emma, I know about the whole 'soul mate' thing. I read something that sounded like how you acted today in class. When Joel walked in, your eyes glowed at the sight of him and I could see the happiness in your eyes. They weren't cold or dangerous."
Casey snickers.
"You too Casey. I know that you and that new Erik kid have a deep bond," Sarah snaps.
Casey stops laughing and I have to fall on my back laughing my butt off. I've been holding that in for a long time. After my laughing fit I get up and look serious at Sarah.
"We aren't in a good position. Some people that are after us have the location of every single Assassin faction in the world," I mutter.
"What's that got to do with me?" Sarah asks.
I bite my lip.
"Well, I'm pretty sure that you are safe from the Templars. Casey and I aren't. So keep your distance from us for now on. At least until we can get the map back."
"But I just got my family back and now you are telling me to stay away?" she shrieks at me.
I nod.
"Why can't I just change my name and dye my hair?" she asks me.
Abstergo has some pretty deep pockets. It would be a waste of time.
"It would be a waste of time…"
"But…"
I put my hand up to stop her.
"I won't leave California. And I certainly won't leave you without protection. I will have some guys Patrol your house every night. And if you get bored, you can call one up and chat for a bit. They know you are my sister and they should treat you with respect."
Casey jumps through the window just as the first flash of lightning hits the skies.
"Please…"
I look down, my hood covering my face.
"I'll stop by when I can. But if this is the last time we see each other...I might as well say this now. I love you sis," I whisper as I jump to the ground.
Casey and I make our way to the bikes, I see her dad come home and I see the tiny Abstergo sign on his jacket pin. No! I have to get Sarah out of there!
"C'mon Emma, save it for another time. Map first, then Sarah."
I glare at her 'father' and he stares back at me. Obviously he saw some movement in the trees but nothing that would signal my return or approach. Casey mounts her bike and we take the back way home. I don't say anything. All I want is to be wrapped in warm blanket and be sitting next to Joel. Unfortunately, I have Patrols tonight again, but the plus side, Joel is running them with me. When he runs with me, I don't fee distracted, I feel powerful. Like I know he will fight with all his might if we run into danger. Casey turns off the exit towards home and I continue on the Highway towards Joel.
When I arrive, I see Joel's eyes are red and puffy.
"They killed Kevin…"
I take my helmet off and put my hood up and walk over to him. He wraps me in a hug and he just stands there. After a second we climb the building and start the five mile Patrol around the city. I have to admit, slipping and sliding in the rain is the best way to take my mind off of what I told Sarah. More like ordered Sarah to do.
SURPRISE! I updated hahahah! Review please!
Okay. So I am currently writing out the next chapter (and when i say writing out, i mean a pencil and paper) and now it is time for the question.
Should Emma put aside her parents wishes and help Sarah embrace her Assassin Heritage by training her, or should Sarah remain a regular person who knows her family is not dead? Let me know! This is a poll currently open on my home page...so go to my homepage, vote for three choices or two and i will decide by thursday! It only takes three seconds to vote!