CHERUB
Fitting in…
Previously…Shadow ran through the corridors, heading for the door. Kyle saw her, and decided that this wasn't good. He raced after her, tackling the girl to the ground. Shadow leapt back to her feet, turning towards her attacker.
"Shadow! Calm down, it's me!" Shadow narrowed her eyes.
"How do you know that name?"
"Don't ask, can we just talk?" I glared at Kyle once again before turning tail and continuing to run. Kyle shook his head, running after me. I ran outside, ignoring the pounding rain. I vaulted over the gates, landing in a low fighting position before continuing my run, ignoring the pain that had settled in my muscles. Kyle caught up with me again, grabbing my cloak.
"Please, what's going on?"
"Leave me alone!" I shouted, trying to hide the fact that I was crying.
"Calm down. It's going to be ok."
"No, it won't. It never was, and never will."
"Look, come back with me." I shook my head, but Kyle darted behind me, pinning my arms behind my back, pain shot up through my shoulders as he forced me back towards the building.
Rachel came storming up to us, her face like thunder. Kyle shot the woman a warning look, but she took no notice.
"Allyssia!" I was afraid, but .remembered my training, never show emotion in a situation like this. Another woman came into the room, one I recognized as 'Jennifer Mitchum', the home psychologist. I had already had several sessions with her because everyone said that I was too dangerous to be accepted at school until I managed to curb my temper.
"Rachel, can I have a little talk to Allyssia?" Jennifer asked quietly. Rachel waved one hand.
"Get her out of my sight." She groaned. Jennifer nodded and put an arm gently around my shoulders, leading me towards her office. Moving slowly and quietly, Jennifer drew a filled needle out of her pocket. Sliding the cap off, she slid it into my arm, releasing the contents quickly. I stiffened suddenly, feeling the needle touch my skin, but my eyes slid out of focus and I fell through the darkness, feeling myself hit the floor.
I woke up curled into a tight ball, in something soft and greyish. Feeling around my neck, as was my habit every morning to make sure that there was nothing wrong, like a new cut or something. My mind felt clouded, and I was having trouble focusing on anything. Shaking my head in an attempt to clear the fog, I took in my surroundings. I was in a room, which seemed to be a lot better than my room in Nebraska Home. It wasn't big enough for two people, but there were a whole lot of things that you wouldn't normally find in a children's home. TV, kettle, computer, mini fridge, and some sort of military uniform at the bottom of her bed. I guessed that I was supposed to put it on, and therefore changed out of my usual outfit of close-fitting long-sleeved black shirt and trousers. I pulled on the orange shirt and kaki trousers, clipping my black cloak on top. Next to the uniform, lay my swords. Smiling slightly, I strapped them on, crossed, on my back, where they normally were.
I walked warily out the door, passing other children, dressed in roughly the same uniform as me, only with different coloured shirts.
"Can someone…" I started to say to a girl in a navy shirt.
"Can't talk to orange." She replied.
"Why?"
"Can't talk to orange." She hurried off, leaving me fuming slightly. Turning to someone in a black shirt, I tried again, but with the same answer. It took me ten minutes, and a lot of self-control not to draw swords, before some one pointed me downstairs, keeping their mouth shut.
I jogged down the stairs, looking around desperately until I spotted a reception desk. Running over, I skidded to a halt in front of the desk.
"Please don't say 'can't talk to orange'. Where am I?" I said.
"Evening, Shadow. Please leave your swords here and follow me." I warily left her swords on the desk, keeping the harness though, and followed the receptionist. I wondered how this woman could know my true name, and somehow avoid answering my question.
She led me to a door not far from the staircase that I had just come down. The receptionist knocked and waited for an answer.
"Enter." Said a voice. My mind immediately identified it as a male voice with a slight Scottish accent. The woman opened the door and pushed me through. I stumbled slightly, not expecting the push and turned to say something, but the door had already closed.
"Welcome, Shadow. I wasn't expecting you for a while." Said the voice again. I turned round sharply to see a man sitting behind his desk, watching me. I nodded my head in acknowledgement. He stood up, moving towards the burning fire, sitting in one of the two chairs opposite.
"Please take a seat."
"I'd rather stand, sir." I replied.
"No one is going to attack you here."
"I'd rather not take the chance."
"I would still like to you take a seat." This came more as an order than a request. Moving cautiously, I took the seat that he had pointed to, sitting on the very edge, ready to flee at any moment's notice.
"I take it that you would like to know where you are."
"Yes, sir."
"Well, I'm glad to welcome to the CHERUB campus."
"CHERUB? What does that stand for, sir?" I ran through several possibilities in my head, but came up with a blank.
"We don't actually know. His wife shot the founder before he could tell anyone, and the name stuck, I'm afraid. If you have any ideas, please let me know, it's getting a bit embarrassing. Anyway, we'd like you to join us here, where your 'skills' will be of good use to you."
"What exactly is 'here', apart from the CHERUB campus? What's so special about it?"
"CHERUB is an organisation that is, in short, an extension of the British intelligence, but instead of adults, we use children. Criminals have been doing this for several decades, and now, we turn the tables on them."
"Isn't it dangerous for the child on the mission, sir?"
"We don't send children on a mission that can be done by an adult, and we have an ethics committee that decide whether the missions are too dangerous or not."
"How would my 'skills' be an asset here?"
"Because you are pretty much a trained assassin, and most probably have the connections as well. The ability that you learnt, to hide your emotions, is also very useful.
"Could you explain a bit more about the campus, sir?"
"We have a school on site, and our academic record is among the best. All of our students go on to top universities. All our students know at least three languages when they leave. We have several sports facilities here, including athletics tracks, all-weather football pitch, gymnasium, shooting range and several others." I thought a bit.
"This can't be as simple as it sounds. There's always a catch to it."
"You have to pass a test before we can offer you a place here, and also, you have to agree to be a part of the British Intelligence."
"What do these tests involve?"
"The test is separated into five parts, and will last all day, should you wish to sit it." I thought for a bit again.
"Yes, I wish to sit the test, sir."
"Good, follow me, and call me 'Mac'. I nodded and 'Mac' strode out of the office, me following.
