"Sang, you can't risk yourself for this situation. You're not ready yet," Uncle sighs as he explains to me.
"But I know the information! I can't let them continue with their actions. They're selling children, Uncle! Ms. Rose! Dr. Roberts! You have to agree with me!" I exclaim with fervor. By their faces, I see their determined looks, but I am more stubborn. I will get my way.
"Sang, you have only been training for barely seven months, it is too early to do such a serious mission" Ms. Rose signs. "As Academy elders, and people that love you, we must prioritize your safety."
"Little Bird, we are committed to your education and your safety. You have incredible hacking skills, but it isn't enough. You may put your life at risk. Please listen to us Dear." Dr. Roberts pleads to me.
I sigh. "Okay. I get it, I'm not ready."
"We will not let this issue continue, Sang. The Academy will utilize the information you have to shut it down, but officially, someone else will take the mission." Uncle reassures me. That would have satisfied me if I wasn't so stubborn. I trust my abilities; I can do it. I will do it.
"Don't worry, soon you'll be the top ranked Academy member. You've already proven you have incredible skills that will become even better with further training. We just need to refine them first." Dr. Roberts reminds me.
I grin at his confidence in my skills. I trust my abilities, but he is much more boastful than I am able. "You're right, I'll be the best! But only thanks to you three," I confide in my mentors. They have only known me for a brief time, but they believe in me more than anyone else ever has.
~~
I look at my alarm clock. The red glares at me stating that it is 3am. Witches hour; seems fitting. I slink to my laptop and crack my fingers. Okay Sang, time to shut down a sex trafficking ring. My fingers fly, and I tune out my surroundings.
What feels like an hour later, I release a breath that flutters my blonde hair as I lean back in my chair stretching. What started as the shut down of one ring, rippled into twelve different rings. I glance at the alarm clock once again, the red winks with a seven. My eyes widen before I hear a shout downstairs.
"SANG! COME HERE!" Dr. Roberts calls me with urgency. I race down the stairs, discarding the state I am in. My sleep tank and shorts with untamed hair is not how I usually present myself, even to my Darling Doctor.
I step into the living room and the TV drones, "...Massive sex trafficking shutdown across the Dark Web....160 children and 55 women saved...multiple arrests." My disheveled state turns to the Good Doctor that perches on the couch while staring at the TV. He turns to me; his face is stern but in his eyes I see fragments of pride, "Have anything to do with this?"
My mouth is glued shut as my eyes flicker to the TV and back to him repeatedly. I unhinge my mouth before responding, "Maybe..."
"Sang—"
The words tumble out of my mouth, "I'm sorry I went behind your back. I SWEAR, I was only trying to do the one that I mentioned. But one thing led to another, and I've shut down twelve in four hours, and I wasn't expecting it to be on the news already." I'm speaking rapidly with wild hand movements, "I know you said I wasn't ready, but I couldn't stop myself. I knew I could do it, I trusted that I could, and so I did. Please forgive me?"
Dr. Roberts looks nothing but happy at me. In fact, he began to rumble with laughter. "Sang, I don't even know why I expected anything but what you did. You're truly incredible and have repeatedly shown me as such. But do you realize what this means?"
"No?"
"After I contact the Academy, you're going to be graduating. Shutting down one sex trafficking ring would have been a feat for an ungraduated member, but you did TWELVE in FOUR HOURS! That's unheard of even for graduated members" Dr. Roberts beams at me. "You continue to amaze me Little Bird, no one has ever graduated so quickly. It usually takes 2+ years to pay off the favors and debt needed to graduate. We will continue your training, but you are going to be an official academy member, THE Ghostbird."
I beam at him. When he told me I didn't exist in the eyes of the government, I was devastated. I didn't understand why my dad had lied to me about my mother, or why my birth certificate and social security practically matched my sister's. Phil reassured me though. He explained how my lack of identity could be beneficial if I decided to join the Academy, but he assured me that they wouldn't force me to maintain my status if I wished otherwise.
"So, when do we get to celebrate?" I tease.