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Post by Rebecca Swenson on May 26, 2008 15:17:04 GMT -5
She shook her head slowly. "We're alone...unless he's an essencer as well," Becky shivered, "I doubt it though, he would've covered his tracks on the paper if he was..." It made sense, but some element of doubt still tugged at the back of her mind, making her hands shake.
"Whatever the case, he beat us here...and assigned himself Leah Niziol." She clenched her fists for a second, forcing them to be still, then carefully swapped the names around. For a second she considered putting Leah with Eli, but decided against it. Andy would probably believe that the teachers had noticed his alteration and swapped it up again, but if things were too convenient, he'd probably get wise on it.
When she finally lifted her pencil, her hands began to shake worse than every. That's why, as she slid the paper back into the file, her hand jerked and knocked a decorative vase off the edge of the desk. The sound of it shattering echoed through the halls.
Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, she thought and stood stone still, listening. Several seconds passed...she breathed a sigh of relief. Then she froze, "Somebody's coming...a teacher, I think." Five seconds later footsteps could be heard at the end of the hall.
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Post by Elijah Channing on May 26, 2008 15:36:44 GMT -5
Eli cursed under his breath and shoved Becky under a desk. Since she was more likely to be noticed, it would be better if she actually hid. Once he was sure she wasn't likely to be noticed, he pressed himself against the wall about a yard away from the desk.
Stupid, stupid, stupid, Eli thought. He wasn't angry so much as freaked out. If Becky hadn't been camouflaged, she could have been caught and everything could have been messed up, especially if Andrew somehow heard about the situation. Eli took a deep breath, then forced himself to be calm and aware of their surroundings. He could hear the teacher coming closer now, and he dug his teeth into his lower lip.
Eli didn't recognize the woman who walked into the room. She was around fifty-years-old and a bit overweight. Her white-brown hair was pinned back and a few loose hairs hung around her face in curly wisps. She took one look at the mess and got a very angry look on her face. "Pranksters," she growled, and started searching the outer office, then the principal's office for the culprits. Of course, she found no one and eventually left, muttering about finding a broom and how they should keep the door to the office locked.
He darted over to the desk. "Hurry up," he whispered. "The closest janitor's closet is a couple halls down and we should be able to at least get into the hall before she gets back." Eli didn't even wait for Becky to finish getting to her feet before grabbing her hand and heading for the door. When they were out in the hall, he heard footsteps again and pressed Becky against the wall. "Shh," he whispered.
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Post by Rebecca Swenson on May 26, 2008 16:50:01 GMT -5
Becky gritted her teeth and listened to the teacher's footsteps. There was plenty of room under the desk and she was blending in well but if the teacher decided to push in the chair...things could get awkward. When the door closed behind the teacher she let herself breath again. A second later Eli had her hand and they were trotting off down the hallway.
A small burr of glass had gotten stuck in her foot somewhere along the line, making Becky limp slightly, but she paid it no notice. She was aware of the approaching presence but was still caught off guard when invisible hands suddenly pushed her against the wall. You seem to be the one doing all the talking, she grumbled inwardly as Eli quieted her yet again. However, bringing herself back to the task at hand, she turned her head to study the wall and the angle of the light. Forming a picture in her mind, she concentrated hard. What remained of her outline disappeared against the brick.
As the footsteps went by she didn't open her eyes, she hardly even breathed. Any movement would cause her camoflauge to blur slightly and then they would be in for trouble. Besides, with her senses as high strung as they were right now she didn't need sight to see. She could feel Eli's arm against her...his muscles tensed and the pulse in his thumb beating rapidly. There was the passer-by, a middle-aged man judging by his essence, who continued on his way without any inkling of the two youngsters only a few feet away. She could even vaguely make out the other teacher's essence as she poked around the janitor's closet for a broom.
