Chapter 6

"Ahhh. Theo, how was I supposed to relieve my stress when my personal body pillow wasn't around?" Anna held Theo tightly with her arms, pressing her chest against his head.

Anna could hear Charl's gasp beside her and Will's frustrating exhale. They were standing outside the principal's office.

"Oh my." Chris was surprised at Anna's impetuous behavior.

Theo sighed and pushed Anna away.

"Stop doing this, Anna, it's embarrassing. Both for me and you." Theo said grumpily.

"No! You are so cute. Who on Earth could resist hugging this little guy? Right, Charl?" Anna put her hands on Theo's shoulders and turned him toward Charl as if she was showing off her new toy.

"What? Y-Yeah, I guess." Charl stuttered and blushed, but she couldn't take her eyes off Theo. He reminded Charl of one of those life-sized plushies she used to own as a child.

"Quit it already," Will spoke out. He was clearly unhappy with the situation. "Let's discuss what we should do next."

Will began to walk down the hallway. The squad followed behind him.

"So, Anna-" Will was interrupted by Chris.

"It's Sergeant Hastings now."

"R-Right."

"Hehe." Anna stuck out her tongue and scratched the back of her head.

Anna's bashful face was a sight to take in, Will thought.

"Anyways, Sergeant Hastings, what's our next step?"

"Well, like Director Berkely and the principal said, there isn't much for us to do before the curtain falls on the investigation. I guess, for now, let's look for a new Team Spectre operator."

"The principal said we will need a marksman," Chris said. "Anna, you should be a pretty good judge when it comes to marksmanship, right? Since Charl told me your father was the legendary Major Sean Hastings."

"… That's right. He was…" Anna's mood quickly shifted. She began looking a little down.

Chris looked around and saw the other three eyeing him. Then he realized what he said. Anna was really sensitive when it came to anything about her father. His departure left a great toll on her.

"Sorry, that's not what I meant." Chris apologized.

"No, that's fine. But you are right. I know a thing or two about marksmanship." The hint of sadness was instantly wiped off of Anna's face. "You guys wanna go to the academy shooting range this afternoon? There should be a rifle marksmanship club practicing there. We can do some scouting."

"Sure, that sounds like a good idea," Chris responded.

"Alright then, let's meet at the flagpole in front of the front gate at 1800."

"Yes, Sir." The three boys answered with a salute. Charl didn't catch on to what was happening and awkwardly followed suit afterward.

"Yes… Sir." She said quietly.

"Aww shucks. I can't tell whether you guys are doing this on purpose to embarrass me or not."

"I'm home," Anna said as she opened the gates to her mansion. Her property was granted by the government. It was massive, just being short of a castle. Anna was born here, yet she still hasn't gone into every single room. The mansion wasn't sophisticatedly decorated like some other noble houses, since Anna's parents were soldiers who spent weeks sleeping in hastily constructed jungle shelters, after all. In her country, there weren't a lot of field operators high up in the social hierarchy. The high-class wealthy people were mostly ranked, officers and government officials. Therefore, the aristocratic soldiers were highly respected as it meant that they had done something truly outstanding for their country.

"Welcome back, Ms.Hastings." Anna was greeted by one of the young, new maids training under Maria.

"Oh, hi, Leah. Where is my mother?" Anna started taking off the jacket that was part of her uniform and handed it to Leah.

"Mrs.Hastings should be in the study right now," Leah answered.

Leah was a pretty little lady. She was around Anna's age. The military wasn't the only career path in Gladakia. Those who don't want to attend the military academy can choose from a wide range of other specialized schools, such as a business school or a home economics school.

Leah began her training as a housemaid a couple of years back, but because she was often off on her own somewhere, doing god knows what, she still hasn't been promoted to a full-time maid. Because Leah was the youngest maid in her house, Anna became friends with her. They sometimes go shopping or drink tea together, despite her objections, saying that a maid should act more like a servant. There was a lot more to Leah that Anna doesn't know, but she really liked her reserved yet bold personality. Her appearance and conduct were more than suitable for a maid. Anna can imagine if Leah puts on a pretty dress, she'd look like a mistress herself. Anna recalled the first time she brought Will to meet Leah, he blushed, which he hasn't done to anybody else other than Anna and her mother.

