This is the Final Episode in the Diary of a Detectress series. For previous episodes, please follow these links:
Episide 2 – Student record not found
Episide 3 – First steps towards success
Episode 7 – The explanation of a lifetime
Episode 8 – Tracking down a hacker
Episode 9 – What happens when you mess with the future
Episode 13 – Life, death and disablement
Episode 14 – The photogenic vampire
Episode 15 – Interview with a stalker
Dear Diary,
“Let’s skip this bit,” says Jade, as the camera focuses on Blazer’s confused face. I obligingly click along the video progress bar, but not before taking another second to savour the fear in Blazer’s eyes.
“What was wrong with that guy anyway?” asks Shane, but his question is ignored when I get to the later part of the video and Shane’s face appears on the screen. Jade starts cooing over him and how “cute” he looks on camera. It’s like she wasn’t even there watching him do it in real life. Speaking of which,
Note to self: Never do a TV interview without first checking a mirror. Why didn’t Jade tell me my hair was sticking up like that??
Update: Just asked Jade. She said she thought I was going for “increased volume”.
Note to self: Carry mirror.
Everyone’s in a celebratory mood. Layla is investigating the cupboard where we keep the wine (organised according to Katie’s system of classification by colour, region and year).
I’m itching to sneak off and find Adam. I can’t wait to hear what he has to say about my performance in the final task. Half of me is bursting with pride over my amazing luck with the live TV thing. The other half is desperately scared that he’ll say it was too public and flamboyant. Perhaps secret agents shouldn’t appear on television. What if I’ve sabotaged my whole career before it even starts?
But I can’t desert the party. With the nervous jitters, I end up drinking far more wine than I should. Suddenly it’s past midnight and the café where I usually meet Adam will surely be closed. Oh well, might as well be hung for a sheep…
Noote top sels: Neverr drining agan.
Well, being 7th wheel turned out to be a good thing in the end. All the couples found a good reason to disappear around midnight, effectively cutting off my wine supply. Crawled into my room and passed out.
I woke late and was drawn into another kitchen party, this time with a breakfast theme. Turns out Dylan makes a mean omelette. Hangovers aren’t so bad when you’ve got fluffy eggs laid on. It was just the three of us, as Ethan and Katie had already gone out somewhere and Shane and Jade left in a taxi last night.
I suddenly feel a pang of pre-homesickness for this cosy circle of friends that I’ve built. The past couple of weeks have been hectic, but everything turned out well.
But now I’m facing yet another scary and intimidating realm of unknown. Assuming that I passed the final test, I have very little idea about what my secret agent training will encompass (I imagine magnifying glasses don’t feature greatly these days). It’s feasible to expect that it will take me far away from this little circle.
Layla notices my maudlin expression and tried to cheer me up by showing me pictures of the football match. As per usual, she’s captured some brilliant moments: hard-core fans in mid roar, a girl checking her phone in the midst of leaping crowd, and there…. no, it can’t be!
Is that Adam?
On the bus to the café, I’m feeling much restored by the breakfast and my hurried shower. I’m hugging my phone with the picture of Adam on it to me like a schoolgirl with a crush. (Pretty much what I am, come to think of it.) There was only one photo of him. I think Layla was slightly taken aback by the way I demanded that she should send it to me instantly, but she did. And now I have it. Solid proof that he was there tracking my progress.
And in a side note, when I’m a secret agent, I’m going to have to employ Layla to come along on missions with me. Her camera captures all the important details that I miss in real life.
And with that thought, the old cycle of worry returns. Was it cheating to have accepted help from my friends? It was never explicitly forbidden, and I never told Layla or the others anything about the missions. Hopefully they just think I’m adorably quirky. But still, the fact remains that I would have failed miserably without them.
While turning this over in my mind, I’ve reached the café. Lost in thought, I stand pulling stupidly on the handle for a couple of moments, wondering why the door is so stiff.
Then I realise. The café is closed.
Just as panic starts to set in, a hand touches my shoulder. Warm tingles slither down my spine. I don’t even need to turn to know that it’s Adam.
“Hey Sophie,” His expression is grave. “Let’s go to my place.”
To his PLACE!
Turns out he lives in a student dorm on campus. Wait, scrap that. This ridiculously tidy room is obviously just a campus base for him. No room with an actual guy living in it could be this clean.
He invites me to sit in the only chair and I do. He settles on the bed facing me.
“You were there!” I blurt. Damn, I was going to play it cool.
The corner of his mouth turns up. “Yes, yes I was.”
“Did you see the interview?”
“Not directly, but afterwards of course.”
“And…?”
“And you ought to carry a mirror.”
My jaw drops and I gape at him. He looks back steadily for a couple of moments, and then his face cracks into a huge grin. “I’m KIDDING Sophie, I mean, yes your hair was a bit messy but it didn’t change the fact that you SMASHED it!”
I look at him in hope. “Really?”
“Absolutely! Top marks all around. Great touch putting Blazer on TV. He’ll be totally discredited now. The laughing stock of the industry. Shouldn’t think we’ll see him in the field again any time soon. If ever. Seriously, well done, Sophie.”
I grin like an idiot. “So it didn’t matter that I appeared on TV? I was a bit worried about that afterwards.”
H shakes his head. “You were a faceless interviewer at a student game. Blazer was the one acting weirdly. I mean, the dude could have at least tried to answer your questions.”
“Think I caught him a bit off-guard.”
