Chapter 6: Royal Hunt
CHAPTER 6
Tasha untied her scarf from the dead girl's arms. She left the room silently, turning towards the nearest escape route.
"Where are you going? Aren't you going to gather with the rest of the students?"
Tasha froze and glanced towards the voice. She faced a man with gorgeous brown eyes. Ryan, the guy she met at the café in the morning. Tasha covered her face with her scarf, her back facing the man.
"Why's there blood on your shirt?" Ryan asked.
"You haven't met a woman, have you?" said Tasha sarcastically before running off. She hopped down the stairs with Ryan on her tail.
"I need a backup. I found the killer" Ryan said on his communication device.
Tasha cussed silently. Things didn't go as planned, everything went downhill. At least the girl was dead, they could still get the money. Tasha changed her course and took the elevator. She went to the highest floor which was the rooftop.
When she arrived she locked the entrance to the rooftop. She saw Laura running out of the main entrance. Dead bodies lay everywhere with bullet wounds on their foreheads.
Suddenly, the main entrance exploded. The building was on fire, thick smoke decorated the dark sky. Tasha was dumbfounded and she could tell that Laura was too. Neither of them put a bomb at the entrance. They're not that stupid to make reckless mistake.
Tasha rubbed her face harshly in frustration. It could only mean one thing, there's another killer besides them. Suddenly, the roof entrance opened. Ryan stood there with some bodyguards beside him.
"Stop!"
Tasha growled in annoyance. She shot some of the bodyguards successfully. Ryan was shot in the shoulder but he managed to dodge. He pulled out his gun and tried to shoot Tasha. The bullet hit Tasha's hand. The gun slipped from the girl's grasp. Tasha kicked Ryan's hand and grabbed the man's gun. She shot Ryan in the chest. The bullet missed the man's heart.
Ryan collapsed from the impact, grazing the wound on his chest. Tasha ran and jumped off the roof of the academy. She landed on the ground safely on her feet and ran into the dark alley. Laura who was nearby chased after her.
"Have you done it?" Laura asked while running. Tasha just nodded in response to Laura's question. They got at least ten minutes before trouble caught up to them.
"I saw Ryan"
"Who?" Laura frowned.
"One of the guys that we met this morning" said Tasha.
"Did he see your face?" Laura asked in a worried tone. Tasha shook her head. Laura sighed in relief.
"Are you ready to face Madam Serena's wrath?" Laura gave Tasha her mask.
"Never, we're so screwed" Tasha wore her mask. Laura saw an empty car and pulled Tasha's arm. Without a word, Laura pulled the car door open. Silently saying praises to the reckless person who forgot to lock their car that night.
"Get in" Laura shove Tasha inside. They both get in the car and take cover on the car's floor. Bending their bodies to fit in that small space. A few minutes later, they heard a commotion and police sirens passed them by. They saw a flash of red and blue.
"Do you see the bastard who sabotages our plan?" Laura whispered.
"No, if only we could get our hands on the bomb as proof to show Madam that it's not our doing" Tasha whispered back. They waited for two hours for extra measures.
Laura thought of their next plan, hoping that Lucy and Kiara could undone this mess.
***
"They're in trouble," said Lucy.
Lucy and Kiara were standing on the roof of the opposite building from the academy. Kiara observed the two partners who's making their getaway from the building.
"They shouldn't blow up the entrance, it only attracts unwanted attention" Lucy commented, stroking her chin thoughtfully.
"I don't think that's what they're doing, no one who works with Luna is that reckless" Kiara said slowly. She glanced at Lucy who was frowning.
"How are you going to persuade Madam Serena?" Lucy asked.
She knew too well that Kiara's going to use her 'favourite child' card on their boss to save Laura's and Tasha's pride. Serena Altair was like a mother to them, she took in orphans like them when nobody would. Obviously, with a price that they repay her with labour when they reached 16 years of age.
"Later, I need time to think," Kiara breathed out. They saw Laura and Tasha dashing towards a car.
