Ben

Ben and Ivy stayed silent as they followed Lea to her base, whatever that may be. He could tell Ivy was thinking very hard, the way her nose was scrunched up in a painfully familiar way. The cards, the numbers, the notebook, Lily - all of it was strewn about Ben's brain in scattered bits. The stuff he had seen on the tiny TV set was still boldly emphasized. He didn't want to forget a single detail, seeing as this was the only thing he had of his past life. The last memory of him and Ivy on that surgery table sent goosebumps up his arm despite the hot weather. The idea of being put down on that table and having memories forced out of you... he shivered again.

Could this really all be some sort of big game? Why? And who would do that? Lily had spoken of someone only referred to as 'Them.' What could that mean? Who were They? Was this an experiment of some kind? Ben shuddered at the thought. What if Ivy and him and volunteered to do this? Would they do that?

"Ben?" Ivy's gentle voice shocked him out of his thoughts. "Are you okay?" she whispered. Ben nodded, running one pale hand over his face.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking about everything," he admitted. He was thankful that Ivy was at least here with him.

The two fell silent once more, until Lea called over her shoulder at them.

"We're here!" She announced.

The building in front of them was huge, a giant skyscraper with a million glass windows glaring at them. It looked like any basic office building with a large HQ logo branded on the top in nearly a threatening way. Ben didn't know what HQ stood for, but it looked official. Lea led them inside to what appeared to be a lobby. The floors were a sleek marbled white, with a few waiting chairs and a gold chandelier hanging from the roof. Sad looking plants decorated the dismally fancy place, and the front desk remained empty.

The air conditioning felt amazing after the baking sun, and Ben found himself taking a deep breath of relief. The lobby was totally empty except for them, which he thought quite weird. He didn't know if he'd ever been in a building like this, but he assumed they would at least have one or two people in it.

"This way," Lea instructed them, confidently walking towards a sleek looking elevator. Their new friend pressed a button and the doors opened with a soft 'ding.' They were led inside the small space, which made Ivy look very uncomfortable.

The ride up was silent and felt achingly long and awkward, and the air seemed to slowly trickle away the longer they stood there. Finally, they made it to their floor. The doors slid open and Lea led them down a bright hall with linoleum floors. She took them to a fancy looking door at the end of the hall. A golden tag read 'Clare Lang' on the door. Lea knocked twice, then opened the door without being invited in. The office inside was spacious and organized. One wall had a large bookshelf, the other had nothing but a picture frame and a filing cabinet. A large mahogany desk took up most of the pace in the office, and big windows overlooked the city, making Ben's stomach turn at the height.

The woman on the other side of the desk was sitting in a large comfortable looking chair. She had short, sleek brown hair, dark skin and eyes, and a dazzlingly white smile. There was something about the way she moved that threw Ben off a little. She must've been a dancer or something, the graceful way she was walking towards them with long strides.

"Lea," she greeted her excitedly. "You must be Ivy Fox and Benjamin Rhymes. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Clare Lang. I run the agency," the woman greeted. Ben recoiled slightly at her touch and the mention of his full name. Something about her sent warning bells ringing through his brain, and one glance from Ivy showed him that she felt the same.

Ben and Ivy already knew that they were going to offer a mission, and he knew they had to accept it, thanks to Lily. He just didn't know what it was, or when they would say.

"Benjamin, Ivy, you must be wondering why I've brought you here," Clare said as she welcomed them to sit down in some uncomfortable wooden chair across from her desk. "You don't remember anything, correct?" She prodded. The two friends exchanged a glance. How did she know so much?

"Yes..." Ivy began slowly. "How do you know?"

Clare laughed in response. "Let me explain everything. Every now and then, kids show up in our city with no memory at all, always in the same alleyway. We have it under surveillance with only our best agents. Lea discovered you two yesterday when you were walking away. As far as I'm informed, you've already met some monsters, correct?" She asked casually. Ben's chest tightened at the thought of the beast that had attacked him.

"Yes, that's correct," Lea affirmed for them.

"Let me start from the beginning. A few years ago, monsters started appearing in our world. I was working here at this agency at the time, and I was quickly promoted as I dedicated my section to defeating them. I was made boss once our old one died on a mission. Recently, we've seen an influx of kids landing in that alleyway without memories. We can't explain why, but it seems monsters are bent on destroying them. We believe that if we figure out why these kids are ending up there, and why the monsters want to destroy them, we can get rid of the monsters once and for all," she explained, clicking her long fingernails against the mahogany.

"Last week, one of our best agent went missing. She was watching the alleyway and vanished off our radar. Recently, a signal went out and we've located her. We need to get her back as soon as possible. Then, you two showed up. We have reason to believe you two are the key to finding her," Clare told them excitedly. So that was the mission.

"What makes you think that?" Ivy asked suspiciously. Clare nodded in an exaggerated way.

"The signal we received didn't come from her. It came from monster who were keeping her. They asked for three kids that had their minds wiped," she said.

"Three? There's only two of us," Ben pointed out.

"Oh yes. Just before you two, there was one more kid who appeared in the alleyway. We managed to find him quickly. He will be accompanying you, as well as Lea, to find our agent. That is, if you agree," Clare said.

Ben looked at Ivy in shock. Another kid like them? In the alleyway? Who could he be? Was he from the same place?

"What do you think?" Clare wondered. Ivy and Ben looked back at her.

"We agree to the mission."