“Well I used to be a trainer here briefly and Melina knows most of the layout. We should use that to our advantage.” Ethan said. “MInji, Pan ni, you come with me. Melina, you take…him.” He eyed Sunggyu. I looked at Sunggyu. “Are you okay with that?” I asked. He sighed. “Whatever it takes to save them Minji, whatever it takes.” He said and Melina beckoned for him to follow her and Ethan, Pan ni and I headed the other direction. “I know this isn’t the time and place, but Minji, I want to ask Mels to marry me on her birthday.” He gave a smile. Despite the situation, I grinned from ear to ear.

“Don’t tell me you knocked my godmother up.” I raised an eyebrow and for once Ethan blushed. “Ani!” he whispered furiously. “I just want her to be mine. Just mine.” He said pulling something out from his pocket and opened it. There was ring nestled in the velvet. The band itself was a simple silver. But the centerpiece was made of a diamond, an emerald and an aquamarine stone. “It’s beautiful.” Pan ni said softly. I smiled. “All of her favorite stones. Good call in making the diamond the biggest.” I nudged him.

He chuckled. “Anything for her.” And he put away the ring. “Well let’s get down to business. You and that other guy are here to save his teammates?” and I nodded. “We can’t let them die here.” I shot a look at Pan ni but her face was impassive and reserved.

We moved quietly through the hallways until we reached a series of doors. There were three. “.” I heard Ethan curse. “The longer we are here, the more I know this is an ambush.” He said and my jaw clenched. We really could not afford splitting up but that was the only way to cover more ground.

“We have to make a decision.” I said. Ethan looked at us. “You two stay together and take the door on the far right. I’ll take the middle. Try to stay in contact.” He looked at Pan ni. “Ne.” she replied nodding her head to her mentor.

We descended down the dim staircase. I heard Pan ni sigh softly. “I hope he’s okay.” And I touched her shoulder. “She won’t do anything to them. Not when she hasn’t gotten me.” And her eyes jerked up to look at me. “What?”

“It’s a long story. But the guys should be okay.” I said. “You said Belle was taken too?” Pan ni asked. “Yeah.” I said squinting, trying to see ahead.

“I hope she kills her.” Pan ni grumbled and I rolled my eyes. “Shhh.” I said and we got to the bottom and opened the door. “I remember coming here with Ethan once. This is the room before the training arena.” She said and I gestured. “Lead the way?” and she nodded, face turning serious. It was just then when one of the doors burst open and gunshots started ringing out. Pan ni and I dropped to the floor at once and I shot out at the attacker. I got him in the leg, from my position. He grunted but he kept shooting, moving his gun in a large arc.

“.” I heard Pan ni curse and then she fired off her own shots and the guy went down choking on his own blood. She shot him in the trachea. I got up and went to check on her. Two bullets graze her shoulder and now she was bleeding. I took off my sweater and tore it into strips to help wrap her up.

She winced when I tightened the bandages. “We have to keep moving.” I said. “If he doesn’t report back then they’ll just send more.” My guess was right because we heard voices and Pan ni pointed to another door and we took it.

We soon came to the training arena. Now I knew why Pan ni called it that. It was huge. “Ethan said they used this to only sometimes train assassins. Mostly it was the guards. We needed a lot of one on one attention.” Pan ni said looking around. We saw two figures on the other side of the gym. “It’s Mels and Sunggyu.” I said and scanned the area before starting to move towards them.

Then someone burst through the door. It was Ethan. “Minji, Pan ni, down!” he growled and we didn't need to be told twice as Ethan shot behind us. Two guys who were holding guns were almost coming out of the doorway we had just come from. , how did I miss that?

“I think they are in the isolation room.” Ethan said coming to us. Melina and Sunggyu started to come over to us. At least I knew Mels didn’t kill him out of spite. He looked fine. I scolded myself for caring. I shook my head to clear it and looked up at Ethan. “It’s actually really well hidden. But Mels know were it is, we used to through the trainee guards in there when they got into fights or got too aggressive.”

“I’ll cover your back. Head towards that corner, the entrance looks like it's a part of the wall but it's a special kind of glass. You can only see inside if you are standing directly in front of it.” Ethan said as he cautiously moved forward.