Kiara tapped Lucy's shoulder when she noticed a few men running towards them. Apparently, the whole city was awakened with the news of the shocking homicide at the prestigious academy.
Luckily, none of the 'heroes' at work noticed their presence on the rooftop. They're too focused on calming the innocent to look up and the civilians were too worried about themselves to look around. Kiara and Lucy waited for another chaos to happen, but it never did.
"Let's move, before they notice that we're missing," Kiara said. They ran back to Luna's base. As soon as they arrived at the roof of the Luna building, the entrance to the roof opened.
Kiara and Lucy froze in place but settled down when they saw that it's only the two troublemakers.
"We were looking for you earlier, should've known you're hanging out here" said Tasha. Kiara and Lucy exchanged glances.
"We fucked up," Laura said, straight to the point.
"How bad is it?" Lucy asked. Laura and Tasha told them everything. About their mistake, the bomb and the annoying pest from this morning.
"We'll settle this later. Right now, you both go and clean yourself up. Madam will call for you both later for the report of the mission, per usual" said Lucy.
They all went into the building and headed to their respective dorms. Kiara and Laura headed to the opposite direction from the other two girls. Kiara lay down on her comfortable bed while Laura took a shower and changed her clothes. She went out to the laundry room at the end of the hall and put her blood-stained clothes into the washing machine.
When she re-entered her room, Kiara was flipping a book on her bed. Laura raised her eyebrows in curiosity.
"I didn't know you're interested in books," said Laura.
"I do read books, just not in front of you" Kiara said monotonously.
"How many books do you have?" Laura asked.
"Not much"
"What romantic novels have you read?"
Kiara looked at Laura like she had grown some wings and a beard. "I'm not interested in that," Kiara closed her book. Before Laura could challenge Kiara's patience, they heard a knock at their door. Laura opened the door to reveal a sweet looking girl with bright blue eyes.
"Amanda? You rarely come search for us" said Laura in confusion.
"Madam called for you. Good luck" said the girl with a straight face. Kiara and Laura looked at each other. Laura sighed.
"Ok, Amanda," said Laura. Amanda walked away leaving Laura alone at the door.
"You go first, I'll come after you with Lucy" said Kiara. Laura nodded and headed to Madam Serena's office.
***
Laura knocked on the door of Madam Serena's office. She fixed her messy bangs that she'd ruffled many times.
"Come in" said a modulated voice.
Laura twisted the doorknob and entered the office. Tasha was already there, standing in front of Madam Serena with an unreadable look on her face. Laura took her place beside Tasha.
"Tell me what happened" Madam's voice gave them goosebumps. Tasha took a deep breath.
"Madam, it's our mistake-"
"Tell me what happened," Madam Serena asked again. Tasha's words were cut short. Laura cleared her throat. Tasha should've chosen her words carefully instead of starting her report with excuses.
"We got the wrong person at first, we executed two unnecessary individuals and a few bodyguards in the process. We didn't plant the explosive in the building, ma'am. There's someone who sabotaged our mission. Unfortunately, we failed to retrieve that information" Laura said firmly.
"What is your reason behind your rash actions?" Madam Serena tapped her fingernails on the desk. Eyeing the girls in front of her with clear disappointment.
Laura and Tasha went silent. They didn't know what excuses to give to their leader. Tasha bit her lip and glared at the floor, feeling angry towards fate for ruining her day. Laura gave Madam Serena a cold gaze, silently challenging the older woman.
"This is an unforgivable mistake. I thought I trained you to be vigilant" Madam Serena sighed loudly. She rubbed her temples.
"This is the first time we made a mistake, you know that too. This won't happen again" Tasha raised her head.
"The news has spread, now the whole city knows. The police are investigating and so is Soleil" Madam said slowly. Making sure the girls heard her word by word.
"We've finished the job, the girl is dead. We'll get the reward like what the deal has offered" said Laura.
Suddenly, they heard a knock on the door. Kiara and Lucy enter the office without permission from Madam Serena. Madam frowned at their discourteous behavior and folded her hands on the table.
