Paul and I lay quietly under a thin tarp, which did nothing to shelter us from the onslaught of mosquitoes that nipped at our exposed skin in the darkness. I barely resisted the urge to scratch a particularly large bite on my left ankle, not wanting to chance any unnecessary movement that would give away our location.

The night drew on into its upper hours. As sliver of the moon kept a watchful eye on us through the thicket of willowy trunks and spidery branches. Paul shifted to a sitting position carefully, breaking a ration bar in two for us to share. I shook my head no slightly - we had been living off of them and not much else for about a day and a half now. They weren't unpleasant to consume, but I was tired of the taste.

"Do you think they forgot about us?" I huffed underneath my breath. Paul tapped his unblemished communicator with a small smile.

"They have a pretty general idea of where we are at all times, remember?" He wiped flaky crumbs off his upper lip with the back of his hand. "Besides, this isn't so bad."

I held in a squeal as I felt something furry scramble by my leg. "Are you sure about that?"

He bit back laughter at what he could make out of my expression stopping immediately as there was a discreet but still large rusting of plant matter. Knowing that it didn't belong to one of the forest creatures, we quickly switched gears, taking our positions. Amiraj came into view. For the moment she appeared to be alone, but clearly armed - with a large red chiseled tip marker to represent a knife, along with a matching Glock 17P, loaded with training rounds. We held eye contact, and on his count we approached her from both sides.

The firearm was still holstered, so the knife in her hand was the immediate danger. Amiraj swiped it in my direction, missing me by inches as I ducked. Paul caught her on the tail end, knocking the weapon out of her hand but getting some red on him in the process. I kicked it to the side, now ready to remove the second threat and place her in cuffs. Paul's hands were still around Amiraj's wrist. He leaned her forehead against a nearby trunk, his foot in-between hers as I carefully took the crimson Glock from her waistband.

Paul was pulling her limbs into a rear cuffed position, one wrist already shackled when I sensed a presence behind me. Before Paul could call it I spun around, facing a hooded figure in dark clothing. He immediately went for the firearm that I was holding, grabbing it by the muzzle with a heavy, gloved hand. I reached for his head, my hand ending up on his shoulder. Still, with an open palm I pushed my body weight against my attacker, pulling the gun away from him in the process, but losing my balance and stumbling to the ground as he fell. Although we had no formal firearm training in the Academy - as field Agents famously did not carry weapons - the same didn't hold for ACME Detectives, and I found myself wishing that it was my own gun and not the perp's I was holding.

Knowing that it was definitely going to be more hindrance than help, I tossed the firearm in what I hoped was Paul's direction, praying that he already had Amiraj fully cuffed and contained as I did. Paul had anticipated my decision, and even though his situation was not completely under control, he took the risk of leaving Amiraj attached to a low hanging branch to come to my aid.

The hooded figure and I rumbled on the forest floor, twigs and small pebbles interchanging with brief views of twinkling sky as I struggled to maintain dominance over our masked perp. With Paul's assistance I held his hands over his head and his torso against the earth as the final victor. Iqn the confusion Amiraj had become loose and was now making a getaway. We had to incapacitate her, and quick.

Paul looked panicked, having to choose between the perp or helping his partner.

"Go after her!" I exclaimed, even though I knew he wouldn't.

"I can't leave you with him." he argued, his body weight helping me pin the male down.

I had a moment of inspiration, and scooped up a mixture of dirt and silt with my left hand. Fully cuffing our second perp with my right, I rose, going after Amiraj before she was able to disguise herself among the foliage. The dangling handcuff now became a harmful implement, swinging like a pendulum as Amiraj's strike whizzed by my ear. She was going in for a second when I tightened my palm and flung the sediment towards her face. She sputtered, surprised enough for me to take advantage of the precious few seconds wherein I was able to hold her against the peeling bark of a sequoia and re-cuff her.

"That was... unorthodox." Amiraj began, still coughing as she rejoined the other Instructor. We released them both. The male Instructor removed his hood, revealing his identity as Gaston, a former undercover Detective who was filling in for O'Malley.

"I liked it." Gaston nodded in Paul's direction. "You put your partner above everything, which is an admirable quality and an automatic pass in my eyes." He turned to me now. "You're resourceful and not afraid to fight dirty. Both of you have minor injuries, we didn't see you camped out or hear you coming. It's a pass for me."

