Friday, September 3,
I went to a kickboxing match today. Why, I’m not sure. Hell, I don’t even LIKE kickboxing! It was held at Thundera Gym, in the boxing ring. Yeah, I know, where else would it be held, the swimming pool? Hey, that would be pretty funny…
The fighters in ring were a lioness named Cora, Cora Giovani, I think it was, and a male lion named Bacuka. I had a pretty good seat, considering that I hadn’t even paid for the ticket. And no, I didn’t steal it. Not from the ticket booth, anyway.
“What the heck am I doing here,” I thought.
The lioness rushed at her opponent and got kicked down, got, punched him, then got punched down again. I saw the Thundercats sitting there, not that close to me, for which I was glad, and I heard Wily Kat yell “Fight back stupid!”.
“Now I really wonder why I’m here,” I thought. Then Panthro said something to lion-o. Don’t ask me what it was. I can’t read lips. His back was turned to me, anyway. Lion-o replied, and…well, they got into a conversation. You know how it is. I was busy watching the match.
Not that long after, Cora got knocked to the mat, and stayed down. The announcer…well, announced that the winner was Bacuka. Not that everyone didn’t know that already. I’m betting Wily Kit was rooting for the female. She seemed pretty disappointed.
I walked off in a completely different direction then the Thundercats. Why’d I want to get stuck with that bunch of people, anyway? Besides, after the night I’d had before, I wasn’t in any mood to get in a fight.
I wandered around a bit after I left the gym. Did a little window-shopping. Than I saw some big stacks of newspapers. And guess who’s picture was on the front page. An assassin. An assassin named Sarino. An assassin who happened to be me. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, why was I wandering around the city when I had a price on my head? Because “Sarino” isn’t the name I go by on the streets! Sure, it’s my last name, but very few people know that. Besides, I where this long cape with a hood that covers my face and throws a shadow on it.
Anyway, I was walking back towards my apartment building, and I was glancing over my shoulder to see if any policemen were following me, and I crashed right into this big German Panther. Big as in, tall, muscular, and he had this “don’t-mess-with-me-or-you’ll-regret-it” look about him.
“Oops, sorry.” I said. And I was going to keep walking on. Then he said…
“Ahh, Miss Leona, we meet again, I see.”
So I’m like, What’s he talking about? But I didn’t say that. I have better manners. “Again?” That’s when I noticed that same lioness from the ring there. On the ground. She tried to get up, then got backhanded by the Panther and got knocked down again. And that kinda freaked me out. So, I back off.
“Look, I’ll just be going now…”
“You don’t remember? Your father and I were good friends, don’t you remember? Your whole family came to my castle....
“My gosh…that was you? I’m sorry, it was just such a long time ago…”
And then, he grabbed my shoulder. Probably responding to fact that I was slowly backing away from him. “No, no, no. Stay, I would like to get to know you better...Leona.”
The nerve of this guy! But, instead of punching his lights out, I brush off his hand. “Why exactly do you want to know me better? From what I remember, when we last met I was barely 14.”
“Yes I know, right before your father and brothers died, I was there, and I know how much they loved you and how much they said they were sorry.” At that moment the Lioness took advantage of the situation and ran off.
“How much they said they were sorry? They’re dead, you idiot!” I thought. My face took on saddened look, just like I know it always does when the past comes up in conversation. “Yes, well, that's ancient history now.”
“But history should be resurrected,” he smiled, “Come with me to Stromhime castle, we can talk...face it I'm the only one you know”
At that moment I almost burst out laughing. I know lots of people around the city…although a lot of them would enjoy seeing me dead or in prison. “Perhaps it should,” I said. “But actually, I do know more people then you know.”
“Oh? And who would these people be…?” He turned a bit to watch as the lioness kicked Lion-o in the kneecap; he then turned back to me. “Ah, she still can fight...she will be back soon...anyways…”
At that point I couldn’t resist a smirk. “Oh, only the Thundercats,” I said.
“You’re friends with those barbarians? Those uncultured pigs...my dear, dear Leona, you can do so much better!” He then proceeded to caress my face with his hand.
I, on the other hand, proceeded to smack his hand off. “I never said we were friends...I've merely helped them out on a few occasions.”
He held the hand I had slapped and looked at me. “I didn’t mean to insult you that way. Now don’t be like this. You know me, Leona.” He smiled. Cosmos, I’m sick of that smile!
“Victor, I knew you twelve years ago. And I was a mere child, you were my father's friend.”
“Therefore you should be my friend also. Come with me, please, I would love to talk with you over dinner.”
I rolled my eyes. “You'll never give up till I agree, will you? Very well, then.”
