Agent Goldfinch

Trainer

"You are all here because you are very special." Ms. Steele stands in front of the group of teenagers, dressed in khakis and a blue outdoor collared shirt.

"I've been waiting for this for fifteen years." Gigi whispers excitedly next to me.

Ms Steele gestures to the row of people standing behind her. I spotted Tate. His eyes smile. Maybe it's to his sister, who is literally standing right next to me. Gigi waves a little and he tips his head.

Oh.

Ohhhhh.

It was for me.

Tate and all the other people, including a set of twins and a girl with winged eyeliner who looks so over this. standing behind Ms. Steele were wearing gray t-shirts with "Camp Egrets" on the front as well as a small bird on the left corner. I can't make out Tate's bird too clearly, but it loosely resembles... a falcon?
Huh.

"These people," Ms Steele continued "are our staff. They have all been in the program for at least three years. They are your first line of advice and knowledge. Know them. Trust them. Learn from them."
"For now," Ms Steele waves a piece of paper. "You will go to your cabins, settle into your home for the next two months and get to know your roommates. We will convene again at dinner. Oh, one more thing," her head turns sharply, "there is WiFi here to contact your family. Hack it."

She walks away like she didn't just tell us to HACK INTO THE FREAKING WIFI.

"Hope we're in the same cabin, right?" Gigi asked, practically bouncing on her toes.

"Yeah." I try to fake a smile as I shoulder my duffel, worried thoughts running through my head. I haven't even done anything yet and I'm already failing.

We walked up to the paper Ms Steele had held up moments ago and my eyes scan it for my name

Cabin Four: Payne, Vanessa; Conklin, Isabel "Belly"; Swift, Betty; Rooney, Paris

I'm about to turn to Gigi and express my disappointment as my eyes read the rest of the line

Cabin overseer: Crown, Tate

Goddamnit 
But also... yay.

"Sucks that we aren't together," Gigi turns to me "but at least you're with my brother!"

I wish girly. I wish.

"I'll see if I can trade cabins somehow." Gigi winks at me, telling me she's probably made 'trades' before.

"See you at dinner?"

"Yeah." I said un - enthusiastically.

The cabin seems pretty standard summer camp - until I notice something about the wood paneling on the inside. It's fake, covering up metal.

The glass, I recognize to be bulletproof. They must really care about us. Or maybe they just wondered if we would notice.

On my bed, I find a gray sweatshirt and t-shirt. Because I was talking to Gigi, I got to the cabin later than the others. The garments on my bed aren't folded neatly. Someone moved them off from my bed and made it theirs, generously giving me the one they deemed unworthy.

I opened up the sweatshirt first. It looked like the shirt Tate was wearing, except the bird was different. Underneath the bird, it reads "Payne". I turn the shirt around.

"Goldfinch"

I guess that's the bird. I also suppose that's my name.

I like it. The shirts are the same, so I set one aside to wear tomorrow.

Time to attempt to hack into the WiFi and fail.
I open up me phone and search for networks

Happy_camperwifi:)

Jesus. These people are taunting me.

I look around to see if any of the girls look helpful. There's a girl with short brown hair,with blonde roots peeking through, earbuds already in, a girl with long brown hair, a moon face and a shirt that reads "Cousins Beach", and a blonde girl with bangs and a braid.

They all look busy with something, so I type in random words.

Happycamper

Egrets

Sciencerocks

Science camp

Idontevenknowanymorehelp

I'm so focused and irritated that I barely hear Gigi slide into the seat next to me during dinner and say that she successfully switched with Betty Swift.
I feel Tate slide in next to me.

"Need help?"

I sighed. "Yes, very much so. Wait." My brain catches something, "Are you allowed to do that?"

"As your trainer, yes."

I chuckled awkwardly. "Thanks."

"So," Tate pushes his plate aside, "you're going to type in 'mainframe1710', that overrides the password, it's the emergency code for the government for whatever reason they desire."

"That simple, huh?"

"Wickedly simple." His eyes glint, even in the dull fluorescent lighting.

My trainer walks out the door, and I'm to busy watching him to see the folded falcon in my fingers until he's outside.

First day of training tomorrow. You ready?
-T

A.N.: this took way longer than I thought bc I had to think of a way for her to get in the wiFi
Ily all <3!
Have an amazing week!