4

Cole and I have now reached our destination, but all we could contemplate right now was the death of my parents. If only we had reached home after school from our ice cream and homework groups quicker, my parents would all been saved. I sighed immensely since this has come to pass. I may not have liked the way they would treat me and never had the patience to encourage me in my school academics, but it didn't mean that I have wanted them to die. I deeply loved them. I cherished them greatly. My tears swelled in my eyes again at the thought. How I longed to tell them, who I really was. Unfortunately, I couldn't be knowing that if I were to expose myself, eyes and ears were everywhere and so it was an opportunity to attack sooner than later. But who could've followed me, if the only way to reach my parents were for me to expose myself later on? Now that thought pondered in my mind, not knowing that I have been too silent that Cole started to worry then just an, 'it'll be okay' as usual.

"Hey, DJ?" Cole asked me in concern interrupting my train of thoughts. DJ was a little nickname for me since I had the best taste in music whenever we were to celebrate.

"Yeah?" I replied looking back at him, giving him my full attention with a melancholy smile and bloodshot brown eyes.

"I promise you that we will find the person responsible for such an act. Stay strong because I know that, that's what your parents want you to be, at a time like this." Cole told me with support and encouragement that we will soon find the true culprit.

"Thank you, Cole" I responded back as I hugged him, with a glimmer of hope filling my sad brown eyes. He then hugged back. As we let go, I ran towards the ladies' bathroom and wade there till the feeling has drained me and tears have stopped crying.

Cole, on the other hand, was left to himself as he thought of ways to get his friend Jade to smile again. In doing so he got startled by a female voice behind him, knocking out a book that he was about to start seeking.

"Hello, Cole." A red-haired woman came in, who looked like she got shot on her foot seeing a beige cast on her shot foot, and came alongside her crutches.

"S-Skylor?" Cole let out in surprise still cooling down his skin.

"What? Not going to say hi back? Typical." Skylor scoffed at him.

"What happened?" Cole asked with concern.

"Can you not see, dumbo? Clearly, I've been shot to the foot. Do you not care?" Skylor rolled her eyes in annoyance as she gritted her teeth at him. Now that clearly ticked him off.

"You are much more dramatic than Kai. Maybe start cooling down your nerves and bite the bullet and go already. Suck it up!" Cole indicated as he did not want to talk with the woman in front of him, crossing his arms.

"Ha! Me? Dramatic? What are you doing now? Trying to impress a girl using cooking classes?" She replied snarkily, with a sly smile plastered on her face clearly enjoying this, seeing a blush creep up his face.

"I-

it's just for a friend alright...Just leave, will you? You are worse than the schoolgirls we have faced."

"Ha! Well, what do you know...you miss them?"

"Ha, Ha! Real funny Sky, trying to diverge from the truth as to why you are approaching me in such a rude way? Why not just admit that Jade will always be a better agent than you'll ever be, huh!" Cole snarled at her, latching on to his cookbook as if it would fall off in any minute.

"Oh yeah, what are you going to do next Cole," Skylor prodded as she took a step forward as she then yelled, "Smash me with that book!"

"Oh, so you want me too, huh? Well, maybe I will!"

"Oh? I DARE YOU TO!"

Just as Cole was about to make his first move, I just got out of the bathroom and saw what was about to happen, ran up to both of them to stop this nonsense since I didn't see one of them batting an eye towards me for acknowledgement, I screamed.

"STOP IT!" Everything just stood so still as if you could hear a pin drop. Cole snapped out of what he was about to do and dropped the book hastily as he gasped.

"I-I'm so sorry Sky, I-"

"Whatever, Cole!" Skylor snapped at him, walking towards the door to make her leave but before she fully left, I stopped her.

"Wait, I haven't finished talking to you both, dealing with this yet." I promptly requested, wanting to talk things out with her and Cole at this moment.

"Fine." Skylor reluctantly turning around to face me, staying, waiting for me to say my mind.

