Read Rise for Free Online

talk to you, you didn’t talk back. And, I think I remember you pinning me to the ground.” Victoria tapped her foot on the ground impatiently. “But, I suppose you can get on with it. I would like to know what you’re doing in my sanctuary, darting about behind trees.”
    “ Your sanctuary? The boy asked. “This is for everyone. I come here all the time.”
    “ You couldn’t possibly come here all the time, since I’m here all the time. Unless you’ve been watching me.”
    “ Maybe I have been.” The boy crossed his arms.
    “ Well, that’s uh…bizarre.” Victoria was at a loss for words. She wasn’t quite sure how to respond to the revelation that she had a stalker.
    Almost as if he had read her mind, the boy blurted out “I’m not a stalker. If you’d just let me talk to you, I’ll explain.” Victoria said nothing, and the boy continued on hesitantly.
    “ I’m part of the other brotherhood.” He stopped, and waited for Victoria to understand what he was referring to. When her face remained impassive, he sighed, and continued on. “You know, the other brotherhood. The ones with daggers”, he said, while fingering the edge of his own dagger. Realization dawned on Victoria. “Oh, I see. So you WERE sent here to kill me.” “Something like that.” The boy shrugged his shoulders. “You’re actually sort of my test target, really. I was supposed to watch you, learn about you, get to know you, all from afar.” Victoria’s mouth dropped open, and she suddenly felt very, very exposed. “It’s what all good assassins do.” The edges of the boy’s mouth quirked up into a smile, and against her will Victoria felt herself soften ever so slightly, even if what he was telling her was more than troubling. He knew his stuff, she would give him that.
    “ So, what now? You kill me?” Victoria asked, despite her nervousness. Although it would be nice to throw her dagger at something other than her wall, she wasn’t anxious to die just yet. Throwing her dagger first would only speed up her death, it seemed. The boy seemed to be more experienced than her, and if she had to die, she would want it to be a fair fight.
    “ No, I just leave. Mission accomplished. My name’s Roman, by the way." And with that, he walked away, soon disappearing into the darkness of the surrounding forest.
    With his absence, the little clearing seemed just a tad bit too quiet. The gurgling stream was too loud, and her favorite place to sit, seemed tainted. Victoria shook her head, and began to make her way back to the convent. It would soon be time for dinner, and then, for her first night as a true sister. But, the anticipation from earlier in the day had faded, and all she could think about was Roman, and how he said he’d known her, simply by watching.
    IV.
    Victoria burst through the clearing, to find the nuns finishing up the daily activities. Grace was folding up the cots, Sister Katherine was pouring out the soiled water from the wash bins, and for once, Raela was actually doing her job, and collecting the slop bowls. Victoria returned to the slop station and began to collect bowls as well. “You’re back. Look who took a long walk in the forest. How was it? I bet you met a guy.” Victoria collected more bowls, stacking them high until she couldn’t see Raela’s face. “Nope, just relaxing.”
    She wobbled over to the mess table to collect more bowls, and to her dismay, Raela followed. “Hope you got enough rest then, tonight’s going to be a fun one. Initiation, you know.” Victoria put her bowls down, and put her hand on her hips. “Nice try, Raela, but I was already initiated.” Raela’s eyes darkened with barely contained laughter with a hint of something Victoria couldn’t place. “No, silly. The real initiation. You’ve got to prove yourself you know. We’ve got to see if you’re going to get yourself killed. So, it’s do or die tonight. No pun intended.” Raela skipped off towards the kitchen