Arya hesitantly knocked on the door to Amanda's office.
"Come in." was the reply.
Arya opened the door and was surprised at what she saw. The room was large and spacious with an ornate dressing table and mirror set up against the wall. A mannequin dressed in an exquisite red gown stood next to a full length mirror.
Amanda sat at a coffee table pouring tea into two delicate china cups.
"Have a seat." said Amanda.
Arya supposed that men would find Amanda's throaty voice alluring. Complete with her flawless make up, expensive suit, and poised demeanor, Amanda was enticing but clearly dangerous like a siren who lures men to their deaths with her seductive singing.
Arya picked up her cup of tea and brought it slowly to her lips, but she was too uneasy to drink the hot liquid.
Amanda finished her drink and regarded Arya thoughtfully.
"You don't want your tea, but you pretend to drink it because I am drinking mine. You are mimicking my actions in an effort to please me."
"I didn't mean to . . ."
"I understand that it's just a reflex after your experiences with Carlos. He was always the alpha male, and you had to follow his lead in whatever he did to make him happy, didn't you?"
"I guess so." Arya answered. "I never really thought about it. I just did what I could to keep him content."
"Carlos had quite a temper, didn't he? You had to learn to read his body language in order to protect yourself and not to set him off."
Amanda was not asking for confirmation. She merely stated what she deduced to be true.
"Those skills, believe it or not, will come in handy here at Division. Now, I have a little exercise for you."
She turned on the television screen in the corner of the room.
"I want you to watch this interrogation tape and tell me what you see." instructed Amanda.
Amanda wanted to see Arya's reaction to the video. After showing select bits from the interrogation, Amanda shut off the tape.
"What did you observe?" asked Amanda.
"Interrogations are incredibly intimate. They have to be. If you want someone to comply with what you want, you need to figure them out and know what makes them tick."
Arya's eyes took on a faraway cast.
"Fear for one's own safety is a good place to start. The weaker ones will crack right away or after just a bit of pain. The stronger ones will take longer. Then there are those who are willing to die for their beliefs. They need to be dealt with differently."
"How."
"Threatening their loved ones. Under certain circumstances, bribery and promises might work but not with these people who are ready to be martyrs. If they have no family or friends and are prepared to die, then it gets tricky. Comforting them for some time might get them to relax and put their guard down. That could make them more vulnerable to an attack and less able to resist the pain. After that, you could try other techniques such as drugs, hallucinogens, mind control."
"The possibilities are endless." Arya added sarcastically.
"You are correct," said Amanda, "but you didn't learn all of that just from watching the interrogation. You speak from experience. That will help you in the long run because you know how it feels to be on the other side of the chair."
Arya knew that refusing to talk would only anger Amanda, and Arya could not afford to be on Amanda's bad side. Although Arya did not know the older woman, Arya could sense her power and keen intuition. Outward cooperation was Arya's best strategy.
"It's time to move on to a more pleasant lesson." Amanda decided. "Go put on the dress, the one on the mannequin."
Arya fingered the red chiffon fabric. She picked up the dress and looked for somewhere to change. Upon finding that she would have no privacy, Arya turned her back on Amanda and hurriedly slipped into the dress. When Amanda held up a pair of black, patent leather, peep-toe stilettos, Arya practically salivated.
"Try the shoes also." ordered Amanda.
When she was all dressed, Arya was told to sit at the dressing table. Amanda stood behind her.
"What do you see?" Amanda asked.
Arya slowly lifted her gaze to examine her reflection.
"I don't know."
"Why don't you like to look in the mirror?"
"Because that's not my face."
"Would you care to elaborate?"
"My face, my body, they don't belong to me here any more than they did before." she said flatly. "Here, I get trained, there are people to please, I can't leave, and I have no control over anything. It's no different than when I was with him."
"What else aren't you saying." prompted Amanda, her gaze almost predatory.
Arya looked at the floor.
"You look at me the same way he did." she said quietly.
"And how is that?"
Arya paused.
"With hungry eyes."
Amanda placed a comforting hand on Arya's shoulder.
"I'm not here to hurt you or control you. My job is to teach you, but I would also like to be here for you. Think of me as your new mother figure. You can come talk to me about how you feel, and I can help you make it through the training and beyond. Arya, I want you to know that you can trust me."
Arya couldn't stop the tears that escaped her tightly shut eyes. She turned to Amanda, her expression pleading.
"I'm scared; I'm so scared."
"I'll take care of you." said Amanda gently. "And I promise that you'll be okay."
Amanda was the one who truly held the power in Division. She was completely cold and calculating. Her emotions, though it hardly seemed she had any, never interfered with her work. Her personal life was kept completely separate from her job. Amanda did much more than apply makeup to Division operatives. She taught the agents the most vital skill they would ever learn at Division: to lie. Anyone could be taught to fire a weapon, but the true evaluation of what made a good operative was his or her ability to deceive. Amanda also showed the agents how to act, how to walk, how to talk, how to become someone else.
She was responsible for developing psychological profiles of everyone at Division. Her ability to detach herself from her emotions was what gave Amanda the ability to analyze the agents. Amanda determined, with some input from Percy, who was to be cancelled. Then she did the job herself. The kind, mothering act was just that: an act. Amanda did what she had to do in order to gain Arya's trust.
The next task was to show Arya how to put on makeup to best enhance her features. Amanda calculatingly looked at Arya's face, bluntly evaluating her assets and flaws. She taught Arya how to paint her face depending on the look she was going for whether it be sexy, girl-next-door, younger, or more sophisticated.
Arya applied the creams and powders under Amanda's tutelage until Amanda herself took over. When she was finished, Arya could not help but marvel at the results.
Her eyes were impossibly large and shimmered with silvery eye shadow that made the grey in her irises more pronounced. Soft blush highlighted her high cheekbones and gave Arya a sophisticated air. A shiny gloss coated her full lips which parted in a small smile of pleasure.
"I look pretty." Arya decided, almost surprised.
"You are a beautiful girl." said Amanda. "Part of my job here is to help you realize that so you can embrace your natural beauty."
Amanda allowed herself a moment of satisfaction. Arya looked exquisite yet vulnerable; a little girl playing dress-up in party clothes who was not aware of her loveliness.
She would be perfect.
Arya modeled the dress for Amanda and quickly grew comfortable in the heels.
Percy entered the room.
"Is she ready?" he asked impatiently.
Amanda nodded.
"Come with me." ordered Percy.
Arya looked at Amanda for confirmation.
"This is Percy." explained Amanda. "He is the head of Division."
"What do you want with me?" asked Arya.
"You'll be told the details on the way."
Not having much choice, Arya followed Percy out of Amanda's office. They headed down the hallway, Percy several steps ahead. They passed the training area for the recruits and everyone stared. Roger ran up to Arya.
"What's going on?" he whispered.
"I have no idea." said Arya. "I think I'm going on my first mission."
Author's Note: Feedback would be greatly appreciated. Also, I have a very general plan for the story but nothing is too solidified, so I would love to hear any suggestions or requests that you guys have. Your opinions mean a lot to me, and I hope you share them!
I'm so sorry for the mistake. Please let me know right away if I make any posting errors.