Red Hourglass (5 page)

I stared at the digital watch on my wrist as I walked down the subway steps. It was the fifteenth of January. I sat on my usual bench under the dim subway lights and watched as the black numbers on the watch counted the last few seconds of the day.

Midnight.
Happy seventeenth birthday.

I tore open the McDonald’s wrapper and scarfed down the half-eaten cheeseburger. Then I gulped down the flat Coke. My birthday meal didn’t stop my stomach from growling.

It was too cold to go back outside to search for more food, so I foraged through a nearby trash can. It was full of empty cups from Starbucks, sandwich wrappers, and plastic food containers, but nothing to eat. I’d have to be hungry until morning.

I lay down on the cold metal bench and it burned my legs through my jeans.
Ouch.
I used my backpack as a pillow and curled my arm through the strap to prevent anyone from stealing it. I felt for the small blade in my front pocket and closed my eyes halfway.
If anyone bothers me, I’ll get on the next train
…
or stab them
.
I hate winter.

I was awoken by someone caressing my hair the way my mother used to. I opened my eyes and looked up. A woman in a white fur coat and white gown was sitting on the bench, looking down at me. She was like a much older version of my mother.

“Mother?” I muttered. I wasn’t sure if I was half-asleep or half-awake.

“You can call me mother, dear one,” she said kindly. “What’s your name?”

“I don’t have a name.”

“From now on, your name is Janet,” she said, stroking my hair with her pointy fingers. “I’m going to take you to a warm, safe place.”

I blinked and took a closer look at her. She had a round face and huge, wise eyes. She reminded me of a snowy owl.

“Why me?” Was she swooping down on me, the rat?
Is she going to kill me
?
Isn’t that what owls do to their prey
? “I’m just a nobody.”

“You
are somebody
, my dear. You’re meant for bigger things.”

Bigger things? A pathetic sewer rat like me? Her words resonated with something inside me.
Yes
…
I am meant for bigger things
.

“Come with me,” she said with outstretched palms. “I’ll show you the way.”

I was nearly dead from exhaustion and starvation. My will to live was gone. If she could show me a new way of living, why not? And if she was planning to kill me, I didn’t really care as long as she fed me first.

“Show me the way.” I used all my strength to sit up and grab her hands with both of mine.

The White Queen

The limousine pulled up to an imposing white iron fence that surrounded hundreds of acres. Everything was covered in a blanket of snow, but I had a feeling that the land was green and lush in other seasons. A giant white and gold coat of arms with dragons, doves, ivy, and a huge “W” split down the middle as the high gates opened.

“Welcome to your new home, dear,” said the snowy owl woman. “A room has been prepared for you in the Academy, behind my house. Since you’re just in time for the spring semester, you’ll have to settle down promptly and choose your classes by Monday morning.”

We drove past the
house
on the hill which was actually a huge mansion. The school was behind the back gardens, and it was at least three times the width of the family home.

The chauffer opened the limousine door. A girl was waiting for us.

“Janet, this is our dear Mimi,” said the woman. “She’ll show you around. Mimi, darling, make sure Janet gets something to eat after the tour.”

“I will,” said Mimi. “Come on, Janet. There’s a lot to see.”

The Academy was an enormous four-story complex with a large dome in the middle flanked by two very long wings. It was obvious that modern additions had been made to the original building. There was a giant round auditorium in the dome section. That part of the building was connected to the wings by glassed-in walkways with black and white checkerboard marble floors. The walkways reminded me of oversized hamster tunnels. The west wing had every kind of facility imaginable. There were classrooms, function rooms, conference rooms, gymnasia, libraries, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, martial arts and weapons training rooms, and a cafeteria. There was also a large garage in back with some cool bikes and very expensive limos. The living quarters in the east wing could sleep hundreds of people.

“Let’s drop off your stuff before we eat,” said Mimi as she showed me to a small elevator. “The student quarters are pretty nice. All the rooms have European decors and en suite toilets.”