“Perfect, come.” He put his hand on my shoulder and lead my to this large black limo. I got this creepy feeling in the pit of my stomach, you know, the kind you get when you know something is seriously wrong? But, I ignored it, and Victor—the Panther’s name, I remembered from when I was kitten—opened the door and helped me in.
“Thank you.” Yeah, I know, real intelligent comment. But that is what you say about something like that.
We pulled up at Stromhime Castle—big, black and on top of a hill. Now all it needed was a flash of lightning and I’d have had a perfect mystery setting. He got out, opened my door, helped me out (not like I needed it) and led me inside.
“Do you remember now?”
I grinned.
“Remember?! Do I ever!”
He led me to the dinning room and pulled out a chair. “Sit.”
Sit?! I was enraged. NOBODY orders me around. But I wasn’t going to tell him that. “Thank you,” I said as I gazed around the room. “I remember playing on the floor with Leo and Obsidian, while you and dad sat and talked. Of course that was when I was four. As I got older I would go and explore the rooms.”
“I’m so glad you remember,” he said. He poured a glass of red wine and handed it to me. “You were such a beautiful child. You still are today.”
Now what can a girl say to that? Besides the fact that I’m not a child any more. So, I just blushed and accepted the wine.
Victor moved his chair closer to mine. “So tell me, what you have been up to?”
Well, I didn’t see any harm in answering that question. “After Thundera—the first Thundera—exploded, I took a ship down to some planet where I met up with the Thundercats. I stayed there because my ship was no longer functional and excepted the offer to come here to New Thundera.
“Amazing, but why didn’t you come to me if you were alone, you know I would have cared for you.”
Oh, don’t make me sick! “You know I would have cared for you”?! Get real. Time to play dumb…. “You mean when I came back here?”
“No, after your family died, you know your mother and you would be cared for here.”
Oh, puh-LEASE! You talk about stupid! Any Thunderan knows that it’s incredibly stupid for females who are not fighters to venture out during a war! “Well, my mother was sick and it just wasn't safe for a woman and a girl to be out alone.” Ah yes, the “end-of-discussion-let’s-change-the-subject” response. A favorite of mine. Sadly, the moron didn’t get the hint.
“You could have come here, I would have given your mother the best medical treatment available. You know that. I cared the world for her...and you, Leona.” He wrapped his arm around my waist. And I do believe he thought that the movement was subtle…HAH! And I guess he didn’t realize that my mother lived approximately a month after hearing that my father and brothers were dead. Man, this guy was trying my nerves. So, I tried the outburst approach.
“I couldn't, don't you understand?! Both of us would have been killed the moment a Puma caught sight of us!” Didn’t work. Some people never know when to back off. Unless they have ulterior motives. Which this guy sure did!
“You could have always written to Segal or I...you know he would have come for you.”
Segal? Oh yeah , Segal. His manservant, a little old Snow Leopard who’d served him for ages. Strange, I hadn’t seen him today…oh well.
I shook my head. “no messengers. Every able Black leopard was busy fighting.”
“All right, all right,” he said, looking at me. “Well, I’m here for you now, that’s all that matters.” He took my hand in his and kissed it. That’s right. Kissed it. And believe you me, it took all my willpower to refrain from punching him right there and then!
I decided to play the “helpless female”. Not something I necessarily enjoy, but it has served me well over the years. Over the years?! Man, I don’t believe myself. I’m not even thirty yet! Anyway….
I looked away. “Victor, I....”
“I'm sorry, that was rude of me, forgive me Leona,” Victor said, grinning. Ooh, I wanted so much to wipe that grin off his face!
I smiled sadly. That’s right, sadly. It took a bit of effort, but I pulled it off. “It's all right,” I said. Then I added, in a stage whisper, in oh so sad tones, “I just can't forget…” I make myself sick sometimes with the whole “helpless female” thing. Anyone who knows or has seen me fight will say that I’m anything BUT helpless!
It worked, though. He swallowed it hook, line, and sinker. “What’s wrong,” he said, gently taking my hand in his.
“It's just.....just....” Just that I’m about to puke because of this whole thing! I forced a tear of laughter out of my eye. It worked like a charm. No man alive can resist pitying a crying female, can they?
“What is it Leona? Is my presence a bother to you?”
“No, of course not! Just being here brings back so many memories....”
“Then what is it, Leona? Tell me please, we can leave if you wish.” Leave? No, no, my friend, leaving won’t be necessary. I wasn’t sure what my plans were at that moment, but I’ve played by ear enough times, one more won’t hurt. Oh well, back to the sobbing, “oh poor me” routine.
