Carmina lay on her bed kicking the bedhead, angry at her father. She shrieked as someone came in then took her feet off the wall, when she realised Rayna was in her room.'Cameras? In my room? No way!' Carmina shrieked as she sat on her bed.She thought about it for a bit then came to a conclusion. 'Is it because dad wants us to be safe? If thats true, go ahead.' She sighed grumpily. 'I guess you can call me Carmina,' She included grabbing her phone. 'Also, Rayna? Are you going to be following me around at school?' She asked curious. She started to play games on her phone, half paying attention to Rayna.

((I just realized that there is a continuity issue with how I described the plot in my very first post and what I’ve said in one of my replies. At the start I say the rp starts one week before school, but then in my previous reply I say it’s one month ‘I had one month to get this guy jailed.’

Just so we’re clear, I’m going to make it one month. That’ll give time for things to be settled between the three, and I’m hoping for Sam to go on a date so Rayna can get out, maybe she and Carmina can go somewhere (say Carmina wants to go shopping or something) then there’s also a one-week camping trip that Sam, Carmina, and a select few of their school friends take every year, one week before school starts.))

I nodded and began pushing the silver platform that was strapped to my finger, into various places in the walls. When it came away, there was nothing different. When it came down to it, I wasn’t too happy about the situation either. I mean, it could potentially further my career in the field, but to be watched 24/7, with basically no privacy at all...

((Think of the cameras in Spy Kids 1.))

The calm that Carmina had kind of surprised me. I was fully prepared for to lay the words into me, whether they be curses or criticisms but she was almost...nonchalant.

As I reached up on tip-toe and place an invisible camera above the window, I thought about how I would answer Carmina's question. This was an issue where I thought the agency was at fault. While I would have Carmina wear a tracker, she wasn’t my priority. Sam was the sole heir to the bank line, therefore more of my focus had to go into protecting him. At least that’s what Adam said. But I’m not going to be put in charge of two lives only to let one of them go just because my boss thinks the other is more important. "No. It’ll be hard because we’re not the same age so you’ll be taking completely different classes than your brother and I. But you’ll have to wear a tracker. It’s plastic so it’ll get through the metal detectors just fine."

Hopping slightly, I pushed the last camera into the wall above the door, looking into the room. "Done. I have just enough time to do Sam's room... See you at lunch." With that I left Carmina's room, closing the door softly behind me, and walked down the hall to Sam's room, making sure to knock on the door.

After about ten seconds when there was no audible sign of life in the room, I knocked again, louder this time. “Sa—uh, Mister Winston? It’s Rayna...”

Quite unprofessionally, I automatically knit my brows and made a face in distaste toward Sam’ haughty expression. I shook my head and forced myself to focus, “Surveillance. Your father said it was all right if I installed cameras in both yours and Carmina’s rooms. And...if you one day think of having some shred of respect my presence and wish to address me, it’s Rayna.” I tried, but mentally I thought, The joke’s on him. However he takes the news that his very life is in danger, when he’s really in a life or death situation, I’m the only one who will be there. He’ll learn that I’m not here for him, I’m here for his [i]life.

I blew through the room quickly. The structure of Sam’s room was similar to Carmina's, so I didn't have to do much more measuring this time around.

I was placing the last camera; I had to jump again, to push it into the wall above the door. But at that same moment, the door opened and a maid was there, startling me. I let out a small noise as I pushed off the wall, falling back. I landed on my heels and rolled all the way back over, stopping in a crouched position, one hand on the floor in front of me to steady myself.

Breathing deeply, I straightened, tucked the platform into the pocket of my jeans.

"Ah...sir, Agent Lauren, dinner is ready."

Again I felt like I was walking through a museum as I was led down the stairs and through to the dining room. I hesitated a little nervously in the doorway as I offered a small smile and nod to Mr. Winston.

Scrutinizing his expression, I mentally slapped myself for not thinking that a family such as this would not accept any attire less than what they were wearing. My outfit was what I wore at my house for dinner, and I should've realized, using common sense, that this is not my house, thus not my family's standards.

As I walked around the table toward the chair that Mr. Winston gestured to, I bowed my head apologetically. "I apologize, Mister Winston. I realize too late now that my current attire is not fitting for meal times. I will remember next time." Without another word I slipped in next to Sam, silently admiring the place settings.

There were more silverware and glasses than I thought one could have a use for in one meal! Side-glancing Sam, I hoped to copy what he would do when the food came. "May I say, Mister Winston, that you have an amazingly beautiful home, and I thank you again for letting me stay here upon my commanding officer's request."

By the time my soup was placed in front of me, I was salivating. The scent alone I caught as the doors to the kitchen opened and the bowls were brought out. I seemed in a trance as I stared at the soup in front of me; the presentation was amazing as well.

