Chapter 6
By Citharia
"So. How do you two know each other?"
Max smiled wryly, as Zack, surprised, stopped pacing so abruptly that he nearly fell over.
"Wh-what?" Zack sputtered stupidly, his eyes bulging out. Max thought amusedly that his friend rather resembled a goldfish at that moment.
"You heard me. How do you know Alexis Rogers?"
Zack hesitated, blinking rapidly.
"Me? Know Alexis Rogers? What are you talking about? How could I have possibly known her? I mean, I do know her, of course. I mean, she totally saved our butts back there, so how can I have been running through a jungle with her without knowing her name?" he rambled, "but you're asking a strange question, Maxie-boy. I mean-"
"I told you not to call me that," Max scowled, crossing his arms.
"Max. Max, I mean," he corrected himself quickly, "but why do you ask? I mean, you were the one who met her first, weren't you? I mean, you two were together when you guys came to bust me out. So…yeah. How could I possibly know her?" he finished off lamely, nodding and trying to look convincing.
Max sighed.
"Zack. You really suck at lying, do you know that?"
"H-huh?"
"Seriously. How do you know Alexis Rogers?" he said slowly, as if Zack had pudding for brains. Which Max, at that moment, didn't find it to be such an impossibility, actually.
Zack bit down on his lip nervously as his eyes darted from left to right, as if looking for an escape route. Apparently finding none, though, he groaned, putting his head in his hands.
"I don't wanna talk about it," he squeaked.
Max cocked an eyebrow upwards.
"Why not?"
"I just don't."
A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes, and Max tapped his finger against his chin in mock-thoughtfulness.
"Hm…let me guess, then," his voice took a teasing note. "She was your ex."
Zack snorted. "You're kidding me, right?"
"No?" Max rubbed his hands enthusiastically, "Ah…I got it. She was your childhood best friend," he grinned at Zack. "Aw, how cute!"
Zack choked. "Excuse me?!"
Max grinned, and prodded him in the side.
"C'mon. Spill. I promise I won't laugh or anything."
"No," Zack refused stubbornly.
Max sighed. "The girl you had your first one-night stand with?"
Zack's eyes bugged out. "Wh-what? Oh, God, no! No, no, no, no, no!"
Laughing, Max held up a hand. "Fine. I'll stop. But only if you'll tell me."
"No!"
"The girl who-"
"Max!" wailed Zack.
"Yes?" the green-eyed boy looked at his friend innocently, his face alight with merriment.
There was a long pause while Zack scrutinized his face. Max, on the other hand, tried his utmost best to look as solemn as he possibly could.
It must have worked, since Zack suddenly sagged, as if all the air had been released from him. "You swear you won't tell anyone?"
"Scout's honor," Max said, grinning triumphantly. Then he frowned. "But I was never a Boy Scout."
Zack scowled darkly at him.
"Not funny, Maxie-boy."
"Don't call me that," Max said automatically. Then, seeing Zack's expression, he repressed a smile, and said solemnly. "Alright, alright. I promise."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. Anyway, even if I wanted to, who could I tell? The trees?" he gestured to their surroundings. "C'mon, Zack. What are friends for?"
"It's humiliating."
"I won't laugh."
After a long pause, Zack buried his face into his hands again, and mumbled something inaudible.
"What?" Max asked, confused.
"Shwusderolygahoomehmicroo."
"Huh?"
There was a long pause.
"She was the first girl who made me cry, okay?" Zack blurted out suddenly. "And not in the happy or touched way either."
Max blinked bewilderedly at him for a second. Then he started laughing.
"You promised not to laugh!" Zack wailed, mortified, his face turning red and giving him the appearance of an overripe tomato. He stabbed a finger into Max's face. "You promised!"
Max opened his mouth as if to speak, but closed it again, shaking his head helplessly as peals of laughter overwhelmed him.
"Max!"
Tears were starting to stream down his face as he raised his head and caught sight of Zack's face. The latter, however, raised a hand and swatted him, hard, at the side of the head.
