Spy School - Back to Basics [2]

05: Package

Hazel Art

Vienna, Virginia

May 07

1500 hours

My parents always told me to respect my elders, but exceptions have been made before, such as Ms. E. Now, another exception was being made.

"I still can't believe we're doing this," I whispered to Mike.

"I know, but we have too," said Mike, eyeing the store in front of us.

I peeked through the store window and saw the art class. Seniors sat in front of their canvases, painting in an almost dream-like state. Mike and I looked at each other and nodded. Mike pushed opened the door while I took a deep breath and whished that school hadn't ended already.

>><<

Earlier that day, Mike and I agreed to wake up extra early so we could see the hoodie oracle before our first period started. For our payment, we picked up broken brushes on the side of the road and asked some people if they had any art supplies.

We headed to the back of the fence, Mike carrying the art supplies in his bag. Thankfully (or as we thought at the time), it was a foggy morning, and no school bullies stalled us from reaching the hole in the fence.

Mike tentatively tapped the fence, after which we whispered, "The place of heroes will fall under siege/ Tearing from the Rip/ The friend will become the main."

The oracle did not come, as if it knew that our art supplies were worthless. Instead, a beautiful girl appeared. She was of Italian decent, and looked like she would take you home for ice cream if you scraped your knee, if it weren't for her hard eyes that looked like silver shards.

She was wearing a parka, and in her caramel hair, there was a small strand of glowing silver hair. She was literally glowing too, a soft silver emitting from her. The girl looked no older twelve, and freckles danced across her nose as she glared in anger.

She had a bow along with bronze hunting knife, but she didn't need that to look deadly. There was a loud crack as something that looked suspiciously like shadow started leaking from her hands.

Mike and I didn't need to be told twice. We started sprinting, tripping and falling, but that didn't slow us down. I had faced diabolical SPYDER agents, my corrupt nemesis Murray Hill, missiles, live bombs, explosive putty, but I had never felt as terrified in my life as I was now, running from the supernatural. Adrenaline pumped in my veins, and my heart was leaping out of my throat as I ran towards the school yard.

I never realized how strange my school was before. The students and teachers accepted it, like it was normal that you could ask for homework answers from an oracle that demanded art supplies, and how you could be attacked by a shadow-wielding girl that had a strange obsession with silver.

I never had anything else to compare it too, and St. Smithen wasn't exactly normal either.

Coming back now, I started to question everything I thought I used to know about my old town. The two questions ringing around in my head were How? Why?

>><<

Mike opened the door to the art store. Since we were broke, we had to steal some art supplies, and we had to get good quality too. We didn't want to ask Erica or Trixie, because they still looked angry from yesterday's fight, ready to bite someone's head off. Since the hoodie oracle wasn't really a serious topic to Cyrus, he didn't allow anyone else to help, saying that he needed them to help him research and discuss tactics.

The plan was for Mike to distract everyone with his charm, while I would pickpocket some art supplies.

The teenage girl that was instructing the senior art class paused as we entered, staring at Mike.

There it is, another strange thing about my town: every straight girl that meets my best friend can't take her eyes off him.

Well, you have insanely good math skills, another part of my brain said. You are also part of the strange town known as Vienna.

"So, you are is pretty good," Mike gestured towards the painting the girl was drawing. "Are you planning to be an artists?"

She blushed. "No, not really, I don't think I'm good enough."

"Really? I don't think I've seen many art pieces better than yours. Besides, you're teaching an art class, and you're obviously rubbing off them." Mike gestured to the paintings that the student seniors were drawing. They weren't bad.

As Mike continued flirting, I pocketed some small paints and a wooden paint brush.

"So I'll see you next week?" the girl asked as we walked out of the store.

"Yep!" Mike smiled, lying through his teeth.

I used to wonder why Erica would do anything for a mission. Lie, steal, sacrifice a woman's purse. But now, Mike and I were doing the same. Of course if we had started doing that only after a few missions, than Erica would definitely be like that if she was being told that her whole life.

Despite the expensive paints rolling in my pockets, I still had a feeling of unease that tomorrow's visit to the oracle would be even less successful than today's was.

Well this is a weird glitch it shows that there are 460 words when there are actually 886 words. 

Anyways, here's your update. I'm super excited for the next chapter!