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He leaned against the wall, staring at the large white building across the street. A swirl of emotions danced across his face, giving him an almost pained look. His heart quickened in his chest, and he involuntarily placed his hand against its rhythmic beats. He wished he hadn’t come, but there was nothing that would excuse him from this assignment.

A silver minivan drove past, momentarily blocking his view of the building. It seemed familiar, and out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw the driver waving in earnest. He glanced over his shoulder for a second look, but it had already turned into a parking lot and disappeared from view. He brushed it out of his mind and continued watching the building, waiting for a signal from his contact.

He had been sitting in the sweltering heat for nearly forty-five minutes. Something must be wrong. He was told this assignment would only take a quarter of an hour, however, the rules of assignments dictated that he remain at the scene until an hour had elapsed. This would give the infiltrator extra time if any unforeseen problems should arise. He glanced at his phone to check the time again and noticed the driver from the van walking his way.

He recognized her and knew he had two options. He could turn and run, or he could blow the whole assignment and acknowledge the woman walking towards him. If he engaged in conversation with anyone during an assignment he would be put on the red list and punished accordingly. They were always watching, always listening. He decided to run.

He took one last look at the white building before he began running down the street. A petite, blond woman had finally emerged from the front doors in a simple, white gown. A crown of daisies rested lightly on her head, and a sad smile pulled at the corners of her rosebud lips. A single glistening tear had caught the light, and for a brief moment, it sparkled like a diamond. His resolve almost faltered when he saw it was his sister, Mariella, being paraded across the grounds, hands tied tightly behind her back. Six men in brown robes guarded her, hedging her way against any attempt to flee.

The sight of Mariella stopped him in his tracks, but he quickly remembered the consequences and ran on. In his moment of panic, he missed the signal from his contact, making it now impossible to fulfill his end of the agreement. He seethed with anger and frustration. He realized, as he ran, that this assignment had been a set up. He had now become a pawn, trapped in the ironclad fist of the secret society he had hoped would be his means of freeing Mariella. When he was a safe distance from the building, he stopped running and pulled out his phone. He pushed nine and hit send. An icy voice gave him a set of coordinates. With a heavy heart began his long trek to the society that would own him for the next ten years of his life.