The Assassin's Shadow

Chapter 20

 I glared at him and stood up, telling him shortly. “I’m going to the bathroom.” 

I walked down the hall, slightly isolated from the rest of the ice cream parlor, and waited in front of the locked door. However I froze when I heard muffle screams coming from behind the door and the faintest sounds of a smack. I knew that sound, that was the sound that occurred whenever Zach hit me in my dreams.

Without another thought, I kicked the door on the lock and the door instantly opened. Luckily nobody seemed to have heard me, the shop was too loud and the bathroom slightly out of the way. When I pushed the door open and looked into the bathroom, my eyes widened as I took in the scene.

“Well what have we here?” the boy said as he sneered at me, one hand covering the mouth of my terrified sister and the other groping her, a red mark on her cheek. I recognized the boy from my school, he had been in my grade, however he didn’t seem to recognize me. I met Ava’s gaze and her eyes widened in shock.

Well there goes not showing myself to her. I thought. Well screw it.

I took two big steps forward and punched the boy in the face twice, jabbed my elbow into his sternum and then threw him against the wall face first, twisting his arm behind his back.

“Here’s the deal, boy.” I told him calmly. “You touch this girl again and I will personally come back here and shove this arm-” I twisted his arm up a little higher making him cry out a little in pain. “-so far up your ass that you’ll have to tear your own heart out to stop the pain. Do I make myself clear?”

The boy stuttered and nodded and didn’t even attempt to retain a shred of dignity. I threw him away from me in disgust and shot him a deadly look, making him shrink away and then turn around, sprinting for the exit. I took a deep breath before turning to my little sister.

“Elaine?” she asked cautiously after a moment of just staring at me in shock. “You’re blonde.”

And just like that I was laughing. “Is that really all that registers to you?”

A huge smile suddenly came onto her face, making her look more like the Ava I knew and loved, and she threw herself at me. I clutched her to me in a tight hug and we both collapsed to the ground. She was sobbing and I was slowly rocking her back and forth.

“Oh Elaine! Where were you, what happened? And how were you able to beat Matt up like that?! You looked so scary!”

I hadn’t thought about that. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” I told her gently, rubbing her back as she hiccuped.

“What the hell, Elaine?!” I jumped slightly and looked behind Ava’s head to see Ky standing in the doorway looking furious. I stood up slowly, pulling Ava up with me.

“I didn’t know it was her, Ky! I heard someone behind the door who needed help and I didn’t think, I just kicked it open. Some guy was molesting her, what was I supposed to do?!”

“That must’ve been the guy I saw running out of the door, Jesus what did you do to him he looked like he was going to piss himself!” Ky ran both hands over his face looking extremely stressed.

“Elaine, who is this?” Ava asked me in a small voice, clutching onto my arm.

“Not here.” Ky said quickly, shooting me a look. He was angry with me, I could tell, but not so much anymore. He knew I had no choice. “We have to get out of here. Let’s go somewhere else.”

“Where?” I asked.

“Come on.” Ky grabbed my hand and Ava desperately clutched at my other hand as if afraid if she let go I would disappear again. We left the store quickly and got into the car. I got in the back with Ava since she seemed to be making no move to let go of me anytime soon and I just held her in the backseat as more tears streamed down her cheeks.