Chapter 1

Killian Jones was the youngest junior copy editor at The Glass Mirror. He should be satisfied with all the success he had accrued in his short life. Sure he had his own office and with it came an unlimited supply of office supplies, not to mention a personal assistant. But he wanted more, so much more.

His dream was to be a reporter, but it still eluded him. Sadly he was too shy and lacked the assertiveness required for the job. Not to mention his total lack of a personal life, how could he expect to report on the lives of others, when he didn't even have his own?

"Killian, do you have the copy of the new library inauguration piece ready?" his boss, Sidney Glass asked.

"It will be ready by the deadline, have I ever failed you before?"

"No, of course not, please just have the piece ready to go to print on time. I know that the computers were down for a long time but the deadline still applies."

"I understand and I guarantee it will be ready. Sidney before you go, have you given any thought to my request?"

"Killian, you are by far the best copy editor in the building, but I cannot in good conscience encourage you to pursue a career in reporting. I'm sorry to say you are not reporter material."

"I know I can do a good job. Let me remind you that you have already used five of my story ideas. All I'm asking for is a chance, let me crash and burn if that is to happen."

"Killian, I never said that you are not able, much less capable," Sidney sighed

"You are one of the smartest persons I know, but you are also a control freak. In order to be an investigative reporter, you need to go out and be able to lose control and that life is messy, and you are all about control. Oh, and let's not forget your love for order. You need everything in its place. Everything has to be in its assigned place. You are not undercover reporter material, you are not aggressive enough."

"Sid, I don't have to control everything, I'm not even that big on order. I can do this; I can be out of control and aggressive."

"Sure you can, I want that piece by 5:00 PM." On his way out Sidney stopped at the door to the office and tipped Killian's nameplate so it hung at an angle. He walked out with a smug smile on his face, turning to look briefly at the young man.

Killian tried to fight the urge but lost the battle as he practically leapt from his chair to fix the nameplate. Sighing at himself, he went back and slumped into his chair.

Sidney peeked in laughing, "I told you so, control freak. Everything has to be in its place. You couldn't allow a nameplate to be hanging at an angle longer than a few seconds. A reporter wouldn't have bothered."

Killian just glared at his boss, hating that he had proven his point. He had grown to enjoy control once he was able to achieve it. He had learned to use control and order to mask his lack of confidence in other areas. He was confident in his intelligence, his skills as a writer and reporter, despite what Sidney had said. But in other areas that confidence was almost nonexistent.

He'd love to be able to say that had not always been the case, but the truth was the opposite.

Since the Jones family first set foot in the United States things had been difficult for the youngest Jones. His parents and brother had made the transition easily. Sadly for young Killian Jones being bullied didn't help matters. He was not accepted by his peers no matter where he set foot. Unlike his brother, who had enjoyed a vastly different experience.

Killian had focused on his studies and maintained a 4.0 GPA. His looks didn't encourage an active high school experience. He was gangly and wore thick framed glasses that hid bright blue eyes and a baby face.

His British accent should have been a plus, in fact it was for his brother. But, he was so unlike his older brother. Killian's voice would crack when he was nervous and he stammered through the few words he did manage to put together.

It was unclear what had earned him his many scars both inner and physical. The most prominent scar was found on his left cheek. In a different life, it could have enhanced his looks, making him ruggedly handsome.

All the older Jones wanted was to protect his brother, but he could not be everywhere. He would hear the whispers and giggles each time Killian walked by.

Killian would lower his head to avoid eye contact. He tried to discourage any additional attention, for self-preservation.

His older brother was the opposite. Liam Jones was confident and athletic. He would beg his younger brother to join him in his workouts and to try out for the team. Killian refused, insisting he didn't have one athletic bone in his body. So in order to avoid any additional humiliation, he decided to work harder and he graduated early, in the same class as his brother.

A few days after his conversation with Sidney about control and that damn nameplate incident, Killian's whole world changed.

His day started as any other day. He woke up, got ready for work, and packed a nicely balanced meal.

He opted for some coffee and walked into the office's small break room. As he enjoyed his simple black coffee a couple of his coworkers entered.

Will Scarlett and the older William Smee. He couldn't help but chuckle at the abundance of Wills at his work. There were at least three more somewhere in the building, but the two in front of him worked in the same department as him.

"Oi mate, did you hear we are having some meeting with the big boss?" the younger Will asked Killian.

"Sidney made sure to let me know, said we need to be on time and on our best behavior."

Mr. Smee was listening to the conversation.

"Killian, a few of us are going out after work. Do you want to come?"

"Sorry mate, I have an ongoing tradition with my brother. We hang out at the local pub by the docks."

"Come on with us at least for a bit. Anastacia will be there along some of her friends and I don't want to be the only bloke there."

"Will it make you happy if I say I'll think it over?"

"That's the spirit!"

The trio separated to get their work day started. A few hours later Will and Killian walked into the conference room for the highly anticipated meeting.

"Scarlett, may I ask you a question?" Killian asked his friend as they sat down.

"Sure, we are the first ones to arrive."

"Do you think I am aggressive?"

Will Scarlett could not stop the thunderous laugh from leaving his lips when he heard the question. "Mate, if you want my honest answer you will receive it."

Killian nodded, of course he wanted the truth. Right?

"No, you are not an aggressive man. Killian, do you remember last month, your computer broke and I.T. took it for repairs? You brought in your personal laptop to avoid bothering them."

"Bringing my computer was not a big deal. I just wanted-"

"You wanted to avoid confrontation," Scarlett finished the sentence for him.

Smee had sneaked in while their conversation was going on.

"Mr. Jones, if I may say something?"

Killian nodded in approval.

"I believe you could be an amazing reporter if that is what you are passionate about."

"Thank you, Mr. Smee it is nice to have someone's support."

The conference room was now packed with his coworkers.

A throat cleared loudly to gather their attention. "I see a few new faces. My name is Marco Booth and I'm your boss. Let's get to business, shall we? Isaac, I loved the piece you wrote exposing the Deville's animal cruelty, but the Story Brooke-Review wrote a better one, so you are fired."

Without argument, Isaac got up from his seat and left, all the while cursing under his breath. Someone in the room whispered, "So much for nepotism."

"Isn't Isaac his cousin or something?" Will asked Killian.

Killian shrugged his answer as the whispers began to die down.

"Now on to the next order of business; we haven't done a good undercover piece in a long time. I have decided to send one of you," he announced, pointing his index finger to everyone in the room. He came to a stop in front of Killian, "You, I'm sending you undercover to write about kids today. All they do is play their video games, watch Netflix, talk, text, and play on their phones. We need to find out what's going on in their heads. We almost lost my grandson Wayne to an allergic reaction at our last family reunion. The damn fool was so engrossed in his phone that he grabbed a handful of peanut m&m's instead of skittles and went into anaphylaxis."

Murmurs went around the conference room about the boys fate, but ultimately no one knew what had become of the young man.

"So, in conclusion, you will go undercover to write Understanding the Next Generation a story from the personal experiences of… what's your name?"

"Sir, my name is Killian Jones." Killian smiled nervously.

"Killian Jones you will enroll in high school on Friday. That is all people." Mr. Booth left the conference room without another word.

"Killian, don't worry I will talk to him and explain that you are not a reporter," Sidney assured Killian.

"Sid this is my chance to prove I can be a reporter."

"Are you out of your mind? He just fired his cousin or some kind of family member. What do you think he will do to you?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Killian said, leaving his boss behind.