"Ask away," I tell him, my fingers tensing slightly as I understand his burning desire to change the painful subject. What an all-too-familiar feeling, I muse to myself as Beau tries to think of a question. It must've been very hard to see his mother go through all of that pain, but I'm glad that she still found happiness, just as he said.

Beau's face suddenly morphs into amusement as I see his eyes light up with an idea, his eyes narrowing deviously. "Oh I have the perfect question... why don't you tell me why you were such a jerk to me when we first met? Was it because of my dashing good looks? Perhaps you fell in love with me at first sight, and that angered you?" he grins darkly, chuckling when he sees my visible irritation.

"What's with you French and your obsession with love? And, I don't believe in love at first sight. It's merely an old wife's tale that only hopeless romantics believe."

Beau shrugs and looks away with a thoughtful look in his pale eyes. "I suppose you're right, though I do believe that first impressions are everything. We often judge a person based on our first meeting, as it's human nature to decide whether they're friend or foe. I also believe that idea ties a bit into love as well," he the turns to glance back at me, waiting for my response.

I frown and brush a stray strand of hair from my face, as I consider his words. "Perhaps, but some people judge another to be a friend, and then sometimes in the future, they turn into something more."

Beau nods in agreeance, before flopping backward onto a blue sparring mat, his hands laced behind his head as he stares up at the ceiling. "I'd agree with that."

"Also," I begin, drawing my knees up to my chin as I look across the room towards the weapons wall still full of knives and staffs. "Love at first sight is more of... an immediate obsession. I mean, how can you be in love with someone you've only just met? It doesn't make any sense!"

"Well I wouldn't say I believe in 'love at first sight,' but definitely attraction at first sight... you know?" Beau asks, shifting to look up at me.

"Oh certainly," I agree. "I mean it's the same concept for friendship as well. You may be attracted to a person because of their personality and want to become their friend, or something more."

"Exactly," Beau sighs, closing his eyes. But then a small smirk tugs at his lips. "But you never answered my question."

I roll my eyes even though Beau's eyes are still closed. "Fine. It is partially because I don't understand the whole love-obsession thing... but also because of what happened with the whole Midnight Star Case-" I pause when Beau's eyes flash open as he quickly sits up, his full attention on me.

"What do you mean?" he asks, cocking his head as a curious eyebrow lifts. "Midnight Star Case? As in the 1960s U-2 incident?"

"Yup. It was you idiots who botched the whole trade with the Soviet Union after your stupid 'weather plane' was shot down... which led to the Russian's creation of the Serpent's Circle." I can't help but laugh and shake my head, but quickly stop when Beau taps a finger to his lips as his eyebrows draw together.

"Harper, we weren't the ones who flew the U-2 spy plane over Russia, America did."

I snort and shake my head. "Uh huh, sure."

"No Harper, I'm serious. It wasn't just America that sent the U-2 plane, but your Blue Jay Sector." he says earnestly.

"There's no way!" I exclaim, anxiously running a hand through my hair as I consider his words, before shaking my head. "No. You have to have it wrong, The French government must be lying to you... or something."

Beau sighs and pulls his phone out of his pocket, lifting the speaker to his lips. "Bixby, what was the U-2 incident?"

I raise an eyebrow at his words, which for some reason bring out his thick french lilt. "Bixby?"

"It's like your Siri," Beau says, tapping on his phone before he scoots next to me, his thigh pressing against mine. "Here look."

I can feel my cheeks heat slightly at the heat that pulses through my thigh but force myself to focus on the text on Beau's screen instead.

The U-2 incident was a confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union that began with the shooting down of a U.S. U-2 reconnaissance plane over the Soviet Union in 1960 and that caused the collapse of a summit conference in Paris between the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France.

"See?" Beau asks, pointing to where the article says 'U.S. U-2 reconnaissance plane,' then to where it says 'summit conference in Paris.'

"The Paris Summit was a meeting to discuss the situation in Berlin post-World War II in Paris, but it was the American Blue-Jay Sector pilot Francis Gary Powers who piloted the spy plane. It was never a French plane." Beau affirms, setting down his phone to look at me.

"But... why would the U.S lie about that incident and say it was the Raven Sector's fault?" I whisper, racking my brain for an explanation.

Beau bites his lip in thought beside me, before suddenly snapping his fingers. "The Raven Sector did have a hand in the original trade between the U.S pilot and Russian spy named Rudolf Abel, though I believe there was more to that trade..." Beau trails off, tapping his finger to his bottom lip again. "I'm not sure about the rest of the information of what went down in that trade, it's very confidential in this sector, and I would imagine in the Blue Jay Sector as well, if they're going as far as lying to you about the U-2 incident."

I shake my head in disbelief at the unsettling thought. "I still can't believe the Blue Jay Sector lied to us about that. You're right, the rest of the information about the U-2 incident and trade-off is also extremely confidential, I barely know much about it. All I was told was that the French had caused it, and somehow messed up relations with Russia in the process of the swap, which resulted in the rise of the Serpent's Circle from the old Soviet Union's kill list."

"Yeah, that's more or less what I've been told." Beau frowns, as I fiddle with a stray strand of hair again, growing more and more anxious at the thought of what else the I.S.A.I.A might be lying to us about.

"Why don't we change the subject for now, I believe it's your turn to ask me another question," Beau says, his pale eyes following the movements of my fingers on the strand of my hair.

"What made you decide to join the Raven Sector?" I quickly ask, dropping the strand and looking back at Beau.

"Another good question," Beau muses, rubbing his chin. "My brother and I always liked the idea of being secret agents after we had watched the James Bond movies. My brother was infatuated with the idea of chasing down bad guys and bringing justice, but I was more interested in the idea of working with a close-knit team... and saving those in need." he smiles as a faraway look crosses over his face.

