Perfect School

Kira:

I woke early the next morning, taking my time in getting ready for the day. I did a small workout, I showered, I got dressed, and I even took the time to pick up a book and read. But there was no sign of Jonah.

Eventually I had to get up. I needed to take my medicine with food, and I wasn't willing to wait any longer. To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I took a small meal with the others, arriving just before they were going to shut down for the morning to start preparing lunch.

Kyra:

In all the years I had lived with Kira, I had learned to read her slight mood changes. It was difficult, and I could never be sure if I was correct in identifying her mood, but I could tell when it was different. I didn’t mention it at breakfast. She wouldn’t like to know that I had noticed.

When Jonah wasn’t at our morning meeting and then failed to show up to teach classes, I started to wonder if her mood had something to do with that.

“Where is Jonah?” I asked when we sat down together for lunch. I had to take over teaching his two morning classes.

I shrugged at Kyra's question. "I don't know. We were supposed to meet for breakfast but he didn't show." I took a bite of food then looked up at her, "It's Jonah. He'll be fine."

With her pointing it out I began to suspect that something else had happened. It was one thing for Jonah to skip out on a promise. He'd do something like that if it would benefit him. But to be gone like this, and not even show his face. Something had to be up.

Kyra:

“He didn’t tell you that he would be gone?” I asked, surprised. They seemed almost inseparable at times. I glanced to the door as my brother entered. If he had left without telling her, something could be wrong. It was so soon after he had been injured too..

"Last I saw of him was at the pool last night. If you are so worried about him. Call him." I sighed and closed my book. "Or call Zero. She's probably got each of us located to a ten foot radius at all times."

Kyra:

Since she wasn’t gung-ho to do it, I messaged Zero about the matter. He had left this morning she said. With one of Marie’s men. And now he was in her city. “Do you think she knows?” I whispered to Kira after showing her the messages.

Kira:

I read the message twice and didn't answer for a long time after. Finally I shook my head. "I'm still here. If she suspected fully, I'd already be gone. If anything...this is the best case scenario. She must think he was the one to do it. But has no real proof. If she had proof then I'd have been called. Marie loves making examples of people."

Kyra:

“What is she going to do to him?” I asked. I didn’t think she would kill him, but both Kira and Jonah had been different when they came back from staying with her. It had taken months for them to go back to something close to normal.

"Interrogate him. If he convinces her, he'll come back and need a bit of time to recover. Marie is...thorough and ruthless. If he can't, he could come back damaged. Body, mind, spirit. She has people who are skilled at doing such things. If she doesn't believe him entirely and wants to make an example...she'll torture him until he dies." I spoke calmly, almost disinterested as I picked at my food. "But I trust him. He'll be alright."

Kyra:

Her words didn’t reassure me too much. I knew Jonah was skilled with deception, but Marie was dangerous. After lunch, we went back to teach our classes. Or rather Kira went to teach hers, and I taught Jonah’s. Usually, I taught my own class with Andrew’s assistance, but to today we were each teaching on our own.

In the middle of my class I got a phone call. I left the kids to do their drills, making a few adjustments with my feet as I stepped over students all aiming downrange at targets several hundred yards out. "Hello?"

"I want you co come back in Kira."

I hesitated only a moment before nodding and replying with only, "Yes Ma'am."

"I have some questions I want to ask you. I will have a driver ready for you within a few minutes. Be ready to go right away."

"I will get someone to finish my class and head to the front gates."

"Good. Hurry along now Kira."

Ending the call I sighed through my nose and called the class to focus. "Clean up your rounds, and retrieve your targets. Then I want you to field strip and clean your weapons. I'll have another teacher come by to ensure you are doing it right."

With solemn nods all around I left them too it, heading into the school while dialing Kyra's number.

Kyra:

I stepped away for a minute to answer Kira’s call. It wasn’t good, I already knew. She never called me unless something was wrong. I could count on my hand the number of times she had called me. It had to be something to do with Jonah.

"Marie wants me to come back." I was short and too the point. Letting out a sigh I rubbed my forehead a moment. "I don't....look. I have to go. But I really don't want any of you coming after us alright? She said she just wants to ask some questions. I believe her. I just wanted....I wanted to tell you rather then disappear on you. I'll be fine." I was rambling and I knew it. I cut myself off and then said my goodbyes and hung up.

Kyra:

I was scared for her but touched that she had thought to call me before leaving. My throat felt tight when we said goodbye. The way she had spoken about her situation before made it seem like it was very possible she wouldn’t be coming back from this.

Jonah:

I had been questioned many times from many different angles. Still, my alibi was sound. I had thought of every possibility. Marie still suspected me. She would regardless of whether I had been there or not.

