James sat on his bed alone. It had been three days since he had returned from the most life changing mission in his years as a CHERUB. He was reflecting on the events of the past 7 months he had spent in the glamourous surroundings of Hollywood when his phone rang. He cautiously went over and answered it, knowing that after the way the mission had ended, it would only be one person and she wouldn't be happy.
"James Arthur" Zara Asker was calm. Too calm for James' liking.
"Hey Zara, how is Joshua doing? He must be tons bigger than when I last saw him, I picked him up some really nice…"
"Ok, cut the nice crap James" Aaah, there was the Zara he had expected.
"My office, 6:30pm. As you are the only one to have had the balls to answer your phone, you can have the pleasure of telling the others." The line cut out. James knew he had screwed up in America, but he wasn't alone. He walked down the corridor to Kyle's room, where he found his best friend face down in a pillow.
"Zara?" Kyle asked, more than a touch resigned to the punishments they could expect later. "I would have answered, but I was in the shower and I couldn't get to it in time, then I tried calling back and the line was busy."
"It's cool, you weren't the only one not to answer. She must have tried me last, because I was the only one to pick up." James secretly hoped that this would earn him less of a punishment than the others when Zara eventually got them. He doubted it severely. "Guess I better go tell the twins."
The twins, as James called them, were not in fact twins, but due to their similar looks, age and accents, were often used in that way by CHERUB on missions. They were both short for their 12 years of age, with blonde hair and blue eyes. When they were in Zara's good books, she often joked with them about how they would have been perfect to infiltrate the Nazis with in World War Two. Alex was the older child, by a mere 13 days, but he made sure that he used the age difference as much as he could. The boys had done their basic training together, but had differing experiences of it. Lewis, the younger of the two had been at CHERUB since he was 6 and passed his basic training with flying colours, touted as one of the best agents that CHERUB had produced in years whilst Alex passed because he had a bulldog like attitude, which often resulted in him lucking out, rather than being skilful. Since basic training they had been inseparable, even persuading Zara to let them get bunk beds and share one room instead of having one each. They had both been on three small scale missions before the mission in America. They were both sat on Alex's bed as James and Kyle walked in.
"We're in for it, aren't we?" Lewis asked downheartedly. "We fucked up big time and she's going to kill us."
Kyle had become attached to the two younger kids during the mission and hated seeing them upset, tried to put them at ease.
"Ha! Me and James have been in trouble tons of times before, you guys are on your first punishment. You'll get laps, suspended for a couple of months and probably have to look after some snotty red shirts for that time, then bang! Straight back to the big time."
James saw what Kyle was doing and smiled at the younger CHERUBs reassuringly, as if he agreed with what Kyle was saying, but inside he feared for their lives in the hands of Zara as well. She was 5 months pregnant with her second child, which had, according to all the campus rumours made her embark on the strictest period of punishments in most of their lifetimes. This was evidenced by the sheer amount of kids on the running track any evening after lessons. James glanced at his watch.
"Well, we better go and have our last supper before Zara has us hung drawn and quartered by a pack of ravenous red shirts." The joke did little to lighten the mood but all of them agreed that it was wise to have something to eat, even if none of them felt like eating.
The dining hall was empty as the four boys went and got their dinner. James piled his plate high with chicken nuggets and beans, whilst the other three settled on fish and chips, standard fare for a Friday night. The room was silent as they sat there, each focusing on their own role in the mission and how badly they would be creamed. When someone spoke up, it was Alex, who summed up the mood for everyone.
"Let's face it lads, we're fucked, but the last seven months have been awesome. It's been like a proper family." He laughed to himself before Lewis sobbed and turned to Kyle with tears in his eyes almost pleading
"Do you think we can ask Zara to put us in the same foster home, me and Alex? I mean, we can pass for twins, so someone could adopt us both." The young boy's plea hit a cord with James, who knew exactly what it was like to be separated from someone who was family. He tried to reassure Lewis, but couldn't seem to find the right words. Instead Kyle chipped in. James didn't pay attention to what was said, but it involved Kyle's piss and Zara's cornflakes from what he did manage to get.
The four boys traipsed down to Zara Askers office, all dressed in suits. This was another one of Zara's new policies for CHERUBs sent to her office for punishment. She claimed that if you had to be sent to her office, you didn't deserve the privilege of wearing the uniform. Unlike Mac, who liked to make you stew in his office and arrived to punishment meetings anywhere up to two hours later than planned, Zara was a stickler for time and when the boys arrived at 6:15, she was already in her office.
Zara came into the waiting room just outside her office. Dressed in a black jumper and grey trousers, it was obvious to see that she was pregnant, and the yellow stains on her jumper suggested that she had been at home, giving Joshua his dinner before dealing with them.
"I assume you all know why you are here, but if anyone thinks they shouldn't be, you are free to speak up now." This was policy, but also as close to a joke as Zara was going to get tonight. The four boys all stayed deadly silent, eyes fixed forward on Zara as a show of respect.
"Good." The one word response to the silence was all that was needed. "Shall we start with the youngest? Lewis, come inside." Zara spoke with a soft tone. She knew Lewis was a good kid, one of the best, but she knew that he also had to be punished.
Half an hour passed. The three boys left in Zara's waiting room passed the time by talking about some of their worst missions, which made them all feel slightly better, before Lewis emerged from Zara's office. He looked like he had been crying, but he had a massive smile on his face. He could barely contain his excitement.
"I'M NOT BEING KICKED OUT!" The little boy broke down with tears of relief, before looking at the three boys left to go in. "1000 laps to be done in the next two months, 6 months suspension from missions with no pocket money either, been demoted back to a grey shirt and I have to tutor three red shirts maths for the next 6 months BUT I'M STILL HERE!" He looked towards Alex with a large, knowing grin before skipping out of the room and running across campus.
This news gave them all a huge relief, then Zara stepped back into the waiting room and called Alex into her office. Alex looked like he was about to break into tears before he had even stepped into her office and she put a reassuring arm around his shoulders. She may have been the chairwoman of CHERUB, but she was also a mother and knew how to handle upset children.
It felt like an eternity to the two older boys before Alex emerged from the office of the chairwoman. James was really hoping that Alex hadn't been kicked out of CHERUB. Over the mission he had grown to treat Alex liked a kid brother. It helped that he was Lauren's age and a lot like her in attitude and intellect. The young blonde boy looked less happy than Lewis had, which worried James, until Alex revealed his punishment.
"I've got to redo basic training. There is a course starting in 10 days and I am going to be on it. Zara has promised me that Large will make my life hell. Then I have to be on kitchen duty for 2 months, as well as being a babysitter to some red shirts. But still, it's only basic training right? I've done it once." Alex perked up as he realised how lightly he got off. James, who until that moment had been deadly silent, leapt out of his chair and pulled the boy tight.
"I'm so glad you are still one of us." James was practically on the verge of tears when Zara's door opened.
"Nice to see you care so much James. Shall we deal with you and Kyle together?"