Remember, Evangeline Hart [best color ebook reader .txt] 📗

regular board games. The game room took up almost half of the entire basement.

                But Nina didn’t really care for the games. Her favorite part of the basement—and the entire house—was the gigantic library that was the other half of the basement. It was brightly lit and the walls were soundproof. There must have been thousands of books in there. From non-fiction to fantasy, from romance to action, from classics to moderns, every genre was covered. Every few rows of shelves, there was an armchair at the end for anyone who wanted to sit and read, and a few tables lined the very back wall.

                “This is all decoration,” Emma said, gesturing to the library. “No one in the family besides Dad actually reads, and he’s always up in his office.”

                Nina didn’t reply. There was no point, and Nina rarely said anything without a reason. Experience had taught her to keep her opinions to herself and to keep her mouth shut.

                Once Nina was done ogling at the library, they went back upstairs. Thomas had already dropped her bags off in her new room and was now presumably in his office. Brenda was helping to cook dinner with Lola. And Josh was probably in his room, but Nina didn’t really care. He reminded her of all the people Nina hated back at home.

                “Oh, Nina!” Brenda said when she caught sight of Nina. She wiped her hands on a dish towel and walked towards her. “I wanted to talk to you about school.”

                Emma groaned, rolling her eyes. “And this is where I leave,” she said and rushed upstairs.

                Brenda and Nina sat down in the living room. “So,” Brenda began, “I enrolled you in Alamande High. The school year started a couple of weeks ago, so you’ll have quite a bit of catching up to do. But based on your school reports, I’m sure you won’t have any trouble at all adjusting.”

                “Where is the school?” Nina asked. “Like, how far away is it?”

                “It’s only about a mile or so away,” Brenda replied. “But don’t worry about that. You’ll be riding with Josh and Emma. I’ve told Josh to help you around if you get lost.”

                “Okay.” Nina didn’t bother telling Brenda that it was never going to happen. Josh definitely didn’t like her, and Nina wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to ditch her.

                “You’ll begin on Monday, if that’s okay,” Brenda continued. “Tomorrow, we’ll go shopping for anything you might need.”

                Nina nodded. “Thanks.” She wasn’t really looking forward to school, but she wasn’t going to complain. Life back in New Jersey had been hell for her, and she was thankful to be away from there. And it wasn’t like she had any friends whom she was going to miss. Her one friend was . . . a special circumstance, and she rarely saw him anyways. They usually just texted or called each other if they wanted to talk, but their relationship bordered almost on boss and employee.

                Actually, that was exactly what their relationship was. She was his employee. But they had met under different circumstances, and so Nina allowed herself to call him her only friend.

                “Great!” Brenda stood up. “Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes. In the meantime, just do whatever you like.” She left and Nina heard her enter the kitchen.

                Nina went upstairs to her room. Her bags were sitting neatly by the bed. She went over to them and began to unpack. She had so few things that she was completely unpacked in ten minutes. Just a few minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Brenda stuck her head in.

                “Dinner’s ready,” she said.

                Nina followed her downstairs to have dinner with her new family.

                This should be interesting, she thought.

 

The next day, Nina woke up before everyone else. As per her usual routine, she was up at the crack of dawn. Changing into a tank top and running shorts, she quietly left the house and began running.

                Nina didn’t like not knowing things. That included not knowing the layout of her new home, so she decided to explore a bit. She ran through the streets, weaving in and out, getting a layout of the town. As the sun rose higher in the sky, she reached the beach. It was still early, so the beach was deserted. Nina took off her shoes and walked down the beach, enjoying the peace and quiet after the hectic day before. Brenda and Emma were nice—there was no denying that—but they were a bit too bubbly for Nina’s taste.

                There was a small grove of trees at the end of the beach. Nina’s sharp eyes immediately sought out a well-concealed path amidst the trees. She put her sneakers back on and headed down the path, weaving among the trees until she reached the end.

                The trees ended suddenly, giving way to a grassy hill. Nina headed up the hill and realized that it wasn’t just a hill; it was a cliff. She walked to the edge, looking down at the water. A few jagged rocks jutted out of the water. Other than that, the ocean was calm and undisturbed save for the gentle lapping of waves against the base of the cliffs.

                Nina smiled—one of her rare genuine smiles. It was beautiful out here. The hidden path, in addition to the time and trouble it took to get here, ensured that few, if any, people came up here on the cliff. It was far enough away from the beach that, unless there was a party, Nina doubted she would hear anything except for the waves and the wind.

                Nina would have liked to stay out on the cliff a bit longer, but the brightening sky told her she had to get back to the Suttons’ house. They would undoubtedly be waking up soon and she didn’t want to give them a cause to worry about her.

                Reluctantly, she turned and jogged down the cliff and back to the beach. The town was just starting to wake up. Nina passed several people also out jogging as she made her way back to the Suttons’ house. Averting her gaze, she made sure not to make eye contact with any of them. She wasn’t yet sure who she would be in this new town. Would she be the shy reclusive nerd that she was considered at her old school? Or would she be the best of the best like she was at her job?

                Nina knew immediately that the second choice was off-limits to her. Even though she had moved, she still retained her position as one of the top assassins at Nightwalker Professionals. Letting anyone know about her skills was a definite no. Maybe she didn’t have to be the loser she had been back in New Jersey, but she couldn’t let anyone know who she really was—not if she ever wanted to return to NWP. Nina already planned on moving back to New Jersey once she turned eighteen. Her best bet at the moment was to stick to the shadows and remain as inconspicuous as possible.

                That, she could do. Nina was good at being invisible. Years of experience had made her a master at blending in.

                Once that was decided, Nina felt a lot better about everything. Her birthday was in June—eight months away—so after graduating, she would move back to New Jersey for the summer before leaving for college in the fall. She would get her bachelor’s degree in computer science and then return to work for Nightwalker Professionals. Nina already had her entire future mapped out. All she needed to do now was apply to a few colleges and wait until graduation to leave this town.

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Text: Evangeline Hart
Publication Date: 10-26-2014

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