White Rose

Impersonation

Fiona looked furious. She caught hold of Delphine by the arm and hauled her into the corridor, steering her away from the sight of the woman by the gate outside the school. Delphine looked taken aback and just a bit annoyed.
"What do you think you're doing?"she asked viciously, snatching back her arm from Fiona's firm grip.
"I told you to stay clear from the gate when you're alone. And here you are, displaying yourself to strangers!"Fiona scolded. Delphine sneaked a peak at the woman by the gate. She was wearing a black, denim jacket and tight fitting jeans. Her curtain of dark hair was covering her dark eyes. She had a boyish haircut and was the palest woman Delphine had ever seen. She would have been pretty if only she had allowed herself to be. Her appearance looked like she would prefer not to call attention upon herself. The very sight of the woman sent a chill through Delphine's nerves. She gulped nervously. Fiona smiled grimly and took out a pair of field glasses. Putting them on, she observed the woman with utmost concentration.
"Just as I thought. Its Enetra. They knew that she was the most capable for the job that they've given"Fiona gumbled. Delphine looked confused.
"Do you know her? What job?"she asked, scratching her scalp. Fiona was patient. Stuffing the field glasses back into her pocket, she looked at Delphine, scanning her features.
"Now isn't the time to explain, Delphine. Besides,there's too much to say"she said. Delphine frowned. "Why?"she queried.
Fiona sighed deeply. "Let's just say that magic does exist. You'll have to get that fact straight before anything else"she said, hastily. She made sure to keep an eye on the woman as she said this. Delphine was far from surprised. She secretly had the feeling that magic had been there all along. Fiona had merely confirmed her suspicions.
"I get it. I can accept that. Having a mother like Annalise, I've been thaught not to be surprised of anything" Delphine said calmly. Fiona nodded.
"I thought you might. Your mother was a great Community member" she agreed.
"Community what?"
"Nevermind. I told you, I'll explain more tomorrow"Fiona said, marching across the corridor with Delphine at her heels.
"Why not today?"Delphine asked, impatiently. Fiona smiled.
"Because I haven't got all the information that I need"she said, coming to a halt in the middle of the school corridor.
"Are you going to meet the boy today?"she asked, after a small pause. Delphine shook her head.
"Good. You don't have to"she said, pleased with the turn of events. Delphine raised an eyebrow at her inquiringly. She wished that Fiona wouldn't be as mysterious as she seemed to be. It was very tiresome to try and understand her statements.
Fiona refused to say anything else. Before they parted in the school hall, Fiona turned back and asked the weirdest question ever.
"Do you know a shop that sells wigs?"
*
Fiona's brown wig had a loose grip on her scalp. It was heavy and smelled like the feet of an ogre. She adjusted it, worried that it might fall off when she ran. She was walking along the small path in between the buildings of the town, twisting here and turning there to reach Cruscurt Alley. Fiona acquired the knowledge of the streets from her dad. He would take her around in his grey car and show her the shortcuts. Tonight, Fiona had a rather difficult time trying to take one of those shortcuts.
The path was suffocatingly narrow and might house nests of rats. She tried not to think off her hatred for the vermins as she edged in between the two hard walls. Progress was rather slow. She wouldn't have used the path if she'd known how foul it was. She resolved to never take it again. She could almost feel the wetness of the ground. The scent that the moisture gave off confirmed her suspicions that the ground was smeared with blood. Whose blood it was, seemed to be the unanswered question that she wasn't sure that she wanted an answer to.
She was glad for the hood and the dark outfit though, as it would render it almost impossible for anyone to see her in the shadows. Even if anyone did capture her, her disguise would come in handy. She had on a wig, the same shade of brown as Delphine's and had cast an Impersonation Spell upon herself. Only her voice was undisguised, and that could be solved by faking a false soar throat. Fiona wasn't expecting to accomplish much tonight. She had to make sure that the boy at the bus stop had had good intentions. Was he working against the Community and with the Consumers or against the Consumers with the Community? Or perhaps he had nothing to do with the whole thing? She couldn't risk anyone disrupting things for the Community.
Therefore it was time that she took matters into her own hands.
Fiona smiled to herself, relishing in the chill of the night and the absolutely advantageous setting of the night. It was a night for roaming around the town and plunging oneself into some action. The moon was not in the sky, all the more setting the odds in her favour.
Eventually, she reached Cruscurt Alley. It was a dark road, with rows of houses along it. The houses were not very big but looked eerie enough to cast themselves in unnerving creepiness. There were next to no lights shining from any of the windows. There was a single streetlight at the end of the road, blinking its light on and off. The road was also deadly quiet. She looked around for any signs of the boy's presence, careful to be still. She was positive that it was ten, as she was always punctual for anything.
