13 Reasons Why// Winterwatcher (Discontinued)

{21} Assassin

Winter

"I'm going to go."

He stood up. "Where? It's barely morning, Moon."

She turned her head to look at him. "Maybe where I am going is none of your business."

His heart almost stopped. Her expression, he had seen it before. So many times. In the most frequent nightmare. On the older boy. It always ended the same way: him backing away in hurt, and the boy dying.

"What's wrong? Did I offend you in any way?" He said carefully. "I'm sorry if I—"

"No." Moon cut him off and breathed in deeply. "Would you like the frosted lie, or the truth?"

He grew defensive. "What do you think? What's wrong?" He considered the options. "Do you have mood swings?"

"I hate you."

She blinked, and her jade-green eyes were so beautiful, so dangerous. His hands began to shake. The images began to appear. The sneers, the blood, the cold eyes, the screaming—"W-what?"

She stepped forward, and he backed away. It was like a dance: forward, backward, forward, bsckward. Until there was nowhere to escape.

"You never learn, do you, Winter?" Moon sneered. The screaming grew louder. "I was tricking you. Because, guess what? Nobody in their right mind would ever, ever love you." Something flashed in her eyes, only to disappear. "Or want to be your friend."

He felt his hands shaking. No. No. Not again.

Not you.

Be strong, be vigilant, strike first. And trust nobody, his father's voice said.

"I hate you, Winter."

They hurt. The words, the sneer, those beautiful jade green eyes. They hurt. It hurt that it had to be her. It hurt to hope for something big and get nothing.

He blinked. "Is this some kind of- a-a joke?" He stammered. Please, please, please.

She smiled, and the answer was clear on her face. How stupid he had been. She had been luring him in all this time, and he had fallen into her traps not once but twice.

"It's the truth," she said. "Isn't it what you want?"

No.

Her eyes flashed, but her face was unreadable: anger? Determination? ..Hate?

"What are you?" He whispered.

She raised an eyebrow. It was so unlike her, but it fit— why she had stuck to him even when he resisted, how she was able to trap him with her charms. He hadn't been wrong after all. "Spy. Assassin. And, most importantly, your greatest enemy."

"Assassin? You?" He almost laughed out loud. "I don't believe you."

She dropped her voice. "I am Darkstalker's most valued advisor and friend. Why wouldn't I be?"

Darkstalker. He had, of course, heard the name before. He was a bitter enemy to the Abshers. He had once thought Darkstalker was the one behind Hailstorm's death.

"My father is Morrowseer. Didn't you know? He controls the assassination department. And his assistant, Darkstalker, trained me personally." Her eyes finally showed an emotion: fear. "But now he has taken over, and I have no reason to pretend anymore."

He stared at her for a long moment, trying to decide whether to believe her or not.

He attacked first.