“Mels.” I breathed when the got within hearing distance. Ethan gave her a quick kiss. “Mel, I think they are in the isolation room. Show them, I got the rear.” He said and she smiled briefly at him before nodding. “You walk first.” She said to Sunggyu, her voice a little less malicious then before.

“ You okay?” I whispered to him when I walked next to him. “Fine. You’re godmother is a very…interesting person.” He said with a hint of a smile. I rolled my eyes. “She’s more than capable of kicking your Sunggyu.” I said and he smiled a little more. “I don’t doubt that.”

“It’s right here.” Mels said when we got to the room and she pressed a button to reveal a keypad.

“Dongwoo!” Pan ni said going in as soon as the door was open. Woohyun and Dongwoo were both tied up and unconscious. Sunggyu went in next to see s. “Woohyun.” I whispered glad to see that the boy was unharmed except for maybe a few bruises.

Mels tapped my shoulder and was about to say something when the loud speaker crackled. “Welcome to my compound.” A female voice said. And then a single shot rang out. Everything after that happened too fast. Ethan who was a few hundred feet from us, went down.

“Ethan!” Melina screamed. “Mels! No!” I tried to grab her arm when she started moving but she twisted around and grabbed my arm instead and shoved me in to the room and slammed her hand on the keypad closing the door on me. I slammed my fists against the glass. “No! Open this door right now!” I growled. Melina didn’t pay me any attention and she ran towards Ethan. I watched side eyed through the glass. “No, come back Mels. No. Don’t be out there.” I found myself saying it out loud to myself.

“Ethan!” Pan ni joined me by the door and slammed her fist against it. “What the happened?!” she said growling at me. “It was a sniper shot. Noone was with us in the arena. That set up a sniper!” I said my eyes never leaving the glass.

Melina was checking to see where Ethan was shot. I couldn’t tell if he was unconscious or…dead.

“Assassin business is dangerous, life and death is just one second apart.” Melina said to me once when I was little, and she was training me. I always understand what she meant but it wasn’t until this moment that wished that it wasn’t one second part, it was an eternity apart.

I saw Melina’s face and there was tear streaks down her cheeks. Pan ni started crying too. “No! No! He’s not dead!” she screamed. Someone grabbed her from behind. It was Dongwoo. Sunggyu must’ve untied him and woke him up. “Pan ni, calm down.” He said to her. But she wasn’t listening. “ing let go of me!” she screamed struggling against him. For a guy who was kidnapped and probably low on energy he was holding tightly onto her.

“Come back Mels. Come back.” I found myself saying out loud. I could practically hear the thumping of my heartbeat in my ears. Melina swung Ethan’s arm around her shoulders and lifted him up. was moving but I couldn’t hear what she was saying.

Then I heard another gunshot. Melina’s leg was hit, and her right leg buckled and they both fell forward. “NO!!!” I screamed and slammed my fists against the door harder. My eyes frantically searched to find the keypad that was sure to be on this side but I wasn’t seeing anything, my vision was getting blurry from tears that welled there. I didn’t even know when that happened.

Pan ni was crying now too. Tears ran down her cheeks. “I need to get out there!” she growled trying to drive her elbow into Dongwoo’s side but he held her arms immobile.

“You can’t Pan ni, you can’t.” he said to her but she just screamed again.

Then I saw her. Choi Son Mi. She walked like she owned the world and was in control of everything. She had a mic clipped to the collar of her black vneck. She was wearing an completely black ensemble as she raised her gun walking towards my godmother who was trying to stand up. Mels must’ve sense the presence and turned around with her gun at ready to face her. But another shot rang out and this time I saw the shooter Belle. She threw her sniper rifle aside and had shot Mel’s hand with a handgun. “That ing !” Pan ni growled. “I’m going to murder her. I’m going to make sure there’s not enough of her to ID the body!” she said trying to get away from Dongwoo.

“I should’ve known.” I said softly. “I should’ve known Belle was a crazy double crossing .”

Belle hadn’t just shot at Mels to disarm her, she shot her hand and blood ran down my godmothers arm.

“Pan ni! How the do we get out of here?!” I yelled at her and she shook her head in pain. “I don’t know!” she said. “I don't know!”

