The Skin Thief

Chapter 15

I turn and look at Miss T.

"What the fuck was that?" I ask, clenching my fists in anger.

"Propaganda," Miss T replies and turns off the television. I stare at the blank black screen, struggling to comprehend what I saw.

Miss T stands and walks over to the kitchen. "They want to go to war with the Second Realm," she says and opens the bottle of red wine to pour herself more. "But they can't just invade without a reason. So, they need to make an enemy of the Second Realm so the public will be on their side when they invade."

She walks back over and hands me a glass. I sip at the wine slowly, still trying to wrap my head around it.

"So, they can just lie to their whole nation?" I ask.

Miss T shrugs. "They're the government. Who can stop them?"

I shake my head and let out a long breath. "So, this whole realm is going to believe that The Second Realm are the aggressors when they aren't?" I ask.

"If something isn't done about the corrupt politicians, then yes," Miss T replies, then looks straight into my eyes. "But that's why you're here, right?"

I frown, realising I hadn't thought about it like that. "Huh," I say lowly. My heart starts to flutter with nerves as I think about my missions. Who will they make me kill? If my targets are politicians, then how will I even get to them?

I sigh and try not to think about it further. I'll deal with all of that when the time comes. For now, I just need to focus on getting myself settled and established in this world.

***

"You're a fast learner," Miss T says as I pack up everything. "You're going to thrive here." She smiles warmly and I feel a twinge of sadness at the thought of leaving.

"Thank you," I reply, then grunt as I haul one of my new suitcases down the stairs. They are heavy and full of amazing new clothes. I smile fondly, remembering shopping with Miss T. Tyring on all the different types of clothes and seeing what types of styles I liked and didn't like was extremely fun. I look forward to when I am making my own money and I can buy more.

This isn't a holiday, I remind myself.

Miss T opens the front door. Outside, a taxi is waiting for me. We stop at the top of the steps and smile at each other.

Miss T nods her head. "Good luck," she says.

"Thanks," I say again, "for everything."

"You were an excellent student," she tells me. She reaches out and gives my upper arm a light squeeze. A silent message passes between us. Stay safe.

Miss T pulls her hand away and sighs awkwardly. "Bye," she says and steps back into her house.

"Goodbye," I reply and turn. The shutting of the door behind me makes me jump slightly. A small ache settles in my chest. I resist the urge to turn back around. This is it. I really am on my own now. I know I will not see Miss T again.

The taxi driver helps me put my bags into the boot of the car. Then, we set off. I put my new earbuds in and play some music. It still baffles me how something so small can play music from another device without there being any sort of wired connection. I smile to myself and stare out of the window at the passing city. The towering skyscrapers don't look so daunting anymore. In fact, after all my travelling around, this city doesn't seem as special as I first thought it was. At the end of the day, even with its skyscrapers and technology, it is just another city.

The journey takes a little over two hours. Half of that time we spend stuck in traffic. I huff, kind of missing the hot and sweaty underground. Even if it does smell of armpits most of the time, at least you get across the city quickly.