Amiraj didn't look as certain. "It's a pass for Leung, yes...but Rouge, you need to think like a field Agent first, and a Detective later."

I gave Paul a side look. "Do I pass?"

"Yes...but be careful. Physical force is not to be taken lightly. It's a bigger show of skill to bring both you and your suspect in unharmed." Amiraj clasped her hands together. "Follow us back to the main camp."

Once inside the main cabin, I apologized to Paul. "I shouldn't have left you with Gaston, I just saw an opportunity and didn't want to lose Amiraj..."

"You can't help who you are, Red. We both made it, that's all that matters."

As the first pair to finish the examination, we were able to watch the others come in. Liza and Felipe did next, Gunnar and Denmark followed, and lastly Miller and Espinoza showed up along with the first hints of sunrise.

"You're a strong batch." Gaston announced. "Very good work out there."

There was a moment of celebration as we cheered and hugged, knowing we were all successful.

On the way back to San Francisco, Paul watched as I ran my fingers over the shamrock of O'Malley's coin meditatively.

"Few more weeks." Paul reminded me.

"I know." I put it back into my front pocket.

I had been true to my word and focused on the Academy, which was becoming increasingly more demanding as we approached the final leg. But we still had about five weeks remaining, and the mystery of Sean's disappearance was calling to me, no matter how much I attempted to push it away.

Once back home, I slinked away while my classmates rested to a underused part of the campus, a small reflection garden which was tucked behind one of the smaller glass buildings that housed our medical division. The green space had a few slabs of smooth stone for seats, with a focal point of a round koi pond. A familiar reddish brown haired man was seated by it, watching as the well fed fish slipped by each other serenely.

"Congratulations, Trainee." he greeted. "I heard about your performance in Yosemite."

I sat next to him, the rock cool against my skin through the thin fabric of my pants. I tucked my right leg underneath me. "Did you think I'd make it this far?"

In the mirror of the water I could see as Devineaux's eyes grew warm. "If I didn't think you would have, would I have extended an invitation to you in the first place?"

"And to think O'Malley said praise from you is rarer than being struck by lightning."

I heard Devineaux genuinely laugh for the first time, the sound jolting but pleasant.

"What brings you here?" he inquired lightly. "I would think you would be celebrating with your classmates?"

I shrugged. Devineaux gave me a knowing look.

"You aren't the first Gumshoe to feel restless so close to the finish line. Just remember, restlessness lives very near to carelessness."

I scowled slightly, feeling scolded. "Yeah, well, what about you? No one ever comes back here."

It was his turn to shrug. "Same reason as you, it seems."

We sat in a comfortable silence, watching the fish wriggle and dance, their orange and white scales glinting in the sun.

"I've been keeping my word." I finally spoke.

"Which has been a pleasant surprise," he commented.

"Bien sur. Papa says that's the true measure of a person, the strength of their promises."

Devineaux turned to me for the first time. "Isabella, both investigations haven't turned up anything as of yet, which shouldn't surprise anyone. Sean has the training, and Falcon has the resources that would allow them to lay low and do it comfortably for a while."

"Did David disappear too?"

"No. It would be too risky for Morris to attempt to, especially with his ties to the Agency, but I have decided to bring him back here just in case."

"Here, as in literally?"

"Not as a Trainee, but yes, Gumshoe." he answered with patient levity. "This is one of the most secure places to be."

"Can I see him? As a friend, of course. I'm sure he could use one right now."

I watched as the Director pondered this, running a heavily veined hand through his thick locks. "Would you still truly consider David Morris a friend?"

"Until the facts prove otherwise, yes. He can't help his lineage, just like I can't help mine." My words surprised me, but it was true. Suspicions or not, I still owed David the benefit of the doubt.

Devineaux made a small sound of amusement and rose. There was a bed of a white lilies nearby, their heads drooping from the weight of their full bloom. He picked one, handing it to me.

"Isabella, it is my hope for you to stay this pure until the very end."

I twirled the stem with my fingers, watching his retreating figure head towards the Poriot. I turned my wrist over to message Paul, excitement bubbling within me for the first time in days.