CHAPTER 2

"Bye Mom!" My sister Krystyn said, she's a teacher but no on SDC, she's a high school teacher and SDC is an all-college school. She's always the first one to go this month because of W.A.T.C.H.

"I'm going too, Mom!" Jyms said. He's a fourth-year college student, but not at my school, Education is also his course.

"Me too Mom!" I said.

"Don't do anything shameful for this family." She reminded me.

I just smiled as an answer. She would always remind me that every time I would go anywhere. She's a principal so she needs a good reputation, I would always say that to myself even though she won't say that to my brother and sister...........

We're a family of teachers, and I'm the black sheep of the family, not that I'm a spoiled brat or something but I don't want to be a teacher, I always want to be a detective. But I don't want my mother to hate me more, so I'm also taking education. But thanks to SDC, I get to be a detective, and unexpectedly a spy, secretly......

I just stopped by Shauntel's and went together to school.

***

"Hey Otaku!!" Lance a.k.a Armin greeted Shauntel.

"Yes, Megamind?" Shauntel retorted.

"Megamind? Do I look blue and big-headed to you? !" Lance unbelievably.

"Blue? No, but big head, yes!" Shauntel said to Lance, Lance grabbed Shauntel's shoulder and messed up her hair.

"Why you!!" Shauntel shouted and hit Lance's head.

Sigh, they're always like that, always teasing each other. Only when we are investigating and spying they are at a truce.

"Don't block the way." They both stopped teasing when they heard Blake's voice.

Shauntel walked beside me, while Lance walked beside Blake. I shook my head for them. We split ways because we have a different course. Shauntel took tourism. Lance took computer engineering. Blake took civil engineering. The funny thing about SDC is that there's no criminology course. The Guides said it's to keep the organization a secret.

While I was walking, I saw a bunch of students lining up for a building on the campus and I confirmed that those are transfer students taking up the entrance exam. I remembered when I was taking the entrance exam when I was a first-year college.

***

I'm here at a two-story building which is an exam room. When I finished answering, I lined up with the students taking the line, they said it's to know the scores, the professor said that the non-passers would go outside and won't be accepted in SDC, while the passers, will be given an I.D and go to the back door. Fortunately, I passed. When I went out of the building, I saw students lining up for an isolated building, I felt chills when I noticed that the students who entered three didn't come back. In that moment I really want to go back to the exam room, but then I remembered mom's reminder, so I choked back my fear and prayed that nothing bad would happen to me. When I was the one to enter, I saw a bunch of computers, it's like an ICT room. Different displays could be seen on the computer. There's a come with different languages, computer about technology, about criminals, etc. But what got my attention is the computer about cryptography and ciphertexts, I already have a hint that this is all about investigating and detectives, I felt excited and terrified at the same time, because if mom would know this, she may get mad, but it looks like there's no backing out, so I just continued.

Break this code to open.' that was what greeted me as I sit down to the computer about cryptography.

0 0 0 0

Those are the numbers that appeared and above those numbers are red light.

1 2 3 4

Those are the numbers that I inputted and only the third number changed its color to orange, and the rest have remained red.

5 6 3 9

I inputted again and the first number changed its color to green, the third one remained orange, and the second and fourth numbers remained red. I concluded that green color, tells that I'm right, orange tells that I'm right but is misplaced and red tells that I'm wrong.

5 3 7 8

I tried again and all the colors turned to green. After that, it displayed cryptography and codes that I should answer.

