Hope in the shadows

Chapter 1. Acceptance

" Miss Saga it's time to wake up." Cora said with her sharp voice. Core is my family's maid she was my only comfort when my dad died. She's strict but you can see that she cares about you. " Why? " I said while trying to block out the sun coming from the window. "Because there is a letter to you on the kitchen counter. I just thought you might wanna check you what it's about. " When I herd that I jumped out of bed and ran out the door. I didn't even eat the breakfast Cora had come up with. That's okay I'll eat it when I get back to my room. I was running down the hallway when I nearly fell over Dina our dog. "Hello there. There is a letter for me downstairs should we go see who it's from?" The tiny dog jumped looking really excited. I picked her up and we went downstairs and into the kitchen.

When we got there my mother was already sitting at the kitchen counter waiting for me. She had her hair in a bun with a floral dress. My mother always wore a corset I didn't get why because they weren't really comfortable. Even though I hated corsets my mother always said. "A corset shows power, you wear something others would cry when wearing but you don't cry even though you want to because you strong and won't let others see the imperfection only the perfection."
"Saga there is a letter for you from the academy. " I went into shock. I put Dina down and took the letter from my mothers hand. 

Dear SagaWillow
You have been accepted into the academy of Naron military. Firstly we want to apologize for not sending you a reply we have had some problems with stavaran spies and have had to check all the information twice. You want to enroll in information and infiltrate.
Which will make you a spy for your country. We have read your letter and heard with your past teachers. You have excellent grades and has a black belt in fighting. We will be testing you when you get here. But we are pretty sure will see amazing things from you miss Willow.
We welcome you to the academy.
Yours sincerely principal Johnson.

I couldn't believe it. They finally answered my application. I was really happy but at the same time nervous. It didn't say anything about a test in the paper. But I hadn't checked in a long time so it might have been implied after what happened with the stavaran spies. "I told you you honey. Your had worked would pay of, and now you're leaving for the academy in just a month!" My mother was really excited for me. I was the only family she had left and after what happened with my father, all she wanted was to get revenge on the people who killed him. Cora came into the kitchen holding the tray with my breakfast. I had totally forgot about the food. Cora gave me a look of disapproval but i could see she was happy for me. After eating the cold breakfast and taking with mom and Cora about what to pack and what to expect. I went back up because I was still in my night gown and I wanted to go down to the training room to practice before my first lesson. I wore a black shirt with black shorts.

After an hour of training I got ready for my first lesson but when I got down to the library Cora was taking books out of the shelves and putting them in a box. " Cora? What are you doing with those books?" " Miss Willow asked me to pack some books she wanted you to bring with you to the academy." I walked over to her and looked at the books she had put in. They were stuff like my dad's journals and history books. There were also some books about Stavaran. " Why dose my mother want me to take my dad's old journals with me to the academy?" Cora looked me in the eye. She had a worried look on her face but I couldn't understand why? Did she not want me to leave? "Unfortunately miss Misae I can't answer that, you'll have to ask her yourself when she gets back." Wait what my mother had left? "Where did she go?" Cora picked the box up and started leaving the room. " I don't know miss, but she said something about visiting an old friend. She will be back to see you leave but until then you're lessons have been canceled." Then she walked out leaving me completely confused. Where was my mother going? She never spoke of some old friend, in fact she had told me that her  friends had all died in the war while we were getting back most of our land. We did manage it but it had taken a lot of lives, including my mother's friend and family.

The next four weeks went by super fast. My days were usually the same. Wake up, training, studying for myself, packing and taking Dina on walks on the beach. My mother didn't come back before the day I was leaving. She woke me up at dawn and brought me to her study.
" Misae I know I've been gone but it's been for an important reason. Now that you're going into the real world you have to understand that the world isn't painted in black and white. Not all naronians are on your side and not all stavarans will kill you if you turn your back on them." I didn't understand. She had always thought me that stavarans are the enemy. Why did she suddenly tell me that some can be trusted and that some of my own people could not. "Why are you telling me this now mother?" " Because you're soon going to have to make your own decisions in trust and you're going to learn stuff that will make you question yourself and your beliefs. But just remember that you're not alone, me and your dad will always watch over you." That was the last thing she said to me because I was kicked out of her study right after that. There was a car outside waiting for me, I could see my mother in the window but she wouldn't come down to say goodbye. Those words in her office was the last word she said before I left and though I didn't know it at that time they would be the last words I ever heard from her.