The Rose Assassins

-03- Re-Growing Thorns

Cain and I barge through the doors frantically, too occupied to greet the organization's other members. They see the panic on our faces and get the hint, I smile at them and their understanding; this is my family.

Waking up today I had gotten a message from the boss saying there was an urgent mission and we had to attend, Cain and I rushed here only to find that... well, nothing. There is paper carpeting the floor but apart from that there was nothing; the mahogany desk is gone, along with its' belongings, the couches placed in the corner is gone, the paintings, everything.

Then the empty bookshelf creaks open and we approach it, like the stupid people we are. Our weapons are held close to our hearts but we were staying calm; this was nothing, we could do this in our sleep.

"Boo" I punch towards the source and Cain just stands there, chuckling, and then I realise it. It was Pen.

I look at her, at the red tinge on her face and as she feigns hurt then crack up laughing, "Pen, you should bloody well know now not to sneak up on us. We could've shot your head off."

"Yes, but you didn't, did you? So I will continue to take my chances."

Rolling my eyes, I ask where the boss is and what's up with the bare room, "well the boss wanted us to come into the secret base because there's apparently a rat in the org. He tried to find the cameras and such but they were gone by then."

Speaking up, Cain further asks while trying to not step on the booby traps, "how'd he know that there's a rat?"

"There are important files that has gone missing and there were little holes in the wall; didn't take a genius to figure it out. It's your turn this time Autumn" I hate this job.

While she and Cain fiddle with the trap-door, I type in the password in the mini pin-pad hidden inside the wall, the darkness covering up any trace of it. 40819907. This was one part of the emergency protocol; the other part was to run to the trapdoor in 10 seconds before 20 arrows spurt out of the walls.

10... I shout go.

8... I quickly cover up the keypad with moss.

6... Cain and Pen had already opened the trap-door, holding it open for me.

4... I run, faster. Pushing myself but am too unaware of the little rock sticking out. Shit.

2... Pushing myself up, I slide myself inside the trapdoor, with Pen closing just in time.

1... 'Ching'. We made it in time.

Jumping down from the little platform we landed on, we come face-to-face with an elevator. This whole basement was designed as a last resort, fitting the needs for both human and supernatural. The sound of the chain cranking distracts me from my thoughts. Then the shaft came to a stop. Leading us into a fully white walled room; it was like an interior designer copied the layout of the room above and pasted it here but instead of the lonely aura it put off, it had two of the liveliest people that I knew; the boss and Wren.

Aknowledging our presence, Wren questions me, "so okay Autumn, what do," laugh, "okay, I'm calm. What? I promise... okay, what do you call a three-humped camel?" I look at her blankly, opting her to continue and with the shake of my head, she frowns, "fine you negative Nazi... Pregnant!"

As she cackles, I notice the pink file perching on top of the mahogany desk. Picking it up to examine it, Boss notices this and informs us, "okay, since you're all here let me inform you of the latest Scooby Doo adventure you'll gonna do. There is an unknown entity near the werewolf kingdom and the werewolf council has asked for our help. And before you ask, I wasn't threatened; just merely... peer pressured by five of the biggest dogs in the whole damn world. Oh, and each of you will have different personas." Saying it calmly doesn't help...

But a persona? That's different.

Wren opens her mouth to speak, "oh yes, personas. What's mine? Is it evil? I could pull that off so good..." of course she would be so optimistic. I love Wren but this was how we all worked, Cain, Pen and I were cold hearted and quiet but Wren was the light of the group, the angel.

"No Wren, you will have the opposite to what you have now. And the point of this-," he looks at Cain pointedly, his response is putting his hand up in mock surrender, "-is because the rat has eyes everywhere, and is probably working with the entity so if four teenagers enrol near said entity with the matching personas of all youse; that would be suspicious"

He did have a point. The rat would put two and two together but what I want to know, is what persona do I have to put up with?

"Okay, are you ready for this?" We all mutter our response incoherently, given the mental state our boss had at the moment, we are not confident.

"Wren, you will be the shy, innocent bookworm. Pen and Autumn, your inner ADD and ADHD will come out; be happy, loud obnoxious. I don't care, as long as it's crazy. And Cain, be petty and loud. Use your brains, all of you; act like normal teenagers. And whatever happens, just know I'm here. Click those beepers, that's what they're there for and that there are only 5 people that know. The Lycan King does not and cannot know, clear?"

"Crystal."

And there you have my friends, shit just got real...