I scanned my wardrobe. No money, no clothes besides what I had on. I was going to have to go in my homeless outfit. I sighed and slumped in my bed when Lucas walked into my room unannounced, he stopped and looked at me.
"You know your date is in a couple hours, right?" Lucas asked.
I rose and sat up.
"Yeah, Lucas, I know, what's your point?"
Lucas crossed his arms.
"You look homeless, do you have any other clothes besides those ones?"
"No, Lucas, I'm broke."
"I got you," Lucas said before walking out.
As I was taking inventory, Lucas came back. He held a shopping bag.
"No dude, you didn't," I said.
"Yes, I did," he said before pulling out a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve black shirt. "I just had to get you right."
"My brother, thanks you didn't have to do this for me man."
"Hey, I appreciate the gratitude, but you've got a date soon so shower up and put these on. Now."
I snatched the clothes and ran downstairs. I emerged from the basement a different man, a less homeless looking man. Samantha smiled at me.
"I'm going to clock out in just a few minutes," she said.
"Sounds good," I said before leaning up against the wall.
She kept glancing at me while she was finishing her work at the cash register.
"Do you think you look cool or something?" she asked.
I stopped leaning on the wall.
"I thought you wanted a bad boy?" I joked.
We both laughed as she clocked out. Right after we walked out of the front door, Lucas handed me a phone. We nodded at each other, and he went back the way he came without a word. Samantha raised her eyebrow.
"What was that?"
I put the phone in my pocket.
"You don't wanna know," I said in a voice.
She giggled and reached her hand out for mine. I looked at it and held her hand. The butterflies were coming back, my heart pounding.
"So, where are we going," Samantha asked.
"Um…I kind of forgot about that part," I said, starting to sweat.
My eyes wandered down the brightly lit streets until they landed onto a nearby cafe. I pointed at it.
"That place, I know it very well."
Samantha laughed.
"You just got here a couple of days ago, no you don't."
I nodded in defeat. I opened the door for her and pulled her seat out.
"What a gentleman," she said.
"Didn't expect that out of an ex-homeless man, did you?"
The phone in my pocket buzzed. I ignored it and focused on Samantha.
"So, Samantha, where do you see yourself in ten years?"
My phone buzzed again. I tried to ignore it again, but curiosity got the best of me. I took out the phone and received multiple texts.
Lucas: Someone's following you
Lucas: I'm on him. Rooftop by ember and ash cafe
My heart dropped and I stood up. Samantha looked up at me.
"I'm sorry, Samantha, I have to go right now," I said.
I pulled out my wallet and put a ten on the table before walking away.
"Where are you going?" she asked. "Can you at least tell me where you're going?"
I rushed out the door. She looked sad, it made my stomach hurt.
I stepped outside and instantly sprinted to the nearest rooftop. The only noise I could hear was footsteps. Lucas looked over the edge while holding a pistol at something. I gasped when I saw him, all of my worries vanished.
"Hey, Rowan, I'm at a stalemate with this guy," Lucas yelled.
I soared up the stairs to meet Lucas. He stared intently down the barrel of his pistol at a water tank.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"Does he have guns?"
"No."
"I got this, you can go back."
Lucas looked at me.
"No, I'm not going to leave you."
I nodded then left him, approaching the water tank.
"That wasn't smart," a voice shouted.
A kid in all black lunged out from behind the tank at me. Black facepaint covered his face, he wielded two katanas.
He spun and swung both katanas at me. The sound of the blades nearly missed me before I used one hand shoving him into the railing. I backed up, he lunged once again, so I shifted my weight one way then the other. His momentum carried him into the sights of Lucas. He fixed his gun on the kid's head with a nervous look spread across his face. He whispered something under his breath that only he could hear.
I quickly closed the distance to the kid and grabbed his collar. I placed my foot in front of his leg, sending him onto the ground before a shot rang out.
"What are you doing Lucas!" I yelled. "I told you, I've got this!"
Lucas lowered his head with his pistol.
The kid rose back up, I leaned up against the nearby railing, waiting for him to approach. He ran at me, I moved, he sent both of his blades down onto nothing but the railing. I grabbed his left wrist, dug my feet into the gravel, sent an elbow into his neck, then ripped the katana out of his hand.
He stumbled back holding his neck with one hand, while pointing his katana in my direction with the other.
His eyes raised and bled into me.
"I'm going to kill you, filthy assassin," the kid said through clenched teeth.
I held the katana loosely in my left hand.
"You never had a chance — now you definitely don't."
I charged him, as our blades clashed, we held them there. The anger in his eyes was intense, he hated me. I swung his blade to the side then struck again, slowly I made him back into the water tank. He couldn't back up anymore; his blade swung at air. I had already ducked under his blade, the sound of gravel churning under my feet, then I sent the handle of my katana into his stomach.
My arm tensed, I almost sent my blade through his leg before easing up at the last second. He sent a desperate slash at my stomach, my blade slid down until it met his hand. A grunt followed before he retreated out away from the tank. His katana rattled on the rooftop after it left his hand.
"Don't tell me you're done already, if I'm being completely honest, you're not going to kill any assassins the way you are."
He knelt down grabbing a handful of gravel. A cloud of rocks and dirt clouded my vision, I shielded it with my forearm before the kid sprinted at me grabbing his katana before trying to slash at my neck.
I dropped my blade, ducked under his swing, digging my right hand into his liver. He dropped slowly with his blade. His breath staggered, then he gasped for air as he held his stomach. I knelt down to his level.
"Look, I live in a library down the street. We're not assassins, so let's just talk this over before it gets ugly," I said.
Lucas walked up behind me.
"What are we doing with him?" he whispered. "Like actually."
"We're actually going to talk to him. He's just a kid."
I looked down at him, still panting. This poor kid, fighting only for vengeance, I wanted to save him from this path.
"Lucas, help me carry him," I said.