"But why not join the police instead, if you two wanted to work with a close-knit team and chase down bad guys?" I ask as Beau removes his hand from his chin.

"Yes, being a cop was certainly an option. But my father pushed my brother and I to pursue something a little more prestigious, and being a secret agent for the Raven Sector is about as prestigious as it gets, with the Blue Jay Sector coming in at a close second." Beau grins, and I can't help but roll my eyes again.

"And what's your father like?" I ask.

"He's a lot like my brother, more analytical and logic-based than my mother and I."

I feel my eyebrows draw together, as I set my forearms on my knees and lean forward. "But didn't you say that recently your brother and father got into a fight because your father was being too 'emotional?'"

Beau nods solemnly. "Yes, he hasn't quite been his usual self since my mother got sick." Beau gives me a somber smile. "He has quite the soft spot when it comes to her... it seems that whenever it comes to her opinion, all of his cold facts and harsh logic fly out the window."

The corners of my lips twitch as I close my eyes and imagine the dynamic between Beau's parents. "They must be quite the power couple, and to imagine that your mother fell in love abroad... that's the kind of love that so many people dream of," I mutter, my lungs tensing slightly as my eyes flash open again.

I twist my head slightly to see Beau's jade eyes narrowed as he stares at me, before he quickly clears his throat and looks away.

"Yes, I've always been swayed by the strong love they have for each other." Beau breathes, before shaking his head sadly. "I'm just worried about what will happen if my mother doesn't get better."

I can feel my heart lurch at the blatant helplessness laced through his thick accent. "Have you taken her to see a doctor? Have they done some blood tests and attempted to figure out why she is sick?"

Beau shakes his head again and scrubs a hand down his face wearily. "My father has taken her to the local doctor, but he just believes that she's just stressed from the news about the Serpent's Circle and them kidnapping agents, given that both her sons are agents."

"Well, what are her symptoms?" I ask, rubbing my hands down the length of my arms as a sudden chill seems to creep through the room.

"Her body has grown weaker, despite her medication. She complains of having trouble with her vision, and sometimes she'll just lose her balance in the middle of walking."

I subconsciously bite my lip as I watch Beau fidget with his hands. "I know it's never good when the doctor just shrugs the problem off."

"What more can we do though?" Beau snaps, ripping a hand anxiously through his curls. "My dad's a mess, my brother was sent to Spain, and I haven't seen them in weeks."

"Hey, it's not your fault." I try to comfort, my hand automatically raising in an attempt to comfort him, yet it halts just before I make contact. Beau takes in a shuddered breath of despair, which reminds me of all the times he's taken to comforting me in the short week we've known each other, despite not knowing me and me being a jerk to him.

"Do they live close? Is it possible for you to go and have dinner or met up with them for a little bit?" I ask, cursing myself when my hand drops back to my side.

"They live down the road a little ways, but I don't have time to visit them Harper. I have my responsibility to help you prepare for the upcoming evaluation, we can't risk you not being ready again," Beau sighs resting his chin in the palm of his hands as he stares at me, a helpless shadow lurking within the depths of his pale eyes.

"What time is it?" I ask, pulling my phone from the pocket of my leggings. I click it on to see a message from Amber.

Hey Harp! I've noticed you and Beau have been really busy preparing for your evaluation. Once you're done tonight, do you want to go out and grab some dinner... maybe catch up?

I quickly dismiss the message and look at the time, which reads 1:45. "It's almost two. Why don't we stop here? That way you can leave and go eat dinner with your parents." I suggest, rising to my feet and shoving my phone back into my pocket. "We can pick up where we left off tomorrow."

"Are you sure? We'll only have tomorrow and Saturday to prepare if we stop now." Beau reminds me as he leaps to his feet.

"Plenty of time," I state, flicking my hand dismissively despite the sudden tendril of anxiety that weighs down my gut. "Now get out of my sight, I can't stand to look at your annoying face any longer." Go before I change my mind, and start to worry about whether we do actually have enough time.

Beau chews on the inside of his lip as he glances down at his watch, before his jade eyes flick up to mine uncertainly. "I-alright, but we're going to have to work twice as hard tomorrow... yes?"

"Yup, see you later." I dismiss, taking my phone back out to reopen Amber's message. I pretend to ignore Beau as he stands before me, slightly bouncing on his feet.

"Are you going to leave or not?" I drawl, typing out a message to Amber. Sounds good, I'll meet up with you at 4:45.

"I-oh fine," Beau says rushedly, glancing at his watch again as he hurries towards the door, pausing and turning to glance back at me one last time. "Thank you, Harper."

"Uh huh," I mumble, hearing him sigh, before stepping through the doors and letting them close behind him with a soft click.

When I'm sure that he's not going to come back, I lower my phone and blow a strand of hair from my face. I don't think that was a good idea, a voice inside my head sings, but I quickly shove it away.

I'm not going to be the one who keeps him from his dying mother... of all people, I know well enough just what a mistake it is to wait on things like this.

My phone buzzes in my hand, shaking me from my thoughts. I glance down to see another text from Amber light up the screen.

Okay! See you then!

With a sigh, I shove my phone back into my pocket and walk towards the exit doors of the sparring room. I've got a few hours to kill, so I might as well see what I can do about fixing this "gun problem" of mine. I think to myself, surprising myself when I feel the corner of my lip lift as I remember Beau's words; I'll just point a gun at you and use reinforcement.

I shake my head wryly as I shove open the doors of the sparring room, and step out into the empty hallway. Not if I can help it.