WTCMRK HIXIGXMZIW SVKERMDEXMKR MW OITX JSV SZIV E GIRXYVC ERH RSA SR. XLIMV QEMR ASVO MW XS MRZIWXMKEXI GVMQI WGIREW FYX XLIC EPWS WTC SVKERMDEXMKR XLEX HSIWR'Y SFIC XLI PEA. E IYVSTIER QER REQIH WXERPIC HVJJ WXEQFYP GVIEXIH XLMW SVKERMDEXMKR EPSRK AMXL LMW JVMIRHW ALMGL FIGEQI LMW IBIGYXMZIW, ERH XLIY QEHI LMQ XLIMV GLMIJ. XS IREFPI XS OIIT XLI VIGVIGC SJ WHS, XLIC HIGMHIH XS FYMPH XLIMV E GSPPIKI WGLSSP, ERH EPWS, XS VIGVYMX QIQFIVW. XLIC HIGMHIH XS FYMPH XDIMV QEMJ FEWI SR XLI TLMPMTTMIW ERH SXLIV FVERGLIW EVI EPP SZIV XLI ASVPH. - Blame the four misolaced letters if you donat understands it.

I smiled after reading it. I tried to answer it after I decoded it, It the history of this school if I'm right though. Spying Detectives Organization. 'those are some words that I have read, if right though. Excitement flowed over me because I always wanted to be a detective, but being also a spy is another level. I hope I could pass this test..... After maybe 30 minutes of deciphering and decoding, I already finished it, but there's a ciphertext that I can't decode for I don't know-how. I only know that it's a vigenere cipher and only those who made the ciphertexts know what's its normal text and the clues and only a few know the clues and unfortunately, I'm not one of those few. There's a 'click here' button at the end of the test, so I clicked it. Someone guided me to the scorer and waited some seconds for my work to be scored.

"Congratulations. You've passed." The scorer gave me a smartwatch. The smartwatch has a unique style, it has four straps, two of the straps are blue, and the other two are red. "You're a specialized detective, so if you'll see a door with the sign specialized on it, enter it and let your watch be scanned because that stands as your I.D." She. I just nodded and she pointed the elevator and I entered it, on the side of the elevator there's a door, and my hypothesis said that it's for the none passers.

When I got out of the elevator, I saw three doors. 'Specialized, 'Classified' and 'Qualified', those were written signs on the doors, I entered the specialized room as I was told, and as I opened it, there's a little scanner on the steel wall in front of me. It scanned my watch and the wall sunk to the ground, as it sunk, a man approached me with a smile.

"Welcome to Spying Detectives Organization, Specialized Detective Xyryl Grandeurel!" He greeted. Hearing that 'Detective' word is music to my ears. "I'm Head Guide Cyan, please follow me." He started walking and I followed him.

When we got out of the room, a hallway, three escalators, and a low-level platform is to be in front, I turned my gaze to the side and saw many other students with a guide, and that makes me wonder why am I the only one with Mr. Cyan? We took the escalator and went down.

"As you noticed the three rooms as you went out of the elevator. Qualified, are for qualified detectives, who scored 85% - 95%. Classified, are for classified detectives, who scored 91% - 95%. And Specialized, are for specialized, who got 96% - 100%." I was shocked when I heard about the specialized. What is my score then?

"What's my score then Sir?" I asked.

"Check your watch." He answered.

I checked my watch and there's a message, I opened the message and a can't believe it. Is this even true? It's unbelievable. I got 99% out of 100%. What the? How did I do that?

"Amazed?" He asked. "Your the first one who attain that score in your batch. You must be good at codes." He said like he was proud of me. I had to choke my tears back, my mother never said the word 'proud' to me, or even make me feel it. "You inherited it from him."

"Hmn?" I asked because I barely heard what was he say or maybe it's just a whisper.

"Oh, nothing." He answered. "By the way, there are 3 divisions in SDO, the 'Electron', 'Proton', and 'Nucleus'. The Electron is for beginners and detectives who solved cases below 25. Proton is for those who solved cases above 25. The Nucleus is the heart of the SDO, its located at the center of the Atom. Atom is the SDO Base. All the detectives have their team. And every team from Qualified to Specialized have four members, and every team has their Guides. There are two types of Guides, The Guidance, and the Head Guidance. Qualified to Classified have the Guidance and the Specialized will have the Head Guide. I am the Head Guide of Electron, the Head Guide of Proton is Nasuna.