Snapping out of my reverie, my eyes again side-glanced Sam, and I copied his movements, laying my napkin across my lap and picking up the outer most spoon. I leaned forward slightly to take the first spoonful. My eyes widened as my tastebuds went crazy for the dish.

Carmina heard that dinner was ready so she walked out of the room. She rushed downstairs and found that she was late. 'Sorry Dad,' She muttered then took her place.She stirred her soup with her spoon for about 10 minutes, bored to death.Her father gave her a glare, she unfolded her napkin and placed it on her lap. With another glance from her father, she reluctantly picked up her spoon. She drank all her water then her father glanced at her and her soup. Reluctantly she picked up her spoon.She ate some soup then pushed her food away from her. She diddnt like it but her father would make her eat it.

Sam growled at her reply, aggravated even more by the fact that she was easily able to brush past him and into his room, leaving him no choice but to stay by the corner of his room with the door open and his arms folded over his chest, creasing up his crisp gray suit. "You gotta be kidding me,"he whispered in annoyance as he watched her attach it at different angles across his room.

"You better make sure you won't be watching tonight or tomorrow when my girl friend comes over," he warned, walking towards his computer table to retrieve his phone and shoving them quickly in his pocket before making his way back towards the door.

Where he was met by one of the maids who stumbled in apologetically in front of him and announced them of the dinner. He sighed in annoyance and shooed the girl away before walking out into the hall to look for Carmina, hoping he would be able to trick her into baby sitting their baby sitter into the dinning room. But she was nowhere in sight.

'Damn,' he cussed under his breath. He couldn't get a break.

With hands shoved in his pocket he muttered a barely audible 'Come on' to Agent Lauren and started walking along the corridors, leading the way into the dining room which was through a few turns here and there. It was as if designed to keep the children from having any midnight snack without parental supervision. Luckily enough, there were mini-fridges in the occupated rooms, meaning their rooms as well as the guest rooms with guests, for such occasions.

He opened the door for the both of them, not bothering to close it afterwards since he saw Carmina was still not in the room. He sighed and walked ahead, taking his usual chair, which seemed to have been pushed a little more farther than where it was so that another chair could occupy the space next to it where Agent Lauren could sit.

He tried his best to not send daggers through his eyes in her direction as he took his seat and neatly laid the napkin on his laugh and took a sip of his already half-filled glass of wine. He savoured the scent filling his nostrils with a dreamy sigh before downing another gulp. He forgot for a few minutes that there was a conversation brewing next to him.

Only when the food came did he notice they had already had a conversation, something he didn't really care to be part of either way. He began eating his food, finding it a little bland. "Did you request this menu, father?"he asked curiously, since it seemed a little out of place on his taste bud. It was lacking something, he thought.

I couldn’t help but raise my brows at Sam’s question at dinner, but then remembered that this was probably normal for him. Too normal, perhaps, because I found the food to be the best I’d ever had. Well, save for a few weddings I’d attended in the past, but everything about this place definitely rivaled fancy hotels.

Jacob glanced up at his son, “Yes, I did. Is it not to your liking?”

The way Mister Winston countered with a question of his own, the intonation the way it was, gave Rayna some insight as to what kind of man the ‘Master Winston’ was. She was taught to absorb everything about everyone around her and analyze it to formulate some fact about them, no matter how trivial.

During one particular exercise in this mental analysis practice, Adam set up an entire house in a particular manner and had Rayna walk through, no time limit, no weapons (this was a mental exercise, remember), and just observe, with the point of coming back with as much information as possible, on the ‘people’ who ‘lived’ in that house. It didn’t take her long to figure it out, but the house was seemingly something like where her Handler would live.

There had been framed photos of a male and his dog, but no female. Adam was single. One bedroom, no guestroom; Adam didn’t accommodate others much. He was also articulately neat for a guy living on his own; not a thing out of order. The last room she visited was ‘his’ study where there was a computer. As she rifled through computer files, she came across audio pieces of various conversations. Not only could one be read through the way they choose to live, but through what they say and more importantly, how they say it.

One of the folders was filled with one-liner statements made by various people of different ages. One file was that of a child—Rayna guessed he was about six years old by the sound of his voice—saying, “I hate muffins.” She almost laughed. The tone was so melancholy and monotone, and quite forced, it was clear the boy was lying; his voice was such that she picked up automatically he was only saying that because he had to. What little boy doesn’t like muffins anyway?

“Is it not to your liking?”

Mister Winston was a busy enough man that he couldn’t be bothered with making sure the meals were satisfactory to all, fancy as they were. However, there was an underlying tone of concern in his voice that made Rayna aware of Mister Winston’s want and attempts to grow closer to his children. He would take to mind what both Sam and Carmina had to say about the most trivial of things, but there was no guarantee that something could be done right away.