My room was on the third floor. It had Victorian floral wallpaper and sky-blue carpet. A luxurious down comforter covered the bed, and an overstuffed chaise longue was beside one of the arched windows. There was an antique writing desk with an old brass lamp in front of the other window. The windows overlooked the gardens behind the mansion, but I could also see part of the winding driveway that led up to the house.

“You can use that on really cold nights.” Mimi pointed at a small space heater on the floor by the bed. “The cleaning lady comes in once a week to collect the laundry and freshen up the room.”

“They do our laundry and clean for us?” I asked.

“Yup. It’s pretty cool.”

“Mimi, who’s the woman who brought me here?”

“The White Queen. I guess, technically, she’s Mrs. White, but her code name is the White Queen. She’s in charge of everything.”

“Her code name?”

“Yeah, we all have them.”

I had no clue why I needed a code name, but I liked the idea. No one here would ever know my real name. I felt a deep sense of gratitude toward the White Queen. She was giving me a whole new life in this secluded paradise.

Mimi and I went down to the first floor and walked over to the west wing. The cafeteria was an enormous room with lots of windows and long wooden tables. A large buffet was laid out along one wall.

“I hope you like healthy food,” said Mimi. “They don’t serve junk here. They teach us to
tame our minds and bodies so that we can excel beyond human capabilities
. That’s their philosophy.”

“It all looks good.” I was practically drooling over the huge spread. There were fresh fruit dishes, salads, lean meats, fish, and steamed vegetables. I was starving and I piled my plate with food.

“Boy, you must be hungry,” said Mimi.

“Yeah, I haven’t had a full meal in a while.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ve all been there. Most of us here were homeless orphans before the White Queen saved us.”

“Will Mrs. … the White Queen be here for lunch? I’d like to thank her.”

“No.” Mimi gave a high-pitched laugh. “It’s self-service here. The White family eats in the mansion … their meals are served by servants. Don’t worry, you’ll see her soon. The cafeteria is for students and staff. Just so you know, it’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but we can stop in to get a cup of tea and toast, or whatever, outside meal times.”

* * *

The next morning, there was a note on my desk that wasn’t there when I went to sleep. It said I had an appointment with the White Queen in an hour.

After breakfast, I put on my ski jacket and walked through the snow to the front of the mansion. A long blood-red carpet lined with huge marble statues led from the gravel yard up the stone steps. The statues were all birds of prey—eagles, hawks, falcons—in terrifying postures. It was as if they were about to swoop down on me.

The mansion’s massive double doors were three stories high. I rang the brass doorbell. A butler opened the bottom part of the left door and showed me inside. I felt small as I stepped into the grand entrance hall.

“Up there and to the left, miss,” said the butler, pointing at the oval-shaped double staircase.

I went up the white marble stairs and entered a small antechamber. A secretary was typing away on her keyboard.

“Ah, Janet. The White Queen’s waiting for you.” She pressed the intercom button on her phone. “Janet’s here.”

“Send her in.”

“You may enter.” The secretary motioned to the wall behind her.

I stood up and heard a buzz. I stared confusedly at the silk wall covering and white wainscot paneling. There was no doorknob.

“It’s a door, I promise,” said the secretary.

I took a deep breath and pushed. Nothing happened.

“Push harder.” The secretary smiled.

I had to use all my strength to open the secret door. Once I was inside, the door closed behind me with a click. I was locked in.

The White Queen was behind a large white desk with a leather top. She was reading something on her computer. It was impossible not to notice that she had a particular fondness for all things white. Polar bear rugs covered the parquet floors, and the antique French furniture was white and gold. The furniture looked like it could’ve been made for the Sun King. I suspected that it had been in her family for generations.

“Janet, my dear.” The White Queen stood up and opened her arms. The oversized sleeves of her white mink coat hung down like wings. She looked like an extra-puffy snowy owl as she walked around her desk to hug me.

“Let’s sit over here.” She ushered me to a white velvet sofa with gold trim. “How are you settling in?”

“Fine. Um … I want to thank you for everything.”

