The rumble of the engine shook through the car.
Anya looked through the window of the car, as she watched the passing traffic and pedestrians.
The day had been quite eventful. From straight up flunking her math test, to now being driven back home by a man not her father, in a car with only him and her.
The rich black exterior of the car extended to its interior, with deep dark leather seats, and a lacquered wooden dashboard and steering wheel. It felt… expensive.
This must be how Becky and sy-on boy feel having their own drivers, Anya thought.
Her father never drove. There never was a need for a car, as he always walked to his 'workplace'. And her mother as well. So sitting in her own car, was a very new experience, let alone sitting by herself and a mostly unknown driver. In a act of smug curiosity, she impulsively tried to prop her feet up on the driver's arm-rest, only for them to just be out of reach.
But what intrigued Anya more wasn't just the car's interior. But rather its driver.
Mr. Godfrey Lee. A mathematics teacher in her school that had just this morning applied to take over her class.
But she knew he was much more than just a mathematics teacher.
For the first time in a while, she experienced silence.
Anya was not like any other kid her age. She had the ability to read minds. While it was fun to listen in on others and their unfiltered thoughts, she had also sometimes found it annoying. The moment she felt like she wanted quiet, her mind would automatically, almost instinctually force out a read of everyone around her. It was like forcing yourself to stop thinking about everything. It would require much dedication and focus, something she didn't know how to do.
And yet, for the first time, she heard silence. Apart from the sounds of the engine, the squeak of her buttocks rubbing against the leather seat, and Mr. Lee's heavier breathing, she couldn't hear anything else. For some reason, Mr. Lee was silent. Nothing, she could hear from his head.
How was he special?
Why couldn't she hear anything from him?
She wondered these thoughts, then a recollection from the morning occurred.
Becky's butler asked him. "Are you Xingese?", of which he responded with "No, I am Amestrian."
Amestrian. What is an Amestrian? She wondered.
Was that why she couldn't hear him? Do Amestrians have superpowers?
She stared back at him, only to see him look to the road.
Silence, again.
"Oh, we are here," Godfrey exclaimed. Anya looked out the window, and that familiar apartment complex came into view.
She didn't remember how many homes she had lived in. All she knew was that after some time, she would go back to her old home, the orphanage. Now, she had her Papa and Mama. She knew that Papa wanted her to score well in school, to become an Imperial Scholar.
She didn't want to disappoint him.
She couldn't disappoint him.
If she couldn't do it, she would just be sent back, like all those other times.
Why did we get this girl? She gives me the creeps.
Why this kid? She is so strange.
Isn't it weird? It's like she can read my mind.
Recollections of her past parents flowed through her mind. Every time she tried to gain more of their trust, using her abilities to better understand them, they'd just get scared off, on why a 4-year old girl had such insight, much more than even their adult colleagues.
Papa…
A tear flowed down her cheek.
"Anya."
She was called out of her sad state, by a voice.
She turned to her right, to see a concerned Mr. Lee.
Mr. Lee was dumbfounded.
This girl had gone from being a crying wreck that morning, to a curious little bean in his car, back to being a crying wreck. Typically, children at 5 to 6 don't exhibit those kinds of mood swings, and in such quick progression. When children get sad, they tend to stay sad for the whole day.
And yet here she was, crying in his backseat after crying in the morning after a hard test, to looking at me like I was an alien and squinting at me, to now tearing up again.
This was one very special kid.
"C'mon, we have arrived." Mr. Lee said, gesturing his hand towards the apartment complex door.
He held her hand, and brought her towards the door.
I guess this is how being a parent must feel like.
As she walked up the stairs, Anya felt a sense of shame run over her face. Knowing Mama would probably hear some things from Mr. Lee. An impromptu parent-teacher meeting would be a hard thing to swallow, especially if Papa was at home.
"...Mr. Lee?"
"Yes, Anya?"
"...Can you please not tell my mama about the exam today?"
Godfrey was silent. He needed to give a valid reason to her mother as to why she came home late. But he didn't want to further hurt her feelings. He understood that she didn't want some heavy questioning by her parents, that he would be socially obligated to share, but yet he couldn't stay silent the whole way through.
They reached the door.
After the doorbell rang, those few seconds of just hearing a few hurried footsteps, was a moment of tension and anxiety.
Godfrey took a deep look at the one who opened the door as she propped her body against the door, hands pressed down against the doorknob.
