The Wallflower

Beginnings

A/N: Updates might be delayed for next week! I need a break from writing, what with real life being a pain and the stress of it all just becoming too much for me again. Updates will resume the following week, on the 22nd of this month. Thank you for understanding!

Owen

That afternoon, with colors of amber and orange-red filling the sky, Owen Blackbourne walked briskly, with purposeful strides and his trusty suitcase, towards Ashley Water's main office. His maroon tie was still smooth and freshly pressed from that morning and the feel of the cashmere material under his fingertips brought a comfort to the anxious feelings that settled in his bones the moment he stepped on campus. After the orientation earlier that day, Owen hadn't expected to get a call from his "employer" till Monday, when they were actually scheduled to meet. But it was certainly of no consequence for him if the man wanted to throw him off right from the start.

He had nerves of steel and it was a carefully defined skill he crafted and cultivated for years. Saul Hendricks was not a blight in his mind. Not at all.

The sterilized scent of polished clean floors assaulted his nose and he was made aware of the distinct changes Principal Hendricks must've done to his previously decrepit school. The god-awful peeling orange and brown paint was gone and in its wake, Owen found himself upon clean, white halls with every door a bright red. That strong, chlorine bleach smell permeated the air and it never failed to make him wrinkle his nose in discomfort.

A wider set of doors greeted him and Owen knew without prompting from the secretary where Hendricks' office was. With Victor's resources, he and the rest of his team poured over the blueprints of the newly remodeled school more times than was probably necessary but Kota was nothing but diligent when it came to missions. It was something he appreciated in him and more than once, a shaft of pride ran through him at the growth and skills his team acquired.

In the past couple of months, Owen has seen more excitement and change in his team than he ever did before. It was...refreshing, for a change.

With a barely there smirk on his lips, Owen nodded to the tending secretary and a passing staff member that he made a note to get the name of, before settling a single knock on the principal's door.

"Come in," came the raspy, croaky voice.

Owen rose an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing but a curt greeting that was swallowed up by the jittery, nervous jump Hendricks did the moment he came inside. On the outside, he appeared calm and friendly, striding over past his desk to shake his hand. But he knew better and just a few moments with the man would tell him all he'd need to know.

Owen Blackbourne certainly didn't expect much when he accepted the Ashley Waters mission. Though he had that little added task to see too from Dr. Roberts, it was of no consequence to him. The team needed a challenge and the mission would ensure that the others were free of their debt and finally graduated. It would also be good to help them bond better, hopefully the cinch that got them to truly work as a team. He knew what to expect with these types of missions, having done a few in the past with Sean. Going undercover required a skill set his team had perfected and it would do them good to stretch their legs, so to speak.

So he never expected much upon meeting Saul Hendricks. But still, he always practiced caution with every high-ranking mission. Sitting in his immaculate office, Owen wondered. As a principal of a delinquent school on the brink of being shut down, he didn't look like a man in desperation.

Still, staring at the man sitting across from him made him wonder. An informant through the Academy let them know something strange was going on within the school. They were concerned, and rightly so. Two months ago, the halls were old and derelict, on the cusp of being shut down due to hazardous building conditions and not being able to hold the many students that kept piling in. The waitlist, he noticed last, was getting a tad bit long at this point. Suffice to say, the school was overcrowded and old. And someone was embezzling money.