COLLABORATIVE POST Between World Traveler & Avanhelsing

Like clockwork Devin woke up at the strike of 0500 hours. Having grown up with a military father Devin was raised with a morning regiment starting at the age of 8. After he woke up the young man left the warmth of his bed and took to changing into his workout clothes. A simple thermal under armor thermal top and bottom along with some basketball shorts. He paired it with a ragged pair of running shoes and was off. Once he made his way to the ground floor he started to do some morning stretching.

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Jack usually was not the type to wake up so early, but the night before had changed his mine on all of that. He had spent most of the night awake in his own world thinking about everything. The world was basically on his shoulder to succeed. He needed to show the world that he was more than his father’s illegitimate child. So around 500 hours Jack just gave up and decided to go out for a run. It would be a good way for him to go for an early run. He pulled on his running shorts and a simple black t-shirt. As he went down the stairs noticing the young man from before. Jack nodded his head to the guy. “So, are you going for a run then? Mind if I join you? Never did catch your name.” Jack said stretching his arms as he waited for the other kid.

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Devin was a little surprised to hear other students up at the same time as him. Back home everyone just looked like he had escaped an insane asylum when he mentioned his normal wake up time. Still considering he was going to a military academy on steroids he shouldn't be surprised there were other early morning people sharing a dorm with him. The student he first saw was Jack. They hadn't shared more than a few words last night, but he seemed level headed enough.

"Devin. You are Jack right?" Devin met his arm for a handshake. "Yea every morning. A run is sort of ingrained into my life at this point. Doesn't feel right without it. Wouldn't mind some company. Keep pace with 7 minute?"

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Jack raised an eybrow at Devin. He had honestly expected to the the only person who was awake at this god awful hour. Most people would be still in bed but Jack needed the time to focus his thoughts. This run was the perfect way to do that. This was his usual time to think alone. Now he had someone to run with him and he wasn't going to turn it down. Sure this had been the same kid who had walked right past him the night before but the bygones were exactly that.

"Pleasure to finally meet you, Devin. I must admit I thought I would be alone. I can keep up with a Seven pace. My best is somewhere around 6:30 but that was a fluke." He said as he motioned for them to start. "So Devin, what brought you to this island? Family?" He asked to test the waters with the other kid.

---

Keeping himself limber while Jack caught up to his stretching the conversation was kept light. "Treat to meet you too... I'm not likely to be the one pushing you past your best. Especially on my first day back since traveling to get here." Devin said. He then got somewhat uncomfortable when Jack brought up the reasons for him attending the school. "Well it was a debate between my parents. Mom wants this dad wants something else. They said it was up to me." Devin gave a shrug and the two started towards the exit with Jack.

"Now it feels like it is a damned if I do and damned if I don't sort of deal." Devin was able to collect himself and carry himself out of the building with a ready for action pop in his step. "Weather will be what we are running away from more than the hour so I figure we keep it sharp on the pace. I'll round us to a 8 for the first two and see if we can go to 7:30 for the next few?" Devin jumped high a few times to get ready and then set off with Jack.

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Jack didn't exactly want to press the issue but something bothered him about this kid. Cheerful people always scared him but Devin seemed decent enough. He was going to file his worries away for a later day. "I am not going to use my first day run as some dick measuring contest. I am not that kind of guy." He said as he waited for Devin to be ready for the run. "Hmmm... Interesting. Father always told me that 'The Fletchers have been here since the founding and so shall you.'" Jack said mimicking a rather decent upper class English accent. "So here I am." He said shifting back to the more neutral American accent.

Jack nodded his head. "I know how that is. I have to get through this place or else I am basically ending the family line. " He mused as they started running. "I'll just follow your pace for this. I need something to clear my mind and I figure that a run will do it." He said as he kept pace with Devin. "So what do you think about our fellow students?" He asked to deal with the silence of the run.

---

Devin stalled his questions for Jack after hearing he had a legacy family connection. He figured he finally found someone who could answer his questions, but again the run wasn't the place to do it. When the conversation finally started up again Devin figured he could focus on it and the run.

"Seem fine. Though considering one is already on the out who knows." Devin saw they were reaching the outer gate of the campus and so they turned left to follow the wall along the outside. He saw the ocean again and enjoyed the smell of morning dew and sea salt.

