Mel realized that she had possibly done the right thing by not asking for help. Somehow, it felt like cheating. The clock said she still had two hours. Of these, an hour of searching finally led her to Ely Hasperben, which involved her giving a stolen piece of bread to a beggar.
Houses in the elite part were huge, with several wings, gardens and signs of grand scale. Much was made of glass, which gleamed in the crescent moon. It was perhaps the perfect place for an art lover.
The house she was interested in didn't seem difficult to scale, though the fence wasn't pleasing. Six feet of rock with metal above was simply out of the question of climbing. The owners seemed rich, for the appearance was much similar to the academy. After some time of searching, with her precise skill, Mel could finally find a dog hole which could lead her inside. Carefully, slowly, she squeezed inside.
All the windows were open but closed with glass. Mel had no intention of breaking anything. Instead, she used a metal pipe as a lever and pried it open.
'First hurdle crossed!' she said as she got inside. The house looked ghostly and unoccupied. The furniture was covered with white cloth and there were more than a few millimeters of dust on there floor. A little study and-
'Yes!' she exclaimed. Perched in the study on the wood table was a small statuette of an elf-like creature. The study was grilled, but she could open it with a switch to the side. Just as she was about a few feet away from the grills, they feel down again with a loud bang. Startled, Mel tried again, but fruitlessly.
'It doesn't work like that!' a voice said. Mel turned around in a flash, half-angry, half-afraid. It was Edward.
'What are you doing here?' she said, completely hostile. 'Why did you follow me?'
'You need two people here' Edward said coolly. 'I'll hold it down, while you take the statuette'
'How do you know all this?' Mel said, anger giving way to curiosity.
'I've lived around Thais for long...' he said mysteriously and held down the switch. Mel looked at him suspiciously for a moment, then ran inside, grabbed the statutette, and ran out again, fearing Edward would leave. He slowly let down the lever.
'See you around then!' he said as he jumped out the window, leaving Mel fuming.
It was still a quarter to one when Mel set down the statuette before professor Gray.
'Good work!' the professor said happily. He opened a drawer and drew out a small brown package.
'This is your uniform and keys to an apartment in the lower city. I already had it booked since I knew you were knew, but you have to pay the rent yourself'
Mel nodded.
'So what am I to learn?' she asked, the question she'd been dying to know the answer.
'Under me, you'll be learning the ultimate skill, that of evasion and information'
'I'm training to be a spy!' Mel said, rather loudly, grinning to her ears.
'Smart girl!' the professor chuckled. 'Don't be late, class starts tomorrow'
Mel nodded again and turned to leave. Just as she was about to open the door, she turned again.
'I noticed that the statuette was ticking' she said. 'What would have happened if I had not made it in time?'
'You would have been trapped in that house for most of the rest of your life' he said, expressionless.
Mel nodded.
'Good night, professor' she said, using the word for the first time.
'Good night, Mel' Gray replied.
He sighed as the door closed. Ulaf had shown him the letter. The poor girl didn't stand a chance in front of that monster.
