____
René Magritte
1937
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"ARE YOU SURE YOU HAVE ALL YOU NEED?" Her mother's loud voice across the phone repeated over and over again as she packed her backpack.
"I'm completely sure mom, don't worry." Blanche reassured her as she tied her hair into a tight ponytail, her heartbeat was speeding like crazy with excitement. She could listen to her uncle calling from some distance, she quickly grabbed her phone to mutter her goodbyes. "I gotta go now, mom."
Alice Mallory was shivering with anxiety, that day Blanche would start her studies at the alledged music university, but she couldn't help but feel concerned for her daughter, after all she was so miles away, so distant, and it's been a while since the painter was alone like that.
"Oh, okay..." The bleached blonde nodded trying to force a smile, her face was dirty with some ink, indicating she worked on a new piece. "Make sure to text me when you arrive, all right? Be sure to find the rifht dorm-"
"Mom, I'm 18." Blanche rolled her eyes as she walked through Colin's apartment with her backpack ready. "I know how to read signs and instrcutions."
"You did almost get a bus to Oxford once and-"
"I was 10 when this happened." Blanche chuckled as she put her backpack and baggage inside her uncle's black Toyota. "I promise I'll be safe."
Alice took in a deep breath trying to agree. She just couldn't help the awful feeling she had inside her chest, almost as a bad vision of what could happen, maybe it was the distance, or the town her daughter found herself in, Baltimore always managed to flood Alice's memories in the worst way possible.
"Alice?" Blanche could listen to a distinct male voice behind her mother on the phone.
"Who's that?" Her daughter raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, it's just Ethan." Alice replied not giving much attention to the subject.
"What's Rthan doing there?" Blanche chuckled and gave her mother a smirk. "Don't tell me-"
"Don't get any ideas, he only came here to bring the new package of brushes I ordered." Alice rolled her eyes having enough. "Why do you crave having a stepfather so much?"
"I don't want a stepfather, I want you to be happy." And maybe stop breathing so much on her neck too.
"Well i am perfectly fine on my own." Alice scoffed annoyed.
"So am I." Blanche grinned. "Gotta go, bye mom-"
"Wait!-" Too late, she had already hung up the phone.
While in London, Alice groaned at the cut off line, she cursed softly, wondering what she has done to have such a rebellious daughter.
"Was that Blanche?" Ethan, dressed in an olive green sweather that resembled a bsuh walked in, setting the package aside in Alice's wide studio.
"Yeah, her classes begin today." Alice nodded, busy looking at the brushes.
"She must be excited." He smiled politely, carefully taking a pause to analyze the situation. "And you must be worried."
Alice looked at him and sighed. "Is ut that obvious?"
"Well...your daughter's across the ocean starting a new part of her life with strangers you don't know, I'd be pretty concerned too." He chuckled a bit. "But Blanche's pretty smart, so she gains bonus points."
"You are right, it's just that..." Alice ran her hands through her face tiredly. "I've always been so protective of her..."
She felt a warm hand on her shoulder, the touch didn't scare her, but it also felt strange, as if it was wrong to her. Alice looked up at Colin's glistening eyes and soft dark hair strands falling above them, he looked like a superstar and yet she couldn't feel anything for him even if she tried her best to.
"I thinm you need to relax, you know, think of something else, do something fun." He suggested.
"I guess you're right..."
"Good." He tapped her shoulder "Want some help in that?" He smiled. "I know this restaurant-"
"I might continue this new painting I started." She cut him off just in time, he tried to keep the smile on his face. "Thsnks for the brushes and the advice, Ethan."
He nodded awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Don't mention it...uh...I shall leave you to it." He noticed his presence wasn't wished anymore. "If you need anything, I'm just a call away. See you, Alice."
Once he left she could finally sigh relieved. Alice took one of the brushes in her hands, and a small receipient of red ink in the other, the distinct smell filled her lungs and brought her back to reality, as she avoided all thoughts and focused on her art.
That was all she could do for now.
▫️
"Try not to get kicked out in the first day." Colin teased his niece as she showed her middle finger to him. "Who taught you that?" He chuckled surprised.
Blanche got off the car, backpack strap on her shoulder as she was now in front of John Hopkins University, the wide campus facing her an intimidating aspect to expose her lies. "You did" she muttered.
"That's right." Colin smirked and waved. "Not gonna wait until you get in, that's dorky and such an Ali thing to do." The two laughed. "You'll do great, trust me. See you on the weekend, Blan."
"Thanks, uncle Col. Bye" She smiled and watched ss his car disappeared in the distance, leaving her alone on the sidewalk, the campus behind her.