Then, the male teacher turned a corner, and Becky let out a sigh of relief but it only lasted a second. The tension and her embarassment for knocking off the vase were getting to her, not to mention the eeriness of the invisible presence next to her. She could hear his breath, feel his grip, sense his essence, even smell his shampoo, but her eyes told her that she was completely alone in the hallway. Quickly, she brushed past Eli, losing her grip on his wrist in the process, and got to the door as fast as stealth and her cut toe would allow. She forced herself to stop there so the door would only need to open once for both of them to get out, but it was difficult. Escape -open air and safety- were so close. Just a step away. Turning back, she looked for Eli but saw nothing but the empty hallway.
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Post by Elijah Channing on May 26, 2008 17:03:21 GMT -5
Elijah stood perfectly still the entire time the man was walking by, even though he wasn't even the slightest bit visible no matter how much he moved. He was more worried about sound--if he was breathing too loudly, if he moved even an inch and his clothes rustled a little. Likely, no one would listen, but even so Eli was on edge the entire time, and refused to move until he was sure the coast was clear.
Unfortunately, Becky beat him to the whole moving thing, and she was gone before he had the chance to grab her hand or keep track of her faint outline moving down the hall. He moved cautiously and quietly, cursing repeatedly in his head. He had to resist the urge to run after her, for then he'd risk making too much noise plus if someone walked in front of him, he might accidentally run into them. Thus, he was forced to move at what felt like an agonizingly slow pace until he reached the door.
Perhaps he was just panicked, but Eli couldn't find anything that told him where Becky might be. She had to be there, right? His heart started pounding in his ears at the thought of something having happened to her. She's a Junior Agent, you idiot! Why didn't you keep better track of her? She's probably scared and now you don't even know where she is. What if Andrew found her. . .
Eli's thoughts were going a mile a minute, and he had to force himself to calm down so he could think this through. Maybe she was there and just still enough that he couldn't see her. After checking to make sure no one was around, he allowed himself a cautious whisper. "Becky?"
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Post by Rebecca Swenson on May 26, 2008 17:41:08 GMT -5
Becky's hand extended blindly towards the voice until her fingers brushed his cheek. The second she realized what she was doing she jerked her hand back and let it fall until it found his shoulder. Once there, her grip tightened. She was determined not to let go until both of them were visible again.
Using her free hand, Becky opened the door as quietly as possible and then slipped outside. The sun had been set for quite a while so it was quite dark, but Becky found the darkness more comforting than anything. A night breeze caressed her skin and she breathed in deeply. Not over yet... she reminded herself and began feeling around in the bushes for her shoes.
After digging around for a second -still not letting go of Eli's hand- she managed to find her shoes. She flicked two rolly-pollies off before sliding the shoes on, not worrying about untying or tying her laces. Then she gave a tug and the two set off back into the subdivision.
Two blocks of careful walking later, she pulled Eli into another between-house shadow. This time the shadow was nearly pitch blackness, but even so she took a careful look in all directions before letting her camoflauge fade away. Slowly her form took shape in the darkness and she let herself sink to the grass with her back against the wall.
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Post by Elijah Channing on May 26, 2008 17:56:40 GMT -5
Eli jumped when he felt her hand touch his cheek, then swallowed and let her lead him outside. He willed his heart to stop beating--though this time it wasn't beating so much from fear but something else--and waited while she put on her shoes. It was off to watch, since they were there one moment, then they just disappeared.
He followed her, for once actually sick of being invisible, and was relieved when they stopped and Becky switched back. Never before had he been so happy to actually see someone. He turned visible again and watched his hands as he did so. It never got old to Eli to watch himself turn visible and invisible.
He sat down beside her and let out a quiet laugh. He felt like all his tension was melting away and leaving behind this layer of something that made him want to laugh forever. He grinned stupidly and Becky, at a loss for words. "That was fun," he said finally.
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Post by Rebecca Swenson on May 27, 2008 0:49:14 GMT -5
Becky chewed on the side of her tongue. Her eyes were wide and far away as she stared at the wall across from her. Even in the darkness the paleness of her cheeks was visible.
Her eyes flickered towards Eli's figure but she didn't quite meet his eyes. "Fun..." she said at length, "I guess so."
