Chapter 4 Smooth Criminal

Nobody in town really knows about my past. I just showed up the first time with a whole lot of weapons strapped to my body then I reappeared three years later and settled. Nobody asked prying questions. For the first few weeks the townsfolk made up stories about my origin by camp fires and such for entertainment. Each story more ridiculous than the last.

"I reckon she be a water police"

"A heist lady"

"A weapon salesperson. The illegal kind"

"A smooth criminal"

"Either a robber or a copper for sure"

"Maybe she's looking for cheaper rent. Rent's expensive on the other side I tell you" it sure is.

Just like that, in less than three weeks, the fuss about me died out. I soon learnt that this town is home to former miscreants, criminals and runaways with pasts like mine looking for a fresh start. Nile came here as a teenager after killing six men. The specifics are unclear but from what I know, (what she told me) she wondered from street to street, bus stop to bus stop, stole a boat until she found herself here. I may be an extreme case but I wasn't that special. I'm not even sure if I'm I am an extreme case but I am definitely not special.

So much violent potentials walking around in town but all the chief said was "if you were not meant to be here, you won't be here" and that was that for that. They didn't ask me any prying question and I did the same.

Of course the town has its natives. people like Barney were born in this town. they're clinics, markets, playgrounds, a School, shops, centers, a market, a library and such. Electricity is almost nonexistent and the roads are not vehicle friendly but "the town provides what it needs" and it certainly didn't need much.

The town, practically an island but not really with forty percent of the town is surrounded by water and the next town by land is so far off. Loachesville, named after a bottom feeding specie of fishes found in area, is a small beautiful town with interesting people. The word beautiful doesn't even cut it. The sceneries are to die for and breathtaking, the kind that would have been making the town massive bucks if it catered to tourists but it doesn't. LoachesVille only seem to cater to troubled people even the natives can't be defined as normal so the views were quite exclusive.

My favourite spot for instance is a big boulder by a pound so small Barney calls it a mud hole. The problem is that I spotted said man at said mud hole and after the day I've had, despite the fact that would normally not favor being alone with my thoughts, I can't handle people in any shape or form at the moment. Barney being a much needed exception. I want nothing more than to stand between his arms and listen to his heart beat but considering his forthcoming wedding, that would be counter productive so No.

Barney's heart always beats so strong and so firm. His heart beat screams every second 'i am alive and sure. I know what I'm doing'. Next in line to be chief, essential member of the town's construction team, a mighty good fisher and swim teacher. I've never seen him unsure. In this small town everybody here seems to know what they're doing and I know that notion is quite presumptuous. Everyone is going through something some sort of personal torment or a dilemma but they are still trying to be happy especially those that managed to find their way here, they're all making the most out of their second chance whilst I don't know how to be happy, I literally don't know how, I can only chop meat and space out.

I laughed to myself at myself. Even in my head I can tell, I am being an ungrateful, whiney brat. I should have been dead yet here I am, living in the most beautiful place imaginable and I still don't have an inkling of what I want to do with myself.

Let me it break down. When I was a child, I wasn't the most expressive kid. Wide smiles and loud cries were quite rare but I can remember being happy. I didn't know my mother but I had my dad and he was my rock. He was really big and really tall practically a giant. Hairy and grumpy yet clean and quick on his feet. He wasn't very expressive either. He had a butcher shop in a town almost as small but not so remote like this one. my favorite spot even at eleven years old was on my father's shoulder. I was small like that. I was a daddy's girl until I no longer had a dad. He was shot in the head during a 'terrorists parade'. I was on his shoulder when it happened, I went from having my head in the clouds to falling head first to the muddy grounds of the market. There was so much blood and so much noise. I thought I died.

The nation was in panic and I was orphaned. The terrorists that attacked my home were once mercenaries for the then ruling government (let's call them the induction party) their group was formed to sabotage and discredit the other party's government (the conduction party) and when they were finally appointed into power, they had no use for the gang they created and they tried to dissolve the group. Unfortunately the gang had no use for the induction party either. They already had enough man power and connections to armoury. They had gone rouge.

They're plan was to take over the country and sadly my hometown was not their start point. Countless towns and cities were taken over and eventually the terrorists group broke apart because of a power feud but they weren't any less dangerous quite the opposite was the case. They had become more of a nuisance than the militant arm forces could handle. The induction party who had no query recruiting civilians to fight their battles, decided that adults were a hassle and difficult to control. They recruited me and other little children my age to combat the terrorists they created.

And that's it. That's how I became an assassin. An unexpressive child with a lot of emotional baggage; anger, pain , hurt that she didn't really know how to express was given a gun and knives. So much knives like the ones in my dad's butcher shop. I can remember still the first person I killed. One of the district's dons. Of course he had to not only be a bloody murderer but also a pedophile. I was sent to him(undercover) I can't really remember the details but I remember slitting his throat just like my dad would with a sheep or goat and it felt so good.

So, I guess I understand the genesis of my problem all I need now is a solution. I want to be happy.