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Standby for Suspicion

Elite: Alice

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Near the end of my walk, the first drop of blood falls into my book. Rolling clouds obscure the lapis blanket as more drops sprinkle on my face. I close the book in a poor attempt to cover my head and sprint through the last two blocks before running up the steps to the Elite building. When I reach the door, I look back.

The sky is on fire and raining blood.

Well, shit. This isn’t good.

I cross my arms over the book, withstanding the bloody shower to watch the brewing moment before me where a lifeless dragon is suspended in the tangerine sky. Other dragons circle the corpse, annihilating innocent clouds with their heartbreaking flames.

The ninth dragon murder of the year sends a nervous tickle down my spine. My arms tighten around my book; any more deaths at this rate and the world may be in trouble.

“Hey, Alice!” Evangeline steps outside and holds an umbrella over us, looking up at the sky. “Perfect timing. We finished auditions.”

I nod, eyes trained on the dead dragon as the others circle it and roar fire in the cider sky. One hovers beside its deceased friend and unleashes a hollow whine before dashing off. The blood rains harder as we stand at the top of the steps of the Elite Organization. Traffic stops; people exit their cars and houses to watch the agonizing show.

Evangeline holds her hand outside the umbrella. Blood rapidly pools in her pale palm before it loses its bright color for a pellucid puddle. At least it clears up shortly after hitting a surface, and not a flood of blood sliding down the streets the color of Evangeline’s pixie-cut hair.

“I can’t believe this is happening again,” she says. She huddles close to me as her gray eyes squint at the sky with a grimace. “You think we’ll be deployed?”

“Not sure about us, but definitely Ultima. This is teetering on worldwide emergency at this rate,” I murmur. “You heard about the homicide yesterday? It’s getting worse.”

Evangeline nods. In my five years in the Elite Organization, I’ve never seen anything like what’s happening now in the world. Dragons and humans dying? Something isn’t right. Across the six islands, crime this year has tripled. As for the dragons, well, they’re the life of our world; killing them is illegal.

“E-Excuse me?” A lady with uneven, choppy hair approaches us with a child beside her. She halfheartedly shields the top of her head from the rain with one hand. “I heard today was auditions for Elite. My son here is ten and was recently Traced. He doesn’t understand his abilities. Can ya help him figure that out?”

I scowl. “Auditions are over, and he’s not eligible.”

Evangeline clears her throat. “Wh-what she means is Elite has new requirements this year. Spirit Users must be eighteen or turning eighteen the same year they audition. Okay?”

The lady nods and looks up at the vivid orange sky. The rain grows softer, but the dragons’ heartbreaking cries persist. Goosebumps rise when a cold, wet breeze hits my arms.

“So sad, isn’t it?” she says. “Someone has to be sick to kill our sacred creatures. What’s going to be done about this? Will Elite be investigating?”

Evangeline bites her lip and looks at me.

“I assume Ultima will be. We are on standby until we receive orders,” I say, recalling my first time seeing a dead dragon in the sky. I screamed and thought the world was ending. Not a sight for the faint hearted, but this lady’s son seems unphased.

The lady puts her hand on her hip, shifting her weight with a grimace. “You’re just waiting? This is what my tax coins are going towards? The whole lot of ya standing around twiddling ya thumbs?”

I clench my jaw, fighting every cell that’s itching to snap back. My fingers tingle until I squeeze the book in my arms.

My phone vibrates in my back pocket, and Evangeline’s ringer goes off. Simultaneously, we check our phones and receive the same notification from our E-Force app to meet in the gym.

“We have to go, but it was nice to meet you, ma’am!” Evangeline chirps to the lady before she and her son carefully descend the slippery stairs. The dragons unleash more piercing wails that reverberate in the sky.

The umbrella moves from above me as Evangeline hurries back into the building. A few soft drops disappear into my black hair while I trudge behind her. The weight of the dragons’ pain pushes against my shoulders. I want to pretend it doesn’t bother me, but my arms tremble around my book and it’s not from the icy breeze.

