Lorna Dicken frowned. She reshuffled the paper and looked at the first page again.

“That can’t be right…” she muttered to herself.

Her partner, Miller, walked into her office. “Everything alright, Agent 2?”

Dicken raised her head. “There’s a problem with the electric bills. Have a look.”

Miller walked to the table and picked them up. She smirked. “Don’t worry, that malfunction was when the kid with the electrical thing tried to escape. But we got that under control.”

Dicken took back the bills and sighed. “Take a seat, Agent 3.”

Miller complied, pulling up a chair on the opposite side of the desk. She pushed her glasses further onto her nose and waited for Dicken to speak.

“We need more. We need someone really powerful, otherwise our funding will go, and we won’t be able to prove to anyone that what we’re doing is right.”

Miller nodded seriously. “The university has just started the term; maybe there’ll be a lot of people not from here. I’ll check it out.”



“Daaaaaance to the music,” Jess sang.

“No,” Hayley groaned.

It was the midweek complimentary lunch for new students, which was a posh way of saying a really badly made buffet/picnic-type-thing, complete with really bad music.

They were sitting at temporary tables in the hall, picking at food.

“So you always sing along to music?” Bob asked Jess.

She grinned, slightly embarrassed. “Yeah, it’s like… I have to. I feel obligated to by the music! It makes me!” She finished her sentence in a similar way to how a victim of alien abduction might.

“No, she’s just insane,” Charlie remarked.

“That’s good too,” Bob said.

“I can’t believe we have another two and a half days of initiation. I feel over-initiated,”
Jess moaned.

“Jess, have you seen our timetables? We have five classes a week! We’ll have plenty of time to not do anything!” Hayley said.

“Actually, I think that we’re supposed to be working…”

“Yeah, but you know that’ll never happen.”

After yet another long boring talk about something or other (they mused later and agreed it could well have been about driving), the students were finally allowed to go home.

“So Bob, what are you cooking tonight?” Jess asked, plugging in her seatbelt.

Bob revved the engine. “Um. I have no idea… what does everyone want?”

Charlie stuck his head into the front. “Can we get a takeout? I fancy pizza!”

“Sounds good to me!” Hayley put in from the back.

“Great, I don’t have to cook!” Bob said.

“And cake. We must have cake,” Jess demanded. Hayley and Charlie rolled their eyes at each other.

“Yes Jess, cake,” Charlie said wearily.

Finally, the week of initiation was over, much to Jess’s glee and Charlie’s annoyance. After a week of spatulas, talks, and demonstrations, Charlie felt like he never wanted to work again.

“I feel like I never want to work again!” Charlie announced to the living room.

“Well, since we’re all doing the doss option, we won’t have to work again. Bad luck, Charlie.” Jess said. “Now shut up, I want to watch this.”

“This is the Saturday morning news, with your host, Fiona Lightfoot.”

Bob came into the room, looking very bleary eyed. “You guys are up? But it’s…” He looked at his watch. “Oh. Twelve o’clock.”

Jess turned her head from the sofa. “Happy Saturday, sleepy head!”

He sat down on the sofa next to her, leaning forwards. “What’s on the news today?”

Jess made a face. “Kids going missing.”

Bob stared at the TV, recognition sparking in his brain. “Wait, I know where that is! Jesus, I used to go to that town when I was little!”

“Newsflash, Bob, bad things happen everywhere,” Jess said, with a little touch of sympathy in her voice. “Hey Charlie, where did Hayley go? With the car?”

“I think she went to get more food. Or to the mall to go to Hot Topic.”

“What? She must be getting food; she promised we’d go to Hot Topic together!”

The door crashed open. “Honey, I’m home!” Hayley yelled. “Oh shit, is Bob still asleep?” She wandered into the living room. “Oh, no you’re not. Hey Bob!”

Jess stared at her Hot Topic bags.

“You went without me!?” she shrieked.

“Um. Yeah… I was getting your Christmas presents?” Hayley tried.

“Aw, that’s so sweet of you!”

Hayley sighed in relief. “Yeah, so don’t look.” She went upstairs to dump her bags while the others dragged the food into the kitchen.

“Ooh, pasta!” Jess said. “I love pasta!”

Bob groaned. “Why does nobody ever get any milk?”

“Here it is, Bob!” Charlie said, holding up a carton. He looked further into the bag. “Actually…” He held up the whole bag. “Here it is.”

“Oh. Well, at least we’ve got it, even if we’ve got enough for around two years.” Bob took the bag and started trying to fit ten cartons of milk into the fridge.

“Hayley, come help!” Charlie shouted up the stairs.

“Just a minute! I’m checking something on the computer!” The reply echoed through the hallway.

“Oh God, she’ll take hours,” Charlie said.

Three hours later, Jess, Charlie and Bob were sitting in the living room, Bob and Charlie playing Timesplitters 2 on the Playstation. Hayley skipped in, looking far too happy.

“Hey guys! Do you still need my help with the shopping?”

Jess looked at her as Charlie and Bob ignored her. “We finished three hours ago.”

“Oh…”

“Die, monkey boy!” Charlie yelled.

“What? Aw, Charlie, we’re supposed to be on the same team!” Bob protested.

“Oops.”

“Ignore them, they’re idiots,” Jess said.

“I know…” Hayley replied, sitting down next to Jess. “Are they playing the Ice Station one again?”

Jess rolled her eyes. “Of course. Maybe we should stop it before it goes too far…”

“Ha ha ha, in your face!” Charlie screamed, jumping up and down on the sofa.

“I’m still on your team, dumb ass!” Bob said.

“Too late,” Hayley muttered.


Bob’s Twitter account – posts made between September 12th 2008 –September 20th 2008

Being killed by Charlie, by accident, on Timesplitters 2. 46 minutes ago from web

Finally waking up. 4 hours ago from web

Finally fully initiated into college! 19 hours ago from web

Last day of initiation… 7:47 AM September 19th, 2008 from web

Yeah I use spatulas to cook lasagne! 8:23 PM September 18th, 2008 from web

Cooking lasagne with my new free spatula. :D 8:22 PM September 18th, 2008 from
web

Not listening to another talk on… driving? Maybe? 2:56 PM September 17th, 2008 from
TwitterFon

Having crappy ‘complimentary lunch’ for new students. 1:34 PM September 17th, 2008 from TwitterFon

Roommates are officially awesome. Band practice FTW! 9:32 PM September 15th, 2008 from web

First day of college… 8:15 AM September 15th, 2008 from web

Ignore me, they’re great! 8:08 PM September 14th, 2008 from web

Weirdly accepted some random’s offer to move in, worried about potential roomies. 6:38 PM September 14th, 2008 from web

Off to the supermarket I go! 11:48 AM September 14th, 2008 from web

Not sleeping… can smell something very odd coming from roomie 2’s room… 11:27 PM September 13th, 2008 from TwitterFon

Just met roommates. OH DEAR. 3:09 PM September 12th, 2008 from TwitterFon