𝐉𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 // 𝐒𝐏𝐘 𝐱 𝐅𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐘

Chapter 11

A plump, dark haired man stared down the anxious blonde haired boy with absolute disdain, their expression cruel. "So, you decided to apply here... despite not knowing the answers to even these basic questions?"

He leaned forward, his expression twisting viciously. "Go ahead, answer me. Well?"

The said boy shuddered, sweat dripping down his face. "I... uh... I just... um..."

"I believe we've heard enough. You may go." The man settled back, amusement showing in his glittering eyes; a clear dismissal.

"Thank you for your time." The father bowed before exiting. Shame radiated from the family of three as they walked out of the examining room in defeat.

Head lowered, the mother of the family listlessly walked along as her son tearfully cried. The father turned angrily on his family members, his voice loud and furious. "Come on! What kind of answer was that?!"

The final phase of the Eden Academy admissions process.

"Dammit! Now we'll be rejected for sure!" The man's voice echoed in the silent chamber, his tone carrying to the rest of the families nervously waiting outside.

The family interviews have begun.

Loid, Yor, Kei, and Anya sat. They had been sitting and sitting and sitting. And they were still sitting.

Kei sighed, opening her book and then closing it again. She couldn't seem to concentrate; not with the voice whispering its usual commentary in the back of her head.

And certainly not with all the nervous inner dialogue chattering away around her. Believe it or not, worried thoughts were loud.

For the first time... Loid shut his eyes for a moment, trying to calm himself. In over a decade as a spy... He clenched his fists, so that his nails dug into his palm, sweat dripping down his face. I'm actually nervous!

I've infiltrated the world's vilest terrorist organizations. I've stopped a nuclear weapon from launching with only a second to spare and none of that even came close...

Kei heaved a sigh, wishing that he'd stop being dramatic. It only made her want to hide out in a hole.

But alas, Loid was not a telepath, and so his thoughts continued. -Nothing. Nothing ever even came close to the stress of entrusting this mission to amateurs. On the exterior, he remained placid, however, if one looked closely enough, they'd be able to see Loid twitching erratically, ever so slightly.

Kei, of course, was quite indignant at that. Don't group me with those two!!

She glanced at those said two. Yor seemed serene enough, gazing out the window, likely dreaming up her next murder. Anya was quite the opposite.

Having also heard Loid's thoughts, she'd caught on to his anxiety and was now in a state of jittering fears. Eyes wider than ever, mouth trembling, and just shivering in general, Anya wordlessly stared at Loid with an intensity that disturbed the latter somewhat.

Finally, the door opened with a thud. "Forger family, this way please." A random extra announced to the room.

They quickly bolted upright, the same terror reflected in each of their faces.

Gravely, Loid thought to himself. There's no doubt in my mind.

This moment is the very crux of Operation Strix.

The four filed into the room in a perfectly orderly manner.

Kei's eyes wandered around the room. A bookshelf. Wooden-paneled walls. A large window. A chandelier. Two armchairs. One table. Another armchair. And a sofa. Three men.