Mission Accepted

{Chapter Seven}

*3rd Person's P.O.V.*

Raiya and her family descended down the stairs to the basement where the secret passage leading to the headquarters of H.O.U.S.E. lay.

They all wore cloaks of the same shade, everyone's but Erin's and Ryder's donning a pin on the right side. The Noble pin. It was a symbol that meant you have excelled in your training and passed all requirements. A symbol that you have carried out each mission successfully, with no mistakes, may it be a small mission or a crucial one.  Only 1/16 of  H.O.U.S.E. received this pin, only the best of the best.

The oldest Michaels placed his palm on the corner of a painting and it rose a few inches, stopping just above a hidden keypad. He typed the code, which was the family's birthdays added together. Then, he bent down until he was eye level with the metal device. The security scanned his eye, then flashed 5 thumb print patterns. Richard placed his thumb on the screen, the rest of the family copying his movements. The machine beeped as it split the bookcase across the room in half, revealing the secret pod transportation. They climbed into the small vehicle as the bookcase closed behind them. They held onto the metal bars around the pod before it whooshed to the headquarters. The door opened with a ding and they all exited the pod, continuing onward to the Great Assembly Hall. On the way there, they crossed paths with the O'Neils, Jared's family.

"Hey", he whispered as they walked together.

"Hi", Raiya whispered back. "Any idea why we're having a meeting?"

"No idea", Jared answered. "Even my parents don't know why."

Jared's parents had high positions in the Society, the fourth highest actually, so they usually know everything that happens.

Must be something bad if they didn't tell them, Raiya thought. They reached the Great Assembly Hall where a number of families were seated already. Raiya shivered, remembering the first time she saw this place. There was a ceremony. Her ceremony.

*Flashback*

Holding a blade and cup, a man in a white cloak stood by what looks like an altar as the family of 6 walked down the aisle, all but one wearing cloaks of similar hues, the second smallest wearing one with a dark shade of gray. Surrounding them were groups of people wearing similar cloaks in different colors and shades, each a representation of their family. Everyone stood up once the family reached the altar, the one in the gray cloak in front of the rest. She was a small child of about 4 years old, barely 5, but everyone knew she had the potential to do great things, may it be good or bad. The man by the altar beckoned the little girl up the stairs with a quick flick of his wrist. The child walked up the stairs and stopped in front of the man, her hands slightly trembling.

This is what her 3 years of training was for. She should be ready, right?

She shook off her nervousness with a shake of her head and looked up at the man, her face emotionless. The man's entire face except his mouth was completely hidden by his cloak, just like everyone else. He opened his mouth and his voice resounded around the room, loud and booming, as the people stood still, watching the scene intently.

"Fellow brethren and sisters, we are gathered here today for this young girl's ceremonial mission acceptance. She has been trained, tested and evaluated for the past few years, and I am pleased to say, she has passed all the examinations. She has shown to us that she possesses all the needed qualities and traits. Strength, Agility, Intelligence, Flexibility, Resourcefulness, Confidence and most importantly, Ruthlessness. Now, on to the ceremony. May the family of this child step forward."

The 5 hooded figures at the foot of the stairs stepped up and surrounded the little girl.

"Raise your right hand, child." The child raised her hand but otherwise did not move, the end of her cloak flowing due to the wind blowing through the window just above the altar.