I lathered gel into my thick, black hair.  I looked into the mirror.  My sea-green eyes were full of guilt so I decided not to concentrate on them.  Instead, I concentrated on the small scar on my left eyebrow.
I was guilty for a reason.  I had just hacked into my school to change my grades.
Now I know what you’re thinking. ‘No fourteen year old can hack a school!’  But see, that’s my hobby.  Some people bake; others sew. Me; I hack. 
I went to my room and grabbed my keys, wallet, and skateboard.  I then headed towards the door. Before I could even twist the knob, my older sister, August, stopped me.
“Where are you going?” August questioned.
“None of your business,” I answered back. “Why would you care anyways?”
She ignored my question. “Tonight’s movie night,” she said while taking my skateboard. “You didn’t forget, did you?”
“Oh I remembered,” I said while ripping my skateboard out of my sister’s hands, “I just don’t want to stay for my crappy family’s movie night.”
Before she could speak, I opened the door and slammed it in her face.  I rode my skateboard to the movies, my usual hangout, thinking about what just happened.
You’re probably thinking very low of me right now and saying ‘Jasper Grace, how could you be so rude!’ See, I have a horrible family. It might not be so obvious, but I do.  Before my mom died, we were so close.  We would go to the beach, we went on camping trips, etc. but that changed.  My mom had to be at the wrong place at the wrong time…
My point is my family fell apart.  My father has no time for us; he works too much and rather read than spend time with us.  August tries to bring us together, but her ideas never work.  My father practically begged August to let him read last movie night.
I arrived at the movie theater.  My friend, Riley, texted me earlier she couldn’t make it, but I didn’t care; I just wanted to leave my house. I bought tickets to the Good Dinosaur. (I know that’s a little kid movie. I was desperate.)
I headed to the bathroom.  I didn't need to use it; I just didn’t want to look like a loner. The movie didn’t start for another hour.
Before I could even enter the bathroom, a girl and a guy stopped me. The girl was about my height, with blue eyes and curly brown hair.  She had tan skin (Not orange as if she had gone to a tanning salon.  A real tan as if she went to the beach and didn’t get sunburned.) and was about my age.  The guy looked about twenty with black hair and green eyes. He was about six feet tall and muscular.  (This guy actually had the fake tan going on.) They both wore movie employee uniforms.  I had the weirdest feeling they knew I would be here.
“Excuse me,” the girl said cheerfully, “are you Jasper Grace?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Why do you want to know?”
She locked eyes with the man.
“Now,” she said.
Before I knew what was going on, the man body slammed me into the bathroom door.  The bathroom door broke and I crashed into a stall.  I was struck with a needle and I began to get woozy.  I could feel the handcuffs locking onto my wrists. Before I passed out, I heard the girl say the target was in captivity.
* * *
I awoke in a chair.  My wrists were free from the handcuffs, and in front of me was a mirror.  There was a bruise on my forehead, but other than that I looked fine.  The room was dark though there was a little light coming from the open door…
The door was open!  I quickly got up and ran to the exit when I suddenly stopped.
“What if this was a set up,” I began to think. “Screw it.”
I left the room trying to find an exit.  This was a secret base. (I know what you’re saying, ‘Thank you captain obvious’.  I’m just making sure you know.) Banners in the hallway had the C.I.A. logo. After checking multiple doors, I finally found an open one.  I didn’t know what it lead to, but I hoped for a way out. 
As soon as I entered, the door shut behind me.  Lights turned on and it turned out people were in the room.  A man was in the the center while  the people arched around him.
“Mr. Grace,” he began, “you took a short amount of time to find this place. What was your technique?”
I looked around the room. These people were important; they wore suits and had the most serious faces.  I didn’t want to say anything stupid at first, but I decided against that. 
‘After all, they did capture me.’ I thought.
“Have you ever heard of the term YOLO?” I answered.
They laughed, but the man quieted them down.  I guessed they were human after all.
“Yes,” he said, amused.  “I suppose you do have questions for me-”
“Where am I?” I interrupted.  “Who are you? Why am I here?”
“You, Jasper,” he replied, “are at the main base of the C.I.A.  We are agents and my name is Commander Prescott.  That last question can be answered by my pupil.  ARTEMIS!”
The girl who helped attack me came out of the crowd.  She wore combat gear and her hair was tied back into a ponytail.  She glanced at me and joined Commander Prescott in the center.
“You.” I growled.
“No harsh feelings Jasper,” Artemis answered.  “It was apart of my mission.”
“Did you have to attack me,” I retaliated.  “Couldn’t there have been a better way to bring me here.”
“I had to attack you, really.” she answered.  “ It was quite funny how your body flew into the bathroom door.”
“I’m glad you were amused,” I grumbled, sarcastically.
“Let it go, Jasper,” Prescott told me.
I reluctantly shut myself up.
“I need your help-” she started, but I interrupted her.
“Why mine,” I questioned.  “I’m not special.”
“Jasper,” she began, “You can hack.  You’re an expert.  I never seen anyone better at this… hobby.”
“Well, what do you need?”
“Dictator Abigail PerSon-” she started.
“PerSon,” I smirked.
“Yes,” she said, annoyed.  “Clean out your ears if you can’t hear.  I was saying, Abigail has a serum that’s like a nuke.  It will kill anyone who comes in contact with it.  She plans to use that to take over the world.”
Artemis started to pace. “ We want to attack the base and steal the serum.  We don’t know where the base is, but that’s where you come in.”
“We need you to hack her associates base to get intel,” Artemis said.  She stopped pacing. “Are you in?”
The choice is obvious.  I have no family.  What’s the risk?
“Yes,” I said, grinning.

