VERACITY

Not the information I was looking for.

The next day I wake up with red blotchy eyes, my face tear streaked and lips dry from all that crying. I get dressed in a hurry whenI smell eggs and toast in the kitchen. I reach the kitchen right in time to be served the last egg which is just about to be gobbled up by none other than Ahmed.

The boys leave early as their part of the mission is at the boards meeting area which happens to be outside school. The drugs however, are in school. I head out at half past six to get there early and plan out how the girls and I will handle this.

I step out just as our neighbour 'Giddy Toes' does too. I see her clad in the same uniform and figure out that we will be in the same school, but considering the colour of her blazer, I'm sure she'll be in grade 7, letting me know she's about 13. Something I would have never guessed by her height. She looks like she could be in grade 11 with me. I smile at her and close the door behind me, walking down the stairs. " Hi Afet, you look kind of... Sad? Is everything okay?"she says catching up to me. "Nah! It's all good" I say but I can't help how small my voice sounds. It feels more like I'm trying to reassure myself than her.

The bus arrives and we hope in. Adania rushes off to the back of the bus where she hugs a bunch of bimbo girls, whereas I sit at the complete front with Molly and the girls.

We reach the school and wait for the bus to file out before we get off ourselves. When we are out we all look at each other and begin going over the plan we made back at the agency. Twani and Betty will take the East wing and jot down any suspicious behaviour. Molly and Giana take the West wing doing the same. I, on the other hand, will head off to the reception to find anything worth digging into. In the meantime we all head to our respective classes to be normal students. How fun!

During lunch we all head off to start the mission. I quickly head into the white coloured reception and immediately realise its too small and open to be a drug storage. The wooden floor beneath me creaks as I walk, and the receptionist looks up, "Hi, you must be new. What's your name dear?" she asks, removing her glasses from her nose and smiling in my direction. "I'm Afet, and yes, I'm new," I say as firmly as possible. Just then a tall plump woman wearing a red suit two sizes too small walks out from a corner office. "Hello Afet, are you lost?" she asks, walking up to me. She has such a sweet voice that it's hard to see anything ominous about her. Her rose perfume leaves traces wherever she sets foot, and the pungent smell reaches my nose, which wrinkles in distaste. She stands in front of me and holds out her hand. I take it and shake it firmly. " I hope you have settled in well and made some friends, it can be quite lonely alone. My name is Alice Kentburry. You can call me Mrs Kentburry like everyone else does." She smiles leaving my hand and squeezing my shoulder.

I continue my speculation and head into the back office. The amount of huge tall men sitting in office chairs pique my interest. They all look up when I step in and scowl in my direction. I head out and smile to myself, there is definitely something worth checking in there.

After lunch, I head back to class and pass Molly in the hallway, who shakes her head indicating that she found nothing. I meet the two sisters after registration and they tell me that they too, found nothing of interest. My next lessons pass in a blur as my mind occupies itself wondering how I could possibly get those men out of the room to have a good look around. I go through various tactics I could use but come up short when I realise their numerous flaws. The day ends way too fast and I find myself back on the bus on the way home. This time I have to get off before the girls. I step out of the bus with Adania behind me. "Hey Afet, would you like to play tennis with me later?" I hear her ask pleadingly behind me. "No thanks!" I reply walking home. I have better things to do than entertain Miss 'Giddy Toes'.

I lie on the bed with my head on the pillow and my hands around my head, looking up to the bare white ceiling. My hair is sprawled all over the sheets. I exhale loudly, thinking. I need information on how this school works and the people in it, but I have no source of information. Adania pops into my mind, and I realize that she could have something worth my time. Her accent shows she's lived here a long time. I stand up and head to her house, letting Regen know what I'm doing. I ring the doorbell and wait ,looking at my surroundings. Adania opens the door and smiles, "changed your mind did you?" I nod my head and avoid looking at her emerald green eyes. She steps out with two rackets in her hands and hands me one. She takes her spot at the far end of the back yard and I take mine at the other.

She swings her racket and the ball bounces off the floor and in my direction. These are the days I thank my quick reflexes, because although I don't know much about the game I can play just fine. She begins with small talk, telling me about herself and her family. Not that I pay any attention due to the fact that I need more important information.

She goes on and on about how great her family is and what not. Urghh! I don't have a real family, woman. So stop! "They are really nice and caring but they aren't my real family." Wait, did I say that out loud? No hang on! What's going on here? That was her. She said that. I look up and just stare at her. "I'm adopted. I was born and raised in Turkey until the age of seven. My family died in a fire and I was the only one who survived. It's pretty sad, but I have a loving family so I don't really bother to think about what could have been or what should have been," Adania says with a sad smile.

At that moment I feel like I'm staring at another version of myself. What would have happened if I hadn't been in the agency but instead adopted by some foreign family.

My racket dropped to the ground, "Adania, how many buildings burned? " I ask my voice scratchy, remembering that all too familiar fatal night. She could be a girl from my old estate. "From what I was told, about three," she says with questionable eyes. I leave the racket on the floor, drop the ball on the ground, and walk back home. I don't need my horrendous past haunting me. With that regard, I walk into the house and head to bed, intending to clear my head of all thoughts in order to focus on my real purpose here. My mission.