I stare at the ceiling, lying on my bed. My body is tired but my mind is racing.
Am I a coward?
I ask myself. My body shivers. The air conditioner is off, but I am feeling cold. That look I saw on dad's face sometimes back is still in my mind. He was disappointed. Suddenly my phone rings.
It's Naomi.
"Hello." I receive the call in a bored tone.
"Did your boyfriend dump you?" Naomi asked.
I rolled my eyes and said, "I do not have one."
"Exactly! So there is no reason to be sad. It's not like you are going to Soal forever, you will come back. Cheer up, girl." Naomi said in a happy tone, trying to lighten up my mood.
But going to Soal isn't the fact that is making me sad, and I cannot tell her the reason behind my sadness.
"I am not sad, Naomi. I am just tired." I say.
"Don't lie to me, I might have been your best friend for a year only, but I know you." Naomi said in a strict tone.
"I... I am just tired of changing places!" I say with a bit of irritation in my voice.
"I know, but that's how it works, you know," Naomi said in a sad tone and sighed.
Then there was a pause. Suddenly Naomi said in a cheerful tone, "Tomorrow is Friday, so how about we see a movie at night and then you can stay the night at my place and in the morning we will just roam around the neighborhood."
"Sounds good to me." I say happily. At last, something to make me happy again.
Naomi is the best.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am sitting on the stairs of the porch, legs bend up to my chest.
When is dad going to come?! I hope he doesn't think that I decided to quit NIA. -The thought running in my brain.
Last night I thought a lot and I ended up signing my own death warrant. I ended up deciding to stay in NIA and do the job assigned to me even after knowing the risk.
A military jeep pulls up in front of the house. Dad got down from the jeep and eyed me confusedly while approaching the house.
"I- I am ready to go for my training." I said almost stammering.
A smile cracked on dad's face. "I'll be right back." He said and went in.
Dad came back while tossing the car-keys from one hand to another.
"Come on." He said, going towards the car. I got on the passenger seat next to the driver's seat and dad started the engine.
The car ride was silent but it was evident on dad's face that he was happy. Dad dropped me in front of NIA Headquarters and left. As soon as I turned towards the building, I saw Brandon approaching me, a smirk playing on his lips. I got slightly irritated.
Why does he have to smirk every damn time!
"Well hello, Miss Knight." Brandon said in his fake polite voice.
I look up at him. This guy is tall, like really tall. He could be called the human version of Burj Khalifa.
I make a straight face. "Hi Brandon, and please call me Taylor." I say in a monotonous tone and walk past him, going towards the lift. Brandon walks close behind me.
"What! I thought calling someone with their surname means showing respect. But if you don't want respect, well, then what can I do?" Brandon asked trying to act cool.
We get inside the lift and Brandon presses the button for the 23rd floor.
"I do not consider it as respect, and I know that isn't what you meant, you just want to get into my nerves." I replied in a monotonous tone.
"Then let me get in." Brandon said in a mischievous tone.
"Very cheap." I said looking at him with narrowed eyes.
I then look back at the door of the lift and ask him while staring at it, "You said that I am not the only one, what does that mean?"
As soon as I finished my question the lift made a ding sound signaling that we arrived at the desired floor.
Brandon gets out of the lift. "Follow me." He said while walking towards a room at the end of the hallway.
We stopped in front of the room. '13-19' written with black ink, in calligraphy, on the wooden door.
"Get ready to-" Brandon said with anticipation in his tone.
"-not to be surprised, because it's pretty normal." His anticipation died out.
He twisted the knob of the door and revealed a massive room.
"Come on in." Brandon said while entering the room.
I walked close behind him, taking in the view of the room. The floor was the same as Mr. Frazzer's office, clean and shiny. On the left side of the room, there are round metal tables with matt black cantilever chairs surrounding them.
"Taylor, here." Brandon called me out to follow him. I turned right and saw a conference table at the furthest end of the room. People, who looked close to my age or maybe a bit older than me, sitting there. Some were doing paperwork, some were typing on their devices and some were just taking a nap on their chairs or sitting casually.
"They all seem like teenagers." I whispered to Brandon with confusion.
"Well because they are teenagers." Brandon said in a low voice while walking towards that table.
"Brandon!" A shrieky girly voice almost shouted out. A girl with golden blonde hair with pink highlights at the bottom came running toward Brandon.
"Chloe!" Brandon's voice boomed with happiness. They hugged each other and shortly after that Chloe noticed me behind Brandon. She eyed me from top to bottom and looked at Brandon.
"The new girl I told you about." Brandon said to Chloe with a smile.
"Hmm." The only response that came out of her mouth.
"Take a seat, Taylor." Brandon said pointing towards the conference table.
I sat beside a nerdy-looking girl and smiled at her.
"Hi, I am Beck." She said while returning a smile.
"Hi, I am Taylor." I replied
"Taylor for the Sacra-Soal case?" Said a guy sitting across the table, he is pale and thin with curly almond-blonde locks resting on his head like a bird's nest.
"Yes." I replied with a nervous smile.
He extended his hand and I shook it. "It's Josh here."
"Nice to meet you, Josh." I said with a smile.
"NIA should have a rule on employing people with a decent sense of fashion." Chloe suddenly spoke out, eyeing me while leaning her head back on the chair.
"Well, as far as I know, you do not need to be a fashionista to be a spy, you just need a bit of courage and a brain full of wit." I say with a smile, my tone firm but at the same time, warm.
Chloe smiled while narrowing her eyes at me. "I like her." She said looking at Brandon. Brandon smiled warmly at her.
"Okay Taylor, now let me introduce you to everyone." Brandon said with a bossy tone.
He took the seat at the head of the table and signaled towards his right, "Sitting beside you is Beck, you know is as you have already met her."
Then he started pointing to each person sitting there and said their names.
There are a total of 9 members, Brandon, Chloe, Beck, Josh, Adam, Megan, Harold, Timmy and finally, me.
After introducing me to everyone, Brandon got up from his seat and went in front of the chest-of-drawers at the rightmost corner of the room and took something out of a drawer. He came back and extended his hands towards me. I extended my hand to take the thing. A badge was put on my palm, "13-19 Taylor" written on this metal badge with black ink in calligraphy.
"See, I told you that you are not the only one." Brandon said with his signature smirk playing on his lips.