"Ow!"
Zack fixed with a glare so reminiscent of Alexis's, that Max promptly wiped his tearing eyes, and swallowed back his laughter.
"I-it's just that I was beginning t-to suspect you were sexually-harassed by her or something, you were so em-embarrased. And then," fresh laughter bubbled out of him again, "after you told me, the first thought that actually came to mind was 'oh, so you're not gay after all', because you know, ever since I've known you, you've always been s-so estrogen-phobic! I was beginning to think you're gay or something! A-and-" At this, Max lost all control as he bent over, shoulders shaking as he laughed.
"Max!" Zack wailed again. "It's not funny!"
Max nodded his head emphatically.
"Yes, it is!"
After several futile attempts to stem his laughter, Max finally straightened up, wiping tears from his eyes. He looked at the sulking boy sitting across him, and patted his head sympathetically.
"Zack, Zack," he stifled another chuckle. "Poor boy. You must have been so traumatized. Honestly, no wonder you were so girl-phobic after that."
Zack stuck out his lower lip.
"Max."
"Yeah?"
"I've told you already. Will you shut up about it now?"
"What happened?" asked Max instead, ignoring his previous statement.
"You're never going to let me off until I tell you, huh?" Zack moaned.
Max nodded cheerfully.
Zack's head slumped down and dropped into his arms, where they encircled his knees.
"You remember when I had first transferred to Westwood Academy?" he asked after a while, referring to the private school both he and Max had attended in senior high, "in 11th grade?"
"Yeah?" Max furrowed his brow. "So?"
"Yeah. Well, I had transferred to Westwood from another school, as you know. That school was a public school, the one I'd attended right after I had moved to the US," he paused, tapping his finger on his knees distractedly. "That was the same school Alex was in."
"Oh. Uh-oh."
Zack nodded glumly.
"See, I was in 10th grade when I entered the school. Alex was two years younger than me, in the 8th grade," at this, he paused, "I also have to admit that I was kind of an idiot then."
"Then? Are you sure you're still not an idiot?" Max cracked. Zack gave him a glare, and mock-punched his arm.
"No. Not just an idiot…I was really, really an asshole. Pricky behavior, stupid stuff I said, you know, that kind of thing," Zack heaved a loud sigh before continuing, "but you've got to understand…I just moved here then, and I didn't know anyone. I was this strange Russian boy with a strange accent, and desperate to fit in," Zack gave Max a beseeching look, "it was after a while, but suddenly, and I'm not sure how exactly, I had fallen in with the 'popular crowd' at school."
"Uh-oh."
"Tell me about it. Just like that," Zack snapped his fingers, "They came up to me one day, and told me I'm part of 'them' now."
"Freaky," Max commented.
"Yeah. I found out later, anyway, that they were bored, and decided to have some fun with the new kid," Zack shook his head despondently, "that's when all the trouble began. At that time, you could actually say that Alex was one of the more sought-after girls in school. Not because she was the blond, pretty, cheerleader type…no," tapping his chin thoughtfully, Zack mused, "she was more of the attainable type. But she was really quite pretty then," he added, blushing. "The other boys thought that she was just playing hard to get, but she never accepted dates, never gave any boy the time of the day. She basically kept to herself."
Max raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.
"Anyway, this only made the boys more determined to 'win' her over. They dared me, for kicks I guess, to get a date with her to the big dance at the end of the year. At that time, I was scared that if I didn't succeed, they wouldn't want to be my friend anymore…basically, I was scared of losing my new friends. So I accepted the dare."
He raked a hand through his spiky blond hair.
"What happened was…well, I kind pestered her for a couple of weeks, trying to flirt with her, and asking her out every chance I got. Your basic pricky behavior. But she ignored me…either that, or gave some snarky remark. I guess near the end, when I was getting desperate…I also got a little obnoxious. A class-A prick, basically. Finally, I ended up calling her a stuck-up bitch, and then, she…"
He paused, chewing on his lower lip.
