How to Escape an Assassin

A few days had passed since the kidnapping incident with Felix. In a vital effort to pretend that everything was alright, I banished the traumatic memory to the deepest pocket of my mind. My happy façade fooled everyone. No one noticed that beneath my smile, I was completely hollow and detached from everything.

It was a Friday morning, the day before the wedding that I was being threatened into attending. I beheld my image in the mirror. My bronze skin had a healthy glow after a steamy shower. My curly dark hair fell to just below my shoulders. I wore a polo shirt and khaki pants as well as a pair of owl-shaped fashion glasses. My outfit was cheesy and unflattering, but I was a preschool teacher after all.

I ate a quick breakfast, then Ms. Selena picked me up and took me to work. It was a typical day at the school. I read books to the children and we sang nursery rhymes. Next, we did a "chemistry experiment" where we made slime. This was followed by nap time, lunch time, and then toy time. And then there was recess, followed by a puppet show co-starring me and another teacher, Ms. Linda.

During the kids' nap, I sat in the staff room and rested my head against the table. I became lost in thought about my crush, Tristan. Felix had mentioned that they were both assassins. This heartbreaking news left me feeling torn. I already resented Felix to the core for what he put me through. He was a sick pervert and a monster. But Tristan was nothing like him, right? 

My heart was closed off to the idea that Tristan might have been working together with Felix in his assassination attempts. Despite Tristan's mean and fiery disposition,  he had helped me, right? When I was kidnapped by Felix, Tristan showed up not long after I screamed for help. And I wondered, What did Tristan say to Felix that caused him to release me? I racked my head trying to rationalize this, but I couldn't come up with any reasonable conclusion.

After work, I exited the schoolhouse with Ms. Selena by my side. We were chatting casually about our puppet show performance.

"Your voice for the wizard was hilarious Ms. Milan," she said with a giggle. "It was so hard not to laugh."

"I was trying to make it as entertaining as possible for the little ones," I told her with a grin. But it quickly faltered as a large figure stepped in front of us to block our path. It was the psychopath of my worst nightmares back to haunt me again. The memory of his attempted rape flooded back to the surface, sending a pang of sickness to my gut that caused me to double over.

"Can we help you, sir?" Ms. Selena asked in a sickly sweet tone that had a hidden warning threat beneath it. It was a different level of menacing that was reserved to teachers alone. She shielded me in a move of protection from the stranger.

She was very small and skinny. Her head came just up to my stomach. So her attempt to defend me probably looked bizarre. But she was definitely my senior, appearing to be at least in her mid-forties. Her seasoned maturity was given away by the crinkly lines around her eyes and smile, as well as her curves.

"I'm here to pick up Milan, my date, "Felix explained with a deceptively charming smile. "We gotta prepare our outfits for my cousin's wedding tomorrow."

Ms. Selena nodded slowly before turning to face me. Her dilated pupils were brimming with alarm as she took in my panicked state. "Ms. Milan," she whispered frantically. "I'm going to call the police for you as soon as I get to my car."

"Please don't get involved," I begged in hushed tones. "It's too dangerous. I'm just g-"

Before I could complete my sentence, Felix attacked Ms. Selena from behind. I tried to fend him off, but I was no match for him. The ruthless beast of a man strangled her until she passed out.

Felix grabbed my arm and pulled me over to a black Audi R8. Numb and lifeless, I didn't put up a fight. He had instilled a chilling fear in me that penetrated my bones. It crippled me into my present docile state.

He opened the passenger side door and shoved me inside. Then he went to take something out of the trunk, and sat in the driver's seat.

"Here, kid. A gift for you," he said before chucking a gift bag in my lap. I simply remained frozen, staring out of the windshield to where Ms. Selena lay motionless on the pavement.

"Open it!" He barked out.

With a distressed sigh, I reached inside of the bag and took out an elegant, light-coffee coloured silky bodycon dress. It had a high neckline and cross-over straps at the waist. There was also a rose gold clutch bag and a pair of designer pumps with a glassy heel, gold sole and transparent strap at the ankle.

I was repulsed by the expensive gift. I didn't want to receive anything from this despicable, sorry excuse of a man.