Note: Hi guys. Unfortunately, this will be the last chapter for about two weeks. I have family flying in tonight and I go to California this Friday until July 7th. To compensate for the wait, I made this update a bit longer. I wanted to do more with it but I wanted to give yall something while I have the chance :)

Nick10153: Thank you very much! I try to update weekly beccause I don't want to keep readers waiting and it forces me to write everyday (good practice!)

ItsAlexx and Owltalon: Thank you, I'm glad you like it!

Special thanks to Ragold, aka MetalGod14 who has been an amazing & supportive reader since I began this! You rock (;

Chapter Six – Flamma Fumo Est Proxima (There's No Smoke Without Fire)

-Alex-

I was lying in bed, holding my AP Physics textbook above me. The Daniels family and I were supposed to be going to Virginia Beach in an hour so I'd decided to pass the time by studying for next week's upcoming test. The brand new iPod Mrs. Jones had generously supplied me with was softly playing U2's "Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own." It had come equipped especially for me with all the music from my iPod back home. I didn't want to say that she was winning me over for this involuntary mission but it was nice having a real piece of me here in America.

I was just reviewing centripetal force when there was a knock on the door. Peeking out from under the book, I saw Margot poking her head in. Blond-grey strands were escaping her bun, making her look harried and upset. "Sorry to bother you, Alex, but Agents Reyes and Daniels are here to see you."

I followed her downstairs to the kitchen where the two men were eating leftovers from breakfast. David stood at the breakfast bar, picking at a plate of eggs. Sitting next to him was Ben, munching on one of Margot's crepes. "Good morning, Alex," David greeted while Ben nodded at me.

"Hi." From where I stood by the doorway, the early rays of sunshine were filtering through the blinds of the kitchen windows and warming my skin. Margot touched my shoulder briefly before leaving the room.

"So you guys are going to the beach soon, huh?" Ben glanced pointedly at my outfit: a Nike t-shirt and red swim trunks.

I blinked. "Yeah. Are you?"

David waved a hand. "We're going to headquarters later. We stopped by to see how you're doing."

Thinking for a moment, I answered, "Well, I'm alive and breathing. The only danger I've come across is Mr. Schafer's horrid eyesight because for some odd reason, he repeatedly mistakes me for Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise! And the man's an art teacher. Only God knows how he ended up with that job." I shrugged. "Other than that, I'm fine."

The two men stared at me and I sighed. "Sorry. I just expected you to come by sooner. It's been a week since we got here."

Ben put down his fork and dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. "Yeah. Sorry about that, mate. We've been real busy with Castillo. We haven't gotten anywhere in this case and it's really killing us."

"So nothing peculiar or suspicious has happened yet?" David asked. "Nothing at all?"

I shook my head. "Nothing at all." I thought about the bullies Addie and I had encountered two days ago. They were the closest thing to a threat I had come across and there was no way they were associated with any kind of professional criminal work. It didn't take even one of them to figure that out.

He took a deep breath and passed a hand over his face. "Alright. There may even be chance that nothing will happen at all. I hate to admit it but if it's been this long…"

"What do you mean?" I glanced at Ben and could see that he was as shocked as I was. "Just because it's been—what, a few weeks?—since your failed mission, it doesn't mean that nothing will happen. The longer they take, the more scared you should be. Castillo's assassins are most likely professionals and professionals aren't always quick to finish the job. They're sadistic. They're relentless." The scar on my chest tingled faintly and I swallowed, struggling to block the images of the dreadful memory. They're heartless. "They would want to take their time."

"I know what an assassin does, Alex," David retorted, clearly annoyed. "I'm just saying that it's possible they moved on. Maybe they think she isn't worth it."

He was desperately hoping that the possibility was true. But I couldn't let him believe it for a second. "That's what they want you to think, David. You can't assume that Castillo simply called it off. You of all people should realize that. I'd think you were out there working day and night to make sure no one touched her."

"Alex…" There was a note of warning in Ben's tone.

David's eyes flared. "Actually, I have been working long hours, Rider. Addie is like a little sister to me; I would never let anyone hurt her." I was considering apologizing when he said, "What about you? I was told that you were reluctant to take this job on. The longer it takes for Castillo's men to act, the longer you have to stay here. You don't want that, do you?"

