I'm cleaning out my guns when Micah enters my bedroom without knocking. I frown and lift one of them up, aiming it at his head.

"Get out of my room Micah, you could at least knock."

He scoffs and leans forward, slapping the gun out of my hands. It hurtles towards the floor but I quickly snap down, catching it between two fingers before it can hit the floor.

"What do you want?" I mumble, placing it down onto my bed with the rest of them. There's a story behind each gun, all of them hold memories for me.

"We have a new assignment for you."

He leans back against the beige wall, crossing his arms over his chest. The muscles in his arms tense and I look at him from under my lashes.

"We?" I question, turning my back on him. I pretend I'm busy folding up my laundry but Micah is suddenly by my side, taking the clothes from my hands.

"I need your full attention here Hunter. Do you understand?"

I get the urge to roll my eyes at his strict tone of voice. I whirl round, narrowing my eyes at him.

"First of all Micah, no-ones around. You don't have to act so. . . fake with me. You're eighteen, not forty five. Stop being such an adult." I tell him.

It's his turn to roll his eyes at me. He drops my clothes and they scatter across the floor, landing in a messy pile. I don't bother retrieving them, that's where I keep the rest of my clothes anyway. My bedroom floor.

"Who's we? And what assignment? I thought I was training for the next few months. I've only just finished one Micah. If I didn't love my job so much, I'd complain that you're over-using me."

"Hunter, you know you're the best we have." Micah says softly, his eyes flickering to the floor before glancing back up at mine. I pause, slightly taken aback by his unusual honesty. His voice is sincere, almost apologetic for putting me onto another assignment immediately.

"If you're trying to boost my ego, it's working." I mumble, taking a seat onto my bed. I wrap my arms around my body even though I'm not cold. It's a habit from living on the streets, I never out grew it. Micah sighs and sits next to me, his scent slapping me in the face. He always smells like peppermint and shampoo.

"It shouldn't be too dangerous Hunter, go and see Veronica later to get the brief."

"I prefer the more dangerous ones," I say bluntly, turning to face him. He's leaning back against my wall, his legs tucked up onto the bed. For a minute, he looks like a normal eighteen year old guy. But then I remember that he's a trained assassin, probably the best in the UK.

"See it as a holiday," Micah says casually, shrugging his shoulders. I glance at my suitcase that's on the floor, still fully packed from my last assignment.

"Where am I going this time?"

"North and you won't be going alone."

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Every one of my assignments beside from my first one have been solo. So what's changed?

"Who the hell is coming with me and why?" I scowl, the thought of babysitting another agent angering me. I don't want to play Mum to a newbie, I simply don't have the time or patience. Micah pauses for a few moments before jumping off my bed. He lands softly on his feet, heading for my door. Just as he's about to leave, he looks over his shoulder, his eyes shining.

"Me, I'm coming with you."

*****

"Here's your assignment Hunter, read through it carefully."

I glance up at Veronica Kilburn, the department manager for the under eighteen agents. I take the folder from her hands, making my face emotionless. I don't like showing any emotion to Veronica, she's a snake. She's sat in her jet black office chair, dressed in all white. Her blonde hair is swept back into a sleek high bun and she wears glasses that perch just above her nose. Her makeup is immaculately done as always and I struggle to hold back my laugh.

We're complete opposites.

My dark hair is messy, tumbling down past my shoulders. I wear no makeup and I'm dressed in a tight fitting black vest with matching yoga pants. The thought of wearing such a structured suit causes me to shudder from the lack of movement. I need to be able to move at a moments notice.

"Always nice to see you Veronica," I say bluntly, taking a seat opposite her and opening up the file. The first thing I see is a picture, attached to the top with a paper clip. It's a black and white mug shot of a boy older than myself. He's staring straight at the camera, his eyes dark and dangerous. I can see the shimmer of amusement in his eyes, reflecting from the light of the lens. His lips are stretched out into a thin smirk. The stands of his hair fall over into his eyes and his jawline is sharp, structured like a knife. Underneath the picture, his name is printed in a big, bold font.

"Calvin Black," I repeat his name, my eyes scanning over his bio.

Eighteen years old. Studies at Westminster Met college. Son of Christopher Black.

