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"Nicholas, you won't believe what just happened," Nykki said, slamming the door behind her. "What?" her twin asked indistinctly, barely glancing up from the FBI procedure textbook. "Ellie DeWitt cornered me as I was coming back from the library, and she..." her voice trailed off when she saw the astounded expression on Nick's face. She started to smile. "She asked what, Nykki?" her twin pursued, oblivious to her evident distress. "Come on Nykki, tell me what she said. Every guy here, except you, has been trying to get DeWitt to talk to them, and so far, no one's been successful!" "DeWittaskedmewhetherIwantedtorollondowntoWashingtonanddoakindofcheckin'outthing," Nykki blurted out in a single breath. "Nykki, I have absolutely no idea what you're saying, slow down." Exasperation tinged his voice. "I said, Elizabeth DeWitt asked me whether I wanted to 'roll down to Washington together with her and do a kind of checking out thing'. And that's a direct quote." Nykki repeated. "Ellie DeWitt actually asked you for a date! I don't believe it! Of all the guys on the campus, she had to ask one that isn't a real male. This is ludicrous! What did you say?" Nick asked, affecting a neutral tone, trying to keep the touch of jealously he felt out of his voice. It didn't work. "I do believe you're jealous Nick," Nykki teased. "Seriously, I told her okay. She then proceeded to shock me into speechlessness once again by saying that she had a car and will come and pick me up at seven. Can you believe it? Are girls supposed to come on to you so heavy-handedly?" "You're right, I can't believe it. And no, most girls have the common sense to be subtle. But the good thing is, no one has seen through your disguise yet. I've heard the girls saying more than once how much they would love to have a date with the good-looking, macho, athletic, mysterious Alex Mason. A few of them came to me and asked whether I could arrange a date for them." His tone told her how disgusted he was. She grinned. "Are you serious?" she asked her twin, amusement dancing in her usually somber gray eyes. "Serious about what? The part about girls wanting to go out with you?" She nodded. "Yes, very. I'm not the only guy who's jealous. You're the 'Man-of-the-Campus' - the girls are nuts over you! They think you're mysterious because you haven't asked any of them out for dates yet, and they take you as a challenge. There's this story about how you had a tragic love affair a few years ago. It's something about you losing the love of your life to some disease - leukemia is today's disease, yesterday it was cancer - a few years back and you're still trying to get over her, and that only the perfect girl will be able to pull you out of your sorrow." Nykki's jaw dropped open. Nick paused and looked at her thoughtfully. "You know, I never expected you to be such a hit with the ladies. I think I like you better as a girl, because there wouldn't be any competition between us. There's another story ..." "I don't think I want to hear any more. I'm glad I wasn't born a boy! And don't you dare complain about 'competition' between us," she replied, "whose idea was it that I come incognito?" "All right, all right, I take responsibility of the bad idea. How was I to know it would turn out like this? I don't have the gift of foresight you know!" "Rewind to the original subject: the unwanted date. What the heck should I do? I never paid much attention to what guys do on dates!" She placed a hand against her heart and moaned theatrically. "Considering the number of dates you've been on for the past few years, it's a wonder if you even know what a date is!" "Hey!" she protested, "I've been busy! Maybe..." She raised an eyebrow and looked at her twin consideringly. He recognized that look. "Don't look at me like that, I will not go in your place. Ellie wants to get to know you better, not me." Nicholas said laughingly. "Fine, fine, I'll go!" She stuck out her tongue at him. "Just tell me what to do!" "Do you have suitable clothes?" her twin asked. "Now that I think of it, I don't," she answered brightly, after a pause. "I don't have to go, right?" "Wrong. Come on, it'll be fun. You can wear that dark gray suit, it needs a new tie; you also need flowers for Ellie - roses - girls love them..." "I do?" she asked her twin. "I was never overly fond of flowers. I especially disliked roses." "Fine! You're an exception. Anyway, where..." He was interrupted again by his twin. "All hail the king of dates!" she said sarcastically. Nicholas glared at his twin, daring her to interrupt a third time. "You need flowers, preferably roses - red ones are the best, very romantic. Did Ellie say where she planned to drag you off to? Has she booked a table?" he asked. "Yeah, at Rive Gauche, table's at eight." "The best French restaurant in Washington. She definitely has got the hots for you. It's highly possible that she has more in mind than just dinner." "I've got enough on my mind without thinking about that. Can't you just help me think of an excuse? You could always go in my stead." "I don't wish to be second choice, especially not to my sister. Since we're free for the rest of the afternoon, let's go out and get the stuff you need." Nick grabbed her arm and had already hauled her out the door before she could voice a protest.
