Chapter One

The nextday, when Audrina woke up, she was unnaturally giddy. She got out of bed and walked into her bathroom. The bright orange shag rug was soft under her bare feet. She went over to the vanity and looked into the mirror. Her black hair was a mess. Having never let it down when she came home, it looked awful.
She pulled out the pins and bands and got into the shower, washing her hair and face. She got out and wrapped a towel around her. Digging in her drawer, she found a brush. She pulled it through her knotted hair. A soft knock came from her bedroom door. Jumping up, she rushed into her bedroom.
“Who is it?”
“Guess,” the voice replied.
“Hold on!”
She rushed over to her dresser and pulled out dark denim shorts and a pink tank top. She quickly got dressed and ran over to the door. Yanking it open, she threw her arms around the unsuspecting boy on the other side of the door.
“A'yden!” she said, “Happy Anniversary!”
Audrina looked at him, taking in his dark complexion, his short brown hair framed his head, his bright blue eyes sparkling as he looked at her too.
“I've missed you, baby,” he said leaning down to kiss her. She put her finger on his lips.
“Wait,” she said, “I have something to show you!”
She ran over to her closet and pulled out a small blue bag. She brought it to him and pulled a small black box. She handed it to him.
“Open it! Open it,” she cried.
He opened the box and stared at two plane tickets.
“Where to?” he smiled.
“Russia!” she said
“When?”
“Next Monday”
He hugged her, then pulled her face close to his.
“Thank you,” he said. He kissed her.
He picked her up, wedding style, and carried her down the stairs and into the kitchen, Alex sat at the table reading a newspaper. The cover story read 'Two Found Dead'. When they enterd the kitchen, Alex looked up.
“Hey,” he said, “No mushy stuff. I might lose my breakfast.”
They kissed again and Alex made a gagging sound. Audrina and A'yden laughed. Alex joined in. Audrina looked at her brother. They were identical twins. There was only one difference in their appearances. Alex had deep brown eyes. Audrina's were a pale gray, so pale they were almost light blue. A'yden sat down in one of the chairs and Audrina sat in the one next to him.
She looked at him. He was looking at her with a curious look in his eye.
“What?” she asked.
“I have reservations at your favorite restaurant for tonight.”
“Seriously?” she asked, “The waiting list is forever long!”
“Well, I got it.”
She jumped onto his lap and kissed him again. Alex made a small coughing sound.
“Oh,” Audrina giggled, “Sorry Alex.”
A'yden pushed Audrina off of his lap.
“I have to go to work,” he said, “and I think that you do as well
Audrina stood up and nodded. She turned to go back upstairs. When she got to her room, she closed the door, and collapsed on her bed. She let out a happy sigh. She heard footsteps coming up the stairs. They came to a stop in front of her door. The doorknob turned and the door opened. A'yden was standing in her doorway. Audrina motioned to come over to the bed and sit down. He walked over and sat, smiling at her. Audrina stood up and locked the door. She walked back over to the bed and sat down on A'yden's lap facing him. She ran her fingers through his hair.
“Hi,” she said in a wisper.
“Hi,” he replied.
He put his hands on her face, pulling it closer to his.
“I love you,” he breathed.
“I love you,” she replied.
A'yden pulled Audrina down on top of him and kissed her. The kiss made Audrina dizzy. A'yden ran his hands down her back. Audrina felt the tingle of his touch. Audrina pulled away to catch her breath.
“What's wrong?” A'yden asked.
“Nothing,” she replied, “just out of breath, thats all.”
She began kissing him again, the effect was the same.
“Happy Anniversary,” he wispered.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A'yden opened the door for Audrina and she stepped out of the car. She walked up to the door of her office and turned around to say goodbye to A'yden. He was leaning against his car. She blew him a kiss and he pretended to catch it. They laughed and she stepped inside. As she crossed the lobby,the secretary at the front desk said,
“Good morning, Miss Storm.”
“Morning, Liv,” she said, “Any messages?”
“No.”
“Okay, thanks.”
She walked to the elevator and pressed the button for the eighth floor. As she rode up, she though about A'yden. She couldn't wait for that night. She would get to dress up. She and A'yden would sit, laugh and talk.
The elevator came to a stop and she stepped out of the elevator and walked into her office. Closing the door behind her, she sat down at her desk. A folder labeled CLASSIFIED was lying on her desk. Inside was a letter from the boss.

Agent Storm;
I am aware that your trip to Russia is for vacational purposes,
however, I will require you to work during your trip. Dimitri
Asimov is returning to Russia next Wednesday. You will only
need to meet with him before you leave informing him of your
trip. You will also nee dto pick a partner, they will be coming
you.