“It's nothing, just that the last time I came here we were all a family, we were so happy. And then, I thought of coming here one more time, when...when….” I bit my lip, pretending to be biting back tears. I bet ya never knew I was such a good actress, did you? “Pardak.”
Victor was utterly confused. I will treasure the expression on his face. It was a picture. “Who..?? Well, who or what is that, Leona?”
Ok, explanation slash spill-your-guts-out time. “Who. He was....like Leo, I guess, but in a different way. He died while we were trying to escape from Thundera when it exploded.” And you know how close Leona and I were, don’t you Victor?
“Oh, I am very sorry Leona…” He hugged me then, and stroked my hair. Hugged as in the “let me love you” type hug. I figure this ruse had gone far enough, and I pulled away, faking embarrassment and wiping away the tears that had come down—real tears. Sometimes I’m too good of an actress. I even fooled myself into thinking I was upset, because those were NOT tears of laughter.
“It’s…it’s ok,” I said, shaking my head slightly.
Apparently Victor thought different. He lifted my face to his and gently kissed my tears away (I didn’t know I had any left!) and then, also gently, kissed me on the lips. It would be a lie to say I was not sexually attracted to him in that moment, but I always work with my head. The heart can get you killed if you let it take control.
And so can emotions. And the surprise I felt at the kiss was real. A kiss was not very high on my “things I expect he will do” list.
As I pulled away I said, “Victor, I really don’t think.…” I really don’t think I could find something to finish that sentence with….
“You don’t think what,” he said, looking at me sternly.
I don’t think you’ll enjoy getting killed, which is what I was about ready to do to him right then. “For one thing you're at least 15 years older then I. For another, what would my dad....my mom....think?”
“Who cares what they think. Listen Leona, I’m the only one who understands you, who knows you…who loves you.” He held me close to him.
At that moment I had had it. “Yeah, well….” I pushed him away. “Victor, I appreciate the concern, but I've really got to get going.”
“Go where? Back on the streets of that pitiful city? My dear, dear Leona, you can do so much better, stay here the night, I insist.”
Stay the night? Get real. But, being the polite little Black Leopard I am, I looked him in eye and said, “One night only, Victor.
“Perfect, come, I shall show you to your room.” He got up and lead me to this HUGE bedroom with is equally big bed. “There, now, my darling, I am having a 'get together' this evening, I would enjoy it if you would be my date.”
“Nice room…bit large.” Date?! Oh please! But he was giving me a room for the night, and since he WAS my father’s friend…. “Yeah, sure, why not.”
“There are dresses and other articles of clothing in the closet, please pick out whatever you want and meet me in the main hall at midnight, all right? I’ll leave you till then.” He left, shutting the door behind him.
“Midnight?!” I sighed. “How do I get into these situations?” I flopped down on the bed. Might as well take a little nap before I have to get ready….”
I stretched and yawned as I woke up. “What time is it….?” I glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table. It read 11:45. The party was at 12. “ACK! I’d better look through that closet!”
Victor knocked on the door, as I dug through the dresses looking for one I liked—and that was my size. “Leo, you ready yet?” Leo. His nickname for me. Cosmos, I hated that name. For one, it was my brother’s name, for another…I just don’t like it.
But I responded with dignity…kind of. “Not quite…I’ll be downstairs in a few minutes.”
“Hurry up, my dear, the guests are arriving.” Since when had I become “his dear”? Besides, the guests could wait. I still had to find a dress my size. That’s when I realized. ALL the dresses were my size.
“Yeah, yeah, ok, like I said, I’ll be down in a few minutes.”
“All right, and try to act like a lady, my dear, I wouldn’t want you embarrassed.”
“Excuse me?! Listen, I can act perfect ladylike when I want to!”
“Alright, alright, don’t yell, shhhhhh” Treat me like a child, will he? We’ll see about that.
Saturday, September 4, 12:00 AM-1:45 AM
A few minutes later, I came down the stairs in a exceedingly dark blue, form fitting evening gown with a slit on the left leg to a few inches above the knee, and matching heels and purse. I had taken the liberties of putting a few items of safety (namely a dagger and my handy-dandy bag of poisons) in it.
Victor grinned and walked over to me, wearing a tuxedo. “My darling, you look so beautiful.” Ok, first I’m his “Dear”, now I’m his “Darling”? This guy really must have a death wish….
I smiled what I hope was a slightly aloof smile. “Thank you.”
He lead me out to the dance floor—and trust me, if you didn’t know it was dance floor you’d never know it was there. Oh yeah, there was some guy playing the piano in the background. He smiled, and moved his hand to my lower back. My lower, lower back.
“I knew those dance lessons would come in handy some day”, I thought. Yes, I know how to dance! My mom enrolled me in a class when I was ten. I hated them, but at least they paid off. However, the position Victor had his hands in was enough to turn me to action. “Victor, introduce me to your friends.”
