𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫:

𝟕 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞

𝓚𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓮

The last three days have been normal. On Thursday and Friday, I only have two classes. Now, it was Sunday. The day I'm going out shopping with my sisters. We would have gone yesterday but we chose to stay in and study instead. Deciding to wake up at 9 am, I sat up in bed and took my phone off the bedside table. Sophia texted me. 

TEXT

𝗚𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗹:

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗞𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶💗 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆. 𝗪𝗲'𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝘁.

𝗠𝗲:

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗔𝗹𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 :)

The excitement I had for today died when I realised that tonight was the night. I have to complete the task my father gave me. But, this was normal for me. For the rest of the day, I'll just focus on my time with my sisters. I'll be sure to get it done before returning here. Placing my phone back on the bedside table, I did my usual morning routine before stepping into the shower.

My mind was blank as the cold water droplets traced every part of my skin. I was ice-cold. A beating heart but dead. There were times I wondered, will my life always be like this? I love that my life wasn't normal, but there really was something missing. It's either I knew what it was or refuse to believe it.

My sisters know that my father assigned me a task, but didn't know it was tonight. I'll tell them later. Growing up, the three of us told each other everything. But starting last year, I told them to not trust anyone including one another. At least, not fully. The three of us even kept secrets from each other. Lastly, I told them to never trust me. Even I don't trust myself. I can't.

Stepping out of the shower, I dried myself with a towel before wearing my towel robe. While blow-drying my hair, I couldn't help but overthink. Is this the life I'm trapped in? What is it I want? Am I happy? How ungrateful of me to think so. I have the perfect family and sisters, who loved me very much. This is my life. This is my life. I have a life. But am I living at all? 

❇❇❇

Kristine's Outfit

Clipping my hair back with a pin, I decided to do my eye makeup first. Maybe a neutral daytime smokey look will be good. Using my new unreleased ANGELIX palette, which only had dark shades, I picked a black shade. I made it darker on the inner lids of my eyes. Then, I used a light brown for the upper eyelid and used the brush to blend the colours in nicely. Afterwards, I curled my eyelashes and applied mascara.

Later, did my foundation and concealer. Then, did some contouring on my cheekbones.  Applied a matte nude lipstick, then sprayed some Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Eau De Parfum. Lastly, unclipped my hair. I left it a bit more straightened today, with soft waves at the end. 

For jewellery, I put on a gold ear cuff chain on my right ear. On my left ear, I put on a small gold ring earring and a gold ear cuff. I wore a simple double chain gold bracelet and my gold rings set.

I placed my keycard in my black gold chained Saint Laurent sling bag, I realized something. I walked towards my bedside table and took out the rose gold steak knife. I placed the knife in the bag. Finally, I put on gold thin strap heels.  and made my way to Sophia's room. While walking, a notification came in on my phone. I brought my phone out and it was a text message. From father. 

TEXT

𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿:

Sois prête. Fais attention. (Be ready. Be careful.)

𝗠𝗲:

Oui papa  (Yes dad)

❇❇❇

By now, the three of us have already had our brunch. It's currently 3 pm, and we are at Jimmy Choos.  In the past 3 and a half hours, we have been to seven stores. 

"Should I take two pairs or three?", Sophia asked. 

"How about none. You already have three", Tamara answered in a bored tone. 

"Only three?!", Sophia exclaimed. "Oh yes, I'll take four more."

 "Of course, you will", Tamar muttered after an eye roll.

"Where should we go next?", I asked. 

"Where do you want to go?" Tamara wrapped an arm around my shoulder. 

"Diamonds ", I answered. 

 After Sophia paid for her four pairs of new shoes, we made our way to Harry Winston. We always needed a bigger car when it came to our shopping days so today we called our driver, Albert, to pick us up at the academy. We are now seated in our Range Rover SVAutobiography Ultimate. 

"Where should we go for afternoon tea?", Sophia asked.

"I can't even remember the name of the place we just came from. Like hell, I would remember a place for afternoon tea", Tamara chuckled. 

"I was asking Kristine. But thank you for that notice", Sophia responded.

 Tamara mimicked what Sophia said and I chuckled.

"How about OXO tower?", I suggested.

"Perfect!", Sophia agreed. 

Shortly after, we arrived at our destination. We thanked Albert, before stepping out of the car. 

The 8th store of the day, we haven't broken our record.

The record shall never be mentioned. 

The three of us walked into the store and split up. However, I was the one, who continued walking forward to the front desk.

"Good afternoon, Ms La Cartier." The lady at the desk greeted me after standing up. Immediately, her hands were placed behind her back. She later bowed her head in respect. 

