Red Reaper // Twilight J.H.

03 // NEW GIRL

//

Dinner the night previous was an awkward affair. It was not every night you had a young female trained to kill eating at your dining room table. Sarah and Owen were both kind and generous, and it was something that Nikita was unaccustomed to. For the majority of her life, Nikita had been surrounded by cold and callous adults. The other girls in Red Room had no real bonds to each other, as friendships in the academy were rare and frowned upon.

After dinner, Owen had explained that tomorrow was Monday and she would be starting school at Forks High School. Nikita had nodded and then fled to the bedroom she had been provided. Once there, she did a routine of exercises to help tire herself out so she could sleep well in a foreign place.

Despise being worn out from her evening exercises, Nikita did not fall asleep easily. She was unused to sleeping without a hand cuffed to the headboard, as she had spent eleven years doing in Red Room. Plus, the mattress was too soft and comfortable, and the sheets were too heavy and she felt suffocated. In Red Room, they had been provided the minimum amount of covers, even though they resided in the freezing Russian terrain.

Finally, once midnight had nearly arrived, Nikita drifted into a light slumber. However, she slept on the carpeted floor with a pillow and blanket.

The brunette woke with her internal timer at five. Although she had only slept for about five and a half hours, it would be enough for the day. Once awake, she dressed herself in workout clothing and began her morning exercise routine that Madame B had assigned her to do every morning while on her mission. It would keep her in shape while away from Red Room.

By the time Nikita completed her morning training, an hour and a half had flown by. The brunette ambled towards the dresser and picked out her clothes for her first day of school. After choosing a simple yet cute outfit, she headed to the bathroom Sarah had shown to her last night and turned the shower on.

Nikita peeled off her damp clothing and hopped into the shower. After rinsing herself thoroughly and washing her hair, she reluctantly shut off the warm spray of water. The seventeen-year-old began toweling herself dry and also brushed her teeth and hair with the supplies she had moved into the bathroom from her suitcase last night.

Once she was dried off, Nikita slipped on her new clothes. The outfit consisted of a gray tank top, a thin black jacket, black skinny jeans, and white converse shoes. The young woman left her hair down, which fell in rich chocolate-colored waves. She finished off the look with a little amount of concealer and mascara.

Nikita faked a smile in the mirror, practicing for the upcoming school day. She would have to behave herself and blend in. At regular American schools, there were no ballet rehearsals. There were no violent punishments. No teachers that beat you to a pulp. No training sessions full of practicing with knives, guns, and other weapons. No snapping the necks of other students. None of that.

The brunette exhaled softly, satisfied with her appearance. She gathered her dirty clothes in her grasp and exited the bathroom, returning to the bedroom she was staying at. She dumped her sweaty clothes in the hamper, then checked the clock. It was almost seven, and the first school period started at eight.

She also decided to carry a weapon, just in case she encountered one of the vampires and got an opportunity to strike. She stashed a blade in the place on her hip, hidden in her black skinny jeans. While vampires couldn't be wounded by just anyone, Nikita was not just 'anyone'. She was a Red Reaper; she was trained for this.

Nikita heard noises from the other side of the house, and recognized the voices of her employer and his wife. The young woman snatched up her backpack, which also had a weapon concealed in a hidden compartment. She slung it over her back, then left the bedroom.

Upon entering the room with Owen and Sarah, Nikita noticed the strong smell of breakfast. It was different than what she was adapted to. After all, in Red Room, they were usually only served twice a day, provided a measly portion of bread and a container of water.

"Hello, Nicole," Sarah greeted once she noticed the young woman in the entryway. "Come sit and have some breakfast."

Taking the woman's words as an order, Nikita strolled forward and seated herself at the table. A plate was set in front of her, full of scrambled eggs and toast.

As Nikita sat there, eating the breakfast she was given in a regular house with a white picket fence, she couldn't help but wonder what her life could have been if she hadn't been trapped in Red Room.

Would she be a normal Russian girl? Would she have even an eighth of the knowledge she does now? Would she be happy and content?

Nikita pushed the thoughts aside. She was a Red Room girl, and a Red Reaper. Thoughts like those were likely to get her slaughtered.

//

Forks High School was not impressive to Nikita. After being dropped off by Owen, several pairs of eyes had landed on her. They all knew she was a new student, and therefore, they would be paying attention to her. If she screwed up and revealed her true identity, everything would be over.

She could not fail.

She would not fail.

Nikita strolled forward confidently, ignoring the stares she received. She entered the building and continued on her way, heading for the front office. Once there, she was greeted by a woman dressed formally.

"Can I help you?" the lady at the front desk asked.

Nikita faked a small smile. "I'm the new student, Nicole Reynolds," the young woman answered. Her voice did not give any traces of anything other than an American accent, which she was proud of.

The lady's expression transitioned into something akin to surprise and sympathy. "Oh, well let me find your schedule real quick." Her hands flitted around on the desk, turning over papers here and there, until she found the one she was looking for. "Here it is! And this is a slip of paper for each one of your teachers to sign on your first day of school."

Nikita barely contained her negative response at the woman's tone of voice. She was talking as if the seventeen-year-old in front of her was an oblivious five-year-old!

"Thanks," Nikita replied stiffly. She grasped her schedule and the slip of paper for teacher signatures, then pivoted on her heel and fled the office.

As Nikita strolled down the school hallway to her first class, she found herself struggling to deal with the attention she was getting. Nonetheless, she pushed on, ignoring the onlookers.

Suddenly, a voice was calling her false name. It took Nikita a few moments to realize the idiot shouting down the hallway was actually shouting for her. She was unused to being called Nicole.

Nikita turned to see a goofy-looking boy with dirty blond hair and porcelain skin jogging towards her, still obnoxiously bellowing her name. The brunette sighed irritably, but resisted from ignoring him and instead acknowledged him.

The boy halted in front of her. He held a hand out, speaking, "You're the new girl, Nicole Reynolds, right? I'm Mike, Mike Newton."

Nikita reluctantly slipped one of her hands into his, shaking his hand. She subtly wiped her hand on her jeans once they released hands and replied, "Yes, that's me."

"Cool! Two new girls in a week!" Mike exclaimed. "What's your first class?" Nikita told him her first class, and he reacted by smiling broadly and suggesting, "How 'bout I show you where that is?"

Nikita wanted nothing more than to tell him no and find the classroom herself, but that would probably just start more issues. She forced a simple "sure" past her mouth, and Mike began leading the way to the classroom.

The Red Room girl kept her distance from him, cautious of his proximity to her. Nikita sighed, restraining herself from mumbling curses in a foreign language.

'Stupid American boys.'

//