"He's the son of Christopher Black?" I say, my eyebrows shooting up in surprise. I lean back against my chair, letting out a low whistle.

"Yes, he is." Veronica replies to me but I'm already drowning out her voice, reading through the rest of the files. My eyes land on a line I never thought I'd read before. It's the first line under my name.

ASSIGNED TO AGENT - HUNTER ASHLEY.

Befriend and become the girlfriend of Calvin Black.

I don't read the rest.

I drop the file and slam it down on the table in front of me, glaring at Veronica. She's leaning back in her seat, arms resting on her chair casually.

"What the fuck is this?" I question, my voice raising. Opposite me, Veronica remains expressionless, her lips twitching to smirk. I want to reach out and slam her face against the desk but considering she's my boss, I can't do that.

"Is there something wrong Hunter?"

"You god damn know exactly what's wrong! I have to hoe myself out now? Is that it?" I hiss, standing up and pacing the room. I can feel my hands twitch, clenching and unclenching. The anger inside of me increases and I force myself to breathe deeply.

"Hunter, you're sixteen. It's time you started testing out the waters for the adult missions. We need you to do this Hunter, no questions asked."

"I'm not doing it."

My words are harsh, blunt. I whirl around as I glare at her, my eyes shooting daggers through hers.

"You train me to kill, not to get a criminal into my bed! I won't do it!" I repeat, firmer this time. Veronica lets out an exasperated breath, agitated with me.

"Hunter, you don't have to sleep with him if you don't want to. We're asking you to get as close as you possibly can."

"I won't allow you or the government to use me as your little play thing! I don't want this mission, pass it along." I plead with her, my voice blunt.

"That's not possible Hunter, it's been assigned to you. Micah will be joining you, acting like your older brother. You both have parents ready for you and you'll be attending the same college as Calvin Black on Monday."

"I can't believe this," I protest, gripping onto my hair in disbelief. Veronica stands up and holds out the file, waiting for me to take it.

"Read the rest of the file Hunter. The car is coming to pick you up in the next hour."

I feel the anger bubbling inside of me as I storm up to her, ripping the file from her hands. As I'm leaving her office, I slam her door and it collides hard with the wall.

"Woah there Hunter, calm down."

"Shut up Micah." I threaten him as he walks alongside me. He scoffs and shoves me lightly.

"Why are you even coming along? Are you baby sitting me, is that it? Why is that bitch assigning you to watch over me?" I yell at him. His eyes widen and darken as he grips my arm, pushing me backwards into a storage room. He shuts the door over and reaches for the light switch.

"I suggest you calm down Hunter."

"I suggest Veronica jumps off a bridge but we can't all get what we want." I snap at him, holding the bridge of my nose. I inhale and exhale deeply, my heart beating wildly against my chest.

"Do you know what my mission is Micah?" I ask him, waving the file in front of his face. He doesn't respond and I take it as my cue to continue.

"They want me to become the girlfriend of Christopher Black's son."

"What?" Micah frowns, taking the file from my hands. He rips it open and scans over the words and I lean back against the shelves, breathing deeply.

"I can't believe this," I mutter, running a hand over my face.

"This has to be some sort of mistake," Micah says bluntly, slamming the file shut. His dark brown eyes turn a shade darker as he looks at me intently. I can't make out his expression, he's too good at his job to reveal what he's really feeling.

"This isn't a mistake. Veronica knows exactly what she's doing. God, I hate that woman. I really, really hate that woman."

"Hunter, you can petition this." Micah says firmly, standing in front of me. His eyebrows are burrowed together in distress. I shake my head, disagreeing with him.

"No - I can't. The car is already on it's way to pick us both up."

"Well, fuck." Micah mutters, handing me the file back. I take it from him and close my eyes, inhaling deeply.

"You can do this Hunter, I believe in you."

His words are quiet, almost a whisper. I open my eyes to find him inches away from me, looking down at me with intense brown eyes.

"I don't know if I can. I'm good at killing people Micah, not flirting with people."

"Use your charm, I'll be with you every step of the way."

For those very few minutes, he sounds like a friend, not an instructor. I nod my head grimly —

"I guess I don't really have a choice."