Chapter Four:
Sophie
"No," Sophie whispered, putting a hand over her mouth. A single tear trickled down her cheek. He couldn't be dead. Senator Kenric had been like a hero to Sophie. He had done so much for his country....
Agent Forkle shook his head sadly. "Last night, everything was normal in his house. There were no reports of screaming, or anything. But in the morning, his girlfriend, Oralie, found him with a knife in his chest. There were no fingerprints on the knife, and as far as we knew, Kenric was not suicidal. There were also signs of struggle from him. Oralie notified the police immediately. We managed to get her away from the officers, and asked her a few questions."
Agent Blur turned on the projector, and a screen appeared on the wall. A video started playing.
There was Agent Forkle, disguised as a blonde man named Astin. He was facing a young woman, who Sophie assumed to be Oralie. Oralie had rosy cheeks, azure eyes, and long golden hair. She looked like a princess, even though at the moment, she had red, puffy eyes and was a mess.
"Oralie," Astin said. "You were Senator Kenric's girlfriend, weren't you?"
Oralie sniffled. "It took him so long to ask me out." A delicate smile formed on her face as she no doubt remembered her times with him. "He was always so kind." Her face fell suddenly. "But now, he's dead," she sobbed.
"I'm sure he's happy where he is, now," Astin told her gently.
"He had such a bright future ahead of him," Oralie cried. "Not many people knew, but.." She revealed a ring on her finger. "We were going to get married." Sobs racked her body.
Astin patted her on the back awkwardly. "I know saying I'm sorry seems empty, but...I am. So many people looked up to him. He was so young, yet he accomplished so much."
Oralie took out a tissue and blew her nose loudly. "These past few weeks, though...he seemed distant. And nervous. Uneasy. Like he had been threatened, or something. When I asked him about it-" sob "-he said that if he told me, I would be in danger."
"And then, he begged me to let him protect me," there was a slight hysterical edge to Oralie's voice as she continued, "and he seemed so lost-" hiccup "-that I said yes. And - and...I'm sorry, I can't." Oralie broke down crying, unable to speak anymore.
"It's ok," Astin told her. He seemed at a loss for words. A look of sadness came upon his face.
"There was one other thing," Oralie said when she had calmed down enough to speak. "T-two, actually. You know the recent deaths of Antonietta Basile and Eric Harper? Well, he started looking into those. He didn't tell me that, either. I found out on my own. I eavesdropped on a phone call he had with a private investigator.
"And last week, we were on a date, and suddenly, he looked like he had realized something. He just stared off into space for a whole minute, and then, he said "Neverseen." When I asked him what was wrong, he just shook it off. I-" she hiccuped "-shouldn't have left it at that. But I did. And I feel like that had something to do with his - his death.
"And then, yesterday morning, he was really pale. As soon as he saw me, he came up to me, and told me - so very seriously - that he l-loved me. He told me that he a-always would, and that if he ever d-d-died, he wanted me to move on and live my life." Tears were streaking down her cheeks. "There were so many signs...," she murmured to herself.
"Oralie," Astin said seriously. "You must not blame yourself. The guilt could break you. Do you think Kenric would have wanted this?"
Oralie closed her eyes. "No," she whispered. "No, he wouldn't."
Astin gave her another tissue. "Thank you for your time, Oralie."
The video ended, leaving Sophie staring at it. She had no doubt. The Neverseen had killed him. Her heart broke as she glanced at Oralie's grief-stricken expression. Oralie didn't deserve this. Kenric didn't deserve this. None of the victims deserved this.
"Why?," Biana asked, her voice cutting through the silence. "Why do the Neverseen kill them? Is it just for fun? It's obviously not random if Kenric figured out that he was next."
"That's what we're trying to find out," Agent Granite answered. "The only things in common between the victims are that they were killed at night, and they were rich and/or powerful."
"What would they have to gain?," Sophie asked, not really directing the question at anyone. "Kenric didn't have any known enemies, did he?"
"No," Agent Squall, Dex's mother, replied. "Everyone got along with him. The police asked Oralie if she knew anyone who would want to kill him. She said no. She didn't even mention the Neverseen with them. Seems that she trusts us more."
