I stepped back, trying to get my balance back. Jacob's beautiful brown eyes were not questioning, they were hurt. People say that when you die, your life flashes before your eyes. That was how I felt at that moment. Every moment that we had spent together was in front of my eyes like a movie. I saw the times we went canoeing and the times we sat at home and did nothing. He opened his mouth to talk and I braced myself for what was about to be said.

To my surprise, he didn't say anything. He just nodded his head, sending his lush blonde hair in front of his eyes. He turned to leave without a word. I grabbed his elbow and tried to get him to face me, anything to stop him so that I could explain.

"Jacob, wait! Please," I begged as my voice cracked.

"What would you like me to wait for?" he retaliated. His voice was sharp and bitter, bringing stinging tears to my eyes. "For you to tell me that you have been playing me the whole time? So I could watch you fall in love with someone else? For me to tell you that it is okay that I spent two hours consoling your little brother last night? Please tell me what I should wait for."

I did my best to compose myself and remember that I was still on a mission. I refused to slip up even worst in front of Jacob or Mr. Valdez. I took a breath and looked at him for a moment. I summoned as much power as I could before speaking again. When I did, my voice was clear and steady, completely covering my emotions.

"I would love to tell you that I just got here. I would love to invite you in for coffee or cuddle up on the sofa. You have no idea how much I have longed for that. I would love to tell you that everything you just said was a lie, but I can't. I have been here for three days. On a mission from the Academy. I wasn't trying to avoid you, I wanted to tell you, but I would have gotten kicked out. That isn't a good thing. Last night when I saw Brandon, I almost broke. The only thing that has kept me strong is that you were taking care of him. I had no idea that it was that bad. As for Kaleb, he is the only person that I can talk to about everything. He understands what it feels like to have to keep your whole life a secret." I searched his perfectly tan face, asking for anything.

The silence was beginning to slowly choke me. I felt my throat constrict, but I ignored it. I ignored the static in my ear. I didn't take my eyes off of Jacob's. He took a slow step towards me until he was directly in front of me. I had to look up at him as he was a whole head taller than me and I was getting a cramp in my neck, but I didn't care. I didn't care that I could feel my heart racing faster than a car. It was just he and I in that hallway.

He bent down and kissed me like he had never kissed me before. I felt an electric pulse shoot through my body as his warm lips crashed into mine. A warmness spread throughout my body until it had completely consumed me. I thought my knees were going to give out when he picked me up and carried me inside, never breaking the bond that our lips had formed. It seemed like we were the only two in the universe and I liked it.

He put me down on the couch and broke away. "I'm sorry. That was inappropriate of me, I just needed one last kiss before you were no longer mine." My breathing quickened as I felt his words pierce my heart.

I was about to respond when my door was shoved open by a pair of body guards. I stood as casually as I could and slowly pushed Jacob onto the couch behind me. I knew all too quick why they were there. They were there to take Jacob away for good. He had been too much trouble to them. I tried my best to make myself look as relaxed as possible and I willed Jacob to do the same. I couldn't turn around to see his expression without leaving me open for attack, but I really didn't want to see hoe hurt he truly was.

"Can I help you? You do realize that you could have just blown my whole mission! What kind of organization is this?" I exclaimed. At first they seemed a little unsure, but I saw the cold expression return to the pair's faces almost immediately.

"We aren't here for you. We are, uh, relocating a civilian. We need to bring a Mr. Markham in for questioning." Said the buff body guard. He reminded me a little of a secret service agent with his black suit attire. He was only enforcing his orders, but I didn't like his attitude very much.

Jacob was being very silent. I knew he was thinking about everything that was going on, but he must've been scared. I was scared for him. The agents began to walk around me. I stood motionless, unable to move. "NO!" I yelled. Just as the second agent was passing by me, I spun around and kicked him on the head as hard as I could. He crumpled to the ground instantly.

