Hazel of ACE

1 - Hazel

Hazel Penelope Bonaparte is an orphan, taking the name Bonaparte from her former gang leader. By living on the streets, she had learned a thing or two about finding and using weapons, but for some reason (or by talent), she found daggers to be the easiest to work with – light, yet extremely deadly.

One day, as she was alone and looking through the compost bin for food, an old scraggly man approached her, demanding the young girl to give him all of her money. Taken by surprise (and obviously by fright), Hazel whipped out her rusty eight-inch dagger – the one she inherited from Napoleon Jr (her beloved gang leader. Even he stated that he has no biological relation with the real famed Napoleon Bonaparte). Just before the wicked steel point would have pierced the man's neck, he caught hold of her wrist and redirected the weapon to face Hazel instead. Her bright hazel eyes widened in shock, but luckily for her, the man wasn't who he seemed to be.

That was a day ago. Now, Hazel found herself sitting on the bus ride to the Academy. The man was a recruiter, looking for the world's smartest kids, the elite, he liked to call them.

She looked out the bus window, feeling more bored than nauseous. It was almost like she didn't care to join the school for elites. The only thing that kept Hazel from declining the man's invitation was the idea that she'd return home in four years, rich and educated. The man had convinced her that Napoleon Jr. would have appreciated her leaving to the Academy, and as young and gullible as she was, Hazel promptly accepted without letting her gang know.

The buses were small and cramped, and they would've been vans if not for the dusty yellow paint coated on the outsides. They could fit about thirty kids each (as Hazel counted), but only about twenty-four other kids sat with her.

Next to her sat a girl with wavy, dusty brown hair, but neither of them would face each other. Perhaps they were both far too shy, but as the other girl bent down to get something from her daypack, Hazel caught a glimpse of her face – rather doll-like, with emerald green eyes.

It's her, thought Hazel. My friend from... years ago. We used to play. Could it be?

"Calypso!" Hazel exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

The girl, Calypso, turned to look at Hazel and instantly recognized her. "Hazel!" She threw her arms around her old friend. "Oh, I've missed you so much. What are you doing here?"

"I dunno. I was out... playing, and suddenly this man approached me, and he told me that I got accepted to some Academy?" Hazel shrugged. "How did you end up here?"

Calypso sighed. "Well, my mother signed me up. She thought the Academic Center for Excellence sounded like just the thing I needed, so with a series of tests and all, I was on the roster. My mom said it's a really good school, only for the smartest and most able children in the world!"

"I heard," Hazel replied. "So none of us know what we're doing. Do you know anyone else here?"

Calypso hesitated. "Uh, I don't believe so. You?"

Hazel shook her head. "We'll have to stick together, then."

Across the aisle, a boy shouted for Calypso. "Kale! You're here too?"

"Jason! I'm honestly astonished as to how you got in," Calypso joked.

The Jason boy seemed to be a bit shorter than Hazel, his brown hair glittering in the sunlight. He looked and gestured towards Hazel. "That your new friend?"

Calypso put an arm around Hazel, who was still studying Jason's dark brown eyes. "Nah, not new. We used to play together in elementary school."

Hazel waved at the boy. "Hey Jerry."