Hide & Spy (a.k.a. Gallagher Girls NG)

Chapter 13

Never in my life had I been so grateful or excited for detention. After the day I had, I needed a good distraction.  Mr. Hobbes ordered me to meet him in the seventh grade COW (Countries of the World) classroom. When I got there, he was already there, sitting on top of the teacher's desk, waiting. He had something written on the board. "EITHER LIE IT OR STAY SILENT".

When I closed the door he motioned for me to sit as he asked," Explain this term to me, Morgan." Then he took a rather huge bite of his apple.

I sat down, took out a notebook, figuring I would need these notes for later, and thought about it. "Does it have something to do with interrogation?" I asked.

"Very good," he said. "It does, but not only in interrogation. In life. In the workplace. In any form of questioning. Interrogation can take many forms. From the stereotypical sense of being handcuffed in a dark room with nothing but a bright light in your face, to just an ordinary conversation.  Regardless, there are three key things needed in an interrogation. What are they?"

"An interrogator. The suspect. And..." I trailed off, while trying to think of the third.

"The audience," Hobbes finished for me, and I made a point to write that down. "Those who watch the interrogation, the people who feed the interrogator the questions they need to ask or topics they should address. One way to know that your being interrogated, if it wasn't already obvious, is the feeling of being watched."

"But, isn't that how most operatives feel, or should feel, all the time?" I asked.

Hobbes smiled as he said," That they do. But during a covert interrogation, it feels different. You are drawn to something. Could be a mirror, a wall, something that gives you the impression that someone is watching you from that one area. When you feel that way and you come to realize the position you are in, the saying on the board comes into play. You can twist your answers, give them lies, and turn the interrogation to your favor. Making the interrogate to the interrogator."

"And if they catch you in a lie?" I asked.

"You keep your mouth shut," Hobbes said. "This principle was first developed by children, they used it whenever they got into trouble. Tell me, Morgan, have you ever done anything that you weren't supposed to, then lied to try and get out of it?  Then, when you couldn't lie anymore, you just kept your mouth shut. "He had a point. I could think of a dozen instances when that happened. When I stole one of Grandpa Joe's knives. When Grandma caught me trying to hack into the MI6 files.  "Children do this all the time. It only took spies a hundred years to realize that this rule applies to interrogation. Not to mention the fact that most people believe that truths and lies are two different things."

"Aren't they?"

"No," Hobbes chuckled. "A truth can quickly become a lie and vice versa. Mostly, they're just statements that have yet to be proven, or are perceived differently."

  "I understand," I said.

"No," Hobbes said as he shook his head. "I don't think you do. Which is why I'm going to cut detention short this evening. I'm going to give you something to think about and I want you to determine if it's a truth or a lie. And why." I then gave him my full attention, ready for whatever he threw at me.

"Why are you here, Morgan?" Or at least, I though I was ready.

"What?" I replied not fully understanding.

"Why are you here at Gallagher Academy? Was it your decision or your family's? I've watched you, analyzed you, and observed you, it's my job. And based on my results, you don't have what it takes to make it in this business. You will never live up to the expectations that this job, and that your family, has put on you. We don't have to do what our families do, Morgan. You don't belong here, and you never will." With that, he left. He left me to ponder everything he just said. To determine if it was a truth or a lie.

It was a lie...

Right?