"That Sunny person seems a bit odd." At this point Devin tried to give a shrug only it looked like he was running silly for a moment. " I only really had the energy to talk to a few and it ended up being Nikki and Kat. I may not have had the longest flight to get here, but the travel damage was done." Devin figured the conversation could continue as they hadn't matched their first mile yet. "What about you?"

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Jack had always tried his best to hide his connection to the school. It was not that big of a deal if he really thought about it. Still, he did not want anyone to think that he was up to something or was getting some sort of free treament. He didn't want anyone to think since he was a legacy that the school was going to be easy for him.

"I have no idea what I was thinking about them. I spoke to about... One of them since they were oddly silent with me. I mean I talked to one of them and it was very short. " He said as he kept up with Devin. It felt like this was normal for once in his life. "I spent a short ride and no flight. Father wanted to give me the "Family Name " lecture before we got going. " Jack said trusting that Devin would help them keep pace.

---

"Well count me as jealous." Devin said falling in behind Jack. He had a few things he was going to say so he figured it would be easier to speak forward and follow. "The yacht may have showed the school doesn't spare any expense, but my folks didn't check the flight details. I ended up stuck at JFK for about four hours." The two then shifted as the walls came back around and they continued.

"Considering the one who traveled the furthest was the most energetic it may be a lame duck reason, but I had to force myself to come back down just to cook top ramen for dinner. Plus you missed most of the whole deal before the french toast BS. Count yourself lucky on that." Devin checked their time. "Pace up." he said as he figured the two could continued to run at a 7:30 pace.

"I know most of the team was also measuring everyone else up." Devin couldn't help but give a snicker. "Sounds obvious but I think a lot of people at this school are always playing poker if you know what I mean." He then passed Jack and set his speed to the 7:30 mile to give him a chance to talk without having to turn his head.

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"It was not all that great. My father basically gave me the speech to keep me in the school. I wish that I could be a normal kid but that is next to impossible with me." Jack complained as he kept pace with Devin. It felt nice to be running with someone. This pace felt nice and he figured that the pair of them could keep this pace up if they tried. He figured that this run would keep his mind off the stress in his life.

Jack ran up to keep next to Devin. He didn't want to fall behind since he truly did not know where the island was set up. It all felt so new right now. "I heard that thing about the toast... Why would anyone not say that it is French. It is in the name..." He mused as he looked towards the sea as they ran. This was going to be an interesting day. The run was just the start of the very interesting day.

Nikki’s eyes fluttered open, the light streaming in through her window. After trying the ramen that Devin made (it wasn’t anything special, but very salty as expected), and snacking on some of the candy that Kat had offered everyone, she retreated to her room and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Yawning as she sat up in bed, Nikki had hoped to feel refreshed after a good nights sleep but instead felt groggy and a little nauseous as she thought about her first day of studies. What was the Dutch girl in for? She had no idea.

Climbing out of bed, she headed to her closet to change into the uniform that was neatly hung in the same place it was when she got here. It reminded her of the shirt and skirt she’d wear to Catholic school, and the mere thought of that horrifying place made her cringe. Walking into her bathroom, she started her daily morning routine. Her skincare regimen included too many products, but since she had such pale skin, it was extremely necessary. Her mother still looked as though she was in her thirties, and her secret was a good moisturizer, so Nikki followed suit. She brushed her teeth and began applying her makeup, at least attempting to try and look presentable on the first day. Nikki needed to make a good impression, after all, and let everyone know she somehow had her life together. Pulling her hair up into a ponytail, the girl seemed to be satisfied with her appearance.

Nikki exited the room and headed downstairs to the kitchen where she was met face to face with Shiro and- a new girl? The blonde assumed she had arrived very late last night after she had gone to sleep. “Good morning,” Nikki said in a quieter tone, grabbing some cereal from the cabinet and milk from the fridge. “Hi there, I’m Nikki,” She said to the new girl with a kind smile. Perusing the list that was left on the countertop, the girl mentally noted to go back upstairs to grab her gun. "Sounds like a packed day. Better eat a good breakfast." she stated, taking a bite of her cereal.

Garrett had been up since nearly 3. Wasn't his first choice, but his body had spoken. Eight hours of sleep had been gotten, it was time to get up and do things. So naturally the first thing he did was lay in bed. This didn't last long, of course. Once Garrett realized that going back to sleep wouldn't happen anytime soon, he got up, and set about unpacking his things. As he worked, he pondered the future. And really just how well he'd fit in here. He didn't know any language beside his native one, he wasn't a smooth talker, nor was he good with electronics...

