The girl stirred and woke up, pushing Jeisa out of her thoughts. They watched the sun work to rise.

"I live a few blocks from here." said the girl.

Jeisa had known that this wasn't going to last, but she'd hoped for a few more minutes in the girl's presence, if only to bask in her beauty and intoxicating, sweet scent. This was the closest she'd come to being intimate with anyone – parked at a gorgeous lookout point, relaxed in her warm, cozy truck's cabin next to this stunning stranger, watching the yolk-yellow sun rise through the watery, cloudy skies of a brisk early autumn morning and colouring the blazing orange leaves that speckled the trees around them.

She wanted to feel cheated that not much more had happened between them, but Jeisa knew that this sweet moment would be indelibly etched into her memory forever.

"I'll drop you off at the main road." Jeisa finally said as she started the truck again. "You can keep the jacket to walk home."

"I don't really want to." said the girl.

"It's okay." Jeisa shrugged, turning to look behind as she reversed the truck. Kyle had offered to install a reverse camera for her and redo the truck's dashboard into a more modern look, but Jeisa liked her old, stick-shift truck and preferred to keep the original fittings. "I've got other jackets."

The girl caught Jeisa's eyes as she turned to face forward again, and Jeisa paused, her breath catching at that deep, poignant look.

"I meant walking home." The girl said.

*

Jeisa put the jacket that the girl had returned on the back of the slate grey couch in the girl's living room. One of the most luxurious, most comfortable looking couches Jeisa had ever seen. The jacket smelt just like the girl – deep, rich, earthy, spicy honey. Jeisa smiled at the thought of never laundering that jacket ever again, then went back to studying the living room.

Every piece of furniture in the condo apartment was excessively luxurious and eye-catching. From the matching grey rug under the gigantic grey couch, to the fancy modern rectangle of a coffee table with a shiny black glass top that stood between the couch and a massive HDTV screen that almost covered the wall that the couch faced. The living room was separated from a sizeable kitchen by a shiny white quartz topped island that held a sink and had an overhang with three black, stylish bar stools tucked under it.

The polished brown hardwood floor from the living room transformed into matt dark grey porcelain tile in the kitchen that matched the dark grey textured laminate surfaces of all cabinets and drawers. The chrome appliances, most of which were built into the walls, sparkled in the light from a few tiny, bright, LED spotlights that studded the ceiling. The light grey carpet partially covering the living room floor was impossibly soft beneath Jeisa's socked feet.

"So, assassin..." the girl started, having watched Jeisa take in the room.

"Jeisa."

"What?"

"That's my name."

"Oh. That's..." the girl said, pulling off her knee-high boots. "...different."

"My dad came up with it. He wanted me to have a name that no one else had and spent weeks trying to come up with one."

"Right," the girl drawled. She walked over to Jeisa, pulled her long ponytail to the front and turned around. "Do you mind?"

Jeisa gently held the blue dress' collar with one hand and slowly pulled the zip down, revelling at the glimpse of bare, olive toned skin down to the girl's lower back, where a barely-there, seamless g-string peeked just above the end of the zipper.

"Thank you," the girl said, turning back around to face Jeisa. "Well, Jeisa, I'm in the mood for some hot chocolate, but I really need a shower. There's a box of hot chocolate powder in the pantry, next to the fridge, and there should be some milk in the fridge. Serve us some?"

"Sure."

"Perfect," the girl smiled, picked up her boots and the golden gun, then turned to walk away. Jeisa couldn't have stopped herself from enjoying watching the girl leave the room even if she wanted to. Before she closed the bedroom door, the girl said, "I'll be out in a minute!"

Jeisa took a moment to calm herself down and remind herself that nothing was going to happen here. She walked to the kitchen and checked through the cupboards. She finally found the pantry, where there was a half full box of expensive cocoa powder, a jar of sugar, salt and pepper, a small bottle of olive oil, a can of coconut milk, a packet of curry sauce and a box of instant rice. Nothing else. The refrigerator was just as scant, with an almost empty bottle of milk and a can of whipped cream in the main space and a small jar of minced garlic and ginger in the door compartments. The dishes in the other cupboards were just as fancy as the rest of the apartment, perfectly laid out, looking like they'd never been touched. This kitchen was filled with some of the best stuff in the market, but none of it looked used.

