Hours later, sweating from the heat in spite of the cooling night, I squatted on a hill by an ivory palace.

At least, that's what it seemed like to me. A glowing behemoth of marble, glass, and delicately placed water fountains. I knew the place was new: the owner had only just arrived from outside the city. It glowed in the night as if it were simply an extension of the moon and stars.

I would have envied it if I didn't know the guilt that would come with owning such a thing.

But these people didn't care about guilt. They were so obsessed with their wealth and reputation that small things like that remained irrelevant.

I peeked out from behind the bush I was using as a shield. My bow was in hand, the arrow lethal and ready to be released.

Stacy Sardon was due home very soon.

From my knowledge, she'd left New Athens a few hours ago, just as the sun was getting high. New Athens was quite the drive, and my timing was usually accurate.

Any second now....

I heard the rev of an engine and backed away from the edge of the plant. It could easily be some other wealthy houseowner from the area, but...that sounded expensive. Whatever it was. It was definitely not just any car.

It was expensive even for the wealthiest.

A car that only a senator could afford.

My suspicions were confirmed the second I looked again towards the house. A sleek white limousine slid into the garage, tinted windows hiding whoever was inside.

Go time.

I jumped out from behind the bush and slid down the grassy hill. I'd already decided upon my perch during the time it took the senator to arrive.

There was a row of marble pillars bordering the house's outdoor infinity pool. It was a bit risky of a position – there was no wall separating the pool from the inside of the house with its lavish living room of white leather and marble counters. Instead, the border between inside and outside was defined by a shimmering sheet of water, carefully created to seem like glass.

The good news was the lack of alarms. I'd also learned early on that Sardon was having someone plant those tomorrow. Apparently, she had very specific ideas of what she was looking for.

Plus, the rich weren't worried about that sort of thing. They were on an overlook of the city. They assumed nobody would be dumb enough to come up all this way. And it wasn't like there was anything they couldn't just buy again if stolen.

I held my breath as I heard voices leaking out into the night air. My body wasn't visible. I knew that. I'd done this enough to know how to keep unseen.

"The morning after tomorrow. Eight A.M. sharp. I don't give out second chances for being late...," ordered a strict, high-pitched voice. Stacy Sardon. The soon-to-be Antheian senator and helper of everything I despised.

28 years old. No family. No friends really either. Born and raised in New Athens but grew up wishing to move elsewhere and continue her work. Pushed for The Winnowing on multiple accounts. Will be confirmed a day from now.

Never voted in. Never chosen by anyone but the already existing senators. Despite caring so much about democracy, the voices of the people were rarely heard. Senators were usually confirmed by a majority vote of the existing government. I don't remember exactly when it started happening. I don't remember the last time there'd genuinely been a free and far election. It was just how things were – the wealthy senators assumed that since they'd been elected by the people at some point, it was in their jurisdiction to elect others for the people. I'd heard rumors that the rich still voted from time to time, but the ballots never reached the poorer sectors of the City of Marble.

The information I had on the senator wasn't as much as I usually preferred...but it'd have to do. I'd only learned of her arrival a week ago, and I'd spent that time trying to pry what I could from merchants in the streets and servants who worked in the Mantel.

"Unbelievable...I spend so much...," Stacy muttered. I couldn't see her, but I imagined she was pacing about, placing things about. It didn't sound like anyone was with her. Her guards were likely preoccupied getting things out of the limousine.

And from what I'd seen on her immediate arrival, there'd only been a few in this original car. I assumed more were coming with the rest of her stuff. Which meant I had to work fast.

Fortunately, what I had to do didn't take very long.

The first time I'd gone through this...it'd been difficult. It'd been nearly unbearable. Taking a life wasn't something done without reason or feelings of guilt.

But then I reminded myself who I'd eliminated. A man who'd manipulated the system into allowing him to free his friends and other criminals from prison for sexual assault, murder, and a myriad of other crimes. Convicts who'd gone out and committed more felonies, not caring who they hurt.

And of course, all the convicts had been wealthy as hell. How else could they have afforded his services?

And by killing him, I'd saved someone in the poor sector. I wasn't sure who it'd been exactly, but I knew that it'd been worthwhile. If I could get rid of one person poisoning society to save another trying to survive, I would do it. I would do it again and again. A life for a life. A dark heart for one that was pure.

And Sardon, whilst not being an easily bribed jerk, still supported the killing and the deaths of millions. That was enough to make her my target.

I stared out towards the forest beyond the house. A black basin filled with shadows of trees and shrubs. I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath.

And I turned my mind off.

Turned every little knob, every switch. Stopped feeling. Stopped thinking.

I was no person. No human being. Nobody.

Only justice.

I blinked, turned. Aimed my arrow. Found my target.

Behind the glassy waterfall, she leaned against the mansion's bar, a glass of wine in hand. Short blonde hair, blue eyes, and bright red lipstick. Immaculately dressed in a sleet gray suit, black high heels still on.

Pulled back the arrow. Checked my aim.

Released.

Thud.

A crack of glass shattering across the floor.

Hid.

And stayed hidden.

The shattered glass acted like a beacon, calling the guards towards the open living room. I glanced back out from behind the pillar.

The first one didn't even get the chance to shout. An arrow was impaled in his throat the second he stepped foot into the room.

Honestly, the room's design was quite convenient. Made it a lot easier for me to take them out.

Two more came in and this time, one of them was able to call out to the last before being cut off.

One more, from my count. Only one more to go.

The last guard was a bit more cautious coming in. He remained ducked behind the bar, trying to look out into the darkness and decipher what was out there.

Bang. Bang, bang.

He was carelessly shooting into the darkness now. One shot nearly got lucky. The stone pillar next to me, began tipping, before re-straightening itself, a small bullet hole at its edge.

I jumped out from my hiding spot and only needed to shoot a single arrow.

Done.

I'd stopped feeling guilty about the guards a while back. I'd stopped feeling anything at all.

I was alone.

I made my way around the pool and walked through the wall of water. It wasn't thick enough to soak me, but I still felt drops of it trail down my neck and cool my heated skin.

My knees hit the ground next to Sardon as I laid my fingers against her neck. Dead. One hundred percent dead.

Perfect.

And I smiled. I smiled in a way that hurt, in a way that made my face feel like a foreign painting. I smiled at the life I'd saved. At the scum that'd left this Earth.

"Don't move."

I stopped smiling.