I do not own Twilight

You've Got To Hide Your Love Away

Chapter 1: Preparations

July 9th, 2014

Almost three weeks had passed since my graduation and it was the most boring time of my life. This was almost ridiculous - we were supposed to be the protectors of all that is good, instead we were absolutely useless and hid in the fortress that was the academy. The only highlight of this week was the commemoration of the 4th of July. Well, it wasn't a traditional commemoration; we didn't have to listen to endless boring speeches; however, we went out and tried to remind people to smile and be happy. I am no angel - I am taught how to kill people - but I would never intentionally hurt an innocent and it certainly makes me feel better when I know that I can help them. Anyway, this year on the 4th of July I visited a children's hospital and organized a piano performance. Children who stayed in that hospital for a long time due to difficult and life-threatening diseases were elated to see me play. This was like an arts therapy. Afterwards nurses had to make a little exhibition of the paintings that were made while I was playing. Also, some of the children became very enthusiastic to have piano lessons and I eagerly taught them a few easy compositions.

Yet, all positive energy had vanished by now. I was yet again sulking in my room when a loud knock on the door announced someone's arrival.

"Cullen, open the door!" the harsh voice of Jacob Black made me frown. We had never been on good terms. Jacob was the show-off of the school - he always reminded everyone that his ancestors were the best special agents of the country and the founders of the academy. Yet, it seems that skills are not encoded in DNA. I loved seeing his furious face every time I outdid him. Even if I couldn't stand him, his presence wasn't completely unwanted as he was his father's messenger. His father - Director Billy Black - was the top of the food chain. This meant that he was the one who had to approve our assignments. The thought made my heart race and I threw the door open. He grimaced at me, gave me a small device and turned to leave. Wait... What? No witty remarks? Ah, that suited me, I was in a hurry to learn what message was sent to me. See, these little phones replaced the letters sealed with poisonous wax that were used to deliver secret messages. As in Medieval times the message receiver was the only one who knew how to open the letter without being exposed to the certain poison mix, nowadays an agent has to enter an original personal code, and scan his or her fingerprints to access needed information. I done so, the screen blinked and I read the message:

"79-11P-AHQ-14F-L17-#NA"

This was extremely easy to decode: July 9th, 11 p.m., Agency Headquarters, 14th floor, left wing, door number 17, new assignment.

The streets of the academy campus were empty as I hurried towards the headquarters. I was met by two security guards, but I was sure there were more. Since the building had all kinds of newest security technologies installed, they were rarely needed. This was just a part of training because the boring duty could test our patience and alertness. After my identity was confirmed using bio-metric scanner, I was allowed to access the elevator. 14th floor was the top floor where the most important offices and conference rooms were. Once there, finding the 17th office door was easy. I knocked on the door and was immediately invited in. Director Billy Black, Aro, and Jasper Whitlock had been waiting for me inside.

"Please, sit, agent Cullen." the Director waved his hand towards an empty seat and I took it. "I am sure you are aware that you will go on a mission soon."

"Yes, Sir, I am aware of that"

"Good, then we don't have to waste our time." he shifted in his seat and pushed a few buttons. The lights slightly dimmed and a smart board turned on. There was a picture of a red-haired woman and a blond man.

"Victoria and James Nomads" introduced them Aro. It seemed to ring a bell.

"They are the heads of the Washington Mafia. This group is associated with many deaths, rapes, illegal weapons and drugs possession and distribution and etc." Jasper continued and I recalled where I had heard those names before; Aro had worked on finding them.

"So, you send me to get closer to them and gather more inform.."

"Actually, no." my grandfather interrupted me."See, they were arrested 5 years ago but ran away last night," he scowled, "and we believe that one of the academy students helped them. "

"We see it as our fault that a young girl," Billy moved on to the next slide, "is in danger."

The girl in the photo was about 16 years old, had wavy mahogany hair and soft brown eyes. Her skin was pale and thin but it looked really nice in contrast with her dark hair.

"Isabella Marie Swan. She's a 16-year-old student from Phoenix, Arizona. Her parents - Renee Dwyer and Charlie Swan - divorced when she was little. She lives with her mother who is a teacher and her father is the chief of police in Forks, Washington. Here are their files. " Aro handed me a thin folder.

"What does she have to do with the Nomads? " I was pretty sure that she was rebelling against her strict father and got herself into trouble.

"Well, the reason she's the person of interest is her father. He accidentally caught James and Victoria 5 years ago. Our agents were looking for them but those two were not easy to find. Then one day our system alarmed us that an officer in Forks ran their fingerprints through AFIS. Of course, our agents rushed there and took custody of the Nomads. They have been locked up until last night." Jasper stated the facts

"What about the girl? " I asked.

"You didn't let me finish." Jasper sighted. "The couple is known to go not after the person they think is at fault, but after their families or friends. Even the betrayers of the gang have to witness the torture of their loved ones before being killed. Since Charlie Swan is their newest enemy, the girl - his only daughter - is the target."

" Your job is to keep her safe. We have Emmett McCarty and Rosalie Hale trying to track the couple. Jasper, Aro and I will continue internal investigation." Black announced. "Also, Jasper will be your supervisor and our main strategist.