In a drawer beneath the microwave, Jeisa found a collection of Halloween candy, filling the drawer to the brim. She smiled and grabbed some milk chocolate bars. She broke pieces of the chocolate bars into a ceramic bowl, placed that in the microwave, found a brand-new milk pan into which she emptied the little milk from the refrigerator and half the coconut milk from the pantry. Once the milk was warm, almost simmering, Jeisa took the pan off the fire, poured in the melted chocolate as well as a healthy amount of cocoa powder and sugar. She'd found a frothing wand in one of the cutlery drawers and she used that to bring everything together into a creamy, frothy, decadent drink that she poured into two large mugs. She topped them both with some whipped cream, skull shaped marshmallows and a dusting of cocoa powder.

"What is that delicious smell?" said the girl, walking into the living room in a large college sweatshirt that reached her knees, over a pair of black yoga pants with a slight flair around the ankles. Her hair was out of the ponytail and still damp, reaching past her hips. She'd swung most of it over her left shoulder. It looked good that way. Jeisa pushed one of the mugs across the kitchen island, towards the girl.

"Just a couple of marshmallows drowning in a coconut milk hot chocolate." said Jeisa, handing one of the mugs to the girl. As the girl hugged her mug, Jeisa grabbed her own mug and a spoon then walked to the couch, finding the remote and switching on the TV to a streaming service.

The girl joined her.

"Holy shit!" the girl cussed after taking a sip from her mug. "This is... how the f... there's barely anything in that kitchen, how did you... this is something that's only supposed to exist in a kitchen being filmed by a massive TV crew, in front of a panel of three pretentious judges."

Jeisa chuckled. "That's a little dramatic for a simple cup of hot cocoa."

"A simple cup of... you take that back!" the girl replied, taking another sip, and closing her eyes to theatrically savour the beverage. With her eyes still closed, she brought the mug close to her lips and whispered, "Don't you listen to her, divine nectar of the gods. She's just being mean."

Jeisa felt a warmth bloom inside her chest, and it had nothing to do with the mug of hot chocolate she'd just taken a sip from.

The girl sank into the couch against Jeisa. Jeisa scrolled through a list of recently added movies until she found one that she wouldn't mind watching and they watched as they sipped on their drinks. Jeisa loved how hot chocolate was like a warm fleece blanket wrapped around you, especially after spending time outside in the cold.

Jeisa stayed until the girl fell asleep beside her. She got up, gently lowering the girl's head to the sofa's arm before getting up and cleaning all the dishes she'd used. She then shrugged her jacket on and began to head back into the real world. Her hand brushed a piece of paper in her right jacket pocket, and she stopped just before opening the apartment door. She fished out that flyer she'd ripped off that streetlamp, looked at it for a while, and then carefully placed it on the kitchen island.

***

"You have three targets today. They're working together." her father said.

Jeisa looked at the pictures on the screen.

"That's more than we've done at the same time before," Jeisa commented. They usually focussed on taking out the head of a snake to destabilize their team. They didn't bother with the minions. If a new leader rose up, they took that one down as well. After a while, no one wanted to be the ill-fated king and the team of minions would slowly dissolve. "What did they do?"

"Weapons of Mass Destruction," her father said. "They're trying to get their hands on them. To control them."

"WMDs?" Jeisa scoffed. She'd toyed with the idea of telling her father that she'd sparked a couple of days before, but he seemed too keyed up today. Almost afraid. She'd never seen him embody anything close to fear. "Here? In Wraith Hamlet?"

"You, more than anyone else, knows that there's more to this town than meets the eye."

"Do you know where they are? The weapons?" she asked. She definitely couldn't tell him about the sparking now. And it wasn't just that he was afraid. It was also because she couldn't tell the story without leaving out the little detail of the girl she'd driven home, and she knew exactly what he'd say about her getting that close to anyone.

"They do. That's all that matters." He said. "It's why we have to stop them, by all means necessary."

"A warning first, like we agreed." Jeisa insisted.

Her father sighed. "Yes. A warning first. If they choose to leave, we back off. But if not..."

The words hang around them with a biting menace.

Jeisa grit her teeth.

"I can only reach the first two targets today," she finally said. "I'll find time for the last one later."

"Really? And why is that?" he was trying to hold back his anger, but it was simmering beneath the words with enough fervour to bleed into his tone.

"I'm going to be volunteering for the Forest Service and we're having our first meeting today." Jesia shrugged. "Maintaining campgrounds, trail clearing and upkeep, monitoring the wilderness... that kind of stuff. It's only for a few weeks."

"We've talked about this, Jeisa." He said, pointedly.

"Everything we do is to keep Wraith Hamlet safe," Jeisa replied, just as firmly. "There's more than one way to do that, beyond these assignments."