"David!"

Ignoring Ben, I focused my gaze on David. "I'm not going to let my homesickness and hatred for MI6 get in the way of protecting someone's life if that's what you mean."

"Is everything okay?" Margot walked in, glancing around at us. For a split second she looked exactly the way Addie had when she'd interrupted her parents and David in the kitchen. She didn't care much to hide the fact that she'd heard enough to know what was going on. "What are you bickering about?" she asked in an almost scolding manner.

"Nothing," the three of us answered. We all looked at each other while Margot raised a brow.

Later, I was sitting in the backseat of the Range Rover with Addie and we were starting our three-and-a-half-hour drive to Virginia Beach. It had only been a few minutes since leaving the house but both of us were already busy: my earphones were in and she was flipping through some teen magazine. I was mulling over the kitchen conversation and wondering why David had been thinking the way he was about the critical situation Addie was in. I could understand why he would be hopeful about her being forgotten, but being the brilliant agent she was, no one was going to overlook her.

I heard an expletive over Coldplay and turned to look at Addie, who looked unashamed that she had cursed in her parents' presence. Apparently she'd forgotten her sunglasses in her room. "Anyone have extras?" she asked. After a chorus of shaken heads, Joseph was forced to turn the car around since she couldn't stand being in the sun without anything to protect her eyes.

The tires screeched as he turned into a side street to return home. I mockingly shook my head at Addie, earning myself her stuck-out tongue. I volunteered to grab the sunglasses and hopped out the moment the car came to a stop. After punching the code into the keypad to the security system, I took the stairs three at a time to Addie's room.

It was never messy and I guess I didn't really expect it to be. If anything, I'd suspected her to be a neat freak. Her bright blue bed wasn't always made but everything else was organized and squeaky clean. Sometimes it was hard to believe that as perky and colorful as her room was, she came off as the kind of person that didn't care for girly, teenage things. The polka-dot curtains of the window seat were drawn, allowing the sun to blind me momentarily as I walked in. Blinking away spots, I found her Ray-Bans sitting on her dresser and snatched them. I was about to turn and leave when something caught my eye.

There was nothing about it that was alarmingly clear but I approached the window seat anyway. Addie kept three pillows and a blanket arranged neatly across the cushion. One of the pillows wasn't straight and upright like the other two; instead, it stood more like a diamond rather than a square. Even with her condition, she would have taken the time to properly place it the way she liked. She wouldn't have thrown it hastily without care.

But someone else did.

Stepping nearer, I assessed the area around the seat, feeling my pulse quicken. Nothing else appeared to be out of place except… the small white sensors blending into the corners of the window. I leaned closer, feeling the heat of the sun on my face, and realization hit me like ice cold water.

Both security devices had been tampered with. It wasn't obvious until I stared at it long enough because their brokenness was subtle. Immediately a series of images played in my head: an intruder disarming the window sensors, stepping on the seat into the room, knocking one of the pillows off in the process… Glancing around, I didn't know if anything had been taken, but that didn't matter. If this was the work of Castillo's men, they weren't looking to steal any valuables besides what was waiting in the car outside.

"What took you so long?" Addie asked when I finally returned. "They weren't so hard to find, were they?"

I handed her the sunglasses and raised my brow. "You're welcome."

She smiled sweetly and slid them on. "Thank you."

On the way to the beach, I texted Ben and explained to him what I saw in Addie's room. He told me not to panic or do anything rash (I wasn't going to anyway) and notified David, who said the same thing but with more urgency. I was to have a good time with the Daniels family while they stopped by to check the window out themselves.

I couldn't distract myself with music or games. Instead, staring out the window and losing myself in my thoughts was easier. I barely paid attention when Joseph decided to tell us a funny story that involved Addie scaling one of the taller trees in their backyard when she was nine. As they laughed I looked out the window, feeling a lump form in my throat. I couldn't get the thought of someone getting to Addie out of my head. To have her taken away from her loved ones, to let Joseph and Margot lose another child… Uneasiness and other sick emotions churned in my stomach. Just yesterday I had been in denial and figuring out how to tell MI6 "no more." Initially a part of me even hated Addie. Now, the break-in had been a sort of wakeup call.

I wasn't going to let her die, not if I could prevent it.