Audrina sighed. She put down the letter and ruvved her eyes.
“I knew it,” she mumbled. She pressed a button on her phone. “Liv?” she said, “send me a handfull of field agents that aren't busy for the next month.” Standing up she slid off her shoes and walked over to a rug that was rolled up and unrolled it. She sat down. She closed her eys and began to relax. This was her usual stress relief method. She began to drift in and out of conscienceousness. The excersise was working. She began to relax.
A sharp knock came on the door. Audrina stood up and walked over to her desk. She sat down. “Come in,” she said.
The door opened and in stepped seven agents, five boys and two girls.
“Sit,” she pointed to chairs around the room and motioned for one of them to sit in from of her desk.
“So,” she said, “What are your qualifications?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When Audrina got home that evening, she was beat. The interviews had taken all day to complete. She had finally settled on one of the male agaents, Joshua Till. He was the youngest of the rest of the agents, but he was also the brightest. His youth would be the easiest to explain to A'yden.
She went into her bedroom and closed the door behind her and flopped down on her bed. She sighed. She laid there for a few minutes, sighed again and then stood up. She walked over to her closet and opened the door. Inside were a group of garment bags, each a different color. She took them out of her closet and laid them on her bed. She pulled out the dresses inside the bags and laid them out. Looking them over she tryied to decide which one to wear.
She decided to go with one of the sundresses. The restaurant was casual, so it would fit. She looked over the group of dresses, all of them bright colors. She felt the fabric, all of the dresses a silky smooth texture. She finally decided to go with a dark green, v-cut dress. Putting the other dresses away, she pulled out her matching green flip-flops and got dressed.
She heard a knock on the front door and quickly ran down the stairs. She threw open the door to reveal A'yden standing in the doorway with a childish grin on his face.
“You ready?” he asked, looking her over.
“Yep!” she said, “Hold on, let me grab my purse.” She ran into the kitchen and picked up her purse off of the table. She noticed a bright post-it note stuck to the table. It read,

Audrina, some guy named Dimitri Asimov called for you but
I told him you were at work, he said he would call you later.
-Alex

Audrina took the note and threw it into the garbage can and cursed under her breath. She walked back to the living room, and out the front door, closing it behind her.
When they got to the restaurant, Audrina felt butterflies in her stomach. This was her favorite restaurant and you had to call months in advance just to get a reservation. The host showed them to their table and brought them the menues. Audrina ordered her favorite meal and she and A'yden talked and laughed just as she had imagined.
About three hours later, after the food was gone and Audrina felt her eyelids begin to droop, A'yden took her hands.
“Audrina, you know that I love you, right?”
“Yes,” she said, “why do you ask?”
He let go of her hands and got down on one knee and looked at her directly in the eye. Audrina let out a small gasp.
“I love you more than anything in the whole world. I want more than anything to spend the rest of my life with you.” he pulled out a small black box and opened the lid. Inside was a diamond ring. The ring was gold and the diamond was about the size of a small pebble.
“Marry me.” he said.
Audrina sat motionless for a few moments, her face a mask of shock. The restaurant seemed to have gotten completely silent.
“Well?” he asked, his voice nervous.
“Y-yes! Yes!” she laughed and threw her arms around A'yden's neck. “Yes!”

Preface

Rain pounded at Audrina, not the soft, light rain. Dark, heavy drops. The kind that felt like knifes as they hit her bare arms. She looked over her shoulder, her wet hair spraying water around her. She saw him through one of the windows of the dimly lit restaurant. Dimitri Asimov. He was a Russian drug lord. The boss was in desperate need of information on him, and Audrina was the key to that information.
She walked up to the door of the restaurant, Le Bella Petite. The host looked startled when a dripping wet girl walked in.
“Can I help you?” he said with a scorn.
“I have a reservation under the name Asimov,” Audrina replied. The host's face tightened into a smile. He pointed into the dining area with his arm.
“Right this way, Miss…,” he looked at her.
“Storm,” she said, “But first, can I use the ladies room?”
The host sighed and showed her to the restrooms. She ducked inside and locked the door.
“Hello,” she said aloud, “Storm here.”
One of the stalls opened and a woman stepped out holding a suitcase. She motioned for Audrina to go into the stall and sit on the toilet. She obeyed. The woman began working on Audrina’s appearance. She fixed her hair and makeup. When she was finished she handed her a garment bag and a shoebox. The woman left the stall and closed the door.
Audrina listened to the woman’s footsteps and heard her unlock, open, and finally, close the door. Audrina opened the garment bag and found a short, silky white dress with a blue satin sash and inn the shoebox, a pair of white high heels. She quickly got dressed and looked at her reflection. She looked perfect. Her black hair was in an elegant up do. Her makeup was perfectly done. She smiled.
She left the bathroom and the host looked startled once again at Audrina's appearance. He led her, with a starstruck look in his eye, toward Asimov's table. When they came closer, Dimitri Asimov looked up from the group of people to whom he was talking, and directly at Audrina.
“Ahh, Miss Storm,” he said, standing up and taking her hand, “It has been to long. You are in good health I suppose?”
“Yes,” she replied, “ I couldn't be any better.”
He pulled out one of the chairs and offered it to her, and she sat down politely. The host brought her a menue, but she declined politely. Asimov sat down, interlaced his fingers, and looked at her.
She reached into her bag and pulled out a manilla folder and placed it in front of him. He took it, his eyes never leaving Audrina's face. He opened the folder, peeked inside, then closed it.
“Hmm,” he said, “Not your usual business, Miss Storm.”
“Times change Dimitri, and I must change with it.”
He smiled at her, showing his white teeth. Audrina noticed the group around them seemed to be hanging on to their every word. When Asimov spoke they all took in a deep breath.
“Well, this will be much more expensive than the items that you have previously ordered.”
“Do you think that I am incapable of paying?” she asked, standing up, “Do not be mistaken Mr. Asimov, I am more than capable of paying any price you ask”
“Please, Miss Storm, sit down. I was only informing you of the price, not stating that you couldn't pay.”
Audrina sat back down, a sly smile forming on her lips
“Of course not,” she said, “On to business.”