A woman stood there in front of him. She was relatively tall, about the same height as him, with long slender legs covered by tight fitting black leggings. Although her loose-fitting sweater masked much of her figure, it was apparent she was quite curvaceous as well. Her hair was raven black just like his, tied in a bun behind a white headband. She had the slightest of a pant, as she looked into his eyes. But the most distinguishing feature of her, to Godfrey, was her eyes.
They were of a deep red.
Red.
Red.
He couldn't help himself but be captivated by them. They were hauntingly lucid, like staring at a ruby shining in the sunlight. It was like they were beckoning him to get closer.
"...Hello?" The young woman spoke. Her body language conveyed discomfort, of seeing the man looking so intensely at her.
Yor had never been glared at by a man that closely before. Typically, when men looked at her in the streets, it would be a side glance or a full-on ogle, and never into her eyes (although this typically stopped when her husband gave them a counter glance). When men looked at her during her side-gigs, it would be accompanied with heavy breathing, furrowed eyebrows, and the occasional wet pants, or even sometimes stench of faeces, with a surrounding aroma of fresh metallic scents of bare flesh around.
But now? Now was different.
He stared at her, not with a sense of perversion or of unadulterated fear, but rather with the vibe of curiosity. Like she was some lab experiment, and he was locked in to gather information.
She looked back.
His eyes were filled with strong determination.
With every moment, he looked deeper and deeper and slowly approached closer and closer, and her fluster grew stronger and stronger.
For once in a while, she didn't know what to do.
She definitely couldn't do like what she did to those two secret police officers (Anya was right in front of her), and he definitely wasn't a threat (he was a teacher and he brought Anya back home after all).
So she just stood there, and tried to process the situation.
What do I do?! Is he interested in me? But I am married! How do I turn him down?
"Mama is married to Papa!" A young voice emerged from behind Yor. It seemed that while Godfrey was looking at her, Anya silently moved her way into the house and stayed behind Yor.
With those words, Godfrey snapped out of his trance, and started to absorb the situation. He realised that for those few seconds, he just made everyone around the door massively uncomfortable with his staring. He came up with the quickest reason he could think of.
"Oh! I am so sorry about that… It just that your eyes, they remind me of someone."
"Oh..."
"Let me introduce myself. I am Godfrey Lee. I am a new math teacher," he said, as he passed her his name-card.
"...Thank you for sending Anya back home."
"Of course. If there nothing else, I'll head back?"
Godfrey, hearing silence, started to turn back and walk down to his car.
Yor, at this moment, become more flustered.
Yor, what are you doing?! A married woman shouldn't have had to have her child save her like that, especially a mother! That was definitely a test from the school. I can't let him think that I am some irresponsible mother!
Godfrey was worried.
Oh no. Not only did I make her feel scared for her child's safety, but now I made her feel so uncomfortable. I'll lose my job!
He/She will rat me out to the school!
"W-wait!"
Godfrey's ears perked up, and he turned his head to face her.
"...would you like to have a drink before you go?"
Godfrey sighed an internal sigh of relief.
"Of course."
Godfrey started to walk back to the apartment.
As he entered the apartment, his bag knocked into the adjacent shoe cabinet, knocking over the vase on top.
Before he could register the toppling vase, he felt a gust of wind past him, as he witnessed the woman side-step with lightning speed and correct the vase and give him a smile, only for him to look back with a mix of shock and astonishment.
Yor directed him to take a seat at the dining table.
So she wants to talk to me?
"What would you like?"
"A coffee is fine."
Once the feeling of shock died down, he looked around. It was a small apartment, not unlike his own. The living room was just at the front door, with a large television set, something that not many families could afford. For many families, they would share a television with other families, with one family owning one, and inviting the neighbours to watch together. Televisions were becoming cheaper, yes, but for many, there were still too expensive.
But of course, owning a TV was really kind of standard with the kind of income Eden families would have to have to afford the kind of school fees they charge.
Anya sat down right in front of the TV, and turned on that popular show, Spy Wars.
But other than that, it was really just a simple apartment.
With a few rooms, with all the doors closed, a strange sight when it was the middle of summer, and people would typically let the rooms breathe through the house.
Anya sat down right in front of the TV, and turned on that popular show, Spy Wars. Godfrey wondered whether that pose she did in the school general office (fingers to her temples), she learnt from that show.
Yor put down a hot cup of black coffee in front of him. In the black and steam, Godfrey could see her reflection as she took a seat in front of him with a cup of tea. Godfrey began.
"...so, would you like to talk to me about something?"
"Yes, I was just wondering why you had to bring Anya back home today?"
