Work Text
“Blacksheep! Wait!” The girl ran through the front doors, ignoring the cleaners as she rushed through the rain and towards the boat ahead of her. “Blacksheep!” she frantically calls out, panting as the rain dampens her red hair and uniform.The girl on the boat raises her head, revealing her brown skin and mirroring features of the girl in the rain. “White Sheep?” she murmured, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of her sister trying to reach her. She freezes for a moment, reaching to stop the boat for her sister until she quickly notices the samurai hastily approaching the dock.“Blacksheep, don’t go!-” White Sheep cuts herself off as the boat quickly reverses and pulls away from the dock. Her hands drop to her sides as she stares at the water and boat driving away from her. The sound of thunder booming and the samurai slowing his steps and stopping at her side doesn’t break her out of her stupor. “She left.” She breathed out, barely audible enough for anyone else to hear. “She left.” she repeated, as the devastating realization hit her. “White Sheep, I..” the samurai reluctantly raised his hand to place her shoulder but dropped it. He too, was stunned at the actions of Blacksheep. Too astonished to even give his student the comfort she clearly needed.White Sheep stood still before the event clearly registered. “Black Sheep left me, her own sister!” she clenches her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms as she holds back the tears fighting to spill from her eyes. “I can’t believe her, she-”“She has left you, yes. Not only you, but everyone else. Your sister is now a traitor to the very institute who cultivated her into what she is now.” The samurai spoke, his monotone voice causing the girl to frown and place her hands on her forearms.She takes a deep breath and exhales, turning to her instructor with a tear stained and slightly scrunched face. “What.. do I do now, Shadowsan?” she asks quietly but loud enough for him to hear.
“Now, White Sheep, you have to complete another year to take her place. The faculty and I will deal with your sister accordingly. Come now, the storm is worsening.” Shadowsan turns on his heel and makes his way towards the academy entrance.White Sheep glances back behind her before looking ahead of her and following behind him, silently vowing to find her sister and deal with her herself.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Whitesheep stared at the wall and pulled the covers over herself. Today was the orientation of V.I.L.E. Academy’s newest group of students.She was supposed to become an operative with the last group, with Crackle, Tigress, El Topo, Le Chevre, and Mime-Bomb. But she didn’t. She and Blacksheep failed the last exam, to both of their surprises. Now that her sister left the island, and she didn’t graduate, she was completely alone. Not only that, she had to complete this new term without any friends and would have to deal with Tigress and a couple of other operatives poking fun at her for the time being.She sighs and adjusts the blanket so it would cover the sun glaring through the window, which was bolted shut from Blacksheep’s first escape.The students were placed on a stricter schedule and more security was stationed around whenever operatives were sent out on capers. This obviously annoyed a lot of the students, especially the ones who liked to sneak out and go do whatever.But, Blacksheep was no longer attending the academy. So obviously Whitesheep was the target of their frustrations. It was mostly because people never knew they were twins and got them confused, or some just didn’t care which twin it was at all. Still, she was continuously picked on for her sister’s actions and not graduating.Suddenly, the intercom comes on and Professor Maelstrom’s voice blares across the student chambers, waking up the other students and causing some of them to groan.“Good morning, students, and welcome to your first day at V.I.L.E. Academy, where we teach and raise you to be extraordinary artisans and masters in the art of trade. I suppose you all have settled in and have your items ready for your first day of class, hm? Now, make your way to the auditorium, and auditorium only, where you will meet Coach Brunt for your orientation.”
