𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐫𝐮𝐧.

Chapter Two

8th October
06:23 hours, U.S Embassy, London

I must have fallen asleep after Noah left, because I awoke again at just gone 6am. I groaned, sitting upright in the uncomfy wicker chair and stretching, the bones in my body creaking as I did so. Yawning I got up and pulled on a hoddie, walking over to my window and opening the curtains just enough to peak outside. I could see the ambassador, my granddad, and Ms. O talking on the lawn. My granddad looked up and waved at me, I ducked and fell to the floor, hoping he actually hadn't seen me. "Darling, that was very covert." I heard the voice from behind me and rolled my eyes. "Noah, get the hell out of my freaking room!" I yelled, turning my body around and leaning against the wall as I looked at him. He walked from the doorway and sat down on my bed, beginning to twiddle with some objects on my dressing table. "Do you mind?" I asked, snatching a snow globe off him. He looked at me, raising his eyebrows. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the uncomfy chair this morning." He grinned. I rolled my eyes, standing up and sitting next to him on the bed. "Why are you here?" I asked after a long time. "I came to see you, Maggie." Noah said, looking at me with those impossible brown eyes of his. "Give me the real reason." I folded my arms, smirking. "That is the real reason." He shot back. Note to self; don't date a stubborn spy. "Noah!" I snapped, exasperated. "I got you a present." He smiled, reaching into the pocket of his faded denim jeans. I was about to snap at him again, for playing games and not getting to the point, but then I saw the key and chain swinging on Noah's index finger. Back and forth, like a pendulum. I reached out to touch the metal key but stopped short, almost afraid this was a dream and I might wake up. "Is that..?" I whispered, looking up from the key at Noah. He nodded. "How?" I asked, genuinely shocked. And maybe a little impressed. "A good spy never tells his tricks." He winked at me. "Not even to a fellow spy, who could really do with some advice?" I leaned closer to him, giving him my best puppy dog eyes. "No." He laughed, before rolling his eyes. "You don't need my advice, Maggie, you know exactly what you're doing." I blushed, letting my black hair fall over my face and into my eyes. Noah pushed it away from my face, forcing me to look at him. "What?" He asked. "I think Ms. O would disagree with you." I shrugged. He just moved himself closer to me, until there was no space in between us at all. "Ms. O would make James Bond look like an amateur." I laughed. Noah's breathe was warm on my skin, I shut my eyes as he leaned in and kissed me. "We shouldn't." I whispered, attempting to pull away, but Noah just pulled me back in. "Screw everyone else." He whispered back.

6 hours later
The London Eye, London

"You were right." I told Noah, looking through my binoculars as our little glass enclosure rose into the sky. I had never been on the London Eye before, which I thought was pretty crazy. Since I'd spent every summer vacation at the embassy for the last 17 years. "I'm always right." He told me, I rolled my eyes. Luckily he couldn't see, thanks to the binoculars. "So, he came up over there?" I asked, pointing at the Thames. "Yep." Noah nodded. "I know I wasn't officially on Ms. O's crew or anything, but I knew you were out there.." He shrugged. "You wanted to be protect me?" I turned around to face him now, grinning. "So you are nice sometimes." I exclaimed. "Shut up!" Noah snapped, I laughed. "I'm so glad I didn't have you on comms." I said, turning to look back out of the window. "Why not?" Noah sounded genuinely offended. "Maybe if you had, you wouldn't of screwed up." I glared at him. "Thank you, love you too." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Awh, darling, I love you more." Noah quipped, I laughed. Then he tapped me on the shoulder and pointed at a tall high rise building. "That's that man's office. They call him Andrew Sokoi." I listened intently. "He's the man who killed my mom?" I asked, Noah shook his head. "No, but he knows who did."

