The Visit

It was a Sunday afternoon. Harmony was curled up on the sofa with a book when there came a knock on the door. Entity went to get it.

A man in a jet-black uniform stood in the doorway, sporting two blue horns and a welcoming smile, hands held behind his back. Entity nearly slammed the door right back into his face, but the man reached out a hand and stopped it.

"Wh-What did I do?" Entity's voice was trembling as if he saw a spider in a corner.

"Why, if there's anything you did, that was raising a wonderful daughter! Is little Harmony home?"

His eyes locked with Harmony's for a split second. She sank back into the book, though her attention was still focused on him.

Entity turned around to face her. "Honey? It's for you."

"Actually," said the man, "is Mrs. Frosting home? I would love to discuss this matter with the whole family."

Entity nodded. "Darling!" he called.

Frosting came out from her study. "What is it?" And then she saw the man in the doorway. "Oh. What's the matter, officer?"

They sat down around the tea table. Harmony put her book face-down on the sofa. The man introduced himself as Sky, from the Ministry of State Security. Frosting made tea.

"I am here on behalf of the the Middle School for Young Officers in Training Affiliated to the Ministry of State Security." Sky began. "I know it's a mouthful. We usually call it Ministry Affiliate.

"Your daughter is about to graduate elementary school. We are giving her an offer to attend middle school here."

"Really?" Frosting burst out.

"You are not mistaken. Our administration saw potential in a student like Harmony."

For the second time, he looked into Harmony's eyes.

"Uh, what's Ministry Affiliate?" Harmony asked.

"It's a special school ran by the Ministry of State Security," Sky said. "Where you can start early in your training to become an officer there."

"Um." Harmony stared at him blankly. "Why do I want to go there?"

"Because we'll teach you things you'd never learn anywhere else." Sky took another sip of tea. "You get to participate in missions, catching spies that are damaging our national security. And finally you can graduate into becoming an officer just like me."

"I was supposed to go to Flower City Middle School with my friend," Harmony said.

"Sugarcane? I just visited her yesterday. She agreed to attend."

Harmony caught her parents eyeing each other.

"…I can see why," Frosting said finally. "Sugarcane is a bright kid."

Harmony coughed.

"Of course, you're amazing too! That's why uncle Sky came to you too!" Frosting added immediately with no genuineness in her voice.

"I'm going wherever Sugarcane is going," Harmony said.

"Do we have time to consider?" Entity asked.

"Of course," Sky produced a booklet from his pocket. It was an introduction of the school. "When you're ready to attend, come to our office" — he pointed to an address written on the back cover — "with your ID, elementary school diploma, and a document photo receipt. Make sure to take a new photo. The deadline is August 1st. Please don't tell anyone else about it until then."

"Thank you, officer," Frosting said.

"I should be thanking you." Sky got up and headed for the door. "Bye! I look forward to teaching you." The cup of tea was emptied.

"Well," Harmony said, "let's go get the photo taken!"

"Let's not rush things," Frosting said. "Take some time to consider it."

"What is there to consider?" Harmony picked the book back up from the sofa and headed for her room. "Sugarcane is going."

"Why don't you make sure first? Confirm it with Sugarcane."

Oh, right. Harmony hadn't thought about that. "Tell her mom I'd be at the playground!"

Sugarcane was already there when Harmony arrived at the playground. She was sitting on a bench, legs crossed, too cool for any of the swings or slides; though Harmony noticed she wasn't on her usual bench, but another one, next to some shrubs. Harmony yelled at her, and she turned her head.

"Hey!" she yelled back, swiping her bangs out of her eyes.

"Hey," Harmony replied. "I want to ask you something. There's this guy who came to my home earlier today. He wanted me to attend this Ministry school and he said you agreed to go. Is that true?"

Sugarcane smiled. "Yes."

"So you're going?" Harmony asked.

"Of course!" Sugarcane said. "It's a nice school. It's way better than Flower City Middle School. Honestly, I'd say anyone who goes there is a loser. So glad we're not among them."

"This is great!" Harmony was hopping up and down.

"What is great?" Came a teasing voice from behind. Harmony turned around. It was Rose, leaned against a lamp post behind the shrubs.

Rose was a classmate of Harmony and Sugarcane's. Sugarcane didn't like her, so she refused to hang out with any of her friends either. Except that Rose was friends with nearly everyone else. Sugarcane would've been alone all the time if it weren't for Harmony, although Harmony suspected that she would've been fine with that.

