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I embraced the challenge and trained day and night, battling tough opponents twice my size.
No matter the odds, I pushed myself to no end. I sparred with opponents bigger and stronger than me, and though I endured a few defeats, I also savored some hard-won victories.
Here, away from the rest of the world, I embraced complete autonomy. I was liberated to unleash my potential. No one hindering me. No one belittling me. Nobody could dictate how far I could go, nobody could dim my confidence, and nobody could make me succumb to doubt.
I felt liberated. No dissuasion. No shackles.
When I first started I didn't even know what I was doing but I always ended up surprising my own self.
I was shocked to discover how much I had in common with him. Although I had initially thought our personalities were quite distinct, I eventually realized that a dark part of me lurked beneath the surface. I discerned that I was just as convoluted inside. There was a certain darkness within me. I'm not sure if this sinister side had always been part of my character or if it was something that he had stirred up within me.
I didn't cower away from the sight of the blood. I have killed men and slept through the night like a goddamn baby.
When I had my first kill, It was like I finally understood what he was. It was as if, at that moment, I finally grasped the true nature of Nikolai and my parents.
As I began to realize my own strength and capabilities, the more I was emboldened to stand on my own. I had finally had enough of being controlled by others, so I started to become more and more comfortable in my own skin each day. It was a liberating feeling, understanding that I was no longer a child, but a woman to be reckoned with.
It is truly astonishing what one can accomplish in a single year if one focuses on personal growth and development.
Realizing the benefit of my heightened focus, I was able to make the most of my shooting lessons; however, I found myself gravitating all the more towards training with a variety of weapons, such as knives, nunchucks, and practically anything else imaginable.
Enzo was my partner, my trainer, and a good friend. We fought with one another like savages, he made me this good. He had been with my uncle since he was a child, my uncle trusted him, treated him like a son, and he was the best assassin the Moretti's had.
He kicked the knife out of my hands and before I knew it, he grabbed my arm and slammed me to the ground, and held a sharp little pocket knife against my throat.
"I think I taught you better than that, you were unguarded, distracted; never let your guard down in a fight, Evangeline. All it's going to take is a second before someone jams this knife right into your delicate throat and ripped it apart," he whispered in my face.
My chest heaved up and down, I closed my eyes and remembered him—hovering over me, his bluish-grey eyes dark like the night sky, the devilish look on his face as he uttered the four simple words.
