A Killer's Apprentice

The Tailor was busy. She was busy with gathering her supplies, by which I mean human skin. Aye, The Tailor is a very morbid soul. She would attack weary travelers and then skin them alive. She would then use that skin as a hide that she would sew and make into clothing that she would wear. She heard a noise, she turned around and she saw a young girl with a knife in her hands. "Why hello there," She cooed with a voice as sweet as honey, "Are you lost?" She hoped to get her away from the main roads so that she may take her skin.

The Tailor smiled, a smile that was as charming as a newly wedded brides. She looked at the child, "Why, I skin people. I take their skin and I sew it together, like so." With that she took her hands and she formed her claws. One set very broad and scissor like, the other set was long and narrow, each claw like a needle. She then began to sew some of the skin that she had just gathered into a fine hat. She handed it to the child, "Now run. I like it when my prey gives chase."

The Tailor looked at her and smiled, this kid was a tad bit smart she thought to herself. "Alright kid, you got yourself a deal. You bring me people, and I'll let you live. I might just teach you how to sew and skin people while I'm at it," she said to her. Her claws melted and they went into the ground.

Alxina nodded at the lady before saying, "I have the perfect people to bring to you...can I meet you back here later on tonight?" She asked.

"Fine, kid. But if you're not here by then, I will come and find you. And I will take your skin." The woman answered. Alxina nodded, running back towards her house with the skin hat in her hands.

She burst through the front door, where her brother and sister were performing, showing off their airbending to her parents. "Momma! Look at this pretty hat!" Alxina said happily, placing it atop her head. Her mother gave her a look of disgust and horror, before her father said, "Where on earth did you get such a ghastly hat, Alxina?! Take it off, now!" Alxina knew she finally had their attention, and she smiled cheekily before shaking her head. Her brother attempted to blow it off of her head, but she was ready, and held it down. When he finally stopped, she turned and ran out the door, knowing that they'd give chase.

They might be airbenders, therefore making them faster than she, but she knew these streets better than anyone. She ducked into a large alleyway, and waited until the big gust of air told her that they were gone. She quickly stepped out and saw that they were heading in the wrong direction far too quickly. She whistled before sticking her tongue at them and running off. Her brother was slowly closing in, and she made a sharp right, causing him to blow right past her. Her sister was much smarter, and climbed along the wall so as to not lose speed and keep up with her.

Alxina's breathing was becoming more and more labored, but she knew that she must keep going until the sun was beginning to set. She had told the woman that she'd be there tonight, but it was still late afternoon. She pushed herself harder, and then ducked under some bushes, hiding herself efficiently. It was a good thing she was so small. She felt the wind rush past her again, and was satisfied that they'd be gone for at least a few minutes. They'd no doubt figure out pretty quickly that they weren't chasing her and double back, and by then she'd be running the opposite way.

She focused on her breathing, regulating it slowly. "Oy! This way, Ma!" She heard her brother's voice. Well, time to get going. She snuck a peak at the sun, and saw that it was almost halfway under the horizon.

She ran out, her brother close on her heels, and hurried to where the woman was waiting. She'd just brought four large fresh prizes for her. This would surely prove that she was useful, and she'd be allowed to keep her skin. Plus, her family problems were now solved. No more bullying siblings, no more controlling parents. She was finally free. She smiled to herself as she ended up in the same area that she'd met the woman in.

The woman wasn't quite there yet, which was perfect, as her brother was still about two minutes away, the rest of her family a little farther behind. She'd keep them busy with a silly argument about the hat, and then the woman could deal with them herself...

When the girl showed up, The Tailor had been hiding in the shadows. Waiting for whoever the girl would bring. When the girl came alone, she heard someone come in from behind. When she saw that is was a boy, she got in from behind him and she grabbed him. She quickly tied and bound him when he stopped running. She gagged him as well in order to make sure that no one could hear him. When the next person showed up, it appeared to be a girl. The Tailor did the same to her as she did with the boy. Then two people showed up, they appeared to be Airbenders. The Tailor grabbed the woman quietly, and she bound an gagged her without making a noise. She slipped into the darkness without alerting the other. However, the woman snapped a twig. That alerted the other Airbender to her presence. she jumped to the side and she began to circle around the man, blades forming. She went in stealthily behind him, and she placed on of the needle claws through his neck. Killing him instantly. She looked at the kid and she saw the resemblances.