He walked over to a small group of men and women. “These are my noblemen, and this,” he gestured to me, “is my darling Leona.” Oh, so we’re back to darling again, are we? He really must want to die….
I nodded and smiled pleasantly. “I’m pleased to meet you.” Apparently they weren’t. They smiled and turned their backs to me and continued their conversation.
He grinned—I am getting really sick of that smug little smile of his!—and led me to a table and handed me a glass of red liquid. “Drink”
“What is it?”
It’s that smug little smile again! “drink and you will see.”
So, I did. And then I tried not to choke or spit it out all over myself and Victor. “Good going, Leona, you’re an ASSASSIN, you oughta know blood when you smell it!” I thought. Then, I casually handed the glass back to him, and said quietly “I’m going to have a few questions for you when this is over.”
“Why, my darling?” he grinned, showing his fangs.
I flashed the knife I had put in my purse. I had been extracting it as I talked. “Because I’m an assassin…and we don’t like getting tricked.”
“Who said you were tricked, my dear Leona, your father and your whole family knew of me.” They did? That’s a new one. So if they knew, why didn’t they tell me, hmm?
I smiled. A fake smile of course, but a smile. “I know,” Actually, I didn’t have a clue at the moment. “But this,” I gestured to the glass of blood, “is a bit extreme.” And you know what word perfectly describes my feelings towards him at the moment? “Psychopath”.
He chuckled, an irritating holier-than-thou chuckle. “My dear Leona, I am a vampire it isn’t extreme at all.”
Now what can I say? I was extremely skeptical. He’s a vampire who drinks blood. Something’s wrong with this picture…. “Suuuure it isn't. And are all these guests vampires as well?”
“Yes, my dear Leona, and now you and I will join in blood lock, oh how I love you.” Oh how I love you?! I’m gonna puke….. And I wasn’t exactly happy at that, incase you didn’t guess.
“get real! I have no desire AT ALL to become a vampire.”
“who said that you had the choice, my love?” He grinned, his fangs growing.
At that moment I was getting seriously freaked out, and I started to back away, holding the knife tightly.
He looked at the knife and laughed. “My dear, that cannot harm me.”
“Well, that would figure,” I thought. I reached into my purse and extracted a vile from the poison bag. “But maybe a garlic based poison will.”
He laughed. “Garlic stings like a paper-cut.”
My reaction? “damn.” I turned around and started running at top speed, kicking off the annoying heels
He laughed and said something. Don’t ask me what it was, I was too busy running for my life.
It’s really only a ten-minute drive from Thundera City to his castle, so I knew I had a good chance of making it within a half-hour.
That’s when I tripped on my skirt. “YEOW! I hate long dresses!!!!!!!!!”
But I did make it back to the city, eventually. As I came running up the street near the center of town, I bumped into a lioness.
She growled. “Hey watch it!!!” She glanced at her companion, and bit her lip. “I mean...are you ok?”
I was shaken. I was always afraid of vampires when I was a kid, they still creep me out now. Small wonder no one told me about Victor…. “Oh, I'm sorry, it's my fault! I was in a bit of a rush and….” I noticed that the lioness’s companion was none other then Lord Lion-o of the Thundercats. “Lion-o?”
Y’know, it’s not really a surprise that he didn’t recognize me. I was in a tattered evening gown, carrying a purse over one shoulder, wasn’t wearing any shoes, and probably had burrs stuck in my hair.
“Leona? Long time no see.”
The Lioness looked at us suspiciously. Probably thought I was his ex-girlfriend. As if. “you know her, Lion-o?”
“we've met. She helped out the Thundercats on a few occasions.” More than a few occasions, actually, if I’m correct.
“Oh….the Thundercats....alright.”
I looked at the two of them. “Yeah, well, I think I'd better be going....” I ran past them, calling back over my shoulder. “Lion-o, do me a favor and DON'T MENTION to either Pumyra or Snowtygra you saw me!”
I ran into my house—well, apartment actually. And I didn’t really run into it, I ran into the building, breathed a sigh of relief that the girl at the desk wasn’t there, and took the elevator up to my room on the fifth floor. I changed out of the dress, remembering for the first time that I had left a good pair of jeans and a shirt at Victor’s. Damn. But I changed into another pair of jeans, identical to the pair I’d had on earlier (so I find jeans comfortable. What can I say?) and a pale yellow T-shirt. I then went to a nearby bar for a glass of wine to calm my nerves. I’d say that was about 1:00 in the morning when I went into the bar.
I sat down at the counter. “Bartender! Wine. Red.”
