Darcy thought a lot about the walls in her own life. Secret identities and the rules of the Bureau were walls she had built. Forming friendships and learning new ways of life had shown her the benefits of tearing them down. Whenever she'd knocked down a wall, she realized, she'd become a better person.
Changing her name today was going to knock down one more wall.
After an hour of snacking and watching, Darcy was ready to visit the Hall of Name with her guardians, Gertie and Morris.
The Ninja Hall of Name was right above the Ninja Hall of Fame, which was across the street from the popular board game store, Hall of Game. The Hall of Fame had a short line of people outside the door waiting to buy tickets, and the Hall of Game was packed. No one was lined up for the Hall of Name.
Ninja Morris pointed at the metal bell on the desk. Darcy pushed the button, expecting it to be one of those silent, decorative bells ninjas were fond of. Instead, a crashing gong strike split the air, causing Darcy to jump and land in a fighting stance.
“Be right there," came a voice that made Darcy narrow her eyes.
The girl who walked out was wearing the latest trendy ninja uniform: all black with a colorful sword emblem on the inside of each forearm. Darcy had heard some of the ninja teachers grumbling about how clothes were different now, how when they were children, such bold colors would have gotten them sent home from school to change.
The girl's hair was brown and curly and bounced as she walked. She was pulling up her ninja mask to cover the lower half of her face, but Darcy recognized her immediately, even half masked.
Matilda.
Her mentor student from the Bureau of Sneakery. The same Matilda who had worked occasional shifts at the Bureau's café, who had always had time to talk Darcy through stressful situations.
Darcy's agent training took over. Despite her urge to leap across the counter and wrap her arms around Matilda, she didn't. Despite her urge to ask Matilda what she was doing here, she didn't. Despite her urge to tell Matilda that she missed her and missed the Bureau, she didn't.
Darcy kept a straight face and acted as if they were total strangers. Matilda, ever the professional, did the same.
“Good morning,” Matilda said, her voice flat. “How can I assist you?"
“I'm here to change my name,” Darcy said.
“Please fill out this form,” Matilda said, handing over a tablet.
Darcy took the tablet and examined the form. It only had four parts.
Your Current Name. Your New Name. Your Current Address. Signature.
Darcy paused. “I only want to change my first name.”
"That's fine," said Matilda, looking bored.
On the first line, she wrote, “Marcy.” On the second line, she wrote, “Darcy.” On the third line, she put, “1661 Sneak Attack Street." On the fourth line, she signed her name.
Darcy handed the tablet back to Matilda, who glanced at what Darcy had written.
“You're all done here,” she said.
Gertie and Morris, seeing that Darcy's work was finished, began walking away.
Darcy waited a few seconds, then turned back to Matilda. “Hey, are you working here all day?"
Matilda said, “Yeah. No one else wanted a shift.”
Then Matilda walked off, and Darcy left. She knew that if she came back later, there was a chance she could get some answers. Only a small chance, though. Matilda was still bound by the rules of the Bureau, which meant that she wasn't supposed to make friends with outsiders like Darcy. It was entirely possible that after today, Matilda would never be seen in Ninjastoria again.
Darcy remembered their old café talks over tea and how Matilda had been both her mentor and a real friend. She hoped Matilda still felt the same way about her even after her expulsion.
When they left the Hall of Name to walk home, Darcy
couldn't focus. She was distracted by thoughts of Matilda and what her appearance meant.
Was Matilda there on a random mission? Was Matilda there as a friend?
Or-most disturbing of all—was Matilda there to keep an eye on her? Was the Bureau of Sneakery still watching her, just when she thought she was free?
