So here's Chapter 9. I warn you now that the next chapter won't come until at the earliest June because I have my exams and I need to concentrate on those. In fact, I should really be revising instead of writing but I just can't stop. It's like an obsession. Once I get an idea, I have to let it out. But anyways here it goes...

"We should really be getting to dinner now," Alyssa panted, drawing back.

"Mmmmhmm," mumbled Alex, pulling her in for another kiss. After some time, they came up for air. They stayed close, their foreheads still touching.

"Okay, now we can go," grinned Alex. She rolled her eyes and stood up to look in the mirror, taking in her dishevelled appearance. Her hair was sticking out in all places and her T-shirt was crumpled. Alex came to stand behind her and she leaned her head against his body. They locked eyes in the reflection.

"I'm sorry," she mouthed, hoping the simple apology would suffice. Alex smiled and leaned his head down to whisper in her ear.

"Don't worry, I'll think of a suitable punishment," he said, nipping her earlobe.

"I'm just going to get changed," she told him going through the wardrobe and taking out a skirt and top. She walked to the bathroom.

"Don't be modest, Fliss," Alex drawled, "I don't mind." She gave him the finger before slamming the door to the bathroom. In the bathroom, Alyssa looked in the mirror again. Her cheeks were full of colour and her eyes were shining. She felt a stab of guilt at not following through on the morning's decision and its ramifications for the mission. But the feeling instantly passed as she remembered how good it felt to have Luke's lips on hers. She didn't know what would happen and she didn't have all the answers. But maybe that was okay for now.


"Where have you two been?" questioned Paulo as Alex and Alyssa arrived at the table.

"Nowhere," Alyssa immediately affirmed.

"I don't know where you've been," grinned Brett, "but I think we all know what you've been doing." Alyssa blushed as Brett, Yemi, Stephanie and Paulo burst into laughter.

"I'm starving," remarked Alex, ignoring the comment, "let's go get some food, Fliss." He grabbed her hand and led her towards the buffet.

"What are you doing Luke," she asked him.

"I told you; I'm hungry," he said.

"Okay, but as far I know, you don't need me to serve you so what am I doing here?"

"I thought I would save you," he informed her, "you looked a bit embarrassed back there."

"I wasn't embarrassed," she retorted indignantly and he raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I'm sure you were just flushing with joy that you managed to snag someone as amazing as me." Alyssa scoffed but it quickly turned into a choking noise. Alex's brown eyes filled with worry.

"Are you okay?"

"Can't breathe…your ego…too big," she rasped dramatically and ducked as his hand came out to swat her.

"You know what I like about kissing you," he mused.

"My superior skill or heavenly aroma," she suggested.

"No, it's the fact that I don't have to listen to you talk," he told her and walked away to the buffet table. She followed him and took her place in the queue behind him.

"Considering we're on the subject of you and I, let me make it clear that I am not going to tolerate any love dovey, hand holding, or over the top PDA," she said seriously, "and if you ever call me babes I will punch you."

"Whatever, babes," he said, enunciating the unwanted endearment.

"You are full of so much crap," she said, before jabbing him out of the way and stealing his place in the line.


The next day, Alex had woken Alyssa up early in the morning.

"Thought I'd challenge you to a race," he said as they walked down to the beach.

"And I thought you just wanted to watch the sunrise with me," she said.

"We can do that after I've beaten you," he assured her and she snorted derisively. She was going to beat him.

"Well, come on then," she cried and began to run. They followed a similar route that Alyssa had been using previously and as their neared the final stretch they both sped up, pulling in to their last reserves of energy. But, Alex just managed to pull ahead and win. They both sat down on the sand: Alex gloating and Alyssa grumbling.

"Maybe next time," he said with a smirk.

"Definitely," she warned, "and you can wipe that damn smirk off your face."

"Someone's a sore loser," he laughed and she glared at him.

"Come on," Alex said, jumping up and talking her by the hand. They walked onto the wooden pier that jutted out into the sea. There was no one around and when they came to the edge they sat down, their legs dangling over the water. It was there that they watched the sunrise, marvelling at its beauty. Unlike two days ago, there was a comfort in their silence. Their hands were linked and Alex traced faint patterns on the back of Alyssa's hand. She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Alex softly.

"Me and you," she replied honestly.

"What about us?" Alex questioned.

"It's just that we've only just started and now we're going home the day after tomorrow," she said sadly.