"Good afternoon", I greeted back with a smile.

"How may I help you today?"

"Diamonds, please." The lady nodded and pressed a button beneath one of the desks. She started walking towards the back of the store and I followed. The hidden door, which was a part of the wall, was open. We walked through it, my eyes scanning the hidden weapon room. 

"What would you like today?", the lady asked. Her voice firm and her tone were formal. 

"The Silent", I answered. Whenever it came to work, I become a different person. My face was impassive, my voice deeper and serious. 

"Sniper?"

I nodded. My eyes scanned a certain blade. Its handle was marble with gems. The blade had cursive patterns, engraved at the top of it. 

Beautiful.

Wrapping my fingers around the handle, I brought it up to my face. My eyes examined every tiny feature of it. 

"That's a new one. Customed for you Miss", the lady spoke behind me. 

I placed the blade back in place, carefully. I turned to face the lady and gave a stiff nod. 

"I'll come back for it", I said. She nodded and handed a silver case.  I took the case before thanking the lady. I made my way out of the room, and back to the main store. Sophia was looking at a necklace on display, while Tamara walked around the place. 

"Got what you need?", Tamara asked. 

I nodded. 

"No jewels for you?" Sophia arched an eyebrow. 

"I myself am a jewel sister." I started to make my way out of the store. 

I was about to leave, but a necklace in a glass cube caught my eye. My legs moved on their own accord. When I was in front of the jewel, I leaned in closer to see it clearer. It was a diamond cluster wreath necklace. A simple design but very beautiful. 

"Treat yourself, Kristi", Sophia whispered, leaning over my shoulder.

"How much?", I asked.

"£719,400", the lady answered. 

"That's approximately one million eight hundred dollars", Sophia muttered.

"I'll take it", I said. 

❇❇❇

The view from the OXO tower was spectacular. I would love to sketch this view. It's been almost two weeks since I arrived in London. My experience, so far, has been amazing. My experience after attending Winxsor has been like a fairytale. But in this fairytale, will there be a Prince Charming?

"You got a plan for tonight?", Tamara asked me before eating a fruit tart. 

"Yes. I had three days."

"You'll shoot him?", Sophia asked, her voice discreet so that others wouldn't hear.

"Yes."

"Why couldn't dad ask somebody else to get it done?", Tamara asked, annoyed.

"He barely has men in London. At the moment, there's only us three, who are available", I said. 

"Dad asked for you, specifically. Must be a tough one . . . Please, be careful", Sophia pleaded with worry in her voice.

"I will", I assured, taking her hand in mine. 

She nodded her head with a soft smile. After, we continued with our tea, as if we didn't just discuss a murder plan. 

"Now, that I think about it", Sophia started, grabbing both mine and Tamara's attention. "One more recruit wouldn't hurt. But we must choose, wisely", Sophia spoke. 

I glance at Tamara and she nodded.

"I'm guessing I'll be the one to take her in?", I asked, already knowing the answer. 

"What? You like picking up strays", Sophia gave a fake smile, while my face stayed stoic. 

"Is there a deadline?", I questioned. 

"Never", they both answered in unison. "Where to next sisters?" I changed the topic.

"Chanel", Sophia answered almost immediately. 

❇❇❇

"You both are no good for each other", Tamara said when she saw Sophia and I step out of the Chanel store, carrying multiple large shopping bags. 

"I have a new closet!", Sophia squealed.

"Oh really? Which one of your many closets is not full?", Tamara questioned Sophia, who was looking around for another store to shop in. 

"Um the one in my new house?", Sophia replied.

"You bought a new house?!", Tamara asked, bewildered. 

"Hey! I saw a townhouse. I liked it so I bought it", Sophia defended. 

I looked anywhere else but the two, acting like I'm not listening. I heard Tamara sigh heavily and then a thud sound. 

She banged her head on the car, didn't she?

Turning to see if I was right, I was. 

"Alright, my drama queens, where next or are we done?", I asked.

"God no! We are not done. We usually do this until our heels break", Sophia told. 

Tamara smirked at me, who was regretting a life decision. 

"Damn", I mumbled. 

"HA! Fortunately, I'm not wearing heels!" Tamara jumped on the spot and I rolled my eyes in response. 

"Where to next, shopaholic?", I asked Sophia. 

"Hm . . . perfumes?", she asked me. 

"Tom Ford?", I suggested. Sophia nodded and I looked at Tamara, who nodded as well. 

Albert helped us put some of our shopping bags in the car bonnet, and when there was no more space, we piled them in the passenger seat. Since the store was on the same street, we three decided to walk there. While we were walking, I got lost in my thoughts. 

