The look on Nathan's face made Lucas realize that he wasn't going to get away with trying to run unless he left his roommate behind. The boy was frozen. On top of that, he was too busy staring at the girl who had discovered them to even glance at Lucas. Therefore, communicating in any way without having the girl hear was next to impossible.

Lucas made his mind up in a moment. Slowly, he lowered the roses.

The girl's eyes narrowed, yet the lack of surprise on her face confirmed that the boy's gender had already been guessed.

"Look...we're from Ellison..." Lucas began.

Nathan's eyes widened as he seemed to be brought back to reality. "You're a boy!?" He stared at Lucas. "You lied to me!" He gasped in mock horror as he hid his face in his hands and attempted to run wailing down the hallway.

Lucas grabbed his arm and turned him around as soon as he reached him.

"She knows," he muttered.

"Ah..." Nathan lifted his head to shoot the girl a cheesy grin. "You knew?"

The girl's eyes flittered up and down the two, her eyebrows raised. "Geeze...I wonder how I could have possibly guessed." She lifted a finger and pointed at Nathan's chest. "You're missing something, by the way."

Lucas shot a glance at his roommate to see him staring at his chest. Only one orange remained.

"My boobs!" Nathan exclaimed as his hands covered the area.

The girl gave a patient smile. "Well...I guess it's time I got you pervs suspended." She opened her mouth.

Lucas grabbed her in a flash, his hand clamping over her mouth. He twisted her so that her back was to him. She struggled, her voice muffled.

Nathan watched him, eyes wide.

"We need to be quick. Someone else could come at any moment." Lucas looked around. "What should we do with her?"

Nathan shrugged. "What do you usually do in such a situation?"

Lucas shot a glance at the struggling girl. "Get rid of the evidence?"

Nathan's mouth dropped. He looked from the girl back to Lucas.

"What?"

No reply.

"Then why don't you try to explain," Lucas suggested. His eyes flew to the door leading to the stairs. He couldn't help but wonder where Brian had ended up.

Shaking his head, Nathan walked up to the girl. She stopped struggling to glare at him. "Look...we're really sorry about this. But we were kind of trying to do a friend a favor...see...it involves love."

The girl rolled her eyes.

"If we let you go...will you at least give us a chance to explain?"

There was a moment of silence before the girl shrugged and then nodded her head.

Nathan and Lucas exchanged a glance.

Guess I can always knock her out from behind if she tries to scream... Lucas decided before he slowly released his hand.

To his surprise, the girl neither ran, nor did she scream. Instead, she opened her mouth to say something but then the sound of giggles echoed in the stairwell.

Nathan looked at Lucas, eyes panicked.

The girl surprised them further when she turned, threw a door open, and looked over her shoulder. "In here," she hissed.

Lucas and Nathan exchanged a glance before they did as she suggested. They stumbled into a bedroom and the girl shut the door just as someone entered the hallway.

The three stood in awkward silence for a moment.

Lucas glanced around the room, wondering where the occupants were.

"My room," the girl said before she crossed her hands over her chest. "Explain."

Looks like she's not going to rat us out, Lucas noted. Yet, he still hesitated.

"Sure...but first." Nathan leaned towards her, "do you have a boyfriend?"

Lucas grabbed him and pulled him back before taking over. "We're supposed to drop off a note and these..." he held up the roses.

The girl stared at them, unimpressed. Looking down, Lucas realized there wasn't much left other than stems and leaves.

"Or were supposed to," he said as he lowered the flowers.

"So...you snuck in here to give roses to your girlfriend?" The girl didn't look impressed.

"No, a friend's girlfriend!" Nathan jumped in. "Or...soon to be...hopefully." He flashed her a smile and raised a hand. "I'm single."

The girl didn't spare him a glance, her eyes on Lucas. "Ah...so a guy sent you to do it because he didn't have the guts?"

Lucas shrugged. "Basically."

"And you decided sneaking into Bel was a good idea?"

"Was it not?" Nathan asked. "The fact that you and I got to meet seems like destin–" Lucas' hand on his face shut him up as he was pushed to the side.

We don't have time for this...every moment increases our chances of getting caught, Lucas shifted. "Look. We simply came to drop of the stuff and be on our way. We weren't planning anything crazy."