* * *

We stand on a balcony looking through binoculars.  We both wear all black.  Gadgets are in my sleeve, including a chip used for hacking. 
Yesterday, Artemis taught me basic fighting techniques.  I mastered each one. (Not really.)
We look over the base of Pepper-one of Abigail’s associates. We already found a way into the base.  Artemis handed me a grappling hook.
“You ready?” she asked.
“Yeah,” I said while getting into position.
We shoot the rope at the base and slide across the rope.  Artemis knocks out two guards while I manage to get my foot stuck in a hole.
We kill or seriously damage each guard we see.  Getting to the intel room is easy.  I set up my computer and began typing code. 
“Hurry up,” Artemis said.  “We don’t have all day!”
I give her an annoyed look and continue hacking.
“Artemis,” I whisper, “there is no intel about the base, but there’s a biography about Abigail…”
“What, no!” Artemis exclaimed.  “We need to leave, NOW!”
“We should go check the control room.” I said.
“Why?” she questioned angrily.
“The control room might have info about another associate,” I argue.  “Another associate might have the valuable intel we’re looking-”
“No,” she growled, “We have to go A.S.A.P.”
We stared at each other, arguing in silence.  Guards piled into the room before we could agree on anything.
“You are surrounded,” one of them said. “Put your hands where we can see them.”
Thankfully, Artemis activated a smoke bomb.  We took a fire escape and exited the base.

* * *

I stand on the same balcony I stood on a week ago.  I am alone and I’m glad for no partner.
Last week, when we got back to the base, I told Commander Prescott to give me a new partner.  He said no and I refused to work with Artemis.  I announced I would work alone.  During this, Artemis said nothing.
Artemis was just like my family- she’s a disappointment.
I came back to Pepper’s base.  I knew something important was at this base; I just had to find it.
Again, getting into the base was easy.  There were fewer guards to take out and and fewer people in the hallways.
In no time, I made it to the control room.  I easily took the guards out and hacked into the controls.  I was right.  I found emails to another associate about the secret base and downloaded it on the flashdrive.
‘I don’t need Artemis’ I thought. ‘I’m better off without her…’
All of a sudden, a knife nicked my ear.  I turned around.  I was facing Pepper and three huge guards.
“Oh Jasper,” he wickedly grinned, “You will die now.”
Then an explosion went off.

* * *

Back at the compound, I walked to Commander Prescott’s office. Artemis had just saved me from Pepper. 
She told me the story.  She’d knew I’d get caught and tracked me down.  She’d found me right when Pepper was about to destroy me.  She rigged the door with explosions and killed Pepper.
“You did that for me?” I said, confused.
“Yeah,” she said as if this is obvious, “We are friends even though we fought. We are friends right?”
“Um… yeah,” I said. I hoped she didn’t see me blushing.
I was confused at the moment, but I knew one thing for sure-I kinda liked this girl.  She saved me.  She’s definitely not a disappointment.
Artemis and I were partners again. The next few days were successful.  We got the intel from an associate named Fluffy about Abigail’s base.  We prepared for war; creating strategies and trained troops.  We were ready.
Or at least we thought we were.

* * *
Artemis and I were dressed in high-tech armor.  We commanded each soldier their place in the two groups.
I would take one group as a distraction while Artemis would sneak into the base and steal the serum in a smaller group.
Last night, we made camp a mile away from Abigail’s base.  It was full of soldiers. Everyone was nervous so nobody got sleep.
It was now time to get into position to attack the base.  Just before we broke camp, Artemis and I talked.
“Jasper,” she said, “in case we die…”
“Don’t say that,” I said confidently, “We will come out victorious.”
We locked eyes.  We weren’t arguing; it was more like reassurance.
Artemis looked at me one more time. “Good luck,” she whispered.  She then kissed my cheek and slapped a pocket knife against my chest.
She left and I was stunned. I stared at a tent with my mouth wide opened. I probably would have been there all day, but a soldier came to retrieve me.
Soon enough, we were marching towards the base.  My eye came upon a huge compound; it was much bigger and better quality than Pepper’s.  In my mind rang a simple tune.
‘Victory, Victory, Victory.’ I thought.
I had thought wrong.