Whitesheep, having gone through this last year, only grumbled and adjusted her head so that it was back on the pillow. She decided to just sleep in for the first day, figuring she could catch up later. But, that decision was quickly overridden by another student pulling the blankets off of her.“I don’t know if you don’t know how things work around here, but you’re not gonna sleep in while the rest of us have to start our training.”She grumbles and sits up to see a tan skinned boy with slightly messy brown hair looking down at her. He unceremoniously drops her blanket right back on her and crosses his arms, smirking.“I am the Great Teguh, your new classmate and superior.” he introduces himself, his arrogant and proud disposition causing Whitesheep to raise an eyebrow as she pulls the blanket off of her head.Just then, another student walks over and stands behind Teguh. The girl has a pale complexion, blonde hair, and blue eyes similar to Whitesheep’s. She looks unamused, upset even.The girl huffs and looks at Teguh. “Teguh, don’t you think it’s too early to bother anyone? Maybe the girl is new here.”“Actually–” Whitesheep tries to speak up but is interrupted by Teguh“Nonsense, Annika! It’s never too early to become great, and flaunt everyone with my greatness.” He boasts, raising his arms to flex his biceps, which weren’t really there. Annika rolls her eyes at his retort. “I could teach the newbie a couple of things. Like my spin kick-”“I’m not new, actually.” Whitesheep finally speaks up, sitting at the edge of her bed and facing Teguh and Annika. They both look a little surprised at the revelation.“You’re… not new?”“No. This is my second year as a student. I was actually one of the best in my class.”Teguh and Annika both share a sidelong glance at each other before looking back at Whitesheep. Teguh places his hands on his hips and lightly scowls down at her. “Well, if you’re so great, then why haven’t you graduated yet?” He asks.“Wait, I think I’ve heard of you before,” Annika starts holding up a finger and pointing it at Whitesheep. “Are you the one who failed the final exam despite beating everyone in their class and whose sister left the island?” She asks with a hint of astonishment.Whitesheep nods and plays with her hair bashfully. “Yeah.. guess that spread pretty fast.”“So how’d she do it? Your sister, leave the island?” Teguh leans closer to her, eager to know more. But Whitesheep turns away and stands up from her bed, not answering his question.“That’s none of your business. All you need to know is that she left, and that she’s a traitor.” She sneered, the slight anger and frustration in her voice at her sister’s mention noticeable.Teguh and Annika look at each other before giving Whitesheep one last glance and walking out of the dorms, making their way to the auditorium with the other students and leaving her alone.Whitesheep stands over her desk, reaching to grab her hair tie until she sees the matryoshka dolls that were found with her and her sister as infants. She reaches out and gently brushes her finger pads down the surface.A melancholic and somber feeling washes over her as she’s reminded that she knows nothing of her past, and her current calamity, Blacksheep leaving the island. As she holds the doll, she thinks over everything that she and her sister went through, and that sad, pitiful, feeling slowly rotted into one of anger, resentment, and vengeance.“I’ll never understand you, sister. How could you just leave me behind? And choose the feelings of others over your own family?! Now I’m to blame for your mistakes.”She dropped the doll and let it fall onto the floor before grabbing her hair tie and putting her hair into a quick ponytail. She took a deep breath and made her way out of the dormitory. “Ever since you left, you’ve caused me problems. So now that you want to play hero,” she fumed as she strided down the hallway. Whitesheep finally makes it to the auditorium and slams the large green double doors open, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. “I’ll be the biggest obstacle in your stupid, sappy, story.”She walks over to the highest row seats and sits down, giving everyone who was looking a harsh glare. Some of the students whisper and grumble as they turn back around to face Coach Brunt. She clears her throat before resting her hide on the edge of the podium, gaining all of the students' attention. “Now that everyone is here, we can begin. Welcome, students, to V.I.L.E. Academy. Here you will learn how to slip through the shadows and leave with priceless items unnoticed. Valuable Imports, Lavish Exports. Remember this, for this will be the motto that will guide you through your training, and future missions.” She announces. As Coach Brunt continued with her speech, Whitesheep leaned back and crossed her arms. A few students glanced at her curiously and some shared rude whispers between each other. She looked down and noticed Teguh and Annika sitting in front of her, in which Teguh looked bored out of his mind and Annika seemed to be unbothered and kept a stone face. Whitehseep decided to speak up, since she didn’t want to hear the coach’s rant.“Hey,” she started, gaining the two’s attention. “So, what are you guys’ code names?”
