"It's not natural Ty. You watched an infant burn. Doesn't that affect you?"
"Not any more than the dozens of others I've killed."
"But…"
"NI!" She was struck silent by the unusual force of my voice. "I'm an assassin. I have left many children without parents. Left them alone and helpless, the way I see it…. No, the way I have to see it, so I can sleep a little at night, is that I saved a child from being like us." She looked stunned at those words. I have never really talked about how we were orphans before. "I saved that child from becoming a cold-blooded killer like us Ni."
"Why in the world would it go to that extreme. What happened to us was an enigma, we were on the streets. Minding our business before this life found us." I just nodded at her. "You don't know that's how it will turn out! The orphans probably won't take the same path as we have, don't you understand that?" Her logic was sound, but I refused to let go of my pride and views.
"That's why our work isn't finished if we just stopped here, I would agree with you." She opened her mouth to retort. "That is enough! This is what I have to believe, to keep going, nothing you say will change that." I turned away, my face filled with rage and determination.
After that she let it go. I kind of wished she didn't though, because for the first time, I lied to her. I wasn't sleeping. That child was haunting me. I just couldn't have the one person in my life whom I loved, hate me for something I already hated myself for. So, I told her the truth about the circumstances. Half the truth. I didn't tell her the truth about me, about my emotional state. Just that it bothered me more than I let on. So, we went ahead with our plans and eventually when the panic of the killings died down, we resumed our lives. Our English classmates were listless for a time, Ni however flourished. She chose to put her worries behind her and focus on what was in front of her. The plan was off to a good start, that was enough to latch on to for the moment. Eventually the English students got back on track, some motivated by the loss of life to get their own life on track. Others just wanted to be better. I, however, still couldn't sleep, so for the first time in my life, my grades started slipping. The concentration my gift gave me started to fade. My eye color gradually started to grow darker, I started to not comprehend as fast. It didn't slip too far, I had perfect grades slip to just B's but they slipped all the same. Slipping just wasn't like me. So, for the first time in my life since that fire that took my childhood home I was scared. Scared of what I kept seeing.
I kept seeing the baby's face. Every time I studied. Every time I tried to focus in class. Every time Ni tried to talk to me. Every time I tried to plan a new hit. Every time I closed my eyes. I saw Charles Windsor's face. I even started to hear a whisper, a deep undertone of Swahili speaking of death. It was killing me. I was walking to class one day after having not slept at all. I wasn't paying attention. I kept bumping into people. Paying absolutely no mind to anyone even though they were all shouting at me.
"Oi!"
"Pay Attention Mate!"
"Bloody Hell! -"
"Bullocks! -"
"Oi Mate! -"
"Mate! -"
"Wha...What?!" I stopped dead in my tracks, and I swear the world around me stopped too. The most beautiful girl I had ever seen in my life was standing in front of me. She was 5-5 with hazel eyes. She was wearing a tank top and jeans. Not flattering clothing by any sense but like I said she was beautiful with caramel colored skin she was curvy but fit and I knew she had some spunk because she kept hitting me.
"What the fuck are you doing mate?! Huh?! Had me going around the bend almost made me drop me books? You got anything to say?!" I just looked at her. I didn't usually have this problem. I had seduced women all over the world to get what I wanted. Most of them were almost as beautiful as she was but for some reason she struck me dumb. That wouldn't last long though.
"OI!!!!" She went to slap me across the face. I grabbed her wrist before she struck me with ease and with a calm expression, I brought it down to her waist level slowly. I looked deep into her eyes the whole time. Her whole demeanor changed after that.
"I'm sorry. I was just struck by your beauty. I swear I didn't mean to bump into you but if you don't mind, I would love to take you out. To make it up to you." I smiled at her and she gave a hesitative smile back, if anything, her shyness enhanced her beauty.
"A-alright. If you promise you're not on the mickey again when I see you." I laughed
"I promise. Let me get your number" Again she hesitated but she gave me a look over and we exchanged phones. Once I finished putting my number in her phone and she did the same, she walked away without another word. "Wait!" She turned around.
"Nala's a cute name." she gave me a dazzling laugh and continued on her way. Time started again and I finally felt the air fill my lungs again. My focus returned.
I wanted to waste absolutely no time calling her, it was all I could think about all day. That same night I set up a dinner date. There was no way I was going to play the waiting game with her.
"You think the Earth is flat?"
"Oi I did not say that. What shite is this?
"That's what you said Nala."
"No if you was listening mate. I said there was no proof it was round."
"All the pictures from space?"
"Could be doctored. I don't know." I laughed
"But no photos of the edge of the world?"
"No one's fully explored Antarctica or the North pole."
"I'm pretty sure someone has." I laughed even harder.
"You laugh but that's how I am. I have to see it for meself before I make a judgement." I kept looking at her. I hadn't really met anyone like her. She made me smile. She made me laugh. She made me forget.
"Take you for instance."
"Me? What do you mean me?"
"You're Thylonius." I tensed up a bit. She said it like she said it like it was familiar. "Everyone talks about you on campus. The mysterious, fine, smart, black guy who never says a word to anyone." She started twirling her hair making her hair all the more curly. She was trying to get me to tell her about me. "I'm just saying when you ran into me. I wasn't mad until I saw you weren't actually paying attention to me then I was buggerin' on for a bit. But when you grabbed me, and I actually saw you I said 'Hang on a tick he's just distracted'." I looked down. "What has you down mate? Because honestly as good and fun as it is laughing at my own jokes with you. You haven't said a word about yourself this entire time." I looked at her
"I've been out of it lately." She looked at me and settled into her chair and I told her everything about me. Except for the illegal things (i.e. killing, terrorists' things and the like) and my sister. I don't know why I didn't mention her. It just didn't seem like the right moment. She'll come up later. I told her how I couldn't sleep because I did something wrong but for the right reason. At least it was the right reason to me but it was bugging me. I told her how my grades were slipping. She rolled her eyes and hit me again when I told her what they slipped to, this time it was a lot more gental. But for the most part she just listened to me as I told her I was beginning to fear what I was becoming. After I paused about it, I looked at her and I took her hand.
"Honestly though when you started yelling at me today. I couldn't remember any of it."
"What are you on about love?" I looked at her quizzically. She smiled and slowed down her speech. "What do you mean?"
"I mean everything that had been bothering me. It just kinda melted away and I couldn't stop looking in your eyes. I felt like I fell into them and it washed away my worries." She leaned in closer to me.
"What were you thinking?" She whispered in my ear. I looked back into her eyes. I leaned in and whispered in her ear.
"That I've never seen anyone like her before. That you were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen." She smiled at me, I asked for the check and the next thing I knew I was at her place lying next to her. Holding her in my arms. That was the best sleep I had in months.