He was smart enough that the academics of the school didn't phase him. But actual spy work? Well, perhaps he could still be of some use. After all, who said spies had to be subtle and non-lethal? Either way, he'd make it work. That'd always been what his Grandfather taught him. When you're not sure how to proceed, throw everything you got at the wall, see what sticks. If nothing sticks, find a glue gun. After a while, he heard the sounds of life outside his door. Seems like the others were beginning to wake up. He pulled on his jeans, a pair of socks, his favorite button-up shirt, and finally a light jacket. It was cold this time of year, especially for someone who grew up in the far south like he did. He walked downstairs towards the kitchen, having heard voices alerting him to the presence of other students.

There was a new one present. A girl, one he hadn't seen last night. As well as the Japanese kid and the dutch girl. He raised a hand in greeting as he walked past, heading for the fridge. "Morning folks." Garrett opened the fridge, and started poking around to size up breakfast options. "Don't suppose y'all'd know if they got anything for a decent 'murican breakfast?"

Sunny was awaken by the sound of chirping birds. She rubbed her eyes and the first things she saw was two cute little brown-colored birds perched on her windowsill. She stretched and stood up to move closer to the open window without making the birds go away. She basked in the soft morning light, relishing in the warmth it brings which made her remember all of her memories about her organization, her family, and all of them are good. Just thinking about them made Sunny a bit sad, her heart aching for their embrace, the laugh everyone makes whenever Tita Alice would crack a joke, and of course the wonderful scent of Mama Linda's home-cooked adobo. Still, she is grateful that they trusted her to go to this exclusive academy, and Sunny made a promise to them that she won't let them down.

She went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. After that, she looked at herself in the mirror. She wears an very large white t-shirt that ends at her knees that says "KEEP CALM AND CATCH 'EM ALL" with a Pokeball at the center and pink short shorts. She tied her hair in a loose bun and was about to leave the room to go downstairs that she remembered she's now living with other men and realized she forgot to wear underwear beneath her clothes. She quickly solved the problem and, with one final look in the mirror, went downstairs.

Garrett was there, rummaging in the fridge while muttering about having some 'decent 'murican breakfast'. "Top of the morning to you lads!", she said in an Irish accent (she's working on it) while stretching her arms and yawning. Then she saw Nikki along with Shiro who she thought was really cute especially when he looks like he just woke up. She tried not to stare too hard at him, fearing she'll see her blush, and noticed another newcomer at the kitchen. "Oooh, we have a new classmate", Sunny said and approached the newcomer with a warm smile. "Hey girl! The name's Sunny but you can call me Sun for short. Please excuse me because I'm not really much of a morning person and my brain can't function well without any breakfast", Sunny shyly said to the new girl. "But please don't be afraid to ask any questions! We'll try to answer them as best as we can", she added. She reached out for a banana at a fruit basket near Shiro and, noticing a note was left at the table, sat down beside him to read it. "Academics? In the morning?", she said in disbelief. "Well, looks like I'm in for quite a school year. Here's hoping my brain won't go haywire from all the math we'll learn this year", she said as she raised her banana before opening it to eat it.

Sunny went back to reading the note while eating her banana. "Aww, poor Chris. Wonder what happened to him? I hope he's doing okay", she said. "Oh and it says right here we can explore the island after all our classes! Don't know about you guys but I'm down exploring the new place. Tell me if you guys are interested so we can go together, okay?", she said to the people present, half-expecting for Shiro to be interested in joining her.

@Agent 47@Soph123@EchoesofOld@melissahart

Randy oversleeps and then heads down to the cafeteria. "Sure I could use some food." I like America, it's basically like South Africa all colonial and such." He tries to find a seat. "Look I'm sorry I've been spaced out. When you got a mug like me, it's easy to be forgotten so what is everybody up today? I mean it's still the first week so we can screw off still right?" He asks if anybody has a map of any secret places to mess around in. "Hey that's the first week in a nutshell everywhere right?" He looks around for validation. "Right Dominique is it?" He says.

