Sunset

By Little_Thief

In the middle of the night, Wren Faraday was awoken by a quiet knock on her door. As soon as she got her bearings, her heart sank. She knew what was about to happen. This was almost routine for her, and she wished that it wasn’t.

“It’s open,” she murmured.

In walked her daughter, Kay Faraday. She was still dressed in her pajamas, and she looked very tired. Wren sat up, quickly brushing back her long, black hair.

“Mommy, I’m having trouble sleeping.” Kay said groggily.

Wren almost rolled her emerald green eyes in exasperation. Kay was ten years old. She should have outgrown sneaking into her mother’s room like this. But at the same time, she knew this was a special case.

“Did you have a nightmare about Daddy again?” asked Wren.

Kay shook her head. “No, Mommy. It’s not about that. I’m worried about moving tomorrow.”

Wren was not expecting that, but she maintained her even disposition. She promised herself that she wouldn’t show weakness to her little girl. It was the way of the Zangaru ninja: Conceal what needs to be concealed.

“Why are you worried about moving, sweetheart?” asked Wren, offering Kay to sit next to her. “My family is very nice. You don’t have to be afraid of them.”

“I’m not afraid of them, Mommy,” said Kay, sitting next to her mother on the bed. “I just don’t understand why we’re moving.”

Wren bit her lip. She was afraid of this. “Well, Kay. It’s, a bit difficult to explain. You see I work at a very, special job.”

“I know that already, Mommy,” said Kay. “That’s why Daddy was almost always home before you. But what does that have to do with moving?”

Wren’s façade began to shatter. There was no possible way for her to tell young Kay the reason. For one, it would make her look weak, and there was no time for that. But there was also a more pressing matter: How was she going to explain her job to Kay? She was, by vocation, a master of deceit, sabotage, and assassination. Her marriage to the honest, hard-working prosecutor Byrne Faraday was the very definition of “opposites attract”. And of course, Kay was oblivious to everything that went on between her parents. As she started to worry, her mind drifted back to a few days ago, when she was informed that her husband had been murdered…

“Badd, this had better not be some kind of sick joke at my expense. Otherwise, I can’t be responsible for what I’m going to do.”

Detective Tyrell Badd sighed. The whole affair was bad enough, but bearing the bad news to his partner’s wife was probably even worse.

“I’m not the kind to joke… Mrs. Faraday. You should know that by now,” he grumbled softly so as not to wake Kay, who had since gone to bed. “To be honest… I was just as shocked as you are.”

“No kidding,” huffed Wren, her voice slick with sarcasm. “Imagine, the woman you’ve been trying to help all this time turned out to be a double agent. It sounds like a plot twist straight out of a bad film noir.”

“I wish it was just a bad film noir,” said Badd. “But, that’s not the worst of it.”

“You’re talking about Kay, right?” asked Wren. When Badd nodded, Wren closed her eyes and shook her head. “The ironic thing is that Byrne and I agreed to keep her away from the path of the ninja so that she wouldn’t be exposed to things like this. Now she’s probably scarred for life.”

Badd sighed. “Kay’s a brave girl, Mrs. Faraday. Even more than you know. It might take her a while… but she will learn to cope.”

Wren stood up and cracked her knuckles. “Even so, Calisto Yew is not going to get away with this.”

“Hey, hold on,” said Badd, reaching into his trench coat. “You aren’t planning… to kill her… are you?”

Wren snorted. “You know me better than that, Badd. I’m not letting her get off that easy. I am going to beat the truth out of her. I want to know why she killed my husband and traumatized my daughter, and what she found so damn funny about it!”

“Mrs. Faraday… calm down…”

“I am perfectly calm,” snarled Wren.

“I don’t think you are,” said Badd, taking out his hand mirror and admiring himself. “Besides, we don’t know… where she is right now.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about that,” said Wren. “Need I remind you that I’m a Zangaru ninja? There’s nowhere she can hide from me.”

“And how do you plan… to explain that to Kay?”

Wren’s eyes went wide with realization, and she slowly sat down.

“Look, I’m plenty pissed at her, too,” Badd continued. “Which is why I’m dedicating all of my efforts to track her down. But Kay needs you right now.”

Wren averted her eyes, trying to hide the tears that began to form. “It’s not that easy, Badd. I may be a master of deception, but I can’t hide things from myself. That’s a core tenant of the Zangaru ninja.”

“Yeah, about that,” said Badd, hesitant to bring up the topic. “You think you’ll be able to keep doing what you’re doing now that you’re Kay’s only guardian?”

“I’m not sure,” Wren admitted. “Byrne was able to help me balance my work with looking after Kay. And while I appreciate all the support you’ve given us, I feel like I’d be sending you to an early grave if I asked you to help take care of her.”

“If you can’t find a balance, why not get a new job?” asked Badd.

Wren scoffed. “Right, like that’s gonna happen anytime soon. What do you want me to put on my résumé, pray tell? I don’t think a lot of people are looking to hire a ninja with almost no credible references.”

“Well, do you have a better idea?”

Wren paused to think for a moment. “Well, suppose I could move back in with my family. I’m sure they’ll understand.”

“And how do you plan to explain it to Kay?”

Wren simply shrugged. “A Zangaru ninja always finds a way, Badd. Besides, I would have to tell her eventually.”

Badd sighed. “You really live and die by that code of yours, don’t you, Mrs. Faraday?”

“It hasn’t failed me so far,” said Wren.

“Mommy, are you okay?”

Wren was brought back to reality by her daughter’s gentle prodding. The dilemma that she acted so casual about was now making it difficult for her to keep her emotions in check. It wasn’t as easy as she made it out to be. Kay was too young to understand her job. Finally, she broke down.

“No, sweetie. I’m not okay,” Wren said softly. “These past few days have not been easy for me. Your father was, very special to me. He made me see the world in a way I never saw it before. He was smart, honest, and always supportive. But now that he’s gone…”

“You miss him?”

Wren nodded. “Yes, Kay. I miss him. I miss him so much.”

Kay shuffled closer to her mother and gave her a big hug.

“Don’t cry, Mommy,” she whispered. “Daddy wouldn’t want to see you crying.”

Wren had to smile as she hugged her daughter back. “I know, Kay. Daddy wanted me to be strong for you. Which is why I’m going to protect you no matter what.”

“Is that why we’re moving, Mommy?” asked Kay.

“It’s part of the reason,” said Wren. “Maybe you’ll understand everything better when you’re older.” She then released her. “Now, go get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow.”

“Okay, Mommy,” said Kay with a small bow. She got up and started to leave the bedroom.

“Wait.”

Kay turned around, puzzled. “What is it, Mommy?”

“I love you, Kay.”

Kay smiled. “I love you too, Mommy. Goodnight.”

As Kay left, Wren started to feel a lot better. Perhaps that moment of weakness was just what she needed to keep herself from getting a nervous breakdown.

“A Zangaru ninja can show genuine weakness to those she loves,” she quipped to herself as she fell to sleep. This was not really a Zangaru law. It was her own personal law that she made with Byrne when they were married. Sometimes, life was about compromise. That was something she learned from her husband, and it was a lesson that she wouldn’t soon forget.