Jace White stood by the gates of Brookland School, scowling as she saw a nondescript black car with tinted windows pull up on the other side of the street. I n her pocket Jace felt her mobile vibrate – she removed the blackberry phone and held it to her ear,

"What Blunt" she hissed – careful not to be overheard.

"Just a reminder, you're being watched – don't try anything Miss White "

Jace remained silent; Blunt must have taken that as an answer

"Good, a car will be waiting by the gates after school"

"Whatever, Blunt"

"Very well, have a good day Miss White"

"Oi, Blunt" Jace's eyes narrowed into a glare at the use of her fathers last name

"Yes"

"The name's Winters – not White"

"Not according to your birth certificate" Blunt replied before ending the call.

Jace sucked in a breath as she tapped her phone against her chin – Allan Blunt had no idea who he'd just pissed off – and he'd pay later because no one, no-one got to call her Jace White.

Jace cast one last glare at the black Mi6 car, before walking through the school gates where her gaze fell upon a boy of around 15 with messy blonde hair and deep brown eyes. The boy was looking at the car with a mixture of apprehension and anger. Jace had seen the boys' picture once before, 'don't worry Alex' she thought 'they're not here for you'.

Jace made her way to the school office where she received a timetable and map from the secretary – who she corrected with a vehement glare and snap when she called her by White.

Jace walked through the halls confidently – if she was lost she didn't show it, and arrived at her homeroom on the second floor. Peering through the window in the door, Jace saw Alex Rider sitting in the back row and groaned before entering.

Jace handed the teacher a late slip before entering the classroom. Thankfully she was not made to introduce herself at the front of the class, but the last available seat was beside Alex Rider.

Jace held her breath as she sat down; Rider glanced at her curiously but let on no indication of knowing her. Jace tried her best to ignore the teenage spy. Yes, she knew who he was – Jace knew all about Alex Rider. She had broken into the security system at MI6 and read it yesterday while waiting for Blunt.

Jace Winters was not a native of England. MI6 had captured her two days ago while she was fleeing from Switzerland when her hide-out had been blown up.

Because Jace Winters wasn't just any kid – she was the one and only living child of Shane White of the US Marine Core, the most formidable soldier in the world. This meant that Jace had just about every countries intelligence and special forces tracking her down – not mention the criminals who had joined the hunt for two reasons.

One, to get to her father and two – because Jace posses rare mutant genetics that heighten her senses. Her father had allowed the US Army to experiment on her as a baby – the daughter of a crack soldier and top spy Jace's genetics had the best chance of coping with the experimentation. The experimentation worked flawlessly – and you though Alex Rider had spying in his blood, Jace was a fully engineered covert killing machine if she allowed herself to become one that was . But one thing the US hadn't anticipated on was Jace being taken by her mother to Australia just after the conclusion of the experiments.

Jane Winters was dead now though, murdered while the US was trying to track Jace down but until recently Jace's true identity as Jace Winters, and everything that went with it, had been kept a secret even from Jace. Along with her brother Jack – who had been a soldier in the Australian Army before he too fell victim tot eh Americans had grown up with their aunt and uncle on the south coast of Australia.

But Jace Winters was not a force to be trifled with despite any lack of experience in the dark world of intelligence and military operations, and she had big friends.

Alistair Lexsael, the half Russian half Irish teen , son of the infamous assassin had busted her out of American hands earlier that year along with his friend Jake O'Connell.

Reid Romanov, the last living descendant of the Russian royals and undisputed mafia king of Russia along with other formidable individuals Jace had met during her time at an exclusive school in Switzerland had banded together with Alistair and together the group had wreaked havoc on mercenaries and militaries all over the world – most notably dodging forces to deliver aid to Burma after the floods.

And then of course there was Ash – Ash Miller, the best friend Jace ever had. The pair had grown up in Australia and even through everything that had happened in the last year he had stuck by Jace's' side – even through being detained in Fort Bragg in the US.

Jace couldn't help but feel anger towards Alex Rider, though he probably had nothing to do with it, MI6 was currently feeding the UDS false intelligence that Jace was at the Lexsael estate in Ireland in the hope that the US who had Alistair's depraved brother Ryker working for them would blow Jace's troublesome friends off the map.

But MI6 had no idea who they'd messed with – Jace Winters didn't take kindly to people trying to murder her friends . But in order for Jace to save her friends she needed help, she needed to communicate with them – warn them. She needed Alex Rider.