I took a sip of wine, and noticed J Good (a notorious gang leader who I—Sarino, that is—works for. When he meets my prices, which is often.) nearby at the counter. I didn’t acknowledge his presence beyond another sip of wine.
He was watching the TV in the bar and looked over at me and grinned. Probably thought I was some airhead mall-crawler. “Hey there.”
“Mr. Good…how nice to see you..”
“Quah?!? You know me...??!”
“CRAP!” I thought, “J knows the Sarino me, the assassin me, NOT the Leona me!” I smiled slightly. “I think we’ve met…once or twice.”
And right about then, Lion-o’s new girlfriend dropped in. I only noticed because she dropped a glass of what I think was Coke.
He looked at me and then at Cora (the lioness) and grinned a bit. And then I presume he decided to leave the so-called “airhead mall-crawler” alone and tend to her. “Well, well, looks like we have the Lion-o lover here tonight.” He pushed her back a bit and pulled out a small dagger (man, I want one of those things! He must have at least six.) and redirected his gaze towards her. “Thanks to you, all of my friends are in jail now, and the cops are after me.” The cops were after you ever since you started your gang, J. You can’t really blame it on her. Besides, I’m not in jail. Not that I’m your friend, but I’m a business associate!
She looked at J, then her arm (it had a bandage on it) and backed away. “J, just leave me alone, it’s not my fault.”
At that moment I had seriously conflicting feelings. “Aww, man… help a girl who could get me in tons of trouble if she knew I kill people for a living, or help the guy who supplies me with half of my cash.” I thought. And yes, I do kill people for a living. What do think assassins DO anyways? Pick flowers? I exited the bar after paying my bill and came back wearing a lovely black hooded cape. Translation: I went into assassin mode to help some Lioness twit I’ve barely met.
“No, I'm not going to leave you alone, so deal with it.” He pushed her against the wall and held the dagger like he was about to stab her. That’s when Sarino intervened.
I chided him. Yes, I’m Sarino. And if you don’t know that by now you really must not have been paying attention. Wait a sec, why am I talking to my diary? I must be loosing it…. “J, don't you know killing people is my job? You just lead the gangs.”
He turned around and looked at me. “Oh. It’s you, fine, then kill this little ***** for me, will you?”
Umm….why would I want to do that? Well, maybe there are a few reasons, but there are more as to why I wouldn’t want to. “Now J, you know I never kill without payment. And besides, killing in public is just too risky.”
Taking advantage of the delay, Cora growled and kicked our wonderful gang leader away spun around, catching the dagger and holding it at his neck.
He grinned spitefully. “Crafty little *****, aren’t we?”
Ok, now I’m all for seeing J dead, like maybe right after I’ve received some kind of huge payment, although when you think of it, he’s more valuable to me alive. Still, he’s an egotistical jerk. But killing him in a bar with a good many people in it? First rule of killing: never do it in public. “Miss, there are twenty people here. Twenty witnesses. You want to kill him, you don't do it here, where everyone's watching.”
“I won’t kill him, I'm not like you two—a heartless murderer who has no morals or honor!” she pushed him into me and glared at us.
I stumbled back and pushed J off me. “Watch your mouth, girl.”
“No, and I’m not a girl.” She looked at me and raised an eyebrow curiously. I think it was curiously, anyway.
J laughed. “You’re right, you’re only a kitten.” He grinned and turned away.
“Big mistake,” she said, kicking him forward, then smashing him into a wall and watching him slide down it.
I hoisted myself onto the counter of the bar and chuckled. “Nice work. He'll be feeling that for a while.”
She growled. “You’re not worth my time.” She walked out.
“And you’re not worth mine,” I said. I shook my head and looked over my shoulder at the bartender, noticing he was on the phone for the police. “CRAP!” I yelled, running out.
“This is great. I can just see the headlines. ‘Thundera City assassin, gang leader, and common troublemaker in scuffle at bar’. And all I wanted was a glass of wine,” I thought.
Saturday, September 4, 11:00 AM-3:45 PM
I flipped through a fashion magazine on my couch, then I decided to take a walk in a park not that far from my apartment complex. I had spent two hours evading police before getting home at quarter of four. I actually had only woken up at 10:30.
I sat on the edge of a large marble fountain in the middle of the park. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, savoring every bit of the crisp, cool air.
While I had my eyes closed, Victor walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me from behind, breathing on my neck. “Hello, my love….” Great. And I thought “dear” and “darling” were bad.
I flinched. “I hate people breathing down my neck.....and the fact that you’re a vampire doesn't help, you know.” I moved out of his grasp, standing up.
