Chapter 1: Backgrounds - Agent 465

Chapter 1: Backgrounds

Agent 465 and Agent 690’s report on Mission Blackjack.
Instructions: To explain the events leading up to taking mission, and the events leading to it’s outcome.

Agent 465 -
It’s different when you see a car crash, and when your in it. It’s different when you hear about people dying, and then you’re on deaths door. It’s different when you make it out, and your parents don’t.
Life’s just different. Life’s just unfair and unjust but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let it rule my life. No. Way.

It was just another normal day when my aunt Beatrice dragged me out of bed because I hadn’t listened to my alarm clock.
“Jewels you need to get up! Come on, you’re going to be late.”
I groaned and slapped at her as I tried to roll over and burrow my head under my comforter.
“I don’t care! I don’t want to hand in my project, it sucks!” I called out from under the blanket.
Aunt B sighed and suddenly, my blankets were gone, making me shiver in my camisole and shorts.
“Now get up.” She ordered.
I groaned as she left the room, shutting the door behind her. Dragging myself out of my bed, I stumbled to the dresser and grabbed some clothes to change into.

Once I looked presentable, I threw my dark brown hair into a pony tail and threw on my runners. Grabbing my backpack, I dashed down the stairs and joined my aunt in the kitchen.
“Well don’t you just look like a ray of sunshine.” Aunt B sarcastically remarked.
I smiled at her and rolled my eyes as I grabbed a pop tart fresh out of the toaster and ran out the door.
“Bye!” I yelled after her.

Middle school.
I’ve heard it’s not as bad as high school. Yeah, tell that to all us kids.
I kept my head down, pulled my hood up and did my best to ignore everyone around me. It worked pretty well until I bumped into Alec Boyer.
This could mean trouble.
“Hey Jewel.” He said in that seductive, sickening voice that he always hits me with.
I just rolled my eyes and kept walking, shoving past him and to my locker.
“Aw come one Jewels don’t be like that.” He whined, following me.
Alec was the star quarterback, and that status makes him think he has some automatic claim on any girl he wants. He’s built like any other jock, broad shoulders, tall, big feet and hands, and muscles covering every inch of his body. Hard stuff right?
Well he also hates it when he cant get his way. Like, throwing tantrums, kind of hate.
So to wrap it up, Alec is a two year old in a teenager’s body.

I did my best to ignore him as I grabbed my books for the first class of the day. But that’s when I felt his meaty hands on my hips.
“Alec,” My tone was the dangerous kind, that told any other sane human being I was about to blow. “Get. Your hands. Off me.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
I jammed my elbow back into his stomach, he groaned, not expecting the hit, then I turned around and slammed the palm of my hand into his nose. There was the sickening, yet gratifying, crack of bones breaking.
“Told you to get your hands off me.” I stated coolly, stepping around him and walking to class like nothing happened.

By now, I’m sure you’re thinking I’m so kind of girl who absolutely hates guys. This is not true, in all honesty, I like guys, but not if they try touching me. Which in that case, excludes Alec Boyer.
Usually, I like to keep to myself, blend in where I can, and not get noticed, but sometimes there’s that one person who doesn’t want to let you go.

I blended into the back of the class as they waited for the teacher to start. Alec didn’t show up, which meant he was in the nurse’s office. Good, maybe he’ll get sent home early.
Mrs. Matthews came in, calling everyone to their seats and giving instructions on how the math class was to go.
We only just got into quadratic equations when one of the staff came in, whispering something to Mrs. Matthews before walking out.
I watched closely as Mrs. Matthews sighed, placing her hands behind her back and looked around the room.
“Jewel Adkins, you are to go strait to the principles office.”
I wanted to protest, but knew it wouldn’t do any good with just the messenger. So I packed up, and walked down the whitewashed hall to the big brown door that said ’Principle’s Office’ in ugly black letters.
I shook my head, I should have guessed Boyer would rat me out. I opened the door and walked in.

“Ah, Miss Adkin.” Mr. Hoffman was a tall, thin, and dull looking man. He had a thing for grey slacks and a tweed jacket, his grey hair was slicked back, and he had bug eyes with his thick glasses.
“Please take a seat.” He gestured to what must have been the most uncomfortable chair he could find at Target.
I dropped my backpack on the floor next to the chair, and sat down.
“So I hear you hit Alec Boyer.” Mr. Hoffman started.
“He started it, by touching me sir.” I replied formerly. The principle’s eyebrows rose slowly.
“Was it inappropriate?”
I gave a head nod.
“Hmm…Well then I can see why you gave him the broken nose.” He said with a smile that looked slightly odd and out of place. But I took it as a good sign.
“I will let you off with a warning, and a day’s suspension. I expect to see you tomorrow with a better restrain on your anger issues Miss Adkins.”
I nodded a second time and threw my bag on my back and walked out of the office.

The upside to being suspended in the morning, you don’t have to do school for the rest of the day. Downside to being suspended in the morning, you come home to an angry aunt who’s already had a bad day.

