Pernicious

Chapter 1: A Letter

 Chapter 1: A Letter

When would this Friday ever be over? I thought to myself, anticipating the end of the school day. For past hour I listened to my Calculus teacher, Mrs. Backstrom; about her lecture for learning Logarithm Problems. Such a simple concept. “5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Riiiiiiiiing” Finally the day was over and I could go home and relax.

I quickly rushed to my locker so I could start my walk home as soon as possible.

I was excited for the weekend so I could escape my boring life at school. But there was one thing I could never manage to escape. And that would be my criticizing parents. Ever since I skipped the third grade, my parents had always had extremely high expectations of me. I tried as hard as I could to please them, but they never were satisfied.

My brother, Luke, had always harassed me about being the “perfect child”. But when he said that, he couldn’t be farther from the truth. Just because I skipped the third grade, had a 4.0, and could run 3 miles without tiring does not mean that I am perfect. Plus besides the fact my parents weren't ever actually "proud" of either of us. Luke was always jealous I'm mean my Mom and Dad have always had normal professions, its not like they are professional athletes or super hero's.

One thing that I never had at school was a friend. You are probably wondering why this was. It’s not because I am ugly, my hair is a shade of blonde that could almost be described as gold, not only because of its' color, but because of its' shine. I have ocean blue eyes. As for my height, I'm on the short side (5’4). 

The reason that I don’t have friends isn't because I'm poor either. My Mom worked as a dentist and my Dad worked an accountant. We have always had enough money to spare.

The real reason I didn’t have any friends is basically because people ignored me. I am not very popular. It is as simple as that. People don’t hate me. People don’t love me. It is like was invisible to everyone in my school. They are probably just jealous they're not as smart as I am. Plus the easy homework at an elite school, I had never had a reason to look forward to school.

I walked up the driveway inside the house and I heard my Dad’s voice. That’s strange, because he usually did not get home from work until 5:00. I hurried into the house up to his bedroom door.

“Dad?” I said as walked upstairs.

No reply… I pressed my ear to the door hoping to hear an answer.

“…I’m not sure if she’s ready…”

“ She’ll be fine, she is after all at the top of her class and exceedingly athletic…” 

I still stood there with my ear to the door, anxiously waiting. But my curiosity got the best of me and I opened the door.  

“What are you guys talking about?” I asked.

“ Taylor, we were just discussing parent issues. Go do your homework.” Mom ordered.

“No, I want to know what you were talking about!” I pleaded, I paused. “What’s that in your hand?"      

 Mom sighed, “Ok, I'll tell you, we got your acceptance letter..”

“To what?” So many things were rushing through my mind. An acceptance letter to what or where? I thought.  

"Taylor, this is an acceptance letter saying you were accepted into Shergold Academy, it’s a school for kids who have exceptional abilities.” Mom explained. 

“How do they know I even exist? Where is this school? What type abilities are you talking about?” I demanded.

“We never told you because it was too dangerous to tell you, but now that you got the letter, you should know. Your Father and I are not dentists and accountants. That's why you could never visit or call us at work. We work as spies for the Shergold Society. We also attended Shergold Academy." Mom continued.

"The Shergold Society is a group of spies that does all of the undercover work for the United States and our ally, England. All of our spies have graduated from Shergold Academy. Some of the greatest spies in the world graduated from Shergold Academy. Nowadays, some alumni work for the government, some of them work for the Shergold Society. The rest forget all about their training and get a normal job, mostly because of fear. We call those people Spinks, by the way. There is a small percentage of students who join the enemy society, Pernicious. They do anything in their power overthrow our plans and destroy the world.

After I heard this I felt as if the world just crashed upon me. I was in shock. I was lost for words, wait, what was Mom just talking about? 

 “Where is Shergold Academy?” I managed to get out.

"Shergold Academy is located in Duringham, England. It is found by a beautiful lake and near a charming forest. I really think that you would like Shergold Academy, as a new change. They hire the finest staff in all of the United States and England. An example being, their fabulous gourmet chefs, Plus, the luxurious dormitories are quite nice, but simple... I myself enjoyed their cooking the most, when I attended Shergold.” said my Father. He handed me the letter. 

             I started to read my acceptance letter.

Taylor Hemmingway:

Congratulations! You have been accepted into Shergold Academy. Shergold Academy is an elite boarding school that specializes in training young spies in the spectacular art of espionage. We are located in beautiful Duringham, England. We are a home to many advanced students, talented staff, and excellent chefs. If you received this letter, it means that you have proven yourself worthy of the Shergold Academy because you excel in your academics, sports or have family who have attended here. Shergold Academy only accepts superior students. If would like to join the Shergold family, your parent must complete the following papers: 

Sincerely,

Philip Humphrey:

Headmaster of Shergold Academy

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!” I was raging through the house, I stormed out of the room. I went down stairs, put on my running shoes and ran outside. You see, I run when I upset, kind of like some people eat when they're upset. So many emotions were coming over me; confusion, shock, anger, frustration I wasn’t sure what to make of the events that just happened. I just needed to let out all my exasperation. Why would Shergold Academy want a kid like me? I was just a average teenage girl who had no friends. It's probably just because of my athleticism, and brains. My parents have always told me to remain humble. But there is no one to really remain humble to in my life anyway, because no one knows I exist. Somehow Shergold Academy knows something about me that me or my parents don't. But this is risk I'll have to take if I choose to go to Shergold Academy. Or I could just continue my miserable life here in New York, it's my choice.

I ran and ran until I was tired, which was probably five or six miles later. After my run I walked back into the house.

“Mom, Dad, I have made my decision.” I told my parents.