“Minji, I knew you’d come.” Son Mi spoke, a malicious smile on her face. “My of an older sister wouldn’t let her assets get taken like that without taking action.”

“Belle here was really a great help. So was her mentor Claire.” The more she spoke the more my blood boiled.

“You see, you obviously walked into my trap, and I don’t intend for all of you to leave in one piece. I considered killing those two idiots in the room with you, but what good would that have done? Shadow knows I exist too, you know. Melina here shouldn’t actually be surprised. It wasn’t a matter of whether or not I would strike back, it was just when.” She paused when she got to Melina and her leg moved in a blur and kicked my godmother on the side.

“Belle told me you and Pan ni don’t break. You were tortured and you didn’t break. But I watched and researched. I know what will break you two.” She said and my eyes widened. “If you ing lay another hand on her, I’ll murder you!” I screamed slamming my fist against the door. My knuckles were bleeding but I didn't care.

I don’t know how Mels got up but she got up in a smooth motion and threw a roundhouse kick at Son Mi. But being injured slowed my godmother down. Son Mi grabbed her leg and twisted, slamming Mels into the ground and she brought her leg up and straight down on Mel’s stomach. “No!” I screamed as Mel coughed blood.

“Belle, help me.” She said and Belle moved to bring Ethan to his knees. I saw that Ethan was hit close to his heart. His shirt was completely soaked in blood, but I saw his eyes open slightly. I have never felt so sick in my entire life. Son mi grabbed Mels and brought her to the same position.

After a second I realized it was the execution position. Mel tried to move and Son Mi kicked her leg wound making my godmother cry out in pain.

“What will Celestia and Shadow do without their best assassins? I don’t know, but I’m very interested to find out.” She smiled. Ethan tried to move towards Mels but then a shot rang out. Belle had fired her gun right into his back.

Pan ni screamed louder than ever before. “Let go of me! Ethan! Ethan!!” she said crying.

“Belle, tsk tsk. I didn’t want you to do it that soon but I guess we can take our time on her.” Her eyes went to Mels. “Mels tell me the code! Let me out! I can help!” I screamed hoping my godmotheri would come to her senses. Tears was streaming down her cheeks. Ethan just died in front of her. She was probably killing herself inside. She shook her head knowing I would see.

“Mels! Please!” I pleaded sinking to my knees. “Minji, I hope you’re watching.” Son mi smiled. And she pointed her gun at Melina’s back. “It doesn’t look like she wants to live on anyway.” And fired. That's when I heard the most blood curling scream I’ve ever heard in my entire life. “Minji!” It wasn’t until Sunggyu yelled my name, I realized I  was the one that screamed. I started shooting at the glass door, trying to get out. “Stop Minji! The bullets are bouncing off!” Sunggyu grabbed me from behind but I struggled against him. “I’m going to ing kill her! I’m going to kill her!” I screamed, my vision completely gone now, from the tears.

I wasn’t the one that died but in that moment, I saw everything me and Mels had ever been through. The day she picked me up and gave me a warm meal. Laughing together. Drinking together. Having long talks together. Shopping together. Training together. Being mad at each other. Everything. I swear I felt my heart break. My mind was completely blank.

I didn’t understand.  I couldn’t understand what just happened. “She’s not dead! Melina’s not dead! We have to get her!” I screamed trying to stomp on Sunggyun’s instep so he would let me go. I would do anything to break out of this room.

“Well wasn’t I right Belle?” Son mi turned to her, like she didn't just murder my godmother.

“You were.” Belle scoffed. Suddenly someone dressed in guard clothes ran in from the side door. “What?!” Son mi barked.

He whispered in her ear. “. Shadow’s going to blast half of the north wing down to get in. “ She turned to the two bodies she just left.

“Well Minji, I have to take my leave. But I will be seeing you soon.” She smiled. “And just in case your godmother is as strong of a woman as she appears…” My eyes widened and I completely stiffened. She fired another shot off at my godmother. “ing !” I screamed. My whole body shook with sobs. “Mels!” Then suddenly a felt a sharp pain behind my neck and my world faded into darkness.

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I almost cried twice while writing. it was hard for me to decide this but this just came to me and I juggled around with a lot before I wrote. I really wanted to touch the emotions of my readers...Tell me what you think? :'[