"Yeah, but it's not like we live far away from each other." Even as Alex said this he had a feeling it wouldn't work out. He couldn't exactly say 'oh by the way my name's actually Alex Rider and I work as a spy for MI6'.

I'm sure that would go down well.

"That's true," she lied, "at least we're not like Stephanie and Brett who have a whole ocean between them." She marvelled at the way lies just rolled of her tongue. She knew it could never carry on after this and because of the plan she wouldn't even be able to say goodbye to him properly.

"Yeah, but something tells me that it's just a bit of fun for them," Alex said.

"And us?"

"With us it's different. It's not just a bit of fun." Alyssa's heart wrenched at that comment and she felt the urge to hit something. Either that or cry. Instead she wrapped her arms around Luke's neck and began to kiss him. They kissed, trying to savour every touch, every sensation, both knowing that their time was running out.


"As you know this is going to be your last dive today and so I have something special planned for you," declared Max, "today you're going to be exploring a shipwreck not far from here. The legend goes that pirates captured the ship, full of rival pirates, and after killing everyone on board and looting the boat, they sank it as warning to any other ships that dared to challenge them."

"Sounds great," muttered Paulo sarcastically and the others echoed his sentiment.

"Well, it was either this or some more algae samples. But if you really want to, I'm sure you could do that instead," Max suggested and laughed at the immediate protestations it drew from the group who had come a long way since the beginning. They all clambered into the powerboat and it set off in the direction of the wreck.

"Just to warn you, the currents can get really bad down there so you'll need to be careful but they've been pretty good for the past few days and so you should be all right. So just get suited up and as always check each other over and take care of each other," Max echoed the words he had repeated to the group for the past couple of weeks. They all moved to get their suits and fit their oxygen tanks.

"You're enjoying this way too much," commented Alyssa as Alex took a bit too long to check her over for any open cuts. He looked up in mock offence.

"I'm just trying to do a thorough job so that my diving buddy doesn't get eaten by sharks."

"Yeah," she said, her voice laced with sarcasm, "I'm sure that's why you were doing it."

When they were all suited up, they slowly made their way into the water. Immediately, Alyssa saw it. It was a skeletal frame, rotting with water damage. But still there was something majestic about the ship and Alyssa found herself imagining herself as a pirate. She could just see herself fitting in with the likes of Jack Sparrow, drinking rum everyday with the hot swashbuckler. She was shaken out of her reverie by Alex leading her further towards the ship. They spent a few minutes looking at the mottled exterior but soon found a small entrance to gain access to the inside. They both wriggled through the gap and felt the water drop a few degrees as they swam further in. It was mostly empty with a few pieces of furniture. Alyssa moved to a set of drawers while Alex, staying close, went for a cupboard. She opened each drawer not finding much. In the third drawer she found an old coin but what interested her more was a picture frame. The picture inside was a painting of a beautiful woman. She showed it to Alex. He looked it over and signed 'Pirate Love' to her. They had both discovered that they could easily communicate without words and it had proved to be really useful. Slowly, Alyssa discerned a weird swishing noise that seemed to be getting louder. She tapped Alex.

What is that?

Alex looked around. He had heard it too. Suddenly he noticed the swirling sand particles from one of the portholes. He knew what was wrong and signed to Alyssa with alarm in his eyes.

Currents. We have to go.

They wasted no time in squeezing back out and were immediately disorientated. There was dislodged sand flying about everywhere and it was becoming harder to see. They grabbed each other's hands and began swimming upwards. They were nearing the surface when they heard it. A sickening crash, somewhat muffled by the water. But they felt the shock wave and looked down to see the ships mast had finally given way as a result of the vicious currents. It was then that Alyssa saw the body trapped beneath the fallen mast. She tugged Alex's hand urgently and pointed towards the still form. They locked eyes and made a decision. They were going back. The two extraordinary teenagers swam downwards using powerful strokes, earnestly trying to get the person. As they came closer they realised it was Paulo. The normally laidback, charming Italian was pale with fear and grimacing in pain. He was awake and luckily the mast seemed to have missed his head. Even more fortunately, he didn't seem to be bleeding so they didn't have to worry about sharks. However, the mast had landed straight over his body crushing his arm and more dangerously, his oxygen tank. Yemi was already there trying to push the mast off his friend. Unbeknownst to the other, Alex and Alyssa analysed the situation to work out what to do. Yemi saw them and frantically began waving his arms. He signalled that Paulo wasn't getting enough oxygen. Alex turned to Alyssa.

Yemi and I will give oxygen. You get him out.