After dinner, Rayna stayed at the table with Sam and Carmina until Mister Winston excused himself, nodding to her, “I’ll trust you to inform my children of what you can.”

“Of course, sir.” When he was gone from the dining room, Rayna turned to Sam and Carmina, “Please meet me in the parlor in five minutes.” With that she left them to gather some profiles from her room.

((Hmmmm, thought I'd wait for sexybabe16 to post...but at this point I think I'll go ahead and work on my reply, give her some time to get something up if she intends to...))

((Because I don’t know if sexybabe16 will be posting, I’m going to post as if Sam is the only child. If you post, sexybabe16 (because you could only be out of town or something and I’d hate to exclude you because of that), we’ll put Carmina back in.))

The profiles in hand, Rayna walked back down to the parlor and made a face at Sam’s eating cake. It would certainly be a distraction as she tried to tell him the danger his life was in. However, she felt it would only irk him more if she told him he couldn’t eat while she was talking to him, not matter the importance.

So she took a deep breath and opened the profile, sliding it across the table for Sam to see, “This is Nevan Kordova. He has kept tags on your family, every bank your father owns around the world and its staff...for thirteen years. Long time to stalk someone, but if you’re any aware of how much you’re going to inherit, you’ve got top-of-line security and a million back-up plans. It wouldn’t be easy at all to crack. We’re surprised, actually, that it only took him thirteen years. It took us years to get what little information we have on him now,” she gestured to the folder. “We’ve seen what he has, too...everything. Every, trivial thing that is in your lives that you wouldn’t even think would be important. Your pet peeves, who you’ve dated, how your parents met, where they got married, the attendance list at their wedding. He knows everything.”

She paused to let that register, “At the beginning of this year he and his guys have dropped off our radar completely. We’ve been scrambling to get one step ahead of him, but it’s tough not knowing where he is. That’s why I’ve been sent to you. It would be easy to say that he was only after the money, but we think he’s closer to finishing or about to embark a plan that involves kidnapping you. Your father is already heavily guarded but my CO didn’t think it a good idea for you to have the same measures taken with. If you think about it, the more guards you have at your age, while still in school and having more of a social life, it makes you more of a target if you have guards surrounding you. Nevan has eyes everywhere, but we can’t be sure where, so when your father requested protection from the FBI, I was first on the list because I am your age, and go to the same school, so I’d be less conspicuous. No one would think me a threat or suspicious at all. Because Nevan will expect you to be heavily protected, there is a chance he’ll be more hesitant to reveal himself; he’ll be more cautious.”

Rayna took a long breath as if thinking of something, then continued, “Or...we’ve considered that it could go the other way. Nevan sees that you don’t seem to be protected, and is open about his movement. That would make it easier for us to track him, and I would catch him by surprise. But that case puts you in much more immediate danger than anything else. With all that said, I would appreciate your full cooperation.”

She seemed done, but then added, “Oh, and you can not tell your girlfriend anything of this. Absolutely nothing. We don’t want to drag her into this. Tonight, tomorrow, and whenever she is over, or you go out with her, I will be invisible. I will be in my room the whole night, or thirty feet behind you, either by car or on foot, should you go out.”

“So you have any questions?”

((Sorry this took me so long!))

(omg im so sorry! ive just had heaps of stuff going on. exams, family issues, storms.)

Carmina sat on the couch, next to her brother. She groaned at his eating and pushed him. Carmina listened to everything Rayna was saying. She completely zoned out but nodded when her brother did. 'So let me get this straight. Someone has been stalking me ever since I was born?' She asked, a bit confused. 'Are you posing as a friend? So he might attack you and you can kill him?' She wondered, looking at her. She sighed then ran upstairs, flopping down into her bed.

((okay, so I’m sorry it’s been so long, but I’ve been battling some MAAAAAYJOOOOR writer’s block. But I’m totally back!

And, star_kid, I’m kind of confused, at the beginning you said Sam’s girlfriend was coming over, now he was supposed to go over to her house?))

“Sam, you don’t have to cancel your plans. By all means I want your lives to remain as much the same as it always has been. To Kordova, my presence in your lives can not be detected. If he finds out you two are being bodyguarded, he’ll step up his game, become unpredictable because he knows we’re on to him. And for the sake of both your lives, we can’t have that.”

“The only thing is, though, if you, Sam, go out tonight, you, Carmina, have to stay here, at home. I can’t be in two places at once.”

“As for your question, Carmina, it’s two weeks before school starts for you two and once that happens I’ve been enrolled into all of your classes, Sam. So I’ll be a classmate of yours. I’ll make sure to keep my distance as well.”

((Ack, it’s so short! Could we perhaps skip to either later that night if Sam’s going to his girlfriend’s house or to when school starts?))