A deep breath was the time she needed to hurry to the bus stop, hushing to get the bus in time. Her stomach was cold thrilled and she audibly shrieked when the bus arrived.
Blanche Graham immediatly greeted the american driver with a happy "Good morning!" As she hushed to the back of the bus in her travel to Quantico in Virgina.
The journey took at least 1 hour and a half, but the girl could barely notice as Joan Jett & The Blackhearts blasted on her headphones. She only took notice she had arrived when she glanced upon the window and caught wight of the wonderful and giant Academy with the FBI letters written on the construction.
Got out of the bus with a jump and her smile was even brighter than daylight as she entered the insitution.
"Documents." A serious guard stopped her, standing his hand. Blanche quickly took the documents from her bag, as the man tooo off his sunglasses to read it politely. "Mischa Blanche Graham..."He stopped for a minute. "So you're the Graham daughter." He looked at her and gave a small smirk. "Heh. Good luck, kid. You'll need it." He handled back her documents. "Go straight ahead and turn right to the dorms, presentation's in 10 minutes, you better hurry up."
"Oh, right, thanks!" She said fastly as she hushed to find her way to the dorms.
Quantico was huge, covered in a green carpet of miles and miles, while it's tall constructions marked the history of many students and agents who once were there. The thought of finally being there send dopamine straight to her brain, she could see some people joggging in their gray uniform sweater from some distance, others inside, shooting at targets, and some in lab coats in deep experiments.
Once Blanche finally found her way to the huge auditorium, the welcoming lecture had already begun. She squeezed into the crowd, finding a seat in the back, next to a black skinned girl chewing gum, unbothered about the advices and motivating words.
Blanche's eyes immediatly recognized the figure at the center, the wrinkled dark skin, the same old smile full of jokes, and yet the same serious voice that resembled a thunder. Jack Crawford, the director of the academy, spoke with eloquence, in paused sentences previously rehearsed multiple times and written in a napkin from the diner he had lunch at yesterday.
He didn't usually write speeched during those 8 years as the director, he'd just get something out of his brain, some haunting and mesmerizinh story from his career, and work it out. But this year was different, hence, in the crowd, there would be a girl he watched grow and shine, the same daughter of the man he failed, and one that had just as much potential as her long lost father.
"Being an agent isn't just about weapons, badges." Jack told the auditorium, his hands flexed at the wooden structure in front of him. "It's about courage, character, persistence." He took in a deep breath. "Quantico is a place for you to grow, to develop those traits, not gain good grades. Cause when you're out there, you'll be dealing with lives, you'll be dealing with families. And you gotta have stomach for that." The crowd continued to listen attentive. "You gotta be prepared to see the worst, to feel the worst. The FBI life isn't like the movies you watch out there. The FBI life is dealing with pain, and trasnforming this pain into results. To overcome this challenges and keep fighting for a better future, either if you're part of the science labs or on the field. We're all on the same purpose here." Jack could see his little girl in the audience, trying to hide his proud smile. "I could wish you good luck, i could tell you it's gonna be just fine...but I won't, cause that'd be a lie." Jack tilted his head. "Becauss it depends on you, future agents, and you only. Thank you."
The crowd clapped politely, and Blanche tried to keep in the urge to cheer excitedly as Jack got off the podium.
"Depends on us, pfft." the girl by her side scoffed skeptically. "If it depended on us, all the criminals would be in jail."
"What do you mean?" Blanche turned to her a bit offended. "The FBI do their best-"
"You're really naive aren't you?" The yoing woman chuckled shaking her head. "It's never about the FBI, it's never about moral or doing what's right." She then pointed as to the stage as the speakers begun to announce something else. "It's about people like her."
"Now, a few words from the notorious Doctor Alana Bloom" They announced.
A confident woman with crimson red lips came up to the center, her suit dark as shadows, the hair perfectly in place, as her chin was held up high.
"I'd first like to welcome you all new students." She said with perfect composure. "It is a very noble cause you chose to serve, I as for one myself, had my days as a consultant profiler for the FBI, and know how demanding this life can be, and how gratifying as well." She spoke calmly, with perfect pronunciation. "And it is with enormous pleasure that I announce that i was invited by director Crawford to resume lecturing criminal psychology classes in the behavioral science department this year." The crowd clapped again and Alana gave a polite discreet smile, feeling the admiration. "Thank you, thank you." She nodded. "Since you were all already welcomed, all I can say now is..."She chuckled a bit. "Please don't flunk in my class." The auditorium followed her cue and chuckled, soon enough the presentation was over.
