-Welcome to my second Alex Rider Fanfic! My first was called "The Book of Sad." You should definitely go check it out!

-When I was about 13, I wrote a short story about a teenage girl named Ella Cornell for school. She was based on my love for Alex Rider. Three years later, I realize that I really want Alex and Ella to meet up! So, I wrote a fanfic, naturally. Hit me up with any suggestions, and please leave a review if you like it. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

-TW: Strong language. References to trauma, because Alex.

-This takes place after Never Say Die, and is completely unrelated to my other fic. [You should still read the other fic, though!]

-Disclaimer: Alex Rider and anything recognizable belongs to Anthony Horowitz. Any OCs (Ella and crew) and some plot are mine. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Acceptance

Ella:

Nervous. Anxious, restless, distressed. This is how I feel as the crisp white envelope looks back at me, menacingly. In an attempt to calm down, I practice a breathing technique that my older sister taught me. Spoiler alert, it didn't work. I stare back at the envelope. It stares back, tauntingly. Inside is my future. One piece of paper that will determine the rest of my life, for better or for worse. I shudder.

In the end, my curiosity wins out. I pick up the dagger-shaped letter opener that sits on the desk next to me and use it to slit open the stress-inducing envelope. It's a hell of a lot cleaner that slitting a throat, I think to myself, morbidly. I swallow the ball of saliva building up in the back of my throat. When I unfold the paper, my eyes race to find the sentence that my entire future rides on. I am no longer breathing as I begin to read.

"Ella Cornell,

Congratulations! You have been accepted to Oxford University."

I sigh with relief. I, Ella Cornell, actually got into Oxford. I can't fucking believe this! I stare at the envelope, breathlessly. I am so excited. I have worked so hard to do this for myself. I will be an entire ocean away from my fucked-up family, and I cannot wait. My parents always meant well, but my childhood was in no way normal, and this distance is exactly what I need, a fresh start for my own life.

I race into my brother's room to tell him my good news. I have no idea how the rest of my family will react to this, but I know that Christopher will at least support me.

"Christopher!" I yell when he opens the door, "I got in! I actually got into Oxford!"

He hugs me, tightly. "That's amazing, Ellie, I knew you could do it!" I hug him back, enjoying Christopher's calm before the rest of my family's storm.

When he let's go, he looks me in the eyes, knowingly. "How the hell do you plan on telling everyone else?"

I stare at my shoes, not knowing what to say. I've been in situations much more dangerous and difficult than this one, and yet, I am at a loss. Christopher picks up my chin so I can look him in the face. At only 14-years old, he is 6'0, towering over my 5'6. This is average for my age, 17, but being short has always been advantageous to me. "I have no idea."

I already know that my parents will throw a shitfit. My older siblings joined our "family business," and my mother and father expect me to as well. I've been loosely homeschooled my entire life, and they didn't even know I took the SAT (as well as other tests) and applied to schools around the world. They won't even care that I got in. Rather, they'll be pissed I'm wasting "4 of my prime years" going to college. They will probably be impressed about my sneaking around and keeping things a secret from them, as that is what my family would consider a huge life achievement. College, on the other hand...

I should probably explain. I live in Washington D.C., USA with my parents, John and Michelle Cornell, and my siblings, James(21), Ava(18), Christopher(14), and Lilia(10), and I am the middle child. My parents met at work, fell in love, married, and had a bunch of kids. In and of itself, this is completely normal. However, when you look into our so-called "family business," things get a bit sketchy. While they claim to be "insurance agents" to the rest of the world, they are a much more dangerous type of agent. They are secret agents, or quite simply spies, and they work for the CIA. They've been training us since birth to follow in their footsteps, and James and Ava already did. We've all been on missions as part of their cover, as well as on our own, and we've all seen and done shit that children really shouldn't. I'm truly sick of it. I hate killing and fighting for my life. I want to be normal, which means spending time away from my family. This is why I applied to so many colleges-all outside of the USA. I have the skills and the languages to live and thrive in many other countries, thanks to my unusual upbringing, so I applied to schools in 9 different countries. However, I've been to England numerous times on missions, and the idea of living there has always appealed to me. Anyways, besides English, my mother tongue, I speak Dutch, French, German, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, and Russian, and I'm currently learning Chinese. I have an arsenal of other skills that I'd love to explain, but right now, I'm focusing on how to deliver "bad" news.

"Mom and Dad are going to kill me."

"James and Ava will be slightly more supportive, but they are stuck in the old days of family tradition." Christopher supplied, helpfully. I almost forgot, my family's spying "tradition" has been around since the Revolutionary War, so it's more than just one generation of tradition I'm planning on breaking. "Lili won't say anything, though," Christopher reminds me, referring to Lilia, our youngest sister, "I'd practice on her."

I nod my head, this is logical. "Okay, but you're coming with me to break the news to her."

"This is coming from the girl who once told an evil megalomaniac to suck her dick." Christopher points out, unhelpfully. I cringe at the memory.

When I tell Lilia about Oxford, (she didn't know I applied) she was nothing but excited for me. I kind of don't think she's too keen on the whole "working for the CIA until you're killed in the field" thing. James is. Ava is. Christopher is. Lilia and I are not. We want a life of happiness and freedom, not one of lies and secrecy until we are caught and killed. There's no retiring from spying, and I just hope that I am getting out early enough.

That night, I made dinner for everyone. My parents and older siblings were at HQ for work all day, so I decided to relieve them of the dinner-making stress.

I was just plating chicken parmesan, salad, and pasta when everyone came home from work.