"Crazy, huh?" The girl looked at the boy's outfits. "So you want me to believe that you seriously snuck into the girls' dorm with no ulterior motives?"

"What else would we possibly want to do here?" Nathan was quick to defend his honor.

"Oh...I don't know." The girl shot him a glare. "I can't even begin to think what the male species would want to see..."

Nathan opened his mouth to argue, but Lucas beat him to it.

"You're obviously not going to tell on us...so can we just finish what we came to do and go on our way?"

"How do you know I won't call anyone?"

Lucas lifted an arm and motioned to the room. "You helped hide us. That makes you an accomplice."

The girl opened her mouth, then, seeming to realize Lucas had a point, she closed it again.

"To make it fair, if you let us go, we can do something for you," Lucas offered.

The girl suddenly looked interested. "Like a trade?"

Lucas nodded. He was surprised at how calmly this girl was taking the situation. He was sure the average person wouldn't be responding the same way.

For a moment, the girl sucked on her cheek. Finally, she let out her breath. "Like what?"

Nathan was quick to jump forward. "How about a date with a guy that's every girl's dream?"

"Such a person exists...?"

Nathan pointed a finger at himself.

The girl stared at him blankly and Lucas tried not to groan. He shot Nathan a look, wondering just what was wrong with his roommate.

"Is there anyone in Ellison you want to talk to...connect with...revenge on?" Lucas went through a few options.

A wicked grin appeared on the girl's face. "Revenge, huh?"

Lucas regretted mentioning it and even Nathan took a step back at the tone in her voice.

Lucas' mental clock sent off a warning. Ten minutes until our way home goes without us.

"It's a tempting offer...but..." her grin widened, "How about I don't breathe a word and you owe me a favor?"

Lucas shifted. He didn't like those type of deals. Itmeans you have no idea what kind of favor is going to be asked...and when the time comes you can't say no.

"Deal," Nathan announced before Lucas could say a word.

"Great."

Not great, Lucas thought.

"How about we seal it with a hug?" Nathan took a step forward.

The girl shot him a dry look. "How about I scream?"

Nathan was quick to step back.

With a sweet smile, the girl turned to the door. She put her hands to her lips before sticking her head out. A moment later she turned back and opened the door the whole way. "The coast is clear. You better hurry though." Her eyes gleamed wickedly. "If you're still here in five minutes I'll raise the alarm."

Lucas gave her a tight smile before heading for the door. Nathan followed, then suddenly grabbed what remained of the flowers from Lucas's hands. He turned to the girl. "These are for you."

She took them, eyebrows raised.

Nathan smiled at her. "So...how about that date?"

Lucas grabbed him and dragged him from the room.

The girl poked her head out after them. "You might want to take the back stairs down. Not many people use them at night cause they have bad lighting." She pointed a finger down the hall. "They're that way. Just around the corner."

Lucas nodded his thanks. Then, he remembered something. "Oh...we kind of lost a friend. If you see him..."

"I'll be sure to scream extra loud and all hell will break lose." The girl smiled sweetly before closing the door.

Lucas snorted. "That was interesting."

"I've found my destiny," Nathan replied, his eyes on the door.

"Let's get this over with," Lucas told him. He grabbed his roommate's arm and dragged him down the hallway. "We don't have much time."

That seemed to snap Nathan from it. Unzipping his backpack he pulled out the card and chocolates. "Anna," he murmured as he began to look at the names on the doors.

Lucas took the time to jog down the hallway. He rounded the corner and found the door leading to the back stairs the girl had mentioned. He couldn't help but feel surprised that she had told them the truth. He popped his head around the corner.

"Nathan!"

"Be right there!" came the reply. "Ah!" came soon after.

Lucas saw Nathan put the chocolates in front of a door and the envelope on top. He gave a thumb up, slung the backpack over his shoulders, and hurried over. He was barely around the corner when they heard a door open and more voices.

The boys exchanged a glance before they made a run for it. They ran down the dimly lit stairs, eager to get out of there.

"Where do you think Brian went?" Lucas hissed.

"Who knows? Maybe he bailed."

The two were on the first floor soon enough. Being at the other end of the hallway from the laundry room, they paused to see if the way was clear. Unfortunately, it looked nothing of the sort. Doors were propped open and girl's voices echoed all around. The smell of nail polish hit them and Nathan scrunched up his nose.