Fitz banged his fist on the table. "We need to do something about the Neverseen. What they're doing is not ok! Shouldn't we at least tell the government, so that they can keep a lookout?!"
"Mr. Vacker," Agent Forkle said calmly, "are you implying that we cannot handle this?"
"We've been after them for years! If the public learns about the Black Swan, they'll think that we're behind the murders!"
"Fitz," Sophie came to the Collective's defense, "we're all trying our best!"
"Well, maybe it's not enough!" Fitz stormed out of the room.
"Sorry," Biana apologized for him. "Must be the jetlag. Or maybe he's just scared for the Basiles." She glanced at Tam, and told him, "As much as you claim the Basile children get on your nerves, I know that you guys care about them a lot. And Fitz met Antonietta once. They used to be friends."
Linh spoke up. "What do you think is the Neverseen's next target?"
Agent Wraith answered for the Collective. "We don't know."
"The Basile family," Sophie gasped. "They tried killing the whole family, but they only managed to kill Antonietta."
"But that's why we assigned them bodyguards," Agent Granite put in.
"Do they have bodyguards right now?"
"Well, yes, they do."
Sophie pursed her lips. She still felt like something bad was going to happen. Specifically with the Basiles.
"Dex," his mother said, changing the subject. "We want you and Linh to go to Foxfire High, starting tomorrow. We need new recruits. The Neverseen have made their move. We're going to need as many resources as possible."
Dex and Linh nodded.
"Ok," Agent Forkle said. "You are dismissed. Agent Moonlark, you just had a mission. You should have a break. Agent Shade, you probably want to catch up with your sister before she has to leave. You are free to go and be normal teenagers for the day."
"But-," Sophie started.
"No 'buts.'"
She sighed and walked out of the room. In the corridor, Biana told her that she was going to see Fitz. Dex went off to prepare for his mission. Linh had already disappeared with her brother.
Sophie found her feet leading her to Grady and Edaline's room. She knocked on the door.
"Come in," they answered. Sophie opened the door to find Grady reading a book, and Edaline baking her famous mallowmelt (yes, they had convinced the Collective to install a kitchen in their room.) Mallowmelt was a gooey cake that tasted better than anything else Sophie had put in her mouth. Well, there was custard bursts and ripplefluffs. Those were the only desserts that could rival mallowmelt, in Sophie's opinion. All three of those desserts' recipes were passed down through Edaline's family. Edaline was still trying to teach Sophie how to bake the desserts. Unfortunately, Sophie was hopeless at baking.
Grady and Edaline had adopted Sophie three years after she joined the agency. They had lost their daughter, Jolie, to a fire five years ago, and Sophie had lost her parents as a baby. They were pieces of a puzzle that fit together perfectly, and Sophie was ever grateful that they had welcomed her into their family with open arms.
"Hi, Sophie," Edaline said. She passed Sophie a plate with a slice of mallowmelt on it. "How are you? I heard the Collective wanted to talk with you."
Sophie nodded, a lump forming in her throat. "Senator Kenric was murdered."
"What?!," Grady exclaimed, while Edaline cried silently. "It was the Neverseen, wasn't it?," he asked glumly.
"We think so."
There was a beat of silence as they grieved for Kenric.
"But on the bright side," Sophie said meekly, "Fitz and Tam are back."
"Sophie, that's great!," Edaline tried to smile, but Sophie could tell that she was still sad.
"Yeah, but Fitz kind of got angry at the Collective for not catching the Neverseen."
"Well," said Grady, "we're all trying our best."
Sophie nodded. "That's what I said."
Grady and Edaline hugged Sophie. She felt a feeling of belonging in their arms.
Keefe
He walked swiftly outside. He was going to be late. The sun shone brightly overhead, taunting him. The clouds drifted lazily.
Keefe ran as fast as he could.
"Stupid mission," he mumbled. "Stupid everything." He jumped over a roadblock, not caring that he was going in a dangerous area. It was a shortcut. And shortcuts were more important, right now.
He got there just in time. The bell rang, signaling the start of school. He opened the doors, still running.
"Stupid Foxfire High."
Hello trying to get chapters out quickly! I should be able to start posting daily!