Tattoo
Chapter 1
~Silence is Golden~
It was his first day at the academy and he was not about to let himself look unprepared. Somehow, Edgar had caught the attention of his teacher's eye, in a good way, and sent a letter of recommendation to the top educational academy, The Devlin Academy for Gifted Minds, in the country. The administrative board read over the letter and accepted him as a new student. It was his big break.
Edgar Willow was not considered intelligent by any means. He had failed out of his history, language, and arithmetic classes two different times. It was his English teacher that had noticed Edgar's wonderful way with words.He was the student that sat in the back corner of every class, not opening his mouth unless called upon. He tried with all of his might to survive each and every torturous day that was thrown at him. Despite his lack of participation in class, his speech remained stunning. No, Edgar's talent did not reside in his academics; neither did they rest in sports of any kind.In fact, at this very moment, Edgar stood in front of the full body mirror in the entry way of his small apartment, wondering what sort of talent, if any, that he possessed.
Edgar glanced over his reflection, he was tall and lanky, unusually so for the age of sixteen. His head stood at approximately six feet, with an inch or two more than that. His jet black hair was gelled back; a few uncooperative strands fell over his face. A pair of bright, sparkling jade eyes stared back at him as he looked over his uniform. His thin lips grew into a polite smile. He was proud of his newly pressed black slacks and fitted coat jacket, white shirt, and red pinstriped tie; he steamed and ironed all of his own clothes. Above the left lapel of his coat, marking the place of his rapidly beating heart, was the academy's emblem. It was diamond shaped and red like his tie. There was a small black fleur-de-lis in the center of the stitched on diamond. His black shoes squeaked as he shifted his feet around. He felt uncomfortable already and he hadn't even left home yet.
"This is pathetic," he thought, sure he looked presentable. He would fit right in with the other students, at least appearance wise he would. His cowardice and stupidity would be what made him stand out like a sore thumb.
He closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. Calming himself down, he pried open a single eye to stare at his reflection once again.
"There's nothing to worry about," he spoke to himself mentally, "What's the worst thing that could happen? The students mock me, beat me up, or otherwise harm me in someway? Yeah right! These people aren't like that… at least I hope not," He let out an audible sigh, deciding that first impressions were important, he determined that actually showing up on the first day would be the best path to take. With a small amount of confidence, he bent down and picked up a small black messenger bag. It had a larger scale crest in the center of the flap, matching the emblem on his coat jacket. Edgar slung the strap over his head and laid a hand on the bag. The other hand preoccupied itself by fiddling with a pair of keys in his pocket. Before he could convince himself to stay at home, he swiftly opened his front door and closed it behind him. He locked the only entry to his small apartment and hopped down the stairs and strode down the sidewalk.
Devlin Academy was only a short walk and tram ride from Edgar's residence. He stood, waiting for the seven a.m. tram, at the tram station. It was surprisingly busy for such an early hour. Edgar swiveled his head back and forth, enjoying the people watching. As he turned to his right, a small figure caught his attention. It was a girl, or perhaps a short woman, wearing black slacks similar to the pair he wore.Her top was long-sleeved black with a high collar, tall enough to come up to her nose, struck him as odd. It was mid-August; the day was already proving to be a hot and muggy one. How he wished to wear a t-shirt and a more comfortable outfit.However, the girl didn't seem to mind the heat. Her eyes were closed, as if in deep thought. Edgar was about to turn away, the sounds of his tram were growing close, but he was stopped. The girl's eyes suddenly snapped open, the aqua orbs shifted over to him, examining him from head to toe. Edgar froze. Her pale skin and jet black hair only made her blue eyes stand out. He noticed her brow knit together in frustration, before a burly business man stepped in front of his view. He rocked back and forth on his toes, trying to find the intriguing woman.However, when the tram pulled up and the blockade moved inside, she was gone! Edgar frantically looked around the station, but the mystery girl had already disappeared.
A gruff voice that could've belonged to a woman came onto the intercom system, "Last call for the Seven A.M. tram, the destination is the commercial district."
Not wanting to miss the tram, Edgar quickly boarded just as the doors were about to close. He took the closest available seat. He watched the residential area pass before his eyes but he wasn't really paying attention. His thoughts rushed around in his mind, "Who was that woman?" Not that he cared who she was; they would probably never meet again. What were the chances? It was a large city. She was probably from out of town anyways. So why was he so concerned about her disappearance?
