Sophie
At Havenfield Museum, all was quiet. The only sounds were the guard's footsteps and his low whistling. The beam from his flashlight skimmed over the artifacts. It was a normal night. But in the shadows hid someone. In the shadows hid Agent Moonlark.
Sophie flattened herself against the marble wall. Her mission was a relatively easy one : steal the Lumenaria Gem. At least, it would've been easy if the Neverseen didn't have their sights set on the exact same gem. The Neverseen and the Black Swan had been in a silent war against each other for ages. The two spy agencies constantly rebelled against the government. The big problem? They had very different opinions from each other.
Flashback
Six-year-old Sophie Elizabeth Foster had been an orphan for as long as she knew. She jumped from foster family to foster family. No family ever wanted her. At school, her situation wasn't any better. The kids would tease her for being "too smart." They would call her a "know-it-all." No one wanted to be her friend.
"Why are you such a know-it-all?" her four-year-old foster sister Amy asked when Sophie pointed out that no, cats did not have nine lives and unicorns did not exist.
"No, I'm not," she whispered.
"Know-it-all."
"Am not."
"Are too."
"Am not."
"Are too. And a freak."
"No, I'm not!" she shrieked and ran out of her current foster home. She ran as far as her little legs would carry her. Finally, she found an alley and collapsed to her knees, sobbing. Why wouldn't anyone be nice to her? Why didn't anyone want to be her friend?
"Hello, Sophie Foster," a kind voice said.
Sophie whipped around. "Who are you?" she whispered.
"Me? I'm Agent Forkle." Agent Forkle wore a black cloak with a hood that covered his face. Strange, Sophie thought.
"Agent? Like, a spy?"
Instead of answering her question, Agent Forkle crouched down in front of her. He wiped away her tears. He pulled his hood down to reveal gentle blue eyes with crinkles next to them and jet black hair.
"Why are you crying?" he asked softly.
Sophie looked away. "No one likes me."
"That's not true, Sophie. We've been watching you these past few months. We know you more than anyone. And we like you. You're smarter than everyone else your age. You know more than kids 5 years older than you. You're braver than anyone I know."
"So," she sniffed, "you don't think I'm a freak?"
"No, Sophie. We think you're highly intelligent for your age and that you are wonderful."
"Who's we?" she finally thought to ask.
"The Black Swan and me. The Black Swan is a spy agency. You see, we've been watching you because we've been thinking of recruiting you. We want you to become a spy."
"A spy?" Sophie asked incredulously. "Why me?"
Agent Forkle smiled. "Because you have great potential."
"But I'm just a kid."
"So? Just because you're young, it doesn't mean you can't be anything you want. It doesn't mean you're not important or helpful."
For the first time in years, Sophie smiled. "Will I finally have a family?"
Agent Forkle chuckled. "Yes, Sophie. You will have a family. And friends. There are a few children your age in the agency." He paused, then turned around. "Agent Telepath!" he called.
Another cloaked figure appeared from the shadows. Except, this figure was much smaller than Agent Forkle. The figure threw down its hood. Agent Telepath was a boy a couple years older than Sophie. He had beautiful teal eyes and dark hair.
He held out his hand. "Hi," he said. "I'm Agent Telepath, but my real name is Fitz Vacker."
"Hi, Fitz," Sophie greeted shyly. She shook his hand. "I'm Sophie Foster."
"So?" asked Agent Forkle. "What do you think? Do you say yes?"
"Yes," Sophie giggled. "I will. On one condition."
"What is it?"
"That I get to choose my code name."
Agent Forkle let out a sigh of relief. "Of course you can."
Sophie thought for a second. Suddenly, her face lit up as she got an idea. She took out a pin that she had had for as long as she could remember. There was a strange bird on it. She smiled at the bird. "Agent Moonlark," she decided.
"Well, then, Agent Moonlark," Agent Forkle said. "We have better get going." He offered his hand to Sophie, who grabbed it. And that was the start of her new life.
Flashback End
Sophie wished she could have brought her friends onto this mission. She would have liked Fitz, Biana, Tam, Linh, and Dex to help her. She had met Biana, Fitz's younger sister, and Dex soon after she joined the Black Swan ten years ago. Dex's code name was Agent Technopath while Biana's was Agent Vanisher. They certainly lived up to their names. Biana's stealth skills surpassed even Agent Forkle's. Dex was great with machines. Sophie sometimes called him Agent Hephaestus, but Dex didn't seem to like the nickname much. Two years after Sophie had joined the agency, Sophie met Tam and Linh. With the permission of Agent Forkle and Agent Granite, she recruited them. Tam became Agent Shade, and Linh became Agent Hydrokinetic. Tam seemed to melt in the shadows, and he preferred the darkness over light. Linh was famous in the Black Swan for being able to hold her breath the longest underwater. She was the best swimmer Sophie had ever seen. There were even rumors that Linh come jump into the pool without making a splash. Sophie didn't know what she would do without her friends. They helped her through the toughest of spots.
Sophie sighed as she surveyed the entrance to the museum. No one. Good. Maybe, for once, they were beating the Neverseen by a lot. She threw up her rope. The hook attached to the end hooked onto the roof. Silently, she scaled the wall and jumped onto the roof. Once up there, she stayed still for a few seconds, her muscles tense. There was no sign that anyone had heard her. Relaxing, she made her way to the skylight. She had studied the blueprints of this museum for hours, determining the best possible way to get in and out.