"You're an adult now, Jeisa," he said with a sigh and softened tone. Jeisa hated this more than the anger. "You're getting better at this and you're going to have to choose to give it your all if it's going to be of any use to those who call this town 'home'. You're going to need to choose what's more important to you. To prioritize. You can't have it all, Jeisa."

"I'll complete the tasks, dad," Jeisa said. "I promise."

*

Jeisa found it easier to slip into a house when the people were in because they weren't as vigilant, letting their guard down in the belief that no one would dare to. This early in the morning, she'd avoid the kitchen and any path to the main door, which was usually the only spaces most people focussed on before leaving for work or school.

But just as Jeisa was about to cross the foyer to reach the den, one of the more dangerous moves she was about to make, the front door flew open, missing her by an inch as she hid behind the door. A girl with short, flaming red hair came flying through the door and up the stairs.

"Hey guys! Makayla's dad says hi!" the girl called out as she raced up the stairs.

Jeisa's heartbeat skyrocketed as the door shut closed and she was still standing against the wall beside it. If the girl looked behind her or one of her parents walked into the foyer right now, she was fucked. And this wasn't just any house that she was breaking into. This target was the Wraith Hamlet Police Captain, and she wasn't someone you'd want to mess with unprepared. Jeisa wasn't here to kill anyone, just leave a warning. But if push came to shove...

"Good morning, Robyn," came the response from the kitchen. "Are you coming to have breakfast with us?"

"No time! I'm already late for school!" the redhead called out from her room upstairs.

"We don't get to see you at all these days, Ro." Called out a male voice, still staying in the kitchen.

"Don't be so dramatic, dad!" the girl yelled back. "I promise we'll hang out after school today! Want to watch a movie?"

"Caramel popcorn?"

"And Malteasers!"

"I'll get some on my way home."

Jeisa had used the commotion to quietly make her way to the den. Just like the grandma she'd confronted in the bowels of the Warehouse district, she had to remind herself that the bad guys didn't always look "bad". She quickly searched the room until she found it – a hidden safe. The lock was electronic. Jeisa had a small, digital scrambler that could unlock it, but she could already feel the tendrils snake their way out of her fingers.

She shouldn't.

She couldn't.

She wouldn't.

She did.

She touched her fingers to the safe's lock and felt the power pour into her. Intoxicating. Irresistible. Barely enough! She needed more! She'd bring this whole house down, sucking in all its power! Then she'd move through...

A blood curdling scream yanked Jeisa from her trance.

"Is the heater broken!" came a yell from the top of the staircase.

"It was working fine this morning." Her dad replied from the kitchen.

"Yeah? Well, I just got drenched in ice cold water!" came the response. "Please check on it, dad."

"I thought you were late for school. A cold shower will get you out of there in no time."

"Dad!"

"Alright. Alright. I'm going to check on it now."

Jeisa was finding it difficult to catch her breath. Her mind churned. Everything felt hazy, confused, discombobulated. She needed to get out of here! Pulling her focus back to the safe, she fetched a red origami dragon from the pockets of her black hoodie. In the safe was a relatively large, deep purple, velvet jewellery box, a stack of dollar bills, more than a dozen passports and a deck of cards. Jeisa took the deck of cards, turned it over and then studied a few of the cards. It was as ordinary as any other deck of cards. She pocketed it and placed the intricate, red origami dragon in its place in the safe, before she shut the tiny safe door and slinked out of the house.

*

Scaling the wall of the compound and jumping down 15 feet to the ground had Jeisa's adrenaline spiking. She waited for a few seconds. She had less than an hour before she would be running late. The compound was still, but from the recon photos, she knew they would come. Three dogs. Three crazily aggressive dogs, trained to tear into human flesh, and even consume it, without remorse. Jeisa was impatient. She was rushing. It upset her that her father would demand this of her, but she knew that in the end, it was her choice to comply. That it was her job to keep this town safe.

Still, she was going to be pissed off if she missed that first Forest Services volunteer meeting.

The dogs rushed at her. Jeisa held her ground. She could already feel the tiny fibres stretch from her fingertips. She wanted to say that she'd thought of other ways to deal with the canines but hadn't come up with a good idea. The truth was, she'd planned on doing this from the start, knowing that she shouldn't. All she had to do was touch each dog, preferably before they tore chunks off her for breakfast. The imminent danger made it even more exhilarating. The deadly dance with the guard dogs took far longer than she would have liked, but as she crouched before the three dogs afterwards, they grinned and thumped their tails at her, lowering their forelegs, begging her to play, like adorable overgrown puppies.

