A/N: Hello, everyone! This is my first fanfiction in this fandom, so please don't be too harsh with me.
Assassin's Creed is property and copyright of Ubisoft.
[PROTOTYPE] is property and copyright of Activision/Blizzard.
Please read and review!
Desmond smiled at the Indian music that the teacher's aide was playing through her pink iPod. It made him think of Altaïr, and he looked across the room at the Arabian teen to find him writing furiously, his eyes closing every so often at the otherworldly tune filtering through the room. The cousins had the luck of being put in the same class, but the misfortune of being put in assigned seats.
Desmond kept free writing, but only because he had to, and high school was a good cover for an Assassin. Desmond did wish they were doing an activity that was a little less... revealing... other than these silly "me bags", but he'd been a good student and put together some stuff anyway. He'd grabbed the keys to his Kawasaki, his phone, and a picture of him and his cousins, Altaïr and Ezio. He hoped it would be enough to earn him a passing grade on this assignment.
Altaïr watched each student go up and present their bags of whatever-they-were. He was supposed to be keeping his eyes peeled for possible new recruits for the Order, and as Al Mualim said, "You never know where they will be hiding, but it is up to you to find them." The immensely short teacher's aide called a girl to the front of the room. The girl looked annoyed at having to tell the class about herself, but Altaïr saw the nervous glances she cast at the exits, as if she were a caged animal looking for the way out. He watched her walk- no, glide- to the front of the room, and she seemed to compose herself as she faced the other students, and more importantly, the teacher. She put her bag on the desk in front of her and began to pull things out of it.
"My name is Raven Stark," she began, not looking at the teacher or anyone else. She continued to rummage in the bag, as though being in front of a class and talking to no one in particular was something she did every day. Raven finally pulled a blue book out of the bag and held it up for everyone to see. "This is my sketchbook. I'm never without it." She went to pick up a journal, and a pencil flung itself from the spine and flew behind her. She easily caught it behind her head, and then carefully slid it back into her bag.
Altaïr glanced across the room at Desmond, and gave him a look that plainly said, 'Did you see that?' Desmond nodded quickly, watching the Stark girl return to her seat, just in time to see his cousin give a rare smile and mouth, "Do you think we should try her?" Desmond smirked in reply.
He knew exactly what Altaïr was getting at. Desmond had never seen any of the Assassin recruits walk with so much grace. Granted, it would take a lot more to satisfy Malik, their mentor, that Raven was a potential recruit. They would have to speak with him before they could approach Raven with any kind of proposition, but they would need more evidence. Also, the important thing was to not blow their cover before they asked her. Desmond knew Ezio would have fun with this; Ezio always had a way with girls.
Raven blinked. She'd ended up at the door to the cafeteria, barely noticing where the stampede of students led her as she was caught up in her own thoughts, ideas and snatches of music rolling through her brain. Blinked again, harder this time. Someone was blocking her way into the lunchroom. It was her friend and neighbor from Programming; black-haired, headphone-wearing, techno-punk Rebecca Crane, leaning against the door frame with a silly grin on her impish face. When Raven came to a stop in front of her, Rebecca stepped in front of her, grabbed the strap of her bag, and practically dragged her down a side hallway.
"Becca, where are we going? It's lunch time. I'm hungry." Raven was used to her friend's antics, but she'd never deprived her of food before.
Rebecca stopped once they were far enough away from the stream of students entering the lunchroom that no one could hear them, her head bobbing back and forth to the music only she could hear.
"I haaaave a seeeecret,"she sang, to a now thoroughly irritated Raven.
"What. You got a new computer? Elvis is back?"
"Nope and nope. It's even better than that!"
Raven aimed a kick at Rebecca's shins, the silly deejay laughing at her attempts to make her talk.
Giving up, Raven finally asked, "All right. What is it? Seriously, I don't have all day."
Rebecca sighed and said, "Well, everyone knows your birthday is coming up..." she trailed off.
Raven nodded, genuinely confused. What was so funny about a birthday?
"Okay, I'm not supposed to tell you, but we're getting some people together from school, and..." Rebecca let the sentence fragment hang in the air.
A sense of dread pooled in Raven's stomach.