"Madam, Kiara and I were there when it happened" Lucy started. Tasha's and Laura's eyes widened, they didn't expect for Lucy and Kiara to go against Madam's command.
Madam Serena opened her mouth to say something but those two didn't give her a chance to speak.
"You can give them any punishment. I suggest you give them the hardest mission instead of prohibiting them from doing a mission. On one condition, Lucy and I get to tag along" said Kiara.
The tension in the room thickens. Tasha and Lucy turned their heads to Lucy. They can't believe the nonsense that Kiara was spitting. Lucy gave them a glare as a warning for them to not interfere. Madam Serena raised from her seat.
"Absolutely not! You're not in a condition to be in action" Madam protested.
The rest of the girls refrain themselves from rolling their eyes. There's a possibility that they might die during that mission, but obviously Madam won't acknowledge that. She's worried about her precious pearl.
They took note of Madam's suspicious actions on desperately keeping Kiara on chains. Maybe the woman knows something about the people who managed to track them down.
"I'm not your child. You don't have to care about me, I'm just one of your employees. When your employees are old and sick, you kill them to keep Luna's secret safe" said Kiara.
"So, what's the difference with me?" she continued.
Kiara's question hung in the air for a few moments. Madam Serena regained her composure and took her seat.
"Giving them a difficult mission is a perfect punishment. Tasha and Laura can prove their worth and make up for their mistake. Kiara and I would be there to assist them" said Lucy.
"Those types of missions aren't two person jobs, it'll be a disaster if you only send them both. You'll lose two of your top assassins" she continued. The girls hoped that Madam Serena would reconsider Kiara's suggestion.
They waited for Madam Serena to make a decision. The older woman sighed and rubbed her tired eyes.
"All right, I'll give you your mission tomorrow" she said. She dismissed the girls.
The four of them left the room. They couldn't believe what had happened for the past hours.
"Do you really think we're ready to do a high level mission? That is suicidal" Tasha's voice echoed at the empty corridor.
"I'm sure. The time has come for us to prove our loyalty to Luna, since obviously Serena Altair didn't trust us much" said Kiara mockingly.
***
The next morning, they all practiced with their respective coaches as usual.
Kiara and Bella were resting for a while. Kiara took a gulp of water from her plastic bottle. It seems like Bella decided to ignore what happened when Kiara confronted her. Kiara decided to do the same.
"I heard what happened to Laura and Tasha, and the explosion at the academy" said Bella.
"Yeah, and how the admins handle that?" Kiara asked. She placed her bottle on the bench.
"We do the best that we can. The witnesses were questioned by the police. It is all over the news and I heard that Soleil has taken action on this matter" said Bella stoically.
"Any good news?"
"The citizens are clueless about Luna's existence. Fortunately, we're not as glamorous as Eclipse who's always on a chase with Soleil or the government. As far as they know, Luna is just a rumour that no one thinks twice" Bella crossed her arms.
Kiara nodded. As she stood up from the bench to continue her training with Bella, Izz and Bella were walking towards them. Kiara raised her eyebrows.
"Madam asked for you," said Izz.
"Laura and Tasha are already there. We'll join you" Amanda added in.
Kiara glanced at Bella for permission. Bella only nodded and nudged Kiara's shoulder. The three of them walked to Madam Serena's office. Amanda knocked the door firmly. They all entered the room when they heard Madam's voice.
Kiara stood beside Laura. A few seconds later, Lucy came into the office with a frown on her face. She looked tired, maybe training was tough.
"Well, looks like everyone is here" the older woman eyed them carefully. Her platinum hair was styled in a tight bun. She placed her hands on the mahogany desk.
"I've decided on your mission. You're going to eliminate King, the notorious criminal. This mission was carried out a few years ago, but failed miserably. I'm bringing this up now because there's a new offer from a new client" Madam Serena didn't waste time with sweet greetings.