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Dominique’s ocean blue eyes opened slowly as the quiet alarm on her phone echoed through the room. She blindly reached over to the side table and felt around a bit before locating her device, turning off the alarm with the quick swipe of her finger. Laying her phone back down on the side table, she stretched out her arms and rolled her neck with a yawn. Once she was actually somewhat awake, the ginger haired girl sat up in her bed and moved her legs over the side. Time for the standard morning routine.

Looking out of her window, she saw the sun’s light just beginning to grace the sky. Dominique glanced down to her clock and inhaled deeply. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for her to be up at such an hour, but that didn’t mean she had to enjoy it. With a reluctant sort of motivation, the ginger paced out to the kitchen quietly in her plaid pajama bottoms and white tank top. Food was on the top of her to-do list, though it wouldn’t take much to get her going. The only thing she really needed was some toast and green tea.

Walking into the kitchen, the half-awake ginger nodded to the other students that were present before making her way to the pantry. Inside, she pulled out a loaf of brown bread and a jar of peanut butter before making her way back over to the counter. After placing not one, not two, but precisely three pieces of bread into the toaster she walked back to her room to retrieve her own personal green tea. There was only one brand she really enjoyed, and she’d made sure to pack enough for a least a little while at the school. Perhaps she’d get some more from her parents as a gift.

As she made her way back, she saw Sunny glancing at Shiro once again and couldn’t help but smirk. The ginger walked casually up behind her and whispered gently in her ear before walking back over to the stove with a sly grin on her face.

“It was destined to be, Sunny.”

Not ten minutes later, the ginger had finished her toast and was in the process of finishing off her mug of tea. Her morning almost always ran like clockwork. She was about to make her way back to her dorm but stopped a moment, turning to the group.

“If anyone wants to join me, I’m heading to the pool to do a few laps.”

The ginger haired girl returned to her dorm and closed the door, retrieving her black, one-piece swimsuit from her drawer. After putting it on, she pulled on a hoodie over her head and wrapped a towel around her waist for the walk over. Given that she lacked sandals, Dominique resorted to walking the entire distance bare-foot.

A mere thirty minutes after she’d woken up, Dominique stood at the edge of the pool in her swimsuit. Her hair had been tied back into a bun and was now hidden under a swim cap that matched the rest of her attire. Carefully sliding on her goggles, she tapped one of her wireless earbuds and started her music, before looking down at the second hand on her watch. She counted down in her head before diving into the pool. The water was rather frigid, but also refreshing at the same time and served to further wake her up. It was going to be a good first day.

Honey gave a short wave and small smile to the blond who introduced herself as Nikki, "I'm Honey". Next a perky girl came up to her an introduced herself as Sunny/Sun. She claims that she's not much a morning person, yet she already seemed more happy and perky than anyone else in the kitchen. Honey then looked at the boy who said his name was Shiro and was glad to have instructions on the table; she really appreciated rules and guidelines. She took note of the letter from the Headmaster and suddenly got excited and nervous for the day ahead of her, because she would finally be able to do the real spy stuff that she had heard about for her whole childhood.

She noticed more and more people entering the kitchen and got nervous about meeting so many new students. Honey decided to just smile at any new person she saw and then continue on her way. She needed to eat breakfast first anyway so that she can get ready for her first day. She was only hungry for a couple pieces of toast with butter and salt on them. She ate them quite quickly and walked back to her room where she started to unpack her things and put on her uniform for the day. She sat on her bed scannning her current empty room and smiled to herself at the potential for a great 4 years of Spy highschool

"I second that." Garrett poked his head out from behind the fridge door, before closing it and revealing the apple in his hand. "Always a good idea to get the lay of the land first and foremost."

With the fixings on hand, Garrett knew it was only a matter of time before he was gonna fix up pancakes for the lot of em. He took a bite out of his apple as he watched the other students for a moment, then turned around and began fixing up a pot of Coffee. Lifeblood of the universe, and way cheaper than Starbucks. Once the coffee was started, he turns and leans against the counter, and asked the room at large, "So, how long do yall think it'll be before they send us on an actual mission?"

“It was destined to be, Sunny.”

Sunny gasped, wide-eyed, as she heard what Dominique had whispered to her. Anybody who is not blind can definitely see her blush now. She shoot evil glares at her, imagining herself shooting lasers at the French girl as Dominique was going out into the pools. She remembered that they have combat training today and mentally laughed evilly. Prepare yourself, woman. Humanda ka sakin. But right now, I need a tactical retreat, she thought to herself. Feeling embarrassed in front of a boy she likes was definitely a new thing for her 'cause usually it's the other way around during her missions. Even though she's mortified at the moment, she can't help but feel excited and giddy about it.

