Prologue

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Prologue

"But sir, isn't she too young?" he asked the old man as they continued their slow pace, walking through the secluded park. It was late in the afternoon and the dim light of the sunset that surrounded the pair was already quickly fading.

"Eric," the man began in a calm tone, "Our agents...no matter how great their skills, are becoming less fitting for cases like these."

Eric sighed, the disapproval clear in his expression. He watched the old man's face, looking for any clear indication that he was feeling the same way. Though he had to admit his boss was right in a sense. But the alternate plan that was being proposed wasn't what he considered ideal in the slightest.

"Undercover students in high school cases require agents that look like teenagers in order to omit suspicion being raised." the old man continued. "We require someone who fits that description in order to further the progression of this investigation."

"But this girl actually is a teenager," Eric complained, the crease on his forehead evident with worry. "With no proper training or experience, by the way. You and I both know we can't be held responsible for minors hurting themselves in fights. If anything happens to her, it's on us."

The old man didn't seem phased by this information, dismissing Eric's concerns away with the flick of his hand. "Nonsense Eric," he argued. "Do you really believe I would be as foolish to hire someone unqualified and risk our entire precinct?"

"I didn't say that." Eric quickly defended.

"Then what are you getting at?" The man asked in a tranquil tone. His ability to keep calm often made it hard for Eric to read his thought process or distinguish any emotion, which wasn't helping him right now.

Eric sighed again, running a hand through his dark hair. He looked at his boss with a doubtful expression. "You can't honestly believe this is the best option we have for solving this case."

The old man took a moment before he responded, silently staring at the rose bush that stood next to him. It's dark red flowers still hadn't fully bloomed and rose buds peaked out through the green leaves.

"I don't." he frowned. "However, it's the only one we've got right now. Unless you want to abandon your current cases and take on this one full time? "

The old man raised his eyebrow at Eric who remained completely silent. Without a word spoken between them, the two still knew that proposal was completely out of the question.

"Try not to overthink this too much." the old man continued as his fingers trailed over the rose buds gently. "I'm completely confident that this recruit will be able to handle herself. She's more than capable of getting through the next few weeks. "

Eric's expression lit up with intrigue and hope in an instant. "So you've been keeping an eye on the girl? What skills does she possess?" 

The man slowly stepped forward, his eyes still examining the rose bush in front of him. After searching for a moment, he managed to find a flower that had prematurely bloomed among the other buds. He carefully plucked it, holding it in his hands. "Gymnastics."

Eric chuckled for a moment due to disbelief before taking note of the man's serious expression. In an instant, his eyes had widened. "You're serious? You can't be serious." He frowned. "You expect me to take some hormonal teenage girl and put her in potentially dangerous situations simply because she's flexible and can walk on a balance beam?"

"She's a state champion. You'll find that a lot of the skills she has from that will come in handy during this case. If she already meets our physical standards, then there's not much else to worry about." he replied, drifting off into his relaxed state of mind. "You make this out to be a bigger deal than it is."

Eric's eyes widened even more in horror at the confirmation. The detachment from his boss who was spending more time with his attention on a flower was equally as alarming to him. "But sir, this is absolutely ridicul-"

"She's seventeen. If I recall correctly, that was the age you began training at." the man reminded him. "You are now twenty and the head of the undercover division. What's stopping her from doing something that remarkable?"

Eric's jaw immediately tensed. "That's not a fair comparison." He realized his volume had increased and quickly scanned the area to make sure no one was around the deserted park. Leaning in, he lowered his voice. " I understand what you're saying but you also know that it was different for me. There was less to worry about when you decided to recruit me. She's completely different. You can't compare my experience to someone else who is going to have far more risks than I did."

The old man released the flower from his grip, watching it fall to the ground and gently move away with the breeze. He finally returned his attention to the young man, still not exhibiting any sign of reluctance.

"Eric, you know that I'm completely aware of what your situation was. If there is anyone you should have faith in, it's me." He paused for a moment. "And I need you with me on this. I have no doubt in my mind that this girl will be okay and nothing bad will happen to her. But in case there are any issues, I'm depending on you to be there as backup at any given moment."

"So I'm in charge of her?" he inquired.

"For the duration of this case, yes." The old man confirmed with the slight nod of his head. "I'm assigning you the case and also giving you the responsibility of training her during this investigation and I need everything to go as planned. Understand?"

Eric continued to study the man's serious expression, looking for any sign of reluctance. He was in complete doubt of the situation but knew he wasn't going to be the one with the final say on it. When he finally failed to see anything other than his boss' confident appearance, he gave in.

"Yes sir, I understand." Eric sighed, breaking the long silence. He looked towards the yellow folder that was situated on the park bench next to him. Hesitantly, he picked it up, knowing that the second he opened it he would dedicate himself completely to solving whatever it had in store.

"So," he sighed, taking a seat on the bench with the folder on his lap. "What's the girl's name?"    

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