Chapter 5 Purple Lilac.

To convince this man was difficult. As we walked down the cold street, I regretted wearing the dress I had worn. It was strange that it had to snow today. There was nothing as such on the weather forecast. I had chosen this day and location after a careful consideration of everything. You know what they say - sometimes, nothing ever goes as planned.

The weather surprised me well but so did Shade's kindness. I assumed he was a heartless man, like an Assassin would be. However, I felt a deep emotion within him - an emotion I wanted to feel more of.

Before I could break the awkward silence between us, I was suddenly pulled aside, pinned against the alley wall by him. He towered over me and his presence was just as overwhelming as his sharp eyes. There was hardly any space between us - our noses the only thing keeping us apart, a breath away from something electric. I could feel his breath against me, as he looked down at me. My hands were placed on his chest, unknowingly, however his heart didn't race as fast as mine. I gently gulped as I looked at him, not knowing what was going on.

"Why did you choose an Assassin for this?" his deep voice inquired, "How did you find me?"

For an instant, I was unable to speak. It felt, as though, I had the answer at the back of my throat but my voice simply wouldn't come out. That was when I realized - I was intimidated by this man. "I..I chose-," I began to stutter, still maintaining eye contact, "I knew about your association...so..I-I contacted them...because only an assassin would know...the techniques of killing - without pain."

Before I could blink, a sharp, pointy object pressed against my throat, just below my vocal cords. It was a wrist blade, sliding out from under his sleeve with deadly precision. One swallow and it would all be over. "I could kill you this instant and no one would know," his face got closer, "If you wanted to be killed, you could've asked a gangster to do it. Why choose an Assassin?"

"I told you," fear had possessed me and I did not take the risk to breathe, "Ironically, as much as I want to die, I'm afraid of sharp objects...I want to die, yes...but without pain. Only an Assassin knows...the art of poison." I exhaled through my mouth and continued, "I believe...only an Assassin..would be suited best for this...I don't want to be involved...in the media." He slowly lowered his wrist and I could finally take a deep breath.

"You're strange," he clicked a button on his wist blade, "However, I cannot question if this is my task." He looked at my terrified demeanor and smirked, "I'm sorry about that. This is just how I collect info."

"I see," I said - still breathing heavily. He continued, "I have a condition."

"What is it?" I said sourly and took off the jacket he had given me.

"I'm not going to kill you soon," he explained, "I'm going to find the reason why I must assassinate you and if the reason seems valid enough, I will proceed. Till then, will you allow me to shadow you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I need to know what you do on a daily basis, including your routine, the people you meet, your history, background, everything. "

"Ah, yes. I can tell you-"

"No," he cut me, "I'm going to do it the assassin way. An assassin only ever meets his victim on the victim's last day. Since you're also my client, I hope you will not mind me around you. "

"Alright," I began to walk towards the street, "If that is all, lets leave." Shade probably noticed my sourness but I couldn't care less. I had never been intimidated like this before, nor had anyone ever tried to force information out of me so ruthlessly. Bottled up, I began to leave without his reply. Shade didn't stop me. Why did that annoy me again? What was it that I wanted from him since the beginning? I brushed off these perplexing thoughts as I left.

I waved for a cab and got in. As I sat, I looked towards the alleyway a last time. There was no soul but darkness. It seemed as though no one had been there - as if he had vanished into the darkness.