"Also, Leah, can you prepare me some casual clothes for this afternoon?"

"Sure thing, Ms.Hastings."

"Thanks a lot."

Anna walked into the lobby and was greeted by several other servants. She walked through the hallways toward her mother's study. The downside of having a huge mansion was that simple tasks like traveling between rooms took a lot of effort. Before she arrived at the Study, she saw her mother walking in the hallway. She reached out to say hello.

"Hey, mom." Anna waved.

"Anna. You are back. I heard everything from a letter. Come here, let's talk somewhere else."

"Ok."

Anna followed her mother into the sunroom. Anna's favorite room in the entire mansion was the sunroom. Even though she was a girl, she wasn't really a big fan of flowers or plants. She liked it because it was her father's favorite place, and there were many wonderful memories they shared in this room. For the first few years after her father left, Anna couldn't bring herself to go inside the sunroom, but slowly, she learned to look at her memories through a happy lens rather than a sad one.

Mrs.Hastings sat Anna down in the middle of the room. She asked the maid to bring some tea. Anna picked up a cup and started sipping it. Anna had been taught high-class etiquette, but her personality just wasn't compatible. Even so, the little hints of proper etiquette that leaked through her actions were enough to make people see that Anna wasn't just the daughter of a normal soldier.

Mrs.Hastings sat down across the tea table from Anna and picked up a cup of her own. She was a perfect mother. She was gentle, caring, and loving. She placed Anna's feelings above all else. She treated everyone well regardless of their social status. She often donates to charity and helps those in need. In other words, she was a completely different person from the Battle Queen on the battlefield. For somebody that was not in the know, there was no way they could make out the merciless, efficient killing machine in the battle tales from the warm Mrs.Hastings.

As a soldier, Mrs.Hastings was not big on appearances. She didn't really dress up nor did she wear any accessories. She solely relied on her natural beauty and aura, but that was more than enough to obtain great attention at parties. Anna was very similar to her mother in that respect.

"So, Anna, or shall I say, Sergeant Hastings." Mrs.Hastings smiled.

"Oh, so the letter told you about that, too?" Anna said.

That cheeky principal, he knew I was going to accept all along, didn't he, Anna thought.

"Of course. I can't believe you are already getting your own unit, Anna. I am really proud of you, I am sure your father would be, too." Mrs.Hastings gently held onto Anna's hands.

Anna was happy. She already had everything, beauty, status, wealth. Her only motivation to work hard was to meet everybody's expectations of her and to make her parents proud. Her mother's words meant a lot to her.

"Thank you, mom."

"Even as a girl, you have already outdone your brother at such a young age."

Anna's brother was 3 years older than Anna. They have always been on good terms. He was loving, just like everyone else in Anna's family. He wanted to become a pilot and joined the Air Force, and was currently training for the Special Operations Aviation Regiment, or SOAR for short, so he hasn't been deployed, yet.

"So, what division will you be working under? Is it part of the Navy like I was?" Mrs.Hastings asked.

"No, mom. I will be working directly under the secretary of defense."

"Really? Jenny?"

"Yeah. The principal told me she asked to be our supervisor."

Anna's aunt had occasionally visited her and her mother. She was a strict woman who was very stiff but loving nonetheless. She brought Anna gifts every visit but was always embarrassed when Anna hugged her sweetly.

"Well, then, you are sure to be in good hands. There's nothing for me to worry about."

"Oh yeah, the son and daughter of General Arden will be with me as well."

"Little Chris and Charl? Oh, they were such adorable darlings the last time I saw them. I heard they have both grown into fine adults."

"Mrs.Hastings, sorry to interrupt, but lunch has been prepared," Maria said after she knocked on the door to the sunroom.

"Thank you, Maria." Mrs.Hastings said to Maria and then turned back to Anna, "Anna, let's talk later, I am really hungry."

"Okay."