𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 | 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐎𝐧𝐞 | 𝐅𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙴𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗 | 𝙰𝚝𝚝𝚊 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕

^^^

"I have to admit, Five, I haven't met anyone quite like you since I've been here."

I snorted, not hiding it at all.

She was just talking nonsense all the time. She smiled at us all the time with her artificial tenderness. It was starting to annoy me a lot. She could at least give up her weird face. Maybe then it would all be more bearable for me.

We landed in a place that definitely didn't look like a time-travel agent headquarters. And it was definitely not the place I expected.

No, various options ran through my mind. A modern, glass-fronted building resembling any New York company. Or some kind of underground, well-hidden base. But no, the headquarters of the Commission had to be so much more different from other agencies.

The place where we landed resembled a small palace or an exceptionally large mansion. The whole thing consisted of a well-kept garden, the palace I mentioned earlier and another, slightly standing out white, round building. The palace was built of light brown brick, had Baroque-style windows and a large balcony supported by pillars. These were definitely my vibes; I loved the medieval theme in architecture. There were a couple of rather old cars parked in front of the building. They looked like 1950s models.

I immediately guessed that the briefcase transported us to those times. Just what for?

It was a question I couldn't answer myself.

I wasn't going to ask the Handler about it either. Neither Five.

The woman led us on a path through the garden. We headed towards the palace, which was probably the main seat of the Commission. I chastised myself for the excitement that sprang up in my head.

"Hazel and Cha Cha are talented, certainly, but they can't see the big picture," the Handler continued, gesturing dramatically with her right hand. In her left hand, she was still clutching a briefcase. "Your spunk, your enterprising spirit... Well, it reminds me a great deal of myself."

I flinched as her right arm fell over Five's shoulders. With each passing second, her sentences and actions grew more bizarre.

The boy, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by her exceptional tenderness. I decided to trust him. He knew what he was doing.

"If things work out for you here, you could potentially make a fine successor."

'Luckily it won't come to that,' I thought, trying to hide a smile.

The woman leaned forward to look at me.

"We'll make good use of you too," she said, her teeth flashing white as she grinned. "Your powers and training will be very useful. We're impressed with your skills and the whole coma mystery. We'll be happy to investigate your condition. Maybe we can even do something about it, huh?"

I nodded as it was all I could do at the time. Did she want to change my body? Turn me into— No, that's stupid. I was me. I didn't need any changes.

Five didn't need them either.

"I also realize how important you two are to each other, so maybe I could stuff (Y/N) into Five's department. Does that sound appealing?"

I felt his hand gently tugging on my sleeve.

"You can say that" I forced myself to keep my voice calm.

The Handler smiled even wider.

"Consider it a goodwill gesture," she prompted. "Working in the Commission is no joke. There is no time here for idle chatter and unnecessary romance."