Most of the bleachers in the gym are occupied when we arrive. It’s hard finding a seat in the sea of chattering members in their maroon, gold, and white uniforms. I squint, bracing for the shoddy fluorescent lighting, and blink away the needles in my eyes. Evangeline struggles to close her umbrella when I see a blond mop jumping up and down in the seated crowd. Ah yes, Garnet Island’s most energetic roommate is nice enough to save us seats.

“Hey.” I plop beside Billie and put my book on my lap, sandwiched between her and Evangeline.

“Oi! Great timing!” Billie’s radiant energy pollutes the gym, and I swear I’m close enough to see her eyes vibrate, and she’s not even transforming. “You were just outside, right? How bad is it? Is it bad? Wait–don’t tell me! Well, maybe tell me. It’s really bad, isn’t it?”

“Awful.” Evangeline leans over to see Billie. “You think this meeting is about—”

The iron doors’ echoing slam quiets the gym, leaving a few scattered coughs and sneezes. Two tall members click their heels across the hardwood floor. They reach the center, where the giant, black Elite insignia lies polished—two mirrored Es inside a diamond.

Commander Rebecca Foster clears her throat. Her long, wavy black hair frames her round face.

“I’m not sure if everyone is here. Quite frankly, I don’t care, so we’re gonna get started,” she begins. “Anyone working evening or overnight shifts right now will receive the info in the forum on the app. As we know, another dragon was killed. Another concern is the increasing number of homicides. Master Azul is urging us to report any suspicious activity.”

Billie rests her elbow on her bouncing leg and whispers, “This could’ve been an email.”

“Should we engage in an activity that requires physical de-escalation, remember combat is first, and our powers are second.” Rebecca raises her right arm. A white tattoo flashes against her cool-toned ebony forearm. Her Trace Mark. “I honestly don’t care what you do, but this is my routine reminder.”

Translation: Master Azul told her to remind us because Rebecca genuinely doesn’t care. Some call her laid back, but I say she harbors a silent, caffeine-fueled hatred toward us.

The members murmur and whisper amongst each other, echoing Billie’s earlier comment.

“Everyone shut up. I’m not done yet!” Rebecca barks.

My gaze wanders to the gym windows. The sky is clear and perky blue again. Rebecca’s speech continues for another ten minutes. She gives us a rundown on obvious things we know as Elite members: Make sure you’re wearing your uniform during missions and patrols, make sure your badge is visible for people to see, respect everyone, log your hours and notes in the app, complete all the missions in the queue, and most importantly, don’t get caught up with Ultima. Who knows what’ll happen if we do.

Someone raises their hand and asks about solutions to the dragon situation.

“Ultima handles dragon matters, so they may be deployed. If they or the monarchs ask us for help, then we’ll step in. Until then, we need to focus on the missions we receive. You’re dismissed.”

The bleachers creak and groan as members get up in an unorganized manner to leave the gym. Rebecca and the blond-haired woman behind her, Brooke, stay planted in their positions while everyone files out. I’m lost in the shuffle but eventually reunite with Billie and Evangeline. Before we can escape, Billie rushes to Brooke.

I practically see the squeal vibrating in Billie’s throat. “Hi, Brooke!”

Brooke lazily locks eyes with Billie, sighs, and shrugs. “Oh, hi.”

Billie tries to continue the conversation with her older sister, but Brooke ignores her and looks elsewhere. It’s sad to watch. I contemplate how long Billie can humiliate herself before I drag her away.

Rebecca’s sharp gaze locks on me and Evangeline.

“Alice,” Rebecca says. Her expression is light and content.

“Hi.”

“What do you think about these murders? It wasn’t you, was it?” Rebecca asks, glowering at me.

“It’s alarming, obviously. I don’t know why you would assume it was me.”

She shrugs. “Seems to me the uptick started when Azul gave you permission to explore outside the base.”

I tilt my head and grin, stretching from ear to ear. “I guess that means I killed them, doesn’t it?”

Rebecca’s stony eye twitches as she flips her hair that’s as black as her soul. We stare at each other, silently communicating all the unpleasantries and profanities with our eyes. Billie’s voice is faintly in the background, still in her conversation with a blond brick wall.

Rebecca steadily keeps her eyes on me. “Springtown. How were the auditions?”

