A/N: Hey all. Got a longer one here for ya. But this has some interaction going on and everytime I tried shortening it, Albel gave me the Glare of Doom. So here it is, double my usually limit. Hope you all enjoy it. I know Albel did.
Theme 10: Breathe Again
'Shit,' she thought. She knew the mission was risky, but she never thought she'd be caught so carelessly. Glancing around the room for a place to hide, her eyes fell on an old bookcase at the back next to a window. There may be enough room if she squeezed. Just as she situated herself in the gap, the door to the room opened.
From the assassin's vantage point, she could see a man rummaging through some papers strewn about on an oak desk, muttering to himself about the incompetent fools surrounding him. Seeming to have found what he was looking for, the man reorganized the paperwork, leaving his targeted report off to the side.
Nel was well-hidden in the darkness the old bookcase provided for her, but it would take her too much of an effort to simply get out from behind the furniture, never mind trying to sneak out without drawing attention. She remained still but immediately stifled a gasp when the young man turned to face her. Oblivious to the trained killer hiding behind his reading material less than ten feet away, the man's face relaxed and he stretched upward. Moaning in contentment, he cocked a hip and held his neck, trying to force the tension from his lean, muscular body. Finished stretching, but clearly no more relaxed, the man gathered his reports and slammed the door closed behind him.
As soon as he had slammed the door, Nel let out the breath she was unintentionally holding and gasped for more air. When she was sure that no one was in the area, she shimmied out of her hiding spot and began brushing dust off of herself. She moved to a mirror to fix her tousled hair when she noticed the pink in her cheeks. Flushing even deeper at the memory of the young man, Nel began berating herself, flustered that this one man, the enemy no less, had caused this sort of reaction from her. He was a killer, but he looked really good stretching in those skimpy war clothes.
Noticing her face a deeper shade of red than her hair, the woman took another deep breathe to calm herself. 'Just keep breathing,' she told herself. When she thought she had relaxed enough, she slipped out of the room to begin her report on what she discovered about her target, Albel the Wicked, making sure to omit any unnecessary information.