{Zoey}

  Claire. If someone had told me a few years ago that I would find my happiness without her I would've laughed until my sides hurt.

  But that last kiss we shared at the graduation ceremony… Claire had pulled me aside, smashed her mouth to mine and our tongues danced together. Her arms wrapped around me so tight that I could barely breathe. Then she let go. She looked up at me with liquid in her brown eyes that threatened to spill over. "Don't worry about me. You find your happiness and I'll find mine."

  After that she walked away. That wasn't just a passionate kiss. That was goodbye. A final farewell.

  "Attention!" I heard someone shout.

  Boots stomped as heels clicked together in one swift motion. My heels clicked into place before my brain had a chance to catch up. Along with the rest of the group I squared my shoulders and gazed dead ahead.

  There he was— a man built like the rest of them. The white t-shirt he wore clung to the ridges of his muscles and broad shoulders. His green camouflage pants hung low on his waist. With his brown steel toed boots rooted to the ground as if he were a tree, his blue eyes assessing.

  "Alright newbies!" The man barked, "Starting today you will get your new name that you will use when you're on the clock and on campus at all times. Now when you go visit your families and what not while on vacation then you can use your real name," He paused. "Oh and I guess I should tell the newbies my name huh? My name is General 92 and I'm in charge of all of the Elite Squad members and it doesn't matter what Tier you're in."

  General 92 pointed off to the right of us. "A-tier Elite Agents, stand in line on this side and in attention." He pointed to the left of us. "S-tier Elite Agents, stand in line on this side and in attention."

  Everyone did as they were told. I took a spot next to my cousin Junior.

  General 92 looked at the A-tier Elite Agents. With his voice flat he said, "A-tier Elite Agents. You guys are the cleanup crew. You're to bring the dead bodies of Rogue Agents back. Don't worry you'll get used to it."

  Out of the corner of my eye I saw a couple of the new Agents flinch. Another Agent clenched their hands into fists so tight that their knuckles turned white.

  General 92 continued, "And S-tier Elite Agents. It's up to you guys to bring Rogue Agents back alive. Some people say that having you guys sent out after them is a fate worse than death."

  I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from smirking. That's because S-tier Elite Agents don't just catch them. We make them feel safe. Once the target feels safe they let down their guard. They think they're home free. That they've won. Then we come in and take everything away.

  General 92 walked down the line of the new Elite Squad members and smiled. When he got to Junior and me he stopped. "Well if it isn't the star students from this year's Boot Camp! Did you know that the tier of S-tier Elite Squad members that you've been chosen for only gets picked every ten years? The Council is eager to see how you two will do considering how high ranking Agents your parents are." He rolled his eyes when he looked at the rest of the line. "I wouldn't be laughing if I were you. You guys should be grateful that you're not under a microscope like Elite 81 and Elite 29 are."

  When he got closer towards me my head tilted backwards a lot more than I liked. Until I met his gaze as he loomed over me. "Zoey Harriman, right?"

  "Yes sir," I answered.

  "Your new name here is Elite 81 and I better not hear you use the name Zoey while you're here, got it?" General 92 said.

  I nodded. "Yes sir!"

  He turned to Junior. "George Harriman-Dawning, Jr?"

  "Yes sir," Junior said.

  "Your new name while you're here is Elite 29," General 92 said.

  Junior nodded. "Yes sir!"

  General 92 walked down the rest of the line and assigned everyone their names. When he finished he stood in front of us and said, "Starting tomorrow if you're in the S-tier Squad you'll receive your team members. You'll also receive your short assignment along with your long assignment. If you're in the A-Tier Squad then you'll just be receiving your regular assignments and training schedules. In the meantime go find your cabins and get settled in. You're dismissed."

  "Sir yes sir!" Footsteps scurried away on the concrete floor of the training grounds as everyone went in different directions. After that Junior and I parted ways. Time to go find my cabin.

  ***

  When I got to my cabin I entered the place and looked around. A brown leather couch sat in the middle of the room in front of me. In front of the couch was a 27 inch flat screen TV with screen black. The light brown carpet slightly sunk under my boots as I walked into the cabin further and saw that the kitchen was off to the left: a simple wooden table with three chairs in the middle of white tiled floors. A half-drunk water bottle sat in the middle of the kitchen table crinkled.

  Off to my right the bedroom door was cracked open. Grabbing my olive green duffle bag from the floor I pushed the door to the side and walked in.

  Two beds faced each other. On one of the beds lay a dark brown comforter and two pillows with tan pillow cases on top of it. With one of the pillows having a small dip on them from being used.

  The other bed wasn't made. Tan bedsheets, pillow cases, white pillows and a dark brown comforter lay folded neatly on top of the mattress.

  To the right side of the made bed was a nightstand with a white phone charger dangled from the outlet with a small red light glowing on the adapter.

