A/N: Hi, everyone! Let me explain a bit about Prima. She is my personal OC and will make appearance in most of my fanfics. Anyway, more infos about her on my bio.

This fanfic will present her a little bit too perfect and dark then she really is, but anyway Hilary needs to be jealous of someone.

Chapter 10: Signorita Prima

"Oh, Hilary, isn't this exciting?" Mariam practically screamed as they were getting to bed. "You're a ninja too! I won't have to keep secrets from you anymore. And you'll see how the missions are ssooo thrilling…!"

Hilary let Mariam carry on talking even though it was her who should be excited.

"You'll see. And since now you're upgraded, you'll have more time so we can practice fighting together," Mariam went on, "We also get to meet incredible people who work for signor Tornatore too. Cool people like Wolborg- Tala, I mean. And all these amazing gadgets Kenny invents, or that the signor bought from other places…" She signed.

Hilary seized the occasion to speak.

"Mariam, can you tell me something?" she asked in the dark.

"Yes?"

"Are you really my friend or are you doing this for duty?"

Silence followed.

"How can you think such thing?" Mariam's voice seemed disconcerted.

"Tell me the truth," Hilary said, "So I'll… So I won't have false hope."

"Come on, Hil, I'd never… All right, at first I was pretending to be ultra friendly, 'cause normally I'm not that extravert. But when I came to know you, I find that we have a lot in common: same style, same fantasy, and same ideas. And we laugh together and enjoy each other's company. So I said to myself, why not? This girl's really nice, maybe I can really be friends with her. So that's what I did, I consider you as my friend and I hope you think the same."

Hilary stayed silent, considering this. How far can she trust Mariam since the latter is a thief and an assassin?

"Hilary, believe it or not," Mariam whispered, "I was dying to tell you the secret. Especially when you asked too! But the master strictly forbidden me. I really had no choice, believe me!"

Hilary coughed.

"I thought the Mafia is against orders of any kind, so why are you scared of him?"

"You don't understand. If we don't keep our secret, the Mafia won't be what it is now. We obey to what we think is the best for the Mafia and since signor Tornatore is the creator, we must respect him for giving us such an opportunity."

"Even into betraying friendships?"

"Hilary, did I ever betray you?" Mariam's voice became frustrated.

"You gave away information about me," Hilary retorted, feeling her own anger filling up her face.

"But it was none of the things you confide in me!" Mariam laughed. "I just… I just made sure that you're not a spy or anything. I swear I only told them that, even though Enrique wanted to know if he was your kind of guy, I answered "dream on". But okay, I had to report that you've spotted me in my ninja outfit too. But that's because it might be dangerous for the Mafia."

"Wait a minute," Hilary interrupted, "Why is Enrique asking about me, if he's already engaged?"

Mariam needed a minute to take in the sudden change of subject, much to her relieve too.

"Didn't you see at the party?" Mariam chose to answer carefully. "Enrique might be engaged but nothing can stop his playboy blood."

"And… and his fiancée doesn't mind?"

Mariam gave a barking laughter.

"Do you think that Prima and Enrique are meant to be in love? It was their parents who've arranged all this!"

Hilary went silent after the announcement. Arrange marriages still exist?

"She must be wealthy then," Hilary finally said.

"Oh, you bet. She is the heiress to the multi-millionaire, Angelo Belluci who runs half the art galleries, which do not belong to the Tornatore. She also has a connection with France since her mother is a famous French actress, that's why we've got a plant there too. I think she owns a palace in Russia, 'cause her great grandmother was a Russian princess and also an island in the Pacific."

Hilary knew she was no match for such a girl. She seemed to be pretty too, despite the mask hiding her face.

"And how long will she be staying?" Hilary asked.

"As long as this case lasts- the paintings robbery, I mean," Mariam answered, and as though reading her mind, she added, "But don't worry, she doesn't give a damn how many girls Enrique sleeps with."

Hilary stared into the blackness.

"Besides, tomorrow, you'll be attending her, so you'll get to know her soon," Mariam ended with a yawn.

Hilary moved sideward in her bed but couldn't sleep. From this day on, her life would be everything but normal.

Next morning, Hilary went up to the West Wing to bring Signorita Prima her breakfast. What Mariam said last night was true, as long as Prima would be staying, Hilary chosen as her maid, would have nothing to do unless called. She knocked on the handsome wooden door.

"Come in," a clear musical voice came from inside the room.

Hilary opened the door with one hand, while balancing the tray on the other hand. Black garments and high-heeled boots were scattered around the lawn green carpet. The room was bathed in sunlight. A door near the Venice four poster bed left ajar led to the bathroom. Sitting on the side of the unmade bed was Prima herself. She had her back to Hilary, facing the long windows. Her silky hair ran down her back like a sea of blackness. She was wearing a white night shirt and seemed to be doing something.

"Your breakfast, Signorita," Hilary said

"Put it on the table," Prima answered without turning her head.

She seemed to be concentrated on whatever was in the window. As Hilary put the tray down on the table at the opposite wall of the bed, she glimpsed at the young woman and discovered what she was doing. The girl was sketching the view from the window. Hilary was right. The girl was very pretty. Her skin was lightly tanned and her dark eyebrows crossed as she tried to capture the scenery. Her hand moved gracefully across the paper, but she still seemed unsatisfied. Suddenly she noticed Hilary staring and turned to her. She had a perfectly curved face.

She signed.

"I'm rubbish at this," she said and threw the sketchbook on her bed.

She walked up and grabbed a roll from the tray.