"You brought me your own family? I like the way you think, tell me your name, child. I shall be your new mother." All the while, her voice was still sweet as honey.

"You brought me your own family? I like the way you think, tell me your name, child. I shall be your new mother." The woman said with a voice like silk. The small girl gave the lady her best smile. She was proud of herself, and was glad that she'd gotten the woman's approval. "My name is Alxina," she said. She looked down at her dead father, lying in a growing pool of his still warm blood, then turned to look at the rest of her family. Her sister's eyes grew wide and pleading, while her brother looked at her stonily. Her mother was staring at the ground, small tears in her eyes.

She sneered at them all and turned away. She didn't want, nor need them. She had a new mother, a new family. Someone who was exciting, and could teach her so much more than the buffoons she once called her family could. She took one last look at her mother, who was now staring at her with terror-filled eyes and tears falling along her cheeks. She shook her head, and turned to the lady, her new mother. "And they're not my family." She added.

"Well, I killed one." She said looking at the body, "Why don't you kill the one that used to be your mother? And perhaps your brother as well?" She gracefully slid over to her and she began to form ice claws around Alxina's hands. "We'll let your sister live, she looks innocent enough."

Alxina nodded at this, and moved her hands around with the claws on them, getting used to the feel of them before approaching her brother first. His jaw was clenched tightly, but she could see the fear shining in his eyes. This was her chance to get revenge on him, for all those times that he hurt her, and pushed her in the mud, and called her names. All those times that he made fun of her at school for not being able to bend.

She began to remember the times that he let her fly with him though, but she quickly hardened her heart. He was not her brother; he was a boy who hated her, perhaps even more than she hated him. She got down on her knees, staring into his eyes with a cold hatred. He stared back up at her, the same look in his own eyes, but much less intimidating because of the fear in them as well.

She placed a claw near his temple, taking a deep breathe. At this point, her brother was almost trembling, tears coming to his eyes. She knew he would never break though, not for anything, and she enjoyed seeing his fear.

The once fearless man-boy reduced to tears. This brought her a great deal of satisfaction, and she ran the claw from his temple down his cheek, leaving a trail of blood. A small thrill of excitement ran up her spine, and she knew she could do this. She stabbed the claw into his temple, and it slid in as easily as butter. He gave a small gasp of pain, and his eyes snapped shut and his head drooped, blood flowing freely from his head. She pulled the claw out, knowing that killing her mother would both be easier and harder.

Easier because she's managed her brother, but harder because she was her mother. Her hands were a little cold, and she wanted this over with quickly. Ice claws tend to chill the skin after a little while. She came to stand over her mother, who was looking at the bodies of her father and brother. She clicked the claws together impatiently; her mother's head snapped up to look at her.

Alxina had the sudden desire to hear the last pleas of her mother. All too often, when she was spanked for doing something wrong, she had begged her mother to stop. Her mother never did, and only stopped when her father told her to. Her father had been quite a controlling man, and her mother had feared him more than she cared for her own daughter. The other two were never spanked; she had always blamed this on the fact that she couldn't bend.

She snipped the gag in her mouth off of her mother and waited for her to speak. Her mother didn't for a moment, and then opened her mouth. "How could you, Alxina?" was all she said. She didn't even have the decency to plead for her own life! Alxina shook her head at her disgrace of a mother before stabbing her through the chest, right into the heart.

She stood up, and looked at the lady. "Did I do well?" she asked, as the only thing she cared for now was this woman's approval.

"Yes, Alxina, you did well..." She went down to her knee's. "Come to your new mother, I have something for you..." She held her arms out as Alxina came to her. When she got to her she hugged her tightly, with a true mother's love. After a moment, she let go and she got up, walking to her sister. "I have decided to let you live, you have three options. Run home and tell everyone what happened here, stay here and be killed, or join us." She said everything as she always does, with the gentleness of a loving mother and with a voice as sweet as honey, and as smooth as silk.