"So are you going to prom?" Addie was leaning back on her hands, lifting her face up to the sun. We were on the beach, soaking up the rays of the sun. Joseph and Margot were several yards behind us, lounging on beach chairs. I'd gotten so hot in my dark shirt I had to take it off within minutes of arriving. Addie had also shed her shirt and shorts, revealing a turquoise two-piece that left more of her skin exposed than I had ever intended to see.

"Prom? No, I don't think so."

"Why not? Hasn't anyone asked you?"

I squinted at her over my sunglasses (provided by Mrs. Jones). "What makes you think anyone's asked me?" It wasn't as if she was wrong; every day last week someone had found a way to bring the teenage fantasy into a conversation. "What about you?"

"Me?" she scoffed. "Probably not. There's no one for me to go with..."

"But it's your senior year, isn't it? You can go with your friends."

"Yes," she said slowly, "but there are other things more important to me than one night in an over-expensive ball gown gossiping about who'll win the plastic crowns." I chuckled and she scowled at me. "What?"

Shaking my head, I explained, "Nothing… You just seem so... cynical about certain things. Especially teenage girl things."

Addie smirked a little and shrugged. "I guess that's just who I am." A moment passed and then she asked, "How's it going with, you know, the Castillo thing? I don't know what your part is exactly since all I've seen you do is homework but…" Her tone had changed and I knew it was uncomfortable for her to bring it up.

I glanced out into the ocean and took a deep breath. "It's coming along alright. I'm actually not doing too much with the assignment because I have to keep up the pretense of being a foreign exchange student." And protect you. "But from what I know, he's as powerful as ever."

She reached up to move her sunglasses to the top of her head and hesitated. She looked like she wanted to say something but then decided against it, turning to look back at her parents who appeared to be asleep on their chairs.

"What's on your mind?" I asked. I had a few good guesses as to what she was thinking about.

"Huh? Oh… it's just…" Addie shook her head. "It's nothing to worry about."

I looked at her for a moment before saying, "Rien ne pèse tant que un secret." I wasn't sure why it occurred to me to say the proverb in French, but it wasn't like she didn't understand.

The corner of her mouth twitched. "Who says I've got a secret?"

I smiled a little. "Everyone's got a secret."

"Then you must have one." Addie's eyes weren't accusing but more curious. "But the only way to keep a secret is to say nothing."

"Ç'est dommage," I replied, feigning disappointment.

She looked away but not before smirking at me. "Ç'est la vie." Without warning, she grabbed a fistful of sand and tossed it at me. I ducked, feeling bits of it spray my hair and shoulders. "Sorry," she said, grinning and not looking apologetic at all. "I was just trying to make myself feel better."

"You want help with that?" I challenged, scooping up some of my own sand. Addie squealed, scooting away from me as I hurled handfuls of it at her.

"You can't do that! I'm injured; you're totally taking advantage of me!"

I laughed at her. "You took advantage of me when I wasn't expecting it! What are we, in third grade?" We continued scrambling around on the beach, upgrading from dry sand to wet and attracting the attention of nearby people. Someone even threw me an empty cup to pour water all over Addie who was giggling so hard she made no sound.

I'd thought I was doing a pretty good job when suddenly she stopped and lay on her side, grasping her broken leg. "Ow!" she gasped, flinching in pain. "Wow that hurts…"

"Are you okay?" I dropped the two cups of water I was holding and hurried over, dropping to my knees before her. "What happened?"

She sucked in a breath, avoiding my gaze. "Nothing, I just…" she began and—

A torrent of ocean water hit me square in the face. The impact and surprise knocked me backwards and the air was filled with maniacal laughter. Wiping my eyes, I saw that she was high-fiving a little boy and girl with a plastic bucket nearby. "Nice job, guys!"

I grinned and shook the water from my hair. "You got me, Daniels."

Addie's eyes glittered. "Oh, it's Daniels now, is it?" Her entire body, like mine, was covered in sand and was shiny with dampness. We looked messier than the kids who were being reckless and jumping in and out of the water.

I tore my eyes away from hers. "I'm going to get us some drinks." I pushed myself up and attempted to brush off some sand while I hiked up the beach to the Virginia Beach Boardwalk. Luckily the bills Joseph had given me had managed to remain dry during the sand/water fight.