One week later

13th October
23:38 hours, U.S Embassy, London

I leaned over the big board table that Grandad usually kept for formal meetings with the other ambassadors, but tonight the grand hall had taken on a whole new important meeting venue. Me, Noah and Elsie had the blueprints to Andrew Sokoi's apartment spread out in front of us. "Will you stop flailing that ruler around!" I snapped at Noah as he smacked it down on the blue sprints trying to act important. He rolled his eyes, as if I never let him have any fun. "Where are the others?" Elsie snapped, looking at her watch. "I don't know." Noah shrugged. "I told you guys, we would've been perfectly fine by ourselves." I moaned, folding my arms. "Great pavement artists we might be, but do either of you guys know how to hack into a security camera feed, switch the imagery, without anybody noticing? Because I know I can't." Noah quipped, giving me and Elsie a stern look. I rolled my eyes, as much as I hated when he was the sarcastic clown I hated it more when he got serious. "No." Me and Elsie said in unison, just as the big wooden doors into the board room swung open.

"Ah your right on time." Noah said, causing me to shoot him a glance. Right on time? Either my watch is fast or this guy is seriously pushing my buttons. I vote for the latter. I turned around to see three of the other teenagers from the various embassies here in London. We'd called upon British twins Lola and Lila to help with the geeky side of things, there wasn't any software or computer system the pair couldn't hack. They were both identical with long blonde hair and hazel eyes. "Hey, Lila. Lola." I greeted them, hoping I had gotten them the right way round. I turned to look at the boy who stood behind them, he had his hands shoved into his pockets and looked totally bored. Alexander Swolvozki, son of the Russian ambassador. "Alexander you can-" he cut me off. "Alex." He spoke with a strong accent, which sent shivers down my spine. "Call me Alex." I nodded. "Okay, Alex." I said turning towards the blueprints. "You're going to help us get close to Mr. Sokoi. Make him trust us, think you can handle that?" I folded my arms, giving the Russian a challenging dare. He raised his eyebrows and laughed. "You call this a mission?" He quipped back, as if the thought of sweet talking a Russian fugitive was something he did everyday. Heck, maybe he did. "Are you going to take this seriously or not?" I snapped back, loosing my temper. "Lighten up, darling." I heard Noah say from behind me. I spun around and glared up at him (since he was a foot or two taller than me). "Don't call me darling." I hissed, for the hundredth time. He just smirked at me, before looking over my shoulder at Alexander. "Don't worry about her, she's not taken her meds yet." I shot daggers at Noah but he only smiled back, absolutely loving the fact he was winding me up. So, I punched him hard on the arm. "Ow." He said, as if it hadn't hurt a bit. Sure, I was a black belt in karate and knew a dozen illegal moves, but all I could do was stare at him wishing I could kiss him.

4 hours later;

"Mom." I watched as the silhouetted figure moved in slow motion in front of me. She was stood on one of the balcony's in the Embassy, her long dark brown hair blowing in the breeze. It was summer, I could tell that because I was warm and Mom was wearing a pretty sun dress. She always used to try and convince me to wear them too, say that they were beautiful and lady-like. I almost laughed at the memory but still I felt a tear fall from my eyes as the sound escaped my mouth. 'Their too girly' is what I would tell her, and it was true. I was way more a ripped jeans and combat boots kind of girl anyway. But starring at her now, my Mom did look beautiful, like a princess. Like a Queen. I shut my eyes, not wanting to see anymore. I wanted to wake up. I wanted to forget. But instead I felt warm hands cup my face and when I opened my eyes again I was met by Mom's brown eyes, starring into my own. She felt so real, she looked so real. I had to remind myself she was dead. "Darling, don't be sad." She whispered.

I sat upright in bed, my heart was pounding fast and I struggled to breathe as my mind raced on. I lifted a hand to my face and brushed away my tears. I didn't get to cry over her anymore. I sighed, lying back down in my bed and just starring up at the ceiling trying to figure out what had triggered that dream. I had stopped dreaming about Mom a few years ago. I guess the failed mission had gotten to me more than I thought, I decided. I was just about to shut my eyes and try to go back to sleep when I heard a voice. "Aren't you going to kiss me?"