Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Hanna closed the door behind her friends. She leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, silently holding her face in her hands for a moment. She sniffed and looked at the ceiling, letting out a breath of frosty air. A knock on the door made her jump to her feet. Hanna opened the door to see EDJ. 

“Have you made a decision yet?” EDJ asked, leaning against the side of the door frame with his arms folded. 

Hanna shook her head, completely drained. “No.” 

“Did you enjoy your visit, at least?” EDJ asked. Hanna shrugged half-heartedly. EDJ smirked as he straightened and gestured back toward the control room. “Come along, we have a city to destroy.” Hanna followed him out of the room and down the hallway. Unknown to Hanna, EDJ, and his entourage of guards, DJ and Lui followed behind them. 

“Why am I hesitating?” Hanna asked, mostly to herself. “Earlier, I would have flatly refused... Why is this so difficult?”

“Do realize I am quite sympathetic to your conundrum,” EDJ answered. “It’s not easy reevaluating everything you know and believe.” 

“I don’t expect you to understand,” Hanna commented sullenly. 

“I know, but I do,” EDJ continued while walking. “Did I ever tell you how I ended up on the side of evil?” Hanna shook her head. “Would you like to hear it?” EDJ asked. 

“Sure,” Hanna answered, mostly trying to avoid her decision for as long as possible. 

“I wasn’t always this way,” EDJ started. “I used to be on the side of good. Almost a hero even.” He furrowed his brows. “Back when I discovered my talents, something happened between me and DJ. I’d rather not get into the gritty details of it, but understand it was quite the traumatic series of events. We had a huge falling out and I swore vengeance on him. Then I joined the ranks of evil. A whole lot happened between now and then, of course, but that’s the sum of it. What I said about being a hero is true. A hero can’t save everyone. You’re always going to let someone down. Might as well go all in.” 

Hanna was only halfway listening as they walked. Internally, she was at war with herself. I let it happen again, Hanna thought. I failed them. 

Of course you did, the voice answered. Did you think you could keep me locked up forever? 

I'm not a murderer, Hanna insisted. 

The voice laughed. The abundance of bodies on the floor in the arena says otherwise. What happens when all those little pieces belong to someone you care about, hmm? You're a massacre waiting to happen.

Hanna clenched her fists. I couldn't... I could never… I just wanted it to stop…

Maybe you don’t have what it takes to survive, but I do, the voice jeered. Let me out and I’ll take care of this mess for you. 

You’re only going to make it worse, Hanna thought, shoulders sagging. 

How much worse could I possibly make it? the voice asked. You’ve already severed whatever connections you had left. You are alone. You will always be alone. That’s why you have me. 

“Maybe I was always meant to be evil,” Hanna whispered. 

EDJ glanced at her curiously, noticing her craft something with frost magic between her fingers. They entered the control room and EDJ went back to his seat behind the desk. Hanna sat in the chair opposite him. After a moment, Hanna held up a rose of ice, pure and clear as glass. The rose was intricately detailed and beautiful, seemingly crafted with precision and care. She twisted the icy flower stem between her fingers for a moment, inspecting it. Without warning, she stood up and let go of the rose, letting it shatter on the floor. “What’s in it for me?” Hanna finally asked. She looked at EDJ with blood red eyes. “What’s in it for me if I join you?” Her tone and posture changed. Where Hanna once seemed to make herself appear smaller, now she did the opposite. Her wings stretched out, flapping a couple times before she settled into a relaxed stance, a hand on her hip. 

“Well,” EDJ started. “According to the organization’s rules, you start off at the bottom tier and advance up the ladder. Same as I did.”

“Hmm.” Hanna didn’t seem convinced. “And I suppose I would be under your command? Undergo training and suchlike?” She meandered over to one of the tech stations with confident steps. Noticing an open bag of chocolate candy the tech had at their station, Hanna reached over and took it without asking. 

“Hey! That’s-” the tech stopped mid-sentence, looking between EDJ and Hanna. “I mean… never mind…” 

“Got any lip balm?” Hanna asked the tech. The tech nodded. Hanna snapped her fingers a few times. “Hand it over.” Hanna turned back to EDJ while the tech rummaged through their bag. “Well?” Hanna asked, popping some candy in her mouth and chewing. 

“Yes, but the training would be minimal,” EDJ answered, mentally taking note of the changes. “You already possess much of the required knowledge and skills. Consider it an apprenticeship. A mutually beneficial arrangement.” 

“Ahhh,” Hanna said, snatching the balm from the tech and running it over her lips. “I see.” She tossed the balm back at the tech and sauntered back to the chair in front of EDJ’s desk. “A master and his apprentice,” she said while taking a seat and propping her boots on the desk. “Sith rules?” Hanna asked, throwing more candy in her mouth. 

“Naturally,” EDJ responded with a polite smile, painfully ignoring the boots on his desk.

Hanna’s red eyes glinted as she grinned. “Do I get to kill you to advance?”

EDJ’s smile did not falter, but his eyes narrowed. “Don’t look so eager. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.” He reached into a drawer, pulling out a book and placing it in front of her. “For now, you can look over the catalog of the pain points reward program.” 

Hanna pouted, putting her feet down and taking the book. “You have no idea how incredibly disappointing that is after all your promises,” she said, flipping through the book. 

“Hey, don’t knock it till you try it,” EDJ answered with a chuckle. “The catalog has just about anything you could ever want. For fifty points, you got yourself a brand new waffle iron.” 

“Joy.” Hanna rolled her red eyes. “How many points do I earn for assassination?” 

“Why did you immediately jump to murder?” EDJ asked curiously. 

Hanna shrugged nonchalantly, still browsing the catalog. “What? Don’t think I have the capacity for it?” she asked with a smirk, grabbing another piece of chocolate. 

“I know you have the potential for great evil,” EDJ said slowly, placing his elbows on the desk and tenting his fingers as he leaned forward, watching Hanna. “Granted, I wasn’t expecting it to show up in the form of an alter, but I’ll take it.” 

Hanna paused, candy halfway to her mouth. She finished the candy, licking the chocolate off her fingers, and turned to him with a sly smile. “You caught me.” She leaned back, folding her arms and crossing her legs. “So what now?” 

“Do you have a name or do you just go by Evil Hanna?” EDJ asked.  

Hanna snorted. “What does it matter?” 

EDJ stood up and stretched out his hand. “Names matter to me, apprentice,” he answered with a pleasant smile. 

Hanna gave the outstretched hand a wary look before smirking again. She stood up and took his hand, red eyes gleaming. “Call me Shard, master.” 

“A pleasure to meet you, Shard,” EDJ said with an evil grin as they shook hands.