Alyssa nodded her assent. This was no time to complain about who was giving orders. She moved to the other side and surveyed the damage. The oxygen tank was dented and obviously useless. She needed to get rid of it. She tried working the straps with her hands but it proved futile. She needed something sharp to cut through the straps. She remembered her knife with a jolt but her heart sank when she realised she had used it to kill the shark days earlier. She got the attention of the two boys who were taking turns to give Paulo much needed oxygen and trying to move the mast.



Need to cut straps. Need something sharp.

For Yemi's benefit she made a sawing motion with her hands after but he shook his head. He didn't have anything. Alex looked thoughtful for a second. Alex's flippers were fitted with blades but by using them he was sure to reveal his unusual diving suit. He didn't think twice and quickly removed a flipper. He handed it to Alyssa who wore a confused expression and he gestured cutting with it. She understood thankfully and turned her attention back to the straps. Unsure at first at whether the flipper would work she sawed slowly but moved quickly when she realised it was working. She cut the last strap pulled the oxygen tank away. Now it was only Paulo's arm that lay beneath the mast.

We need to move the mast.

The two boys and one girl began pushing with all their strength. Paulo writhed in pain. Soon, the mast began to give way and with one huge effort they managed to get it off Paulo. Now they had to get back. Alyssa swam with Paulo. His good arm lay draped across her shoulders so she was supporting him while his bad arm lay crooked at his side. She gave him some of her oxygen, which was slowly running out. They had been down too long and needed to get to the surface as quickly as possible. She kicked with her legs, weighed down by the boy. She felt it give as Alex took the boy from her and swam with powerful strokes upwards. Alyssa followed him up, her lungs beginning to burn. All of a sudden they broke the surface. They went to the boat and saw Brett, Stephanie and Max all waiting anxiously aboard.

"There they are," exclaimed Brett. Both him and Max pulled Paulo up, who was now crying out in pain. Max tended to Paulo telling him that a rescue team were on their way. The others clambered on to the boat with help from Brett.

"What happened down there?" Brett asked, all the time throwing worried glances towards Paulo. Yemi explained quickly and soon the rescue team arrived. They took Paulo away and began to check all of the others, even Brett and Stephanie who had luckily made it out before anything happened. Stephanie was sobbing, fretting over Paulo while Brett attempted to comfort her. Alyssa and Alex underwent a check impatiently, both wanting to know what was happening to their friend. Would he be okay?


It was now late evening and Alex and Alyssa were alone again on the beach.

"So he's fine," Alyssa verified.

"Yeah, the hospital called and apparently he's got a few cracked ribs, a hairline fracture to his arm and some heavy bruising."

"I bet he's just glad his face isn't disfigured," Alyssa laughed at Paulo's vanity. Alex smiled.

"So that was an adventure to remember," he remarked.

"You could say that. But I'm surprised that you haven't got a big head by now," she said referring to all the praise they had gotten for their quick thinking and bravery.

"Oh Luke, you are an 'ero. Eet was so brave what you did," she mimicked Stephanie's French accent.

"Aww, is someone jealous?" he grinned.

"No," she scoffed, "And by the way why do you have flipper which is also a blade?"Alyssa was curious. Sure she had had a knife on her suit but she had a good reason. However, Alex had been expecting her to ask about it at some point.

"Nothing much to tell really. My uncle is just really tech savvy and he designed it for me," he lied.

"Oh," she said, expecting something cooler, and didn't question him further.

"So tell me Felicity Reynolds," he began, "am I your hero?"

"Sorry, Luke, but Superman is the only one for me. You do know that you're just filling in until Clark Kent comes and sweeps me off my feet."

"Superman? Ha. I could take him any day," Alex answered confidently.

"Sure, you keep telling yourself that."

"Well I can definitely take you," he said and surprised her by pinning her to the sand. She laughed. She could easily get him off her but that would risk blowing her cover.

Okay, it's kinda nice too.

"Go on say it. I can beat Superman any day of the week," he commanded.

"Okay fine," she relented, "I can beat Superman any day of the week." Alex raised his eyebrows, not amused.

"What? You told me to say it," she defended herself.

"Okay, that's enough. I'm sick of you talking," he announced and placed his lips onto hers, effectively silencing her. It deepened as his tongue slipped into her mouth. They kissed with a burning passion and reckless abandon. Alyssa found her hands snaking beneath his shirt and running over his toned torso. Meanwhile, Alex's hands were currently pre-occupied unbuttoning her shirt.