The agent that had been handcuffing Jacob stopped and came to face me directly. He was harder than the first agent I had attacked, he was ready. I threw the first punch, but he blocked it. He tried a kick, but I grabbed his ankle. We were both good; it was going to be a long fight. He managed to land a blow to my face, reopening the cut on my lip. I felt the red blood trickle down my face, making me more determined to fight harder. I almost cornered him, but he jumped over the coffee table, sending my lamp to the floor with a loud shatter. He laughed.

"I am a trained professional, young lady. I don't think it is wise to go with a fight. It would be best to just let me bring the boy in. No one would get hurt." He advised me with a strong Southern American accent.

"If there is one thing about me, I am loyal to my friends and family. I think of them above all else. Now, I am not letting you leave with him unless I am dead." I challenged. I didn't dare glance at Jacob's face, no matter how much I wanted to. He snarled, showing his perfectly white teeth. He reminded me of a wolf with his pointy face and cold expression.

"My orders weren't to hurt anybody. I think it best to surrender." He tried. I shook my head and lunged again. He blocked, but barely. I still landed a hit on his knee, almost sending him to the ground. He began to growl, further enforcing my impression of him.

My hair began to stick to my bloody face, making it hard to see. Every time I tried to push it out of my face left me open. He was a good fighter and I began to sweat. I could tell that he, too, was beginning to tire. All of the sudden, Jacob was beside me, fighting. He actually surprised the agent and punched him in the gut, making him double over. I took the opportunity to kick him over the head. He crashed into my bookshelf, sending books scattering across the room.

I heard sirens in the distance and I knew that it could only mean one thing. Someone had called the cops on us. I grabbed Jacob's hand and ran into the bathroom. I stuffed all of my make-up and wigs into a bag, trying to cover my tracks. I continued to shove things into the bag until it was full. He had taken action and opened a back window. I climbed out of it first and he followed. We climbed down the fire escape and onto the back sidewalk. Once he, too, was down I ran and hoped he would follow. We ran as far and as fast as we could away from the apartment. I wasn't sure where we were going, but we had to go somewhere.

Behind me, his breathing grew heavy. I knew it wasn't good and we needed to stop, but I convinced myself to run a little farther. I finally gave in when he began to slow down. I stopped to let him rest for a minute. His whole face was drenched in sweat and his brown eyes were wide. They were going to come sometime! I thought as he opened his mouth to begin the questions.

"Jacob, I promise that I will answer all of your questions." I vowed. "But first, we need to get to the school." I told him. I had decided that it was going to be a good place to stop and rest for a while so that we could get everything sorted.

I tore the Communications Unit out of my ear and stomped on it. My necklace followed its fate. Jacob just nodded his head, but he never said a word. In a way, he reminded me of a child. He wasn't sure what was happening, he was just going along with it.

We made the block to the school easily. I was almost positive that no one was following us because I had checked in every store window. Jacob had just kind of wandered aimlessly behind me. Once we were in school, his head began to clear and he stood a little straighter.

"Wait here while I go turn off the cameras real quick." I ordered him in the nicest tone I was able to muster.

I made my way to Principal Wills's office. I couldn't let the cameras see me as me, so I had to be extra careful. I turned the knob to his office to find it locked. Why am I not surprised? I picked it with ease and wiped the prints off. I turned the light on and I saw Kaleb sitting behind his desk with a smirk on his face.

"I already put the cameras on a loop if that is what you were coming to do." He told me. He green eyes were reflecting the right perfectly, showing the flecks of blue that were uniquely embedded in the green. His black hair looked like someone had tried to gel it, but he had just messed it up again.

"Didn't I just see you?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.

"Yes, yes, you did. What can I say? I missed you already." He replied in the same joking manner.

"Okay, really. What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice much more serious now.

"I heard what happened. I thought that you might come here, so I came here first. Are you all right?" He asked as he crossed the room and wrapped his hands around me into a hug. I nodded my head.

"Jacob is in the Chemistry lab." I said dryly. Kaleb nodded and led the way without question.

"Hey! Jacob, buddy!" Kaleb exclaimed as we entered the room. It had been easier getting there because there were no cameras to avoid seeing as they were already taken care of.

"Is there a reason that he is here?" Jacob asked with disgust.

