Something hot welled up in Hadjia's chest, and spilled into her throat. She swallowed it back and turned to her bed. She had to focus on the next step: packing. Running free.
The fear in her chest subsided as she thought of Kaneko. A sister, she thought, rummaging through her simple wraps. I do have a sister after all, even if my real one is . . .
Hadjia let that thought trail away.
The door to her bedroom opened. Hadjia jerked to attention, an old shirt in her hand, until she saw it was Kaneko eyes. She relaxed. "You're back. That was so fast."
Kaneko smiled. "Didn't take me long to get what I needed."
Hadjia's heart leapt into her throat when two other boys – proven assassins just like Kaneko –stepped into the room behind her. Kura and Sidoh. They were another pair of Mother's favorites, known for their raw strength and tenacity.
Hadjia sucked in a sharp breath. Kaneko's smile, she now noticed, was a little too fixed, a little too tight.
"Kaneko, n – "
Both Kura and Sidoh lifted a tube up to their lips and blew into it. Seconds later, a sharp sensation stung Hadjia's neck in two places. She reached up to pull the darts away, but it was too late.
A cold sensation crept up and down her neck. Kaneko widened her grin.
"Oh, Hadjia," she murmured, stepping closer. "You poor little girl who thinks she knows better than the rest of us."
A heady darkness overcame Hadjia, plunging her into thick clouds of unconsciousness.
Numbness tingled in her spine, extended out into her limbs. She could just feel the tips of her fingers, her legs from the knees on down, and her bottom lip, but little else. She tried to move, but couldn't, as if something heavy weighed her down.
She managed to open her eyes so that they were slits, but she was barely able to see through the thick tangle of her eyelashes. Slowly, the world came into focus: She was looking at a ceiling marked by long shadows and dim light.
"I shall take it from here, thank you," The Mother rasped from what seemed to be a far away place.
"Yes, Mother."
"It was our pleasure to serve you, Mother."
Three shadowy figures were standing near a door. That door…it was familiar.
Only then did Hadjia realize she was lying in the Ceremony Hall.
Memories of Kaneko, Kim, and a masked man flooded her mind all at once. She had no ability to contain the fear she now felt: It streaked through her in raw, unbridled waves.
"Go into the far hall," The Mother said. "I shall call for you if you're needed."
Hadjia immediately recognized the broad angles and cut of Kura and Sidoh's shoulders as the two slipped out into the hallway. Mother Sigunta remained, carrying her walking stick, as she usually did.
Hadjia tried to pull herself together, to escape her fear and panic and just think. Mother Sigunta had trained her in this skill herself. What a sweet justice that Hadjia might be able to use it against her.
The floorboard creaked beneath Mother Sigunta's weight as she crossed the floor toward Hadjia. Hadjia peeled her heavy eyelids open as far as she could, which was a little bit farther this time. Mother Sigunta came into sharp relief amongst the shadows of approaching evening. The windows behind Mother Sigunta showed a sky on fire with the sunset.
"I am very disappointed, Hadjia."
Hadjia attempted to mumble something, but she could not form any words. Mother Sigunta didn't seem to notice. Instead, she folded her hands behind her back and stared out the windows on the other side of the room.
"An assassin is a highly trained person. Because of all we have sacrificed for the love of our trade, we must remain loyal and faithful to those who know more than us. I have asked much of you in your young life, Hadjia – but I have given you even more."
Hadjia's nostrils flared, but she remained silent.
"Your loyalty to me has wavered. I cannot tell you how this saddens me. It cannot be forgotten. Not until you've proven yourself to me again."
Hadjia's foot jerked. It was a reaction, she knew, from the paralyzing agent, which she had used before on unsuspecting animals while attempting to learn its strength.
Even though her movements were painstakingly slow, Hadjia managed to curl her fingers into her palm. Then she bent her elbow a little, as the paralysis began to fade. Mother Sigunta watched, her face impassive.
"You are angry with me, Mother?" Hadjia whispered, uncertain whether Mother could understand her mumbled words.
"Very."
Hadjia dropped her gaze, but glanced to the windows. All closed except the one in the middle. A sliver of color along its edges betrayed that it lay slightly open whereas the others were tightly shut.
"You have not only turned your back on me after all I've done for you, but on all those here who care for you. We have been your family. You have rejected us."
"My family – "
"Is here," she cut in with a chilly voice. "You make assumptions you know nothing about."
Hadjia couldn't meet her eyes.
All she could see was her little sister. Hear the dying words on her mother's lips. See the terror in her father's eyes. The Mother was not right: Hadjia didn't make assumptions about anything. Mother Sigunta had told her what to think and believe all her life, but she couldn't do that anymore. Mother Sigunta officially held no more power over Hadjia's mind.
"Yes, Mother," she murmured in seeming capitulation.
The paralyzing agent retreated quickly from her muscles now, leaving a strange tingling sensation in its wake, but restoring the movement into her muscles. Mother Sigunta motioned for her to stand. Hadjia obeyed with shaky feet, slowly straightening until she stood almost as tall as The Mother.
Hadjia met Mother Sigunta's gaze head-on, seeing evil in the woman's eyes. There was no doubt about it anymore, even though some corner of Hadjia's heart had been hoping this couldn’t be true. But she could see in The Mother's ruthless, cold gaze that they had been killing innocent people all along, and The Mother knew. Counted on it. Lied about it.
"Hadjia, you are one of my greatest pupils. Your talent and penchant for doing the work that no others are brave enough to do has no bounds. It pains me that you don't trust me and my word anymore. But I am willing to forgive because you have already proven yourself. You should be a Red Moon Assassin – and you are. If you’ll have us."
Mother Sigunta extended a hand that shook slightly. Hadjia stared at it, then looked back to her. "What would you make me do to earn my place back?"
"Time. Chores. A lot of one-on-one counseling with me. I don't want to reward you for what you've done, so what you will have to do for a time won't be pleasant. The truth is, you deserve far worse, but I am not willing to lose you."
Hadjia swallowed, staring at the trembling hand with a lump in her throat but not taking it.
Hadn't The Mother mentioned something like this to the masked man? Spoken of an outstanding pupil whom she wanted to test? She had been speaking about Hadjia all along.
Mother Sigunta spread open both her arms now.
"Come, Hadjia. Let us embrace and agree to move on to greater things. You are far safer here, with me, than in the wild world out there that you know nothing about."
Kim’s death flashed through her mind with terrifying speed. Uncertainty and heartbreak bubbled up inside her, spilling from her chest into all her muscles.
The Mother owned her no more.
In a flash, she reached down, withdrew a knife from her boot, and advanced, raising her hand and slashing it down towards Mother Sigunta's neck. The Mother leaned back into an agile backbend, avoiding the blow. The Mother finished her move by swinging her legs over her head, landing on her feet, and straightening with a victorious smile.
Hadjia sucked in a breath. No old woman should be able to manage such a move!
Mother Sigunta tossed her walking stick into the air and griped it like a dagger. A snick preceded the sight of a knife flicking out from its bottom.