Inspirational quote: Be thankful for what you are now, and keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow.

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I shouldn't have signed that contract.

No. I really shouldn't have signed that contract.

What is wrong with me?

Is there any way that I can probably redo my past? But unless there's a time machine that's physically not possible.

Thoughts like this kept on filling Lauriel's mind as she was deeply focused on Dr Kozak, who seemed to be reading the contract in his head for himself.

When he had finished, he took to mind what Lauriel was thinking, before looking at her blankly.

"Lauriel, don't worry. There's nothing to regret. Honestly. Plus, the greatest thing of all, you get paid by me."

Despite being fond of money, Lauriel didn't say anything. She smiled but didn't really mean it.

"How much do you get paid?" She asked, still halfway through eating her ice cream.

"Seven hundred pounds," Dr Kozak told her, flashing fake money at her.
Lauriel in the meantime, rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"700 pounds? A year? Please. I'm leaving."

She was about to stand up again, until Dr Kozak smacked her hand really hard, making her sit back down again.

"Leave and you die, Lauriel," he reminded her. "And no. You get paid 700 pounds a week."

A week! Lauriel thought to herself, jumping up and down on her chair in excitement. That's like a hundred pounds a day.

"That is correct," Doctor Kozak agreed, nodding in agreement. "Although you'll have to start getting paid next week. There's no point of me giving you anything now when you haven't really done anything."

Lauriel didn't reply, just looked at him, slightly annoyed.

She was about to say something but didn't, she just thought it instead.

I'm sorry, but I find it quite annoying on how you can read my mind, Dr Kozak.

"I apologise," Dr Kozak replied. "That there's no way for me to not read people's minds."

Lauriel didn't know what to say at this point. So as a result of that, she took to mind what Dr Kozak had said before about earning 700 pounds a week.

"That's like... Over thirty thousand pounds a year." Lauriel realised, making Dr Kozak grin in concurrence.

"Yep. 36,400... To be exact," Dr Kozak answered, most likely memorising that number after having conversations with people in the past that probably started the same way.

Lauriel found herself in a world of her own immediately.

36,400 pounds a year!

She had never gotten paid this much, ever.

Although what could she have spent her money on? That was the main question.

Actually. What couldn't she have spent her money on? Becoming a spy was probably going to be the best thing that had ever happened to her in her life.

Lauriel was staring at the ceiling for a long long time, and was brought back to reality again when Dr Kozak beckoned her name.

"Lauriel." He echoed.

She snapped out of her dream immediately, and screamed when she realised that Dr Kozak was so. Freaking. Close to her.

"Why are you so close to me!" She screamed.

Dr Kozak promptly stepped backwards before saying anything else.

"I got worried. You okay? You've been staring at the ceiling for like-" he looked down briefly at his watch before saying the second part of his sentence. "I don't know. Twenty minutes."

Lauriel nodded.

"It's just... I don't understand. Why you would ask me to be a spy? I mean... Dr K... I have like, no experience."

Doctor Kozak didn't reply.

He then looked at her again when he found out that she hadn't necessarily finished talking yet.

"Plus, I'm like way too young. I'm fourteen. You really don't want me messing things up."

"So? I've got ten year olds here, kid. Age really doesn't matter to me." Dr Kozak assured her. "Heck. You could even stay here till death sometimes. I had an agent here once. His name was Agent Mordecai. He was 107."

"Was?" Lauriel repeated, looking at him blankly.

"Yep. Was. He died in his sleep yesterday. Really tragic event. We were great friends as well. Despite the height. Despite the age difference."

Dr Kozak was literally about to cry. Lauriel had never seen an adult cry, and felt even worse when he actually did cry, for real.

"I'm sorry. When's the funeral?"

"June 20th. Yes. I know, it's like over 3 months from now. We shared the same birthday as well.... June 20th is our birthday."

Lauriel didn't know what to say. Comforting others when a loved one had recently died was not her kind of thing.

Killing others when they annoyed her was her kind of thing. But she didn't say that though. Especially in front of Doctor Kozak.

That would have been bizarre, even for her, plus she kind of already got Dr Kozak thinking that she was crazy enough.

"But if age doesn't matter to you..." Lauriel added. "Then does that mean you'd let a three year old become a spy? A one year old even? Seven?..."

Dr Kozak froze and looked at her mildly, before saying anything else.

"You've got a point," he murmured, staring blankly at the floor, as if the sight of carpet wallpaper that looked like a diseased swimming pool intrigued him. "But I meant double digit ages. Duh."

There was silence between them for a while, until Lauriel finally thought of something wise to say.

And luckily, this time round, Dr Kozak had not read her mind, or he did, but he just didn't say anything about it.

"Oh. So this is it? I'm a spy."

"No no no no no," Dr Kozak disagreed, banging something on the table. "You obviously didn't read the entire contract. But then again I didn't really let you, did I? No I didn't."

He brought out the contract that Lauriel had messily signed again - her handwriting was laborious- forcing her to read it out loud for Dr Kozak to hear.

Holding up the light pink piece of paper that contained the contract in it close to her chest, Lauriel read it once and for all.

"Disclaimer! You are not a spy immediately once you've signed the contract. You will have to take three significant tests first. If you do not do well in all three of them, even if you just fail one, then you can not become a spy. That also means that you will not be earning 700 pounds a week for working for Dr Kozak, as well as your annual income of 36,400 pounds either."

"Oh," Lauriel said out loud, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden.

"Yep," Dr Kozak smiled, winking at her, before quickly adding, "This is a life or death situation, Lauriel. If you don't do well in any of the three tests, you could die. Although we've spaced it out for you over three days, to create less stress. One day equals one test, for three days. You understand?"

Lauriel nodded vigorously. She was about to say something else but stifled it when someone else who she didn't know came in.

She was the opposing skin colour to her and Doctor Kozak, so black, and her hair was dark dark brown as well as wavy.

She was amazingly beautiful, like Dr Kozak, and she looked like she was from the Caribbean, if not then Jamaica.

Again, her make up was a bit too much, as well as her tattoos, but didn't spoil her beauty one bit.

She was dressed like Cat Woman except without the mask and without the tail.

One of her tattoos Lauriel could read. The others, she couldn't.

And on it were eight beautifully handwritten words.
Which simply said:

Agent Astera And Doctor Demetrius Forever And Ever!!!

Dr Kozak's wife.

No wonder they were together. Dr Kozak was like, the male version of Vanessa Sterling.

"Honey, honey, honey," she kissed him gently. "There's been an accident at Test Room 101 with Agent Arista and her cat again."

"Agent Arista? Again?! Why is she in there? She knows very well that she's not allowed in there. And why's her cat in there as well? Arista is always messing stuff up. I might have to fire her. Honestly."

The two were talking about whoever this unknown agent was until Lauriel cut the conversation short by clearing her throat.

"What are you guys talking about?" She asked.

They didn't reply.
Either of them.

"Don't worry," Dr Kozak replied, soothingly. "And, honey," he turned to the other unknown agent. "You came just in time."

"For what?" His wife trailed off.

"Lauriel, meet my wife Agent Astera. Astera, meet my long lost daughter Lauriel. And Lauriel, by the looks of it..." he checked his watch briefly, before looking at Laurier again. "It's time for your first test. Hope you're ready."

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Moral of chapter: Do not let little things in the past cause such a big problem in your present or future life.