Alxina smiled as her new momma hugged her tightly. She hugged her back, her little arms holding her tightly, and then they let go. She watched as her new momma approached her sister. "I have decided to let you live, you have three options. Run home and tell everyone what happened here, stay here and be killed, or join us." She said.

Her sister looked up at her new mother with fear showing plainly on her face. Her sister was all about survival and self-preservation, even if it meant being cowardly or backing down from a fight. Her sister shook her head, and Alxina hurried over and took the gag out of her mouth. She did not do this out of love for her sister, she did it out of love for her new mother.

"N-No," her sister said, her voice trembling with fear. "I..I just w-want to go home, p-please."

Alxina looked to her new mother, waiting on her decision. If her sister were allowed to go home, it would mean that she could never return to the city. Bah, who cares about some silly city anyways? she thought. She had a real momma now, one who wouldn't ignore her just because she couldn't make a bunch of air move.

"You may go," she said to her new child's sister. She looked at Alxina, "Come, I will show you how to peel the skin off." She lead her over to her father's body. It took an hour, but she explained how to get the most skin off a body in the least amount of time. She led her to her brother's body, "Now you do what I showed you, your skin is warm enough now that you can handle using the claws again." She formed the claws on her and she let her begin her work.

"Look at you, covered in blood." The Tailor said so sweetly, she hugged her daughter. "You are doing a much better job than I did when I first started," she said it all sweetly. She let go and in return, her shirt was bloody. She looked at her daughter, "Let me finish of that woman." She got all of the skin off swiftly and she looked at her daughter once more, "Let's go to your new home."

Alxina hugged her back happily and watched as her new mother collected the skin off of her old one. She then turned and looked at her, saying as she did so, "Let's go to your new home." Alxina smiled. "Okay!" she said happily, collecting as much skin as she could carry in one of her little arms, and then held her momma's hand with the other.

She was a lot happier now, having murdered her own family and skinned them, than she had ever been before. How sadly ironic that was.

Holding her daughters hand, The Tailor lead her deep into the woods. Deeper than most would ever even dream of going. Once there, there was a small hut. It was not a larger hut, it was built for one person to live there. There had been only one person living there for a while, and that was The Tailor. But now there was a second. And as such, the hut would need expanding. "Come now. Alxina, we must tan these skins so that they may be made into clothes that will not rot as we wear them. Your hat, for example, will rot because I did not tan the skin first before I made it. Let me show you how." She showed her the best ways to tan skin, and she also showed her the best way to get a tannent, by breaking open the skull of whatever is was that you killed and using the brain matter to prep the skin. "There, now you try. I'll go get your brother's body and then you can use his tannent on his own skin." She left and then she returned with her brothers body in tow, a trail of blood being left by his skinless body.

The Tailor looked at her lovingly, "You are still doing a much better job then I did when I first started. But I guess that's because of how smart you are." While she said this, she ruffled Alxina's hair. "Okay, we will set these outside to dry tonight. Now, let's get busy on making you a bed." She lead her to the city, "We must come in quietly, no one is to know that we are here tonight." They went into the city without a noise and they killed some poor old woman and they ran off with her bed. Once they returned to the hut they began to clean it.

"Right over here," she replied to Alxina. "Bring in the leaves as well. We can use those to make a poison. And don't worry about hiding your brother's body. We'll be having him for dinner." She formed her claws and then she began cleaving off pieces off of the boy's body and putting it into a boiling pot. The smell of herbs and spices could be smelled from outside the hut.

The Tailor chuckled, she turned around and she got a small bowl and a grinder. She handed them to her and she showed her how to grind the leaves up to make a paste that could be added to blades. She then told her to finish making the paste and then she got back to work. After about an hour, she said, "Dinners ready." And so they ate. The food itself was delicious. Every bite would make your taste buds sing for the heavens. And the meat was so tender that it practically melted in your mouth. Despite having eaten, they were still hungry and so she put the rest of the boy's usable meat into the pot and she began to cook that as well.

When Alxina returned, the remains of her brother were almost finished. "Just wait a while longer my child. The food is almost finished." She continued cooking until it was done. It was even more superb than the last batch. "Well, should we throw in your old mother as well?"