LEGEND OF DEATH'S ASSASSINS

CHAPTER 6

I had everything under control. I know I did. Should have kept it that way.

Nadi closed his eyes and let out another smoke. The smell of the tobacco made him relax. He could almost feel them massaging his emotions, burning away all the agony of yesteryears. His sorrows were all behind him. The guilt and the regrets. They were all behind him. They were his past. However bad his father would want to paint the picture. He would not give in to the whims of the old man. Never. He was sixteen and have his life in his hand. He was going to live it to the fullest. His father and mother could go to hell for all he cares. They have lived and enjoyed their own life. They should let him do the same, instead of buzzing in his ears like some grouchy insect.

His lips parted as a small smile appeared. He sucked another smoke and allowed the bitter taste to linger in his mouth before letting them out. The white smoke hovered around him for some time, before dwindling into a thin air, adding more stinks to the decaying air.

It’s so free. Nadi thought as he observed the smoke. A little part of him also wished he was privileged to enjoy such freedom as the smoke. It was just free, with nobody telling it what to do. If he had such freedom, he could bring home the vogue luxuries he had seen in the movies. He could show his people the new act of fishing.

Nadi’s smile broadens as he drank from the whisky. He was about to suck in another smoke when someone suddenly snatched the cigarette from his fingers and crushed them to nothing.

His heart skipped and his blood boiled as he flared up from his seat. He had lifted the bottle of whisky to smash them on the head of the offender, when his almond eyes fell on the chocolate skin. She was smiling back at him, and had engaged him into one of those staring competition of hers. He wanted to break away, but his eyes seemed to have developed minds of their own. He was a prisoner now. Yes, he was a prisoner, locked in the cell of her beautiful eyes. There was something alluring about the way she looked at him. A grace which sent a chill from the crown of his head to the soul of his feet, spreading through every bone in his body. Her presence was one he would never get used to. However hard he tried, the air about her was always anew. He wished she could tell him how she was doing it.

“You win,” Nadi said and finally looked away.

“Yes,” Bella jumped, “Always the champion.”

“Don’t let it get into your head,” Nadi gulped from the bottle before dragging the seat closer to the table, “I let you win, like always.”

“Let me?” Bella giggled and took the empty seat beside Nadi, “How about the last five times I have won?”

“I always grow tired of looking into those brown eyes of yours.” It was a lie and he knew it. Bella knew it also but did not point that out.

Nadi chuckled but that was because Bella was laughing. The sound of her voice was magical. She was…so simple and fragile, part of the reason why he loved her so much. The innocence that surrounded her also made him wish he was everything their parents wanted him to be. It made him wish his father would look into his eyes one day and tell him how proud he was to have him as a son. But that was a dream that would never come through, as long as there are fishes in the river. While Nadi was the unwanted spark, Bella was gorgeous. Those bright almond eyes were not the only beautiful thing about his sister. As their mother, she was hardworking and strong. Obedient to the core and a great cook. He could almost see their mother in her.

“But I won anyway,” Bella looked away from him, towards the girl who was sweeping. The girl, who was almost the same height as Bella, was staring in their direction with an eagle’s eye. Nadi could not say for sure what had transpired between the two, but he was careful not to get tangled with girl’s issues. He had made that mistake once.

“Why are you here?” Nadi asked and gulped the whisky, tossing the empty bottle to the side. That question was on purpose, a way to get the girl talking. He loved the sound of her voice and how she normally purses those lips of hers when she was confused.

Bella had returned her gaze to him now, and the seriousness in her eyes made him shift his weight on the chair. Knowing his sister, she was going to give him a lecture. And a very long one.

“Return home, Nadi. Mother Is worried about you. Father too, I guess.” She shrugged, “I am worried about you. Please return home.”

Nadi rolled his eyes. He had guessed correctly. Arguing with Bella would do no good too. All he had to do was stall and avoid her questions. That was the only way to avoid being wrapped by her lessons. If Bella had her way, she could even drag him home by the ear.