What had seemed like only mere seconds turned out to be a full ten minutes and before he knew it, the tram doors were opening, signaling their arrival at his destination. He stood up and made his way out the sliding doors, barely slipping through as they closed. Glancing up at the tram station clock, Edgar discovered that he had only ten minutes to make it to Devlin Academy. It was a mile away from the station! He rushed out onto the sidewalk, a small breeze ruffling his hair, and towards his destination. He hoped that his legs would be able to make it in time!
~Edgar's Apartment~
The black haired woman, whom Edgar had seen earlier, searched through a two drawer file cabinet. She was relatively short, standing at a mere five feet, four inches. Her jet black hair stopped right at the jaw line and sloped upwards to the back of her neck. It hid something that Edgar hadn't previously noticed, a small hot pink star tattoo located on her right check bone. She had discarded the stifling black jacket in the entrance area on a small table, which revealed a, once hidden, ruffled white blouse. A clock pendant hung from her neck and a small charm bracelet, with a hammer ornament, clinked around on her wrist. A small headset was hooked around her ear, the microphone floated a few inches from her lips. The woman's brows were furrowed in irritation. She had uncovered two documents that could be of use to her; this Edgar boy sure was mysterious, and boring! A voice spoke into her ear, "How long does it take for you to find a few documents, Alice?"
"Well," Alice began, annoyance dripping from her tone, "It would help if this Edgar boy had any sort of social life! I've only found two relevant documents: a birth certificate and an acceptance letter into a 'Devlin Academy for Gifted Minds'. I've searched this entire file cabinet twice now, may I please stop, Director?"
"Are you sure that there's nothing else there like a driver's license, doctor's physical exam, sports release forms, anything along those lines?" The Director rubbed his temples, this case was turning out to be less fruitful than he'd imagined. Alice's short temper wasn't helping his growing headache either.
"I've searched this entire apartment! The kid has no life, no records, no nothing! What am I supposed to do, wave a magic wand and make some records appear? This mission is just a load of crap, I'm coming back now!"
"Wait!" The Director's earsplitting shout made Alice wince and stop in her tracks. She was already turned around, hand on the small office's door knob, when her superior brought her to a halt, "This boy has more potential than you think. If he's let go, we could lose a very powerful asset to the company," The Director let out a deep breath, attempting to calm his now raging headache, "I want you to follow him, see what he does on a daily basis, if you can collect enough information then I'll think about forgiving you for the last screw up," Alice narrowed her eyes, giving her a dangerous aura, when her last mission was brought up, "I don't know what I'll do if you mess this one up too, so please, don’t let us down, Alice."
"I won't fail this time," Alice spoke with a firm voice, adding in a bit of a joking tone, "Besides, how hard could a reconnaissance mission be?"
There was a small pause of silence before the Director added one final statement, "Alice, feel free to call for assistance if you need it," there was a hint of worry in his tone, like he expected something to go wrong. However, Alice wasn't paying attention and pressed a small button to disconnect her headset. The Director let out a frustrated sigh when he heard the white noise, telling him that Alice could no longer hear him. Another man walked up to stand behind the Director, in his large black leather chair. He gave his superior a reassuring statement before leaving him to entertain the silence, "Alice will be fine, I'm sure of it!"
~Devlin Academy~
Edgar stood before a full class of trigonometry students. Naturally, he was late on his very first day at a brand new school and he was now being stared at, but not in the regular scornful quality. His new classmates gazed at him with dull expressions. The teacher, a tall and stiff man who looked to be about fifty, sat on a stool behind a podium and droned to him, "Mr. Willow, finally you've made it, take a seat. Class," He raised his voice only slightly, taking his eyes from Edgar and moving them to the crowd, "This is Mr. Edgar Willow. He is the newest accepted member of this fine establishment."
There were a few snaps of chewing gum and groans of boredom as Edgar moved to the only available seat in the room. He thanked the heavens that it was in the back corner and away from the eyes of other students. He set his books down on the mock wood desk and slumped into his seat, leaning his head backwards. There had been much running and pumping of legs to get to his first class and he was exhausted from the expended energy. He'd also had trouble locating the obscure classroom, which happened to be in the basement of the school. It was in a hallway similar to the three upper level halls. Lucky for him, there was another straggler in the empty corridor of the third floor, who had kindly pointed him in the right direction. If it hadn't been for the other student, he would more than likely still be searching for the trigonometry room.
A small whistle caught Edgar's attention. He turned his head ever so slightly to the left to discover that the boy next to him was staring him right in the face. Edgar's brow furrowed in confusion. The other student simply smiled, eyes closed in an eerie way, and spoke in a hushed voice, "Hello, my name is Enzo Nolan. It's very nice to meet you."