"What?" Max asked, leaning forward in curiosity.
"Gave him a punch in the face, and he ran off crying for his mommy," a voice rang out coldly.
Both their heads snapped around.
Alexis stood at the edge of the clearing, her arms folded across her chest. From the furious expression on her face, both knew immediately that she had heard everything.
"Alex!" Zack blurted. "I-"
"Zackass," she addressed him, her eyes flashing. "If you want to embarrass yourself with stories like those, I couldn't care less. Yes, you were an asshole. Still are, probably. But if I were you, I wouldn't make it a habit to go around advertising my previously – what was the word again? Prickish? – behavior."
Zack gaped at her.
Max, on the other hand, studied her carefully as she spoke. He cocked his head thoughtfully. It might have been his imagination, but as she turned away after her spiel, he was almost sure that he had spotted something in those dark blue eyes, something else other than anger.
Hurt. There was hurt hidden behind that closed gaze.
After a moment of tense silence, Alexis turned to Max with a strangely flat gaze.
"We'll be staying in here for a few hours, until reinforcements arrive. Then we'll leave. Until then…" she said coolly, gesturing to their surroundings, "make yourself comfortable."
Max blinked.
"Leave? Where are you taking us, exactly?"
Alexis paused, before giving him a sardonic look.
"Didn't I tell you? We're going to Ukraine."
----------
Alexis sneaked another look at Maxwell Eaton as she deftly stuck a few more branches into their makeshift campfire. Then, suddenly conscious of what she was doing, she tore her gaze away and forced herself back to the task at hand. Snatching up a branch from the ground roughly, she fed it to the hungrily devouring flames.
Sighing, she pushed her sweaty hair out of her face, and tucked the loose tendrils behind a ear. Her turned her attention back to the fire and watched as the dry branch she had shoved into the fire earlier gave a soft spitting crack. Under her transfixed gaze, it seemed to resist and push away the brightly glowing embers licking up its sides. The fight went on for a few seconds more, before it finally succumbed. The branch burst into flames, and burned brilliantly, spurring the flames bigger and higher.
She blinked the bright spots of light out of her vision, and unconsciously, her gaze strayed to Maxwell again.
He was bending over, carefully using another branch to prod the sticks in their fire into place. Under the bright glow from the fire, she could see him frown, his brow furrowed with concentration. Then, she watched as a short lock of dark hair fell into his green eyes, and he brushed it away impatiently.
Alexis pressed her lips together to keep from making any sound that threatened to escape her throat. Tears sprung, unbidden, into her eyes, and her vision blurred behind them.
It was all so familiar. The way the dark hair fell into his eyes in an unruly manner, the way he swept his hair back dismissively…it was like she was looking at Jesse himself in the flesh.
But it wasn't Jesse that she was looking at. It was Maxwell Eaton.
She bit her lip. It was hard enough in the first place for her to come here, knowing who she was sent to find, but she had not realized how hard it was going to be until she had actually came face-to-face with Maxwell Eaton.
Maxwell straightened up, and abruptly, she turned her gaze away, suddenly aware that she had been staring. She was thankful for the darkness of the night which masked the deep blush on her face. Absently, she imitated Maxwell, and brushed stray specks of soot off herself as she stood up. She made her way to one side of the campfire, reveling gratefully in the comforting warmth. The weather in Russia was beginning to turn chilly, and the days and nights were starting to become cold. Had not been for the fire and the warmth it provided, the night before them might have proved to be quite unpleasant.
Tiredly, she reached back with one hand to yank the scrunchie out of her ponytail, allowing her long chestnut hair to tumble loosely to her shoulders. In the corner of her eye, she noticed Zack watching her as he backed away warily, finally settling down at the opposite side of the campfire. She rolled her eyes and ignored him.
Turning her gaze to the subject of her previous scrutiny, she watched as Maxwell made his way to Zack, tucking his long legs under him as he lowered himself beside Zack. She saw him give Zack a grin, then punch him lightly on the shoulder as he said something to the latter.
