Test.

“Hey God, I mean, if there is one… It’s Jordan and I really-” Sirens interrupted Jordan’s prayer. He gazed out his window. He could see the red and blue flashes in the pitch black night. The silhouette of further away buildings reminded him how trapped he was. Trapped in this never ending city. Sighing, he rolled onto his back and closed the curtain. 

Why’d I even move here? Jordan knew the answer to that question. To get away from the war. This is better. I’m far safer. 

“I’ve had it with you, Lisa!” Jordan heard someone scream. 

Slam!

He wrinkled his eyes shut tighter. Then, he opened them. Although his black curtain was closed, the city lights still illuminated his room. I’m so childish, he rolled his eyes. Surprised that he wasn’t used to the area by now, he frowned. This was his dream. How could it have turned out so terribly?

He rolled off of his bed and strolled out to his small kitchen in his small apartment. The blank white of his walls stared down at him. He opened his fridge and pulled out a salad from yesterday. Taking off the plastic lid, he munched quietly on the lettuce as he sat down. 

Purchased from his favorite coffee place, the lettuce was still fresh and crisp. The dressing dribbled down the leaves and the red juicy tomatoes practically glowed. The freshness of the food was outstanding from there.

Closing the plastic lid, he noticed the details in his walls. The etches of the paint. How it seemed to be almost clumpy. He stood up and felt the wall. The texture felt weird to him. He tried to see patterns in the roughness. None. 

He frowned and silently walked into his room and sat back onto his bed. His brown eyes brimming with fresh tears. A quiet sniff, then sleep. 

* * * 

His phone started to ring. His ringtone blends in with the sounds of the city. He looked at his vibrating phone. Who is calling me at this hour? He picked up the phone and accepted the call, scratching the back of his swoopy bleached hair.

“Hey, is this Jordan… Jordan Kanes?” A feminime voice rang from the phone.

“Uhm, yeah,” He grimaced and yawned, “Who are you exactly? I mean, not to be rude or anything but-”

“This is Bex Huxley,” She interjected, “We need to talk… In person. Meet me at your local coffee place, Mean Beanz. 9:00AM. Roger?”

“The name’s not Roger, but I guess I’ll see you there…”  Jordan muttered. 

Then she hung up. 

There is no way I’m meeting up with some stranger at my favorite coffee joint. Who even is this chick? He thought, putting away the salad and hopping back into bed. It would be stupid. How’d she even get my number? Jordan denied his wish to go. Only one thing could get the better of him though…

Curiosity. 

* * *

Jordan walked down the streets of the city. Raining, the droplets seemed to move in slow motion in front of his eyes. They fell onto his long black lashes and balanced there, reflecting the gray sidewalk below. The cracks in the sidewalk full of wet dust and mud. He walked slowly, taking in the details of his surroundings. 

His reflection in the window, the people sitting inside. Blue birds flying above the city. Their feathers gleamed in the new sunlight, small droplets balancing on their frail wings. Each small fiber in the feather that creates the wing, a different shade of blue. 

Jordan noticed the sparkle of the sun on his nose ring. The rainbow that was now on the clouds. A reflection of the sunlight. Each color faded into the next. Fizzy, almost. He kept walking. The “Mean Beanz” sign hung a few feet in front of him.

A black cat with white paws and a white chest sat near the door. Each hair on the cat’s chest was completely dry. He could see the specs of dust and dirt on its coat. Jordan could tell that the cat was young. A kitten. It was scared. It’s little green eyes dancing around the sidewalk. Jordan kneeled down next to it, people snubbed him as he took up the sidewalk. A few eyed him in annoyance.

“Psst, here kitty,” He smiled. He grabbed a granola bar from his pocket and broke off a bit. Throwing it down at the cat's paws, he smiled. The kitten ate the granola. Jordan scooped up the kitten in his jacket. “It’s okay.”

Jordan walked into the coffee shop with the kitten bundled in his jacket. Looking around, he furrowed his brow. There was only one person in the building, which was odd because usually this time was the busiest as ever. He looked closer at the woman who sat in the corner. 

The rips in her black jeans exposed tanned, smooth skin. Her crocodile green shirt exposed her stomach, and the jacket she wore over her shoulder was simply there for looks. He narrowed his eyes at the earrings she wore that looked like nails going through her ears. The shine of her second piercing. Higher, he looked at her eyes. Amber with a yellow tint to them. Ringlet brown hair. 

He walked over to the table and slid into the chair in front of hers. He knew it had to be Bex. Otherwise, that would be quite embarrassing. He felt the kitten in his jacket squirm a bit. This’ll come back to bite me…

“Jordan, I presume?” Bex chirped.

“Yeah, you must be Bex,” He faltered, and shook her hand. The kitten in his jacket shifted. He noticed her eyes were more facing the left of him, towards the wall. He opened the side of his jacket on the right side for the kitten to breathe.

“You might be wondering why I’ve called you,” Bex started, “I work for an organization called Black Star.”

“Oh. yeah. That company that gives children and families new homes and resources after disasters and… wars,” He faltered, “Sorry, I’ve just moved from a suffering city, you must understand. I… Ahem. Continue?”

“No worries, Jordan. I think you should know that that’s not all that we do. Certain subjects among the company will sometimes go deep undercover in order to find out disastrous things that are being planned, and put a stop to them before they happen,” She sighed.

The kitten started to get squirmish. Jordan scratched its ears and petted its head, but that wouldn't keep it occupied for too long. He kept looking down at it, and he could see Bex was getting curious.