“You shouldn’t have come here,”

“Huh?” Bella frowned, “I get it now.”

“What?”

“The reason why you like coming here,”

“And why is that?”

“Because you think nobody would bother you here. Nobody in their right senses will ever think of coming here to look for you.” Bella said, drumming on the wooden table with her first finger.

“Anyone in their right senses? Are you trying to say that you are insane—” Nadi’s brow elevated with amusement.

“No.” The girl shook her head, “I mean, for fear of being labeled evil. Most people in the village avoid coming here. Even if they have any dealings with the brothel, they do so secretly. That’s why you like coming here. It’s not because of the girls or the drink. This is your hiding place.”

“Humph, I wonder if that’s true.”

“It is, Nadi. Admit it. This is your hiding place. You are not lost after all. You are just hiding, waiting for someone to come whispering the good words to you. Anyway, that’s why I am here. To lend you a helping hand.”

“You sound a lot like mother,” Nadi clenched his fist. For some moment, he thought the whisky was still in his hands, but he signed when he saw the bottle lying on the floor, just next to the wall where he had tossed it.

“I am not her.” Bella smiled.

“What?” Nadi asked. He couldn’t see what was making the girl happy.

“Nothing, just glad that my brother is still inside there.”

“Stop giving yourself false hopes. I might disappoint you. That’s who I am. This is who I am. A lost child.”

“A lost child,” Bella repeated as though the words were sweet in her mouth. “I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“And what makes you think I am making this up”

“Never said so.”

“I don’t need anyone to tell me what to do,” Nadi said and slammed his hands on the table.

The force was too great that the edge of the table cracked but did not fall off. Nadi could feel a sharp pain that shot from his fist to every part of his body, but he didn’t care. The pain was welcomed. He was becoming familiar with pain these days.

“Keep your voice down,” Bella whispered as she looked over her shoulders, towards the girl who had stopped sweeping now and was looking at them.

Nadi breathed in. His heart was racing and the emotions and everything his father had ever told him, came rushing in. It was just too much. Every time he thought he had his plans, it always crumbles. However hard he had tried to please his parents. They seem not to get the point. They just wanted him to blend with the rest of the village. To do the things they do. Talk like them, eat like them, laugh like them and fish like them. It was just so hard to do things differently.

“I am not here to tell you how to live your life,” Bella said and took his hands. “I just want my brother back. I only want you to come home. Let’s go back to being us. We’ve always survived this together. And we will continue to survive it no matter what happens. Come home Nadi. I really—”

“By the heavens,” Nadi jerked his hands backwards. He could have fallen off his chair if he hadn’t used his other hand to support himself. The surprise in Bella’s face also made him realize that she had not seen it either.

“Is everything alright dear?” The girl cleaning the hall asked. The dubious gaze she wore was almost like a sword, and they were directed to Bella, especially.

“Why not focus on your sweeping and let us b,” Bella replied harshly.

The girl grunted something about amateur before picking up the bucket and disappearing to the other side of the hall.

“Sorry,” Nadi said and shifted his seat. The pain in his wrist. He must have broken his wrist when he had slammed the table initially. But now, he was not so sure. It was a miracle. The pain was all gone. Out of the bloom, the pain had just disappeared when Bella had taken his hands.

“Are you alright?” Bella asked

“I think so,” Nadi nodded, not actually knowing how to explain.

“You think so?” Bella bit her lower lips, “You are scaring me. What’s wrong. Did I say something bad or evil?”

“No, no, Bel” Nadi held her, “I am fine.”

“Liar. Why then are you acting as if you’ve seen a ghost?”

A small silence pass for a time. Before Nadi said.

“Bel, can you tell me what happened while I was gone.”

Bella seemed to struggle with that for a while.

“I don’t understand,” She said.

“Okay” Nadi squeeze her hands gently, “Can you tell me what happened two days ago when I died?”