“Good, there’s one whose application seems a little suspicious, though,” Evangeline says.

“Leave a note in my office.” Rebecca breaks her glare with me and waves at Brooke, prompting her to tighten her already perfect posture and follow Rebecca out of the gym. Billie turns to us with slumped shoulders. She does this to herself every time.

“You think Rebecca will ever get over you being a Special Agent?” Evangeline asks, nudging my arm with her bony elbow. Ow.

“No way,” I chortle. “Like I’ve said, being a Special Agent just means I’m cooped up in the base more and practically forgotten by civilization. I JUST started getting non-assignment outside privileges beyond the property like some gently handled, unsupervised bomb.”

“Is it great? Is it everything you dreamed of and more?” Billie cracks a smile, but sadness shrouds the texture of her face.

“What? No, it’s the same as if I left on an assignment!” I say. “But since I can leave, let’s grab food. Wanna do dunch?”

Billie physically can’t say no to lunch and dinner. Her boisterous energy resurfaces. “YES!”

I t’s strange moving on with life after a morbid scene with the death of a dragon. The air is humid, and the distant snowcapped mountains look naked without clouds to stab through.

Billie is talking nonstop about going out to Emerald’s Twin as we’re leaving the base. Evangeline and I share a look, knowing how much this is sending Billie over the edge that she isn’t stopping to catch her breath.

“It’s a local restaurant that makes this bold claim of having food just as good as Emerald Island! It’s just down the street!” She points to the end of the road as we hit the sidewalk. “They have tea, water, all vegetable juices, all fruit juices, all plant juices, all ice cream juices—”

“Ew, please stop,” Evangeline interjects. The sidewalk is too narrow, so she falls behind us as Billie jumps vigorously and grabs my arm. Despite her questionable review, it’s still intriguing. After all, Emerald Island is known for its dining, nutrition, and natural resources.

When we arrive, a server seats us in a booth. Billie and I give one side to Evangeline to eat in peace with her left hand and not stab anyone with her dagger elbow. I look at the menu on the tablet with what looks like crusted cheese on the screen and see the endless combinations of food.

“It all comes in five minutes, no matter how much you order! It’s just like Emerald Island! Isn’t it cool? It’s totally cool, right?” Billie’s eyes widen as she stares into my soul. I scoot an inch away from her.

“Five minutes? H-Have there been any reports of undercooked food?” I ask.

“Nope! They have that fancy-schmancy advanced technology from Sapphire Island, allowing faster cooking times.”

I stifle a snort and exchange quirky smirks with Evangeline.

As servers anxiously speed around to their assigned tables, fresh oak invades my nose. The restaurant has a cabin-themed layout, with glossy wood panels and a richly lit fireplace in the back near the open kitchen and bar. The chairs and booths are wooden, with plush seats wrapped in red and yellow plaid. Our wooden table has a candle holder carved into the center, but the wavering flame barely holds onto the wick.

“I think . . . I’m a little overwhelmed by the options,” I murmur.

Evangeline snatches the tablet to read the menu and briefly mutters about the limited vegetarian options before passing it to Billie. By the time the menu returns to me, a nauseating sadness recalling the dragon’s death settles. My appetite dwindles, so I choose a nacho platter to share.

“Ya think we’ll be deployed?” Billie asks, playing with her napkin. “I’m hoping we’d get in on the action for once.”

“Keep dreaming.” I run my finger along the pattern of my flashing Trace Mark against my warm, tawny skin. “We’ll probably keep working these patrols while the world is on fire.”

“Yeah, Rebecca may be right that Ultima will get deployed,” Evangeline adds.

To the world, Ultima and Elite are just public service paramilitary, which is true, but we’re in these organizations because of our powers. Elite is considered lower ranking because we’re not as cool as Ultima since they specialize in dragons, and we don’t.

I pinch lint off my uniform but find a few blond strands on my shirtsleeve and glare at her next to me as she continues her groan of despair.

“What? What did I do? Did I do something?”

“How is it no matter where I hide my clothes, your hair still gets on them?” I ask. Billie smiles sheepishly. I know she’s a shedding monster, but this is atrocious.