She cleared her throat. "I, uh, I must excuse myself. No, please excuse me for I m- well I need to escape- go back, yes. I need to go back to my room to... take a shower. Yep that's what I'll do, I'm totally not nervous about Shiro- anything or anyone. Just... casually going back upstairs to get ready for school. Hehehe", she stammered. She threw her banana peel and drank some water before going back upstairs while mentally slapping herself in the face for being an idiot.

Once there, Sunny closed the door and the windows before throwing her clothes all over the floor and get her things for bath time. Sunny was about to turn on the water when she felt the sudden call of nature. She felt relieved that she's able to poop before going to school. Pooping at the school itself creates a lot of anxiety for her because for some reason, she feels embarrassed when there are people around while she does "the thing". It's also hassle-free as she might miss some lessons or important announcements from her teachers while she's in the comfort room

After doing "the thing" and making sure the smell is gone, she played music on her cellphone and placed it at the counter as she started showering. She would use her shampoo container as a microphone as she lip-syncs with her music while dancing like a lunatic. Sunny always felt that the bathroom is the only place for her to be herself without anyone judging her (of course you are alone in your own bathroom but still). It's a good thing the girls don't share a bathroom because they will absolutely think that she's on drugs when they're all taking a shower at the same time. She's pretty wild that way.

She turned the water off and picked her towel to wipe herself dry after she felt squeaky clean and refreshed from the relaxing shower. She brushed her teeth while her music still continued to play, pausing at some moments when the chorus came in as she used her toothbrush as a microphone instead to lip-sync again. She was wondering if she will put on make-up today as she gargled and wiped her mouth before wrapping her towel around her. It is pretty important to create a good first impression especially for school. On the other hand, whatever you look at it, it is still school so it's almost unnecessary for a student to put make-up on in the first place. She continued to ponder about this as she blow-dried her hair and sat at her bed. Only when she felt that her hair was dry that she laid in bed.

While staring at the ceiling, Sunny also can't help but think about her classmates. Each of them are unique in their own ways and all of them are pretty interesting. She's excited about getting to know her dorm-mates better as time goes by because all the members of the Lakambini are much older than her and this is her first time living with people her age. Sunny's definitely excited in spending time with Shiro more often and is also looking forward on spending time with the others as well. Speaking of Shiro, the others would definitely notice she took a liking to the Japanese boy. She thought about this and decided to set aside her crush for him until she knew the person better. If there's one thing she learned from her missions is that there's more to something that meets the eye.

"And Shiro is definitely pleasing to the eye", Sunny said outloud to herself. "Devin and Jackson seem pretty cute too. I think my tricks won't work on them or on everyone in this dorm for that matter. Seems like this is the perfect opportunity to experiment", she said as she smiled mischievously.

She looked at the clock on her cellphone. Realizing she still has some time, she decided to lay in bed and stare at the ceiling some more to reflect and take a breather from talking with the others. Sunny never knew a social butterfly like her would feel anxiety from meeting and talking with new people until now. This year is definitely full of firsts for her.

Devin was dripping sweat by the time they had returned to their building. In more than a few spots the cliff side was more mountainous than expected and the hills had given him and Jake a hard fought battle. The two never got competitive; however, neither gave an inch as normal male egos always crawl into the work out. Taking his water bottle which he had left by the door and his towel he gave Jack a good nod of the head and said "Good run man. Same time tomorrow?"

He then followed up with a goodbye and the two made their own way inside. After walking in Devin saw a few people were awake. He saw dishes thrown about the kitchen and several dirty coffee mugs. He then made his way to his room and then the shower. Coming out not 15 minutes later he felt completely refreshed and ready for whatever the day was going to throw his way. Walking back to his room and then to the kitchen he found some basic makings for a quick eat and started on it.

As everyone continued to wake up and get ready each of them could count on seeing Devin in the kitchen cooking or later consuming a bowl of oatmeal. He may have been a little too generous with the brown sugar, but all in all it was no different than the breakfast cereal he would have eaten if he was home. He would give them a simple friendly nod along with a "good morning" Those who he remembered he would toss a name in as well and those he didn't he would reintroduce himself.