“Hm.. I don’t know, but I think it should reflect on something important, like the best thing about me.” Teguh wondered, tapping his chin and looking off to the side.Annika crossed her arms and hummed, looking at Whitesheep. “I haven’t decided yet either.”“Wait, none of us have introduced ourselves yet. Well, I’ll go first. I am Teguh-”“And we only use our first names here. That is only until you all get your code names.” Coach Brunt interrupted, looking right up at them. “Lambkins, is there something you and your group want to say?” She asks, raising an eyebrow.“Uh- uhm, no..” Whitesheep mumbled and sank into her seat, averting her gaze. Annika raises an eyebrow and looks up at her.“Lambkins?” She asks.“Is that your code name?” Teguh chimes in, earning an annoyed look from Whitesheep.“What? No, of course not. It’s ‘Whitesheep’, to you.” She scolds.“Oh. So what’s your actual name.”“Whitesheep.”“..No like your real name. The one that was given to you.”“Whitesheep?”“I don’t think you understand me-”“No, Teguh, I think for some reason that’s her actual name.” Annika says, putting her hand on his shoulder. His face reddens slightly and he turns away. “Uh, yeah, I figured that.” Both Annika and Whitesheep share glances and roll their eyes, Whitesheep with a slight smirk.“Anyways, I’m Annika. Nice to actually meet you.”“Same here.”“And I’m Teguh.”“We know.”Whitesheep chuckles at their banter before looking away. She’s distracted for a moment until a part of Coach Brunt’s speech catches her attention.“Recently, a defected student of ours escaped from the island and left to go travel two months ago. She has been a thorn in our side since. Costing us money, resources, and even managing to detain one of our operatives. She even decided to abandon her original code name: Blacksheep, and took on a new identity.”Teguh and Annika look a bit surprised at the new information, but the corners of Whitesheep’s mouth curl downwards into a slight frown.“Blacksheep? Is that your sister?” Teguh asks cautiously, turning around in his seat.“Yeah, the traitor.” she grumbles, the disdain obvious in her tone. “She can change her name, but she’s not that easy to forget.”“This troublesome traitor has now named herself,” Coach Brunt looks at Whitesheep. “Carmen Sandiego.”Whitesheep’s eyebrows raise and she slightly cocks her head to the side. She huffs, curious at her sister’s new name. After minutes of talking, Coach Brunt finally closed off her speech and dismissed the students to go to their respective classes. Whitesheep, Teguh, and Annika walk down the hallway together, Whitesheep in the front and the following behind her. They pass by the lobby, seeing some operatives climb into a helicopter to go on a mission. Teguh watches in amazement as he stops to look. “Wow, who are they?”“Operatives, they’re the ones who graduate and go on missions across the world.” Whitesheep answers, stopping in her tacks with Annika.“That’s gonna be us for sure. Right Annika?” he asks enthusiastically, putting his arm around her and gently nudging her. She smirks and nods.“Yeah, I guess we’re gonna travel the world together.” She pats his arm and he pulls away.Whitesheep watches their interaction before turning away and starting outside. “...This could have been you and I, Blacksheep.” she mumbles. She closes her eyes and takes another deep breath before crossing her arms and looking back at Teguh and Annika.“So, Whitesheep, are you gonna keep that name when you become an Operative, or are you gonna choose something else?” Teguh speaks up again.Annika also chimes in. “Yeah, no offense, but I don’t think you would want anyone to call you ‘Whitesheep’, especially as a professional operative.”“Huh, you guys are right.” Whitesheep hums in response.“Ooh, oooh, you gotta choose something cool, ominous even.” Teguh suggests.“I heard that you sneak and can disappear in broad daylight, maybe something that reflects on that.” Annika adds.Whitesheep thinks for a moment, taking everything her classmates said into consideration. “I’ll be after Blacksheep- Carmen, from now on. I won’t let her forget about everything we’ve gone through here.” She then looks over at the ocean outside again and narrows her eyes. “I’ll be her ‘Ghost’.”“Ooh, pun,” Teguh shoots a finger gun at her, smirking. “I like it.”The trio then proceeded to make their way to class, Ghost now leading the way again.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The room was eerily silent, and a bit chilly. It was dark and the only source of light were the streetlights outside and their flashlights. After Zack and Ivy crashed their car before they made it to the professional racing league, they had to pay back Sharkhead Eddie somehow. So they agreed to go into Southie’s worst donut shop in town to pick up some money.Flashlight in hand, Ivy took a deep breath and made her way to the back room, Zach following behind after turning his ski mask the right way. She grabbed the doorknob and twisted it before pushing the door open and walking inside. They both started to search the room to find anything that would help them with their task.Ivy turns to the right and her flashlight lands on the steel door in front of her, pausing in her search. Zach steps up behind her, wanting a closer look at what his sister saw. Just then, he saw something red flash in the corner of his eye and turned around. Ivy followed suit, glancing at her brother. “What is it, Zack?” her curious expression falls to see another person emerge from the shadow.A burgundy-haired woman in a red trench coat and fedora, looking right at them. Ghost flopped onto her bed, landing on her stomach. She let out a long exhausted groan as her roommate sat down on the bed next to her, raising an eyebrow.“I’ll never understand how you have been eating that lunch since childhood. I thought that “rice” was gonna jump off the plate and come alive.” Teguh complained, using his fingers to make air quotation marks at ‘mashed potatoes’. “Even though Annika and I did the summer program, I still can’t get used to the food.”Ghost, slightly amused at his complaining, turns onto her back to face him. “It’s either imitation rice or nothing.” she shrugs her shoulders. Annika was finishing an assignment with Countess Cleo, so Whitesheep was gonna be the one to hear his endless thoughts for the next hour. She sat up and turned her body to him.“Speaking of,” she started, gaining his attention. “Didn’t you mention you came from Jakarta?”“Oh, yeah. Straight out of the west. Man, you wouldn’t believe how hectic the city was on a daily basis. There were a lot of people and not enough space. At least V.I.L.E. Island isn’t that crowded.” he explains, placing his hands on the back of his head and leaning back onto the wall.Before he could add anything, the PA system switched on. “Whitesheep, please report to the Faculty office. You are very much needed.” Coach Brunt announced.Teguh and Whitesheep glanced at each other before she stood up from the bay and made her way to the office.~~~~~When she arrived, she saw Le Chevre and El Topo on the big screen in front of the Faculty’s long desk. A little confused and nervous, she turns her head back to the Faculty.“So, I presume that you’re acutely aware of V.I.L.E.’s newest and biggest complication, Whitesheep?” Professor Maelstrom speaks up, his bony hands clasped together on the desk.Stifling a slight scowl, Ghost nods her head. This wasn’t the first, nor last time she would hear about her sister. And she was beginning to grow tired of it.
