Sorry I'm a day late! So much assessment and so little time for writing :(

Anyway, just one last assignment left! YAY!! Holidays here I come...

I lean against the edge of the rooftop overlooking Rome in its sparkling bright street lamps. The cool night air blew a steady breeze and I find myself once again reflecting on all the life-changing events that have happened in two mere weeks. The top floor of the hotel was a roofless restaurant. It was completely empty tonight and I loved it. I loved the open air, and the cute set up of the whole place. I especially loved the amazing view from the edge, out-looking the streets of Rome and a few famous land sites. The restaurant was elaborately set up, with beautiful potted flowers and plants. A few flickering candles were placed on white table cloths. Wicker chairs were placed in pairs around each table, and next to the tables were wine coolers with a single but expensive looking wine sitting inside. I'd never been to a rooftop restaurant, and I instantly fell in love with it as I had made my way up the hotel stairs. When we had left grandma's place about an hour ago, Erik seemed pretty eager to get on the road. I could practically see his mind busily planning everything, as if he were a machine working at full speed. As soon as we made it back to the hotel he sent us packing almost immediately. I finished packing in less than half an hour. Although I had bought more than I probably ever had in my lifetime, I wasn't one to buy all that much in general. Having too much stuff meant having to constantly clean and keep everything tidy. It also made it harder to pack, especially when continuously moving around, a problem Justine was facing at this moment. As if in response, I hear Justine call out to Erik a floor below, her shrill voice ringing out for the whole world to hear.

"Erik I think I'm going to need another suit case! It won't fit!" I hear Justine's struggled voice. I smile to myself, imagining her trying to desperately zip up her overly full suit case.

"I reckon she should yell a little louder. I don't think China heard her."

I swivel around to find Mark walking up to me, shaking his head in amusement.

"Ha, yeah. She's always had a bit of a loud voice." I think back to the sports carnival last year, Justine screaming at the top of her lungs for her team.

Huh. School. Who would've thought that assignments and gossip would be the very least of my problems?

"Do you think it's actually gold?" I say out of the blue, more to myself than to Mark.

He looks at me questioningly.

"Do you think they missed something because... I don't know doesn't it seem a little odd to you?" That nagging sensation was still there. I know my dad must have seen the gold himself, but was it possible he was mistaken? Or was he lying about it being gold? Something just doesn't add up...

"Isn't this whole situation a little odd?" Mark leans against the railings.

"Yeah but..." I shake my head in defeat. "I don't even know. Forget it. Either way, we're ending this story. That stupid organisation has gone too far, whoever or whatever they are. Anita, my dad, Kol's parents, your parents..."

"My parents?" Mark cocks his head at me. "They didn't die because of them."

"Oh?" I say, taken aback. "I just assumed..."

He shakes his head, giving me a small smile. "No. Believe it or not my parents actually died from a natural cause. Well sort of." He breathes in observing the busy night life below, and for a moment I think that's all he is going to say.

"Dad died from cancer a few months back. Mum was in a state of shock for ages. Dad was a thief and mum was an intelligencer."

"Oh." I say sympathetically. "Wow... that's not often that those two kinds mix well."

Mark nods absentmindedly. "Yeah I guess so."

"So what happened to your mum?" I ask gently.

"She wasn't thinking straight. After dad was gone she just... wasn't the same. It was about four weeks later that she got called in for a job. Something about some cop going bad, but they had no proof. She was supposed to spy on him, get information and evidence, the usual but... like I said, she wasn't thinking straight."

I gulp, goose bumps forming on my bare arms as I thought of how badly it must have ended. "She got caught, didn't she?"

Mark stares at me in silence for a moment and, though his face was unreadable, his eyes said it all.

"I'm sorry," I mumble to him.

"It's not your fault," He replies, nonchalantly. "These kind of jobs are dangerous. My parents loved living on the edge though. They'd take up the most wildest tasks that not many others would want to take. I guess the bad thing about living on the edge is if you're caught in the moment and you're not ready, you fall off the edge."

I nod sadly at him. "So do you live with relatives now?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "I live at Erik's place actually."

"Erik?" I exclaim, incredulous.

Mark shrugs. "My parents have always been sort of lone wolves because of their job, and they never really got along with other family members because they were always insisting that my parents were rude because they never visited. But with such a dangerous job, it's better not to, my parents thought."

I nod my head understandingly. "But... that day I met Erik for the first time... I saw you walk the other way." I point out, and Mark laughs.

"Who do you think Erik sends grocery shopping?"

I smirk.

"But yeah," Mark continues, "Long story short, Erik basically adopted me."

"Huh," It was kind of strange, yet I understood the logic in it. We stand in silence for a while, just taking in the scenery before us. Each time I looked at the city below it was as if I was looking at it for the first time. It never seemed to get old. Ironic, I thought. Seeing as Rome is so ancient.

"You know what makes you who you are Audrey?" Mark says quietly.

I shake my head, only half listening as I continued to stare out into the twinkling lights of the stars above.

"Your compassion. You're always concerned for others, always caring. It's your compassion that drives you forward," Mark states.

At that, he's caught my attention, and I turn to face Mark. I wasn't sure if he was just teasing, but as I looked into his bright brown eyes, I could see he was serious. I realise that though he may not always be extremely talkative, he's very observant, noticing things other people would not. I consider what he says. I suppose it's kind of true. But then I think back to all the times I've felt hurt because of others. When Anita died, it pained me a lot, but the day my father died...

"It may be what makes me, but it's also what breaks me," I admit finally.