“Some of the agents near your town have found out you are very observant, like weirdly observant. We need people like that in the company. If you’re interested you should come to-”

“Meow!” The kitten jumped onto the table.

Jordan’s hand shot out as he pulled the kitten back to him. His face turned red as Bex laughed. Her perfect amber eyes lay on the kitten.

“You brought a kitten to our meeting?” She smirked, “Emotional support animal or something? You’re even worse than I thought.”

“He was on the streets,” Jordan blushed, “I couldn’t just leave him there…”

“Lemme guess, no one noticed him except you. Because you have something different, Jordan. You’re simply divine…”

“Something different? Like, oh, I don't know, compassion?” He rolled his eyes, “I’m just like everyone else. I live in a normal apartment, I do normal things. I just care a bit more about small stuff, you know.”

“Exactly. You notice detail,” Bex continued.

Jordan’s gray eyes shot down to Bex’s hand, where she unbuttoned the gun holder on her side. How could he have missed that? She fumbled with the gun. Jordan kept his gaze away from there in order to not raise suspicions. He stared right at her cold amber eyes. 

“Well. Almost every detail,” Her eyes flashed as she reached down to the gun.

Jordan saw it all in slowmotion. He grabbed her wrist in his left hand and the gun with his right. He breathed as time continued normally. He gritted his teeth and his eyes flashed as he held the gun steady.

“No,” Jordan spat, “Every detail.” 

Just then five people in black suits came out from the kitchen. They each had guns of their own. Jordan’s kitten lay asleep on the chair. He shook as he flinched the gun at each of them. Then, he grabbed Bex and put her into a headlock, the gun at her temple.

“One move, one word, one mistake… and she’s gone,” he snarled.

“You-” One of them began.

Jordan shot the ceiling, “Listen, bossman, I don’t know what the heck you think is going on here, but I’m not playing. I’ll shoot her!”

He noticed Bex tense. She’s about to make a move. Not if I do first. Jordan flipped her onto the table, shattering glass cups there. He held her down with one arm, and his gun was still steady at her head.

“I don’t think so!” He spat.

“Hey, you passed the test, Jordan Kanes! Let her go now. Easy does it,” One of them quickly said as they all dropped the guns. 

“Test?” Jordan looked down at Bex. She was nodding quickly. He released her, spitting at the floor. “What test?”

Bex breathed in deeply, “The guns are fake, Kanes. Seeing if you were legit. Seeing if you're really material.”

Jordan, fast as lightning, shot her in the chest. A thunderous boom went off in the building. But no bullet. He looked at the gun. He looked at everyone’s surprised faces.

“Just testing. The guns could have been real. You could've been lying to me. I don’t know at this point, because I thought I was coming here for a cup of coffee. If you all will excuse me, I’d like to take Gizmo and leave,” Jordan scooped up his kitten and tipped an imaginary hat.

“Kanes, wait-”

“It’s Jordan. My name is Jordan, Bex. Jordan. Not Kanes, not ‘Agent K’... Jordan. I’m not interested in your spy kids club, catch me?” He hissed.

“Jordan. It’s your father. William Finch-”

“Don’t say his name!” he yelled, red streaming into his face, now he was tearing up, “don’t say his name. Please. I’m leaving this god forsaken test…”

“Your father was a great man, Jordan. He started this company. He meant for you to be a part of it. He wished you would've worked with him. He was searching for you for so long. It would be a shame if his one wish was never fulfilled, James…” Bex faltered. 

Jordan slapped her across the face, “I changed my name for a reason! Don’t you ever call me ‘James’ again! Do you understand?” He announced each word clearly. 

Bex put a hand up to her cheek, “what did he do to you?”

“He left me. He left us. My dear mother. My sisters. My brothers. The second that danger came, he left. Fled to America,” Jordan’s tears ran down his face, “When we needed him most he was gone. I don’t care about his stupid company. I don’t care if he’d been labeled a good man by many. I don’t care if he’s been labeled a good man by God himself!”

“‘Any fool can have a child. That doesn’t make you a father. It’s the courage to raise a child that makes you a father’. President Barack Obama said that,” He declared, “I’ve never agreed to something more in my entire life.”

“Jordan, I apologize for that. You have my number. Call us if you change your mind,” Bex whispered, “You may leave now.”

Jordan left, with Gizmo in his hands and steam in his head. Like I’d ever be interested in a job at a company he started, he shook his head. He closed the door to “Mean Beanz” and walked back to his apartment, immune to the beautiful day. 

He didn’t notice the rain water reflecting rainbow sunlight as it drizzled from the gutters. He didn’t notice the poor stranded worm trying to get back into soil. He didn’t notice that the sun made the ground sparkle. He didn’t notice the rainbows on his nose ring. 

* * *

Two weeks later, Jordan had cooled down. He was back to his normal self. Although, the thoughts of his encounter filled his night times. He thought of Bex. She was so beautiful. He thought of the test, and how he’d broken into tears. 

Awake in his bed, he pulled out his phone. And he dialed the number.

First ring, Bex picks up, “Jordan?”

“Hey, Bex. I just wanted to apologize. You know, about the other day. And uhm… Can I have the details about the job?” He sighed, “if it's still an offer, of course.”

“Yeah, I’ll email them to you… You know, now that your dad’s gone, you have big shoes to fill. You sure you’re up for that? Gotta keep your cool on the job…” Bex murmured.

His father leaving him had scarred him. Every night he was alone now. He had nothing to do in this city other than his work, which didn't pay much anyway. His obsessive attention to detail was helpful. Maybe he could actually do something good for a change. 

“Bex, I don’t think I’ve ever been more sure about anything in my entire life.”