  A lamp with a brown lampshade sat next to it turned on. Warm dim light glowed across the room. Next to the lamp was a white bottle of cocoa butter hand lotion. The red cap was screwed on and it sat upside down next to the lamp. Along with a paperback book that had a glossy cover on it. It had a picture of a shirtless man with long flowing blonde hair standing next to a woman in a red princess dress with a silver crown on her head. The man looked at the woman with his face tilted closely towards hers.

  I snorted under my breath when I read the title: Crown of Ashes and Desire.

  Of course, nothing like a good bedtime story with a barbarian who has long flowing blonde hair and a princess that slays dragons.

  I looked at the bed that wasn't made and placed my duffle bag on it. Looking over I spotted a wooden dresser and once I opened the drawers I saw that half of them were empty. So I turned my attention to my bag, zipped it open and started unpacking my things.

  Just as I had finished putting my clothes away I heard a voice say, "Well hello there, I was wondering when I was going to get a new cabin buddy!"

  Turning around my breath hitched. Did Claire have a twin sister that I wasn't aware of? No, I would've found that out a long time ago.

  The woman's blonde hair was pulled back in a smooth ponytail and instead of brown eyes staring at me, hazel eyes looked at me. Her olive green t-shirt clung to her body and her olive green camouflage pants hugged her waist. I averted my gaze. Heat creeped up the back of my neck and my stomach did a little flip. The same type of flip that it did when I first laid my eyes on Claire.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  The woman smirked as she spoke, "The last one left because they didn't like the fact that I was gay. You don't have a problem with me being gay do you?"

  I shook my head. "I have no problems with that at all! I'm bisexual and I just broke up with my girlfriend Claire right before I left for Boot Camp."

  Her smirk deepened, stretching into a grin that wrinkled the corner of her mouth. "Well that's good to know and I should tell you my name right? My name is Elite 55. Real name that I go by off campus is Jane. But just remember to call me Elite 55 while you're here."

  I chuckled. "No problem, my name is Elite 81 and my real name is Zoey."

  Once my real name moved past my lips, Elite 55's eyes widened. "I know about you! You're Agent 36's daughter! Wow, you're even cuter in person. You know I wouldn't be surprised if you have people throwing themselves at you."

  Tilting my head I arched an eyebrow. "I see. I'm not looking for a relationship at the time. I just want to do my job and that's it."

  Elite 55 tipped her head slightly forward. "Makes sense, I mean you did just get out of a relationship before you came here. Heartbreak is so hard to get over."

  I nodded. "Yeah and I am curious to see if we're on the same team."

  "Oh we will be," She said, with her voice flat, final.

  I blinked. "Huh?"

  "Cabinmates always get assigned on the same team," Elite 55 answered.

  "Okay, so tomorrow I guess I'll be working with you then," I glanced at the clock on the nightstand— 10:00 p.m. Bedtime. "Well, I'm going to finish making this bed and then take a shower."

  Grabbing my clothes which consisted of sweatpants and a sweatshirt to sleep in, I headed to the shower. When I came out Elite 55 was already in her bed, eyes closed, her breathing even and deep as she was fast asleep. I crawled underneath the covers of my newly made bed, the sheets cool to the touch. While staring up at the ceiling, the day's events replayed in my mind. My newly assigned Agent ID, meeting Elite 55. The way her shirt clung to her body… Eventually, exhaustion made my eyelids heavy enough to pull me under.

  ***

  {Elite 55}

  The next day I woke up and was greeted by an empty bed across from mine. It was neatly made with the comforter smoothed down at the edges. The white pillows in their tan pillowcases that had a small dent in them from being used. I looked over to see Elite 81's empty olive green duffle bag leaning up against the nightstand next to her bed. Walking over to it, I saw her real name embroidered on the flap next to the handles: Zoey Harriman.

  "So last night wasn't a dream," I whispered.

  Grabbing my clothes for the day I took a quick shower, got dressed and after making sure the cabin was locked up I headed out. I bounced over to the bleachers where Elite 37 sat.

  "I got a new cabin buddy!" I said in a singsong voice. "She is adorable! And totally my type."

  He looked up at me and tilted his head. "Oh? And who is it?"

  "Well she is bi and she's Agent 36's daughter," I responded.

  He raised an eyebrow. "And? Are you going to throw yourself at her because of her status?"

  I snorted. "Oh no, that's the dumbest reason to date someone. But she seems like a nice girl. I just need to find out what her type is. And I call dibs! She's mine!"

  Elite 37 facepalmed. "For fucks sake woman! What are you, five? I'm taken so you don't have any competition from me."

  "Good. She will be mine sooner or later," I said.

  He shook his head. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

  Glancing over at the stage, I saw Elite 81 stand next to another Elite Squad member who stood a little too close to her than I liked. I clenched my jaw.

  Elite 37 rolled his eyes. "Seriously? You're jealous that a new teammate is close to Elite 81? You do realize that family members get put in the same team right?"

  I paused. "Huh?"

  Elite 37 walked over to the stage. "I'm Elite 37 and I'm your new team leader. Follow me and I'll introduce you to the rest of the team."