"What if we recruit more?", I asked suddenly. 

"We're discussing this here, really?", Sophia asked while arching an eyebrow. 

"Recruit one now, then if all goes well we recruit more", I told.

As always, I walked in the middle. My voice came out low and quiet, enough for only my sisters to hear. 

"What's going on in that head of yours?" Tamara hooked an arm around the back of my neck. 

"Just a thought", I muttered, folding my arms. 

At that moment, we arrived at the Tom Ford beauty store. My sisters walked ahead and entered the store. But I was too lost in my thoughts to notice. Somebody cleared their throat and I looked up to see Tamara holding the door open for me. Sophia was already inside and staring at me with a serious look. Hastily, I walked towards the store and entered. 

"You good?", Tamara questioned when I passed her. 

"Always."

My eyes roamed around the place. Sophia came for perfumes but ended up looking in the make-up section. Tamara joined her, shortly. But I made my way to the fragrances. The tester bottles laid in rows on the shelves, a mix of women's and men's perfumes. Growing up, I was never entirely a big fan of perfume. However, Sophia implanted a quote, by Coco Chanel, in my head when I was 15. 

𝐀 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞.

I prefered Coco Chanel's other quote. 

𝐍𝐨 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐦𝐞. 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧, 𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐲.

There are many many quotes, which I respect and live by. Giorgio Armani's quote is what got me interested in perfumes.

𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐞.

Also, Oscar De La Renta's.

𝐀 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦, 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞.

One day, I hope, I could give an inspirational quote. A miracle, if I myself lived by it. 

Looking at the perfumes, one by one, a specific fragrance caught my eye. 

Oud Wood Eau De Parfum.

The exact same fragrance, Ashton wears. To be sure, I took the tester bottle and sprayed some in front of me. Immediately, an earthy and woody vanilla scent filled my nostrils. An exotic and rich scent, it was calming. It suits him.

Wait. Did I just think about a boy? 

Straight away, I placed the bottle back down. 

"Dangerous."

Walking away from that shelf, I made my way to another one. One fragrance got me curious. As before, I took the tester bottle and sprayed some in front of me. Its base notes were most definitely vanilla and sandalwood. The top or middle notes would be floral and bergamot. 

Yes, I studied perfume. Tried making my own, but haven't succeeded. Yet.

I looked at the name of the fragrance. 

Tom Ford Métallique.

Putting the tester bottle back in place, I grabbed a new and sealed box of the fragrance. Then, left the section to the make-up section. My sisters were still there. 

"Ooooo new perfume?", Sophia asked, excitedly, glancing at the box in my hand. 

I nodded. "Didn't you want one?",

"Of course!" With that said, she waltzed to the fragrance section. I looked at Tamara.

"I'll follow to make sure she takes less than three." She then followed Sophia. I chuckled and shook my head. 

While waiting for the two, I walked around the make-up section. My eyes examined the rows of lipglosses. I took a tester shade of lipgloss and applied a stroke on the upper of my hand. The colour suited my skin tone. Putting the tester back down, I took a sealed box of it. 

Rose Crush.

I have my own cosmetic brand, but it was never a crime to buy others. Also, my brand isn't that popular, it's mainly an online shopping site.

Then I realised, I wanted another glitter shade. I made my way to the eye shadows and picked out a pink glitter single eye palette. The shade is called Garnet Red. It was one of my favourite shades of pink, so I took it.  

After the three of us paid for our items, we left the store. It was currently, 5:45 pm. I needed to be in position by 7 pm. Tamara decided that we should go to a street food market because she was still hungry after our tea. I didn't mind, Sophia too. We called Albert, and he came to pick us up. 

"So what you said about recruiting more people . . ." Sophia looked at me. 

"Yes?"

"What's your intention here?" She narrowed her eyes. 

"I don't know. The majority of the time, I don't even know what I'm doing."

"It's alright to not know. But recruiting more girls, adding more people into our lives, it's a little scary."  Sophia looked down at her hands on her lap.

I held her hand. 

"If we do recruit, we have to be cautious", Tamara added, her voice was lowered meaning she was serious.

Sophia sighed and looked out the window. "Kristine took in three. They had reasons, to do such work. But will there be others like them?", she asked.

"No", I told.

"They'll risk their lives", Sophia said.

"It's part of the job", Tamara added. 

"Maybe, a job a girl may need or want", I muttered. 

"This isn't just any job." Sophia turned to face me.

"I know", I said, "This job is-"

"Kristine, we're assassins."