“You don’t have to thank me now darling.” The White Queen stroked my cheek. “There will be plenty of time for that later. The work we do at the Academy is very important. It’s our job to compel the greatness within you to come forth, allowing you to surpass your potential. Once your studies and training are complete, you’ll become an agent in service of the greater good. Your code name will be the Red Hourglass.”

The Academy

On Monday morning, all the students gathered in the round auditorium after breakfast. The White Queen was standing at a clear acrylic podium on the stage wearing her full-length white mink. There was a woman sitting in a chair behind her.

“My dear children of the future,” said the White Queen as she spread her snowy owl wings. A big ring on her right index finger caught the light and sparkled as she moved her hands. “You are all sisters, and you’re here for a reason. When you graduate from the Academy, you will be agents ready to take on the world. We are part of something much bigger than ourselves. Our duty is to serve the greater good. We protect the weak. We shine the light of hope into this dark world. We bring salvation and succor to the hopeless, and recourse to those forgotten by justice.”

The girls stood up and started chanting in unison:

“
Rid the world of evils, we must.

Uphold the legacies of the past, we do.

To serve and worship, we vow.

The children of the future, we are.
”

After three rounds of the verse, the White Queen smiled and held up a hand. The girls stopped chanting and sat down.

“Excellent my dears, excellent,” said the White Queen. “Now, as it’s the start of a new semester, I’ll hand the stage over to our Subject Coordinator, Ms. Ellen.”

“Thank you,” said Ms. Ellen as she walked to the podium. “Ladies, as most of you know, we have very high academic standards at the Academy, but you are also free to pursue nonacademic courses of interest. You must choose at least four classes each semester, and no more than eight. There are also a few modules outside the normal coursework that you’re expected to undertake. If you haven’t already completed Attire and Social Etiquette, Business Studies, and The Art of War, please leave time in your schedule for at least one mandatory module.

“Classes will start tomorrow, and my team is in the foyer to help guide you in your choices. After the usual head count next Monday, we can discuss any proposed changes to your schedule, should the need arise. Please line up at the table labeled with the letter of your first name … not your code name.”

A few hundred students filed into the lobby. There were girls of every race. I heard conversations in foreign languages and realized that we had students from many countries. It was obvious that the girls shared close bonds and a sense of destiny. They all seemed to be preparing themselves for something great.

I got in line at the table labeled “I-J.” I chose six classes: French, European History, the Art of Negotiation, Yoga, Martial Arts, and Knife Combat. I opted for The Art of War as my mandatory module. I was informed that I would study
The Art of War
by Sun Tzu, and the exam would be reciting the whole thing from memory. I also found out that we had classes for eight months of the year, but we got summer and winter breaks. We could go to exotic places during the breaks and do things like scuba diving and snow skiing. If we didn’t feel like travelling, we could stay at the Academy and take fun classes like baking and painting.

Our teachers were from around the world, and we had experts in every discipline. Most of them lived at the Academy, as room and board were provided. I suspected that they were paid handsomely and had to sign non-disclosure agreements.

* * *

I was happy to see Mimi in my martial arts class. She was of Chinese descent, and about my size with long black hair. Her black eyes reminded me of the eyes of a pygmy killer whale. Her code name was the Orca. We sparred on the first day and she became my regular sparring partner.

Our saseong was Mr. Soo Onn. He was a Korean grandmaster and very strict. We were learning the basics of Taekwondo, a Korean martial art that focused mostly on using our legs to kick our targets. Mr. Soo Onn had short black hair and a barrel chest, and he moved with incredible speed.

At the beginning of every class, Mr. Soo Onn made us practice kicks, strikes, and blocks. After we worked on our moves, he would demonstrate combinations that we had to copy, then we sparred. He caught all our mistakes and pushed us to our mental and physical limits.

“You two little girls are lazy today!” he barked in his deep voice. “The combination is left front kick, right front kick, spinning back left roundhouse kick! This is how it’s done!” The white cotton trousers of his dobok snapped in the air as he showed us again. “You see, lazy girls? You need form, strength, and speed. I want smooth combinations and POWER! Ten more times … now!”