Note: Sorry, I don't think this chapter's that great. Nevertheless, I hope it's somewhat satisfactory! As always, thank you, I own nothing except the products of my imagination, and if you review, I shall love you forever(:

Chapter Three – Omne Initium Este Difficile (Every Beginning Is Difficult)

-Addie-

"You have to be joking," I groaned as the shiny BMW skidded to a stop in front of me. The passenger window of the BMW rolled down, revealing a familiar movie star grin and aviators.

"Daniels! I'm your chauffeur for today." Oh God.

While lounging on one of the benches on the school grounds, I'd recognized the car instantly among the sea of high schoolers, Toyotas, and Volkswagens; it stuck out like a sore thumb… a glossy sore thumb.

Mom had texted me minutes before school got out, letting me know that neither she nor Dad was going to pick me up today from school. Ever since the gas station incident two weeks ago, I'd been a walking—no, limping poster board for the dark side of the secret agent/spy many thought so fabulous. I had a sprained wrist, broken leg, and some very sore, achy muscles and various bruises and cuts all over my body. Luckily the bullet had missed my ACL, saving me from several more months of recovery. Some of the wounds had healed by now but I was still walking around with crutches. My story upon returning to school was a rock climbing accident… completely made up of course, courtesy of the CIA.

"Who's that?" Derek, a friend of mine, walked up beside me, shielding his eyes from the sun that shone off his dark hair.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "That would be my ride."

"Oh my God, he's cute!" Kylie gasped. I looked up to see that Brian had removed his sunglasses and was smirking like the idiot he was. He and his car were attracting the attention of teenagers within a fifteen-yard radius.

"Girl, you need to get me his number." My other close friend, Arianna, was eyeing Brian the way a lion did his prey before he pounced. Of course, with her tall frame and gorgeous black hair, she wouldn't need my help getting any guy's attention.

It was bad enough seeing the way girls looked at my teammate, but my friends? I didn't want them to be exposed to his obnoxiousness. Waving goodbye to them and ignoring their shouts of "Does he have a girlfriend?", "Would he date a high school senior?", and "Give him my number!" I piled into Brian's car.

I tried to settle into the lush leather seat while Brian sped out of the parking lot. "Did my mom ask you to pick me up? Or did you volunteer?" I could barely keep the annoyance out of my tone.

"Relax, sweetheart. Stark would've taken you but she's at headquarters. So yes, I was forced to give your incapacitated butt a ride."

I ignored the jab. "David?"

This made Brian pause. "He's busy." I was startled; I'd expected a smart remark but instead he was a little aloof, not the intolerable jerk he usually was. Something must've been wrong.

"Busy with what?" I probed. Was it the Castillo case? While I was in the hospital, I'd begged David to keep me updated on the situation, though all he (and everyone else) wanted was for me to recover and not worry.

Brian reached over and patted my head. I ducked and scowled as he laughed, "Don't worry your pretty little head, Daniels. You don't need to know everything." And there was the good old Brian.

But I did need to know. I had a bad habit with curiosity, something Dad blamed on "the agent in me." I didn't feel like pushing Brian for a straight answer, so I just glared out the window until we got home.

I waved off his offer of help when he dropped me off and made it inside the house. The first thing I noticed as I tossed my bag at the foot of the stairs was the sound of angry voices. Confused, I made my way to the living room to find the source. When I got there though, two complete strangers sitting on one of the sofas caught me off guard. The older man, probably around his mid-twenties, had close-cropped black hair and muscled arms; he definitely looked militant. The other one seemed closer to my age with wavy blond hair and steely eyes. They both were casual in t-shirts and jeans. The teenage girl in me concluded that they were kind of attractive but the other part, the agent, was screaming "Stranger danger!"

I stared at them and they stared at me until the dark-haired one said, "Hi."

I hesitated. "Um, hi." Who are you and what are you doing in my house? I added silently.

He pointed towards the door leading into the kitchen. "Your parents are in there."

Nodding my thanks, I awkwardly scuffled over to it, feeling their gazes on me, and peeked around the doorway. My dad was sitting at the dining room table, his arms crossed and jaw set. Instantly I knew something was going on—if he had his upset face on, then Mom… She was pacing back and forth behind him and her face was flushed with anger.

"You didn't tell me he was a boy! A boy with no proper training whatsoever…" she was saying through clenched teeth. I felt bad for whoever she was yelling at. My mom was made of steel and could cut deeper with words than a combat knife when she wanted to—even Julia Stark could be intimidated by her. It was probably just all the years Mom had spent in the field during her days as a CIA agent. Yet I still didn't know who she was arguing with. It wasn't Dad because he was staring menacingly at something (or someone?) across the table.

"He's eighteen, Margot, just like Addie," someone said. My heart jumped in my throat. Was that…? "Besides, you know how successful he's been with MI6. He's more capable than you think."

Mom whirled around and pointed a finger. "He may have saved the world several times, Reyes, but who's to say that he'll even take this job seriously?"

"Joseph, please," I heard David plead. "Tell her she needs to be reasonable. I spoke to the kid myself and I think he's our best chance. Don't you want what's best for Addie?" I sucked in a breath. David knew better than to talk about my mom as if she wasn't there and say she needed to be reasonable, let alone question her parenting ability.

