"So, what are your plans for today?"

Anna stopped what she was doing and looked at Mina. She was standing in the doorway of the bathroom, barely one foot into the bedroom before her roommate shot the question out. Her hand relaxed and she dropped her arm, the semi wet towel hanging limply on the tips of her fingers.

"What?" she asked for repetition. She heard what Mina asked, she just wanted to make sure.

Mina was only more than eager to comply. She tossed aside her magazine and propped herself up on the bed, her knees sinking into the soft mattress. Her eyes shone with excitement, more than usual. "You don't have any plans, huh? I kind of figured but I had to ask to be sure."

Anna padded softly over to her side of the room and sat on the bed. Half naked, she looked at Mina. "What do you want?"

"What makes you think I want anything?" Mina asked with an innocent blink of her glistening green eyes. At Anna's look, she continued. "Okay, I want you to come with me and Dan to the mall."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because, he finally asked me out."

Anna knew she was to be happy for her, so she smiled. Every day since the night Mina had told her about her plan to make Dan fall in love with her, she had not failed to update Anna on every failure and every success of the plan. Anna endured it, just barely. She guessed that's why she felt genuine happiness at Mina's huge accomplishment; finally it'll get her to shut up about it.

"That's great," she said. "And you guys chose the mall?"

"It was the safest place I could think of. I thought of the movies but that's the sort of date you go on with someone when you don't really want to talk that person, you know? I mean, between watching the movie and all, the most you guys can do without talking is make out and I definitely don't think Dan are at that stage. Yet," she added with a wink. It made Anna laugh. "But, the mall! The mall is perfect. There are enough distractions so we won't have to focus on each other all the time but we're also in an environment where we need to interact, do you get me?"

"I get you."

"But, I'm scared."

"Why? You guys have been hanging out every day this week."

"Yeah, but that's when you and Jessi are there. I'll be all by myself."

"I distinctly remember you trying to push me away from you guys so that you could be alone," Anna remembered with a smirk.

"That's ... that's different. I was still in Step Thirteen: get Dan to notice my seduction skills and it was awkward with you there."

"Remind me again how many steps are in this plan?"

"Twenty."

"Ah, right. And what step are you at now?"

"Eighteen."

"Which is?"

"Go on first date with Dan and let him realize how great I am to ask me for a next one."

"Right, right."

"Anyway," Mina jumped off her bed and ran over to Anna's. She sat beside her, eyes wide and pleading before she remembered. "I'm sorry, I forgot you don't like people on your side of the room."

"It's fine," Anna said, shrugging. As long as Mina wasn't snooping around, and Anna was around to keep an eye on her, she was okay with it.

Anna frowned when Mina beamed. "You're starting to like me, aren't you?" Mina suggested, smiling so hard her eyes disappeared. "You're warming up to me and so you don't mind me on your side of the room anymore. Oh my, I never thought this day would come. Anna, I'm absolutely flattered."

"Get away from me," Anna warned calmly when Mina leaned in to hug her. Mina just hugged her even tighter, squeezing a laugh out of Anna. Mina's hair smelt like lemons and she was unsurprisingly very soft. Anna couldn't remember the last time she ever got hugged; in fact, she couldn't remember if she ever got hugged before. It was ... odd. Not altogether unpleasant, but unusual.

She didn't know what to do with herself so she just sat there. Awkwardness crept over her as she waited until finally Mina pulled away with a giggle.

"You need to come with me."

"Huh?" She couldn't get her head on straight. Her mind was a jumble, spinning wildly at that brief contact.

"You need to come with me to the mall. Be my third wheel, I can't go with Dan by myself."

"Of course you can," Anna replied, just as the fog lifted.

"No, I can't!" Mina whined. She plopped her head down into Anna's lap and sent Anna into another whirlwind of utter confusion. "What if he doesn't like me when we're not in a group? Or he thinks I'm ugly? Or he thinks I talk funny? Or ..."

"I'm pretty sure that if he ever thought those things of you, it would have been by now. And he definitely wouldn't say yes if he did." Anna reached a tentative hand to rest on her shoulder. She couldn't be exactly sure if she was doing this right. Does she pat her two times? Will that help?

Mina groaned loudly in her lap, making Anna wince. I'm probably doing this all wrong, she told herself, and withdrew her hand.

"But ... what if ..."

"I'm done listening to you." Anna got to her feet. Her bare skin was scented with the smell of apples from the body wash in the bathroom, but even while the smell wafted past Mina's nose, it did nothing to close her gaping mouth.

"Why?" she asked, her voice hitting such a high pitch of whininess, Anna was surprised for a moment. She recovered quickly enough.