"Thanks, Ella for making dinner," my mother smiles at me. I am about to break this poor woman's heart, I think to myself. I really do love my family, I just hate that I'm being forced into a career of death and violence. I know that they just want what's best for America. This is both noble and patriotic, yet what's best for America is me being a spy, which is not what is best for me.

We sit and eat in silence. No one can exactly talk about their day at work, and Christopher, Lilia, and I spent the day studying languages and practicing karate, a martial art that my entire family, except Lilia, since she's still young, has black belts in.

My stomach feels like a pit. I pick at my food, feeling too nauseous to put any in my mouth.

"You okay, Ella?" Ava asked me, concerned.

My dad glances in my direction. "She's hiding something," he states, plainly. Damn. I'm a goddamn spy. You think I'd be able to hide something better that. Then again, Dad has been in the business for decades. "Ella, why are you hiding something."

I swallow hard. I am freaking the fuck out at this point. "Some say hiding, I say 'waiting for the right time to share information.'"

My dad eyes me, suspiciously. "Now is as good a time as any."

Come on, girl, you can do this. I think to myself. "Everyone," I say nervously. I carefully practiced this conversation a million times in my head since I applied, but it all went to hell when I began to speak. I stuttered my words out of sheer anxiety. "I applied to college, to, um, Oxford University in England, and I, uh, got in?"

"And…?" my dad says, urging me on.

"And I want to move to England for college instead of working for the CIA."

I guess I've done the impossible. I surprised four spies that have known me since before I was even born. Except for Christopher and Lilia, my entire family looks shell-shocked. My dad is the first to recover. "And do what, Ella, work for British intelligence? You have connections here, with the CIA, and I'd really prefer you'd stay."

I struggle to respond. "Actually, Dad, I don't want to be a spy. I want to work in a lab."

"Like, an evidence-analyzing lab for HQ?" He asks, referring to the CIA's headquarters. "That's a fine career."

"No, Dad, a microbiology lab studying disease outbreaks. I plan to attend college and grad school in Oxford, then move to Atlanta, Georgia, to work for the CDC*. It's technically still a government job that serves the American people." I add that last part hopefully.

My mom and siblings were rendered speechless. My dad looks stunned. Dad never looks stunned. What the fuck did I just do to my poor father? "But- but- Ella? You are a spy. You come from a family of spies. What about the greater good?"

"Protecting people from infectious diseases IS the greater good," I say sarcastically while rolling my eyes.

"Point," James says, finally finding his voice.

"But Ella," My dad is speaking again, "What about your training? You've always been the best of your siblings."

A series of sarcastic responses erupts from my siblings.

"Wow, thanks, Dad."

"Love you too."

"Good to know that no one is playing favorites."

"If Ella's gone, can I be your favorite?"

"Ella's not going anywhere." My dad says, deciding my future for me.

This pisses me off. It's my freaking life on the line here. "No!" I exclaim, before I can stop myself, "I want my own life. I want freedom, and I don't want to fear for my life during missions for the so-called 'greater good.' I don't want to kill anyone else, no matter how evil they are. I want to go to school in England, and form actual human connections."

"You are meant to be here, in Washington," My dad sighs. While he has decades of experience with disagreements in the field, never has one of his children ever yelled at him.

Wanting to get my way, I just shrug. "I don't see how you can stop me."

"Use your imagination, Ella, I have the entire CIA backing me. There is nowhere in the world you can hide from me." My dad challenged.

"I have connections," I say, nonchalant, "I can change my name, get a new identity, get plastic surgery, and move halfway across the globe. You'll never see me again. Or, you can support me. I can stay Ella Cornell, and we can maintain a positive relationship. I just-" I sigh, "I just can't live in this life full of secrets and lies. It's a trap, and not one I want to die because of."

My dad's head is buried in his hands. My mother is visibly crying. James looks confused, and Ava is deep in thought. Christopher and Lilia sensed awkwardness a while ago and left, but I saw them watching us and listening in from the nearby staircase.

"What did we do wrong?" My mother sobs, "Ella, I love you, please, please stay. If not for your family, for America."

"Mom," I say soothingly, "You did nothing wrong. I'm not leaving you, I'm leaving your career. I've experienced the field, and it's not how I want to spend the rest of my life, and it's not how I want to die. I can still help my country in other ways, without losing my life."

"I have 5 kids, and she, the best spy, wants to quit." I hear my dad mumble.

"I'm sorry, Dad, but I'm going to Oxford in July."

My dad shrugs. "Ella, I don't want to fight you. You can go to Oxford under a few conditions. One, you will have a security guard outside of your dorm at all times. Two, you will continue to go on missions for the CIA until you leave. Three, you'll come back and visit, dammit." My dad is crying. In my 17 years, I have never seen my dad cry.

I nod my head, knowing that this is my best bet.

"And if you ever miss the business, and I do hope you reconsider, join '6 in England. From what I've heard, they have no qualms about using children to do their dirty work."

"What? '6 uses child agents?" I thought only the CIA was cruel enough to pull that shit.

"Child agent," My dad corrects me, "Just one."

I file away this piece of information. I wonder if we'll ever cross paths, the MI6 child agent and I. Knowing my knack for finding trouble, there is a very good chance.

I say none of this when I look back at my dad. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, Ella, and you are always welcome to come back home." I smile. That was a hell of a lot easier than I ever expected.

I can't wait to live in England. It's currently February, so I have only 5 more months in this hellhole.

A fresh start will be great, I think as I get up to wash my plate.

*[Author's note: the CDC is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They study disease trends and outbreaks for the US government]

There is the first chapter! I hoped you enjoyed it! The next one will be in Alex's POV. Should I write it in 1st person like I did with Ella? Or should I stick with Anthony Horowitz's ways and write in 3rd person. Let me know!

Please, leave a review if you liked it!