Just a Little Bit of Magick • ONC 2020 • ✓

I Pretend To Be SOE and a Mission Goes Slightly Wrong

William had finally arranged a training session so here we were, meeting round a rather obscure flamelily. I had already summoned the door to avoid questions -not that going through a door into a field is weird enough- and we were just waiting for everyone to finish turning up.

Half of them were late, unsurprisingly, so it was only about fifteen minutes after the meeting time that we actually headed through the door.

Immediately there were shouts of surprise and shock, and several of 'How did you do that Edwards?!'

William grinned, 'That was all Alina.'

I smirked as their eyes turned to me.

'A girl can't give away all her secrets.'

»--«

Half-an-hour later, William and I had them all doing exercises in their pairs, practising everything from firing and blocking defensive spells discretely to potions for numbing pain.

When we came to the physical fighting section there were a couple of grumbles, but soon they all knuckled down and trained. Even William did some of the exercises I set them.

For the next week we trained everyday until it got dark, falling into bed exhausted every night. Christmas passed with barely a mention, the days blurring into one another.

I didn't see Alex at all.

»--«

Our first mission was planned for Monday and I was feeling slightly nervous. There was a better chance of surviving than the regular soldiers on the front line, but the actual risk was much higher.

»--«

The day before our first mission, I woke early, before the sun was fully up and got changed, checking my satchel of supplies over and over again.

A couple of hours later, William knocked on my door with a bowl of something and a cup of coffee. I drank the coffee thankfully, sighing as the caffeine brought much needed energy to my sleepy body. I ate the food a bit slower, careful not to agitate the butterflies in my stomach any more than needed.

Down in the street, we trudged towards the SOE headquarters, giving the necessary passwords and phrases to get into the bustling base.

We made our way to a meeting room, checking the number on a notice board and collecting a uniform from the 'larder' of clothes.

I decided to get changed first, leaving William to walk in on his own.

I didn't have to travel far to find a ladies bathroom, but I was still late to the start of the meeting.

You'd be late to your own funeral.

Immortal remember.

»--«

I slipped into the room, closing the door as quietly as I could.

William made a space for me at the table, quickly whispering the details I had missed.

The Captain cleared his throat and I looked up, apologising for being late. He nodded and re-explained the mission, outlining the risk and the needed outcome.

We were going to scout out several areas in France and get a feel for the levels of resistance and the fortifications of the area. That information would then be passed on to the relevant SOE agents.

A couple of minutes later the door opened again, I ignored it, focusing on the maps. William nudged me and I looked up, freezing as Captain Walker introduced Alex as his second-in-command.