"You're freaking out about foolishness and I don't know how to make you feel any better, so I'm out."

"Okay, fine I get it. You're not going with me. At least help me pick out something to wear."

Anna stopped in the middle of the room, her back turned. It was only after she got up she realized she had nowhere to go. She couldn't walk out the room in her underwear and Mina was sitting, rather comfortably, on her bed. She didn't want to turn back either. Anna knew with everything in her that Mina was staring into her back with hope and excitement, no doubt eager to get on with picking out the perfect date outfit for her perfect date.

Anna wanted none of it. She wasn't a 'date' person, she wasn't a 'picking out an outfit person'. The only times she ever thought about what to wear is whenever she has to consider the amount of blood spray she might encounter on a mission, or whenever her wardrobe was instrumental to a mission's success. Picking out clothes to go on a date? Just like personal space and touching, that was not her strong suit.

"Anna?" Mina called to her. "Oh, come on, please?"

"Fine." Anna turned back to her bed and crawled back on top. "Show me what you have."

"Great!" Mina sprang up as fast as a Jack in the Box and ran over to her wardrobe. Anna could see the excitement rolling off her in waves. It was odd seeing someone so happy to go somewhere with someone else. She couldn't understand it. Why was Mina so eager to go with Dan to the mall of all places?

Could be that love crap she's always sprouting about.

Over the next half hour, Anna never thought she could ever feel this confused. But with each word that brushed past Mina's glossed lips, her mind dipped even deeper into the confusion box and she found herself simply sitting there with her eyes wide as Mina went on and on and on. This colour matched that ... heels or flats ... what colour eyeshadow ... how she should do her hair. Anna couldn't answer any of the questions. She was wholly stumped.

"I don't know," she said for the nth time. "I don't know, Mina. I don't know."

Mina dropped what Anna was now beginning to believe was her tenth sequin top on the bed. "What do you know, Anna? You're of no help at all."

"If you know that by now, then stop asking me."

"It doesn't matter, I think I know what I'm going to wear." Mina busied herself by repacking all the clothes she had laid out on her bed, which had made a sizable hump.

Anna rolled over with a half sigh. She plucked her burner off the end table and, once again, checked on Jessi. He was still in his room. His pencil balanced idly on the crook of his upper lip as he teetered precariously on the back legs of his chair. He was still doing his homework, his books laid out on his desk.

Dan wasn't in the room.

"What time did you say was this date?" Anna asked Mina.

Mina looked over at the digital clock sitting on the bedside table and she shrieked. "Oh my gosh! He'll be here any minute and I haven't even gotten into the shower yet!"

"Then hop to it, woman."

Mina was already on the case. In just a few seconds, she already had her things underarm, heading towards the bathroom door. "If he gets here, stall him."

Anna just grumbled something incoherently as a reply. She plugged in her earplugs into the burner, and pushed on ear in. The bug she had placed under Jessi's desk picked up his voice easily. He was speaking French.

"Christopher Columbus est l'un affreux bâtard."

Anna chocked on her laugh. Christopher Columbus is one awful bastard? It was funny to hear him say something so mundane while he was being hunted. 'Ignorance is bliss' never felt so true.

She stared at him, watched as he tried pushing the pencil up from over his mouth and catching it between his teeth. He failed too many times to count. Anna was chuckling to herself by the time his phone rang.

"Hello?" he said. He waited a moment, then settled the chair back into its rightful position. The pencil found its place between the pages of his book. "Yeah, Angela. I remember."

Angela? Anna frowned, listening more closely.

"No, it isn't," Jessi said. He frowned and picked up a piece of paper from the corner of the desk. "Oh yeah, you're right. It is soon. Okay, I'll go get ready. I'll meet you in the parking lot."

After a moment's pause, he continued, "Angela, remember what I said. This is not a –" Whatever Angela said on the other side of the line cut his sentence short yet it made him smile. "Good. See you later."

Anna watched him click the phone off and stretch his long body, pulling his shirt up and exposing some of that toned abdomen she's been staring at almost every morning since she's arrived.

From the looks of it, it seems Angela and Jessi had a date. Anna always thought the blond haired beauty queen was just delusional when she labelled Jessi as hers since he always looked very available, but she guessed she was wrong. If they were going to the movies, it had to be a date. Too bad the two didn't know they'll be having a third wheel.

Anna dialed Roger. "I need my bike," she said as soon as he picked up.

"Hello to you too, Anna."

"I don't have much time. Bring my bike to the parking lot across the school in ten minutes."

"Wow, not three? You're getting soft, Anna."

"Just get it done."