She decided to search for him further down the road. Fiona made sure to keep to the walls of the buildings, blending into the shadows. She was careful to keep her eyes down too, acknowledging that her blue eyes could be easily distinguishable and sensed. Slowly, she edged against rhe walls and walked down the road, pursing her lips tightly, just in case she had the urge to scream lest she encounter a rat. At one point, she froze and pricked up her ears for sounds of footsteps. Sure enough, she heard the soft thumping of boots brushing the sidewalk. She could vaguely make out a figure in the midst of the darkness. It had to be the boy. The figure was taller than her, but not too tall to be a grown up man.
She stared at the boy through the darkness. The boy looked familiar, though she had no idea what his name was. He was looking around,letting out frustrated sounds from his mouth. He was undoubtedly waiting for Delphine. Fiona was relieved that her friend was safe at home, warmly tucked up in bed. She would not have to face the danger that awaits her tonight. Why, the boy could easily be luring poor Delphine into a trap. The Consumers could kidnap her, or worse...
After waiting for a couple more minutes, the boy walked on. He was fast. Fiona almost had to sprint in order to catch up with him. He halted his pace in front of a house, one that was not much different than the other houses. It was dark, except for the fire in one of the rooms on the ground floor, reflecting its light onto the window. She secretly longed to be able to join whoever the occupants around the fire were. She needed the warmth and the company right now. Maybe she should ditch the plan and_
She shook the thoughts off immediately. Nothing should distract her when she was in business.
The boy stepped toward the front gate and unlatched it. Fiona blinked as she saw the boy creak the gate open and march inside as if he practically owned the house. Was he going to rob the house? No, she thought. If that was the case, he would have been more sneaky about the whole affair. No thief was bold enough to walk through the front gate like that with such lack of caution. Either the boy lived here, or he worked for someone in the house. Fiona was determined to find out which one.
Thankfully, the boy had kept the door unlocked. She could run in and out of the house conveniently if she had to. Fiona observed the security and structure of the house. There was a two feet wooden fence around the house, the foot of the fence lined with bushes and shrubberies. The gate was made of iron and was a few inches shorter than the fence. Climbing the gate was not really an option, since it would be too exposive. She would have to put the fence to good use. She tried to find a loose panel or a lucky hole at the foot of the fence. She had no luck.
Finally, she resolved to climb the fence. Fiona chose a spot that was not exposed to the rooms on the ground floor or the upper floor, to lessen her chances of being seen. She was nervous. Fiona wasn't new to this spying business, but she was definitely new to fence climbing. She rolled up her sleeves, rolled up the legs of her tights, gathered her wig up into a bun and tucked her hood into the tracks, hoping that none of her clothing would get caught on the fence. Fiona found the sturdiest looking bush and awkwardly tried to step onto it without toppling over. She wasn't too aware that she was making quite the racket outside the house, groaning and moaning as she held the top of the fence and hauled a leg over it. Heaving herself up, she quickly rolled herself to the other side and landed straight into the arms of the very boy that she had been stalking.
"Aaargh!!!"
The boy cupped his hand over her mouth ferociously. He shook her roughly and held her tight in his harsh grip. Fiona willed herself to calm down.
"I told you to wait for me at Cruscurt Alley. Following me around like a constipated goose was not part of the plan..."he growled menacingly. Fiona took a few seconds to let his words sink in. She rejoiced, mainly because the boy thought that she was Delphine. He had no idea that she was an imposter. Now was time to put her acting skills to the test. She swatted away his hand and wriggled out of his iron grip. He didn't let go until she gave him a gentle shove. Fiona was never one for violence. No doubt Delphine would have pinned him to the ground before you can say ' Hands down, you're the feistiest girl that I've ever met'.
The boy glared at her. She almost smiled,wondering if he wouldbe able to see through the disguise.
"Sorry"she said, gruffly. She tried to forge her voice as raspy as she could. The boy frowned.
"What happened to your voice?"he asked. Fiona faked a cough.
"Soar throat"she replied, not guilty for lying. The boy nodded understandingly. Perhaps he had had some nasty experience with soar throats as well?
"Why did you want to meet me?"she asked. The boy looked her up and down.
"The hood was a good touch. Glad that you thought of it"he said, pocketing his hands into his back pocket rather cockily. Fiona couldn't resist a smile. He beckoned her to follow him into the house.
"Wait. Whose house is this?"Fiona asked.
"You'll have to find that by yourself"he whispered. Fiona shifted uncomfortably, as he began to lead her to the front door.
"No. How do I know that I can trust you?"she asked. The boy was silent for a few moments. "Because I am not the enemy. My friends and I can help you. You are in grave danger from people who are searching for the white rose for their owns needs. Many of them are hunting you this very minute. I know someone who can help you. He's waiting for you now"he explained.
"What's his name?"she demanded.