“Well turns out, Miss Santa Rosa decided to go on her first caper recently and V.I.L.E. was her target.” Coach Brunt followed, her hands balled into fists.“She has herself a new set of toys, too.” Countess Cleo added with a slight frown on her face.“I’m sorry, and I know she’s my sister, but what does this have to do with me?” Whitesheep spoke up, her hands clasped behind her back.“Being her sister is exactly why we needed you here today. You know her better than anyone. You’ll have better luck getting through to her than any of us.” Dr. Bellum says, gesturing towards Le Chevre and El Topo drenched in water on the screen in front of them.“What we’re saying is,” Professor Maelstrom leans forward. “We want to give you the chance you unfortunately missed, to become one of our Operatives.” he proposes.A wave of surprise washed over Ghost’s feature. Become an Operative? But why just now? “Wait, really?”“This means you will have a special and early graduation and work with our current operatives. Not only that, you will work towards stopping Carmen Sandiego.” Shadowsan explains and Whitesheep can feel the usual chill in his tone.“And convince her to come back to V.I.L.E.” Coach Brunt interjects, earning a look from Shadowsan in which she ignores.Of course. To stop her sister. But, Ghost couldn’t do that. She loved and cared for her sister, she could never work against her. They have had each other’s backs since forever. Or so she thought, before Blacksheep ran away and abandoned her after causing so much trouble. Ghost could feel her hands clench into fists.If her sister no longer cared about her, why should she not want to bring her down? Her new mission was to emerge from the shadow her sister kept her hidden in anyway.“Well, Whitesheep, do you accept?” Coach Brunt asked, lightly raising an eyebrow. She unclosed her fists and looked up.“It’s ‘Ghost’ now.” Ghost was quick to answer, the anxiety and sheepishness of her voice had disappeared and was replaced with a harsh ambition. “And, yes, Coach Brunt. I do accept.”Now, an evil and satisfied smile was planted onto Professor Maelstrom’s face. “Excellent choice. Thank you for your time.” After she was dismissed, Ghost had to stop herself from letting squeals of happiness and excitement before she could get back to the dormitory. It seems so far that her life was finally starting to go in her favor.When she got inside the dorm and sat down on the bed, Teguh and Annika noticed the slight grin on her face.“So, what’s got you so energetic?” Teguh inquired, a slight mischief in his voice.“Yeah, tell us what happened, Ghost.” Annika pressed.“Guys, you won’t believe it! I’m graduating now!” she squealed, a wide smile on her face. Both Teguh’s and Annika’s eyebrows shoot up instantly, a look of surprise on their faces at the new information.“Like.. right now?” Teguh asks tentatively, using his hand to try to illustrate what he means.
“Yeah, I guess.” Whitesheep answers, scooting up to sit on the edge of the bed and get closer to them. “I’m finally gonna get off the island, and catch my sister in the process.”“Hey, well that’s great, Ghost!” Annika offered her a congratulatory smile. Teguh grinned as well. “Yeah! When’s your first caper?”“I don’t know yet.” Ghost answered. “I can’t wait to see Gray again.” she mutters loud enough for her friends to hear.“Who’s Gray?” Annika asks, raising an eyebrow.“Oh, he’s a friend. His name is ‘Crackle’, really and he’s an Operative now.” Ghost explains before looking at her hands. “He was always like a big brother to me and-” she stops herself before she finishes her sentence and frowns. “Forget it, we’ll be teammates after this. I won’t let it get in the way of what I’m meant to do.”Annika and Teguh cast a glance, but Teguh gave Ghost a nod of approval anyway.This was it. Her chance to get back at the one who hurt her the most with such a simple act. She could finally free herself of the shadow her sister had cast on her since childhood.And she wouldn’t miss the chance to haunt her back in a million years.