"Yes, I was made aware that was what this was about, please continue," Marcus says. My mouth goes completely dry and I look over the words, pretending I need a moment to translate them. Inside, my stomach churns with fear so much so, that I almost feel as though I'm going to be sick.
"What's the Royal Military Academy?" I ask, my voice coming out a little quieter than I would like. "Knowing what it is may help me understand the topic a little better so I can translate easier."
I ask the question to learn what he knows so far. I pray that his answer is just the basics and that he hasn't heard a report with me in there somewhere.
Marcus leans forward, his stare distant and a frown on his face from concentration.
"The Royal Military Academy of Athaine is one of the best military schools in all the realms," he begins.
"Really?" I ask. "That can't be right. How can they have a better training scheme than schools and military training camps here?"
"I don't know what they do there, so I can't answer what it is that they are doing better than us," he explains. "What I do know, is that the top graduating students that come out of there are people we need to be very worried about."
"Oh," I reply, then look back at the report. I realise that this would have been written from within Realm Intelligence, probably to an Athainian politician.
"Okay, erm," I scan the text a little more. Now all my initial shock has passed, I realise that it is written in the familiar type-writer font, concluding my theory that it is from home. This document would be highly confidential. I dread to think how Marcus got his hands on it. Then again, there are probably as many spies back home as there are here.
"Since espionage training was introduced into the syllabus a decade ago, we have seen an exponential growth in expertly trained candidates for the Wraith program."
Marcus takes in a sharp hiss of air upon hearing the words wraith. In my chest, my heart pounds and I rub my hands on my skirt to try and rid my palms of the clammy sweat that had built up.
"What's a wraith?" I ask, frowning.
"Very dangerous people," he mutters, "carry on reading."
His tone is slightly harsh, and I gulp. I carry on reading and translating the very long report. It takes a long time, and I write down plenty of notes and explain some of the language to Marcus. Not long into the report, I realise that it doesn't directly affect me in any way. There is no further mention of Wraiths past that point I had initially read. There are also no mentions of agent names. Most of it is just numbers and statistics of how many successful operations were carried out since the improvement and inclusion of specific espionage training.
When it's done, Marcus leans back in his chair, his lips pulled into a thin line.
"Is everything okay?" I ask, closing the folder.
"Yes, thank you, Ivy," he says and I know from his tone of voice he isn't going to say anything else. I look away awkwardly, wondering what to do now. Marcus stands suddenly, making me jump. He moves around to his computer and starts typing away quickly.
I sit there in silence, picking at my nails.
"Ivy, I'm about to play some audio. It's very muffled, so if you can't make it out, then don't worry about it."
"Okay," I say.
He types for a few more seconds, then stops and clicks on something. Silence fills the room for a few seconds, followed by low, humming static.
Finally, I hear a very muffled voice. It is very fuzzy and distorted. They say about three words before it's cut off.
I let out a huff of air. "Play it again."
He does and I lean forward and try and focus.
"...back... academy..." it says.
"I can only make out two words. Back and academy. Is there no way this audio can be cleaned up?"
"No," he replies, frustrated.
"I can try again," I say.
"No, it's okay," he replies and sighs. "I think that should be it for today, Ivy. I'm not going to need you again this week."
"Okay," I reply and stand, reaching for my bag. He smiles at me, but I can see the stress behind his stare.
"I'll walk you out."
"Thank you," I reply and follow him quickly as he makes his way to the door. We walk down the corridor in silence and I bite at my lips, desperate to get out of here.
Marcus slows down so I can catch up.
"I never did ask you, how was your weekend in the mountains?" he asks.
My eyes widen in surprise. "Oh, it was amazing. Really put things into perspective for me," I reply. We come to a stop.
"In what way?" he asks.
"It just cleared my head, being out of the city and in fresh air. It made me think about where I really want my career to go and whether perusing the type of career I want is worth the obstacles that are going to be presented."
"And what decision did you come to?" he asks. I smile confidently.
"That I'm not going to let anyone get in my way."
His smile widens a little and he nods his head. "That's a good attitude to have," he tells me. "I hope it works out for you."
"We'll just have to wait and see," I reply.
"Well, the job in my department is going up at the end of the week."
"I'll be the first to apply."
"Good," he replies and gestures to the door. "I'll see you soon, Ivy. Have a good week."
"You too," I reply and smile. Then I turn and go and collect my phone. When I get into the lift and the doors shut behind me, I let out a long breath of relief.
Fear gnaws in the bits of my belly though and I wonder how long it will be before Marcus gets a hold of some sort of document with my name – or worse, my picture in. I shudder at the thought.
Mr Day, I really hope you have my files thoroughly locked down.
***
"I don't know why everyone is talking about the Second Realm and not the Fifth Realm," Leo says as we sit on our lunch break the following day.
"Why would anyone talk about the Fifth Realm?" Serena asks as she walks past, overhearing our conversation.
"Because it's full of ice," Leo replies as though it's obvious.
"Only around the portal," she shrugs. Leo huffs and before he can reply, she interrupts. "Only Second Realm sympathisers talk about the Fifth Realm. They're using the ice as a way to distract from what's really going on."
"Right..." Leo says, frowning.
"Yeah, considering that all our mainstream media is talking about an imminent invasion from the Second Realm, how do you come to that conclusion?" Mia laughs. "No one is paying any attention to the Fifth Realm."