“Yes, from what I hear, you literally caught him. You’ve got some guts, Sophie. Throwing yourself at him like that. He could have had a gun or a knife.”
That’s a sobering thought. “Well, I had a camera crew right behind me… It didn’t seem like he’d try anything violent in such an exposed situation.”
Adam’s nodding his head. “And that’s exactly why you’re well-suited for this work. You can read situations quickly. You anticipate people’s behaviour based on their interests and motives.”
I squirm a little. “Actually Adam, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“If you’re having second thoughts about this life, I can understand-“
“No, it’s not that. It’s more, well… I have to confess…” I look at my shoes. “I haven’t EXACTLY been doing the tasks on my own. I’ve had help.”
To my surprise, Adam doesn’t even blink. He nods again. “I know. We even arranged for some of that help.” Turning to the wardrobe in the corner, he calls, “You can come out now.”
The wardrobe door opens and out steps… Ethan. Whaaaaaaaat?
“Hey Sophie,” He waves sheepishly and then joins Adam sitting on the bed.
“You were…you KNEW!” I feel like I’ve been punk’d.
Ethan holds up his hands to show innocence. “Wasn’t my idea to deceive you Sophie, and I didn’t like doing it. Couldn’t really go against the boss here though.” He thumbs towards Adam.
“But you said you didn’t want to join the guys at The Future because you prefer being a lone wolf!”
He pushes his glasses up his nose. “No, I said I didn’t want to join The Future because I already knew more than any of them, AND because I prefer being a lone wolf. And the latter statement is entirely accurate. I do prefer it. I’m just not so ‘lone’ in my working habits at present.”
I’m shaking my head at his slippery answer when Adam joins the discussion. “To be fair to him Sophie, Ethan wasn’t in on it at the start. We were impressed when you managed to track him down and we decided it was better for him to remain a part of the testing procedure. It was very helpful for us to be able to control what information you received and to see how you reacted to it.”
I’m still feeling a little indignant, remembering how Ethan ‘fed’ me the info about Blazer, but I try to suppress it. I suppose Ethan fooling me wasn’t any different to what I was doing to my other friends. “But you know, Ethan wasn’t the only person who helped me…”
Adam nods, “Yes but the others didn’t have any idea what they were helping you with. From what Ethan reports, you were very astute in recruiting people to your cause without disclosing the real reason why you needed their help.”
“That’s true. And now they probably all think I’m a bit weird...”
Ethan snorts. “In that household? You’re probably the most normal one in the flat.”
Adam grins. “I’d like to meet your flatmates. But the main point here is that you’ve proven yourself to be resourceful, you can think on your feet, and you’re able to make use of your contacts without endangering the mission. As far as I’m concerned, you passed all the tests with flying colours.”
I swallow. “So what does that mean? For my future?”
Adam glances at Ethan, then looks back at me. “You’ve got a job. If you want one, Sophie. But as I’ve explained before, it doesn’t come without a price. You’ll be a potential target from the moment you sign the contract. What Ethan just said about you being normal – that won’t apply anymore. You’ll be the opposite of normal. And I mean for the rest of your life. It’s not the kind of career you can ever truly retire from.”
I look at Ethan. “Is this what you’ve chosen?”
Ethan frowns and shakes his head. “Not exactly. I’m more of an independent contractor. I have skills in a specific field and Adam calls on me when he needs them. It’s very rare for me to do anything away from a computer screen. This was a special case because I had already made contact with you.” His cheeks redden. “And then I met Katie at your place…” he trails off.
Adam frowns. “Sophie, this is important. It’s not ideal to develop feelings while on a job like this. In Ethan’s case it was of some benefit that he got into a relationship with your flatmate, but it could also have been feigned, without any feelings on his side. Emotions tend to blind you and you must learn to harden yourself to them.” He looks directly at me. “But that’s something you’ll learn more about during your training. So do you have an answer for me already, Sophie? Or would you like some more time to think about it?”
I hesitate, but in my heart, I know that I did all of my thinking long ago. I’ve felt great the past couple of weeks. Better than I can ever remember feeling, in fact. Part of the reason is thanks to my new friends. But a bigger part is due to the stimulation of having puzzles to solve and a mission that actually mattered. I’ve been challenged and stretched, and I have to say that I like the sensation of living on the edge.
Plus, there’s the question of my parents’ murder. If I say no, will I ever discover what really happened to them?
I raise my eyes to Adam. “I don’t need any more time. I’m ready to answer right away.”
“So what will it be?”
“I’ll take it.”
Adam’s face crinkles into a warm smile and he rises, holding out his hand. “Excellent, Sophie! I’m happy to welcome you to the team.”
I stand too, and we shake very formally. Adam’s hand is warm. I don’t want to let go of it.
Ethan also rises and claps me on the back, breaking the spell. “Nice one, Sophie. Looking forward to working more with you.”
My mind goes back to Adam’s expression, the moment when I said I would join. It might be the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen. Does it mean he’s glad that I joined? He said he’d be there to meet me at the airport later. I hope it means he’s coming too, wherever I’m going.
But even if he’s not, I know I’ll be alright. The future is uncertain, but I’ve come to prefer it that way. How boring to always know what’s coming! I’d rather live in suspense. After all, it’s the natural state for a Detectress like me.
Until next time, Dear Diary…
This piece is the final part of an original series, written for Steemit by @Victoria-Kelly. Thanks for reading!
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