An Assassin's Death Wish

Gun in Face = This Was a Bad Decision

I unlatched the window and pulled the lever to remove the screen. The screen fell and I jumped out the window, only holding onto the windowsill by my toes. I hastily pulled myself and my screen back inside. I rested it against the bed side table before going completely silent. Good they didn't hear. I silently walked over to the closet, avoiding the creaky parts of the wooden floors. I slowly opened the closet doors, cringing at the squeak of the unoiled joints. I sank to the floor and yanked on my lace up black boots that matched the rest of the black ensemble.

I got up and made my way back over to the open window whose curtains were blowing inwards. The door was locked, but I didn't have my phone so this could end badly if my parents realized I was gone. I'll just have to make sure I'm back by the morning. With a deep breath I ran and jumped out the tall window. When I felt the cold bark beneath my hands, I clamped my hands shut and held onto the branch while letting out a sigh of relief. No matter how frequently I made that jump I always was worried I wouldn't make it. If I didn't, I'd surely break both my legs maybe more. 

I pulled up hard, lifting myself onto the branch. Straddling the branch, I pulled out the note and reread it for the billionth time today in the little light that was coming from my window. Meet me at the fountain tonight at 10:00. It was 9:50, so I knew I'd only make it there on time if I ran there. Scrambling down the tree, I scrapped my hands a few times, but eventually my feet landed on the ground. I started sprinting towards the town's center. 

The fountain was inside the park, but I had never been there after closing time so I didn't know that the fence would be locked. Crap. I gripped the metal, the cold radiating off it felt nice on the small scraps on my hands. Shaking the metal, I tried to glance up at the moon. Can't you move trees? You're in the way. "That's it!" I exclaimed to the surrounding shadows. 

I took several steps back and, as much as my legs burned and ached, then forced myself into a full on sprint. Once I was rapidly approaching the tree, I leaped full speed into the air. I gripped onto a branch and hoisted myself up once again despite the complaints of my hands. I climbed up the tree till I was higher in the air than the top of the barrier. All this for someone I don't even know. I sighed and started traveling from branch to branch. I put effort into scaling the tree and I didn't feel like going down quite yet. 

When I reached the fountain, I saw a tall and muscular man staring at their watch. He had a small black canvas bag resting at his feet. Well, if he's going to order me around with his dumb but amazing metal note then I'm going to mess with him too. I tightly wrapped my legs around the branch and pushed myself down so that we were face to face. 

"Hi!" I exclaimed. His face was surprised, but the cover of night hid most of his features. As soon as I came into his view, his hand went to his holster and he pulled out a pistol. He put it into my face, but I was only just barely faster than him. Yelping, I quickly spun myself back up into the thick shelter of the leaves as a shot rang out. 

I scrambled as quickly as I could go while the sound of the gun echoed through my ears, higher and higher into the tree until there was nowhere left to climb but down. I looked up into the dark blue of the sky. The moon was the only source of light up here and I let the sky calm myself. He didn't chase you up. You'll be fine. Probably. Maybe. No promises. Before going back down, I looked back up once more. I wish there were stars here.

I slowly went back down, carefully not to make any noise or fall. The sound of the gun had faded into the sounds of the night. I made myself go down, fighting the urge to run. I needed to know why he was here. Why he wanted me. Why he had a gun. Who he was. Plus even if he did shoot me he'd be doing me a favor. 

I perched on a branch higher than the one I was on before. I saw him once again but I still couldn't make anything out but his silhouette. He was looking up at the tree, trying to find me. However, his gun was now placed back in its holster. I stared at him for a minute longer, not daring to move.  On further inspection, I saw the outline of glasses when he turned his head to look into the nearby trees. He was cold too; his arms were crossed and he shivered a few times when the wind blew through. He's clearly not from around here, since I was only on a tank top and shorts and was overheating, yet he was in a jacket and long pants but shaking. 

"I won't shoot you! Please come back out, Morana!" He called in a deep voice. I hadn't realized it, but up until this moment, I had had doubts about whether or not the note was truly for me. I was slightly shocked, so I just continued to watch him, both of us slowly swaying in the strong winds.

The leaves shook and he must've seen me since he started staring back at me. He sighed in relief for some reason then observed me while trying to coax me out of the tree. "Please come out of the tree. I swear I won't shoot."

Despite the pleading tone in his voice, I still didn't trust him. I shifted in the tree to let my legs dangle out below me, but midway through the movement he started begging again. "No! Please don't go. I'm sorry I tried to shoot you. I promise I won't do it again." He silenced himself for a second and took the gun from its holster. He placed it at the roots of the tree before walking away from the tree. He sat down on the edge of the fountain and sighed once more before continuing, but the pleading had left him. "If you come out of the tree you can hold the gun. I won't take it from you. I'm only here to inform you, but I can't do that till you come out of the tree."

I swung my legs while deciding if I should. I quickly realize that I came here for answers and he would only tell me if I descended from the tree. I took a deep breath to calm myself before jumping out of the tree. When I felt the impact of the ground on the soles of my feet, I became a little off balance and fell over onto my knees. 

He started getting off the fountain to help me, but I raised a hand to stop him. "I still don't trust you." I stated with no emotion. I simply stood up and faced towards him. I still couldn't see his face, even though the water reflected light onto every other part of him.

I looked at the gun on the ground for a second before picking it up. It was a pistol with a revolving chamber. Part of it was metal and part was wood. I picked it up with one hand, but as soon as I lifted the weapon, it started radiating light and became burning hot.