Jeisa did feel a twinge of guilt this time. She sighed when she looked at the lolling, drooling dogs. This was why she'd been forbidden by her father to stop practicing her technopathy. The brain was just another machine, with trillions of impulses and electrons whizzing by every second. When her father had discovered that the electrons of conventional technology weren't the only ones she could interrupt and manipulate, he'd stopped her from sparking.

Jeisa turned away from the dogs whose aggression she'd rewired. She only had a few more minutes to do this.

She walked into the kitchen calmly. From her research, she knew that no one would be awake to find her at this time. There was a heavy, rich aroma in the house thanks to all the expensive hardwood that covered the walls and floors of the home. The last two targets on her father's list were new to town and both had taken out short stay rentals. This man was a lover of everything exquisite and extreme, his proudest possession being his three vicious canine bodyguards. It made sense that he would find one of the most gorgeous rental properties in Wraith Hamlet to "lay low".

The kitchen of this mansion was unbelievably spectacular, even more so than the girl's apartment from a few nights ago. But here, everything looked well used, from the espresso machine in one of the counter corners to the bread maker on the opposite counter. She could make the girl all sorts of delicious treats in this homemaker's kitchen. Jeisa paused at the thought of the girl. Her and her long black hair, beautiful green eyes, honeycomb scent, that cheeky sass... Jeisa shook her head to clear it of the intoxicating thoughts. Not the time. Not the place. She walked over to the state-of-the-art chrome monstrosity that was the refrigerator.

Inside, she found a glass bottle of obnoxiously pretentious, free range, sunshine happy, the-cow-probably-had-an-adorable-name-and-would-eventually-retire-to a-gorgeous-sanctuary milk. She twisted the top off, took a swig and quietly moaned. Damn it. It actually tasted pretty good. Jeisa replaced the top and slid the bottle into the pocket of her hoodie. She fished out a detailed, red origami dragon and placed it at the spot that the glass milk bottle had been. The target would find it. He would know that he'd been marked by the Red Dragon. The Enforcer. Maybe he would be the one target to heed the warning and make the right choice. She could only hope.

Jeisa slunk away back to her other life, which promised a roomful of friendly, optimistic, compassionate Wraith Hamlet denizens, keen to preserve their town's green spaces. She couldn't wait to meet them all. Her father would never understand, but for Jeisa, knowing who she was protecting was more important than protecting them. It was the former that ignited and fuelled the latter. Always had been. Always would be.

*

"You're late." The girl said, as Jeisa walked towards the entrance of the community center.

Jeisa drank in the girl's presence like she'd been walking through the desert for days and had just found a tall, ice cold glass of water. The girl's obsidian hair held an enchanting glimmer in the sharp glow of the early morning sun. It was wound into a neat French braid that just brushed the waistband of her faded, close fitting, but not skinny tight, blue jeans, over which was a simple black sweater with sleeves that were long enough to slide adorably past the girl's wrists and onto her palms. Her bright green eyes had a playful glint in them as they met Jeisa's.

"You came." Jesia replied with a smile.

"I assumed the flyer was an invitation?" the girl said, her brows slightly furrowed.

"One that it would have made perfect sense to ignore."

"Well, I'll have you know that I'm a hardcore... environmental... person," the girl said. "Trees, rocks, hikes... and all that other good... funky... hippy... outdoorsy stuff? I'm a huge fan."

Jeisa raised a brow. "Really?"

"Really." the girl said, trying not to laugh. She nodded to the entrance of the community centre. "Shall we?"

Jeisa's smile widened. She followed the girl into the building.

There were a few dozen people in the room where the meeting would be held. Jeisa took a moment to look at the individuals making the crowd. A group of teenagers were in a corner, talking excitedly amongst themselves. An elderly man gingerly balanced two cups of coffee and some biscuits as he walked over to an elderly woman talking with a friend. The woman accepted one of the cups and a serving of biscuits then planted a sweet kiss on the man's lips and the three continued talking. Not too far from them was a young man talking to a boy. Jeisa knew him from the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, from this one time she'd volunteered to help them with an event. The little boy looked up at the young man with a sparkle in his eyes, taking everything being said like it was gospel truth.

Jeisa smiled.

Knowing who she was protecting would always be...

"I thought superheroes kept their identity secret." Said the girl now standing beside Jeisa, breaking through her thoughts.

Jeisa turned to her. The raven haired beauty had grabbed one of the Styrofoam cups and was pouring hot chocolate into it from a carafe that stood on a table filled with a variety of warm beverages and a few snacks, including some biscuits, cupcakes and doughnuts. She took a sip from the cup, scrunched her face then dumped the cup and its contents into the nearest trash can.

