I twirl my hair for the thousandth time and look around. The bank seems quiet, only a few people are there and as I walk by they turn their heads while I pretend not to notice.. Before I came, I dressed in black skinny jeans, a gray low cut t-shirt with the words dance, sing, and love on it in. I left my hair in its cherry red waves to my hips and applied light makeup but enough to make me look professional, well as professional as a 17 year-old girl with a diamond nose ring and a secret tattoo of Flounder from The Little Mermaid on her shoulder can(I know a guy). I walk forward and my black combat boots echo as they hit the floor. Every time I take a step different people look up from their desks, from where they are talking to a teller, or writing down their info. I walk up to the nearest woman teller and say,
"Can you help me find someone named Breeya?" She looks at me as is she's a mix of frightened and confused.
"You mean Bree?" She asks, her voice so quiet it's like the wind curling around my ear,"Is there something else I can help you with? Like money?" She attempts to be louder and more confident but she fails. She nervously blows at a stray, deep black hair escaping from her complicated up-do. Her startling blue eyes are wide and anxious like she's caught in a trap and is going to escape the moment she's unseen.
"No, thank you. But if you do see her will you tell her Aria Iyanna is looking for her. Also tell her I was sent by Mila." I smile as I turn around because I already know what she is doing, especially since I hear the click~clack~click~clack~click~clack of her nude leather pumps along the shiny marble floors. I find a chair and ease into it. Running my fingers through my hair I suddenly hear the click~clack~click~clack~click~clack of her heels knowing she's coming back, plus I hear two pairs of the heels so I know Breeya is with her. They turn from around the hall behind the desk-like tables and I see a striking blonde woman. She's one of those woman who it's not the heels that make people turn their heads as they walk it's her body. She's nicely fit, with runner legs, her eyes an emerald green with a mischievous yet, chilling-to-the-bone kind of glint. Her hair, which is beach blonde, is pulled back into a perfect ponytail with one little bump in the front where she bobby-pinned it. When she walks her hair goes from side to side in one perfect glide.
"Aria Iyanna?" She calls, her voice a high, clear sound that resonates within the room. I stand up and say,
"Iyanna. Like E-ya-na." I expect her to raise her eyebrows or show some sort of surprise by my looks but she keeps her gaze level but not hiding her curiosity in the way she looks at me. I walk towards her and she pulls open a small door which I walk through.
"Thank you, Dawn." She says to the woman with the black hair and she nods sitting down almost too fast and going back to work, slightly looking up at me as I walk past. When we get closer to her office I squint at her and stop to ask,
"Why am I here? Plus, who are you? And why was I called at 3 in the morning by some Mila chick?" She stays quiet and gestures for me to go into her office. I enter and she presses a button on the wall that closes the door and then another steel door with about 5 locks, 2 keypad passwords, and a hand scan closes in front of us behind her desk. She goes at it right away and soon she scans her hand the door opens to an elevator. I step in and she follows. Pressing the button with the acronym S.A.F.T.A on it. When we came to the floor it spoke in a man's voice in the elevator speaker.
"Welcome to the S.A.F.T.A. Which stands for Suspicious Activity Force for Teenage Agents. We wish for you to join us and work for the most secret intelligence force. Have a great day!" I look around and see all different kinds of teenagers. Ones with spiky green hair, big ones, small ones, girls, boys every type possible.
"It only does that when it recognizes a new person in the elevator." Breeya says.
"Wow." I say and Breeya looks at me with a proud grin like a parent who's kid just scored a touchdown or got an A+ in all their classes.
"Welcome to the S.A.F.T.A. Aria Rose Iyanna we hope you will join us. I will now take you to Mila. You talked to her?"
"Yes." I say, still in a trance at how the agency looks.
