The Bureau

Chapter 1 - The Opportunity

A/N The first couple of chapters are going to be pretty slow. Don't worry, it picks up.

The air was filled with a stifling, sleepy heat, one that crept its way into all the corners and crevices of the room. Isidore sat upright, feet planted firmly on the floor, and her hands lying on the desk in front of her. Weakness was something that wasn't to be felt or shown, and she had been through a lot worse than this. Images of a cloudy sky and crashing waves filled her mind, causing her stomach to wrap up in knots. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes for a second and shoved the unwelcome memories into the tiny shelf in her mind made especially for them. Dust danced in the light in front of the desk, and she continued waiting.

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It was an average October morning, and Isidore was trudging out to fetch the mail. Rain clouds of dark grey had gathered on the horizon and a spring storm was set to arrive later in the day. She stuck her hand in the mailbox, and retreated it, grasping the pile of papers. The mailbox door swung shut with its familiar crash. Marching back inside and contemplating another monotonous school day, she went into the dining room with a frown scrawled over her face.

"Isidore's in a bad mood again," said Ines, her younger sister, announcing it to no one in particular, before wisely leaving the room.

Isidore's frown grew. Nicolette stuck her head around the door and adopted a motherly but disappointed expression. "Again, Isidore, really?" Her head disappeared, and Isidore flung herself into a seat, then the mail onto the table, before seeing an envelope on the top of the pile with her name written on it.

Leaning forward, she flipped it over to find a wax seal on the back. The royal purple seal is split in two as Isidore tears the letter open. Inside the envelope, she finds an invitation thanking her for her consistent good work and academic excellence in school. It also contains a name, date, and place for an exam promising a measurement of her abilities and a gateway to further, and apparently once-in-a-lifetime, opportunities. Filled with expectations of a brilliant future, Isidore sits at the table for ages, staring at the invitation until her mother reminds her that she still has school that day.

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A few months later she stands outside a pair of opulent gates decorated with silver, trying both to blend in and stand out in the crowd. Glancing around and seeing no one is looking at her, she stands on her tiptoes, balancing carefully, trying to see if any representatives of the organization who set up the exam are there. Excited snippets of conversation fly around her, and suddenly fall silent. The sound of metal scraping over the ground announced the opening of the gates. Three groups of young adults stand at the right, center, and left of the entrance, and one boy in the center group is holding a megaphone. He looked the youngest in the three groups, probably still in school, and Isidore wondered why he is here. She becomes more surprised when he holds the megaphone up, clearing his throat before speaking.

"Welcome to the exam! We are the supervisors and will watch over the exam. Exam takers, please make your way to the courtyard outside of the house. Parents, if you could please wait outside, that would be appreciated. You are advised to return in approximately one hour, depending on a few factors."

At this, he grins, pausing for a moment, before continuing.

"The gates will close in two minutes. If you are taking the exam please make sure that you are in the courtyard by the time this happens. Have a good morning!"

To his left, a woman holds up what Isidore thinks to be a stopwatch and presses a button. The countdown has started, and for a moment everyone is quiet and still. Mutters emerge from various disgruntled parents, and all of a sudden, a panic overtakes the group.