January 1, 2020

Dear Diary,

I wonder who remembers the story of Cinderella. I've always loved that tale, but when I imagine it for myself, there's no way. Fantasizing one's self in such a place is for Dreamers. I, Morina Chase, am not a Dreamer. I receive orders from the Head Elite Force, and I follow them. There's no room for Dreamers here, not if you want to survive.

I belong to a gang, Black Dragon, an illegal organization created over four decades ago. Here, recruits originate from normal, typical families until one day those families cease to exist. I realized the truth one day when I saw a new batch of children come in through the gate. I was once one of those children.

Questions about the past life are forbidden and will be severely punished. All I know about my past is my name, and that is enough. I don't need to dwell on the past. It's gone. I was taken in when I was four and given a pup as my companion, as is every new child. This wolf, Cadence, has been with me for thirteen years, not as long for a wolf as one'd expect. These wolves are the result species of an experiment. They last as long as their human companion and grow at the same rate as one as well.

The head elite force is ranked highest, only second to the big man himself, as well as his companion and future mate and children, or heirs as we call them. His companion, Stormfang, is the strongest wolf ever known to the gang. The boss's name, no one knows. Instead, everyone calls him Alpha, fitting for his predicament.

As for me, I'm part of Sander's third division, more commonly known as the Third Head of Serverus. Sander, Kayla, Cade, and Helix are the names of the four members of the Head Elite Force. By code, we're supposed to call them Serverus, Sharpfox, Techshell, and Tank, but I'm not one for formalities. Each Elite commands four divisions. Serverus commands offense, Tank, defense, Techshell, the electronic stuff, and Sharpfox, intel gathering. The higher-ups just promoted me straight from fourth division front liner, the worst position to have, to third division low-key assassin. Apparently, I'm a much faster learner than any of my former squadmates, although I thought it was totally normal. My luck, I guess. That's what I get for working hard for thirteen years rather than slacking off like many of the other trainees did. Fortunately, all new arrivals are taught in fighting, communication, and stealth, as well as the traditional reading and writing, 'till they are sixteen, the age mark of eligibility for moving to the fourth division of an Elite.

Anyways, recently, I've been given a task to kill a small businessman with my squad, Rex, Olivia, and Snook. They were taken in much younger than I was, so they don't remember their original names. I was lucky. Right now, it is 1:00 am, and in half an hour, it is plan go time. After I put on my gear, I’ll head into the squad room, a small living space connected to mine and Olivia's room and Rex and Snook's room. Each squad have their own squad room connected to two dorm rooms shared by two roommates of the same gender, two girls in one dorm and two boys in the other. It's pretty nice. We even have our own kitchenette in ours, unlike the fourth division squad rooms.

[Entry End]

Once I head out to the squad room, I find Rex, Olivia, and Snook already geared up and anxious to begin our mission, Olivia especially. Each of our canine companions have vests of their own with any other gear we need. As the clock ticks 1:10, we head out to the canteen. We're individually given trays with eggs, nuts, salad, and a cup of milk as well as a chunk of meat for our companions. It takes about fifteen minutes for us to finish our food and run through our plan for the last time. At 1:29, we've signed out of base and on our way to the mission point. Soon, we've reached our target's location, a large, modern house in a less populated neighborhood. Olivia motions to the window which, based on intel Sharpfox’s underlings have gathered, is the window to the target's bedroom where he should be sleeping. Cadence gives the all clear signal, and we pick the front door’s lock to enter. Quickly, Snook, Leopard \(Snook's companion\) Cadence, and I fly up the stairs. Olivia’s supposed to delete all footage from the security cameras from that night while Rex raids the safe, interestingly downstairs.

After we reach the bedroom, we halt. Leopard sniffs the air before giving a slightly human nod. Then, Cadence and I stealthily walk towards the bed, and I draw my knife I had sharpened before we left base. One moment later, the target stops breathing. Mission success! Now we just need to get out with the funds without being noticed. I notice that the others have joined us upstairs and we're ready to go. All footage about tonight has been deleted from the cameras, and now they are off, though I could have sworn I saw the one in the corner opposite us move in our direction. Maybe it was already facing that way. Although I was slightly suspicious, I let the thought go. Rex had re\-locked the front door. Perfect. Once, everyone has gathered, Snook opens the window and scans the area outside. This is definitely not our first time jumping from the second floor, or not mine at least. I find the drop thrilling, in fact. Soon enough, we're out and done. Olivia closes the window on her way out, skillfully locking it back up. Now, back to base.

"Mission complete in just forty minutes. Well done, squad," says the member of the reception squad on duty who handled the recording of our return. I nod.

"Just doing my job," I reply with a sarcastic smile. Once signed back in, we all head back and shower before bed. \(There are two bathrooms, one in each of the dorm rooms, unlike in the fourth division building. Yay.\) I climb into my bed, somewhat comfortable, though it’s better than the previous beds I’ve slept in, not including the one from my childhood home. Another mission complete. Ha, I think as I let the sweet darkness of sleep take over me.