  Elite 81 and the other Elite team member followed Elite 37 to our team's area by the bleachers. The other Elite team member introduced himself as Elite 29 and he was Elite 81's cousin.

  In my mind I did a headcount: Elite 37, the team leader. Another guy introduced himself as Elite 46, then another woman named Elite 40 along with Elite 81 and Elite 29. Including me, three women and three men.

  Elite 46 stood close to Elite 81 and gave her a slow-lopsided grin. I bit my tongue so hard that I tasted blood.

  "Hello! Earth to Elite 55!" Elite 37 said.

  Snapping out of my thoughts I looked at him. "Huh?"

  "We have our first long assignment and our first short assignment for the year," Elite 37 grabbed his briefcase that he brought with him and pulled out a couple of files. The first manila folder he pulled out had the letters LT on it. "In this file is our long term assignment. This Agent has gone rogue, she's being considered a rogue because she didn't report to Boot Camp like she was supposed to. The Council believes that she is pregnant with Sergeant 49's child. Here's her profile."

  He handed the file over to Elite 81. She flipped it open. Her eyebrows furrowed and her nostrils flared as she gritted her teeth. "That little bitch! No wonder she was so eager to break up with me! And she's a cheater! Nice."

  Elite 81 handed the file to Elite 29. His eyes went wide and his mouth hung open. "No way, that can't be right. Claire would never do this. This has to be a mistake."

  Elite 37 rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out a slow breath. "Well mistake or not this is our assignment and you will do it to the best of your abilities regardless of the connection to the target, got it?" He paused for a second. "Actually, the Council kind of prefers it if an Elite Squad member has a connection to the target. It's often easier to bring them in that way."

  Once Elite 81 passed the file to me I got to see what Claire looked like. Claire's blonde hair was pulled into a smooth ponytail. She wasn't smiling as her brown eyes gave the camera a thousand yard stare.

  So I'm her type! This is perfect!

  When I handed the file back to Elite 37 he showed the second manila folder. This one had the letters ST on it. "And here is our short term assignment. We only have six months for the short term assignment and five years for the long term assignment."

  "So this is a recon mission?" Elite 81 asked after she looked at the file.

  Elite 37 nodded. "Yup. That's why it's six months and it won't take that long."

  Elite 81 tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

  "It won't take that long and you'll see why soon enough," Elite 37 said.

  ***

  {Claire}

  Two months. It's been two months since I've walked away from the Organization. The ache in my chest has only deepened with the passage of time. Even though I was the one who put it there. I had whispered those words to Zoey after her graduation, setting her free. "Don't worry about me. You find your happiness and I'll find mine."

  The way Zoey looked at me before I walked away. As if I'd broken her, shattered her world beyond repair. I hope she finds a way to smile again without me.

  Then there's Finn. His marriage proposal was still fresh in my mind. He had climbed off the bed and, after walking to his dresser, he pulled out a small red box. Then he dropped to one knee. I remembered crying and then lying by saying yes. With the hopeful puppy dog look he gave me, I couldn't bear to say no. I couldn't bear to break his heart even though I knew I was going to run the next day.

  The sound of a click and heavy bootsteps snapped me out of my thoughts. I knew who it was walking in the door before he even said anything.

  My mind drifted back to when I first moved to this town I ran into Nick while grocery shopping. Our shopping carts had bumped into each other. We had a short conversation and he gave me his number. After two months of dating he asked me to move in with him. I said yes and I've been living with him ever since.

  "What are you thinking about?" Nick asked as he walked into the living room. The couch dipped as he sat down next to me. He pulled me onto his lap with his strong arms wrapping around me.

  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "One of my ex lovers. I told her that we had to break up because we weren't going on the path with our lives."

  "But the real reason was you were dating someone else right?" Nick asked.

  I looked up at him. "That was part of it. But even so I'm glad that I met you. It's almost like we were meant to be together."

  "Sure Cassie and I'm glad I met you," Nick said. The corners of his mouth eased as he gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "However, what would you do if you were to ever come face to face with one of your ex lovers again?"

  I shrugged. "If I saw Zoey again I'd probably kiss her. If I saw Finn again I'd probably steer clear of him because of his temper."

  The corners of Nick's mouth turned down. "Was Finn ever violent with you?"

  I shook my head. "No but he was possessive of me and he wanted to be with Zoey too. But he knew that Zoey wouldn't agree to it so he told me to keep my mouth shut about our relationship. And act like we didn't know each other out in public. I figured what Zoey didn't know wouldn't hurt her. I wasn't about to break up with Zoey just because she wouldn't agree to being with more than one person."

  "That still doesn't make the cheating right," He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I think it's time we go to bed don't you? It's almost midnight."

  I followed him down the hallway to the bedroom. Nick helped me get into bed and I snuggled underneath the covers. There was a soft click when the light was turned off. Footsteps retreated softly from the bed. Once Nick left the room the house fell silent. While staring up at the ceiling my hand moved to my stomach. I didn't know how long I would be safe. But I did know one thing: I'm not going back to the Organization and neither is my baby.