The Final Exam

You check the time. Perfect. As intended, you’ve arrived fashionably late.

You walk into the lobby just as a doorman/bodyguard enters from the other way and spots you. He frowns as he looks over his list. “Invitation?” The man dourly asks, and you almost smirk. It’s time to play.

You search your pockets and bag for a suitable amount of time before conjuring up a sad expression and looking back up at the man, whose expression grew annoyed. You sweetly say, “I believe I’ve misplaced it, but I promise I’m on the list. If you just let me show you.” He begins to interrupt you, but you flutter your eyelashes flirtatiously and pout sadly, and his face begins to flush.

“Of course, let me just look at the list. What is your name?” He coughs uncomfortably as you step closer, and you move your hand first to the clipboard, then his arm, sliding up to his shoulders. He starts to stutter and you use the distraction to tilt the clipboard your way with your other hand and find the two names you were looking for before pointing to a name. 

Your name. At least for tonight anyway.

“That’s me, I know I should have brought my invitation, but I just had to rush here after a long day of work. You must know how that feels.” You say, and just watch as the guard falls over himself trying to assure you that you can go into the party, and yes he knows how you feel. You walk to the door into the ballroom and turn back, “Maybe I’ll see you later?” Then you walk away, not listening for an answer.

Part one, complete, with flying colors if you do say so yourself.

You leave, your sweet expression the last thing he will see of you, and remind yourself that you aren’t leaving the way you came. 

Part two would be much more intensive, there are a lot of people to get around before meeting your contact and getting what you came here for. 

Part two is the part you have been dreading.

You walk around smiling absently and making small talk with people. Your outfit is bright red, and you make your personality the same way. You flirt around with many people, but you dodge hands and offers of a dance, pretending that you have ‘a friend’ who you ‘have already made wait so long, and it wouldn’t do to give my first dance to anyone but them!’ you giggle and they accept your excuse.

As soon as possible, you head to the bathroom and make sure the room is clear before using a stall to change into something subtly different. You pick up the floor tile that was loosened, and pick up your second outfit, hidden under there a week ago, and quickly change. Your first outfit goes back under the floor tile to be collected another day, and you almost forget to pick up the matching handbag. Then you leave the stall.

You look at yourself in the mirror. Instead of red, you are now wearing a softer dark blue outfit. You decide against colored contacts, but you part your hair the other way and gel it in specific places. It’s enough to look different, but not enough to attract new attention.

You smile and bat your eyelashes, but it looks strange with your new look so you soften your smile and it looks gentler. You adjust your posture to look less confident, shyer. This was a character that would avoid glances and hide in shadowed corners.

Once again, perfect. You leave the bathroom and walk slowly, observing the room again. Satisfied that you are being ignored, you make your way towards the kitchen. You wait patiently chewing on a sandwich until it looks like the employees stop coming in as much. You walk to the door just as a waitress comes out of the door and almost bumps into you. You step back and the waitress barely saves the tray in her hands from falling.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to run into you. May I ask why you were headed this way though? This is a staff only entrance, and you are very obviously not staff. Not looking like that anyway.” The poor woman speaks quite fast and you take a moment to compose yourself and decide how you were going to play this, were you going to be dumb, flippant, or flirty? 

You decide on flirty. “I was simply looking for the chef who made that wonderful sandwich platter on the main table, not only did they look delightful, I must have tried every sandwich on it!” You joyfully reply, and the woman blushes deeply. “Actually, that was one of the jobs that the rest of the staff was given. I was in charge of it, although I didn’t really do that much.” She rushes to humble herself and you have her right where you need her.

“If that was you not doing that much, then I can’t imagine the things you can do when you really try.” You always knew what kind of compliments to give. It was a gift, and you fully intend to use it however you have to. “Knowing that you must have been up all morning. You must be so tired of standing up and walking around. How about we find a place and I can give you a little massage?” The woman shakes her head hesitantly, “I don’t think my boss would appreciate that.” you smile taking her tray from her hands and put it down on a table right outside the kitchens. “You let me handle them. Now show me where people can relax in a place like this.”

She giggles, her face entirely red now, and she grabs your hand, leading you to where you know the staff locker room is. You get there and push her to sit down on the closest bench. You step behind her and begin to massage her shoulders, letting her relax before you pinch a pressure point and catch her as she passes out.

You lay her out on the bench and begin to look into the lockers until you find the perfect disguise, a staff outfit. You change once again and leave your other outfit in the locker. No one really noticed you in blue, so likely, no one will notice you as just part of the staff. It isn’t a fool-proof plan, but you have some wiggle room since part one went so perfectly. Finally you allow yourself to take the hair piece off as well. It is imperative that you aren’t recognized, so paranoia is allowed and encouraged. 

You move the vials in your bag to your pockets, and give the woman one more look before leaving. She should be out until after the job is done, so you don’t worry about getting in trouble.

Part two done. You’d give yourself a solid 97% for this part alone. If you had to grade yourself.

Once you are in your new costume, it is ridiculously easy to make it into the kitchen and grab the tray you had previously left outside. You bring it out onto the floor and allow the socialites to see you passing glasses like a good little staff member, before returning to the kitchen and retrieving the final glasses. You grab the tray with the glasses especially made for the Head Honcho and his Right Hand. You take them and, in a slight-of-hand feat that would make a magician wail, you pour one vial into each glass. 

You were assigned a vial specifically for this project that was currently hidden in the floor tile. A major sedative, but there would be no need for it tonight. You didn’t want them to get back up after all.

Once the chemicals were poured into the glasses, you calmly make your way to the dias where the cabinet was seated and bring your drinks to the man in charge and his right hand. They both smile and take one, though the Right Hand smirks in your direction before taking her glass and you both silently watch the Head Honcho, the current principal of your school, drink his glass.

He does and the moment he puts it down is his last waking moment before he collapses on the table. Then everyone stops to look some confused, but many excited. They know what this means.

The Right Hand begins to clap and everyone follows, some cheering even as she puts one hand on your shoulder. They all know that you have passed your final exam. The principal’s final involved as much trickery as possible and if you could “assassinate” him before the night was over, then you could graduate.

Little did they know that you had been hired before graduation for something a little more serious. 

The Right Hand congratulates you before draining her own glass, and asks you to go collect your things and get a good night's sleep before the graduation ceremony tomorrow. That she would deal with everything else tonight. You smile at her and leave the room. Disappearing into the locker room to get your second outfit, and collect your money from your real boss. 

The waitress you left in the locker room still lays on the bench, but someone new has joined her. A woman you don’t recognize except for her eyes when she passes you a case, and a new outfit. You change into the jeans and t-shirt provided and silently leave through the window just outside the locker room, just before the sounds of panic come from the ballroom.

Just as well, you wouldn’t want to be held up. You have a plane to catch.