"Seriously? Where did they all suddenly come from?"

"Maybe they had a dorm meeting before," Lucas suggested as he closed the door. He glanced around, knowing that getting to the laundry room wasn't really an option at the moment. His eyes landed on a small window. It would be a tight squeeze but possible. He got his roommate's attention and motioned to it.

Nathan nodded. Lucas figured out how the window worked in less than a second. They opened it before Lucas took the lead and squeezed through. Nathan followed right after. As soon as they were both outside they turned to make a run for the fence. A light appeared out of nowhere, shining right on them.

"Who is it?" a gruff voice asked.

Both boys froze.

Security? Lucas' mind ran through the possibilities.

"What are you doing outside?" The light came closer. "Curfew started at..." A figure knocked into the newcomer, knocking the flashlight out of his hands. "Hey!" he protested.

"Run!" Brian's voice urged.

Lucas and Nathan didn't hesitated. They sprinted for the fence, hearing shout and footsteps some way behind them. Lucas had a hand clutched to his chest so he wouldn't lose his oranges on the way.

Brian reached the fence first and scrambled through the hole. Lucas came right after. He barely broke a stride as he dived through. Nathan came after. When his backpack got stuck Brian and Lucas grabbed him and pulled him out. There was a tearing sound, which they all ignored.

As his roommates ran for the cover of the trees, Lucas took a second to brush his hand by the hole and grab the fabric that had been torn off the backpack. Turning, he followed the others, fleeing for the safety of the woods and ignoring every suggestion his ECHO trained mind was throwing out. Running away blindly from a security guard, with no plan and no fear of a bullet ripping through him, he felt strangely happy. In fact...a smile spread across his face. He felt like a normal teenager.

Reaching the trees, he slid into a small ditch, joining his roommates.

Nathan was laughing, his head leaning back as he tried to catch his breath. Lucas joined in and Brian chuckled.

"That was way too close," Nathan gasped.

"Almost got caught," Brian agreed.

Lucas punched him on the shoulder. "Where did you disappear too?"

Brian turned his head to look at him. "I thought it was over. That girl had us for sure...so I ran for it."

"Way to abandon us," Nathan told him.

"Hey, sometimes it's every man for himself."

Lucas frowned. He had heard that a lot in ECHO. If someone messed up, they were left behind.

"Besides...Nathan could have handled any danger, right?" Brian added.

"What makes you say that?" Nathan asked.

"You're Asian...: Brian pointed out.

"So?"

"You know Kung Ku or something...right?" Lucas detected a teasing tone in Brian's voice.

"I'll Kung Fu your racist face!" Nathan reached over to hit Brian who dodged.

"See, he does!" Brain added as he scrambled to safety.

Nathan glared before he leaned back. "Just wait till I pick up some serious skills and kick your butt."

Brian snorted and Lucas grinned.

"Too bad you can't ruin my mood. I met an angel," Nathan said in a dreamy voice as he leaned his head back. "The mystery for the reason of my existence has been solved."

Brian shot him a confused look.

"I'm going to go out with her for sure," Nathan added.

"You work on that," Lucas told him as he sat up. He reached in his shirt, grabbed the oranges and tossed them without a thought of regret.

"Maybe I should write her a note too..."

"I'm not sneaking back in there," Brian said firmly.

Lucas chuckled. "Even if you write her a note, how would you get it to her?"

Nathan sat up and Lucas could only assume he was giving him a questioning look.

"You forgot to ask her name, genius," Lucas said.

Nathan let out a groan and lay back down, hands going to his head.

Brian chuckled. "You found the reason for your existence and forgot to ask for her name?"

Nathan didn't reply.

There was a sound of hooves and Nathan looked up to see three familiar horse and riders approaching.

"You made it," one of the boys from before called softly. "We were about to leave without you."

Lucas didn't reply as he headed for the dapple grey.

"How's it go?" one guy ask.

Nathan gave a thumbs up. "Mission succeeded."

**************************

"But the door clearly said Anna!" Lucas protested.

It was the next morning and Dwain, Anna's admirer, and his roommate were standing in Lucas' room. Dwain looked somewhat devastated.

The boys had come home to a hero's welcome. The next morning, however, they found out that they had delivered the message and chocolates to the wrong door.