"What about these roses?" Nick asked Nykki. She looked up from the intricate glass vase she had been admiring and touched the tip of one small red bud. She shook her head. "Well, you should like the lilies, right?" She shook her head again, making a face. "If I didn't know you, I'd say you were trying to wriggle your way out of this date." Nicholas said, grinning widely. He turned to the florist. "A dozen red roses, please. Can you wrap them up?" The florist handed the bouquet to Nicholas and shot her most winning smile at Nykki. She returned it weakly before scooting out of the shop. Once they were out of the shop, Nicholas spoke. "See what I mean about having competition? That girl," he said, inclining his head back towards the shop, "has fallen in love with you." Nykki turned back and saw that the florist was staring out of the window, her gaze was trained on her. Clutched to her breast was the vase she had been looking at earlier. A heat crept up her cheeks, and without looking into a mirror, she knew she was blushing. Nykki nudged her twin in the ribs and started walking faster. Nick did his damnedest to smother his laughter and followed behind.
"Nicholas Shane Storm, you have horrible taste. Considering that I spent eighty dollars on this tie, it should at least look good. Of all the ties on rack, you had to pick the one that like this." She eyed the outrageously colored swirls with great distaste. "Quit complaining. It matches your clothes." "Spare me." She finished tying the knot. "How do I look?" she asked her twin. "You'll blow her off her feet. Catch," he grinned and threw her the roses. She caught it gingerly. "Enjoy yourself," he said, flashing her a toothy grin. "Thank you, Nicholas, for all that you have done." Nykki gushed. Nicholas threw a pillow at her. She dodged it easily. "Shut up and get going. I'll wait up for you!" "See you later," she answered opening the door. "Wish me luck."
Gods, she's been trying to get me drunk all night! Nykki thought uneasily, noting that Ellie had once again refilled her glass. And I get drunk so easily! she fumed inwardly. She studiously ignored the blatant way Ellie was flirting with her and concentrated on cutting the steak in front of her. However, Ellie's sudden words made her look up. "Alex, do you know how handsome you are?" asked Elizabeth DeWitt, batting her lashes. "No one has ever told me that before." She succeeded at keeping her face straight. "Actually, most girls think my twin is much better looking," she answered honestly. Of course the girls thought Nick was good-looking, he's the boy, I'm his kid sister! "Nick? Oh yeah, he's handsome but not as good-looking as you, Alex," Ellie returned huskily. Nykki snorted. "Thank you," she answered noncommittally, trying to change the subject. Evidently, the subtleties in her tone did not register on Ellie. "Alex, I'd love to wake up in the morning with you by my side," she hinted broadly. Nykki choked on her wine and coughed. "Oh dear," Ellie said reaching over to pat her on the back. "Are you all right?" she asked Nykki. She hurriedly turned to one side to avoid her touch. "Yes, I'm quite all right. Could you excuse me for a moment please?" Nykki pushed the chair back, nearly knocking it over in the process and hurried to the rest-room before Ellie could answer. In her haste, Nykki almost forgot herself and walked into the female rest-room. Once inside, Nykki expelled the breath she had been holding. "Good Lord," she said to her reflection in the mirror. "Talk about hard-handed moves. Ellie's a good kid, but she's so desperate!" It occurred to her that Ellie was three years her senior and calling her a kid was rather odd. She stood there rifling through her memory banks, trying to think of a way to escape. Nykki splashed liberal amounts of water on her face and searched her pockets for a handkerchief. She pulled it out, along with a packet of white pills. As she looked at the packet, an idea hit her, and she grinned at its simplicity. "If all goes well," she remarked wryly to her reflection as she departed, "I'll be back at the academy in less than ninety minutes." Nykki endured another half-hour of banter before Ellie decided to go freshen up. She had her chance. Nykki quickly took out a tablet from the packet, and in a smooth motion, dropped it into Ellie's drink. It fizzed and bubbled for a moment in the red wine before dissolving completely. Thank God I always bring my sleeping pills with me, those will knock her out for the rest of the night! Nykki thought. When Ellie returned, she continued with her chatter, taking occasional sips of her wine. Sure enough, twenty minutes later, Ellie began to feel the effects of the drug. "Ellie, are you feeling okay? You look very tired." Nykki asked. "I feel very sleepy," she answered with a yawn. "I'll get the check, then I'm sending you back," Nykki replied, carefully hiding her glee as she saw Ellie fight to stay awake.