You're a professional! she told herself sternly. So act like one!
Still, she couldn't help but continue to study him.
Not Jesse, she reminded herself. Not Jesse. Maxwell Eaton.
Despite the mantra she had found herself chanting mentally every time he came into view, it was often that she had caught herself unconsciously comparing the similarities and differences between him and Jesse. Not just in features, either. It was uncanny how she was beginning to scrutinize his every move, be it in speech or actions, and then comparing them to Jesse's.
It was starting to drive her crazy.
Not Jesse.
Admittedly, in better lighting than the one they had now, the differences between them in terms of their appearances were more obvious. Lean in build while Jesse was more muscular, Maxwell was also a little taller, his hair a little darker, and even his eyes were a little greener than Jesse's. Yet, if anyone else had been in her place, Maxwell could have easily passed for Jesse's twin.
Not Jesse.
But was it really? Is it even possible for someone to look so much like another, without them being one and the same?
Not Jesse…She fidgeted, her hand reaching up to her collarbone to toy with the small pendent that hung from the silver chain around her neck.
Was it even possible?
Jesse would be twenty-three this year. Maxwell was twenty. That ruled out the possibility of them being twins.
But still…
She frowned. Then, impulsively, she made up her mind. She had to know. Quickly, before she could change her mind, she stood up and made her way around the campfire to the other side, where Maxwell sat.
Not Jesse… the mantra continued in her mind, but there was a hopeful lilt at the end this time.
Not Jesse…
----------
Max plopped down beside where Zack sat, and yawning, he tiredly rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
"I thought you said you were never a boy scout," Zack muttered grumpily.
Max frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Zack shrugged and gestured to the now roaring campfire. "How else would you know how to make a fire, and all that?"
"I didn't. She started the fire. I just went around and stuck sticks in," Max replied. He glanced at Zack puzzledly. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," the light-haired boy said, sulking.
Max grinned, and draped an arm around Zack's shoulders. "C'mon. There's something bothering you, isn't it? Was it because of what happened just now?"
Zack pushed his arm off. "We look like we're gay, Max."
"I've been thinking of you as a gay for four years now," Max remarked, grinning. "Not much difference, really."
He received a prompt smack on the arm for that.
"Ow," winced Max, rubbing his arm. He gave Zack a look. "You didn't have to get violent."
Zack shrugged dejectedly. Catching sight of this, the look in Max's face turned to one of concern.
"Zaaaaccckk…" Max cajoled, slinging his arm back around the other boy's shoulders. "What's the matter? Is it because of her?"
Instead of replying, Zack narrowed his eyes at Max.
"I'm accuse you of sexual harassment soon, if you don't get that arm off," he warned. "I don't want to be labeled gay…especially by her."
Laughing, Max pulled away from Zack and punched him lightly on the shoulder.
"Fine, I'll shut up about it."
"Good," Zack muttered grumpily.
A comfortable silence fell between them, and Max leaned back, crossing his long legs before him. A moment later, he spoke.
"So, how's life? I'd have asked you earlier…but between getting kidnapped, and then escaping from our kidnappers, I was a little too busy to do so," he asked conversationally.
Zack shrugged. "Between getting snatched off my own property, and getting rescued by the girl who punched me and called me gay when I was fifteen…" he nodded, "everything's been just dandy."
"That's all that's happened to you in the one year I haven't seen you?" asked Max skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "That's it?"
"That's the only exciting thing that happened," Zack said, smiling slightly despite himself.
Max blinked. "Right. And now we're going Ukraine, with gunmen and terrorists at our heels. You still feel that's exciting?"
"Aside from the fact that I'm likely to die? Yeah, it's pretty fun. Alex will probably use me as a human bullet vest," Zack muttered darkly.
"C'mon. It won't be that bad."
