Liz was standing in her bathroom, getting ready for school. She pulled the brush through her hair when a person appeared in the mirror behind her. She spun around, holding the hairbrush like a knife.
"What do you what?" She asked, her voice wavering slightly.
"My name is Dayton Perez, I work for the Dread Council." He said, easily disarming her.
Liz gave the tall man a questioning look. "What's the Dread Council?"
The man stepped towards her. Close enough that Liz could see that he had light brown eyes with flecks of gold. She took a step back, bumping against the white countertop.
"The Dread Council is the greatest organization in the world. We take out... problematic people." He said. Liz noticed a lilt to his voice, but couldn't identify the accent.
"Problematic?" She asked.
Dayton Perez leaned closer to her. He towered over her, leaning down to speak. She could smell his cologne. That gave her an idea. She slowly reached for the open drawer that held her toothbrush, perfume, and everything else.
"Problematic like you trying to get perfume to spray in my eyes." He said, pointing the purple hairbrush in Liz's face. Then he stood up, a smirk crossing his face. "I kid. Problematic like presidents, kings and queens, dictators. Anyone who poses a threat."
"Threat to what?" Liz asked.
"Ah ah ah." Dayton Perez said, wagging a finger.
Liz was quiet for a minute. He'd seen her reaching for the drawer once, could she get away with it a second time? A split second decision made her take in a huge gulp of air and let out a scream. Her scream, however, was never heard. Dayton Perez put a hand over her mouth, rolling his eyes as he did so.
"Hush." He said, leaning close and whispering in her ear.
Liz nodded. The man let go of her face. She was shaking, glancing at the door. If she could get around him, she could get out of the bathroom and call the police.
"I'm not here to hurt you. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done that already." He said with a sigh. "I want to recruit you."
'Recruit me?' Liz wanted to say. The words wouldn't come out and she stood there open-mouthed. Dayton Perez leaned against the door frame, he examined the hairbrush, waiting for Liz to find her voice.
"Nice house." He said. "Though, I've only seen the bathroom."
The bathroom they were standing in was fairly small, 6 feet by 6 feet. A bathtub was on the far wall, a plastic shower curtain with pink stripes hung over it. The wall facing the door had two pictures on it. Liz's mom had gotten them at a charity store. A trunk full of towels sat underneath. Facing the bathtub was the toilet and vanity.
Liz finally found her voice after a moment of shock. "Why do you want to recruit me?"
"Your search history shows interest in CIA and FBI. Dread Council is better. It has spy work, but your family will be... safe?" The word 'safe' had a question mark on it. "You have a talent for art and we need a new sketch artist."
"Y-you've seen my drawings?" Liz asked. The only copies of her art were in her sketchbook.
"Unimportant. I need a decision."
Liz looked around the man. Him leaning on the door frame ruined her plan. It also put him in a position where he could be seen. She checked her watch. It was 7:00. Her brother would rush her out of the bathroom soon, saying they would be late if they left a second after 7:15.
