David couldn't help but shake the feeling of anxiety throughout the afternoon, as his mother raced around getting him ready for his graduation ceremony. He was forced to shower, comb his hair, gel it up, wear a cute little tuxedo, put on so much cologne he felt like he was gonna drown in it, and brush his teeth and wash his face. He hadn't felt this clean in years, and he hated it. But for some reason, he was afraid. Not for the ceremony, for some reason. He wasn't scared for that (though that was a big deal). No, he had a lingering feeling something else was going to happen. He just wasn't sure what.

His mind raced as he helped his mama load up the car with camera equipment (her and Papa always went hard with filming important events like this) and folding chairs for the family to sit in. His papa was off to the side, cradling baby Angelica. She was only four months old, and was so cute. David had held her a few times, but after a mishap that involved him nearly dropping her, he wasn't allowed to hold her anymore unless he absolutely promised he would be careful.

"You better smile big once you get up there!" Mama said, grinning as she pinched her son's cheeks. David whined, trying to push her off. "I want to see that cute little smile, mijo. I want to capture it! This is an important moment."

"But none of the family is gonna be there," he complained softly. Not even his tìas or his abuelos or anyone! Just the immediate family. Mama insisted it was so important, but then where was everyone? 

"Mijo, you know they wish they could be here. They'll be here for your high school graduation! Don't you worry a hair on your head." She beamed down at the little boy, moving to slam the trunk of their van shut with a click. 

"They're so busy, they don't have the time. I know you want to see them," Papa added, smiling gently as he patted his son's back. He was wearing a neatly-ironed shirt, and had Angelica curled up in the crook of his arm, cooing, wrapped up in her swaddle. Her big eyes peeked around his forearm, watching her brother curiously. She barely made any sounds, except for her nightly crying and wailing. That got so annoying.

David merely sighed as he pulled back the rolling door of the backseat, letting Papa lean over and buckle the baby into her carseat. He then climbed in beside his baby sister, tugging the buckle over his chest and clicking it into place. That anxious, worried feeling was back, knotting a hole in his stomach. Something bad was going to happen. He just knew it. Something would go wrong, he just didn't know what.

The ride to the school was quiet. Christian music blared, the sound of a guitar and someone singing about "His light" and "His path" really the only sound in the van. David stared out the window the entire time, resting his cheek against the cool glass as he watched familiar landscapes roll past. He'd seen all this go by before, but for some reason, this time, it all seemed much more interesting to stare at.

In just a few hours, he would officially be a middle school student. In just a few hours, he would begin a completely new chapter of his life. His mama had promised burritos for dinner that night, and maybe sometime that summer he could get his first phone! Nothing special, of course, but his very own cell phone he could carry everywhere! 

Though there seemed to be only good things happening to him, David couldn't help but feel a sense of dread creeping up on him. Something just didn't feel right. He couldn't shake the feeling, but had no idea what to do about it. 

Once they pulled into the parking lot (after a lot of struggle to find a spot), everyone climbed out of the van. Mama fussed with David's clothes and hair, straightening everything out to make it all just right, and they walked inside to greet everyone else. There was a flurry of kids and parents in the gym and even the occasional grandparent getting ready for the ceremony. Groups of parents stood around, talking to each other, with ceremony pamphlets pinched between two fingers or held daintily in both hands or rested in clasped hands behind their backs. Some parents were sitting down already, and kids were filing into one of the classrooms where they would get lined up and ready to get called down. David joined these kids, sucking in a nervous breath as he made his way into the classroom.

Teachers were flitting about inside, making sure everyone knew what was going on and where to go and what to do. One of them grabbed David by the shoulders and guided him near the end of the line (it was in alphabetical order by last name, and he was R). He was tucked in between two kids who merely complained that they were being shoved out of the way. He stood tensely, looking around. They were all talking to each other, nervous and excited about everything that was going on. They were finally ready to graduate elementary school and be big kids! 

He watched the line begin to dwindle as kids were called up one-by-one out to the stage, and he was growing closer and closer to the front. Soon, he would be up on the stage, and would be handed a little diploma, and then he would walk off an official middle schooler. Nerves clutched at his heart. Being in front of so many people at once was not something he was very excited for. He would much rather be curled up at home eating burritos.

