X By Chance Miller
The most dreaded sound in the history of sounds emanates from my phone a.k.a my alarm. I have a sudden urge to throw my phone ridiculously hard against the wall and slip under the covers again. I miss the feeling of waking up and realizing that I still have hours to sleep before my alarm goes off.
I clamber into the shower, letting the hot water do its job in fully waking me up. According to Hailee if I gave this trail mission, a hundred percent, find adequate information on the whereabouts of the missing victim, I'm guaranteed to get my position back. No questions asked.
The heavenly smell of cheese toast and bacon greets me "morning."
"Morning baby brother A and middle brother C," Lisa greets us as she continues searching for gluten-free cereal. Girls and their weight insecurities make me wonder if gluten-free cereal even exists. "Mom do we have anything that contains no carbs and sugar and is also fat-free.
"Yeah, water," I respond, scarfing down my bacon.
Hugo perks his head out from behind the newspaper "back again with eating like it's the Olympic Food Games?"
If only the Olympics hosted Food Games, I'd win every year. Aaron laughs. "Mission briefing with Helia Andrews."
Lisa's spoon falls to the ground with a clatter "He-Helia?" She stammers and I roll my eyes. It's been two years yet he still lives in her mind free of charge.
"No, Dylan O'Brien."
She rolls her eyes. Keep rolling your eyes sis, you might find a brain back there. "when will I go to the TACAM?" Aaron wails.
"In two years you start basic training than survival training for a year, thereafter you're good to go. Unless the boogeyman decides to come and eat you alive. Or maybe he'll slaughter you, grind you into pulp, and lather it on his body. He's pretty scary. Bloodshot eyes, green skin, sharp teeth with flesh stuck i-" Aarons cries immediately silence Lisa's horrific tale. Her sadistic tendencies involve making Aaron cry to the point where he's running away covering his ears. Once she told him about Bloody Mary and ever since then he's refused to step foot inside the toilet if no one accompanies him.
"Young lady if you don't stop you're grounded till you turn forty," my mother threatens, holding her spatula as a weapon.
Lisa simply rolls her eyes "how can I make friends if I'm grounded. I'll be the epitome of ant- no! I'll be putting the word antisocial to shame. Like literally."
"Mona Lisa Janet Miller!" My mother shrieks "for once in your life, can you at least make me sound like a strict mother. You know I won't be able to ground my precious darling daughter," her voice softens as she pinches Lisa's cheeks.
"Uggh! Again with that ridiculous name."
My parents named their firstborn daughter after one of the most priceless paintings in the world. For as long as I can remember, she's been extremely acrimonious towards her name. It only multiplied when she discovered that the Mona Lisa is androgynous.
"We can call you La Gioconda," Hugo suggestively intervenes. "Your name is unique, in 2012 only two parents named their daughter Mona Lisa."
"Fine!" she sighs exasperatedly. "Is Chance going to study at Braxton Academy of Arts next year?"
Braxton Academy of Arts is the go-to school for all TACAM agents; it's preferable to study there for multiple reasons:
Reason number one: You are not a normal teenager -most normal teens land up in prison or working at Scoops-Ahoy-. It is quite risky if someone were to find out about our double lives, therefore Braxton is always the first choice.
Reason number two: We have a whole different curriculum compared to other schools. Apart from learning advanced martial arts training, four additional languages, and advanced anthropology, we are also required to learn how to perform a successful exorcism -yes, that involves a truckload of possessed people entering and exiting the academy-. Some cases do have a supernatural element attached to them, unfortunately. Paranormal cases are always intriguing but once, an agent got attacked by a demon and now lives in a mental hospital suffering from hallucinations.
Reason number three: Our first lesson for the day only begins at half twelve. Translation: you get to sleep in
"Is my bike in the basement," I question, heading to the basement.
"Are you planning on taking it to the TACAM?"
"Yeah, it's in desperate need of servicing," I yell, choking back a cough as I involuntarily breathe in lung fulls of the dusty air. It smells like someone died in here.
"It's Pneumoconiosis down there!" I shout, throwing the front door open and marching outside.
It is another usual sunny morning here in Middletin and the birds are steadily chirping in the distance. These past few days, my life has been screaming 'mundane.' There's one thing I can't get used to about my life in Middletin; it's the normalcy about every situation. My life is empty. There's no thrill about investigating a murder linked with paranormal activity, loads of dead ends, and thousands of suspects.
"It's a beautiful morning, isn't it?" A voice pops up. "Did I get you this time?" The red-haired male inquires smugly and I shake my head. "Your footsteps were too loud, so was your breathing. Next time, try to be a little quieter."
"I thought we were meeting at the HQ?"
He hands me a pair of keys, then proceeds to point at the bike behind him "just wanted to take this for a spin."
"That isn't the real reason, is it? You could've given me the bike at the HQ. Would've saved you the trouble."
He shrugs. "Where's your sister?"
I knew it! I wonder if those two have been able to keep their hands off of each other. "Anyway, nice bike," I mumble, changing the topic.
"It's yours."
"It is..." I trail off and Helia nods his head before flashing me a million-dollar smile. If he thinks flashing me smiles and buying me the latest bike will somehow make me permit him to date, my sister. He is wrong. Extremely wrong!