"I'm not a superhero." Jeisa finally said.

"Oh right. You're an assassin who makes kick ass hot chocolate." The girl turned and looked longingly at the carafe of hot chocolate. "You know you've ruined every other hot chocolate for me, right?"

Jeisa didn't mean to laugh. She really didn't. It caught her by surprise when the sound rolled gently out of her.

"I could still be trouble for you, assassin," a mischievous grin and a glint in those jade eyes had Jeisa's heart racing. "What makes you think you can trust me?"

"Says the girl who got into the truck of a stranger who'd called herself an assassin, led her to her apartment, let her make her hot chocolate and then fell asleep on said stranger's shoulder." Jeisa replied. A flash of sadness in the eyes of the girl caught Jeisa by surprise, but the girl recovered quickly.

"That was some wicked hot chocolate." the girl shrugged. "Even for a serial killer. Totally worth it."

"I'm not a serial killer." said Jeisa. She liked to think of herself as a soldier. Like an army sniper working for the country's defence force. Sure, they had a body count, but no one would accuse them of being a serial killer.

"That's exactly what a serial killer would say." said the girl smiling. She offered her hand. "I'm Cass, by the way. Short for Cassidy."

The girl finally had a name.

"Cass. Cute name. It suits you." said Jeisa, taking her hand.

Jeisa could have sworn that she felt a zing at the touch of their hands! Was this what it felt to crush hard? Was this what happened when someone finally realised that they were completely and irredeemably lost to all logic and reason thanks to their treacherous heart attaching itself like a barnacle to the one person they couldn't fall for? Nothing could happen between them. This was undoubtedly the making of a tragedy, not a romantic comedy. But before the crash and burn, there was the ride, and Jeisa was going to milk that ride for all its worth.

Cass took her hand back from the embarassingly long handshake, wrapped her arms around herself and slowly looked around. She rocked from one foot and took a deep breath. That darkness that had streaked through her earlier was now a dark cloak taking away her light.

Jeisa gently touched her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Cass said, smiling. It reached her eyes, transforming her, bringing her back into the light. She chuckled. "Just a little... out of my element. Not that you're a big fan of my element."

Jeisa grinned.

"Hey, I was just staking my claim," Jeisa said. "I saw you first. Plus, I had a nicer truck and smelt way better."

Cass laughed, more of the tension bleeding off her. Jeisa's breath hitched at the sound. She was firmly on that ride, driving straight for a four-foot-thick brick wall, no airbags, or seatbelts, but speeding along, nonetheless. No turning back.

"Don't worry, I got you. I'll be right here the whole time," Jeisa promised. "And I solemnly swear to continue ruining every single one of your favourite treats, whether it's hot chocolate, cupcakes, madeleines, croissants... you name it, I'll ruin it."

"Promise?" Cass laughed again.

"Promise." Jeisa replied. She nodded towards the main area. "Do you mind getting us some seats? I didn't have any breakfast and these doughnuts look only slightly tastier than cardboard. I'm going to find a vending machine."

"Sure."

Jeisa was high on having made Cass laugh, thinking how it was the only thing she wanted to do with her life from now on, and distracted enough to barely realise the tendrils flow, invading the vending machine. She had quarters. She could stop right now. But she didn't. Wouldn't dream of it. She couldn't wait for the buzz. This was getting dangerous. But this machine was connected to the mains power line, which would hit hard. Just this once. She'd let this be the last time. Besides, who actually bought vending machine food? It was a total con.

"You do know that vending machines are a total con." said Cass, startling Jeisa.

The nano-fibre tendrils quickly withdrew back into Jeisa's fingers. Simultaneously, an item from every single row dropped into the vending machine bin. Jeisa took a deep breath, trying not to show how flustered she was. The energy slowly drained out of her, her heart slowing down. She'd almost let it get too far. Again. She turned to Cass and tried to focus on the fine, defined features of her face. That didn't help with the fluster. She turned back to the machine and grabbed everything from the machine's bin.

"They're about to start the meeting. Figured I'd come find you." Cass said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Jeisa replied, horrified to hear the strain in her voice. She cleared her throat. "Yes. I'm good. Just... I'll be right there."

"Right..." Cass drawled. "Well, you look like you've just had a really good fu..."

"I'm OK. Really." Jeisa quickly cut her off.

Cass looked at her curiously for a second, chuckled, shook her head, then grabbed one of the chip packets in Jeisa's arms and walked to the hall they were being ushered into.

Jeisa cursed under her breath.

This wouldn't get out of hand.

She wouldn't let it.

She couldn't!