“I won’t bite you till I embrace you, my love,” he smiled. Ugh, more of the “my love” stuff. I’d probably find it sweet, if I didn’t hate the guy.
“remind me not to embrace you, then.”
“My dear, you have no idea of what you talk about, so don’t act smart with me, or you will make me hurt you.” He grabbed my shoulder tightly.
I jerked back, thinking about all the ways I could kill him—without payment. “Act smart? Victor, surely you remember this is how I always acted.”
“Well, times have changed and so must you.”
I
shrugged. “perhaps. Perhaps not.”
“I can tell you’re uncomfortable. Fine then, I shall leave you for today, but tonight is a different story my love.”
“I’m thrilled,” I said as he walked off.
My cell phone rang, and I fished it out of my pocket. “Yes…no….. Sir, my price range is higher than that. I’ll put you on a waiting list…. Oh? What’s that? Yes, that price will do fine. The job will be done today. No, you have no need to worry, the cops will never attach this to you. I’ll come for the payment tonight, at your house. Goodbye.” I pressed the “power” button and put the phone back in my pocket
Just then Snowtygra came roller blading through the park. “Oh goodie,” I thought. “Just the person I wanted to see…..” But, I tried to be polite. “Good morning, Snowtygra.”
“What do you want, Leona?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. Just trying to be polite.” I swung my hair over my shoulder and walked off. “Excuse me, I must get to work.”
“Oh yes, I forgot you kill people for money….” She snorted and rolled away.
“What?! Where did you hear that?!” I was shocked, upset, and a bit frightened, too. I mean, no one, NO ONE knew, short of myself and Victor, as I had accidentally let slip that I was an assassin the night before. Maybe he wouldn’t remember….
“Never underestimate what a SnowTiger can do.” Well, that annoyed me.
“Mmm-hmm…you, uh, didn’t tell anyone, did you?”
“Why would I?” she said, as she skated off. It really didn’t help me, much. My day was already going pretty badly, and this just made it worse.
“I can think of a few reasons,” I thought. Then I went home and dug up some information on my computer on my next victim….project….assignment! Yeah, that’s it, my assignment!
Half an hour later, I exited my apartment, ducked into a side street, and put on the same long black cloak (with hood covering my face) that I had in the bar. In short, I did a quick transformation from the sarcastic, secretive Leona, to the deadly assassin Sarino.
I traveled to an office building not all that far from where I live, the workplace of my “assignment”, and completed my job within a few hours. I’d prefer not to go into details, but I killed him with poison. It was powdered, Thundrainium based. When concealed by metal, and in such small quantities, it merely gave you a headache. That’s all I thought the one I had was, even though I had taken an antidote for precautions. Hey, I should have used it on Victor….oh well.
I saw Lion-o and Cora talking, as I reached the park, and changed course slightly. I took off the cloak, revealing jeans and a light cardigan, over a short-sleeved shirt.
I cam around the corner of some large bushes as Lion-o walked off, stuffing the now folded (I can do it on my knee, but it takes practice) cloak into the small backpack I carry. Small as in barely big enough for the cloak, let alone added lipsticks and other things then us females normally carry in them.
I sat down on the fountain, same as I had earlier that day, when I got this really bad headache. I mean REALLY bad. My head felt like it was going to explode.
And then, I don’t know how I know, but Victor was at his castle, laughing at my pain—or more accurately, because he was causing the pain.
I cursed under my breath and struggled up. I fell before I got twenty feet. Pathetic, huh? Let’s just see how YOU fare when it feels like someone dropped Cats Lair combined with a barrel of Thundrainium on YOUR head!
Cora walked over to me, I guess she had been daydreaming. “Are you alright?”
“Not really...can you help me get back to my apartment?”
She nodded and did so.
I fitted the key in the lock and turned to Cora. “Thank you so much,” I said. And yes, I was in pain. But I could still stand up, it was only a headache, albeit an extremely head-pounding one. But I suppose that’s an understatement. It was too painful to describe, let me tell you. “If there’s anything I can do for you…”
I’m still not entirely sure why I stood there outside my door with this headache. “Yeah, if you see Lion-o again tell him I left town alright? And also tell him thanks,” she said, sounding depressed. I don’t know why, but for some reason I was concerned. Maternal instincts, maybe.
“Yeah. Ok. I will.” I hesitated before I went in my apartment. “A-are you all right,” I said, starting to hyperventilate. And yes, it’s true. When put under enough pressure I can appear to be just your average Thunderan in pain.
She nodded and looked at me. “Maybe you should see a doctor...” She helped me into my apartment and grabbed some ice from my freezer and put it on my forehead. “There.”
“Thanks for telling Lion-o that for me, and also...tell him not to try and find me, alright?” She pulled her baseball cap down over her eyes and turned to leave.