Serena rolls her eyes. "You'd be surprised at what excuses anti-war idiots are using. My father hears all sorts."
I shudder as Serena's father's face pops into my mind.
"Got something to say, Ivy?" Serena asks.
"No, not particularly," I reply, not in the mood for a fight.
"Hm," she huffs and then changes the subject. "So, applications for Realm Intelligence Officer in Marcus' department open at the end of the week."
"I know," I reply.
"Who's going to apply?" she asks us.
"All of us," Mia chuckles.
"You are aware that applications are only open for an hour, right?" she asks.
"Yep," all three of us say at the same time.
"Good, wouldn't want any of you to accidentally miss it," she replies and smiles. The smile puts me on edge and I just know she's planning something.
"Well, thanks for reminding me," I reply, trying to be polite.
"You're more than welcome, Ivy," she replies. Then, she turns on her heels and walks away.
"Shall we make bets on what methods of sabotage she's going to use?" Leo asks, making us laugh.
"I don't think any of us are creative enough," I reply, turning back to my computer.
"True," Mia says. "Anyway, back to work."
We groan and then go our separate ways. I log back onto my computer and get back to work. Time passes quickly and I hand in the assignment by the end of the day. Then, I'm practically running out of the building.
Connor is already waiting in my flat when I get in. To make things even better, he's already started dinner.
"You are my hero," I say to him and throw my heels off my aching feet.
"I know," he replies, though something about him is off.
"What is it?" I ask.
He picks a small package off the counter and holds it up.
"This came for you," he says. "It was posted through the door. I think you were meant to sign for it as it was bought all the way up here instead of put in our boxes downstairs. I guess they couldn't be bothered to bring it back up later."
My stomach sinks and I take the package from his hands, already knowing what it is. Before I open it, I take a seat on the sofa and just stare at it as it rests in my lap. Connor sits next to me and I sigh, leaning by his side.
"Everything's getting more intense," I say.
"Yeah, I know," he replies. "When is your... you know what?" he asks, referring to my next mission.
"At the end of the week. Which just so happens to be the application day for the job in Marcus' department," I groan and bury my head in my hands.
"Everything's going to be okay, Ivy. You said it yourself, you're more confident with the weapon now and the plan is foolproof."
I nod my head and bite at my lip. Then, before I can change my mind, I rip open the package. Inside is exactly what I suspected.
The glass vial has a long strand of pale hair. The note that came alongside it reads:
9 PM
Your codeword: Dawn.
My codeword: Dusk.
I put the note down and twiddle with the vial with my fingers.
"Looks like I'm dream walking tonight," I say with a sigh and put the vial down.
"I've already got my stuff," Connor replies.
"What could Cobalt want?" I ask, biting at my lip.
"I'm the last person who's going to know that," he replies and stands to go and stir our dinner.
"I'm really starting to feel the pressure, Connor," I say and stand up. My muscles ache and pain begins to sink in behind my eyes.
"Not only have I got to get a job that most of the MOD are applying for, but I have to assassinate someone who, if I miss, is going to build a device that can blow our realm to pieces. Let's not mention the fact that I have to seduce the man who, if and most likely when he finds out what I am, will torture and kill me!"
Connor steps over to me and puts his hands on my shoulders, giving me a slight shake.
"You are Rowan fucking Elliot," he tells me harshly. "You are the best of the best. Now prove it."
I stare at him blankly for a few seconds. Then, I slowly nod my head whilst letting out a deep breath.
"You're right," I say, "what would Mother say if she saw me like this?"
"She'd give you a good slap and tell you to stop moaning and get your arse in gear, probably."
I can't help but laugh.
"Yeah, she would," I say and sigh.
"Look, go and have a bath whilst I finish up dinner. You still have two hours until you need to do your thing, so relax a little."
"Okay," I agree and go into the bathroom.
As I sink in the warm water, I feel my muscles relax. The scents of lavender fill my nose and I sigh happily. For a few moments, my mind is clear. When Connor calls for dinner, I jump.
We eat in silence. My foot taps with nervous energy as the clock ticks closer and closer to 9 pm. I barely manage half my food before I feel too sick to continue.
"It's going to be okay, Ivy," Connor says to me as he takes my plate.
"I know," I say quickly and let out a shaking breath.
"Come on, it's time to get ready."
Reluctantly, I walk to my room and take a seat on my bed. Connor closes the blinds and shuts and locks my bedroom door. I open the vial with trembling hands as he takes a seat in the chair by my bed, a gun in hand.
"Are you ready?" I ask as I start wrapping the hair around my finger.
"Are you?" he asks.
I nod my head, forcing myself not to think about my fear any more. I have a job to do, my realm relies on me.
I look at the clock beside my bed and my heart leaps into my throat as it reads one minute to nine. I lie down and breathe out, trying to ignore the knots in my stomach.
Connor shuts off the light and I close my eyes and clear my mind. Instantly, my mind drifts away and soon, I am looking down at my own sleeping body.
I float down until I'm standing by my bed. Connor stares ahead at my door, completely alert. Nothing will happen to my body whilst he's here.
I look at my finger at the glowing gold strand. Then, I square my shoulders, close my eyes, and tug on it and the journey to the body I'm about to take over begins.