For the first time she felt the full weight of her inexperience. This wasn't Eli's first mission, it was probably more like his fourth or fifth, so he'd known what he was getting into. But for Becky, until now things had seemed almost like a game. "I always imagined the way I'd handle my first stealth mission," she said, staring at Eli's shoes, "But it wasn't until we got into that hallway that I realized how close to the edge we're running...and I freaked." She forced herself to look Eli in the eye, "I'm sorry I flipped out on you. I guess I just forget my junior agent status sometimes." She paused and gave a soft chuckle as she saw the humorous side of things, "I hope it's not so bad the second time around?"
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Post by Elijah Channing on May 27, 2008 1:07:55 GMT -5
Eli looked around, hoping no one was around to hear them. After a moment, he shrugged and smiled. "Don't worry about it. We all have our moments. And it gets better, trust me." He smiled unknowingly as he looked at her, and suddenly had a strange urge to hold her hand or put his arm around her shoulders or. . .
Great, he thought, and sighed inwardly. Man, you totally cannot be doing this. She's a Junior Agent for crying out loud. Eli held back a groan as he stood up and brushed off his pants. "We should probably get home before Ad--um, Mom wonders what's taking so long." He held out his hand for her to take, then helped her to her feet.
"So," he said as they started walking toward home, "do you still want help with homework?" He knew she'd been faking the dumb thing at school, and he'd played along, but he still wasn't sure if she actually needed help or not. "I finished most of mine while you were practicing but. . ." he shrugged. "I don't know, if you don't hate me after what happened today, we could at least do our homework together. More fun that way, you know?"
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Post by Andrew Ivanovi on May 27, 2008 1:36:49 GMT -5
Andrew stood in the doorway to the locker room along with some of his friends while they waited for some showers to open up. It had started out as just something to watch while they burned time, but before long a small group had gathered to watch.
"Dang..." said a full-back with a whistle, "Where'd he get transfered from?"
Allan, the team captain, shrugged. "What does it matter? He's here now." He elbowed Andrew, "We've certainly gotten the cream of the crop this year."
Andrew nodded but his brow was creased deeply. Another one from that new family...this was starting to seem like more than a co-incidence. His lips tightened and he glanced towards the coaches. They were undoubtedly thrilled with this new kid's performance. Good, it would let him keep a close eye on him. Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer he thought to himself.
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Post by Rebecca Swenson on May 27, 2008 2:28:24 GMT -5
"Yeah, we've probably already missed dinner," Becky said, "and I can guaratee you -Jasmine's going to have a lot to say to us when we get home." The smile vanished and she bit her lip. "I just wonder how well she'll take the whole, eh, Andrew thing. From what I saw at lunch she looked pretty taken. He even gave her his phone number."
There was a moment of silence with the only sound being their feet shuffling against the sidewalk. Her smile was shining through the darkness. "Actually," she said, a little sheepishly, "I could use some help with Physics and Music History. I was, well, so distracted about what happened in the hall between fifth and sixth periods that I kind of didn't pay much attention in class. The Music History I can probably figure out, but my Physics homework...looks greek."
At this point they were making their way up the front steps of the house. Becky dug through her pocket until she found the keys, then unlocked the door. "We're home!" she called, pushing the door open. Somehow, after the stress of the day, the house didn't seem quite so small or run-down. It was home-base, and she was just glad to be back.
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Post by Elijah Channing on May 27, 2008 2:43:54 GMT -5
Eli bristled at the thought of Jasmine and Andrew together. It wasn't as though he liked Jasmine, but she was his best friend and he felt protective of her in a way. Also, whether or not Andrew was Ukwtakun, Eli basically hated his guts.
"Okay," he said. "I'm not a big music person, so I don't know how much help I'll be there. I mean, I like to listen to it, but that's about it." He smiled sheepishly. "But Physics I can do." He nodded as he said that and followed Becky into the house.