That didn't surprise me. I knew that on my first case I would be supervised and I was thankful that my supervisor wasn't my own grandfather. Likewise, Jasper being the main strategist was normal. He worked on all important cases since he always succeeded - the man had brilliant mind and outsmarted all his opponents. And I understood why he had chosen to stay here and continue the internal investigation: Jasper would be needed here more than out in the field and his wife - Alice - had recently announced her pregnancy which made him paranoid about leaving her. In addition, Alice was very persuasive. About a month ago all school was made to attend her baby shower by the Director. He and my grandfather were wrapped around her finger too. Billy's and Aro's gift for her and the baby was the new department of the agency - the Fashion House. She specialized in designing fashionable clothes that could hide weapons, would be comfortable and less likely to be destroyed.

Emmett and Rose were another couple. They worked together and were almost always in the field. They, as well as Jasper and Alice, had broken one of the rules - do not date another employee/student of the agency/academy. Yet, both couples still worked here; they were the best, too valuable to be dismissed.

"Wait, why was I chosen to work on a case so important that 3 of the best agents had to be assigned?"

"We trust you,son." Aro said but Billy gave him a stern look and he went silent.

"Yes, we trust you to an extent. You're still a newbie and that worries me greatly, but at least we are sure you weren't the one who let the couple go," Billy explained and then grinned,"and I doubt that Emmett or Rosalie could pose as a junior in high school."

"I'll have to go back to school? It starts in two months, won't everything be over by then?"

"That's the best case scenario. However, we really doubt that the Nomads would rush into their revenge. After all, many agents, including me and Aro, had been chasing them for years and the arrest was sheer luck." Billy seemed to be annoyed and determined to get the fugitives back into our custody.

"So, what's the plan, Jasper?"

Jasper was eager to inform me about my mission. Apparently, I was leaving for Phoenix the day after tomorrow. The girl, her mother and step-father were in Europe right now and would get back by the end of next week. I had a week to scan my surroundings and break into her house so as to install additional security systems that wouldn't be triggered by the presence of the house owners. Also, I should gather as much information about Isabella as possible - her likes, dislikes, classes, extra-curricular activities, friends, etc. Jasper offered me to innocently appear in her life when she got back; I could accidentally bump into her in a coffee shop, see her somewhere around town and ask directions, join the same club or etc. This could benefit me if I had to go to school and tried to become friends with her. I grinned as I imagined myself and perfectly delivering the movie-like line: "Wow, you go to the same school too!". Yeah, her life could become very movie-like if I didn't do my job right.

It was late and we decided to go and get some sleep. As I was leaving the office, Jasper shouted, "Tomorrow at 10 o'clock my wife is waiting for you in her office. Have fun!" His snickers induced my dread of the meeting. Someone could put a gun to my head, but I still would fear the little pixie more. She was uncontrollable force of nature and I still had no idea how Jasper could put up with her.

When I got to my room, I wasn't ready to sleep. I felt like a low-life: someone was a target of two vicious human-beings and I was excited about that. Well, technically, I was excited that I could finally use my skills and protect someone. I decided to look through the files Aro gave me.

- Isabella Marie Swan -

Daughter of Renee Dwyer and Charlie Swan;

Birthday: September 13th, 1997 (currently 16)

Current address: Fifty-eighth str. 21, Phoenix, Arizona;

Relationship status: single;

Friend (-s): Angela Weber;

There was a copy of her passport and a few photos of her. Isabella wasn't a traditional beauty, but she was attractive. I could tell that she wasn't wearing any makeup and her clothes were simple, not too expensive or flashy - Alice would throw something like that out. I wasn't happy with the amount of information I was provided, so I turned my laptop on. A little digging and hacking and I found something else:

Subjects taken in school and marks: Arts (A+), Biology (A), English Language & Literature (A+), History (A), Math (B), Psychology (A+);

She had two active library cards - one of her school's library and another one of the Phoenix Community Library. She read mainly classics - Jane Austin, Charlotte Bronte, William Shakespeare, and etc.

She didn't have a Facebook (or any other) account;

She had no allergies, but seemed to be a constant visitor of the ER.

I woke up next morning, but I didn't remember going to sleep; I suppose I passed out. Crap, it's 9:30! Why couldn't I wake up at 5 o'clock as always? Ah, yes, I was too excited to go to sleep and spent most of the night learning who Isabella Swan was, studying the blueprints of the school she went to and so on.

I hopped into the shower, quickly dressed and swallowed a granola bar and ran out the door.

The meeting with Alice wasn't as bad as I anticipated. She did scream on me because I was late and then started crying that I didn't appreciate her job. To tell you the truth, I found new appreciation for her career choice - some of her designs (for example, a bulletproof leather jacket with a gun-holder inside) were out of this world. When I learned about my custom-made clothing, Jasper joined us. He took me to an underground storing facility for weapons and technology. The tour of the storage facility was like a shopping trip. The house they had found for me would be altered so I would have a safe-room and my new car - unused silver second generation Volvo S60 - also had some hidden compartments. There I could store the weapons of my choice. When Jasper was sure I was fully equipped, he instructed me to memorize the files of the Swans and Dwyers and destroy it. I did that last night, so I just went to pack my stuff.

A/N:

Thank you again for reading. Please, review, tell me what you like and don't like, criticize, point out my mistakes. All reviews are very welcome.

Love,

luciasy