HQ: 3RD PERSON POV:

Lauren strode purposefully towards the Head Office, heels clicking, their echo resounding throughout the deserted hallways. She seemed confident enough but her mind was running a million miles an hour, racked with worry. Suddenly, a gunshot rung through the air and her head whipped around, a hand already at her belt, surveying her surroundings ; she was alone, there was not a soul in sight, considering it was 3 AM in the morning. " Who'd be awake at this ungodly hour?" she thought to her self. Chuckling mirthlessly, she ended up answering her own question "me of course, but then again I never sleep do I? "Yes.. you cut your wrists instead don't you honey?" whispered Lin " her 'friendly companion". Shaking her head, Lauren carried on, closer to the Boss' office. How she managed to face Liam, she'll never know but she accepted that she'd never be able to escape the demons in her mind. They'd been living there rent - free for the past few years. Then the rest of 'em joined her a few months ago. Absolutely fooking brilliant. Note the damn sarcasm.

At The Office: Boss Payne

She entered the office to a startling sight. Papers were strewn over every square inch of the vast office. Half of the bookshelves were emptied out, their contents open at at various pages on the normally clear, vintage desk. The owner himself was frantically pacing the perimeter of his workstation, frequently running his wingers through his quiff-ed buzz cut. Muttering inaudible profanities, the brunette's chocolate brown eyes, glazed with worry, flicked to hers, acknowledging her silent presence. Absentmindedly, he beckoned her inside the room.  Avoiding, with trepidation, the numerous sheets splayed out around her feet, she finally made it and stood at her boss's desk, awaiting further instruction, eyes showing confusion.

"Lauren, take a seat" her boss requested. She frowned. Liam was worried, his hushed tone and creased forehead said it all. Before she could even open her mouth, her boss cut to the chase. "I've got an emergency assignment for you. For it, you'll need to return to Langley. ..'

At that, Lauren spaced out, her face pale, eyes widened in fear of her haunting past. Her worst nightmare, the one that left horrid, deep scars, resurfaced from the dark, unreachable recesses of her mind and she stood there helplessly, watching it play in her mind's eye. She could hear the faint droning of Liam's voice in the background, his instructions now falling on def ears.

"Here we go again, another go round for all of my friends" she thought.

Flashback: {4 years ago}

"Lauren sweetie, where are you?" came the slurred voice of my aunt up the stairs.

Sighing heavily  she rolled out of bed , my ribcage (half broken) screaming, face drawn and exhausted. She crawled out to the landing and rising to two feet, she went downstairs to the inevitable occurence: a beating and hurtful sermons, preaching her imperfections.

She was Lauren Roberts and at the age of 15 holding the position of "The Poor Nerd". Oh, if only life were as simple as that. An unreachable heaven, a distant destination. In this mansion, where she had everything but nothing, everyone but no one. Basically a living hell.

"What took you so long Lauren?" her "aunt" hissed, an evil glint in her eyes, voice dripping with venom and a broken bottle of wine in her hand, it's contents already downed.She knew what was coming now...

A few hours later, Lauren began limping out the room, her body aching, each limb crying out for relief. Her skin was littered with bright red scars. There was nothing she could do about it, as pathetic as it sounds.

- Back at the office -

A loud thump bought her back to the present and Lauren looked down to see a thick document on the desk: her assignment. Sighing, she said only 3 words: "Yes, I accept". Looking back on it now, those words

5 Months Later: 04/09/14 08:45 AM

3RD PERSON (OMNI.) P.O.V:

 She walked into the main building of the school, revolver concealed, strapped to the inside of her blazer, a beautiful bottle green shade., the metal digging into her waist, a constant reminder of her identity: a spy - it's the unavoidable truth.

Now, at the age of 19, she was working for the British Agency, MI5. Recruited at 16,she' d lost the ' innocent , abused school girl' identity when she'd let it go for that of a series of missions, secrecy and ruthlessness alongside which she'd been diagnosed with schizophrenia - that was great (note the sarcasm). Don't misundestand this profession, she've gained a lot from her experiences... such as friends, confidence, a mentor who actually took care of her. Most importantly, she  has now got a purpose in life, something that she knows is worth living for.

Shaking off the sinking feeling in her stomach - it doesn't seem to fade- she lifted her clenched, shaking fist to knock on the door of Lesson 1 . The loud gunshot rung through her ears, nearly deafening her. Well there was no backing out now. She took a deep breath and pushed open the door. Deep down, she felt that something was going to go down. She'd learned to live with being cold- hearted. Although, somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew all her emotions were locked up in a chest full of misery, bursting at the padlocks, unable to escape. Why? Because she herself, had thrown away the keys to despair, love, happiness and all other feelings.

"We are all running from something or the other. Truth is we never truly escape our chaser. Some of us become too weak to run anymore but some make it out scot - free. But even they're never free. The chaser haunts the victim forever, a ghost in the back of the victim's mind. That is the rule of life, of existence" - anonymous

.....................................

Hello there! Thanks for reading the first chapter of OTR :) Hope you liked it. Feel free to post any suggestions, requests, negative or positive criticism below.

Remember, Vote, Comment and spread the word!

All the love,

Diya

NB.

SCHIZOPHRENIA IS A PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDER WITH VARYING SEVERITY.  DO NOT SELF DIAGNOSE. IF SUFFERING THE SYMPTOMS (CHECK THE NHS WEBSITE FOR 100% RELIABLE INFO), PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE VISIT YOUR GP (GENERAL PRACTITIONER) FOR GUIDANCE.