Unity

Fifteen: Desire

A/N: Here we go, the romance train is starting. It's a fun chapter, although rather long. To the people out there with AP testing don't read this until you are done. Study. A few little secrets are brought up here, whether they are unearthed fully or not. Just go ahead and start; votes and comments much appreciated. Enjoy~

Aphrodite's group returned on February twelfth. Lautrec told us that morning that we were supposed to play nice with them. If we couldn't avoid trouble we were at least supposed to steer clear of them as they adjusted to their new team member. He also told us that not even they knew who this new person was. After being given a week to grieve for their fallen comrade they were to return and greet their new member, who was being brought to the Facility after intensive re-tests.

Some say the re-tests to get onto an existing team are even more brutal than the Recruiting. Re-testing involves only the five unchosen recruits from the Final, who are called back if possible and set to compete against each other. What exactly they do is unknown. Although research can be done on the Recruiting there are only conspiracy theories and conjecture about the re-tests. As the only way to even take them is by first making it to the Final and then later having an existing team member die before they graduate, it is considered uncommon for the re-tests to even happen.

The day they returned they were not at breakfast. The Center was oddly silent in anticipation of a bedazzled pink heel stepping in through one of the doors. But nothing happened and no one came.

I saw my first glimpse of the team at lunch. We entered the cafeteria and saw Shiro's small body hunched over the sandwich tray in the empty room. As soon as the door opened he whipped his head around in our direction. Inches of black hair fell in front of his eyes, completely obscuring them. He seemed to hiss at us like a cat and then scooped up three sandwiches and ran from the room.

We waited. The day seemed to pass without any concern for the passage of time, jerking forward in bursts of speed and then stopping like a broken rollercoaster.

At last, we arrived at dinner. Everyone was waiting for the eventual return of the fuchsia monstrosity.

And then she appeared.

The Northern doors burst open, shattering the carefully constructed silence with a precise lack of caution. All heads turned, exactly how she wanted them to, and landed on Aphrodite's brilliant smile.

"Hello!" She practically sang.

Long ringlets of pink hair fell over her shoulders, meeting the bare skin. She wore a white sleeveless dress that tightly hugged her torso and then exploded outwards in an upside-down bowl shape of fluffy white skirts. She wore a pair of short, rhinestone-coated pink heels and carried a feathery pink boa behind her back and over her arms. Naturally, a large diamond crown sat atop her head and a bright pink heart was stuck to her skin next to her right eye.

How is she allowed to wear that? I looked down at my own gray t-shirt and pants.

Aphrodite glowed in the attention and strutted to her table, her three minions in tow. As soon as I saw them the effect of her explosive entrance disappeared. Shiro's hair was messy and oily, his clothes a dark black and his shoulders stooped. Dominick also wore black clothes but was making an obvious effort to stand straight. His eyes were red and his face was puffy. His hair had not been carefully shaven like normal and he looked exclusively at the floor. Van's clothes were dark and so was his face, as his empty eyes stared directly into nothing. He moved like a robot, crazily strange when in contrast with his normal cat-like movements.

Aphrodite's face remained bright and cheerful after sitting down. Slowly each Agent in the Center turned their body away from their misshapen group.