I walked into the two bedroom apartment my aunt had, tossed my bag to the side of the entry way and moved into the kitchen. Hungry and in search for an add on to my pathetic excuse of breakfast.
I froze in the doorway in shock, not sure what to do with the sight before me.
“Aunt B?”
My aunt looked up at me in shock.
“Jewels? What are you doing here?” She asked, wiping her eyes. But I saw the running mascara under her eyes.
“Got suspended for a day, what’s going on?”
“Wait, why did you get suspended?”
I sighed, and explained to her the events of the morning. Once I did, she gave me a grin and nodded.
“That’s my girl!”
“You’re…happy that I got suspended?” What can I say? Sometimes my aunt confuses me.
“No, I’m glad you broke the guy’s nose! Talk about a creep.”
I nodded in agreement, wanting to get past this.
“Okay, so now my question. What’s wrong?”
Aunt B sighed and I knew it would be bad.
“I got fired.”
I wanted to scream.
“Again?”
Aunt B’s face dropped, as she fell against the counter in a heap.
“I know, I know. I feel awful, I don’t know what to do Jewel.”
I scrambled for a way out of this, I needed to figure it out.
“I - I’m underage, I can’t get a job, I can’t help -”
“No, I know. I’ll handle this, but I just need -”
“A break. Yeah I know. I’ve got this thing down the street. I’ll catch you later okay?”
I knew when we both needed breaks from each other, and now was one of those times.
“Have your phone on you!” B called out to me as I ran out the door.

.:+++:.

 Riding a bike on a hot day can really clear someone’s head. It’s amazing what a view of the Golden Gate Bridge can do.
I was singing to my favorite song when I first had that gut feeling that something was off.
I glanced over my shoulder at the sidewalk, before taking a left down a small alley that I knew would head to my favorite café.
I tied my bike up to a pole next to the front door, and then went inside, thankful for the cool air conditioner and ordered a lemonade with a chocolate donut. My comfort food.
And right now I was in major need of comfort.
My aunt B’s a free spirit. She hates taking orders from stupid people, and though she tries, she usually can’t keep a job for more than a month. This was the third job she had lost in three months.
And not only that, we were behind payments on our apartment.
So all in all, our financial situation a deep bottomless pit.
I sipped my lemonade as I starred unseeingly out the window. Watching people pass by that didn’t realize just how lucky they were. Thinking up stories for each person, what they’re past was, who they’re families were. It had been a favorite pass time of mine when I was younger, and now it was something I did when I had a particularly bad day just to get out of my own head, and into someone else’s.
“Jewel Adkins.”
I looked up and found a women standing above me. She had short red hair clipped in a slightly boyish style, she had bright green eyes that seemed wise beyond how old she must have been which could have been no older than thirty-four. Her clothes branded her as a biker with the leather boots, pants, and jacket that covered a white tank-top.
“Who are you?” I asked, slightly confused as to why she was talking to me, of all people. I glanced around the café and saw that there were plenty of other people around.
“And are you talking to me?” I know it was a dumb question, but seriously, for a girl who’s been invisible for most of her life, this was beyond weird.
The woman gave me a look that said ‘I don’t have time to play this’.
“No, I’m talking to that lemonade and the donut. And as to who I am, you’ll figure that out later.” She stated, sliding into the booth opposite of me. Her accent sounded slightly foreign. Irish, maybe? Or Wales. I couldn’t decide.
“Later?” I questioned.
“Yes, later. Now let’s move on to business -”
“Business?! Whoa, hang on a sec lady, I don’t know you, never seen you before in my life, and I certainly don’t have any business to do with you.” My voice had risen with out my knowing it, and people were looking over at the strange women, and I.
“Keep your voice down Jewel.” She said calmly.
“Okay, we’re on a first name basis now? I’m sorry, but I didn’t catch your name.”
“That’s because I didn’t give it. Now would you shut up before someone calls the cops?” Even though the possible threat was probable, she didn’t look threatened or worried.
“Jewel, we know everything about you -”
“We?! Who the heck is ‘we’?!”
“Jewel, you need to calm down, take deep breaths and focus! The agency has a file on you, we know everything from your ballet classes that started when you were four, to how you just got suspended from school today.”
My mind was reeling at this point. What on earth was she talking about? What agency? What file? And how the heck could her info be so good that she knew about her suspension?
All these questions filed past each other at high speed as I tried to comprehend what she was saying.
But then an even figure question came to me.
“What do you want from me?”
“Ah, now we’re getting somewhere. We need your help.”
“Again, with the ‘we’. If you want my help you’re delusional. I don’t even know your name, so there’s no way I would ever willingly help you, so go away.”
I picked up my unfinished lemonade and untouched donut and walked out the door, expecting that to be the end of that.
It wasn’t.

Outside, I intended to be left alone, have my peace and quiet, and eat my donut and drink my lemonade.
I didn’t get any of that.
“Jewel Adkins, you need to listen to me.”
I groaned and turned to see the crazy Irish woman had followed me.
“Stalking me now are you? Oh this’ll look great in a police report.” I threatened.
“I know this is all a shock to you, and I understand that you don’t believe me, but you need to know that my agency is in desperate need of your help.”
“Why me? What on earth could an agency want with a fifteen year old girl? And what kind of freakin’ agency?”
“Meet me in Golden Gate Park, on the baseball fields. Thursday at three o’clock.”
“And if I don’t?”
The woman looked me strait in the eye with such a calm and collected face that I was scared. Honestly, and truthfully scared.
“If you don’t, you’ll find that the bank will state that you have no money in the bank, you’ll find that your mortgage is due and you will be kicked out on the street. You will find that you and your aunt, will have nothing.”
And on that lovely note, she walked away, leaving me completely stunned and wondering what on earth had just happened.