* * *

Within the first five minutes, most of my troops were destroyed.  Communications with Artemis went down a few moments later.
I ducked behind a barricade.  Next to me,  there was a soldier throwing smoke grenades.  It was slowing down the guards, but he was running out. 
“Call retreat,” I told him.  “I’m going to find Artemis.”
He nodded his head and started to retreat.  He threw one last smoke bomb for me and guided our troops.  I wanted to thank him but it was too late.  I headed into the smoke and found an entrance.
I ran in the compound, checking door after door. I killed every guard I saw; whether they saw me or not.
I finally found a door that was unlocked.  Inside was a stage.  It seemed to be an entertainment room.  I stepped inside and the stage light turned on. Artemis was strapped to a chair, wide awake.  She was bruised everywhere.  I was in pain to see her like that.
“ARTEMIS!” I called, running towards her.
“Run,” she groaned.  “Save yourself.”
I didn’t know what she meant until I got to the stage.  I tried to untie Artemis, but she wouldn’t budge.  Something cold was pressed to the back of my neck and I turned around.  Abigail PerSon was behind me with a gun.
“Hello son,” she said.

* * *

“Mom?” I asked, confused.  How could Abigail PerSon be my mother? She looked nothing like her.
Then I recognized her.  Every happy memory flooded inside my head; the camping trips, the movie nights, Christmas, Halloween… this was my mom.
“Mom you’re supposed to be dead.” I said, still in shock.
“I know right,”she exclaimed. “This is awesome! We can be together again!  Although first, let me kill your friend here.”
She stepped towards Artemis, but I stepped between them.
“You can’t,” I growled.  “At least not on my watch.”
She sighed.  “I didn’t want to do this, but you leave me no choice.”
I thought she was going to shoot me, but instead she walked to the back of the stage.
“You can join me,” she said, “and you can both live.  Or, you can help Artemis.  She will die and you will be my prisoner.”
“Don’t choose her,” Artemis screamed. “I’m okay with dying.”
I didn’t know who to pick.  If I chose my mom, I would betray Artemis.  If I chose Artemis, she would die.
The clock was ticking.  Then I remembered the the knife Artemis gave me.

* * *

“Isn’t it obvious,” I said putting my best fake smile on.  “I can’t go against my mother!”
Artemis stared at me. She looked like she was going to kill me.  Then my mom spoke.
“Excellent,” she grinned. “Guards, take the agent away.”
As the guards took Artemis, she spat so many curse words at me.  I had wished she knew my plan.
“Thank you.” my mom said when the guards left.  She turned and hugged me. “We will rule the world son.  You and I. Together.”
“I’m so sorry mother.” I said as I drove the knife into her back.

* * *

Getting out of my mother’s old compound was easy.  Nobody knew I killed my mother yet.  Getting into the C.I.A. compound was the hardest part of my reconciliation.
Soldiers pointed guns at me as soon as I walked in. I put my hands behind my head and got on my knees.  The soldiers were about to say something when we heard Artemis yell.
“Where is he?” Artemis shouted. She saw me as soon as I walked through the crowd.  She came up to me and slapped me across the face.  “How dare you,” Artemis yelled.  “How dare you come here after what you did. I hate-”
“Artemis, I killed her,” I answered while getting to my feet.  “She’s dead.  Abigail is dead.”
She froze.  “Oh. You had a plan,” she said nervously.  “Well…  this is awkward.”
“Yeah it is,” I grinned.  “I know you love me so much.  You don’t have to tell me you do.” I sarcastically opened my arms.
She punched my shoulder.  “I do not love you.  In fact, I hate you Jasper Grace.”
“Sure you do.” I smirked.
“Why would anyone love you,” she said.  “You’re annoying and too sarcastic.  And you are mean too.”
“In denial.” I laughed.
She looked like she would judo flip me.  Instead, she kissed me.
In those few moments, I realized a few things.  My family wasn’t horrible.  They were mourning after a loss.  My sister and dad never do the things they do now.  I could’ve been more helpful, but I was a brat.  I had to reconcile with my family as soon as I got home.
We stopped kissing.  Artemis laughed and I smiled.  We laced our fingers together.
The soldiers shifted uncomfortably. One of them spoke.
“Well,” he began, “We can’t trust you without a test from our lie detector.  No offense though.  It’s a policy.”
I wanted to argue back, but I agreed.  Hand in hand, Artemis and I walked down the hallway.  We looked at each other before we entered the testifying room.  I’ll never forget what she said.
“You ready?” she asked.
“Yes.” I said.
We grinned at each other and walked in the room.