Dad shook his head as Mom slammed a fist onto the dining table. "Don't you dare patronize me, David Reyes," she almost growled. Oh no. I had to get in there before it got uglier. "And don't even think that you can tell me what's best for my daughter—"

"What's going on?" I asked loudly, stepping out so they could see me. The three of them glanced up and I could see them trying to hide the obvious distress on their faces. "Who are our guests?"

David glanced at Mom, who wasn't meeting his gaze. "I guess I should introduce you to them." He stood up and walked towards me, my parents following suit after a moment's hesitation. I noticed he was dressed for work in dress pants and a button up shirt with his gun at his waist.

David and I both settled into the two armchairs while Mom and Dad occupied the loveseat. The two strangers were looking at us curiously. "Addie, this is Agent Ben Daniels, an MI6 operative," David introduced with a gesture.

"Just call me Ben," the older one said, holding a hand out. "And don't worry, I'm not related to you." He threw me a friendly wink as I shook his hand.

"And that's Alex Rider. I'm sure you remember hearing about him."

Alex Rider. I knew the name. He had quite a reputation among the international securities for the incredible (and not to mention dangerous) missions MI6 had sent him on. Brian had teased me plenty of times for being behind the curve because of this boy and his accomplishments. "I have heard of you," I said politely, looking at him.

"I've heard of you too." His voice was soft but firm, just like his hand. His eyes lingered on my face for a second before going to the window behind me. They both had a distinct British accent, and though I had certainly met a fair amount of people with one, it still sounded strange yet fascinating to my American ears.

David answered my unspoken question. "Ben will be studying with us at headquarters while Alex will be immersed here in American life for future assignments."

American immersion? I couldn't help but think that Ben's reason sounded plausible while Alex's… I highly doubted that he needed to research our dull, mundane lives here to save the world from something as precarious as Scorpia or the Russian mafia. What was the benefit in that? Maybe it was just a cover-up? David wouldn't lie to me. He's known for too long that I wasn't the type of person to be lied to, not only because I could tell but I had eventually grown to read people. Sometimes. But for once I was afraid of voicing my uncertainty for fear of coming off as a smart aleck. Still, I couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that told me something was off.

"Really?" I decided to ask, trying to keep my voice neutral. "What could you possibly look for here in old, boring America?" I joked. David shot me a funny look.

Ben laughed. "I actually find your country quite fascinating. I decided to come here to get out of my comfort zone with MI6 and see how you do things here." He shrugged, flashing a grin.

"It's no big deal, Add," David guaranteed. "They won't be here for long. Ben's staying with me and your parents were generous enough to offer your guest room to Alex. Did I mention he'll pose as an exchange student at your school?" While he spoke, I became surer that I was being lied to. The way his voice faltered saying they wouldn't stay too long, the way my mom shifted in the corner of my eye at the mention of her and Dad, and the overall way he seemed nonchalant with big eyes and a too-big grin… This was how he acted when he tried to fib to my face.

"David." David looked up and I could feel everyone else's eyes on me. "Why are they here?" As our eyes met, I could see that he was exasperated. He definitely knew that I knew he was lying. Before he could say anything though, someone else spoke up.

"We're here because of Castillo," Alex said, leveling his gaze with mine. "Ben and I were told that MI6 and the CIA were working together on gathering up his assailants, if not his capture. It's true that he will be at the CIA headquarters and that I'll be an exchange student. Agent Reyes just didn't want you to know because…" The corner of his lips twitched. "Well, he didn't want you throwing yourself in this case while you are injured."

Several moments passed before Dad, who hadn't said a word at all, said, "He's right, Addie. We knew how much you'd want in on this…"

So you thought it would be better to lie to me? I bit my lip, not wanting to cause a fuss, especially not in front of Ben and Alex. "Alright," I said finally and shrugged. "It's your business, not mine. I won't bother anyone about it."

My parents and David weren't expecting that answer—that was evident from the surprise on their faces. Ben was just smirking and Alex… well, he didn't seem to ever stray from that hard expression in his eyes. Everyone appeared to be satisfied though, as David announced that he was going to take Ben to get settled in at his place while Alex did the same here. They left, leaving my parents, Alex, and me standing silently by the doorway, unsure of ourselves.

Eventually Mom smiled and swept a hand up the stairs. "Why don't we show you your room, Alex? You can get settled in while Joseph and I prepare dinner."

The guest room was right next to mine and about the same size, complete with a queen-sized bed, dresser, desk and chair, and walk-in closet. Like mine, the window provided a clear view of our neighborhood, the lower roof slanting below it. I sat on that roof often to watch the sun, which was still high in the sky, as it set behind the house and trees across the street. For the several years I was alone upstairs, I pretty much had this time to myself and took advantage of it.

I realized with a jolt that no longer would I have these precious moments of solitude whenever I desired. Not only was it because of my leg, but it was also because of Alex. Even if I did get this cast off in a few weeks and he was still here, he would always be near me, sleeping or doing homework, whatever. Regardless of what he was doing, I wasn't going to be alone on that roof for a while.

I watched as my parents tried to make him feel comfortable, Mom telling him to let her know if he needed anything and Dad assuring that he'd show him how the security system worked. No doubt they felt even the slightest bit uncomfortable. I knew I was. Little did Alex know, but as he ate, slept, and breathed in the same house as us, let alone this very room, he was opening a wound that had never healed. It didn't matter who the fourth person was under this roof… their presence would never heal the spot that was once my brother.