Nicholas welcomed his sister back with an eager question. "How was it?" he asked before she had even stepped into the room. "Disaster. She kept trying to get me to go to bed with her. Considering my lack of attributes in that area, I definitely couldn't go along with the idea. I never want to see her again," Nykki answered. "What did you do?" "I put one of my sleeping pills in her drink, and it knocked her out. I should have done that earlier." "I don't believe you Nykki, you must be nuts!" Nick said, chuckling. "No sane male would have refused her offer... of course you're not sane, and you're definitely not a member of the male sex." "I need a shower." "Take one. Don't wake me when you get out." Nykki grabbed her towel and walked into the bathroom, Nicholas switched off the bedroom lights. As she turned on the shower, she heard choked laughter drifting in from the bedroom. Nykki threw a glare in the general direction of her twin, sighed, and threw her hands up in an expression of exasperated martyrdom.
The next day, Nykki found admiring and envious looks focused on her during class. She caught her twin smirking at her in the middle of class, and it was only with a great effort that she managed to turn her attention back to the Director. "Eighty percent of a agent's job is talking to people." James Wilder was speaking from his seat. "Some people tell the truth, some people lie. There are always ways of finding out whether a person is lying. He looks everywhere but you; his eyes are downcast; he speaks slower than usual. His hands are jammed in his pockets to prevent you from seeing them and betraying his lies. He breaks out in sweat. Let's conduct an experiment here. Mr. Wolfe, can you come up here and be my assistant please." Brandon Wolfe got out of his seat and took the appointed chair. "Now, Mr. Wolfe, have you ever used illegal drugs for recreational purposes?" the Director asked. Brandon looked upwards, thinking. "He's thinking about it," the Director commented, "but if the answer's no it's too late to be convincing. Thank you Mr. Wolfe." Brandon walked back dazedly to his seat. She saw Nick grinning at her out of the corner of her eye and sighed inwardly. It was going to be a long day.
Finally, after enduring a day of side-ways stares, half-hidden smiles and suspicious thumbs-ups from her friends, the reason was brought to her during dinner by Chris Wilder. He wound his way through the crowd towards the twins in their usual corner. "Alex," Chris said, slapping her on the back, "I never knew you had it in you." Her twin choked on the mouthful of fish. Nykki hurriedly gave Nicholas two slaps on the back. "What in the world are you talking about?" she asked distractedly, puzzled by Christopher's opening phrase and wondering why her twin was stuffing his napkin into his mouth. "Come on," put in Brent who was passing by with a tray in hand. "Of course you know what we're talking about. Everyone on the campus knows that you were in bed with Ellie DeWitt last night." "I what?" Nykki exclaimed. "Ellie was boasting about how many times you took her last night, you were so energetic that you knocked her out!" Nicholas, finally gaining control of his mirth, explained. "She even said that you were the most experienced lover she had ever had! You shouldn't have kept it from me. How dare you tell me nothing happened last night? Lucky you, now all the girls want to... erm... try you out." Nykki felt a betraying heat creep up her cheeks. Christopher started laughing. "Nick, don't tease him, look at him!" Christopher laughed, pointing at her red cheeks and giving her a poke in the ribs. Nykki transferred her glare onto her mentor. He just chuckled and made his way back through the crowd to where all the other officers were sitting. "Why didn't you tell me!" Nykki hissed furiously at her twin after Christopher had left. "I went through the day wondering if all of you had gone insane!" "You didn't ask," Nicholas answered simply, straight-faced. Nykki decided that it was high time to beat a strategic retreat back to her room.
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