Adoption Agency

“35- 50, breakfast time,”shouted the witch. I don’t bother with her real name anymore. She is completely evil and a real witch anyway. She’s cursed all the kids here. She made us her little workers, used us to take out anyone she doesn’t like. She even has social workers and cops on her side. They bring in all her new captives. And so far only one worker was against her. Luckily, the witch didn’t make me kill her. However, I had to ship her out of the country. She knew of the curse though and didn’t hate me for it. It helped that I slipped her airplane tickets that were good for anywhere and anytime. They were my most precious possessions but she needed them more. I never did see her again. Oh well. Back to today. Nina and I hurried to get dressed and downstairs before bitch-face could yell at us again. We met the boys in the hall. We all had our emotionless expressions on but you could tell we were all amused to know we were the last to get down there. One more way to get back at the bitch. She hates waiting. “37-41 DOWN HERE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,” SHE SCREAMED. We all laughed and ran downstairs to eat our “breakfast.” Today was something unidentifiable. So, it was like any other day. Ten minutes later and mealtime was over. Lovely, now it’s classtime. Oh great, I have the Korean language final today. And its first up,lovely. As I tried to walk to my first prison sentence, bitch-face stopped me. “41, stay behind!” oh, shit. This is either a mission or about that antique I broke that I haven’t paid for. “yes, b--, I mean miss?” “ don’t act like I don’t know your little nickname for me,41.” “well then, it’s Aleha bitch-face.” “you’re lucky you have a mission otherwise you’d be severely punished Aleha.” I cringed. Another mission. Another target. Another hit to add to my list. “details. Now.” “French wine salesman. 50 miles uptown. 4th train stop. Runs Apulo winery. 6’4. Blonde. Blue-eyed. Mid-forties.” “character, what do I need to use this time?” “ you will be Lilly Clever today. You are 12 years old and you saw your father walk down the alley. You will stab him, put the knife in his hand, and spill wine at his feet where he fell so it seems he tripped and stabbed himself to death. You have until four today. The winery opens at 7 and we need time to look like he just bled out and nobody saw him in time.” “stand in? and who shall I say my father is? And should I speak English or French?” “no stand in but tell him your father is Jameson Clever. He’s the new worker. This will confuse your mark,Addison. And English, he is French and so is your “father” but he speaks perfect English. He also believes your father only speaks French so it might throw him off if you speak fluent English immediately,though. Jameson just immigrated to America last month and doesn’t speak a word of English.” “when do I leave?” “now, here’s all your stuff and the tickets. Be back before 9 and don’t get caught.” I scoffed. I have NEVER been caught. “go.” “bye.” I don’t even bother to ask why she would have someone killed anymore. She wouldn’t answer anyway and the curse makes me do it until I’m adopted or dead myself.
***

Wee-woo, wee woo! I ran faster as the sirens blared. I was almost 10 miles away when I heard the first. And no, I was not delusional nor do I claim to have bat ears. I climbed up the wall after my job was finished and put a microscopic speaker in one of the cracks in the bricks. Thank you slightly-shotty construction. I’m about two miles from home now. I found an old bike about 15 miles into my run abandoned and rusted. Thankfully the tires were filled with enough air and I had gloves. I also had almost no blood on me which was good. I’d be screwed if I left any tracks. The phrase “have your head for this” would take on quite the literal meaning if you catch my drift. I ditched the bike about 8 miles back in an old butcher shop. My parents old one to be exact. A Bit of Fuel. It also had an art studio on the second floor. I am proud to say I am the anonymous owner that keeps this shop running. If I ever need it again, I might as well stash it somewhere I have access to. I know you’re thinking, why don’t you just take the train again dummy. Well, if I did that, I could be a suspect. That,my dears, is why I only take transportation if it 50 miles or more and even then I take a one way ticket ten miles past my mark. I can’t raise suspicion. I may have been forced into this but I’ll be damned if I’m arrested for being cursed. I’m also not going to be institutionalized when I tell them that the curse forces me to kill whoever I am ordered to. That is a hell far worse than the one I’m in. “and this is why you don’t run while holding sharp objects,” a gruff-sounding man sighed. I grimaced. So they found the body. And the think it was an accident. Phew. That was actually a little harder than usual “accidents” were. He was definitely a wise man. I wonder if maybe I didn’t kill him. I can always edit the voice recordings seeing as we don’t have tv or internet and bitch-face doesn’t subscribe to newspapers that would contradict them. “ nope, no pulse. He’s definitely gone.” Damn. I really hoped I spared him. Then maybe I could get his help. Oh,well. It’s best not to dwell on the past. Especially for me,and all assassins that is. “well, 41, you’re home early.”