*Hey guys…thanks for the reviews, amazing as usual. deremix, sorry if I offended you with my naughty language (haha), but that's just how I see the characters talking. Unfortunately, "fuck" is here to stay, though I appreciate the input. And ghouse89, I'm honored, haha…Keep reviewing and favorite-ing! Enjoy!*

*Chapter 12*

ALICIA'S POV

Is it weird that MIndy's approval seemed weirdly ominous to me?

Like both a blessing and a curse?

I was nervous as we walked to Safehouse B again- especially since last time we were here, Mindy had started crying, throwing mugs, and loading weapons.

And all three of those things were pretty fucking scary when it was an eleven year old vigilante murderer doing them.

Mindy turned the key, took a deep breath, and walked through the door, her black boots clomping loudly on the hardwood floor, as she flicked on the lights.

Her expression was weirdly apathetic- like she was trying really hard not to feel anything while being in one of the last places she had seen her dad.

She crossed to the other side of the room, and unearthed a black leather belt from a chest. She handed it wordlessly to me, and I smiled as I held it.

It was made well, and outfitted with countless pockets, pouches, and little elastic fittings perfect for the numerous weapons Mindy would probably make me start carrying soon.

She saw me staring in awe, and smiled vaguely at me.

"You like it, huh?" she said. "Its an extra. My daddy designed it."

"I…I love it," I said, grinning, but she wasn't looking at me anymore.

She was pacing slowly around the room, looking at all of the guns, mentally appraising each one, and deciding which ones she should hook me up with.

"I never got a belt," Dave grumbled good naturedly.

"You never trained with me or saved me from a rapist, either," Mindy smirked, punching Dave playfully in the arm.

I couldn't believe she was actually praising me, and I tried to savor it, but being surrounded by the thousands of weapons was weirdly…distracting to me.

I carefully lifted a gun off of the pegs suspending it on the wall, and I held it, getting a feel of it, memorizing the texture, learning the weight….there was a lot you had to learn about a gun.

Mindy breezed by and took it from me, loading it in a flash, and tossing it back to me.

I fumbled to catch it- I was still pretty clumsy, but I was doing better for sure-and I searched around the belt for a compartment that would fit it.

i tucked it into an elastic band, and buckled the belt around my waist.

There was something about the weight of it and the knowledge that I was carrying a gun that made me feel weirdly badass.

MIndy handed me a crazy looking dagger sheath with an even crazier dagger inside, and I fitted it into the belt along with two more knives and another gun.

"I suggest you get a costume," Mindy said, handing me a smoke grenade-I was momentarily afraid of blowing myself up-and tugged on the belt to make sure it was secure. "We should get back to Marcus' soon, but we'll meet back at the factory tonight for your first test run. That okay, Dave?" she turned towards her pseudo brother, and he nodded, yet looked like he was gonna throw up.

I kind of felt that way too.

Later that night, I started putting together my "costume".

Seriously?

I didn't know what the hell to do with that! Mindy's purple leather pants were badass I had to admit, and I guessed that everything should be formfitting so it wouldn't get in the way.

In the end, all I could find was a black and gray striped long sleeved tee shirt, leggings, boots, and elbow length gloves.

Boring as fuck, but I was unprepared.

It was, however, significantly less boring after I added that awesome belt on top of the shirt.

MIndy and Dave both had masks, but I didn't have anything like that- I'd have to settle for doing some awesome makeup.

I started with white eyeliner and then black on top, and I extended it further and further out until my eyelids were drenched in black liquid liner.

"Hey, Alicia-oh, fuck," MIndy said, coming in, and laughing at me. "You look fuckin' crazy!" she laughed again.

"Shut up!" I said, smiling. "I don't have a mask, or anything!"

"Yeah, ripping up a tee shirt could have solved that," Mindy insisted. "But you know what? I like it. You look in-fucking-sane. Go with it. We're gonna kick some ass tonight."

I gulped hard, and stared at myself, and then Mindy in the mirror.

"That's the plan," I said shakily.

MINDY'S POV

As I wasn't planning on using any of that batshit black stuff that Alicia had painted all over her eyes, it only took me about ten minutes to get ready.

The leather pants and jacket were so familiar, it took a second to shrug them on, before adding my equally familiar tartan on top.

Pulling my hair up and getting the wig on was a little harder, but putting on the HG belt just…made everything better.

When I was Hit Girl, I didn't think about my daddy quite so much- I was a machine.

I was a brutal, emotionless, ass-kicking, gun-wielding, balisong-flipping robot, and it was fucking awesome.

When I was Hit Girl, i didn't think period, I just…did.

When I was HIt Girl, I didn't have to care.

Yet, the transformation wasn't complete, and I admit, I did flick away a wimpy-ass tear or two, thinking about my daddy, but that was all- I didn't lose control any more than that.

Maybe I had developed a method of seeming like I didn't give a fuck, but I did…

I really did.

Maybe Dave believed that I was over the loss of my dad, but I couldn't fool myself, cliche as that sounds.

Losing my dad, getting may ass kicked by Frank D'Amico, almost getting raped, even fucking TYLER…I let things get under my skin just like everyone else did- I was just better at hiding it.

I put my mask on, and the tears were gone.

The sadness was gone.

Mindy was gone.

I felt incredible all of the sudden; pumped like I was the fuckin' Energizer bunny.

Hit Girl was here, Alicia was gonna learn tonight, and now…

Now it was fucking time.

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