Life was moving so quickly. It felt like just yesterday he was three years old and still clinging to his mother's leg every second of the day, or being just a baby swaddled in a beautiful pink blanket. Pink was his favorite color, something he never told anyone. Pink was meant to be a girls' color!

It was probably an hour before it was David's turn, but the minutes ticked by almost like seconds. He soon found himself standing up on the stage in front of the entire audience, his mother sitting dead center, his sister rested on her lap and chewing on a toy. His father was standing off to the side with their camera rested on its tripod. Even from this distance David could see the little blinking red light that meant the camera was recording. He glanced up at the principal, who was beckoning him forward with a finger. He sucked in a deep breath, trying not to seem as anxious as he felt, and walked toward her. 

And then fell flat on his face.

He could hear a collective gasp from the adults in front of him, but that was overrun by the deafening roar of laughter coming from his classmates. When he sat up he realized his glasses were cracked, a spiderweb of cracks coming from one corner of one of the squares toward the other end. All of his classmates were laughing. He could just barely make out their shapes with his blurred vision as he took off his glasses, some bent over and clutching their stomachs, others pointing at him. Great. This night was going just great.

He ran off the stage as quickly as he could, not wanting to be part of this anymore. He ran down toward where he knew the camera was, and felt the strong arms of Papa wrap around him and lift him up. He heard some whispers in his ear but didn't pay attention to what they were. "Home," he croaked, burying his face in his father's shoulder. He just wanted to go home. He wanted to get away from this mess of a ceremony.

As his father walked out of the gym and toward their van, David caught sight of a familiar figure in the audience. A blond man sitting calmly in his seat, wearing a tuxedo, with his hands clasped together and rested on his lap. He was the only one without the expression of shock on his face.

**

The ride home was even more quiet than the ride there. David was curled in a tight ball on his seat, wrapped in the blanket they always kept in the trunk. It smelled like dog, thanks to their puppy they had gotten a few years back, Peridot. She usually stayed in the back whenever she went along. There wasn't even music playing this time, just the sound of the van's tires bumping over the gravel road that led to their home. 

He was embarrassed. More than embarrassed. Tonight was supposed to be a super fun night, and it had been ruined! He had ruined it for himself by falling. God, he was so stupid. Of course things would go wrong for him tonight. They always did. Nothing went right for him.

Once the van was stopped, David instantly climbed out and walked inside. He hated this. He wanted to go up to his room and cuddle his puppy. He just wanted to be left completely and utterly alone. He didn't even want Mama to cuddle and comfort him. He just wanted to be by himself.

However, as soon as he stepped into the house, he had that feeling of wrongness swell up inside him again. Something wasn't right, but he couldn't pinpoint it. Something didn't feel right. "Mama? Papa?" he called, turning back to ask them if something had changed. 

And that was when he noticed the men in black.

They had swept in unnoticed and were standing there in the doorway, guns pressed to his parents' heads. The expressions of fear on Mama and Papa's faces were enough to make David's blood run cold alone. Fear broiled in his stomach. These men were going to kidnap his family, weren't they? Just like every action movie he'd ever seen. They were going to take his family away somewhere remote and probably kill them. 

He opened his mouth to scream when a gloved hand suddenly wrapped around his lips, muting him before any sound could erupt. David stood stock-still, suddenly hyper aware of the person standing behind him. They were definitely an adult, as his head came up to their chest. He couldn't twist around to see who it was, as they had him pressed up against them. He whimpered quietly in fear.

This was it, wasn't it? He was going to die here, before he even reached middle school. He was going to die. He wouldn't even live to see his eleventh summer. He wouldn't even live to be twelve years old! Sadness swelled through him.

He wasn't able to mope for long, as the adult dragged him deeper into the house and shoved him onto the couch. It was then that he finally saw his captor: the blond man he had seen at the ceremony. And this time, he was able to pinpoint where he had seen that face before: he had also been at the rehearsal.

So this man had been watching him. Following him. How long had this man been planning to take David and his family hostage?

"We've been waiting a long time for this night, David," the man said, his icy blue eyes twinkling with a morbid excitement. His voice was muffled by the balaclava covering the lower half of his face. He was dressed up like the bad guys in every movie: all black, a bullet-proof vest, a belt of weapons wrapped around his waist. All his captors were dressed like that.

"Leave my baby ALONE!" came the scream of his mother. When David turned his head to look at her, he realized that there was two people missing: his dog and Angelica. Where was his baby sister? Was she still in the van? And where was Peridot? She wasn't greeting them like she normally would! Panic rose in his throat, and he wanted to scream, but he knew better. Screaming was not a good idea in this situation. It was no use, anyway. They lived out in the country; the closest neighbor they had was a mile away. No one would ever hear him.

"I advise you to step back, Mrs. Rojas," the man said, turning his head to look at her. "I'd rather go with Plan A. It's much less of a mess."

"Step away from my wife," Papa growled. David had never seen such a rage in his father's eyes before. His father stepped in front of his wife, arms spread wide like a human shield. He was going to protect her to the end. "Just get out of here. We have nothing you'd want. No money, no important jewels..."

This got a barking laugh out of the blond man. "Oh, that's not what we want. We want your son, and we're going to get him no matter what. It's just a matter of which plan we're going to use. We could go the route of Plan A, where we take your son and leave this pretty little family alone, or we kill both of you and take your son anyway. I think I'll let you guys choose."

Horror spread onto Mama's face. David knew he was his mother's baby! She would never in a million years give him up. "How DARE you try to take my baby away from me! Get OUT of this house!" She lunged forward, but Papa held her back.

"Why do you want our son?" Papa asked, his eyes narrowed.

"He's meant for special things, Mr. Rojas. Special things you could never even begin to understand. Now, which is it?" The man tilted his head to one side. "A, or B?" His voice carried almost a joking tone to it, as if this were some sort of game. A sick, twisted game. 

Obviously, Papa had no time for such a game. He lunged forward, shouting, "Get O--" He wasn't even able to finish his sentence. A shot rang out, and he slumped forward, a shocked look frozen on his face. A bullet wound protruded from the exact center of his head. He was dead.

David let out a bloodcurdling scream at that point. His father was dead! This group of terrorists or whatever had killed his papa! "Papa, NO!" he shrieked, trying to get up from the couch but was merely shoved back down. 

Mama screamed, and tried to run out of the house, perhaps to safety or to grab the gun they kept in the shed. But she, too, was stopped all too quickly by three quick shots to the back. She fell right in the doorway, and almost looked like she was sleeping, but the deception was stopped by the blood pooling by her stomach.

Pain and grief whirled within David. He was an orphan now. His parents were both dead, and because of this man! What did he even want with him? What "special things" was he meant for? What were they going to do to him? "J-Just leave me alone," he whimpered, and the people finally released his shoulders, letting him run to his mother. He crouched beside her, flipping her body over to lay her on her back. She was heavy, but he managed. 

She looked so peaceful in death. Her brown eyes were open and dull, and her lips were still parted in a frozen look of shock and terror. This hurt David's heart, made him so, so sad. His mother was dead. Dead, dead, dead. 

But he had no time to mourn. These horrible people were still in his house, and he had to face the music. His mama would scold him for running. That was a coward's move. He had to go back to them and figure out what they wanted from him. Besides, they had guns. He wouldn't even make it out the door before he would be dead, too. He let out a soft breath, reaching around her neck and unclasping the cross necklace she wore every second of every day. He put it around his own neck, feeling the cold metal rest against his chest. It was comforting, somehow.

"Where's Angie?" he asked the blond man. He still had living family, right? He still had his sister and his dog. "And Peri?"

"Oh, ho." The man chuckled, clasping his hands behind his back. "You don't think me that much of a monster now, do you? Kids and puppies don't deserve death. I could never do such a thing. They're safe, kid. I promise. Now wipe those tears from your eyes. HYDRA agents don't cry."

This made him confused, and he pushed down his grief for just a moment. "What?"

"Has it not hit you yet?" He smiled. "You're one of us now, kid. You're HYDRA." He stepped toward David, reaching out, and pinned something to the jacket of David's little tuxedo. A pin with an octopus with a skull face on it. Was this the symbol of their people?

"Welcome to HYDRA," the man said. This was truly the beginning of a new chapter in David's life, just not the one he expected.

Bye, bye, middle school.