As the crowd begun to walk away, each one in their own direction as the speakers announced some instructions, Blanche turned to the girl by her side.
"Why don't you like professor Bloom?" She asked curious.
"She's basically a rich psychopath." The girl lifted one eyebrow. "She's known as to be a berserk in Baltimore State Hospital for the criminally insane."
"A berserk, why-"
But when Blanche tried to ask, the girl simply disappeared within the crowd. She sighed frustrated, shaking away the curiosity as she received a message in her phone.
"My office, now.
J.C"
▫️
Three knocks and a shy "excuse me" allowed Mischa Blanche Graham to finally meet her grandpa's office. Her eyes widebed at the many news hung on the walls followed by red lines of connection and photographs of murder and mutilation.
The office smelled like Halls and paper and she caught Jack stuck to a pile of papers, scanning them while wearing glasses that obviously didn't match his aesthetic.
"Sit down." He said without taking his eyes from the documents.
Blanche pulled a chair in front of his desk, as she meticulously took a glimpse of each of the news on the walls. Murders around the Chesapeake region. They were gruesome, something she has never seen before.
"Ready to give up already?" Jack said as he lifted his gaze to the stunned girl. She just then noticed he was referring to the pictures. "Or may I continue?"
"I'm fine, grandpa Jack."
"It's 'sir' in the academy, Miss Graham." He corrected and she nodded a bit embarrassed. He then took off the glasses, got up and took some pictures from the walls. "They call him The Surgeon." Blanche noticed the small detailed cuts in the victims' bodies. "He uses blades, maybe bisturis to cut off veins and arteries of his victims. He knows where to locate them and just where to cut to make them either agonize or die fastly enough."
"And which one does he usually choose?" She asked, abit afraid of the answer.
Jack looked at a man's bloody scarlet neck lied on a highway, his eyes facing a haunting death. "He likes to watch them agonize." He concluded.
Blanche took in a deep breath as she heard the information, but barely had time to say anything since the older man took the pictures and hid them from her sight.
"How are you feeling?" Jack asked.
"Me? Uh...good I guess." She nodded.
"If you have any regrets you better say now." He gave her another chance. "What you'll be dealing with-"
"I'm ready for it." She believed. "Whatever comes, I'll make sure I'll be prepared. This is what I want."
Jack sniffed in a short smile. "All right, if you say so." He nodded slowly. "Just called you to remind you, that although I treat you as family outside, here in the academy you're a student as any other. So if you want to stand out, you gotta work for it." Blanche nodded. "I see you in 2 weeks."
"2 weeks? Why?" She looked at him confused.
"Keep up with good results and I'll tell you, now you may go."
Noticing the conversation was over, Blanche got up from her seat and silently left the room.
▫️
"Oh, hey." She waved at the familiar face inside. "I guess we are roommates."
The black girl from the lecture turned to her. "Oh yeah, you're the naive one." She smiled and stood her hand to younger one. "I'm Ashley Brox, but everybody calls me Ash."
Blanche smiled and shook her hand. "I'm Mischa Blanche Graham."
The handshake suddenly stopped as the roomate blinked to her. "Hold on, Graham?"
"Um...yeah."
The beige medium room they found themselves in suddenly became quiet, and Blanche probably thought that was not the right moment to tell Ash she wanted the upper bunkbed.
"Holy shit-are you related to Will Graham?!"
It was no use to lie by now. "Yeah...I'm his daughter" Blanche said a bit awkwardly.
"What the fuck?!" Ash exclaimed. "Your father's literally a fucking legend!"
Blanche gave a small smile, it seemed that no matter how much time passed, the mark he left was still permanent.
"Can you do the same thing he used to do?" Ash asked excited. "Wow this is unbelivable man."
"What thing?" Blanche asked confused.
"The empathy stuff, you know to see from the killer's perspective."
"Oh, uh...no, not really. I guess he was the only one who could do that." Blanche rubbed her arm a bit shy.
"Right..."Ashley nodded but that didn't manage to strike down her excitment. "This is so cool, like you are following his steps and all. I wish my father was that nice, but he won't even pay alimony." She chuckled and Blanche felt a bit more comfortable in her presence. "Look, if you gonna stick around, be careful, the campus is full of suckers for your dad, they might wanna get close to you just for that." Blanche sincerely wondered if Ashley was one of those, but her next statment shook it off all her suspicions. "You don't need to worry about me though, I'm not giving you special trratment princess." She pushed her arm playfully and climbed the bunkbed. "The upper one's mine."
