School of the Crown Assassins

01

"Welcome to Evandor Preparatory School! We regularly send armed child assassins-in-training into unsupervised woods to kill each other as part of their school curriculum and expect nothing to go wrong" would've made a much more accurate acceptance letter.

These were the useful thoughts racing through my mind as I avoided getting killed.

A bullet whistled past my ear and splintered through the tree trunk. I tore through the woods, the cold wind whipping my exposed face. Another shot skimmed past my cheek.

Too close.

I picked up my pace, black boots kicking up snow, running faster than I ever had. Maybe I shouldn't have dressed all black in the middle of a snowy day, but my black fighting gear was my favorite. And I never planned on staying on the ground this long. I was supposed to be hiding in the trees by now. No one ever looks up, even highly trained assassins. But then a group of assassins caught sight of me and didn't have the time to climb up one.

My throat felt rough in the dry air. A slight burning sensation started to seep through my legs from all of the running I was doing. I needed to catch my breath, or I would collapse, letting my pursuers get a hold of me, making me lose the game. That's not an option.

Looking to my left, I noticed an area where the trees grew thicker. Maybe it could hide me long enough to slip away. It was a long shot, but my chances of survival in this part of the woods weren't looking any better.

Jumping over a fallen tree trunk, I dove to the left, managing to survive the numerous bullets pelting trees around me.

I slowed my pace as I wove through the trees and my pursuers did the same, trying not to trip over anything in the dense woods. Still, it wasn't enough for me to hide.

As the trees grew larger, the branches blocked out the light, dimming the path ahead. We were masked in darkness. My muscles relaxed despite the assassins still on my tail. The darkness is my territory. I would win.

I ran faster, my confidence returning. I could easily escape now. I just needed some misdirection. Looking up ahead, I saw a large creek weaving across the uneven terrain. The corners of my mouth perked up, a smile threatening to surface.

Perfect.

I slipped behind a large tree in one swift movement, picking up a rock in the process. Counting to three seconds, I threw the stone into the creek. The water gave a loud splash. There were shouts of heading to the stream and a group of boys carrying an assortment of weapons ran past me, not even checking to see if my footprints led to the water. It worked.

But I wasn't out of the woods yet, literally and metaphorically. The boys weren't complete idiots. They would figure out what I did soon and backtrack. I needed to get out of here. Fast.

I jumped up, grabbing the lowest tree branch, swinging my feet up and propelling myself to the next one. The movement felt natural to me after the long hours I spent climbing trees at the estate. I used to spy on my parents through the branches. My father praised me, saying that I would be a successful assassin. My mother scolded me every time I got hurt from falling off. It just made me want to do it more.

I shivered at the memories of my childhood. Shaking my head, I pushed the thoughts of my parents away as I climbed up the tree, branch after branch.

I was halfway to the top before the boys returned. They shouted to each other and spread out, trying to locate me. I stilled, not wanting to shake the tree too much and give away my position. Eventually, the boys gave up and ran off, trying to find someone else to kill. I sighed and looked around.

I didn't dare climb further. The branches were too thin to support my weight and even if they could, I would be in plain sight. Instead, I wanted to make my way back to the less dense portion of the woods, where it would be easier to find and immobilize unsuspecting victims. But all the smart ones would be in the thicker woods. And that's who I needed to kill.