"Follow, first I would like to introduce you to Bella." She presses her finger to her ear and says,"Bella to main." In about a minute flat a very toned girl about 22 and 4'10" tall was standing in front of me. She's wearing a bright green sports bra and tight black leggings, her tennis shoes matching her outfit. Her hair is brown and super short. It's longer on her right side and is very prettily layered. Her bright blue eyes don't match her outfit and stand out on her face, kind of like mine.
"Isabella Ru, reporting to main."
"This," Breeya says,"is Bella. She will be your trainer."
"Welcome to S.A.F.T.A. I can't wait to kick your butt!" She says, excitedly. So much excitement in such a tiny body.
"Excuse me?" I ask, offended. She laughs and so does Breeya, but when she notices me looking at her she stops.
"Bella, is our combat trainer. She will kick your butt in training."
"Ohh, are we going to see Mila now?"
"Yes, Bella you're dismissed." She turns around and walks towards a hallway. We leave the place where the big computer is and turn into a black and white office. The only things that aren't black and white are the girls in the room. One girl has large green eyes and a thick blonde braid down to her waist. She's wearing a light purple shirt that hangs over her shoulder and jean shorts with the same color ballet flats. The next girl is wearing a cream strapless dress with her brown hair in a complicated up do. Her makeup is dark but in a pretty way with red lipstick. She had her nose in a book and didn't bother to look up. The girl after her, has a pretty, pastel blue hair. She looks innocent and pretty with her soft blue eyes full of excitement. She is wearing a white jeans, a black top with a white rabbit on it, and black toms.
"Who are these people?" I say and, even the girl with the book, they all look curiously up at me.
"These are your partners." I see a girl with pastel green hair who looks only to be 19 or 20.
"My what?" My jaw dropped for all I knew I was not working with any other girls. I am an independent person and there is no way I'm going to depend on others for anything.
"Partners. Do I need to spell it?" She raised her eyebrows and I shook my head,"Good. Aria, this is,"she pointed to the girl in purple,"is Rayleigh. Next is BellaMarie."
"Belle." The girl says, rolling her eyes as if she's irritated.
"After Belle is Alisyn." The girl smiled at me.
"You look so young." I say and she laughs. She stands up and I see her short black dress and nude heels.
"Thanks. I'm 19 but who better to run the S.A.F.T.A than," she pauses right by all of us,"a teenager!" Breeya looks irritated.
"Why are there other adults around?" Rayleigh asks.
"Because we have to keep and eye on you teenagers." Breeya says and Mila's smile fades,"We can't give you full control, otherwise who knows what would happen."
"You guys want a tour?" Mila asks, as she opens her door.
"Sure." I reply and so does Rayleigh and Alisyn but Belle is quiet.
"No, I want to go explore and find the library. You have one, right?" Belle says, as if she's entitled to doing what she wants. Mila laughs.
"First of all, no we do not have a library. You can have access to any book in the world on your data port you will be receiving. Second..." Breeya interrupts her.
"You may not explore by yourself, there are things that are classified and until you have the clearance to access them. Mila, I will have Isabella and Marcus meet them at main, I need to speak with you." Breeya presses her ear again and says,"Bella and Marcus to main. Bella and Marcus you are excused from training." Mila gestures towards the door and says,
"It was lovely to meet you, girls, we'll be in touch." She closes the door, leaving her and Breeya to talk. Immediately Alisyn comes up to me.
"I'm Alisyn. Your name is Aria?"
"Yeah, hi." I start walking and they all follow me except for Belle.
"Let's get things straight." She stops right in front of me,"I am not going to be in a team with a red-headed, pierced freak of nature who thinks she looks all bad or," she moves to stand in front of Alisyn,"a blue-haired troll." Alisyn looks hurt and Rayleigh looks nervous. I poke her bare shoulder and she turns around dramatically with her eyebrows raised.
"Yeah? Well, I'm not going to work with some upper class, snotty bleep who thinks she better than everyone else." Alisyn and Rayleigh are trying not to laugh. She stomps her lace heels and goes to stand by Rayleigh.