While starting to clean up Devin found a small packet in one of the drawers. The packet seemed interesting enough as it looked to be some type of manual or walk through. A quick skim of the first page told Devin that he was holding the owners manual of the smart home system installed in the dormitory. A few pages in he started to get some fun ideas and began to play around with it.

Within minutes Devin was getting the smart house to tell him what the weather was going to be like (Cold and wet in the morning with possible sun in the afternoon.) Along with telling a few jokes and even singing. Finally he got a little bored and left the leaflet out for the others. He also set the house to start playing music in the Kitchen.

"The time is now 7:15 AM" the house suddenly spoke.

"Shit I thought I set it to only notify me in the kitchen!" Devin thought. Instead he had made the alarm a house wide announcement so it rang out in every room. Still the alarm did its job and Devin figured he should go back to his room and grab his books. He bounded up the stairs and into his room where he emerged a minute later with the school uniform on and his messenger bag full of his school supplies.

@baraquiel@EchoesofOld@Soph123@SpicyMeatball@shamrocknroll@Agent 47@melissahart@Xandrya@vertigh0st@Avanhelsing@Infernal Flame

Kat jerked awake as her alarm started it’s song of death at 7am. Angrily swatting at the stop button, she felt a frown grace her forehead as she closed her eyes for her ritual five more minutes. That is, before she realized what today was. ****! ****! Today’s the first day of S.P.I.G.A! Immediately her eyes flew open and she bounded out of bed. Always the last to wake up in a family full of morning people, she was used to rushing for school. But here, school started at 8:30. As such, even if she conserved her energy till 7:15, she would still have plenty of time before school started.

Opening her blinds she quickly made her bed and packed her bag for the day. She figured that they would probably have practical training sometime today and so she grabbed her small gym bag. Placing her sport shoes in the shoe bag, she ruffled through her sports clothes and tossed in her olive-green leggings, a strappy black sports bra and a random shirt. She grabbed her backpack and slipped her laptop, notebook, calculator and school supplies inside before she stood in front of her mirror cache. She wasn’t quite sure whether she was allowed to wear her gun holster and carry them concealed so she simply pushed Pixie and one of her Glocks into holsters she placed them in her gym bag, after ensuring the safety was on of course.

” The time is now 7:15.”

Kat damn-near jumped out of her skin as the voice emanated from out of nowhere. “Thank you… house?” she called, uncertain whether or not she needed to respond.

” You are welcome, Kat.” the house responded. Intrigued by her discovery, Kat quickly jumped into the shower and pulled on her uniform. She’d paired her shirt, white blazer, and skirt with some matt-black pantyhouse and her white and brown Oxford shoes. Looking at the time she saw that she had a little over an hour before school started. Her hair had once more regained its original state, curly with a chance at madness but Kat was too lazy to straighten it. Makeup usually followed the same mentality. Sometimes she would put in the effort but most days, like today, she went barefaced.

Just as she was coming down the stairs she saw Devin, looking like he’d just gone out for a morning run. Damn. That’s dedication, she thought as she waved good morning at him. He looked surprisingly good after a run and as much as Kat wanted to say to start a conversation, she needed her morning coffee before she could function. Nodding at the others in the room she made a beeline straight for the coffee press she has spotted earlier and put in her TOESTO Merida beans in the press. She placed her bags on a corner of the table as she went about her usual morning routine. Taken from her favorite supplier in Venezuela, the sweet, invigorating smell was just what she needed to jumpstart her day. Grabbing a mug, she dashed two teaspoons of sugar inside before pouring the coffee in and taking an appreciative sip. Feeling more away she turned to the others and smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry… I need my coffee before any interactions otherwise I become a monotone robot. Spotting a new girl she waved at her before introducing herself, “Hi! I’m Kat. What’s your name?”

As her powers of observation slowly filtered back in she noticed the sheaf of paper on the table and quickly scan through the contents. So when was lunch? she thought as she made herself some breakfast. Cracking some eggs onto the pan and picking up a slice of bread to toast she asked everyone if they wanted something. She didn’t mind cooking and they had a lot of time left before school so she wasn’t really pressed for time.