Chapter 1
~Silence is Golden~
It was his first day at the academy and he was not about to let himself look unprepared. Somehow, Edgar had caught the attention of his teacher's eye, in a good way, and sent a letter of recommendation to the top educational academy, The Devlin Academy for Gifted Minds, in the country. The administrative board read over the letter and accepted him as a new student. It was his big break.
Edgar Willow was not considered intelligent by any means. He had failed out of his history, language, and arithmetic classes two different times. It was his English teacher that had noticed Edgar's wonderful way with words.He was the student that sat in the back corner of every class, not opening his mouth unless called upon. He tried with all of his might to survive each and every torturous day that was thrown at him. Despite his lack of participation in class, his speech remained stunning. No, Edgar's talent did not reside in his academics; neither did they rest in sports of any kind.In fact, at this very moment, Edgar stood in front of the full body mirror in the entry way of his small apartment, wondering what sort of talent, if any, that he possessed.
Edgar glanced over his reflection, he was tall and lanky, unusually so for the age of sixteen. His head stood at approximately six feet, with an inch or two more than that. His jet black hair was gelled back; a few uncooperative strands fell over his face. A pair of bright, sparkling jade eyes stared back at him as he looked over his uniform. His thin lips grew into a polite smile. He was proud of his newly pressed black slacks and fitted coat jacket, white shirt, and red pinstriped tie; he steamed and ironed all of his own clothes. Above the left lapel of his coat, marking the place of his rapidly beating heart, was the academy's emblem. It was diamond shaped and red like his tie. There was a small black fleur-de-lis in the center of the stitched on diamond. His black shoes squeaked as he shifted his feet around. He felt uncomfortable already and he hadn't even left home yet.
"This is pathetic," he thought, sure he looked presentable. He would fit right in with the other students, at least appearance wise he would. His cowardice and stupidity would be what made him stand out like a sore thumb.
He closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. Calming himself down, he pried open a single eye to stare at his reflection once again.
"There's nothing to worry about," he spoke to himself mentally, "What's the worst thing that could happen? The students mock me, beat me up, or otherwise harm me in someway? Yeah right! These people aren't like that… at least I hope not," He let out an audible sigh, deciding that first impressions were important, he determined that actually showing up on the first day would be the best path to take. With a small amount of confidence, he bent down and picked up a small black messenger bag. It had a larger scale crest in the center of the flap, matching the emblem on his coat jacket. Edgar slung the strap over his head and laid a hand on the bag. The other hand preoccupied itself by fiddling with a pair of keys in his pocket. Before he could convince himself to stay at home, he swiftly opened his front door and closed it behind him. He locked the only entry to his small apartment and hopped down the stairs and strode down the sidewalk.
Devlin Academy was only a short walk and tram ride from Edgar's residence. He stood, waiting for the seven a.m. tram, at the tram station. It was surprisingly busy for such an early hour. Edgar swiveled his head back and forth, enjoying the people watching. As he turned to his right, a small figure caught his attention. It was a girl, or perhaps a short woman, wearing black slacks similar to the pair he wore.Her top was long-sleeved black with a high collar, tall enough to come up to her nose, struck him as odd. It was mid-August; the day was already proving to be a hot and muggy one. How he wished to wear a t-shirt and a more comfortable outfit.However, the girl didn't seem to mind the heat. Her eyes were closed, as if in deep thought. Edgar was about to turn away, the sounds of his tram were growing close, but he was stopped. The girl's eyes suddenly snapped open, the aqua orbs shifted over to him, examining him from head to toe. Edgar froze. Her pale skin and jet black hair only made her blue eyes stand out. He noticed her brow knit together in frustration, before a burly business man stepped in front of his view. He rocked back and forth on his toes, trying to find the intriguing woman.However, when the tram pulled up and the blockade moved inside, she was gone! Edgar frantically looked around the station, but the mystery girl had already disappeared.
A gruff voice that could've belonged to a woman came onto the intercom system, "Last call for the Seven A.M. tram, the destination is the commercial district."
Not wanting to miss the tram, Edgar quickly boarded just as the doors were about to close. He took the closest available seat. He watched the residential area pass before his eyes but he wasn't really paying attention. His thoughts rushed around in his mind, "Who was that woman?" Not that he cared who she was; they would probably never meet again. What were the chances? It was a large city. She was probably from out of town anyways. So why was he so concerned about her disappearance?