"Rebecca Crane! I told you, I don't really like big crowds of people, and a whole party of people around me, and all of them wanting to ask me questions about... God only knows what, how well do you think that'll go?" Raven frowned, irritated that her friend would even seriously consider something like that.
Rebecca looked a little sheepish now.
"Yeah, that's what they said, too," she said slowly, looking at something behind Raven.
"'They?' Who's they!" Raven was dangerously quiet now.
"That would be us," a deep, Italian accented voice boomed out from right behind her.
Raven whirled around, instantly pissed that Ezio was involved; she'd had a crush on the Italian in the seventh grade, but she had moved on when she realized that everyone else liked him, too. But, as usual, Ezio was right- he wasn't the only one standing there, grinning like a fool.
It was Altaïr, the ever indifferent-looking Arabian boy from her Language Arts class. Raven stared at him. The cold amber eyes stared back.
"It was mostly my idea though, Rebecca was just looking for an excuse to gig a party," Ezio explained, making Raven pull her gaze from Altaïr to focus on him again. An awkward silence sat between them, Raven looking from Rebecca to Ezio to Altaïr.
"What is it, bella? You look like you're waiting for someone to jump out and go, 'Boo!'" Ezio laughed when Raven's shoulders finally relaxed, and she looked relieved.
"Well, I've never thrown a party before..." Raven mumbled, looking embarrassed.
Rebecca was shocked. "N-never, ever? But, your dad throws parties all the time!" she spluttered.
Raven kicked at the floor with her boot. "Yeah, but that's Dad. I usually hide in his workshop with my laptop whenever he has a party. You know I hate crowds, Becca."
"Hmm. Well, this is a predicament," Ezio began. "Do you want a party? Even though it won't be a surprise anymore?" he glared at Rebecca for spoiling their secret. Rebecca pantomimed running away and hiding behind Raven.
"I guess, as long as it's not at my house." Raven grinned ruefully.
Altaïr's eyebrow quirked. "But I thought your parents love to throw parties. So what issue would they have with you celebrating your birthday?" the quiet Arabian politely asked.
"Seriously! What's the problem with that?" Rebecca agreed, Ezio giving his trademark smirk.
Raven couldn't look at Ezio when he did that. It was a brain-melter, that look.
"Well, my dad, he tends to. Well. It's not that I don't want him to find out, but-" Raven struggled with a way of explanation, but Rebecca cut her off, finally realizing what the problem was.
"Ohhh! Your old man loves to party too much! You're afraid we'll go overboard, and he will too, is that it?" Rebecca smiled knowingly. Tony Stark's (no relation to the weapons mogul) parties were legendary.
Ezio made an 'oh' sound as Raven agreed. Altaïr grinned suddenly.
"What?" Raven was getting creeped out by this guy; he was too quiet!
"I know how we can solve this conundrum," the quiet boy said.
"What? What can we do, now that I've really screwed things up?" Rebecca was getting interested now, even pulling off her headphones so she could hear him better.
"We could ask Mr. Stark to help us plan the party, but maybe we could also ask him to leave Raven out of the loop, so it's still a surprise party, even if she knows about it already." Altaïr finished.
Ezio began to laugh excitedly, clapping Altaïr on the back. "An excellent idea, fratello! Hey, idiota, watch where you're going!" Ezio stepped out of the way of a group of sophomores trying to get to their next class period. Raven and the gang didn't have a class next period, because seniors were given an extended lunch. Recovering from his 'ordeal', Ezio addressed Raven, "Cosa ne pensi, bella?"
Raven remembered that phrase. It meant, 'what do you think?'
"Well, I..." Raven hesitated, looking around at Rebecca and the fratelli Auditore. Rebecca pulled a puppy-dog face, Ezio looking hopeful. Altaïr as impassive as always.
"I suppose." Rebecca hugged her tightly, while Ezio declared, "Excellent!"
Altaïr just pulled his hood off of his head, but Raven knew he was hiding a smile.
END CHAPTER ONE
Italian translations-
(I hope I have these right)
Bella- beautiful
Fratello/fratelli- brother/brothers
idiota- idiot
Courtesy Google Translate.
Okay kids, that's all for now! Also, I will be writing Alex Mercer into the next chapter. Please, please, please review!
