Agent X

xx| 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚃𝚠𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚢 |xx

My eyes fluttered open. Light was just starting to stream in through the window on the opposite side of the room. I grabbed my watch on my bedside table. It was six o'clock in the morning, thirty minutes before my alarm would go off. I actually woke up naturally this morning. This was a stunning feat, considering that I had gone to bed past eleven p.m. last night. Waking up early felt like something Xara would do. I'm adjusting, I'm becoming more like her!

Except Xara wouldn't have gotten so excited. She would be placid, unmoved. Oh, I woke up naturally without an alarm? No big deal. That's the way it should be. Time to start the day with some vegetables, meat, and a workout.

I sighed and swung my legs over the side of the bed. My eyes fell on Dari. Her chest rose and fell in a slow, steady rhythm, as if she were fast asleep. I figured I would let her sleep until her alarm went off. Ten minutes was still valuable, especially to secret agents.

I crossed the room to my suitcase. A patch of red from Xara's favorite coat was peeking out from the top of it. I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to zip it shut last night. What a rookie mistake! That's what they teach kindergarten spies: "always zip and lock your bags." You never know who might break into your room and try to go through your stuff. I lifted a few garments inside to make sure nothing had been removed. Everything seemed to be in order, so I pulled out today's outfit—a black shirt and pair of pants—and locked my bag.

I glanced down at my watch. For some reason, thinking about how the time was ticking down, waiting to start beeping, gave me anxiety. I made a calculated decision to turn the alarm off. I'll just wake Dari up when I'm getting ready for the day. I put my shirt on, then did my make-up, and finished my changing into the dark jeans. I liked to stay in my comfy pajama pants for as long as possible, and this routine worked well most mornings.

I had just finished tucking my shirt into my pants when the sound of the hotel phone pierced the air. Dari yelped from the other room. I dashed out of the bathroom to find Dari upright in bed, eyes wide and her breathing heavily.

"It's just a phone," I said calmly. As much as I wanted to chuckle, I forced myself not to. I had been too lenient with my Xara personna. I only acted like her when I was with the ambassadors. But my friends...well, I suppose I had thought that it was okay to be myself with them.

Even though my 'self' was supposed to be Xara.

Why was this so unbelievably complicated? I felt guilty when I wasn't acting like Xara and like a traitor when I was forcing myself to be Xara. Deep down inside, I knew that I wasn't Agent X. I never would be. I wasn't Xara.

Nevertheless, I was created for one purpose and one purpose only—to be Agent X. So, if that's what I was supposed then that's what I would have to be, at least for the duration of the mission.

"Aren't you going to laugh?" Dari asked as her breathing slowed.

Oh dear. I've developed a reputation for not being like Xara. Director Rokmond will not be pleased.

"No," I declared firmly. I need to change my ways. Is there a Xara reform school?

Dari thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess it's not really a thing Xara would do. I'm just so used to hearing your laugh." She paused, as if to carefully choose what she told me next. "Do...do you like being Xara?"

"Yeah," I replied as I scanned the room for my boots. No, I corrected silently.

"Really? Well that's good, all things being considered. I mean, I think it's ridiculous to have two of the same person. But then again, who cares what I think?"