Chapter 1

Ashley

People's lives to me are a matter of a simple order. I just had to be given a command and I would just turn off the switch that makes the person breathe. You can't blame me, that was how I was molded to be since the day I was kidnapped when I was just seven.

Other kids dreamed of going to Disney world when they were seven, all I dreamt about is how I would survive the next day as a killer in training.

They told me along with other kids that if we wanted to see our parents again we had to survive each day. Some struggled, some gave up and we never saw them again but as time went on, we discovered that they were switched off too - I like to say that instead of saying the word 'killed' - and then we finally realized we were never getting out of there without being the person they wanted us to be and that was exactly what I became, a killer.

I had my first kill at the age of twelve, then I realized there was no hope for my soul. I turned off all my emotions and made myself a heartless being. I'd killed a married woman who had two young children, they never told us why we killed, we just followed orders. 

I watched the husband fall apart wondering how he was going to take of his kids after his other half was found dead in her workplace. I only needed a bit of disguise and a drop of undetectable poison in her coffee and she was dead. 

I admit, I felt a pang of sympathy for her family and went to the master to enquire why I had to kill the poor woman, I was severely dealt with and I sustained a broken arm. Since then, I closed all emotion off and did as I was told.

By eighteen years, I had personally killed 25 people including an eight-year-old child - and this is apart from group killings I occasionally did with the others -, the nightmare never left me for a second but I didn't dare to feel hurt, it was my punishment for everything I had done. 

I became a professional and was regarded as one of the best. We were a total of thirty-one assassins including the master - that's what he called himself - we were more than that in the beginning but with time, a lot gave up or were killed during operations and that's saying something about the rest of us that we were really good.

My life was on a schedule that was directed by the master. He wasn't against relationships between mates as long as it didn't affect the job we were assigned to and that was why I allowed myself to become a close partner with Audrey. I wouldn't call us friends, I was reputed to be a cold-hearted being with no emotions so how could I have friends?

I cared for her and she was the only thing I allowed myself to indulge on till I was punished yet again and the bitter truth was shoved in my face that I was not worthy of anything, Audrey died and that was where my story ended or should I say it was the beginning?

Audrey came into the institution two years after I did. she was two years younger than I was and didn't want to have anything to do with her at first. Even though she was fragile she tried her best to survive each day and complete her missions, I still didn't know what drew me to her and wanted me to protect her but I did anyway. 

I considered her to be the only light in my dark world and nobody in the group dared to mess with her or they would have had to answer to me but like I said earlier I didn't deserve any good thing and she was taken away from me me in a brutal way.

We had gone on a special operation, as usual, we had to kill an aspiring senator and like I said we never asked why we had to switch someone off. Everything was going smoothly till suddenly we had a man down. 

We were a total of five killers who were assigned to the job and it was supposed to be easy, I wasn't the one leading the ops but I knew it shouldn't have gone down like that. 

We had killed the senator and was about to exit when we heard the gunshot, we tried to retreat but it was like the mission was already sabotaged from the beginning and there was almost no way out. I had taken Audrey's hand and started running, it was funny how I thought we had escaped and suddenly she dropped down beside me.

Time seemed to slow down as I watched blood seeping out of her head, I just stood there like my brain had gone on lockdown watching as she died. All I knew was that I was suddenly pulled into a car and later I found myself at the institution again but I still couldn't focus on anything apart from the fact that Audrey was dead just like I took people's lives, she was taken from me.

--

    "What do you think is wrong with her?

She gets like this after a mission and it's getting worse".  

I heard the master talking to the institution's doctor, Andrew in a low tone. Lately, I've been having blackouts after a mission. On days like this, it gets difficult to get any sleep and I have to be bedridden for two hours or more depending on how grave my nightmare is.

       "You know I'm trying my best here but it's like her mind shuts down to protect itself from damage. You'll have to let her stop doing jobs for a while if you don't want to lose her". 

Andrew sighed and I heard footsteps moving out the door. 

        " You can open your eyes now he's gone".

I opened my eyes slowly, doing it too fast made my head hurt.

      " I still don't know how you figure out I'm awake every time". 

I stood up from the bed and made to remove the needle stuck to my wrist but he hit my hand before I managed to do that.

He has impressively fast reflexes. That was one of the things I noticed about him on my arrival here.

      "What is he going to do to me?"

"You'd have to talk to him to figure that out, Ash". 

We both knew my life could be terminated for being this weak, the master had no pity whatsoever for any of us. He considered us his tools and tools are meant to be used till they are worn out then they are disposed of and in my case, something similar might happen. Deep down I wished he would end the pain I was going through.

     

      "Let's get it over with then." I walked out of the infirmary towards the master's office making sure to avoid anybody on my way.

   I knocked twice before I was ordered in. I walked into his office and memories of my first time came pouring in.

       "Hello there little one, welcome to your new home"

      "I just want my mummy, please let me go home to my mummy."

         " Okay, little one if you want to go home to your mummy you would have to do something for me."

        " I'll do anything, I just want my mummy back." 

I had been doe-eyed and innocent back then, the master had grinned maniacally at me. Only if I had known my soul would have been sold for nothing, I would have ended it.

      The room hadn't changed a bit all these years. Same dark walls that made the room intimidating and the absolute perfection in the way it was organized just as its owner, hiding all that evil just barely underneath the surface, simmering and waiting for the perfect time to strike its prey. 

I repressed a shudder and took a seat waiting for him to notice my presence in the room. He was writing in a journal on the desk, I had always wondered what he wrote in there, the number of people he killed, or the latest mission he accomplished?

Probably both, he finally raised his head and lifted his brows in question as to why I was sitting without permission. I only shrugged in response, I had always done that in defiance and he liked it secretly but still questions it every time.

             

    "Hello there Ashley, I've been expecting you. We have a lot to discuss."