"I think you've mistaken, Anna," Roger drawled. "I'm not you're little errand boy. We have rookies here for that sort of work."

"I don't trust anyone else with my bike."

"Flattery will get you nowhere. I have things to do."

Anna sighed silently. She knew Roger was just as used to getting what he wants as he was working for it. When he arrived at the agency a year ago, he was just a simple guy trying to find something he was good at. Being a spy, luckily for him, was something he was good at and he worked his ass off trying to get where he was now. Despite how she treated him, and despite her superior station over him from being at the agency the longest, Anna always respected him, even if she never showed it. "Roger, I need my bike. Please."

He was silent for a while. "I think that's the first time you ever called me by my first name."

"Yeah, well, I need your help."

"Is this the start of something new?"

"Don't push it, Dumbass."

"Ah, I knew it was too good to be true." She could hear the laughter in his voice. "Don't worry, I'll be there in ten."

Anna hung up and threw the phone on the bed. Mina was finally out, all flustered, spraying herself, trying to do her hair and get her clothes on at the same time. Anna meandered around to her dresser and pulled out her black jeans, her white shirt and a black hoodie.

Mina was rambling, freaking out about being late. Anna didn't – or rather couldn't – understand why she was going so crazy when Dan hadn't even arrived yet. Five minutes later, Anna was dressed and Mina was still a hot mess.

"Mina, could you check if I left my keys in the bathroom?" Anna asked, pulling on her black boots.

"Don't you see I'm going through a crisis here?" was Mina's screeching reply.

"Please, Mina." Odd, she thought, even as she spoke. She's said that word twice in one day. "Go check for me please, I think I lost it."

Mina gave her a glare so scathing, Anna blinked in surprise. "Fine," she said, throwing her hands into the air. With her towel still draped around her body, Mina went back inside the bathroom.

Anna got into action. She pulled out a shoulder bag, pulling her suitcase from under the bed at the same time. Anna pushed in her black mouth mask and the black trench coat she often used to prevent her from getting blood on her clothes. Her twin knives and hairpin was already on her person but she stuck the rod belt inside the bag too.

"I don't see any keys in there," Mina said coming out.

Anna stood, slung the back over her shoulder, and grabbed her black ball cap. Mina gave her a frown. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"My sister called, says she's in the country and wants to meet up. I'm going to go see her."

"Really? Tell her hi for me."

"Will do." She flashed two fingers in farewell and left Mina in the room.

On her way out, she saw Dan making his way to the dorms. "Hey Anna," he called to her with a smile.

"Hey Dan," she answered casually. "Just a little tip. Don't go upstairs until ten minutes has passed."

"Ten minutes?" he repeated with a frown. "What is she doing up there?"

"Being a girl, I think. I gotta go, see you."

"Bye, Anna."

Anna looked at her burner just in time to see Jessi leaving the room. With a curse, she picked up the pace and dialed Roger. "Did you get it?"

"Relax, Anna," Roger said. "I'm already in the parking lot ready and waiting."

"Good. I'll be there soon."

She hung up on his response. Not long after, Anna was crossing the street of towards the school owned parking lot that stood on the other side. The lot was filled with expensive cars but Roger had the good sense not to stand in plain sight. The tall, handsome spy stood arms crossed in the corner, her black motorcycle wedged between him and the wall. Anna made her way to him.

"You're fast, Dumbass," she complimented lightly. She caught the keys he threw at her.

"Yeah, well when the one and only Annabelle begs you to do something for her, you don't just say no."

"I didn't beg."

"I beg to differ."

"Now who's doing it?" She flung her bag under the seat, ignoring Roger's grin. Jessi should be here any minute.

Speaking of the handsome devil, Jessi came on site, Angela walking beside him. She was dressed in a pair of shorts, surprisingly of normal length, and a modest white cropped top. Jessi had on simple dark blue jeans, a white T shirt and a dark blue jacket. They were talking and laughing, heading towards the other end of the lot. Anna watched closely as Jessi got into a silver Corvette.

Roger made a low whistle. "Damn, these rich kids have it good. That's a sweet ride."

"Keep your tongue in your mouth, Dumbass."

"Hey, no need to be jealous. Your Ducati is pretty kickass too."

"Yeah, and never forget that." She swung her legs over her ride. "Thanks for the help, Dumbass. See you around."

Anna revved the engine before taking off behind the Corvette. The engine thrummed beautifully beneath her, the music to her ears she has been longing for. This bike was the most expensive thing she's ever spent her money on and she never regretted in. In fact, she would do it all over again in another life.

Anna watched as the roof of the Corvette reclined backwards then took off, top speed. With a smirk, Anna took off behind it.

--

Roger up top :)