I managed a laugh. “Girl, telling Lion-o not to look for you is like telling Panthro not to drive the Thundertank.” I dug my nails into the palms of my hands in a sudden burst of pain. “But I’ll tell him.”
When she had left, I grabbed the phone lying on a small table to the side of the couch where I lay and dialed Victor’s number.
“Yes, Leona, what is it my love? Want me to come and pick you up so I can kiss it and make it all better?” And I thought some of his other things made me puke….
I grimaced in disgust and pain too, I guess. “Let me put it this way. I can barely move do to this infernal headache, or whatever, and you are the only one who can make it stop.”
“And what will you give me if I make it stop, hmm?”
“Whatever you want, with the exception of biting my neck. I promise.” Not like I had any intention of keeping that promise. And I thought that vampires only bit their victims on the neck. I found out later I was wrong.
“All right then, I'll be at your place in 10 minutes. Make yourself pretty for me and then I'll take that pain away ok? Goodbye.”
I was enraged. “Pretty,” I yelled at the wall, “I’ll give the bastard pretty!” Big mistake. It only made the pain worse.
So, I changed my plane blue shirt and cardigan to a dark green, off the shoulder, top. I brushed a bit of dirt off my jeans, too. Then I just sat on the couch, clutching the arm tightly.
He knocked on my door. “It’s open,” I said.
He walked in and immediately stopped the pain then went over and wrapped his arms around me.
I collapsed in relief, not the best idea since I collapsed in his arms. “Now all I have to do is figure out how NOT to become a vampire…” I thought.
He held me in his arms—its different then having his arms just around me, you know—and looked at me. “My love…” he lifted my head and kissed me.
Right then I remembered what he had said about not being able to turn me into vampire until he embraced me. I tried to break away from the kiss, futilely, as you might imagine.
He held on to me tightly and bit my lower lip as he kissed me and gently drank my blood, then he bit his own lip and let his blood drip down my throat.
I panicked. I can handle cops, street-thugs, even the Thundercats, to some extent, but this was too much!
He broke the kiss, then licked his lips and smiled at me, then took of his coat and swung it over my shoulders and left.
I sat in shock for a few minutes before running into my bedroom, flinging myself onto my bed, sobbing like a kitten.
Finally I managed to calm myself down. I left the apartment, then put on a certain black hooded cloak. You know the drill. Then, I went into the bar.
The bar was crowded, which was not a surprise, considering it was a Saturday afternoon. However, I had to run out of there before I drank anyone’s blood. “Oh, cosmos. Why, of all things, did I have to get involved with a vampire?!” I thought.
I ran through the crowds outside, trying to get away from all the people, when all of a sudden I came upon Lion-o and his girlfriend. As I couldn’t run back the way I came, I barreled into them and kept running.
Cora ran after me, yelling “WAIT!!!” This was, of course, after she got up from the ground.
I added a bit of speed, thinking, “Wait?! Is she nuts?! Number one, I'm a wanted criminal. Number two, I am currently a vampire, not by choice, but I really don't want to suck anybody's blood.”
She caught up to me easily, and grabbed my hood, yanking it off momentarily. I shrieked, more out of surprise and anger then of fear. I pushed the hood back on, keeping my head low. “that's it. I'm done for. If Lion-o catches me I'm in prison for life, if I don't get the death sentence first!” I thought.
She tackled me to the ground, growling. “You’re the one who kills people for money—you’re that assassin that works for J!!”
We both scrambled up at the same time, then I punched her. It wasn’t my best, she’ll have a black eye at the most. “Not exactly,” I said. “J isn’t my only employer.” I did a spin-kick, knocking her down, and ran behind a row of houses, where I promptly remove my hood, folded it quickly, and stuffed it the same small backpack I had stuffed it in earlier. I’ve dubbed it my “cloak-pack”.
I sauntered out from behind the houses after taking a minute to catch my breath. “Lion-o?” I tried to sound normal, even though my mouth was watering as I saw him bending down near Cora. “Is everything all right?”
“Oh, hi Leona… by any chance you didn't see a cloaked woman running away back there, did you?”
“Cloaked woman? no.” Not besides myself, anyway.
Cora held the side of her face, where I had kicked her. “That hurt…”
I bent down, pretending concern. “Are you ok? Where did you get that bruise?”
“Some stupid assassin lady who works for J, came and kicked me.” She growled, angrily. “I should have been able to dodge that….”
Very few people can dodge my kick, lady. “Whoa…” I pretended to be surprised. As if, right? “I thought assassins would stay out of the streets.” I shrugged. “Oh well.” I walked off.
“Damn…that really hurt,” she said.