"You're so beautiful, you know that," Alex murmured, pausing to place light, warm kisses along her bare collarbone. She chuckled, her laughter somewhat patchy due to her erratic breathing - which grew more guttural with each kiss he planted on her body.

"You're not too bad yourself," she managed to answer.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that," he said, pulling away. She was going to have to say it.

"Fine, Luke, you're hot," she conceded and pulling him in, bringing his lips to her own.


"Well that was extremely...pleasant," she said, searching for the right adjective as the couple arrived outside her door.

"I would invite you in but I'm exhausted and I have to wake up early for all the beauty treatments Stephanie's booked for us."

"It's fine. So I'll see you in the evening then." She nodded

"Goodnight, Luke."

"Night, Fliss," he smiled drawing her in for a short, soft kiss. They broke apart and she went inside. She sat down on the bed, her body buzzing with emotion after the day she had. And tomorrow was the night she was going to complete her collection. At that moment, Alyssa felt like one lucky girl. She couldn't wait. She could just see herself placing the Greed Diamond in its waiting niche back on the yacht. She checked her phone and saw that Kane had left some messages. She listened to them happily but tensed when she heard his voice telling her to call him urgently because he had found out something. Her first thought was that he had discovered her relationship with Luke. But how would he have found out?

No, there's no way he can know.

So she rang him and nervously waited for him to pick up.

"Lyss?"

"It's me, K. What's wrong?"

"Nothing really wrong. I just found something out. Well we knew that there would be lots of security but I've just discovered that MI6 has sent one of their best men after you. I'll send you a picture and you can check whether you've seen him before and if you have stay clear. But there shouldn't be any problems. Everything's set," he explained quickly and I heard the sounds of him typing in the back ground.

"Yeah, Kane," Alyssa assured him, "Everything's fine. In fact, I'm rather honoured that MI6 sent the big guns."

"Yeah, well, be careful," instructed her brother, "and I'll see you soon."

"Bye, love you" she said softly.

"You too. Take care of yourself, sis," he replied and hung up the phone. Alyssa got her laptop out and turned it on. She waited a few minutes while it booted up and then checked her inbox. A message with an attachment from Kane was there. She opened it up and read through some information about this mystery agent.

Name: Alex Rider

Age: 16 Wait, this guy was sixteen. But that's not possible.

Height: 5'11"

Hair colour: Blonde

Eye Colour: Brown



Alyssa moved the cursor to open the picture attachment. She had a bad feeling about this. A new window opened up and slowly an image appeared on the screen. Her mouth dropped open at the stark reality that faced her.

I've been so stupid. I've made a terrible mistake.

So she finally knows the truth. OH NO! What's going to happen? I know, I'm so mean to leave a cliffie especially since you're going to have to wait a while for the next chapter but it'll be worth the wait. Please please please please review and help me endure that suckish hellhole which is exams. : ) Oh and good luck to anyone who has exams.

Paz (SISTER) – hey thanks, and please don't tell mum that I was using the computer for non-exam related stuff. I'll buy you a present if you don't

Segala – thanks, Yeah, I know I have to write more often, sorry. But I'll be free after my exams so i will have a lot more time for writing.

Ice Reader129 – Thanks for the great review. Yeah I need to update more often but I should have more time once my exams are finished. And yeah. Alex is so freaking hot. Sometimes I think I might be jealous of my own character with all the attention she seems to be getting. Lol. SO i hope you like all the Alex stuff in this chapter.

rmiller92 – Thanks, I'm glad you like my story and I'll be sure to check that book out.

Fuurai – Thank you so much for the great praise. I'm glad you like it.

AD – hey, thanks. Yep I know exactly what you mean. I can't believe i'm jealous of my own FICTIONAL character. Oh i'm such a loser but anyways thank you for the review.

SkyRider-thank you, I hope you enjoyed this chapter too.

FlyingLikeaPhantom – Thanks, I'm glad you like them as a couple. Hope you enjoyed chapter 9.

dothack151 – thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Asainwannabe13 – thanks, I'm glad you like the story and hope you like this chapter.

royalheiress93 – lol thanks, hope your stomach's better now

Nisha – Oh, Nisha my loyalist friend. Hell yeah I wanna try diving and of course i want a fit instructor – err hello this is me we're talking about. But anyways thanx

crazy-gal-in-blue – thank you. Yeah, I'm really sorry I hate waiting for updates too and so I feel really bad but I'll have more time post exams so i should get better. :) And the next chapter will be the theft so hope you can wait.