Kiara clenched her fist. The person who failed the mission previously was Ace, her own mother. If Ace herself failed, how could she accomplish this mission? However, Kiara knew she would either complete the mission with great achievements or die trying.
"However, the client wishes to be anonymous. King works for Eclipse. Usually, I prefer if Luna doesn't interfere with another killer's life or line of work since our previous effort had gone to waste. The client offered a huge sum of money for King's head" said Madam Serena with a shine in her eyes. Instantly, that sentence had piqued the assassins' interest.
"That person must be insane and desperate to kill the man," said Tasha with a look of disbelief.
"Is the sum larger than the client before them offered?" Laura asked.
"300" replied the older woman.
"Million?" Kiara arched an eyebrow.
"Billion" Madam Serena tapped the desk with her long fingernails. They all whistled happily. Kiara was astonished.
"In that case, this makes it seem like a reward not a punishment" said Tasha with a smirk. Madam Serena lowered her gaze on the girl. Kiara was amused with Tasha's confidence.
"Let me remind you that King is magnificent in his line of work. Almost every criminal is inspired by him. If you fail, Luna will collect your bodies. In short, death is your punishment" said Madam Serena coldly.
They all went silent, they never hesitate whenever they execute a mission. Madam Serena made King sound like a big deal. To be fair, they've never met the man and faced him off.
"Amanda and Izz will join you to keep an eye on you. They won't be finishing King off. You'll report your progress every two weeks. I give you a month and I'll send you whatever you need" said Madam Serena.
"King's current location is in Aqua City, so pack your things. You'll start tomorrow" she continued.
"Are you clear?" Madam Serena stood up and adjusted the cuff of her black coat.
"Yes, Madam" they said simultaneously.
"Très bien" Madam Serena smiled broadly in satisfaction, showing her fangs. Her white teeth contrasted with her blood red lips. Her voice was sweet like honey.
It sent shivers down their spine. They stared at the malicious woman with a charming smile. They have no rights to judge, they themselves weren't saints.
***
It was four in the morning, Laura and Kiara were packing their belongings in a small luggage.
"How many clothes do you think we need?" Laura asked.
"I don't know, how many do you need?" Kiara shrugged. Laura rolled her eyes at Kiara.
"Typical Kiara, answering questions with another question" Laura mumbled. Kiara ignored her comment.
"I guess we don't need much since Madam is going to bring us stuff, anyway" Laura said as she folded her clothes. Kiara zipped her bag.
"Why do you think King thought it was a good idea to take cover in Aqua City?" Laura scoffed. She thought it was a stupid idea for the man to hide in a city that has a lot of tourist attraction.
"Aqua City is popular. Besides, Eclipse love the spotlight since their members are politicians, celebrities and businessmen. Plus, they're active there so there won't be a problem for them to go disappear in plain sight" replied Kiara.
"The place is infested with rich people. Eclipse prey on wealthy people even though they're loaded themselves" she continued.
Laura frowned. That's a peculiar concept. What's Eclipse real intentions? It wasn't like Robin Hood who stole from the rich and gave it to the poor, at least which made sense. Kiara lay on her bed while scrolling on her phone.
"I think I want to find information about my parents," Kiara said suddenly.
"Kiara, have you lost your mind?" Laura snapped. Her reaction was different to Lucy's. Kiara had seen this coming.
"If it's true that my father worked with Soleil, it's only logical if Soleil is looking for me too. I need to know more about my parents, so I'll be ready to face for what will come"
Laura went silent. What Kiara said was the truth. Kiara was being chased by whoever had a grudge on Ace and Diamond. It'll make things easier if they have at least some information about who's chasing them.
"Fine, but you know it's too late to find out, right? 12 years have passed and you just found out about your parents this week. You're about to know some crazy shit about your past" Laura replied.
"I know" Kiara said monotonously.
Suddenly, Laura's phone beeped. She got a message from Tasha.
"Come on, everyone is waiting for us at the lobby," Laura said. She carried her backpack and slipped in her boots. Kiara followed her from behind. They left the room and headed to the lobby.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone