The previous lady at that station had been fired due to massive student backlash.
Now, with Scarlet shining so brightly, the other workers were terrified they'd look incompetent by comparison and face the chopping block next.
Mrs. Nellie Newton had only been working there for six months. She absolutely refused to be fired; it would be humiliating.
Sure, she had used connections to get the job.
But connections couldn't save you if you sucked at the actual work.
Hillary hadn't expected the cafeteria staff to be so fiercely competitive.
"Well, Mrs. Newton, I used to work in the military mess halls."
"Slinging grub and feeding the livestock."
"It's all muscle memory."
"First, you train your eyes, then your hand-eye coordination..."
Hillary delivered the total fabrication with a straight face.
Mrs. Newton gasped. "Scarlet, you were in the military?"
"Yeah, enlisted at eighteen. Thought I was going to be some badass soldier, but they stuck me in the kitchen."
Hillary executed a flawless, self-deprecating smile. Her acting skills were top-tier.
Mrs. Newton bought every word.
"No wonder you're so sharp!"
"You've got a bright future, Scarlet. Keep it up, and you'll be promoted in no time."
"Just don't forget about me when you make it big!"
Hillary mentally rolled her eyes.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Newton. I won't forget you!"
"If I actually get promoted..."
She wasn't staying here forever. What was she going to be, a shift lead?
Mrs. Newton laughed and patted Hillary's arm. "I believe in you."
Carrying Mrs. Newton's dreams of cafeteria supremacy, Hillary removed
her hairnet and adjus
her clothes before stepping out.
Blending in perfectly, she scanned the grounds for anyone shadowing Claire's dorm.
She analyzed gaits and micro-expressions.
Martial artists or trained trackers always had tells.
Even the best disguises couldn't hide kinesthetic habits from a professional.
So, Hillary never missed a single detail.
After thirty minutes, she confirmed the campus interior was clean.
The enemy was smart; they knew infiltrating the university would draw too much heat.
Since they weren't students.
But the perimeter was a different story.
Hillary texted her squad.
The reply confirmed her suspicions: all eight campus exits had spotters.
No matter how well they blended in, they couldn't hide from Solenian National Security.
"These rats are everywhere," Hillary's expression turned lethal; she never dropped her guard.
Consequently, every spare moment
she had was spent patrolling the
dorms, academie buildings,
buildings and the
track.
FindNovel.net
"Captain, we've got eyes on the perimeter, but we can't guarantee her safety inside. You're the fail-safe."
The team knew Hillary was the linchpin of this operation.
After all, she was Claire's shadow.
"Relax. She's got me."
Unless someone snatched Claire directly from a classroom or her bed, it would be physically impossible to bypass Hillary.
That afternoon, Felicity infiltrated the campus.
She ditched her usual gothic aesthetic, dressing as a fresh-faced, innocent college student.
It had been pathetically easy to hook one of Claire's male classmates.
Disguised as his girlfriend, she happily shadowed him into the final lecture of the
day.