Bella and I stare at each other, confused, before quickly standing up, leaving Lauren and Kylie behind as my mind begins to race with all the possible reasons why they requested both of us. Bella is not my assigned partner, and they don’t change your partner unless they die. And Lauren is very much alive, sat eating the subpar food in the dining sector.
“What do you think it is?” Bella whispers. I shake my head in response.
Girls of The Academy are seen and not heard.
Standing in the Madam’s office is Madam, Major, Commander, Overseer, and someone I have never met before. An older man. I suspect he will be at least late forties, maybe early fifties. He has dark hair, a small beard shaved closely to his face, but still just enough hair to hide his jaw. He stands tall, his bigger build taking up what little space is left in the small room.
Bella and I are guided to sit down in front of the crowded room. Neither of us argues as we move to the chairs quietly, wondering what the hell is happening.
“Thank you for coming,” the new man says, walking to the front of the desk and keeping his eyes on me, making me very uncomfortable.
“You are here as we are trying something new; we are changing your assigned partners, temporarily. As you know, PX-57 does not have an assigned partner, although she has been paired with PX-34 often.” Kylie.
“We would like you two to complete this mission together, being two of our best.”
“And what of our other assigned partners?” I ask. Worry seeps through me, but I keep my face cold. Stay calm, Darlia. Stay calm so you don’t get yourself killed.
“They will stay behind. Consider your mission an experiment. If all goes well, we will pair you together more often.” Meaning they want to get rid of Lauren and Kylie, the weaker links.
“Thank you for the opportunity, sir.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Bella’s hands grasp at the arms of the chair, her knuckles turning white with the barely restrained anger flowing through her, the same worry I am dreading.
“Right, well, for PX-3, this will be a refresher, but PX-57 will need a briefing that I’m sure you can provide. You will be going after Target 106. This time again, the mission is only to observe, but in a different environment. We have received communication that he will be attending another ball with someone we believe to be his partner. You will find new outfits waiting for you in your bunk rooms. We cannot risk you being seen in the same outfit twice; the other guests may become suspicious.”
New outfits, repeat target, new partner. I don’t like it.
“I would be happy to brief Bel—PX-57, sir.”
Instead, the man smiles. A warm smile that looks like he actually means to smile, not to be polite. “Perfect, well then, we expect you to be ready to move in one hour. Commander will be waiting for you. I understand that is your normal procedure?”
I nod. “Yes, sir. We will return in one hour.”
“Oh, and PX-3? Don’t ever let me find out you talked to the target again.”
“Of course, sir.”
As soon as we return back to the assigned bunk rooms, I sit down on the bed that has been assigned to me for the last fifteen years. For fifteen years, I have sat here, slept here, lived here. All under the promise that when you turn twenty-one, The Academy would age you out and let you see the real world.
Now, it feels like everything is crumbling, and I don’t know what to believe. Cayden knows too much about The Academy. They’re changing assigned partners, sending new pairs on missions, and giving new clothes. Everything is falling apart, and I can only hope that we all make it out alive.
But, hope breaks you more than love.
It shapes you to be someone you don’t want to be, shaped me into someone I don’t think I ever wanted to be. Of course, I will never know since I never got asked before they started training me for The Academy.
“So, what’s the plan, Darlia?”
“I have to talk to him…to Cayden.” I take off my standard training uniform, leaving only my undergarments as I put on the new dress.
“I have to get answers I won’t get here, but you can’t tell a soul.” Unlike Lauren.
“You know I'm always on your side,” Bella says quickly.
“I never doubted it.” I smile and Bella walks off to get dressed before we walk to the other side of the basement to the mission sector.
The new outfit is nothing like the usual formal mission attire. Instead of The Academy issued black dress clinging to my body, it is puffy and red. The skirt flows around me with thick patterns pressed into the fabric, rather than clinging to my body. My usual gun and knife are attached to both thighs, this time much more comfortably. My hair is up in the same teased ponytail that is standard. My makeup is done, but this time my tattoo is covered. I hate it.
I want to wear these dresses for a reason, it feels wasteful to wear them only to kill someone. Only we’re not killing anyone, we’re observing. Which is even more confusing considering I’m not a babysitter but a trained assassin.
