Code Name X

6-We're not on dish-washing duty! Nope, just kidding.

21/12/00

"A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship." - Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

Hacker

"You guys have a break today." Angeline announced one morning. "I don't know why, but Pierre and Veronika sounded really stressed, so I'd probably suggest getting outside. You know, to avoid them."

A break? Well, hallelujah praise the lord, I was not expecting that.

There was a thick blanket of snow on the ground outside, and I was freezing as we went outside. I hated winter with a vengeance, and snow was a personal enemy of mine, but I have to admit there was a certain atmosphere about the streets, what with it being so close to Christmas.

As I neared them, I began to catch part of the conversation Maya and Joshua were having. "-nineteen feels so old." she was saying.

"Wait, are you nineteen?" I asked, before I could stop myself.

"Yeah, my birthday's today." she said, smiling.

"Oh, happy birthday." At that moment, I was hit on the shoulder by a snowball. Esme grinned at me. "You little-" I ducked to avoid another one from Emilie, and quickly flung one back at Esme. She dodged it, laughing.

We all ended up joining in, and it somehow worked out as girls versus boys. Esme and I got into a heated one-on-one match, after she decided it would be a great idea to trip me up into the bank of snow at the side of the road, that had been cleared away. She was pretty good at hurling snow in people's faces, I'll grant her that, and she had an uncanny way of almost disappearing into thin air. Well, she was a pickpocket by trade.

Iris was the first to be knocked out (not literally, Maren would have murdered Ben if that was the case) because Max suddenly made up the rule that falling over meant you were out. Maren then focused all her attention on Ben and they continued bombarding each other until Max and Emilie jointly got them out. They just continued further away, just with fists instead of snowballs.

If I'd wanted to, I could easily have got Maya out, but I was pretty sure it was bad manners to chuck snowballs in a girl's face on her birthday. Joshua, however, had no such reserves and managed to neatly trip her up, which he found hilarious and she did not.

After Max skidded over and Emilie temporarily blinded Cameron so he fell over, there were only four of us left in the game and then things got really competitive.

The two girls launched a joint attack on me (for no reason whatsoever) and in turn, Joshua and I did our best to get both of them out. It was Emilie who finally knocked me out of the game, knocking me off balance.

"Thanks a bunch, Ellie," I said without thinking.

"I'm Emilie, and you're welcome," she said, sniggering. I grimaced slightly. I should have got used to this by now; I had this every time I looked in the mirror. It had just never happened with Ellie before.

I forced myself to get up and joined the others at the end of the street. By then, Emilie was also out and she and Max were talking. Ben and Maren had stopped fighting and seemed to be arguing over something, again, while Cameron and Iris laughed at them. I headed over to Maya, who was leaning against a wall, just watching everyone else.

"Hey," I said.

"Oh hi," she said, looking up. "Is it still going on?"

"Yeah, Esme and Joshua are still fighting it out." I told her.

She laughed. "He gets so competitive."

"How do you know him?" I found myself asking.

"Oh, we ran into each other at a hospital in the North of England. I was training, and his sister sprained her wrist. None of the actual doctors agreed to treat her because there was no parental supervision, so I had to." She laughed ruefully. "That was the first time I ever tried that, and I was only fifteen."