CHAPTER 1
The girl was found three days later.
Alive—but not the same.
She didn't remember her name. She didn't recognize her parents. And when the doctors asked what had happened inside the school… she just stared at them as if they didn't exist.
Then she collapsed.
Two days later, another student went missing.
***
"Ouch! It hurts!" screamed Kai.
Eliza stamped the stick against the ground. "We've been doing the same thing for a week and you still haven't got it, have you, Kai?"
"Obviously not, Tia!" Kai groaned. "I just came home from school tired. I need to rest."
"Come on, Kai, you've got this," Aria said, trying to encourage him.
"I don't!" Kai cried dramatically.
Sienna leaned toward Aria and whispered, "Don't pay attention to him. He's just creating a fuss. This crow pose isn't even that difficult."
"Mom, why are we even doing all this? It's not even Sports Week yet," Theo asked.
He paused, then added with a grin, "Are we preparing for a fight?"
Everyone burst into laughter.
From the corner, Lara quietly poured tea into a cup, her gaze fixed on them—but her mind clearly somewhere else.
"Ellie… Felix…" she said softly.
Eliza looked up. "What is it?"
Lara hesitated for a moment, then exhaled slowly. "I think it's time."
Kai immediately sat up. "Break time!" he said with a sigh of relief.
Lara smiled faintly. "Not exactly."
She looked at all of them carefully.
"Didn't you all want to know how the four of us met?"
"Yes!" all the children shouted at once.
"Ellie, I think we should give them a break and let them come inside so we can talk properly," Lara said.
"Why not? My kids also wanted to know how I met their father," Eliza replied
with a smile.
***
Inside the living room, everyone settled onto the sofas. The atmosphere had changed—there was excitement, but also curiosity.
A brief silence followed.
Felix finally spoke. "So… where should we begin?"
"I think from the first day of school," Leo said.
"What the freaking holy cakes!" Aria shouted.
"What do you mean, from the first day of school? Have you all been together since kindergarten or something?"
Felix chuckled. "No."
"Since the last year of senior high," Lara clarified.
"Oh…" Aria muttered, embarrassed.
Kai made a dramatic flashback sound effect.
Lara shook her head slightly, smiling. "It was the 3rd of June," she began.
"I was relaxing with Agent Raven."
"Who is Agent Raven, Mom?" Sienna asked.
"That was me," Eliza replied. "We were government agents working undercover."
Theo's eyes widened. "Really?"
"And your dad?" Sienna asked.
"A spy," Eliza added.
"Wow… our parents were so cool!" Theo said excitedly.
Lara let out a soft laugh. "Should I continue?"
"Yes!" Kai shouted eagerly.
Lara's Point of View
We were fast asleep when our handler barged into the room.
We didn't move.
After the last mission, we were completely exhausted. Even if the world ended, I don't think we would have woken up.
But he knew exactly how to get us out of bed.
"Look! Someone bought waffles!" he shouted.
That did it.
We jumped out of bed instantly, as if those waffles were the last ones on Earth.
When we realized the truth… I was furious.
I really wanted to slap him.
But obviously, I couldn't.
Agent Raven crossed her arms. "What is so important that you had to bribe us to wake us up?"
"There's a new mission," he said calmly.
Nothing is more important than my sleep, I muttered to myself.
"This one is," he replied, as if he had heard me.
That made me pause.
"There's a school—Andrew High School," he continued. "Recently, several students have gone missing."
"Well, that's a big problem," Raven said.
"And some of them returned," he added.
I frowned. "Returned?"
"But not the same."
Something about his tone made my stomach tighten.
"They don't remember anything. Some suffer from memory loss. Others… can't even stand properly."
A pause.
"And some didn't survive."
Silence filled the room.
"So… what's the plan?" I asked quietly.
"You're going undercover," he said. "As students and teachers."
"Your admission has already been arranged," he continued. "Agent Raven, you need to attend your interview for the position of Economics teacher. Prepare like your life depends on it."
Raven nodded.
"And me?" I asked.
"You'll be a student."
Too easy, I thought.
"You'll also be the cheer captain."
That made me raise an eyebrow.
"And…" he added, "you'll be dating someone."
"Excuse me?" I said sharply.
"He's an agent from another branch. Code name: Onyx."
I leaned back. "Why do I have to date him?"
"If you're seen together often, no one will suspect anything. You'll just look like a normal couple."
Great. Fake romance.
"There's also a third member joining you," he continued. "A government spy."
"What should we call him?" Raven asked.
"Vesper."
Something about that name didn't sit right with me.
"Study everything," the handler said, placing files on the table. "Layout, CCTV blind spots, student records. I want results."
That night, Raven and I went through every document.
Every missing student.
Every report.
And that's when we found it.
A pattern.
It was too precise to be a coincidence.
First a girl.
Then, within 48 hours—a boy.
All between 15 and 18.
All either exceptionally talented… or physically strong.
Raven looked at me. "This isn't random."
"No," I said slowly.
"It's planned."
I stared at the list again.
This isn't just a kidnapping.
And for the first time…
I felt something was very, very wrong.