Finally, she said Kira would be coming to be questioned as well. That wasn’t ideal. But Kira was nearly as skilled as I was. We had rehearsed what she would say in the event that Maire did question her. And there was more on the line than just me. Her family could be in trouble if she didn’t perform at her best.

Kira:

When I slid into the backseat of the waiting car I put on my mask. I tightened it down further during the flight, ignoring Marie's man as he sat beside me on the plane. By the time I was pulling up in front of her building my emotions were buried deep. Not only involving Jonah, but my family too.

Jonah and I had practiced alibis together. His suggestion in fact. So I was prepared for questions, but that didn't stop the all too familiar feeling of a weight in my stomach as I walked through the front doors.

Jonah:

I was with Marie when she got word that Kira had arrived. She didn’t dismiss me as I would have expected. Instead she had me sit next to her. I barely looked at Kira when she walked into the room.

I stepped into the room, standing before her and clasping my hands behind my back. I didn't look at Jonah more than a passing glance. My gaze now settled on a spot above Marie and then I went still as a statue.

She didn't speak for several minutes, glancing up from her tablet every now and then before setting it aside on her lap and just watching me. It was her time, her schedule. I knew that. "You are looking good Kira. But it's time we talked."

My gaze dipped then as my head nodded. "Yes Ma'am."

She started off with small questions, little things. She knew how to play the game. And she held nothing back as the questions came. Her voice never wavered. It wasn't affectionate perse, but like a person gazing upon their prized horse. Their prized unruly horse.

But I was well prepared, I was skilled and didn't slip up. I made it through without a waiver. And after the questions stopped I waited, having never moved from the position I was in.

Jonah:

Throughout her questioning of Kira, she would aim one at me. It was designed to trip me up. Questions about Kira’s part that I wouldn’t have known unless I had fed the words to her, which was the case. But I expected this too. I was impassive the whole time.

“Take a seat, Kira,” Marie said after several minutes of silence. She motioned to the spot next to me, across from her. She then called someone into the room who handed her a manila envelope.

“I have an assignment for the two of you,” She said without further mention of the man in the suit. Apparently, we had passed her test.

Kira:

We seemed to have passed, as I was finally directed to sit down. I settled into the chair and folded my hands in my lap. Again I went still, the very picture of a doll. I followed the man who handed off an envelope with my eyes alone.

"What's the target?" I couldn't help the slight curious tilt my head gave as I looked from the envelope to Marie

Jonah:

She pulled out a photo but neglected to give us a name. She explained the situation. We were to kidnap him and bring him back to her fully functioning. It was top secret and essential that we get in and out under the radar.

The location was an island in the Philippines run similarly to Marie’s city. It would be the most difficult thing the two of us had ever done. Not to mention once we were in the city we would have no outside help. We would be dropped off by boat and then we were on our own until we made it back to the boat.

Lacing my fingers together and listend to the information. It wasn't going to be easy, in fact one could almost say it was impossible. But so too did I believe that it was impossible for us to get out of Marie's city without being noticed.

"Do we have options on gear or is that limited for us as well?" This could have just been an extra step of the test. A challenge she'd set up. It wouldn't have been the first time that I'd experienced. No matter what kind of test this was, I'd make sure we passed it. We had too.

Jonah:

“You will be given supplies to choose from. Anything you don’t want you may leave on the boat. You will be leaving tomorrow evening. Rest up. I need you both to be at peak performance. No mistakes. Do you understand?”

I said yes. This was something serious. Serious enough that she was willing to fore go her suspicions of me. Which meant there was something valuable on the line.

"Yes Ma'am." I nodded and then stood up. I paused then before asking, "Where shall we be staying tonight? At the Training room or in the Tower?"

I knew the training room was probably cleaned up now. But I didn't know if that would mean Marie would grant us use of it yet. It would offer the most privacy for myself and Jonah but would place us in close proximity. Staying at the tower would let Jonah do his thing and possibly get us both in more trouble but would certainly keep us apart. I didn't know which option was better.

Jonah:

“Jonah will be staying in the training room,” She answered Kira’s question then looked at me. “You may go there now.” She dismissed me. I left without looking at Kira. I would have preferred to be in the towel. It gave me better access to people and information. But the training room offered me more control in a way. It would be easier to talk to Zero without notice.

I glanced at Jonah as he walked past before settling on Marie. She hadn't dismissed me yet, so I shifted my posture to one better suited to waiting. Knowing Marie it could be seconds or hours before she decided she was ready to share what she was thinking or send me on my way.

There had been times that I thought she actually enjoyed having me around. Though I also suspected it was the enjoyment of having one's favored pet sitting nearby. Marie certainly wasn't one to be motherly, passing off such things to others. But as I waited I was struck as I often was, that I wanted this woman's praise. I wanted her to be proud of me.

Even though I didn't deserve any of it.