"You seem disinterested in the bike. Is it not to your liking?" One thing that annoys me about Helia is how his British accent can make him sound super formal.
"I am super 'interested' in the bike." This bike might look like a regular motorcycle but it's not. It's modified -or evolved- into something called a 'Hoverbike.'
It's a TACAM gadget. Most senior agents receive one as soon as the prototype is approved. Not only is it used by agents but also by the residents of this town. Like its name, the hoverbike can lift off ground. It's ten times faster than ordinary bikes -almost becoming lethal- and has an automatic repair system. I'm well aware that it sounds like something out of a fairy tale.
"It's fifteen times faster than the prototype model. Has an auto-drive mode and a built-in tracker and communication system all linked to the TACAM. Now let's cut to the chase. I'm here to talk about your mission."
"No, you're probably here to see my sister," I mumble under my breath.
"Did you say something?" He asks and I shake my head, motioning for him to follow me inside the house.
"I nearly forgot, TACAM will have your Hoverbike license by tomorrow. Come collect it," he reminds and I nod my head in affirmation. In Middletin, we get our Hoverbiking license when we're fifteen. We have our own set of rules and precautions. If any of these rules are bent or broken our license is taken away almost immediately. We can only get it back when we're eighteen. If we get into an accident, we kiss our license goodbye till we turn twenty-five.
"Walk faster!" Helia instructs and I roll my eyes. No one is asking you to wait for me. If you're that desperate to see my sister, why don't you barge inside? Not like anyone's going to stop you.
I nearly forgot to introduce the person I hate the most; my mission briefer Helia Andrews. He's like a sneaky mosquito, always leaching off my blood. I thought I just needed to find the best insect repellent. At first, I thought it'd be a piece of cake but I was wrong since my sister adores bugs. I don't intend being the Hester Ulrich in Chanel Oberlin (my sister) and Chad Radwell (Helia)'s relationship. I can't help but be the red devil.
I plop myself down on the chair closest to Lisa to make sure Helia wouldn't try anything funny. "Mom, Helia's here to join us for breakfast."
The minute those words left my mouth, Lisa's cheeks turn a flaming shade of red. "H-Helia? Great-see-to-yo- I mean, it's good to see you." I think I'm going to gag.
How could any girl be attracted to a notorious, intelligent, handsome playboy who is a secret agent and third dan karate champion? He's the epitome of imperfection. He's like one of those cliche princes out of a fairytale that leads girls to have high expectations about love or about anything romantic in general.
Sure he's some over-popular, talented, idiotic, mental heart-breaking monster who deserves to be locked up in an electric prison a million feet underground preferably close to the Earth's core. If he died from the intense heat, all the better.
The only reason he likes Lisa despite being four years older is because she was crowned 'Belle of the Bowmen Ball' at fifteen. Like Alex Meyers would say 'This is the big ol' red flag.' In my books that day, Helia Andrews was classified as a pedophile. I know I shouldn't be so skeptical about his feelings but I can't help it, ever since Lisa has begun to like him back. Sometimes I wish, I could pluck their feelings out, blend them to pulp and chuck it down a sewer in Antarctica.
"I sincerely apologize for intruding. I have an important mission for you all, not just Chance."
"All of you must've heard about Evangeline's mother's death. To hide, Esme committed pseudocide. The TACAM believes that it is connected to her foster son Carter Owen Rhodes Summers. But that's just a coverup story."
"We've searched every inch of the river and haven't found any trace of her body. A witness also claims to have seen her dragged to another car. The forensic team at the HQ said there was a large 'X' painted on her car. Agent 100 messed up the mission when he handed Evangeline her mother's locket that he found in her car. Part of your mission is to find out what is in that locket."
"Rewind Helia. You said that there was an 'X' painted on her car, right?" Helia nods in confirmation as Lisa continues. "The 'X' is his marking what if he's back for revenge?"
Lisa nervously bites her lip as the atmosphere in the room tenses. "That's exactly what the TACAM is afraid of, Esmea worked on Mace's case. The TACAM believes that He has come back for revenge but why did He choose to bite back now?"
"As an ex-TACAM agent and mission briefer, I've worked on Mace's case and all leads lead to dead ends. There are no suspects, no motives nothing. Absolutely nothing. He has an extraordinary way of cleaning up the mess He makes, both here and in the underworld. That missing Russian boy is still out there and if Esmea's abduction is connected to him, Evangeline is in grave danger," my mother adds.
"Every bit of information is vital for the successful accomplishment of the mission. Our main priority is to protect Ev-" Helia is interrupted by 'This feeling' by Justin Timberlake blasting through my phone. "Please excuse me."
Who is calling me this early in the morning and that too an unknown number? I put the phone to my ear as a girl nervously begins to speak. "Hello, am I speaking to Chance Miller?"
Judging from the excessive chatter and loud rumble of metal clanking against metal, she is at the Subway. "Yes, may I know who this is?" She sounds familiar, maybe she's one of my fangirls who forgot to bid me farewell?
She lets out a nervous chuckle. "It's me Evangeline Summers."
Speak of the devil!