AJ's eyes slowly opened the moment her alarm went off. She immediately shut it off, feeling rather annoyed by the shrill tone that pierced through the peaceful silence within her room. After a quick stretch, AJ got up to commence her daily morning routine. She made her bed, headed to the girls' room to wash her face, and finally, she want back to her room to get dressed. Figuring she had a little bit of time to play with, AJ styled her hair up into a french braid with some shorter strands loosely framing her face. She then grabbed her make-up bag, instantly deciding to take it easy on the first day by only applying some black eyeliner and mascara. She liked experimenting with make-up every now and then, but today wasn't the day to be fooling around, not when she didn't know who she'd be meeting with either before or after class.

As AJ started to get dressed, her mind slowly drifted, preventing the young girl from paying close attention to the clothes she was putting on until she took a good look at herself in the full-size mirror.

"What is this? How the hell?"

Her expression said it all. Standing in front of the mirror, AJ questioned the practicality of her uniform given the nature of the school. Not that she had anything against the design, it just seemed like it didn't belong...

"The time is now 7:15 AM"

The unexpected announcement made AJ push such thoughts aside. She quickly slipped on her shoes before she made her way across the room to grab her books. While she wasn't running late, she would not allow herself to end up being rushing at the last minute. That just brought on unnecessary stress and goodness knew she would have to keep her mind as sharp as possible if she wanted to succeed.

A few moments later, AJ made her way downstairs, ready to grab a filling breakfast along with the rest of her classmates.

"Once around the tree...the fox is to be chasing the rabbit." Iosef mumbled absentmindedly, remembering the little story his father used, to teach him how to properly tie a tie. It was one of the few memories he had of the man that wasn't strictly about training or academics. With nimble fingers, Iosef pulled it comfortably snug around his neck. He took a moment to check his appearance in the mirror as he smoothed out his uniform. He had been awake for a few hours now and by the sounds of movement and the muffled murmurs in the hall, others were awake as well. He supposed it was getting time to join them. Grabbing up the bookbag that sat neatly beside his bedside table, Iosef did a quick mental checklist to make sure he had all that he would need for the day. Books, notebook,a knife, his two pistols, and a few pieces of bubblegum to get him through the day...you know the essentials.

“The time is now 7:15.”

The disembodied voice caused Iosef to uncharacteristically jump just as he was about leave his room. “What in the hell?” A scowl was aimed at the ceiling as if to search for the offender. Finding none, he slipped out of his room and shut the door behind him. On silent feet the long limbed student stalked down the stairs and made a beeline for the kitchen. It seemed that it had been established as the meeting place. Just as he thought much of the household was gathered either partaking in casual conversation on what the day would hold or eating breakfast and then were even those that looked as if they had just come back from a run. “Morning.” He mumbled to signify his presence. Scanning the many faces he soon found the one he was looking for. Without a word the tall teen made his way over to petite Venezuelan by the stove. He reached to tap her shoulder but hesitated choosing to clear his throat instead. What was her name again? Kat. Da, Kat was it. “Err...this is for you.” He spoke once she turned around holding out a colorfully wrapped piece of candy. She was the one that offered him candy last night and he intended on repaying her. “Take it. It is for last night. Now we are even, da?” His tone was very straight to the point and left little room for an argument, his gaze was hard as he tried to judge her reaction.

The time is now 7:15.

Sunny screamed in surprise and fell down the bed as she tried to quickly stand up. She regained her composure and did her fighting stance, ready to kick some booty, but was confused as she didn't see any intruders in the house. She raised her eyebrow and scratched her head as she thought that maybe it was the house itself that made that announcement. Sunny whistled in amazement. "Ang gara naman ng bahay na 'to. Why don't we have nice things like this back home?", she said.

She shrugged and opened her closet to put on her uniform. It's kind of the only thing she doesn't like about this academy. She doesn't see the need of spy students wearing formal uniforms when challenges and missions are waiting just around the corner. Also because she's afraid of ripping her uniform and she has to pay additional fees for its repairs or buy a new one, which is kind of a hassle especially since everyone in her country, including her, has been accustomed in a frugal lifestyle. Still, she doesn't deny that she looks cute in her uniform. She decided to don her hair in twin pigtails, fun ponies style, to give that fresh, schoolgirl look.

