Rival Roulette

☔︎︎Chapter two: Espionage☔︎︎

"Papa..." I muttered under my breath as he folded his arms awaiting my response, "are you asking me to commit espionage?"

"I'm ordering you to do what's best for the Union, I'm asking you to infiltrate Socrates academy and learn the intentions and secrets of the children of the elite." He tells me taking off his reading glasses, his stern gaze pinning me in place.

"Who are these, children of the elite?" I ask as he proceeds to unlock a safe beside him and pull out a dull purple file coated with dust, which gives me the inkling that this isn't something spontaneous he crafted overnight. He's been planning this for a while.

He unclips the folder and four black and white photos fall out, they all seem as if they were captured when their muse was off guard. These photos were not taken with persimmon. The first is of a girl about my age, full lips and big doe eyes that made her appear almost innocent...
Almost. There is a slight tilt to her smile that gives her a more sinister appearance. Her hair is long and dark, she looks like a deer in headlights.

"Martina Dvorak, daughter of Allister Dvorak who is the assistant to the prime minister of the Czechslovakia communist party. Nineteen years of age, so it shouldn't be difficult for you to get close to her." My father explains, "We suspect that she is the leader of this rumoured secret society at Socrates academy."

"Martina," I spoke under my breath, capturing her image in my mind. "I will befriend you."

"Good." My father approves showing me the next picture, a young man with white hair and a crooked smile, he dressed shaggily like he were in a hurry somewhere as he attempted to adjust the striped tie around his neck. "This is Rune Diedrich, son of the German Chief Justice and infamous for suspected breaching government compute bases by the time he was nine. Twenty years of age and a ghastly look about him."

"Rune." I mouthed slowly, "I will break you."

"Very well, Nadezhda." He affirms revealing the next image, a girl with dark skin and captivating brown eyes that pierced me even through paper. Her hair thick loose curls and her lips in a condescending smirk as she holds a novel close to her chest. "This is Sade Franklin, the only daughter of the Vice President of the United States and youngest to revive the Nobel peace prize for charity. She is the US's suspected mole."

"Sade." I nodded silently, "I will drive you to your limit."

"Excellent." My father approved pausing and taking a deep breath before sliding the final image my way.

It was of a young man, he appeared mature in spirit yet I was aware that he was my age. He was seated in the window of the local library his silvery eyes squinted in focus over the novel that read, "poeticheskaya spravedlivost" which translated to Poetic Justice in English.

He seemed eerily poised, calm and composed, like a vibrant spring rose sprouting out of a frozen lake. A black cat in a field of four-leaf clovers, an open umbrella indoors. He seemed almost as if he were strategically placed there, a diversion from the actual scene. Which was beautiful, the old bookshelves and archaic artistry and all one could focus on was him.

His fox-like features were sly and cunning. He looked like he knew nothing and yet everything at all.

"Who is he?" I asked my father with narrowed eyes, my father took a deep breath and sighed creasing his eyebrows.

"That's the problem." He concluded shaking his head, "we don't know."

"How is that possible?" I question, his narrative sounded ludicrous. "He is just a man, after all, you have found men much older and of more secrecy?"

"We don't know of his name, or lineage, he's the academy's youngest student, we are unsure of how he got in but he's pictured at that very library. At the same time at XII: V every day, for exactly three hours and then he leaves past III. He is rumoured to be associated with the other three people in the photographs." My father explains but the confusion on his face sends a chill down my spine. "Code name Twelve Oh Five is an enigma and I want you to focus greatly on him."

My father knows everything about everyone, no one is out of his reach. So what is it about this man that has his division so perplexed?

My gaze shifted to the image once more, his eyes were so pale and cold, yet focused I thought they'd burn right through the paper. He is my focus, he is the one my mission will depend on. This man between the paper folds of my mind.

"Subject twelve oh five..." I focused gritting my teeth slightly at the anticipation and clenching my fist, "I will ruin you."

I took one last glance at his face, at all their faces. These pieces of the game would fall one by one and each at my hand. For the next year, they would be my sole purpose in this life, to hunt and destroy.

To infiltrate their minds and lives like the plague, my name would taste of sweetness at first- but cause their throats to burn in agony by the time I'd be done with them.

{_________________☔︎︎☔︎︎☔︎︎☔︎︎☔︎︎________________}

A/N:
I genuinely hope that you guys are finding the structure of the story easy to follow and understand, if you have any questions don't be shy to ask.

Nadya's mother is Congolese, although it isn't particularly mentioned, so she is biracial. I hope you like it so far!

Question: what's your favorite holiday & why?
Mine will always be Christmas 🎄

See you on the flipside!

- Scarlet <3