We arrived at a door, there are three doors, but I'm the only one who is with Sir Cyan in this room while the others are so many in one room. There's a scanner on the side of the room and he scanned his watch. Then suddenly, we're in another hallway.

"By the way, your code name should be a color." He said.

"What's the code name for Sir? Is this organization a secret?" I asked.

"Yes, it is. I love Arts and color makes art more expressive, so I picked colors to be a code name, and the Head Guide is the one who will decide for what will be the theme of the code name." He said.

"So, it means that at the time I will be promoted to Proton, my code name would change?" I asked.

"You're right. And, you can call me Head Guide Cyan instead of Head Guidance Cyan. Head Guidance is only for formal terms."

"Uhm, can I call you H.G Cyan sir?"

"Of course."

We arrived at a room. When we entered, more rooms should be seen, and at the end is a living room. I saw people in the living room and they're maybe 7 of them.

"Guys, you have another friend here. She's Xyryl Grandeurel a.k.a....?"

"Blue," I answered and smiled at them.

"Hi, I'm Andrei Salvacion, a.k.a White." He introduced himself. And shook my hand (He's Captain Sato in Proton.)

"I'm Camile Ramirez , a.k.a Yellow." And she also shakes my hand.

"I'm Greg Alfonzo, a.k.a Brown." And did the same as those two did.

"I'm Cassandra Almeda, a.k.a Orange." We shook hands.

"Blake Hudson, a.k.a Black." Woah, he's a cold guy. We also shake hands.

"Hi!! I'm Shauntel Alverio, a.k.a Red, our houses are just facing each other!!." She said. Haha! She's an enthusiastic girl. Oh, yeah, I remember her, she always waters their plants.

"I'm Lance Huntsman, a.k.a Grey." We also shook hands.

"So, you all know each other. Now it's time to team you up." H.G Cyan, butted in.

"Are we the ones who will choose our team? Or you'll group us, Sir?" Shauntel asked.

"No, your watch will." H.G Cyan answered. We all got confused, well, Blake and Lance didn't, Blake doesn't have any expression while Lance is just smiling, that guy has a dead face.

I was shocked when my hand is pulled even though no one was holding it as H.G Cyan pressed something on his watch. And suddenly, I found my watch being alined with 3 more watches, I looked at who owned those hands and they're from Blake, Shauntel, and Lance.

***

I stopped reminiscing when Our professor arrived. Well, what happened next is history.

***

I'm now at my house worrying about my brother, it's already 10 p.m. He has never been late.

"Berna! Get my phone again please, I will call Jyms again! Oh my God! What if something happened to him!" Mom worriedly asked one of our maids.

Did she worry for me like that when I was late too? Sigh..... The door suddenly opened and Jyms entered.

"Hi, Mom!" He greeted. Mom greeted him with a hug.

"What happened that you are late? You got me worried! You can't be contacted!" Worry is very busy on mom's face. Well, I think my question is already answered.

"Sorry mom, my car got a flat tire, I didn't have a jack so I took long to change my tire. I'm too far to a too reach a vulcanizing shop. I've got dead batteries so I can't be contacted." My brother explained.

"Take a rest, but eat first okay?" Mom said and Jyms went to the dining room.

I went up to my room. When the door closed, my tears fell. When I was late because of the same reason Jym's, I saw her locking all the doors. I knocked and knocked, I begged, but she just said to me, 'Your late so you'll suffer.'. I didn't have supper that time, I was just a 17-year-old high school student back then, I don't have any work. I went to my car and decided to sleep there without eating, and I thought I was going to starve to death. I just opened the windows of my car so I won't get suffocated. Fortunately, I didn't die.... Until now, I still can't forget that. I forgave her, even though she didn't ask for an apology, but I can't forget, I can't even stop my tears even though it was years ago. Love is unfair, that's what I believe. And I always believe that no one loves me unconditionally. How can I believe that someone loves me unconditionally when even my mother loves me obligatorily? That's why I can't tell my friends even a single problem of mine, and also, they have their problems so why bother them?