What had seemed like only mere seconds turned out to be a full ten minutes and before he knew it, the tram doors were opening, signaling their arrival at his destination. He stood up and made his way out the sliding doors, barely slipping through as they closed. Glancing up at the tram station clock, Edgar discovered that he had only ten minutes to make it to Devlin Academy. It was a mile away from the station! He rushed out onto the sidewalk, a small breeze ruffling his hair, and towards his destination. He hoped that his legs would be able to make it in time!
~Edgar's Apartment~
The black haired woman, whom Edgar had seen earlier, searched through a two drawer file cabinet. She was relatively short, standing at a mere five feet, four inches. Her jet black hair stopped right at the jaw line and sloped upwards to the back of her neck. It hid something that Edgar hadn't previously noticed, a small hot pink star tattoo located on her right check bone. She had discarded the stifling black jacket in the entrance area on a small table, which revealed a, once hidden, ruffled white blouse. A clock pendant hung from her neck and a small charm bracelet, with a hammer ornament, clinked around on her wrist. A small headset was hooked around her ear, the microphone floated a few inches from her lips. The woman's brows were furrowed in irritation. She had uncovered two documents that could be of use to her; this Edgar boy sure was mysterious, and boring! A voice spoke into her ear, "How long does it take for you to find a few documents, Alice?"
"Well," Alice began, annoyance dripping from her tone, "It would help if this Edgar boy had any sort of social life! I've only found two relevant documents: a birth certificate and an acceptance letter into a 'Devlin Academy for Gifted Minds'. I've searched this entire file cabinet twice now, may I please stop, Director?"
"Are you sure that there's nothing else there like a driver's license, doctor's physical exam, sports release forms, anything along those lines?" The Director rubbed his temples, this case was turning out to be less fruitful than he'd imagined. Alice's short temper wasn't helping his growing headache either.
"I've searched this entire apartment! The kid has no life, no records, no nothing! What am I supposed to do, wave a magic wand and make some records appear? This mission is just a load of crap, I'm coming back now!"
"Wait!" The Director's earsplitting shout made Alice wince and stop in her tracks. She was already turned around, hand on the small office's door knob, when her superior brought her to a halt, "This boy has more potential than you think. If he's let go, we could lose a very powerful asset to the company," The Director let out a deep breath, attempting to calm his now raging headache, "I want you to follow him, see what he does on a daily basis, if you can collect enough information then I'll think about forgiving you for the last screw up," Alice narrowed her eyes, giving her a dangerous aura, when her last mission was brought up, "I don't know what I'll do if you mess this one up too, so please, don’t let us down, Alice."
"I won't fail this time," Alice spoke with a firm voice, adding in a bit of a joking tone, "Besides, how hard could a reconnaissance mission be?"
There was a small pause of silence before the Director added one final statement, "Alice, feel free to call for assistance if you need it," there was a hint of worry in his tone, like he expected something to go wrong. However, Alice wasn't paying attention and pressed a small button to disconnect her headset. The Director let out a frustrated sigh when he heard the white noise, telling him that Alice could no longer hear him. Another man walked up to stand behind the Director, in his large black leather chair. He gave his superior a reassuring statement before leaving him to entertain the silence, "Alice will be fine, I'm sure of it!"
~Devlin Academy~
Edgar stood before a full class of trigonometry students. Naturally, he was late on his very first day at a brand new school and he was now being stared at, but not in the regular scornful quality. His new classmates gazed at him with dull expressions. The teacher, a tall and stiff man who looked to be about fifty, sat on a stool behind a podium and droned to him, "Mr. Willow, finally you've made it, take a seat. Class," He raised his voice only slightly, taking his eyes from Edgar and moving them to the crowd, "This is Mr. Edgar Willow. He is the newest accepted member of this fine establishment."
There were a few snaps of chewing gum and groans of boredom as Edgar moved to the only available seat in the room. He thanked the heavens that it was in the back corner and away from the eyes of other students. He set his books down on the mock wood desk and slumped into his seat, leaning his head backwards. There had been much running and pumping of legs to get to his first class and he was exhausted from the expended energy. He'd also had trouble locating the obscure classroom, which happened to be in the basement of the school. It was in a hallway similar to the three upper level halls. Lucky for him, there was another straggler in the empty corridor of the third floor, who had kindly pointed him in the right direction. If it hadn't been for the other student, he would more than likely still be searching for the trigonometry room.
A small whistle caught Edgar's attention. He turned his head ever so slightly to the left to discover that the boy next to him was staring him right in the face. Edgar's brow furrowed in confusion. The other student simply smiled, eyes closed in an eerie way, and spoke in a hushed voice, "Hello, my name is Enzo Nolan. It's very nice to meet you."