Gently, she removed the window pane. Making sure that the rope was still securely hooked onto the roof, she threw the other end of the rope down the hole, and started climbing down.
A few weeks ago, when Sophie had gotten information about the museum's security system from Dex, she had created an obstacle course that was exact replica of it. She had trained until she could go through the obstacle course safely in her sleep. Now, she pretended she was going through it.
She dodged the invisible laser beams, sighing in relief when no alarms went off. She had to go quickly, or else the Neverseen would get the Lumenaria Gem before her. She made sure to make no sound. She was a ghost in an old museum.
Finally, she arrived in the room where the Lumenaria Gem was kept. She walked towards the luminescent stone carefully, dodging the traps.
Suddenly, she saw another hand reaching for it. They both stopped at the same time. Sophie turned to the other figure slowly. She recognized the symbol on its cloak. This person was part of the Neverseen. Somehow, she knew who this was.
"Agent Lodestar," she breathed.
"Agent Moonlark," came the other's response.
Agent Lodestar was very well-known throughout the Black Swan. He was said to be the best of the Neverseen. He was also rumored to be Agent Gisela's son. Agent Gisela was the current leader of the Neverseen.
"I've heard of you," he said in a raspy voice. "They say you could literally teleport. You would be in one place, and then all of a sudden, you would appear fifty feet away in less than a second. Your fighting skills are legendary. I've heard the Black Swan have been grooming you to become their leader since you were a baby."
"Since I was seven," Sophie corrected. "And I'm sure I have nothing on you. You're Agent Gisela's son. You could steal something of incredible value, and no one would notice until years later. You can get even the most secret information."
"Well, I'm flattered." Sophie could hear the smirk in his voice. Then, he did something Sophie had never expected him to do. He pulled down his hood. She sucked in a breath. He looked about a year older than her. He had ice blue eyes and carefully mussed blond hair. He was smirking, even though this was no doubt one of the most important missions he had ever had. It was for Sophie.
Sophie then did something she was pretty sure she would regret her whole life : she took off her own hood. She gazed into his eyes for who know long. Finally, she looked away. There was someone weird in her heart. A warm feeling. Her heart was beating faster than usual. There was some connection between them, and they both felt it.
"Is it ever too much? The expectations?" she asked softly after a while. She didn't know why she was confiding in this boy she had just met. He was part of the Neverseen, for Silveny's sake.
She was surprised when he replied, "Yeah."
"My dad's always expected me to have perfect grades," he explained. "And Mom expects me to take over the Neverseen after her."
Sophie felt like she had finally found someone who understood her. The Black Swan and everyone else expected her to be perfect. She was the heir to the agency. She had finally found someone going through the same thing as her. She wrapped him in a hug. He was tense at first, but then he relaxed.
"Do you ever feel misunderstood?" he asked. "I'm kinda a famous spy. We're, like, supposed to be mortal enemies. But I just met you, and I don't want to fight you."
"Me neither." She pulled away. Brown eyes met blue eyes once again. Neither of them made a move for the gem. They didn't have the heart to.
"Name's Keefe Sencen."
"I'm Sophie Foster."
Another silence. But it was one Sophie welcomed.
"Take it," Keefe gestured to the Lumenaria Gem.
Sophie shook her head.
"No," she protested.
"Take it."
"No."
"Take it."
"No."
"I thought we agreed we didn't want to fight," he said, a teasing tone to his voice. He added gently, "Please."
Sophie took one look at his pleading expression, and caved in. She carefully grabbed the beautiful gem.
"Are you sure?" she whispered. Keefe nodded. Sophie stared at the ground. Her hesitation was obvious.
"I don't want you to get in trouble," Keefe said. "Plus," he added mischievously, "I would love to see my mom's face when she realizes she lost to the Black Swan again."
Sophie had the sudden urge to kiss his cheek. So she did. "Thank you. Farewell, Keefe. I hope we meet again."
She wanted to laugh at his shocked expression, but she felt too guilty for taking the stone. She left the room as quietly as she had come. Minutes later, she was on her way back the Black Swan's headquarters, stone in hand, wondering what exactly had happened in that room.
Keefe
Two hundred miles away, the Neverseen's headquarters was a mess. Keefe's mom was in rage.
"You were too late?!" she screeched at Keefe.
"Yup," he answered, still smirking.
"Do you know how valuable that stone is? It could have turned the tables in our favor!"
The other agents backed away from Agent Gisela. The wild look in her eyes was not a good one. Some of them discreetly snuck out of the meeting room.
Agent Gisela started tugging on her hair so hard, it looked like she was trying to yank it out by the roots. "We trained you for weeks! You know Havenfield Museum like the back of your hand! And you're telling me you failed to get the gem?!"
"Yup."
The blazing look in Agent Gisela's eyes would have sent most men running. "Deep breaths," she muttered to herself. "Deep breaths." She shook her head, seeming to give up. "Just - just go to your room," she told Keefe through gritted teeth.
Letting Sophie take the stone was worth it, Keefe thought. He walked back to his room at the end of the hall. He stepped inside and locked the door. Keefe walked to his desk and took out his sketchbook. Slowly, he started to draw her. Her warm golden-brown eyes. Her soft blonde hair. The worried crinkle between her eyebrows. When he was done, he traced the outline of her face.
"Beautiful," he murmured.
That night, he dreamed of a certain Sophie Foster.
This is the first chapter of many to come 😄. I'll hopefully update this every other day!