Snipers Mark by Ghost Wolf, Book cover by: GhostWolf (accelerated reader books .TXT) 📕

Moonlight shines dully through the cloud cover, providing little light for the dark figures half crouched half running, crossing over the wide street, staying close to the shadows of the dogwood trees. The house before the cloaked figures stands five stories tall, white arch's frame the long windows, the front door solid dark spruce. One of the three intruders go's around back while the other two carfully picks the front doors lock. Putting the lock picks away they draw their weapons and invade the house, their footsteps sure, quiet, and confident. The grand set of spiraling steps lead to the second floor. Both people walk up the stairs moving in harmony, one walking backwards up the steps covering his partners back while the other walks up scanning the top floor. The soft glow of a nightlight filters through the crack of an open door, casting the two men's shadows over another open doorway, the shadows disappear as the two men move out of the light and on both sides of the open door. Quietly they move into the room their shadows casting over a sleeping figure, chestnut hair spread over the pillow. 

 The sound of light footsteps, wake me but I don't dare move. My father drank a lot tonight so he couldn't possibly be up and moving. I listen waiting praying that whoever it is didn't notice the soft glow of the nightlight and give away my younger brothers. I wanted to get up and close their door but couldn't make myself move. My hearts pounding, the sound covering up any other sound, and I swear they hear it thudding in my chest. Whoever they were. I forced myself to calm down and continue breathing as if I was still asleep. I'm only 10 and I have a great life compared to everyone else. At least that's what everyone thinks. My father is an abusive drunk, but makes a lot of money. Whoever is here, is looking for money or revenge. They'll be sorely disappointed if they think ransoming us will get them any money. My father could care less about us ever since my mother died. And if they kill us he'll thank them and even pay them for it. The sound of footsteps stop, my entire body tenses, waiting for the enivitable. They're on the white carpeted stairs, coming slowly up the stairs. I can barely breathe, my heart pounding faster. A shadow crosses over the light cast by my brothers nightlight. I think I'm going to have a heart attack. The shadow disappears before reappearing closer. Before I can move, before I can scream, a gloved hand wraps around my mouth. I begin to struggle trying to escape my captors grasp. But I'm 10 and this man is much bigger than me. Another arm wraps around my waist, holding me close to them. Then the other kidnapper faces me and I my eyes widen in suprise. Her hair is in a tight ponytail, the warmth in her eyes makes me feel almost safe and I stop struggling. She holds her finger up to her mouth or where her mouth would be if the black mask that covered the bottom half of her face wasn't there. I stare into her eyes as the man holding me slowly lowers his hand from my mouth. I open my mouth to ask her somthing but she quickly covers my mouth and holds her finger up again. I nod and she lets go. The man behind her starts making signs with his hands, and she looks up before responding. I look between the man and the woman, confused. He looks down, brown hair falling over one side of his face, green eyes staring right back at me. The woman grabs my hand and points around the room. I look around confused on what she wants. The man grabs one of my stufffed horses and a book. He pretends to weigh them. Know I understand, and grab my favorite stuffed animal, a book about wolves, and my favorite toy; a howling wolf. The man picks me up, and heads for the door, going down the steps. I struggle again out of his hold and run back up the steps to my brothers room. I hug each of their sleeping forms and kiss them on the foreheads. Tears slide down my cheek as the mans picks me back up, taking me back downstairs. The woman walks deeper in the house instead of going out the front door. I look over the mans shoulder to see what she's doing. I'm not able to see her any more as the man takes me across the lawn and into the street. A black car bigger than dads sports cars, sits on the curb someone sitting in the front seat. The man holding me opens the door behind the front passengers seat, putting me in a booster, buckling me. 

"Where are you taking me?" I ask quietly. He pulls the mask off his face and smiles at me. 

"Somewhere safer than... here," he almost spits the last word out. I stare at him puzzled, then look back to the big house I'm so used to running around watching out for my brothers. 

"What... what about my brothers?" He sees the tears welling in my eyes and wipes them away. He dosnt say anything but hops in the front seat next to the driver. 

"Find it?" The green eyes man asks the driver who I still can't see. 