He saw Adelle sitting on the couch watching the news. "Hey. . . Mom. Did you make dinner?" He looked around the living room and frowned. "Where's Jasmine?"
||I set them in different places because when Adelle and Jasmine were talking it was right after school, and now it's like 6 or something, so much later.||
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Post by Jasmine Doyle on May 27, 2008 2:57:46 GMT -5
Jasmine danced down the hall and flung her arms around Eli, "Oh wonderful foster brother, I have amazing news. I have been invited to a dance." she pulled back so she could look her friend in the eye, "And Andy invited me to it!" she shoved her cell phone into Eli's face, "Look, look, it's this Friday at seven. You guys will have to come too, in case something comes up and dances are great places to meet people at."
She turned to Rebecca, "And you, I had a buttload of yelling to do, but now I feel to happy to do it. So, just be careful about keeping your cover, okay?" she raised her eyebrows, "What all did you accomplish at school today? Did you find anything about Andy, Ivanovi or not?"
"Anyways, has anyone seen Noam at all today? I didn't see him at lunch, and I kinda expected to see him with the jocks, but I guess he decided to hang out with the druggie kids instead." she rolled her eyes, "Sometimes he can be so out of it."
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Post by Elijah Channing on May 27, 2008 9:21:02 GMT -5
At first, Eli was just confused. Usually, Jasmine didn't act at all happy unless something really good happened. Even when she got to eat a ton of chocolate, she usually wasn't that happy. It didn't take long before he found out the cause of her happiness and when he did, he shoved her off of him and just glared. "Yeah, great. Have fun with your new boyfriend, Jazz. Maybe you can help him take over the world or something."
When she started talking to Becky, he rolled his eyes. "Leave her alone, alright? No one blew anyone's cover and you probably don't even know what happened anyway. So just. . . leave her alone."
He started to walk away, then turned before he reached the hallway. "Oh, and by the way, we actually did find out some interesting stuff about Andrew Ivanovi. Like, guess what, he's an Ukwtakun! Big surprise." With that, he walked into his and Noam's room and promptly shut the door.
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Post by Rebecca Swenson on May 27, 2008 16:07:43 GMT -5
Becky looked at Jasmine, her face reflecting the flurry of mixed emotions that were flooding through her head. Part of her was thrilled that Jasmine had gotten a date with Andrew. After all, that's the part she was supposed to play, wasn't it? However, another part cringed at the look on Jasmine's face. It wasn't the look of an agent that had just infiltrated an enemy circle, but the look of a teenage girl who had just landed a date with a guy she really really liked. Becky got the sinking feeling that Jasmine may be falling for her own act.
"Eli-" she started, but was cut off when his door closed. She sighed, shaking her head, then looked at Jasmine sympathetically. "It's true," she said softly, "Andy Trindale is really Andrew Ivanovi. We don't have proof, but the files we found in the school office were pretty close to it."
Tossing her backpack onto the floor, Becky collapsed onto the sofa and stared up at the ceiling. Somehow, she had never thought that missions would be such hard work...or anywhere near this dramatic.
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Post by Jasmine Doyle on May 27, 2008 19:44:58 GMT -5
Jasmine gave Rebecca a smug look, "Well, I guess it's good that I made friends with him so quickly then." she said, turning on her heel and closed the door to their room. She left a voicemail on Andy's phone and much to her pleasure got a reply. Quickly she changed out of the sweatpants she had put on after she had gotten home from school. She slipped on a pair of jeans and the top she had been wearing that morning. She grabbed her purse and crammed her wallet and cell phone into it.
"I'm going out for a while. I'll be at the mall to start out with." she said, as she flew down the hall, "Text me if you need me. Nothing too obvious though, please." she laughed as she winked at Rebecca. "Have a good evening and don't let Eli ruin it. He always gets moody like this."
Jasmine ran down the steps and to the bus stop, checking the times she found that she was just in time for the bus that stopped in front of the mall. She boarded it and quickly took a seat towards the front. She went through a mental list of what she should and shouldn't do. She decided that even thinking about the mission was a bad thing, because Andy might be able to read minds. She should just have a good time and try to find out as much about him as she could. When she arrived at the mall she looked around, feeling nervous, but excited at the same time.
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