"Oh, trust me, it will. It's not that I'm afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens," he tapped a finger against his chin, "not to mention that it's Alex I'm going to travel to Ukraine with. She'll probably sneak into my room one day, chop me up, and cook me with curry."
"Death should not be seen as the end, but as a very effective way to cut down expenses," Max remarked.
Zack scowled at him.
"Again, not funny."
Max laughed.
A movement at the corner of Max's eye caught his attention, and he broke off his conversation with Zack and looked up. Beside him, Zack did the same.
Towering over their seated forms was Alexis. Her eyes were dark and shadowed, and there was an unreadable expression on her face as one slender hand fiddled distractedly with a small pendent hanging from a chain around her neck.
There was a tiny squeak of surprise, and Max abruptly turned back to see Zack springing up and scurrying to the other side of the campfire. He then promptly sat down, and stared at them with wide eyes.
"Zack. What the hell are you doing?" asked Max in bewilderment.
Zack opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He finally gulped and gestured wildly to the person beside Max.
Max thought to comment, then sighed and thought better of it. He turned back to Alexis.
"Hey. How's the arm?"
She paused, glancing at it.
"I'll live," she finally muttered coolly.
He raised an eyebrow. "You really should get it looked at first chance you get. I may not know much about this kind of thing, but I'm pretty sure that the amount of blood you lost…well, it's not good."
She sighed irritably. "The blood flow's stemmed pretty much already. I'll be fine. I've suffered worse before."
Max narrowed his eyes at her, which she ignored. A heavy silence fell between them.
"Was there something you wanted?" he asked quizzically after a while.
Still, she did not speak. Max's confusion mounted.
"Yes?" he repeated.
After a while, he saw her shrug, and sat down at the spot where Zack had occupied.
"Can I ask you a question?"
Max blinked. "Is that an actual question, or a rhetorical one?"
Alexis considered this for a moment.
"Rhetorical."
Max smiled lopsidedly. "Then I can't really say no, can I?"
She gave a noncommittal shrug.
"Probably not."
Max sighed. "Ask away."
There was another bout of silence. Max rubbed his chin as he studied her. There was almost a nervous quality about her behavior, he thought as he watched her bite her bottom lip and twist her necklace again. The look in her eyes, which he had caught earlier, was guarded, but Max did not miss the uncertainty that lurked in its deep blue depths.
She looked up. The look in her eyes was gone now, and her face was carefully blank. "This might sound odd, but…Maxwell Eaton. Is that really your name?"
Max was momentarily thrown off-guard.
"Huh?" was the one response he could summon up in that instant. "What are you talking about?"
"Are you going to make me repeat that again?" Now, she sounded irritated. Her eyes flashed angrily for an instant, before becoming neutral again.
"No, no," Max said quickly. Then he considered her question. "I'm pretty sure that it's my real name. I mean, it's the only name I've ever had," he answered, half-amused, and gave her a sidelong glance. "Why do you ask?"
She ignored his question. "Are you sure?"
"Positive."
"Oh." There was a slight pause. "Can I ask you another question?"
"Playing twenty questions, are we?" he quipped.
"Answer the question," she barked.
Max held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Is this another rhetorical question?"
"Obviously."
"Oh, silly of me," Max remarked.
She ignored his sarcasm. "Do you have a brother, by any chance?"
Max frowned. "Brother? No. But I do have a little sister. Why?"
She seemed disappointed.
"A cousin, then? One that's your age?" she pressed.
Max blinked. "Actually, yeah. I do have a cousin."
A look flickered across her face, but it was gone in an instant. Her face went blank. "Oh? What's his name?"
Confused, he shook his head. "His? No, it's a her. Her name's Cheryl."
She stared at him. After a long moment, her shoulders, which had been rigid with tension, suddenly slumped.
"Is something wrong?" asked Max, puzzled, when he saw her reaction. She shook her head.
"No," she replied shortly, getting up to leave.
"Wait."
She half-turned. "What?"
"Seventeen questions left," he reminded her.