"You don't think there could be more than one Anna in Bel?" Dwain's roommate asked dryly. "Now you have the wrong girl with the wrong note and now some girl thinks Dwain here confessed his undying love to her."

"Maybe it just wasn't meant to be," Nathan suggested. He was sitting on his bed, flipping through a Bel year book he had somehow gotten a hold of. "I mean what are the chances of two Anna's living on the exact same floor?"

"All that work for nothing," Brian muttered from where he sat, already working on homework before breakfast.

Lucas shrugged. "We tried." Having just come out from a shower, he dried his hair with a towel. He had already looked over the material from the bugs he had placed in the girl's school the night before. The fact that none of he bugs had been fried, like the ones at Ellison, made him almost certain that Bel High was not where his target was being kept.

"I'm doomed," Dwain moaned.

"Dudes!" another guy stuck his head in the door. He gave a thumb up. "You're legends!" He was gone in a moment.

Dwain muttered something and left. His roommate only shook his head before following.

Lucas and Nathan exchanged glances.

"Dude, the wrong girl?" Lucas asked with a grin as he put his towel over his shoulders.

"It said Anna," Nathan defended himself again.

Without looking up from his books, Brian snorted.

A head popped in the door. "What's wrong with Dwain?" Auden asked.

"He just found out life is difficult," Nathan replied as he turned his attention back to the yearbook.

One of Auden's eyebrows rose. He turned his gaze on Lucas. "Hey, want to come by my teams' open practice on Saturday?"

"Why would you want him to do that?" Nathan asked suspiciously. "He's on the football team."

"Is he?" Auden replied. "A shame. Banster's still hoping to see if you're any good on the ice." He wiggled his eyebrows. "Who knows...maybe a real man's sport will be more to your liking."

"Football," Nathan repeated.

Auden grinned. "What are you up too anyway?"

"Looking for my angel," Nathan replied without looking up.

"Should I ask?"

Lucas shook his head before heading over to his closet to grab his tie and jacket.

"By the way..." Auden cocked his head to the side. "I hear some interesting rumors..."

Nathan froze and even Brian stopped what he was doing. Lucas suppressed the urge to snort. Their reactions already give away their guilt. He calmly reached for his tie.

"They say some guys sneaked into Bel..." Auden trailed off. "You wouldn't know anything about that?"

"Nope," Nathan replied too quickly.

The grin returned to Auden's face. "There better be a picture somewhere."

There was the sound of something breaking.

"You idiot!" a voice yelled.

Auden closed his eyes. "This early?" he asked in exasperation. He turned to the hallway. "Who was it!" he yelled as he went in search of the damage.

Brian turned back to his homework.

"Well he took it well," Lucas commented as he threw his towel on his bed and replaced it with his tie.

"Found her!" Nathan let out a yell as he jumped to his feet. "I've found my angel!" He was out the door and running down the hallway before either of his roommates could ask.

"What a lunatic," Brian muttered.

Nathan didn't reply. He pulled on his jacket. "Going for breakfast?" he asked Brian.

His roommate looked up only briefly. "Got to finish this."

Shrugging, Lucas headed for the door. He was just about to step out when something stopped him. Danger! His instincts screamed. His eyes narrowed, then he took the step forward anyway.

He saw the weapon coming at him from the left. It was poorly aimed and Lucas found he didn't have to do much other than twist to avoid it. He turned to find Jamie standing there. Eyes travelling to the boy's hands he saw what looked like a wooden peg clutched in his fingers. The end of it was very sharp.

"Did you...did you just try to stake me?" he asked.

Jamie shrank back. "You were able to avoid it," he said. His arm raised and he let out a yell before charging.

Lucas was ready, but someone else beat him to it. A hand grabbed Jamie's.

"Dude, that's messed up," Peter said. The boy from Angola took the stake from the Jamie's hand with ease. "We're not allowed weapons in school. This could get you suspended...or expelled."

"He's a vampire!" Jamie hissed. "I can prove it!"

Peter shot Lucas a questioning look. Lucas shrugged in response.

With a grin, Peter turned back to Jamie. "Dude, there's no way you can kill a vampire with a wooden stake."

Jamie stared at him, eyes wide, and Lucas couldn't help what he was getting at. Peter turned to shoot him a wink.