"Oh, hey Rose," Sugarcane said without turning her head. "What's 'great' is that you're here, and you can play with things appropriate for your age." She waved at the swings and slides, around which a couple of kindergarteners were happily chasing each other.

Rose decided to ignore the comment. "What is this 'ministry school' I heard from you two?" She said with a face full of smug. "Some fancy version of a juvie?"

"Sitting in the grass getting your ass all wet and a bunch of bug bites, just to ask that basic question." Sugarcane shook her head. "This is why they didn't recruit you." She stood up, still facing away from Rose. "C'mon, Harmony, let's go. Talk somewhere without little spies snooping on us. Not that she's a good spy, but still."

Harmony got up to follow Sugarcane.

"Still latching yourself onto her butt, I see," Rose shouted behind them.

"Don't mind her," Sugarcane said. "You know you're my best friend."

Harmony knew that.

The day of graduation finally came. The girls had received their diplomas, went to take pictures right after the ceremony, and returned to Harmony's home, where they bugged Entity to walk them over.

"Can't you wait until your mom gets home?" Entity said.

"But that would be way into the evening!" Harmony said. "Would they even still be open?"

"Aren't you eager," Entity sighed.

The school was a twenty-minute walk away from Harmony's — fifteen minutes from Sugarcane's. "That's close enough for you to go to school yourselves," Entity said to them.

"I can make a detour to Sugarcane's and we can walk the rest of the way together," Harmony said. "It's only a couple minutes longer."

"That sounds great!" Sugarcane said. Entity was falling behind them.

They reached the address. It was a large campus, surrounded by barbed wires and gray walls. Harmony must've passed this building many times in her thirteen years of living in Flower City, but it had never occurred to her that this place was a school. A juvie, more like. Oh no, was Rose correct?

A security guard stood at the intersection, guarding the road leading to the gate. "State your business," he ordered.

Harmony turned around to look at her dad, but he was lingering way behind. "I'll wait for you girls here!" He called out.

"We're here to sign up for Ministry Affiliate," Sugarcane answered the guard.

"IDs."

Sugarcane already had hers ready while Harmony fumbled for her own. The guard tapped each card against a machine in his hands.

"Who's that guy?" He gestured towards Entity.

"My dad," Harmony answered.

"Alright," the guard stepped away, beckoning them forward.

They reached the school's gate. The only indicator that it was a school was a tiny metal plaque, silver on the gray wall, bearing its absurdly long name. A gatekeeper sat in the security office by the door.

"New students?" He said. "You're very early. It's not even July yet. May I see your IDs, please?"

Again, Sugarcane already had hers ready. Harmony had decided to put hers back in the folder during the walk.

After checking their IDs, the gatekeeper pressed some controls, and the small human gate next to the big sliding gate swung open. "Right there," he said. "You'll see it."

They entered to find a clearing of dusty concrete tiles between them and the main buildings, all dusty gray and tall. Against the side of the building was a single canopy tent labeled New Student Registration. In the shade of the tent, behind the table, sat none other than Sky himself.

"Sky!" Harmony yelled out in excitement and ran towards him. Sugarcane followed close behind.

"Hi!" Sky replied. "So good to see you here! Documents, please."

Harmony gave her folder to Sky, realized that her ID was still in her hand, and handed that over as well. Sugarcane, however, had put her ID back into her folder during the run and simply handed over the entire thing.

Sky went to work, checking their IDs against their diplomas and against a list he had on the table. He typed into a laptop, shoved their photo receipts in a bag, returned their documents, and typed some more.

"You're all set!" He smiled. "Orientation day is on September the first. I expect to see you then!"

"Thank you," Harmony and Sugarcane said. Harmony raised her head and gave the imposing building behind the tent one last look.

"This is actually the high school part," Sky explained. "To get to the middle school, you turn right immediately after coming in. There will be people showing you the way by then, so don't worry."

They said their "thank you" again and left. Harmony was skipping. "That was easy!"

"Of course it is," Sugarcane said. "Let's just hope the rest of the school year is as easy as today."

They passed the guard, greeted Entity, and started for home. Harmony suggested they go to Sugarcane's and then back to her home so she could familiarize herself with the route.

At dinner, Harmony excitedly told her mom about her enrollment. Frosting merely nodded, not looking up from her bowl. "Just remember," she said, "sometimes, the teachers and the schools make mistakes too. Nothing they teach you is an absolute fact. Sometimes they're wrong about things, so you need to judge for yourself. We can also help you; just ask us."

"Yeah, yeah," Harmony said, not paying attention.