“it was meant to, sweetie,” I mumbled.
Just then, Lion-o called my name. “Hey Leona!”
I winced and turned. “Yes?”
“Your place isn't that far from here, right? Can we borrow an ice pack or something?”
“Crap,” I thought. I really didn’t want anyone tramping through my home at the moment. Not in my present condition. “Sure. I owe her one, anyway.”
Cora gingerly touched her bruise and winced. “Ahh…” she bit her lip. “What you mean, ‘you owe me one’?”
“Well, you did help me out earlier.”
I lead them into my apartment and gestured to the sofa. “You sit here. I'll get some ice.”
Once in the kitchen, I grabbed the counter to steady myself. I was getting weak from lack of….well, not food, but blood. I wish the blood loss was from some kind of wound, that I could handle. I walked back with the ice. “Here you go.”
She took the ice and held it against her face and winced. “Owwwww….”
A chuckle slipped from my lips. “Cold?”
She nodded and looked at me, then made a face. “You’re really pale…”
Lion-o nodded as well. “she's right...and that's saying something, too. Your skin is normally pretty dark.”
“Pale?” I laughed nervously. “I hadn’t noticed. But I haven't really been feeling all that well this afternoon.....”
Cora nodded (yes, again. I’m surprised her head hasn’t fallen off yet from all the nodding she’s done…) and took hold of my hand. From her expression, I assume my hand was pretty cold.
I drew back. “I...I'm just going to take a nap right now, you can let yourselves out.”
Lion-o’s face took on a concerned tone. “Leona, are you sure you feel all right?”
I glared at him. “Lion-o, I'm FINE,” I snapped.
“ok, ok, just asking…..”
“Oh my god...” said Cora.
“is something wrong?” Lion-o asked.
“you saw Victor didn’t you Leona...?? Oh my god…” she stood up.
I spun around, beads of sweat on my forehead. “No...yes....you have to leave now. It's not safe...I'M not safe!”
“Ok...I know how to deal with this,” she said. She went over to me and set me down in a chair, then looked at Lion-o. “Go get some meat. Anything...that has blood....”
Lion-o was confused but did leave, presumably to go to the store.
Cora went into my kitchen and dug through my cabinets then grabbed some garlic powder and anything else that was garlic.
I chuckled slightly. “you know, I used to love garlic...my brother said that I could scare away enemies with my breath...”
“Well as of now it's your worst nightmare...” she threw all the garlic in my blender and turned it on, then waited a minute before pouring it in a glass and walking over.
“what...what are you going to do,” I asked.
“This,” she said. She punched me, hard, knocking me out. When I woke up, a few moments later, my throat burned with the taste of garlic.
I gagged, going into a fit of coughing. “What (cough) did you (cough) DO to me? Cosmos, my head hurts.”
“The garlic will hold back the effects of the embrace longer.” Embrace? Oh, she must mean the vampire deal.
“oh...thanks.”
All of a sudden Victor came flying through the door. Well not FLYING, but you know what I mean. Good thing it wasn’t locked…. “What the Hell do you think you’re doing?!?!”
She dropped the glass on the wood floor, where it shattered, gasping. “V...V....Victor...”
I tried to jump up, then realized I was tied to the chair with cords I keep incase of a fire. “Leave her alone, Victor! it's me you want!” Y’know, twenty minutes before that I could have killed the girl. Funny how that works.
“You stay out of this!” Victor said, holding his hand, palm out, in my direction, sending out a telekinetic blast that knocked me unconscious…again. It also knocked over the chair.
After what I assume was five to ten minutes I moaned, half- conscious. I watched everything happening, but it appeared all fuzzy and gray to me, and I could only make out figures, not words. “What’s going on?” I thought.
I woke up fully within five minutes, annoyed at being tied a tipped-over chair. Lion-o and Cora were standing together, facing the door. “Well isn't this touching...will someone untie me from this damn chair?!”
Cora righted the chair and cut me loose, pulling a glass shard from my back.
I got up, saying thank you. “man, my insurance bill's gonna be huge!” I thought. I felt the cut on my back, between my shoulder blades. “Cosmos. Why do I always get cuts in unreachable places?”
Cora turned and left. Lion-o followed her. “Bye, Leona.”
“Bye.”
I stood near my window, staring out at the city. Or, what I could see of it, anyway. I saw the two lions stop outside the building, where they began talking. Then they separated, where they went I don’t know.
I noticed a shopping bag on the ground. “Must be the meat Lion-o went to get,” I thought. As I didn’t feel hungry—for blood or for regular food—I put the bag in the refrigerator and sat down to read a book.
And would you believe it? The book was a murder mystery involving vampires…..
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