The two laughed for a moment, and in that strange new environment, Blanche managed to have found a new friend. She only hoped that would last forever.
▫️
Morgan♡: I think I'm starting to become addicted to the Beatles, is it a good thing or too cliché?
Blanche: nah, only morons don't like them
Blanche: how was your class today?
Morgan♡: Utterly boring...but at least I'm talking to you now.
Morgan♡: That's the highest point of my day.
Blanche: ha, you flatter me
Blanche: hey i'll be in baltimore on the weekend wanna hang out maybe?
...
...
Morgan♡: I was actually going to ask you first lol
Morgan♡: but yes, I'd love to.
Blanche: lolol
Blanche: so, i'll see you saturday?
Morgan♡: definetely
Morgan♡: have a good night blanche, sweet dreams
Blanche: you too <3
Blanche set the phone aside, sighing deeply as sge stared at the wooden structure from the bunkbed above. Outside, the campus was quiet and dark, and she couldn't help but feels butterflies in her stomach.
"Did loverboy go to sleep?" She suddenly heard Ashley's voice, and suddenly her face popped up at the edge of the upper bed above, like a bat sleeping.
Blanche gave a soft scream of surprise. "Damnit, Ash you scared me!" She said as the gurl laughed. "How did you know I was talking to a boy?"
"Your giggles." She rolled her eyes. "Look, you I don't care about who you talk to, or if you fuck someone in the dorm when I'm.not here."
"I'm not-"
"But please turn off that screen light, cause training tomorrow is gonna be hell and I need to rest." She said frustrated. "And so should you."
"...is it that bad?"
Ashley laughed loudly, then made a pause. "Girl, you signed up for FBI...a.k.a, Hell on Earth."
▫️
Her lungs were on fire as she sped up through the fields, and she attempted to ignore the mocking whistles of some other male trainees at her. They can barely see a girl making an effort to get all excited.
The circuit wasn't the easiest, to run, climb, squat and crawl, but Blanche managed to get good results. She could be sweating as a pig, but she might've as well be the winning one.
And it was no surprise for Jack Crawford, who watched from some distance, he knew the girl was active since she was young, giving Alice a hatf time as she ran through her house. He only wondered if the girl could have the same witty and talent as Will on the field. That could be his trick card on the new case responsible for his migraines.
"Come on ladies, another lap!" The physical trainment teacher yelled at the top of his lungs.
Blanche joghed trying to recover her breath, it was barely her second day. By her side was Ashley, who was just as athletic as her, if not better. "You holding up well?" She asked.
Blanche nodded. "Except for the fact that I won't be feelibg my legs aterwards and that the coach is pretty sexist, yeah, I'm fine." Ashley laughed.
"Bet I can reach the finish line before you." She challenged to keep up their spirits.
"You bet." Blanche smirked and the two sprinted.
▫️
"Next class' is only in in 20 minutes, you got some time to walk around if you want." Ashley recommended. "Now I'm taking over the bath, excuse me"
Blanche sat by the dorm's bed inhaling deeply. She glanced upon her phone screen, where her mother sebt a selfie of her and Winston, their dog. It made her smile and feel guilty at the same time, as she took off the FBI's sweaty sweather and put on some new clothes.
The girl set the phone aside and decided to go for a walk, maybe inhale some fresh air, as she admired the many hallways of Quantico, it resembled almost like a maze.
No doubt there were curious eyes whenever she walked by, rumours flying the air and spreading as fire in crops. After all she was Blanche Graham, the lost daughter of Will Graham, the previous lecturer and agent who everyone looked up to.
Blanche imagined she knew what was it like to feel responsability over her shoulders, but never as now. Never as now that she had barely begun her studies at Quantico and now had to take over a legacy much more huge than herself.
And she could barely drift away the thoughys from that responsability when she entered a hallway and caught glimpse of his image on the wall. A portrait of her father, maybe a bit younger, more bearded and using glasses. His eyes were a bit wild, timid and fierce at the same time. The hair curled up and longer, it was almost funny to her.
The letters "In Honor" crave don the frame made her chest hurt, and so did the pictures of him in the filed next to it, the wards and medals in his honor which her mother refused to keep.
All of that resembled a chapter of her father's life she knew so little about, and if she thought harder about it, she barely knew anything about him.
Whne she looked upon those pictures, it was almost as she looked at a stranger. And when she caught glimpse of the team by his side, she audibly gasped. Two men in lab coats, an asian woman, her father, Jack Crawford, and by his side, a familiar face who could be the key to her doubts.
Doctor Alana Bloom.