Next, Sunny took inventory of her weapons. She guessed she doesn't need her oxygen mask since it's just the first day of their school, but she figured you can never really be sure in the world of spies so she decided to put in a secret pocket in her bag just in case. She wore her belt buckle that secretly a garrote, also just in case if she wants to randomly strangle someone. She took out her two leg pouches and strapped them on her legs, the pouch containing acupuncture needles on her right and the other pouch containing three collapsible bo-staves on her left. The pouches are quite well-hidden under her skirt and she guessed they'll be seen once she takes a seat, but she's not bothered by it at all. She thought she won't try to hide it so anyone who might see them will really guess on what's in them.

Lastly, she took out her laptop, cellphone, earphones, a note and a pen, and an apple to put them inside her bag. Sunny then went out and closed her bedroom door, waved at the others who're still in the kitchen, and once outside, spread out her arms to feel the cool morning breeze and the fresh smell of nature. Sunny skipped towards their assigned classroom, excited for whatever is in store for them this school year.

---

---

Sometime later, Sunny arrived at the majestic castle. She slow-walked and admired the structure first. She never imagined she'll see an honest to goodness castle in her life. She can only see them in the pages of a storybook and from movies of the medieval era yet here she is, standing before a castle in the flesh. "Now all we need is a prince and a dragon to call this a literal modern fairytale! Or if fate would have it, maybe I'll settle for an ogre and a talking donkey. At least their story was pretty exciting", she said to herself.

Speaking of princes, she found her very own when she entered the classroom. There he was, sitting, looking real good in his uniform and casually having his sword beside him. She's digging his "I have to slay my enemies and bring honor to my family at 10 but I need to go to school at 9" kind of get-up, which made him twice as cool, which was also kind of racist when she thought about it later on. Other princesses can have their knights in shining armor and broadswords 'cause she's definitely contented with her knight in school uniform with his samurai sword.

Then here comes the hard part: where would she sit? Choosing one might mean she'll have to stay at that spot in a semester or quite possible for a year. She can choose to sit next to Shiro, but she's quite conscious on how everyone might think of her especially after what that woman whispered to her. On the other hand, she does kinda want to sit next to the windows so she can occasionally glance outside and enjoy the beautiful view while listening to class. But if she does choose to sit next to the windows, she'll also fear of anyone sitting next to Shiro and they'll become closer as time went by. Sunny quickly thought about it and, deciding to follow her heart, sat next to Shiro. Besides, she thought she'll have lots of time to explore the island later on.

It wasn't until she sat down that she noticed the writings on the board and the weird metal thingy in front. "What kind of school has robot teachers? It's both very amazing and very ridiculous at the same time. What's next, robot cafeteria servers?" she said out loud. This place never fails to occasionally blow her mind ever since she first got here.

Downstairs in the kitchen, AJ's eyes were drawn to the bowl of apples sitting adjacent to the refrigerator. She stopped by the knife stand to grab a paring knife, small but sharp enough to be effective. A few of her classmates were present in the kitchen as well, although AJ simply chose to ignore them for the sake of time. She went on to slice her apple on the cutting board, absent-mindedly allowing her thoughts to grow distracted by what the day ahead of them might bring. Unfortunately, AJ was careless enough to the point where she accidentally cut her finger with the knife. The cut itself wasn't deep as it wasn't something that required stitches, but she would prefer to stop the bleeding. With her back still turned to everyone else, AJ began eating the slices of apple while she opened the faucet to let some of the warm water wash over her wound. She winced in pain upon contact, but otherwise gritted her teeth and remained silent.

A little bit of time had passed as AJ finished her breakfast. She put everything in the sink despite the fact that dirty dishes bothered her, but that could wait. She wasn't expecting anyone to give her any lip about it either.

Upstairs, AJ went into the ladies' room. In there, she searched through a few cabinets and drawers in search of a band-aid and it wasn't too long before she found the first-aid kit. Worried that she might be cutting it too close with time, AJ wrapped the band-aid around her finger and then headed for class, stopping by the kitchen to announce that she would take care of the dishes at a later time after school.

---

Once AJ got to the classroom, she sat in one of the chairs on the table closest to the window. She settled in and right away noticed the message sprawled on the board. AJ looked around with an expression of disbelief. Were they actually supposed to learn anything from a robot? The most it could do was probably dictate the material from some source, but even then, they could do that themselves by reading a book in their rooms.

"Is this a joke?" she said out loud, refusing to believe what was going on.