He searches my eyes for a minute, then places a warm hand on mine on the railing.

"Then I'll be right here to put you back together." Before I can acknowledge what's happening, Mark leans in and gently presses his lips against mine before stepping back again.

I stand there silently as a warm feeling seemed to flow through me. A part of me wanted to step forward and kiss him, after all, I guess this is what I had wanted from the start. But instead I remain still and curse to myself. First Kol... now Mark. Justine was right. They do like me. A sudden confliction and guilt replaced the warm, fuzzy feeling. I can't like Kol and Mark... that's just wrong... I bite my lip slightly. They both like me, Justine was right. I think incredulously. I hate it when Justine's right.

Seeing that I wasn't going to say anything, nor make any movement, he shoves his hands in his jeans pocket and clears his throat. "I'm going to go check if Erik needs anything."

I nod. "Okay." Feeling as if I had made the moment awkward for both him and me, I search for words, but Mark was already making his way back downstairs.

***

Justine follows me out of the hotel as I make my way through the streets. For probably another half hour I had stood on that rooftop, thinking of nothing and everything at the same time, if that were even possible.

"Where are you going?" she hurries to catch up.

"Out." I say simply. "Shouldn't you be packing?"

She waves a hand. "It can wait. What's up with you?"

"I just felt like having a walk."

"Right," she glimpses at me suspiciously.

We continue walking through the streets. I wasn't sure exactly where I was headed, but I've heard that a nice walk can clear a mind. And boy does it need a lot of clearing.

"Erik said he got like a dozen missed calls from my parents," Justine states, a hint of worry in her tone.

"You think everything is...?" I ask nervously, thinking of Mum.

She shakes her head. "I don't know. My parents are thieves not intelligencers, I have no clue how good they are at surveilling."

I nod my head, biting at my lip. Something doesn't feel right.

"So what..." Justine begins.

"You were right," I blurt out, stopping in my tracks near a cul-de-sac. We hadn't made it very far, and I could still see the hotel from here. "They both kissed me," I admit quickly, wanting to get it off my chest.

"Uh-huh." Justine didn't seem to be listening, but rather squinting in the direction of the hotel.

"And honestly I don't even know... Are you listening?" I poke her in the arm.

"Is that Mark?" Justine says, ignoring me. I follow her gaze and see Mark outside, seeming to search for something or someone. Spotting us, he begins to walk over hurriedly. Then all of a sudden, he picks up speed, running towards us with what seemed like some desperation.

"Audrey!" he shouts. "Behind you!" He begins to push past a few pedestrians, who mutter their annoyance.

I turn around in time to find a figure emerging from the darkness. I step back in horror just as Justine steps forward defensively, though I can see the terror in her eyes. A second figure appears next to him, grabbing Justine with one swift movement and clasping a hand over her mouth. She struggles against the man, kicking and squirming.

"Get away from her!" I shout. I punch the first figure in the cheek. His black hood shifts slightly and I see the tall ugly scar. Thorn. I shiver slightly, but it doesn't stop me from attacking. I go for a kick when he grabs my leg in mid-air and I trip, falling. Panicking, I do the only thing I can think of, scream. With all these people, someone will notice. Before I can make even a peep however, a hand clamps shut over my mouth. I claw and kick at the man, but he holds me firm in his grip. The two men pull us into the impasse, away from wandering citizens.

"Gotten a bit stronger since we last met have ya?" Thorn growled. "No matter," he signals to his companion. "Get me the desflurane. Girlie here has decided to be a little feisty."

I try to twist and turn but to no avail. Come on Mark! I think dreadfully. Precipitously, Thorn's companion shoves a dirty old rag with one hand into my face just as I breathe in and I immediately start to feel intoxicated. I watch as Justine elbows the dispatcher before giving him a mighty kick and he stumbles back into Thorn in surprise. The cloth drops from my face, but Thorn quickly picks it up, shoving it back. By this point, Mark arrives. I desperately try to keep my eyes open, trying to move my limbs, but I feel as if I am completely detached from my own body. Thorn, still gripping me with one arm, grabs a knife from his belt and begins slashing at Mark. I try to speak or move or do something, anything, but it was as if my body just wasn't responsive anymore. I watch in dismay as Justine gets slammed at a wall, and I stood and watched uselessly. My vision goes blurry as I watch Mark dodging at the whirling knife in Thorn's hand, trying to gain an advantage. I watch as Mark ducks desperately. Patches of black start seem to obscure my view, before blackening completely. I fight to keep awake. I may not be able to see anymore... I think groggily... I can still... hear though. I try to strain my ears, listening to friends as they struggled relentlessly. But I seemed be of the verge of unconsciousness, and I knew it was no use. A last clear sentenced made its way to me.

"Hang on, Audrey!" That sounds like Mark. I think dazedly. I could have sworn I heard someone call out encouragingly to me again, but that voice already seemed far, far away.

STAY TUNED: Next chapter, there will be a major plot twist... and someone you may have never expected may or may not be working for the assassins... or should I say, is the assassins' LEADER.

Thoughts on Mark? ;)

Don't forget to vote! Love you all and thanks for the 5K!!!

*Dedicated to my friend @Gloriouschang who was my first graphic designer, first reader, first voter and first fan of Deception. She hasn't given up on my writing yet (so thank you xD) and there's no way I'm giving up on her designs. She's an amazing fashion designer who deserves recognition. Check out her 'WeHeartIt' and 'Pinterest' accounts. Her drawings and graphical designs honestly never cease to amaze. Thanks ao much for the banner <3*