"Okay," I say,"Can we go by nicknames or something besides Belle? Because, um, Rayleigh and Alisyn are long."
"You can call me Ray?" She says, it sounding more like a question pointed at Belle.
"Um, no." I say and she looks like a deer in headlights,"I mean.. No doing that whole 'Can I do this? Is this ok?' She is not your boss, be your own person. Okay, Ray?" "Okay." She says and Belle frowns and huffs impatiently.
"Can I call you Ali?"
"Sure!" We walk to main where Bella and a tall, muscly blonde haired boy who I assume is Marcus.
"Hey." I say and Bella replies,
"Hey, guys! I'm Bella and this is Marcus," He smiles and she goes on,"and we are going to give you a tour. But first, besides Aria, what are your names?"
"I'm Belle." Belle says with a smile at Marcus.
"I'm Rayleigh, but you can call me Ray."
"I'm Alisyn a.k.a. Ali."
"'Kay you guys can call me Marc and we are heading to the training room first." Marc says.
"Wait," Belle says and we all stop walking,"training? Training for what?" Marc laughs.
"Okay, Ms. Priss, where are we?" Bella asks and Belle answers,
"S.A.F.T.A."
"Yeah? What's that stand for?"
"Suspicious Activity Force for Teenage Agents." Belle rolls her eyes and the next thing you know she's on the ground with Bella looking down at her.
"If you're an agent you need to know self defense. Like this." We follow her as Marc has a laughing attack which he is trying to disguise as coughing.
"You have a cold?" Belle asks, coldly.
"No, just a tickle in my throat." He replies as we enter a huge gym. Bella walks over to a random girl running around the track and tries the same trick but the girl doges her by doing a backflip into the center where Bella and the girl meet. Bella catches up and she kicks the girl right in her stomach while doing a backflip. Bella walks toward her and grabs her hand to help her up. They start talking and laughing. She points towards us and they both walk near us. Ali and Ray look scared and Belle looks like she's completely unimpressed but you can tell she's faking.
"Girls." Bella says,"This is Tally, she is a cook." Tally has a deep, dark skin tone and matching brown hair that is pulled up in a messy bun.
"Hello. It is nice to meet you, I'll see you later. Thanks Bella." She says, with a hint of a Louisiana accent. When she walks away Marc steps forward to talk.
"That is what you will be taught. To expect the unexpected. Tally may be a cook but we prepared her to be able to defend herself in need. When Iz went up to Tally did she no it was coming?" He asks and Ali shakes her head,"No, Ali, you're right. She could tell that someone was behind her and decided to analyze the situation by backing up assessing what's going on and reacting."
"You will learn technology-like never before, history- everything that's ever happened not the short and sweet kind, cooking- with things that are common in the wild and not, survival, physical training, mental preparation, etc." Bella adds.
"What if we don't want to?" Belle asks.
"We will explain that at the end of our tour." Marc firmly says and she turns around. We all walk out of the giant gym. We walk down another hall and I peer into each room as we walk past. I see yoga, history classes, biology, stimulator rooms, and many others. Ali walks next to me and says,
"Marcus is kind of cute." I look at her and she blushes.
"You think so?" I ask her and she nods,"I think he likes you, too." As if he were on cue he turns around to wink at her. Just when I think she can't get anymore red she does. If she had tripped and fallen in a bucket of bright red paint her face would look exactly the same. I give her a little push on the back and say,
"Go. Go talk to him." She looks at me like I'm mental and I raise my eyebrows. She grins and walks up closer to him. I watch them as they ease into conversation and get more comfortable and less nervous as the conversation goes on. Their perfect moment is ruined when 2 girls comes around the corner. One has a sleek black bob with yoga capris and a red sports bra where as the other girl has a perfect blonde ballet bun and is wearing a knee length, form fitting blue take top dress with yellow wedges. The one with the yoga capris and no shoes bumps right in to Marc and he looks annoyed.
"Oh, hey babe." She says and kisses his cheek.