Godfrey felt a bead of sweat slide down his forehead. Anya, overhearing her mother's words, looked at Godfrey with puppy eyes, palms together covering her mouth. Godfrey glanced at Anya with a blank expression, before looking back at Yor.
"Well… she wasn't doing well after the test today."
"..."
"I saw her crying after the paper. I went to talk to her after to see what I could do. I ended up talking to her too long, and she missed the bus."
"...so is there anything that will happen to her?" Yor was worried for Anya. Another Tonitrus bolt would be a straight dagger through her school life, and she knew how much Loid valued her school life. After enduring such a hard year to fund her school life, and that god-forsaken family interview, she would hate to see it all go to waste.
"As of now, I don't know. We will have to wait for the grading to come out first. However, I have just applied to become their new Mathematics teacher, so if I am granted the posting, I can give you my honest opinion on her in the future."
"Oh, okay. Could I know how to contact you then?"
"The school's phone number is on my name-card. Just call them, and ask for me. If I do not have any classes, I will try to attend to you."
Godfrey simultaneously looked at his watch and took a large sip of the cup of coffee.
"I think it is time for me to get back to the campus. Thank you for the cup of coffee."
Godfrey picked up his briefcase, and walked towards the door. Yor followed suit to show him out.
Right as they walked to the door, a curious sound approached the door.
"Borf!"
Godfrey stopped in his tracks. He looked straight at the door.
A man walked into the apartment. He had black hair like Yor, but it was short and curly, with a small amount of stubble on his chin. He was slightly shorter than Yor, and sported thick rim glasses like Godfrey. Behind him was a large white dog.
A large white dog.
"Bond!"
Godfrey witnessed as Anya ran up and hugged it with a sweet smile.
Yor looked into Godfrey's face. It was completely frozen. For a good solid moment, he just stared at the pair hugging.
"...Mr. Lee?"
Yor called him out of his trance. At this point she was wondering whether these trance-like states were common for him.
"Oh, sorry about that. Is this your husband?"
"Oh me? Nah, I'm just a family friend. I would love to get a girlfriend as pretty as her though."
The man stuck his hand out. Godfrey accepted the shake, with a slight head nod.
"Franky. Franky Franklin."
"Godfrey Lee. I was just about to head out."
Yor and Franky looked at Godfrey as he headed out. For a good solid moment, they just watched him walk out through the corridors and down the stairs.
Suddenly Anya spoke up.
"Mama, what is Amestris?"
As Godfrey clocked out of work, he headed back home.
Sitting at his work desk, he pulled out a sheet of fresh paper, and started writing a letter in Amestrian back home.
My dear wife Elizabeth,
I have just clocked out of my third shift on the job. It hasn't been that hard, although I am starting to meet some troubled students. I guess this is the true price for the school of 'elegance'.
I heard from Kate that you would be heading here soon to join me? In that case, do be careful. There have been some cases of crimes recently. In fact, I think I saw someone that has been acting suspicious around my block. I don't know whether it is just a bad feeling I'm having, but if you feel like it, I can pick you up when you arrive.
I just hope you come here safe. Don't worry, I'll tell you more when you get here.
Love,
Godfrey
P.S. I got a letter from Vanessa that Kate finally got a boyfriend. Send them my best wishes.
At that point, he hoped it got back home safely, without much interference from the secret police.
*1 week later*
"Sir, we have decrypted input." A woman dressed in full blue military attire walked briskly into an office, with a man sitting down.
A man with raven black hair.
"We are ready for the cross-reference." The woman said, passing to him an empty envelope with the wax stamp still on it. The man with raven black hair placed one hand on the stamp, and within the next moment, the stamp had a small imprint on it, small enough to almost look like a dot, glow blue.
In the next moment, the envelope turned into a rectangular sheet of paper, with the red wax stamp forming a sort of ink onto the paper surface.
The woman took the paper formed on the desk, and pulled out another piece of paper behind her. She carefully looked through both pieces.
"...Both specimens match."
Finally, the man spoke.
"Read it out."
I have received intelligence from Fuery that Hawkeye will be heading to Ostania to commence deeper observation.
Advise to practise caution. Certain events of interest have begun to arise that may signify a need for caution.
Reporting subject of interest may have been spotted.
In concern for the security of the mission, requesting permission to escort Hawkeye to the safe house upon arrival. I will brief Hawkeye further on the current mission status upon arrival.
The man stayed silent, and then uttered the words.
"Commence the next phase of Operation Garnet."
Author's note: So I know that compared to the previous two chapters, this one is very messy. But I had done this one in a rush. Quite busy now. As always, do leave feedback. :)