She gave him an unreadable look, and shrugged. "I'll forfeit the rest."
Max glanced at her, before scratching his chin thoughtfully.
"Oh? I'll take them then."
She whipped her head around to stare at him. "Excuse me?"
He gave her a cheerful grin, and patted the spot beside him.
"Sit down."
"I'm not a dog."
"I'm not saying you are, but if you want to be, well, whatever floats your boat," replied Max, giving her an innocent look.
She glared at him.
"Just sit down, will you?" he groaned exasperatedly. He saw her roll her eyes, before obeying, to his surprise.
"Ok. First question," he rubbed his hands absently, thinking hard. "Okay. I got it."
He eyed her. 'How old are you?"
She looked surprised, then arched an eyebrow at him. "Give me a reason why I should tell you."
"Because I'm curious about the age of the person whose hands I'm putting my life in?" he shot back wryly.
She looked like she was about to argue, then cocked a shoulder up in a half-shrug.
"Fair enough. Eighteen."
There was a slight pause. Then, a corner of his mouth quirked up.
"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny. Really, how old are you?"
Her lips twisted, and she gave him an icy glare. "Eighteen."
"You can't be eighteen," he replied. "Not possible."
"Oh? And why not?" there was a dangerous undercurrent in her voice. Max ignored it.
"If you're eighteen, you'll be in high school."
She shook her head. "Believe me, I'm eighteen."
He stared at her for a moment, his mind whirling rapidly.
She can't be eighteen."Actually," she said suddenly, "I'll only turn eighteen sometime this month."
What the hell?Max raked a hand through his hair, and gave her a disbelieving look. "You're still in high school?"
She rolled her eyes. "I'm a college freshman."
"You're eighteen! You're only a high school senior!" Max exclaimed dazedly. He couldn't believe it. His life, not to mention Zack's, was in the hands of a mere high school student?
"I'm a college freshman," she repeated acidly. "I graduated a year early."
"B-but how can they send an…an eighteen year old girl to protect us?" he sputtered.
"Seventeen," she corrected. Then she shot him an angry look. "I've been handling a gun since I was fourteen. I went on my first international mission when I was sixteen. I've fought with terrorists, dealt with serial killers, outfought and outwitted a group of more than half a dozen men when I was sixteen, and you're telling me that an eighteen-year-old can't protect your damn life?"
Max opened his mouth, then quickly closed it again when she shot him a darkly dangerous look. From the look, he knew that the subject was closed. For now.
"Fine. Alright. Next question," he said quickly.
"Rhetorical?" she asked dryly.
"If you like it to be."
She sighed.
Max took it as a yes. "Why Ukraine? Why can't we just take a plane and jet back to New York?"
She shrugged. "While you two were locked up inside, those same Russians that kidnapped you went on to bomb New York. Right now, because of all the rising tension between our country and Russia, Russia's closed off all its communication links to and from America. Which means that there's no way an American plane could fly in to extract us without being shot down from the skies," she paused, and gave him a sidelong glance. "Our safest bet right now is to smuggle you two across the Russia-Ukraine border."
Max cocked his head.
"How are we going to do that?"
She considered for a moment.
"The CIA has contacts based in Russia. We'll probably try and get you a fake passport, then we'll go over to Ukraine. When this happens, the CIA will be able to fly into Ukraine to pick you up."
Max was silent for a moment as he digested the information.
"Do you know what happened to my parents?" he then asked. "How are they? Are they still in Russia, or did those Russians guys take them too?"
She shook her head.
"They flew back to the US after it was clear that local authorities couldn't help. The IRF – that's the name of the Russian organization which took you- has too much influence in Russia. Your father had no choice but to get help from the CIA. He contacted his friend, Davis Farrell, a handler at the CIA Special Department, and-"
Max interrupted her. "Uncle Davis? He's in the CIA?" he asked, surprised.
Alexis nodded. "He's a high-level employee. He's my handler. Your father asked him to locate you, as a personal favor, and Davis asked me to look for you, when he sent me here for a mission."