"And I thought we were friends." Kaleb replied without emotion.

"He was already here. I didn't invite him." I wasn't really sure whether to be mad at Kaleb or love him. Or both. "Jacob, I really want to answer all of your questions, but I have to figure out what we need to do." I told him apologetically.

"Is there really a question? You need to go back." Kaleb said.

"What? I can't go back!" I exclaimed.

"Cameron, think about it. The longer you run, the madder they will get. My grandmother is not a person to be around when she is mad. It will get worst. The punishment for running is death." He explained. Only too late did he realize his mistake. I put two and two together quickly.

"Your grandmother? Queen Jayla is your grandmother. I don't know why it surprises me. I really don't. And you didn't think that it was important to mention that? The woman in charge of my fate is your grandmother. Please tell me that she approves." I was fuming. I was so mad that I could punch him. And I did. He didn't fight back; he took the punch without flinching. It probably hurt my hand more than it hurt him, but I didn't really care.

"Cammie, calm down!" Jacob warned.

"Stay out of it!" I snapped. I turned towards Kaleb. "And you want me to go back. Just surrender and become somebody's personal slave? I have worked my butt off all year for what? I made my little brother cry! I didn't do all of that to lose! No, I did it to win. I did it so that I could walk out with something and build a new life with my family. So I could try and forget all of this. And you want me to go back!" I was so mad, I was switching languages in between sentences. Kaleb's expression never changed. His face was as blank as a white canvas, never showing any emotion at all.

"Cameron, please! Just think about it. You made it to the top two! You might even get a job at the C.I.A.! It wouldn't be a low, degrading job. It isn't worth it." Kaleb begged.

"No! I am not giving in! I can't believe that you would want me to do that! You wouldn't do it! You hypocrite!"

"I am just trying to protect you, Cameron! I have grown up with these people my whole life."

"How many times do I have to tell you? I DON'T NEED PROTECTING!" I screamed. I picked up an empty vile and threw it at him. It shattered at his feet, making him jump back.

"Cammie?" Jacob asked uncertainly. I now had tears streaming down my face at the thought of Brandon not having anyone to take care of him. I looked at him with my blue eyes. "As much as I hate it, Kaleb cares about you. He wouldn't lie to you. If he says that turning both of us in is the best option, then we need to do it. I don't know what I got involved in, but I know that he wouldn't lie to you. I have seen the way he looks at you. I am not stupid. He is trying to keep you from getting yourself killed. Listen to him."

"How can you say that?" I asked him. "How can you say that you would just leave Brandon unprotected like that? How can you say that you would turn yourself in when it is my mess? How can you put yourself in that kind of danger"

"Because Cammie! I love you! My grandparents can take care of Brandon. They wouldn't leave him alone if I left with you. I am turning myself in because it is the right thing to do." Jacob told me. He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me completely, guarding me from the world.

"Fine, I will turn myself in. Kaleb, I am sorry that I yelled at you. I know that you are only keeping me alive. Everything that you do, as twisted as it may be, is to keep me safe." Jacob got up and crossed the room. Kaleb took his place as he hugged me. I stood up and looked at Jacob. "Jacob, I am sorry that I got you messed up in this. I will try my hardest to explain it to you if I get a chance." I promised again.

Kaleb brought me into the hall for a little privacy.

"Mr. Valdez will try and defend you. He has to. Whenever someone fails, there is a trial. You need to hope that your skills are good enough to pull you through. I am proud of you, no matter what happens. I love you, Cammie." He bent down and kissed me lightly. It was like a feather brushed across my lips and it was over.

"Kaleb, thank you. For everything that you have done. I can never thank you enough, ever." I tried to explain, but just shushed me.

"There is a car waiting outside. I probably won't get to see you again since I have to finish my mission."

Neither of us said goodbye. We couldn't. We hugged again and I felt his body warm mine. I opened the door and Jacob briefly talked to Kaleb. Jacob intertwined his hand with mine and we walked to the front of the school, united. I took a deep breath as I opened the door and put my hands up in surrender.