Manhunt

Chapter 2

Julia searched through the drawers of her bathroom, locating her brown contact lenses and fishing them out of its container. She slid the thin film over her gray irises, blinking to set the contact in place.

This was a routine she now did every morning since she'd started going on missions. If there was one thing she learned as a trainee, it was never wanting to stand out. Eye contact happens naturally, and when someone has an eye color that isn't common, there'd be a higher chance of that being noted by another. Her hair could cover her face, but that was too obstructive for this line of work. Glasses wouldn't be effective enough to cover her eyes, either. At first, she had only worn them for missions, but she eventually developed the habit of always having them on.

Screwing shut the little caps to the case, she went down to the kitchen.

"Morning!" She greeted her parents.

"Good morning." They replied in unison as they busied themselves for the day. She grabbed a bagel from the plate off the counter, slicing it in half before shoving it into the toaster. As it started up, she moved to the refrigerator, seeking a container of orange juice that no longer was there. Julia resisted a sigh of defeat as she grabbed a container of raspberries instead.

"Any news?" Julia asked, closing the door behind her as she paced back to the toaster. It seemed that every day, something occurred within the organization, so she always made a point in being informed. A lot could happen in mere moments, so it was important to be on top of agency activity.

"We're undergoing security protocols." Her father answered, sipping at his mug of coffee. "The neighborhood is on lock down and half of us are on patrol." She rolled her eyes.

"Great..." She sighed sarcastically, peering over at her dad. It was strange that she hadn't heard of this sooner. "What for?"

Silence met her ears.

There was never a question unanswered before...this worried her. She turned fully to face her parents, alarmed.

"We don't know yet." Emma was the first to speak, her voice steady and cool. "They haven't informed us yet." Julia nodded slowly, an unsettled feeling resting in the pit of her stomach.

She'd have to message them later in the day to see what that was all about.

Suddenly remembering her breakfast, she turned back to her bagel and swiped it out of the toaster before plopping it onto her plate. Too impatient to allow it to cool, she spread Nutella on her bagel and sprinkled a few raspberries on top before closing it into a sandwich. Taking a bite out of it, she chewed slowly as she formulated her next question, bringing the plate with her to the table to join her parents.

"What happens to half the people that are on missions? Many of them live in the neighborhood."

"They won't be returning to their houses until the assessment is complete." Julia took a moment to ponder his response, taking a few more bites quickly. In the past, the agency held drills to test the response time of the agents that were settled in this neighborhood. Generally, there was a heads up before the drill was conducted, but she hadn't received any prior notice. Even though she was still in training, and didn't have specific missions assigned to her often, Virtus ensured all who were part of the agency were notified.

"You don't find this strange? Or alarming?" Julia pressed, perhaps too suspicious for her own good.

"Everything that happens in this line of work is strange or alarming." Her father explained simply, watching Julia get up from her seat just as she polished the last of her breakfast. Placing her plate in the sink, she reached for an orange and a granola bar for a snack later. When she turned around, Aiden was directly in front of her, causing her to blink in surprise. She hated how silently he moved. Before she could do anything, his hands were holding her face firmly as he studied her eyes. He sighed before releasing her.