"Look, to start things off...Cole? Don't be so nasty to her like that. She is trying her best to make it up to me and all of HQ. Just understand her of where she came from." I explained as I threw the light in. As Cole realized this, he hung his head as Skylor gave a quick, hidden smirk.

"And Skylor? Even though you were from a different family, you have made a choice to be with us. And your jealousy for me is not hidden and I can plainly see that you are unhappy about the results that whenever you try to do something the good things you did were like they were wiped from their records. I know that feeling and I would sometimes feel that way too. So you are not alone in this. To be honest, I looked up to you, because you had everything up to date and organized. So, right now, why don't you just talk to me like normal human beings than just bottling things up? I don't consider myself higher than you, alright? I am here for you. I love you like family. So don't act that way to Cole, alright?" I said as I explained myself to Skylor as she started tearing up, about to kneel before me, but I caught her just in time.

"I'm so sorry, Jade." Skylor confessed, "Please, let me make it up to you?"

"It's fine, just don't be that way to Cole. Let me be a friend...if you would let me, of course." I offered. Skylor then nodded in agreement.

"B-but, she almost killed you before! How can that be so forgivable?!" Cole protested. I chuckled at his protectiveness towards me.

"Well, which is better...if you did something unforgivable, would you rather want me to forgive you? Or would you want me to give you the silent treatment?"

"True, true," Cole said rather quickly, "I-I see that now." Cole rubbed the nape of his neck in embarrassment, "I'm truly sorry, Sky." Cole admitted too.

"It's...it's fine, I mean I'm truly sorry as well, I-"

"Hey, Skylor? Please get some rest. Oh! Hey guys! Just come to pick up Skylor here." Griffen Turner stated. "But wow, why all the tension?"

"Let's just go everything has been cleared up. Right, Jade?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Sweet! Cheers!" Skylor smiled then limped away with her crutches scratching the floor. When it was an all-clear, just in the nick of time, my phone rang.

"Huh? Hello?" I answered as my phone was not on speakers just yet.

"Jade? We need your help!" Lloyd called out to me.

"Wait...wha-"

"JUST HURRY UP AND COME HERE!" Jay screamed into the phone, which means he just screamed into my ear, to which I'm glad my phone wasn't put in speakers. All I could do now was just glare at the phone as if it was Jay. I chuckled at the thought.

"NO! JAY!" Nya exclaimed, I then yelped at the sound of her voice, as heard she was coming closer to the phone, but then turned down her voice so that they will not let their enemy, whoever just attacked them, snuff out anything of what Nya was about to say, informing me of her plan, meaning I had to strain my ear to listen. "She and Cole will need to go to Emerald city, to make an alliance there and gather enough data for us to have a brand new lead to the Dark Rose." Just as she said that I then heard Cole's phone vibrate with a new message.

"Huh?" Cole exclaimed.

"Jade, you and Cole go there, ASAP. Don't worry about me and the others. Do as you are told. Wait for further instructions. Tell no one and only you and Cole. To tell you the truth, a mole is among us."

"Be careful out there Jade." Lloyd piped up but then got interrupted by a loud boom at the back.

"But-"

"NO BUTS!" Nya then hung up. I then scoffed. "Alrighty, boss," I remarked sarcastically particularly to no one but myself, with an eye roll. Then stated, "Oh my life, she hung up on me...rude."

"HA! Hey, you good? By the way, what's this picture about?" Cole asked with confusion written on his face.

"Um...it's where we'll be having our date." I lied, as he took the bait, seeing him gush red. Ugh, I hate doing this to Cole.

"Wha-?Um...I...you?" He stuttered.

"Haha, come on or we'll be late. Besides this your only one time chance I'm paying for things." I exclaimed with a wink.

"YES MA'AM!" Cole saluted and dashed for his best clothes.

When we came back to our lounge to meet up again, Cole wore his black suit but with an orange streak down his back, while my orange streak spiraled around my black dress gown. Basically, both of us wore the same matching color. So, both of us in a hurry, then fast-walked outside to be met by Cole's brand new, black motorcycle.

