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CHAPTER 2 – ARRIVAL

Cara slowly opened her eyes, reaching up to pick at the sleep in the corners of her eyes and yawning gracelessly. She realized that she only had her bra and knickers on, panicking and thinking what the hell had happened. She pushed off her elbows and shifted her bum back on the clean white sheets, sitting up and bringing her hand to her head. She looked around the spacious room, taking in everything as she screwed up her face with the effort of trying to recall the series of events that had led to her being in this strange room.

The room looked like a plush hotel room, with its kettle, microwave, mini-fridge, flat-screen TV and just the overall tidiness. She felt slightly numb while she scrambled out of the sheets and sat with her feet resting on the floor beside the single bed.

She noticed that there were a set of clothes on the floor, like a uniform. It consisted of a pair of khaki cargo trousers and black boots that smelled of rubber, and a weird orange t-shirt that had a logo on it. The logo was of a cupid-like baby dressed in army gear and sitting on a globe. The globe then had the word 'CHERUB' written across it in capital letters. Cara hesitated, but pulled the uniform on anyway as she didn't fancy walking around half naked. They fitted perfectly. She walked over to the windows and pulled back the curtains. Sunlight burst into the dark room, and Cara squinted as her eyes adjusted to the sudden lightness. She was looking down at a magnificent fountain which had a statue of the same logo that was printed on the t-shirt in the centre of the water. In the distance she could see what appeared to be the main entrance, with a stretch of path leading from the fountain to the gate. Where ever she was, just from the small area that was in sight, Cara could tell that this place was really modern and massive.

Eventually, she thought that it was best if she exit the room to go investigate. As she let the door swing closed behind her, Cara noticed that even the spaced out corridor was like that of a hotel's. There seemed to be a set of lift doors at the opposite end of the corridor.

She moved towards the lift at a steady pace, still pondering where she was and why. The lift arrived literally seconds after she'd pressed the down button, and she stepped in to find two boys standing inside, holding iPads. The first thing she noticed about them was the colour of their t-shirts. They were both wearing basically the exact same uniform as Cara, except their t-shirts were grey. They both looked about the same age as Cara as well. She wondered if she should ask them for directions, and decided that she should. As the lift moved down, Cara looked at the boys and thought about how she should start her story, "Umm… I just woke up in a strange room and-"

One of the boys cut her off, "Can't talk to orange."

Cara ignored this and continued, "Could you please tell me where to go?"

This time, the other boy, with a stocky build and light brown hair with green eyes, repeated the phrase "Can't talk to orange," but as the lift reached ground floor, he gestured for her to follow.

They stepped out and he pointed to the reception desk, before smiling, then turning around and heading off.

"Thanks!" Cara yelled after him. There was an elderly receptionist sitting behind the desk, and as Cara approached her, she smiled warmly. "Cara Marinos?"

"Yes."

"Door to the right," she twisted around and pointed.

"Gotcha," Cara said as she proceeded to the door, paused in front of it, not knowing what to expect, and knocked. A woman's voice sounded from inside, "Come in!" Cara pushed open the wooden door to reveal a very spacey and modern room, and a mumsy-looking woman sitting behind an iMac propped on the glass desk, smiling up at her.

"You must be Cara," the woman beamed, gesturing for her to sit down in the Herman Miller chair on the opposite side of the desk.

"Yes," was all Cara could think of to say.

"Welcome, let me introduce myself. I'm Zara Asker, and this is my fifth year as chairwoman of CHERUB. Now you must be wondering what on earth CHERUB is, but please leave questions 'till after I finish my introduction."

Cara nodded.

"OK, starting with the basics. CHERUB is a branch of British Intelligence. We employ agents aged between ten and seventeen years old. You might think: 'but why use kids when you have adults?' well the answer is simple. Kids can get away with all kinds of stuff that adults can't. And here at CHERUB, we train you kids to become undercover agents. To become qualified for missions, however, cherubs need to first complete a very tough one-hundred-day Basic Training course. The next starts in four weeks' time. The campus has a combined role as a boarding school and intelligence operation. We spotted you after the event of your parents' death. Jennifer Mitchum, who found out all about you last night, suggested we recruit you."

"Jennifer Mitchum?!" Cara was amazed.

"Yes, she, as a retired CHERUB agent, is a very worthy source for us. When she notices potential in the patients that she encounters, she contacts us. We would've liked to have you planted in a children's home first and watch you closely for a few weeks, but our numbers are quite low and Jennifer spoke highly of you." Zara explained.

The memories of the day before came into focus, then she remembered the needle. "That needle… why?"

"Our campus is top security, so we had to drug you to bring you here. In case you refuse to join or fail the entrance tests and have to return to London, then you won't have evidence of our campus even if you spilled about CHERUB, so no one would believe you."

Cara thought this made sense, but frowned. "Tests?"

"Yes, to be recruited into CHERUB, you have to pass a series of entrance tests first. There are five parts that will last the rest of the day. So are you up for it?"

Cara took an excited breath. "Sure."

"Very well," Zara winked. "Now shall I take you to your first test?"