THE MISSION

Chapter 1 Rhoda’s POV “Rhoda… come on, wake up.” Anne’s voice drifted through the fog of my sleep like an annoying little alarm clock I had no intention of listening to. I groaned, rolling over and dragging my pillow over my head, determined to block her out. Sleep wrapped around me like a warm blanket, and I had absolutely no plans of leaving it. “Rhoda,” Anne called again. I ignored her. She sighed loudly—the kind of sigh that said she already knew I wasn’t moving anytime soon. Silence followed. For a few blissful seconds, I thought she had given up. Then suddenly— A blinding beam of sunlight exploded across my face. “What the hell?!” I jolted upright, squinting as the harsh light burned my eyes. Anne stood by the window, holding the curtains wide open like some evil villain exposing their master plan. The morning sun poured into my room mercilessly. She grinned. “I thought you’d never wake up.” I shot her a deadly glare before dragging myself out of bed. “You’re evil,” I muttered, heading toward the bathroom. Anne just laughed behind me. The sound of running water soon filled the room as I stepped into the shower. The cold spray helped shake away the last pieces of sleep clinging to me. Today was the last day of school. Finally. When I stepped out of the bathroom twenty minutes later, I felt like a functioning human again. I slipped into an off-shoulder white top and a pair of blue jeans, finishing the look with my black canvas sneakers. Simple, but comfortable. Anne sat cross-legged on my bed, scrolling through her phone while applying lip gloss. “I can't believe today is the last day of school,” I said as I walked toward the mirror. Anne looked up, sighing dramatically. “Tell me about it. In just a few hours, we’ll be free.” I chuckled softly as I brushed my long white hair. I applied some light makeup—just mascara and lip gloss. Unlike Anne, I wasn’t obsessed with makeup. That girl treated cosmetics like oxygen. “Hmm… I’m done,” I said, grabbing my backpack. Anne jumped off the bed. “Finally! I thought you were planning to spend the entire day getting ready.” She looked me over and smiled. “You look hot, as always.” I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway. “And you look amazing too.” Which was true. Anne had the kind of beauty people noticed instantly. She was tall with sandy-brown hair that fell in soft waves down her back. Her chocolate-brown eyes sparkled with mischief, and her heart-shaped face made her look effortlessly gorgeous. Her skin held a natural tan that made her look like she belonged on a magazine cover. Then there was me. I stared at my reflection for a moment. My face had a soft oval shape that I secretly adored. My eyes were unusual—green and blue mixed together like two oceans colliding. My caramel-colored skin glowed under the sunlight pouring into the room. My nose was straight, my lips naturally plump, and my hair… Well. My hair was impossible to ignore. Long. White. As white as snow. People always stared. Some thought it was dyed. It wasn’t. And honestly… I had no idea why it was that color. But my family always said it made me unique. Special. Whatever that meant. “Rhoda!” Anne snapped her fingers in front of my face. “You planning to admire yourself all day or are we leaving?” I laughed. “Let’s go.” The drive to school took less than five minutes. Mostly because I refused to drive slow. My Ferrari purred smoothly as we pulled into the parking lot, instantly drawing attention from a few students nearby. The car had been a gift from my mom when I turned eighteen. Typical. Mom had money. A lot of money. What she actually did for a living, however, remained a mystery. Whenever I asked, she simply said— “Business.” And that was the end of the conversation. Despite her busy life, she had somehow managed to raise four kids completely on her own. And she did it like a queen. “Ah… finally you’ve arrived.” The familiar voice made me sigh. I didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was. But I did anyway. Standing beside a group of guys near the school entrance was my twin brother, Rudolph. He looked almost exactly like me. Almost. Where my skin carried a caramel tone, his was lighter—creamy and smooth. His eyes were a striking shade of blue. Mom always said he looked more like our father. A father we had never met. Or even seen. We didn’t even know his name. Funny, right? I apparently looked more like Mom. Except for my eyes. Everyone in my family had either green or blue eyes. But mine had both. When I was younger, it made me feel… strange. Different. But Mom always said it meant I was special. I didn’t believe that at first. Not until I met Anne. Back then, we were just two kids in the neighborhood. I still remembered the day clearly. A group of boys had cornered me, teasing me about my white hair. I had been too scared to fight back. But Anne? Anne had marched over like an angry warrior and punched one of them straight in the nose. I had stared at her like she was some kind of superhero. Since that day, we had been inseparable. She later convinced me to join her training sessions with her dad. Anne’s father—Uncle James—was an ex-military officer. A tough one too. Soon my siblings joined the training as well. Combat had become a normal part of our lives. Which, looking back… was probably strange. But at the time? It felt normal. Rudolph walked over to us, holding a small lunch box. “Mum told me to give you this,” he said, handing it to me. “She knew you’d wake up too late to eat breakfast.” I rolled my eyes. “She knows me too well.” He smirked. “Unfortunately.” With that, he turned and walked back toward his friends. Anne nudged me. “Your brother is still annoyingly handsome.” I laughed. “Don’t let him hear you say that.” The school hall buzzed with excitement when we walked in. After all, it was the last day. Freedom was only hours away. Anne and I stopped at our lockers. They sat right next to each other. “So… I’ll see you later?” she said. I nodded. “Yeah.” She closed her locker and headed toward her class while I walked down the hallway toward mine. The day dragged on painfully slow. Teachers gave final speeches. Students whispered excitedly. Some even cried. But eventually— Finally— The bell rang. School was over. Forever. I walked out of the building feeling lighter than I had in months. The afternoon sun painted the sky in warm gold as I reached the parking lot. Anne was already waiting beside my car. The moment she saw me, she squealed loudly. I burst out laughing. “You’re acting like we just escaped prison.” She grabbed my arm dramatically. “We did.” I shook my head, still laughing. But as we walked toward the car… A strange feeling crept over me. Like something unseen was watching. My smile faded slightly. For a brief moment, the world felt… different. Darker. As if something had shifted. I glanced around the parking lot. Students laughed. Cars drove by. Everything looked normal. Yet the feeling remained. A chill crawled down my spine. And deep in my chest— Something stirred. Something ancient. Something powerful. Waiting. Watching. And for the first time in my life… I felt like my world was about to change. Forever.