"Yeah and it's worse than what we thought," the voice is deeper older, and he sounds deeply troubled. The passenger door opposite of me opens and the woman with warm brown eyes gets in. She huffs as she unbuckles somthing behind her head, before unzipping the rest of her mask. Fascinated, when she puts it down I pick it up off the seat and study it. She chuckles, and looking up they're all staring at me. Blushing slightly I look down ashamed. I go to give it back but she pushes it back into my hand. I stare at her in suprise. She pats my head before patting the head rest of the drivers seat. The man turns the car on, and the car slowly pulls out of the street and away from my home. I'm too focused on the mask to notice the car getting further away from home. I'll never see it again.

 The moon hasn't risen, the stars barely visible, and the only light, is the city lights. Winter has moved on, spring taking its place, rain replacing the snow. The wind is stronger up here on top of a six story business building during spring, my dark brown hair, faded to grey on the ends is held behind my head, in a tight ponytail that flutters in the breeze even though tall buildings surround my snipers nest. The building across from the one I'm in is hosting a party. I'm lying on a gravel roof, the sharp rocks digging in through the black khakis I'm wearing, my black military grade boots digging into the gravel, a black shirt covering a wire, my arms bare and black gloves make it impossible for anyone to pull prints. Staring down the scope of a Mk13, I can see couples dancing, carrying glasses of shampain or whine, men wearing tuxedos, and women wearing expensive jewelry and dresses. My gold brown eyes settle on a tall man wearing a white tuxedo, talking to governor Carl Hayes and his wife. How stupid they are to be at that party, a gun deal going down or I guess up above them. The floor above the party has tinted windows, except the scope I'm looking through showed the activity on the other side of the windows. 

"Ghost? You there?" The ear piece in my right ear crackles as Tyler calls for me. I press my hand to my right ear moving my hand from the trigger to reply. 

"I'm here. Ready?" In response another voice comes over the frequency. 

"Yup. Got an eye on Tanner?" Tanners the leader of our little group and the oldest so he handles undercover adult parties. Our team consists of Tanner: team leader, blonde hair, grey eyes, tall and muscular, sharp facial features, loyal, calm Karly: the brains, Tanners sister, blonde hair, grey eyes, shorter than her brother, constantly talking and making jokes no one understands Tyler: tracker, almost Tanners height at 5ft 11in, jet black hair, brown eyes, fights constantly with Blake, loyal, persistent and protective Blake: generally the muscle if you will, tall and muscular, red hair, green eyes, loyal, competitive, protective, gets angry pretty quickly. And then there's me, Skylar: sniper, dark brown hair faded to grey on the ends, gold brown eyes, tall and lean at 5ft 8in, agile, guarded, and I like to mess around with people especially cops. I'm the youngest of the group 15, Tanners 23, Tyler's 18, Karlys 17, and Blake is 17. 

"Ghost! Pay attention," Tanners yelling at me now. 

"Sorry, I've got an eye on you, Tyler I see you by the bar, and our body guards have a target on their foreheads. Just say when," Tyler walks to the windows and acts like he's looking out at the city, instead looking up across the street to where I am. He turns around, politely sips some shampain but makes a face. I chuckle not realizing my hand still at my wire. 

"Not funny," Tyler growls through gritted teeth at me. I just laugh, the others joining in when I explain.

"Focus people we've got a gun deal to crash," Tanners voice always catches me off guard. He sounds much older than he looks. 

"I think it's party to crash Tanner," 

"Don't patronize me little sis," noticing movement on the gun floor I aim the rifle up and watch what got them so excited. I let a groan out. 

"What's wrong?" Blake asks. 

"We've got a problem. They're packing up their merchandises, one of them is holding a radio. I was able to read their lips, somthing about cops figuring somthing somthing. All I got," lining up the cross hare with the gun dealer in charge, I prepared to fire.

"Alright we have a small window of time before the cops get here. We need to neutralize the gang, and get out before the cops get here," Tanner began moving towards the steps. Shifting my aim, I lined up the cross hares with a guard close to the windows. Taking a deep breathe, I moved my finger to the trigger. On the exhale I closed my finger over the trigger. I barely feel the recoil of the rifle as the bullet silently slams through the glass of the window and right into the shoulder of the guard. Panic and chaos erupts violently. People start screaming and running for the exit allowing Tanner, Tyler, and Blake to take the stairs up. Aiming at one of the gun dealers, lining the cross hare up with the center of his chest. On the exhale I pull the trigger. He goes down as the three