"You want some/" she asked

Hilary simply shook her head.

"You're Hilary, right?" she said as she walked back to the bed, "I guess you had a shock yesterday. Signor Giovanni always thinks up something strange to welcome our members. I, for instance, was compelled to get engaged with his son before him letting me be a member."

"You're, you…?" Hilary stammered.

The girl laughed.

"No, I was just joking. But maybe he might've thought about it."

There was silence during which Prima finished the rest of her breakfast. As Hilary was clearing away, she said, "I give you a free day today. Use it for practicing."

At that she closed the door.

Hilary quickly went down to find Mariam in the kitchen and told her the news.

"That's great!" Mariam said, "But I won't be free until noon."

"Me neither," Salima said. "Maybe you can ask Tala to train you."

Something about the red-haired boy made Hilary fear being in the same room with him. Fortunately, Mariam saved her.

"Don't be silly, he's a bodyguard! He got to be with the master," she said.

"'I was just trying to match her with someone," Salima answered in her defense.

"With Tala!" Hilary and Mariam both shouted.

The whole kitchen was staring at them. They lowered their voices.

"It was just an idea," Salima excused herself.

"Have a boyfriend of your own before suggesting the others," Mariam hissed.

"Well, since you have a boyfriend, you tell her," Salima rolled her eyes.

Mariam flushed bright red.

"I do not!"

"Oh, Max, my love!" Salima fended a high-pinched voice.

Mariam hit her.

"Shut up!" But she was laughing.

"Okay but that doesn't solve my problem," Hilary interrupted.

"Ask Granger. He'd probably have time," Mariam suggested.

"Yeah, Granger is an excellent teacher," Salima cherished.

In the end, Hilary found Max and he volunteered to train her… and Tyson. Max led them into the forest. A pavilion stood among the trees but Max went behind it and lifted a stone that was paved on ground. There was a control panel under it. Max tapped in the code and suddenly the ground opened and a staircase led into the underground.

"Welcome to our training room," Max said cheerfully.

The two new members followed him down. The stairs lighted at their steps and the opening closed itself progressively. There was 8 training rooms in all. Max placed his index on the blue screen on the door. It opened at his digital marking.

"Emily is entering your digital markings too," he said to the two, "So you can come and train whenever you want."

Tyson and Hilary exchanged nervous looks.

"Grandpa is right: I'm very bad at Kendo," he whispered to her as they entered the room.

"Well, I can't remember any of the techniques either," Hilary answered on the same tone.

"Hey, you guys," Max called, "Wear this. Hilary, you can change in the storage room."

Max handed them a black kimono each. Hilary looked up and saw a door at the back of the room. Here goes, she thought.

That afternoon, while Mariam went to join Hilary and Tyson in the underground training room, Prima walked down to the swimming pool, in a black bikini. She let her white bathing gown fall on the ground and dived into the cool water. She rose back to the surface, and started doing lapses of the swimming pool.

"Beautiful!" someone clapped.

She stopped and saw Enrique lying back in the deck chair, gazing at her with playful eyes. She climbed out of the pool and snatched the towel he was holding up for her.

"Aren't you gonna be nice with your fiancé?" Enrique asked.

"Shut up," she retorted and was going to walk away, but Enrique caught hold of her hand.

"One day, you'll find love, baby."

She stared at him with frightened eyes. Water was dripping from her, like melting ice.

"What good will it do? Our destiny is sealed," she said, weakly

Enrique winked.

"We both are birds and need to fly. Libertà sempre, mia amore."

Prima snatched her arm away from him and ran back to her room.

"Tell Hiro to prepare my 'Bambino'," she shouted at Butler Granger as he passed.

Moments later, she came down in a black leather jackets, motorcyclist finger-less gloves and black boots that reached her knees. Hiro was waiting for her in front of the villa with a fiery Harley Davidson motorcycle.

"Good day, Signorita," Hiro said as she started the engine and sped away, out of the Tornatore villa.

The wind deafened her ears as she passed the high way. The landscape gradually changed as she neared the center of New York. Soon she got stuck in the afternoon traffic jam. She drummed her fingers restlessly on the handle. Green lights at last. She finally reached her destination: Central Park, the only park in the city. She left her motorcycle and strode across the lawn, draining her the lump in her throat. She came by a bench facing the lake. There was only a boy there. She sat next to him and buried her face in her hands. Why is he so annoying? She asked herself. And say I'll have to bear him all my life. But it was not that that was really worrying her. She stared into the wide lake. Despite herself, she burst out crying. It hurt so much, she couldn't bear it anymore. Suddenly the boy next to her handed her a handkerchief. She stared at him through the veil of tears but he wasn't looking at her. He continued to read despite his left hand extending the handkerchief towards her, who was on his right. She slowly extended her hand to accept it.

"Thank you," she whispered as she dabbed her eyes but she dared not blow her nose in it.

The boy was the queerest thing she'd ever seen in her life. His hair was dark grey but its roots were navy. He had blue shark fins on each side of his face and his deep crimson eyes, moving as he read, seemed unknown to all feelings. Prima tried to return the handkerchief but the boy simply shook his head, his eyes still on the page. She stood up and walked away. She stopped underneath the trees and stared at the handkerchief in her hand for any signs that could help her identify the owner. There was no initials but on the right side corner, two hands joined like wings were sewn on it. Her heart missed a beat. She knew this emblem! It was Balkov's Republican Eagle Party's emblem! But what had the boy to do with this? To her knowledge, Balkov didn't have a son, but then… She found her motorcycle and sped back to the villa.