"Oof." I awed, earning a chuckle from Cole.

"Well, ladies first," Cole exclaimed, helping me on the motorbike.

"Oh, you are such a gentleman." I laughed.

"Haha!"

We then put the pedal to the metal as we roared through the streets and zapped around each corner and bend as we were on our way to our destination, while I was holding onto Cole for dear life.

"WAHOO!" I hollered, clearly enjoying myself. This excitement was different from the excitement I had before when we were on our mission to stop or scoop out bad guys, though to be honest, I miss those times also the part of acting, serious.

"Haven't seen you smile in a while," Cole commented.

"I'm just glad I'm safe, alright."

"Yeah, that's good. I just miss it."

I smiled but then I remembered something since we were already so far from home. I have to tell him the truth, somehow.

"Cole?"

"Yeah, Jade?"

"I need to eat. I feel hungry if you don't mind?"

"Sure, me too. I'm starving for cake right now." He said as he smiled.

We both laughed, as we both spotted a gasoline station to our right. So Cole turned his bike there and we sped through. Cole found a parking spot and parked there. I convinced him to just leave his phone under his seat it's not like people would know how to work out our brands of bikes anyways since we were on a special agency.

"Aight. Let's go." Cole piped up swinging his keys around in circles as we walked up to the shops.

We then headed inside as something caught my eye. It was a cake piece! And it looked delicious with strawberry. Cole then saw your look and noticed the same cake and a sparkle glimmered in his eyes. He was pleased because there is now something that could suffice to finally get a portion of food that is this girl's favorite, who was currently standing next to him. Ever since the incident with Skylor, he almost forgot that he wanted to make food for Jade to make her happy.

"Can we get this, Cole please?" I asked Cole as he smiled with glee, nodding.

"Of course! Anything to make you happy." Cole said walking towards the cake. When he got to it, he took it up and then took another one. After that, he wrapped both cakes within their container in both his hands and walked up to the counter to pay for them.

A pang of guilt hit me as he said that. I was about to say more about what I wanted to say next, but nothing came out. I hope he will still love me as a sister. I thought downcasted.

"You ok, Jade?" Cole asked handing me my share of the cake, while he ate his off.

Now, I had to tell him. I thought to myself after I took my share of the cake, that was given to me.

"Cole?" I hesitantly asked.

"Yes, Jad-" Cole started but was cut off when I then started crying, while handing the delicate cake carefully.

"Wait...Jade, why are you crying?" Cole asked me beginning to worry since my tears were noticed. Just as he was about to take a step further, I backed up.

"Don't...I'll just disappoint you more...I have something to tell you."

"W-what is it?"

"It's the truth...about why I'm doing this. It isn't because I like you like 'that'. It's because it's for a mission. I couldn't tell you what Nya actually said because she didn't want anyone else to know where we are going for our mission. she said it's only the both of us because she knows something that there is a mole among us in HQ...I'm so sorry for getting your hopes up." I cried and cried until I feel warm hands caressing my arms soothingly. I then looked up seeing Cole's kind and warming gaze fixed upon me comfortingly.

"You didn't disappoint me...do what you need to do, DJ. Wow, I'm surprised you actually tricked me until now." Cole chuckled to himself.

"Aren't you mad?" I questioned

"Pfft. Mad? Why would I be mad when I can finally see you smile again. Besides. If a prank war is what you want then I'll give it to ya." Cole smirked then smiled with a wink. "One day...though would've been better if there was a better idea than a date Jade."

"Thanks, Cole. But there wasn't since a 'date' only requires two people no one else." I smiled back up at him, embarrassed.

"Oof, I like how you think." Cole piped up, with a teasing wink towards me.

"Ladies first," Cole said once again, helping me up once more upon his motorbike turning on the engine, then off we went with no more interruptions, to our destination. We then left with a real smile on my and Cole's faces, as I held onto him with a better and lighter heart.