White Spies

Chapter 3: The Team

After a half day of seeking the members, we went home and started the building of the team. Dr. Tim came with snacks in the silendalocus. He offered us drinks and food, he feels really happy. He sit on the front chair of the table with us on the side.

“Let’s start! I’m Dr. Tim your father here, 24th Benecustos, call me Dada.” Dr. Tim started introducing himself and we followed.

“I’m Ely Lee from Veronica”

“Cindy Chen from Veronica”

“Tom Park from Francisco”

“Alex Sung from Beijing”

“Veronica Frost, I’m not a place, I’m from Berbania”

Dada explained why we are the chosen. We need to hide our real personality. No one should know the organization we are in. We should act like normal people do. When we start the mission, no one should see our faces. Those are the prior regulations.

After the long discussion, Dada pressed again the blue button in the remote control and the face of a man with American suit appeared and an assistant woman on his right side. He started greeting each one of us by reading our names from another screen on his left side. It made me more confuse on what is happening.

He introduced himself with a name of “Mr. Joseph Huggins” and a quotation, “I am not looking for someone who has everything but someone who has time to spend helping.” Everything that he’s saying just tagged to my mind, I never felt like this in my sixteen years of living.

While Mr. Huggins talks about are strengths and weaknesses, Dada handed each of us a very small device that we put inside our ears where we can hear each other’s voices. He also handed us very small container wherein a red tablet is inside. “Just use the tablet when you really need, red for something emergency, I will tell you if you needed to use it. For the mean time, that’s enough what you know about the red tablet. And enough for today, tomorrow is a different new day for you, take a rest now, goodnight guys.” Dada explained sleepily and went to his room.

I want to have a second to think of a lot of things. I went to the garden and sit on the wood and stared at the stars in the sky. The cool breeze of the night makes me shrugged. The past catches me as I closed my eyes, those days that I’m a normal teenager, having fun with Ely and bunch of teens.

“Hey.” Ely is suddenly there sitting in the woods with me. “You’re not sleepy eh? What bothers you?”

“Back three days ago Ely…Why us?” I placed Ely’s arms around me. We are quiet for a long minute and felt the silence of the place around us. I know I’m safe with him. I know he’ll protect me. I felt his warm body covers the cold temperature in me and I felt Ely’s heart’s beating so fast that it made me laugh interrupting the silence.

“Hey, your heart is beating so fast, that’s funny. Haha.” I said.

That made him embarrassed and pushed me with a “Me? No, of course not! Come on, get a sleep now.”

“You’re not answering me yet...” I stopped and change my smile with a sad face.

“I’ll answer you when I find it, I promise”, Ely hold my hand once more with a smile full of hope and we went inside the mansion together.

This time, I woke up with the sweet song of Dada’s alarm clock. It was a different day. In the speaker in my room, Dada made an announced that we should be at the back of the house right after we ate our breakfast. When I looked at my table at the right side of the bed, green leafy vegetables and milk is waiting for me. Vegetables for breakfast are one of the worse breakfasts I ever had. After I ate my food, I changed my clothes and I went directly to the backyard. I’m late because everyone already lined up there. The morning breeze is really cold that I want to have a break and drink coffee.

“You’re late, eight minutes and twenty-three seconds ago” said Dada to me, gladly he can use again his old watch for trainees.

Tom gave me his jacket and that made my energy back. We started the day with a game, hide-and-seek. I don’t know what is the connect of it in our training skill. I had fun, I admit it. Alex Sung, the Chinese guy is the stake. He need to find us but it takes one and half hour and I think he gave up.

“Stop the game, please. Are you serious Dada? This is children’s game!” for the second time of four days, Alex Sung talked to Dada.

“Okay guys, emerge now. The game is over.” Dada shouted and we came out where we are hiding and walked to where Dada and Alex are.

“Is there a problem? I’m enjoying the fresh air at the top of the tree,” said Veronica.

“Listen, this game is for you to feel your child’s life, enjoying. And for you to learn not giving up and having patience. I think this is where the training begins. 

Dada gave us copies of instructions of the training then he told us to come with him. He carried us to a real training place with real trainers’ equipment in the backyard; he opened the gate and picked his watched and started yelling “go!” We need to turn five laps to the long rail with traps that can kill.

Tom first finished the five laps then, Ely, me, Alex, and last is Veronica. Well, that’s my strength.

“Tom the long standing,” said Dada while writing our speeds in his pocket notebook. “Lunch break guys!” He stands up and led us to the dining room.

After lunch, we had this movie watching in the movie theatre room next to Dada’s room. It’s kind of boring because the film is all about the adventures again of benecustos’. The movie finished at already nine o’clock. I went directly to my room, I sat at the couch and found I am not really comfortable in my room, I started moving the tables, frames, and noticed a table that is stacked in the floor, I can’t move it. As I stared at the flower in my table, thinking of my parents lives before and suddenly, I become aware of the bottom of the counter where the flower vase lies. I walked and thought perhaps, there’s a secret button there just like in the living room. I searched and searched and found nothing. I went back on sitting in the couch and stared at the table once again. There’s a knots at its sides, and what I do, I lifted the table and found square shape, there’s a device that needed a finger print, and that made me nervous and lot of things went to my mind. I tried to fit my finger and it opened, there’s stairs going down and I think my adventure starts here.

It was cold there; I followed the passageway with the lights hanging on the wall. I don’t know what’s waiting for me at the end but I felt excited for the first time. I found many stairs just like in my room. I opened a door and found Ely’s room; luckily, he didn’t notice me under his table. I went back on walking and suddenly, I heard footsteps. I stopped and tried to hide on a room but someone touched my shoulder that made me a statue.

“So, you want play hide-and-seek here?” said the man. My heart is beating so fast but not like Ely’s heart, I’m nervous and it’s different. As I looked at my back, I breathed heavily with relief, it was Dada.

“Cindy, I just want you to know that there’s hidden cameras here at connects to my phone.” Dada continued.

“I’m sorry Dada, I didn’t mean, I’m just curious what’s on the bottom of my table. It just caught my attention, I’m sorry. I’ll never do that again” I begged.

“Oh, that’s fine. This passage is important to us. I’ll tell all of you in the right time why. Now, go back to your sweet dreams. I trust you.” He accompanied me to my room. “Goodnight good little thief.”

I’m cheerless because I didn’t do it all the way to where the passage goes. I jumped to my bed and closed my eyes.