Max frowned. "Was that why you were in that…that building? You were on a mission?"
She nodded.
"What about Zack's parents?"
"They're in New York with your parents. Your parents insisted it wasn't safe for them to stay in Russia any further."
Silence lapsed between them. Max rubbed his temples tiredly, thinking hard.
"How are we going to be traveling to Ukraine?"
She gave him a look that suggested that he was an idiot. "There's only one way. We're going by train."
"Oh."
She rolled her eyes.
"Do you know why they kidnapped us?" Max asked, pointedly ignoring the eye-roll. "I mean, seriously. There's nothing they can gain by kidnapping us!"
Alexis leveled a look at him. "You're the son of the richest man in America," she said, emphasizing the last few words heavily, "and what do terrorists need? Money."
"Are you sure?" Max asked skeptically.
She shrugged. "We haven't found any other motives yet."
"What about Zack?"
"Who'd want to kidnap him?" she snorted derisively. Max frowned at her disapprovingly.
"Zack's not that bad."
"I don't want to talk about Isaak Korolev," she replied flatly.
Knitting his brows together, Max studied her face. It was hard, and there was no sign of relent in her dark eyes. He dropped his gaze.
"Ok. Last question," he announced suddenly. Giving her a faintly amused look, he posed his final question.
"Who's Jesse?"
----------
Alexis stiffened, and stared at him, unable to hide the look of shock on her face. A lump rose rapidly up to her throat, and she found that she couldn't speak.
Seeing the look on her face, he held up both of his hands in a casual gesture.
"Look. I'm sorry. It was just out of curiosity. I heard you call out that name when I was bandaging your arm just now."
She just stared at him, at a complete loss of words. Finally, after a long moment, she found her voice.
"You're imagining things," she informed him coldly, "go get your ears checked. Or your head, for that matter, Maxwell."
She stood up to leave. Numbing cold spread through her, and she shoved her hands into her pockets to hide the fact that they were shaking slightly. It took her all the willpower she could muster to mask the impact his words had on her.
"Max," he said, jumping up and placing a hand on her arm. "Call me Max."
She shoved his hand away. "You seem to be getting something wrong. I'm on a mission. You're the mission. We're practically strangers. Do you understand, Maxwell Eaton?" she hissed, her eyes spitting angrily. "You're no more than a job."
"I-Alexis? What-"
"And you call me," she interrupted coolly, "Agent Rogers."
He opened his mouth to speak, but swallowed back his words as her eyes met his in a scathing glare. Anger blazed in her eyes, and Alexis could not feel anything except the chilling emptiness in her.
His mouth opened to form a silent 'O' as she turned, and walked away.
Not Jesse.
----------
Alexis sat bolt upright, her eyes straining to peer into the darkness around her. After a moment, she loosened the tension in her shoulders slightly.
Nothing.
She listened for a moment, her senses on high alert. Their makeshift campfire had been put out a while ago, and in the shade of the jungle canopy, she could barely make head or tail out of the dark shapes and outlines that made up her surroundings.
She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
What had awoken her?
Apparently, what had roused her from the sleep had also succeeded in waking her other two companions, since a voiced hissed softly at her across the clearing.
"What is it?"
Alexis nearly jumped. Frowning, she padded her way lightly across to where the other two boys sat, her pupils dilating and eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness.
She crouched down beside them, and pulled out her gun.
"Wait," she whispered, so softly that she wasn't sure if they had heard her at all. But apparently, they did. Both fell silent. Soon, the only sound that could be heard was the sound of their panicked breathing.
Seconds, then minutes ticked by, and still, they crouched near the ground rigidly, their bodies tensed and ready to spring into action at any moment. Tension hung in the air, so thick that Alexis was sure that if she whipped out a knife at that moment, she would be able to slice through it neatly.
It seemed like hours had passed, before they heard it again.
The sound of quiet footsteps.
