Espion | Book One

Thirty Two.

Today was the day. Today, November 26 was officially Jessime Beaumont's birthday, the very day he would be eligible to gain access to the will left behind by his father. Today was the day Annabelle's mission would be over. As soon as the item was in her possession, today was the day Annabelle was to forget about Jessime Beaumont, report to the chief and put the mission behind her. Move on to the next, like the robot she was. Today was the day everything ended.

At least, it should be.

Instead, getting the will wasn't the first thing on Anna's mind. Instead of securing it as quickly as she could, she was laughing, walking hand in hand with the very same person she should be leaving behind. She was smiling in his face, giggling like a schoolgirl behind her hand at the joke he cracked. She was turning to look behind her, smiling at her best friend, who was holding hands with her boyfriend. She was putting all her responsibilities behind her, to have fun with her friends, with the love of her life, for it might just be the very last time.

Jessi, Dan and Mina were just as happy. They worried not, for Anna had already drowned all their concerns for Angela with lies that the NPA would be taking care of it. They didn't ask any other questions. They trusted her, trusted that what she said was true and soon, Angela would be safe and sound in her own bed. So they walked happily, blissfully oblivious to how bad the situation had gotten. Anna wanted to pretend everything was okay just as much but she couldn't let it show how much it wasn't.

So, they've decided to spend Jessi's birthday forgetting the fact that dangerous men were after him and hanging out at the movies. It was simple, but that was all he wanted; to spend the day with his friends and his girlfriend. No one said nay, so that was what happened.

Everything was going just fine. There was no sight of any of the Rebels, and for a while, Anna even managed to forget about her outburst in Thomas' office. Whenever she thought about it, she got angry all over again. She was already beginning to grow used to such odd emotions but she understood Thomas' shock. She never shouted before. She never displayed any sort of emotion in front of him before so his reaction was warranted. She just hoped he didn't decide to reprimand her for her rudeness.

And so, just like that, half the day passed. By the time it was time to get the will, it was almost three in the afternoon.

"Is everything going to be fine?" Mina inquired as Anna dropped them off at home. Anna sat beside her, waiting for Jessi to come out. Behind them, Dan clanged around in the kitchen.

"It should be."

"You sure you don't need us to be there?"

Smirking lightly, Anna looked over at Mina. "Why would you need to be there?"

Mina looked away, blinking as she thought. "I don't know. Moral support? I know this thing is what everyone is after him for. He might need more people there."

"What? You're going to help me protect him?"

"Of course! Roger turned me into a badass just like you!"

That made Anna laugh. "I'm sure," she answered. "But don't worry about it. I'll be fine on my own. I've been doing well all this time, haven't I?"

"Yeah, whatever." Mina scooted closer. "What about Angela? Are they going to go for her tonight?"

"Yeah," Anna lied smoothly, looking away. "It's easier to infiltrate at night. Don't worry about it."

"I'm not, I'm not. I just wanna know the details. Like, how are they going to do it? Are you going to do it too?"

"No, I have to take care of Jessi, remember?"

"Oh come on, Anna! It would be so cool if you rushed in there and saved the day, don't you think?"