I didn't have a hard time finding somewhere to buy a couple sodas; there was everything here. To my right and left, three miles of a wide concrete walkway and bike paths spread along the oceanfront. Lining the Boardwalk were bustling bunches of hotels, restaurants, museums, amusement rides, and entertainment stages. Masses of people were scattered on the stretches of sand and walking in search of good tans and tasty hot dogs. The hotel windows glittered in the early afternoon sunshine while palm trees struggled to reach their untouchable heights. Up ahead there was a bar and only a few people occupied the stools. Deciding to try my luck there, I marched up and stopped next to a man who sat by himself, dressed in jeans, boots, and a heavy jacket. I thought vaguely that he must've been scorching.

"You look a little young for a Bud Light." The bartender was a plump man with an outrageously long goatee.

I grinned and shook my head. "You got me," I joked. "I was wondering if you had two Pepsis." As the man busied himself behind the counter, I turned to the guy next to me and commented, "It's a little hot for jeans, don't you think?"

He seemed startled that I was talking to him and looked down at himself. "Huh? Oh yeah," he said with a sheepish smile. "I didn't know I was going to be stuck here today. I, uh, came here when my wife asked me last minute to come from work."

Nodding, I asked, "She didn't bring a change of clothes for you?" I shook my head. "Where is your wife?"

"Um…" He scratched the back of his head before waving his hand in a vague direction. I frowned. What was with him? The man was practically jumping with nervousness in his seat.

"I'm Alex, by the way," I introduced myself, half-hoping a simple introduction would calm him. I thanked the bartender when he slid the cans towards me.

He blinked. "I'm, uh, I'm… John." Before I could say anything, he suddenly asked, "Is that your girlfriend over there?"

"Who?" I followed his finger behind me where I had come from. In the distance, Addie was sitting on the beach, building a sand castle with the little boy and girl from earlier. He must've seen us fooling around. "Oh, her? No, she's my cousin," I answered casually, forgetting my real cover.

"I thought you were an exchange student."

I froze with the Pepsi halfway to my lips. Looking towards him, I saw that John's eyes had widened as he backpedaled. "I—I mean, someone told me… My daughter. She's in high school and she told me they got a British exchange student. I guess I—I just assumed…" His forehead was beading with sweat.

My mind instantly flashed back to Addie's window. The intruder had been careless and was an amateur at best. Though, why someone sent to spy on Addie would be mediocre, I wasn't sure. Someone else could have bought this man's spluttered excuse, but it didn't sound right to my ears.

Absurdly, I thought about how Tom Harris would've described how I was feeling right now: my spidey senses were tingling.

Suddenly, I felt sick.

"Oh… I don't feel so good," I groaned, bending over and clutching my stomach. "It's so hot here… I think I need—I think I need water—" I pitched forward, grabbing for John at the last minute. My hand caught his jacket as I stumbled to the floor and he nearly fell over. A glint of something caught my eye, confirming my suspicions.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, catching himself. He quickly tugged his jacket closed before standing up. "Are you okay there, son?" John hastily wiped his palm on his jeans before offering his hand.

I pushed myself up and took a huge gulp of soda. "I'm alright!" Whipping out my Sidekick 2 (again, generously supplied by Mrs. Jones), I turned to the beach. "This is really quite a beautiful view. I have to send a picture to my mum." After snapping the photo, I snatched the soda cans and nodded at his wide-eyed expression. "You have a good one!"

"Meet someone interesting?" Addie asked, jerking her head towards the bar when I sat down next to her and handed her the unopened can.

I looked down at my Sidekick as it sent a text message. The picture attached was of Virginia Beach and the bewildered face of "John." "No." I forced a smile. "I didn't meet anyone interesting at all."

Note: So I decided to do a little something to allow you guys to be involved in my writing... I've seen other writers do some things and I figured I'd give it a try! I would love to hear everyone's responses and thoughts to the following:

How do you think Alex and Addie's relationship will play out?

What about that John guy? Do you think it was right of Alex to do what he did or was it a weird coincidence?

Any ideas on what's coming soon?

Does anyone wanna take a guess on what was said in French between Alex and Addie? (online translators are totally fine! haha. I will reveal the translations in the next update)