"Professor Charlie Rigshot"
Fiona jumped. Now she knew where she'd seen the boy! He and that Professor Rigshot were some of the visitors who had arrived with her aunt Monica Lakes to speak with her mother. The boy was only ten at the most back then. He had only met her once. They had played hopscotch, tag and hide and seek while the grown ups discussed their matters together in the dining room. Fiona was relieved. Professor Rigshot was definitely oe of the good guys. Fiona rubbed her shoulders, shivering slightly.
"Are you cold?"the boy asked. Fiona shook her head.
"Come in. We've got a fire going on in the living room"he urged her, impatiently. Fiona did not have the least intention to go in with him. Professor Rigshot would see through her Impersonation Spell immediately.
"Look, I don't want to meet anyone"she said, backing away towards the gate. He looked annoyed. "Come on already... Gosh you're a chicken"he snapped.
Fiona didn't care if he called her a chicken or a goose or cat or buffalo or a gorilla. She had to flee from here before Professor Rigshot caught her. He would report her escapade to her mother and cause a pandemonium at home.
The boy tried to catch her, probably intent on carrying her into the house if the situation called for it. Darn it...
Fiona lunged for the gate. The boy lunged for her wig. As she grappled with the latch, the boy unintentinally grabbed her wig. Fiona would have laughed at his reaction if she hadn't been in a panicked state herself. He dropped the wig in astonishment, as realization flooded him.
"I knew it!"he gasped. Somehow, the desperation to catch her doubled inside of him. He caight hold of her by the waist and dug his nails into her. It wasn't very effective, as Fiona managed to elbow his face and make a run for it. As she ran, she coulfn't help but be shocked at his grip. She had never been in such close proximity to a boy before. Her long auburn hair was tumbling down her shoulders and she could feel her disguise fading. It was only able to last for not more than an hour. Unfortunately for her, her hour was up.
She could hear the thumping off boots gaining on her. She was losing too much oxygen in her lungs. Her speed faltered for a second. That was enough for the boy to grab her by the shoulders, spin her around and pin her to the wall. Defensively, she held up her arms and shielded herself from him.
The boy looked furious. His hold was hard and firm and he was too close.
"Who are you?"he asked, quietly. Fiona did not answer. He repeated his question, this time with more impatience.
"Let me go..."she moaned. The boy hesitated, before releasing her shoulders.
"Ok. Now tell me who you are"he persisted.
Fiona took a couple of long, deep breathes. She thought about his question. Should she lie about her name? Should she pretend to faint perhaps? Should she just punch him in the guts and make a run for it? She eyed his stomach so hopefully that the boy managed to interpret it for what it was.
"Don't even think about it..."he snarled. She sighed.
"My name is Fiona Lakes"she told him, not looking at his face. The boy placed a hand the wall.
"You mean you're Margaret Lakes's daughter?"he asked, bewildered. Fiona nodded.
"What about you?"Fiona asked.
The boy looked absent. "I'm William Falcon. Wait so..."
"What?"Fiona asked, though she knew perfectly well what he was about to ask.
"Are you the Seer that everyone's talking about? You're the youngest Seer of the century?"he asked, quietly. Fiona wanted to deny it. Just wave it away and insist that it was all but a stupid rumour. But how could she? She'd deceived him too much today. He deserved honesty.
"Yes. Why yes I am" she answered, hoping that she wouldn't regre
t it. The boy stared at her.
"Ok... Why on Earth did you disguise yourself?"he asked.
"To stalk you of course. No offense" she replied sheepishly. He looked amused now.
"And why is that?"
"I was suspicious. Plus, I didn't want Delphine to get into trouble. I have to aid her in any possible way that I can"she said.
"Were you assigned for bodyguard duty?"he asked, his tone taking on arrogance and incredulity.
"No. But its my duty. As her friend"she said, defensively. The boy snorted.
Good thing I was in a good mood today. I would have killed you... Would your friend really have been worth the risk?"he asked, edging closer towards her. Fiona gulped nervously.
"Of course... But... Would you really have killed me?"she asked, frantically. He smiled. "Depends. Like I said, I was in a good mood today"he said, shrugging. Fiona smiled nervously.
"Ah... Well, now that you know that I pose no harm to you and your lot... Don't you think you can let go of my waist now"she stated, blushing slightly. Even William looked surprised. He let her go at once, having not realized that he had had his hand on her waist in the first place.
"My apologies. I wasn't aware of my... gesture"he said, stepping back from her quickly. She shrugged weirdly and looked around. It was almost midnight.
"Well, goodbye. Its almost midnight. I should probably head back home"she said. William nodded and looked up at the sky.
"And sorry for that small misunderstanding"she said. William looked at her archly.
"I'm sorry too. For almost killing you"he said. She smiled grimly and turned away, heading down the road. She didn't need to hide anymore. Her mission tonight was accomplished, no matter how differently events had turned out to be.
"I'll see you soon"he called to her. She turned to look at him from the other side of the road and waved.