As far as Alexis could tell, the footsteps was heading their way, threading their way through the overgrown trees and bushes. In the silence of the night, the sound seemed to be magnified tenfold, and echoed ominously in her ears.
Her heart pounding, Alexis gripped the gun tighter, and pointed it squarely before her. A drop of sweat made its way down the side of her face, and she brushed it away with one hand.
The footsteps were approaching closely now. Alexis straightened, and stood in front of the two boys.
She cocked the gun, and positioned her hands on the trigger.
Oh boy…here goes.
Shameless plug: My good friend, schoolmate, fellow reader and obsessor, faithful reviewer, Fictionpress writer Serana's story "Leben in Aufruhr: Life in Turmoil" has been nominated for the SKOW award, for best fantasy! Please go to -> and vote for her!
Whew. Another chapter done. And right after taking a physics and higher chinese test today as well.
Anyway…I know my updates are coming slower, and more irregularly. Can't help it, really sorry. My schedule's becoming really hectic, and school's really really tough. It doesn't help that I'm in one of the top schools in the country, and the expectations and work they pile on us is terrible. And the fact that the Junior College (senior high to you guys, I guess) I'm aiming to go to next year after I graduate is the top one in my country. My grades aren't nearly good enough to get in there, so this year, I'll really be pushing myself to the limit, to get the required damn grades to get in.
ARGH. Enough rambling, anyway. This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I got way too crossed-eyed, and decided to push the rest of the section to the next chapter. (rubs eyes) needs…sleep.
Note: We broke 70 reviews! I've never gotten so far before, and seriously, thanks, you guys! You guys ROCK. Please, continue to review!
(cough) Yup. That's about all the mindless chatter I'm going to go on about. On to review responses…
Serana: Jesse! XD
Alex's relationship with Zack is revealed! Sorry it's kind of anticlimax (IMO, anyway), but I'm building up on character developments for both characters, so yar. XD
Is Jesse dead or not? (whistles innocently)
Okay, fine. ALL COMMUNICATION LINKS BETWEEN US AND RUSSIA IS CLOSED! WAHAHA!
Thanks for the nitpicks!
Haha..about the Max and Alex pairing…hm, you could be right. LOL. It's so much better than the "vomit-blood"-worthy guesses for pairing by our dear JR Lavanya, anyway. AND…WHY THE HECK IS MAX SIMPLEMINDED?!?!
Anyway, thanks for your little character and relationship analysis…seriously, I had a lot of fun reading them!
wuts-up-biyatch: Thanks! Yes, I certainly hope you'll continue reviewing XD
lilxseeker: Haha…glad you're enjoying it so far!
Skeptic-Critic: Reading is fun. XD Just go on some random reading forums, look up recommendations, and go to the library and borrow some books. Of course, the bad thing is once I start on a series of books, I can't stop, and I'll get obsessed. So… ugh.
About school…I fully understand. Same for me. XD
ohyeayo: Thanks! Hope you're out of trouble now… XD
mipster: Good point about Alex's character.
Yes, the boys were being stupid. (XD) But you've got to remember, they've basically been born with silver (ok, gold) spoons in their mouths, and led sheltered lives since they were born. In a way, they are direct opposites of Alex, who more or less had been kicked around since young. That's also the main reason for her personality. She's being hurt too many times before, to actually learn to trust other people. She's become accustomed to dealing with stuff herself. And yes, she definitely feels vulnerable. Who doesn't feel vulnerable at certain points of their lives? ;) So no, you're not reading too much into it. Awesome question.
Yes….the boat thing. I forgot that you could actually get out of Russia by boat (smacks self on head). But anyway, all communication links are closed between US and Russia, so…yar.
Who's Jesse? ;) yup, patience. It's a virtue. Too bad I don't possess this such virtue myself.
mistii: Know about? o.O
LilLaTLuv: Thanks! Yeah, I like stories that are kinda fast-paced, thriller/mystery types. It's fun :P
Max's cute. I so agree with you on that. :P
You know the drill…please review!