Teen Spy: The Observer

Chapter 15

The sunday night before the trip, Kiara is putting the last of her clothes in her suitcase. She would have had it ready hours ago, but she got sidetracked deciphering the riddle.

Turns out she was right about the anagram. After many tries, she finally realized that it spelled PALACE. Using her good friend Google, she narrowed down her search to Paris's seven palaces. However, she was stumped on the words "regularly ploughed".

The "hall of reflection" on the second verse of the riddle could mean a hall where you can think or a hall where you can see yourself, as in a mirror. She looked up palaces with halls of mirrors and the only entry was the Versailles Palace. Wanting to cover all her bases, she backtracked and investigated the meaning of Versailles, which is to keep turning over or regularly ploughed.

Therefore, she concluded that the meeting is in the Versailles Palace through a secret passage in the Hall of Mirrors. The entrance of the secret passage is most probably behind the fifth reflection or behind the fifth mirror in the hall. "The one exposed" could be the one reflected in the mirror, or it could mean someone naked.

Maybe a statue or something like that. Kiara wonders, but the only way to solve that part is being there.

The question now is how she will even get there without arising suspicion. She could try to sneak out of the tour and head there on her own. However, that means she has to time it well and have someone cover for her. That is out of the question.

She keeps brainstorming ideas as she finishes packing. I could fake an illness that day and sneak out of the resort we'll be staying in...

This immediately reminds her that she should probably check the tours itinerary first before trying to come up with a plan. She mentally facepalms herself for not doing that before and lands heavily on her bed feeling a bit overwhelmed. Doubts and what ifs fill her mind, making her second guess her work on the riddle.

Fortunately, her musings are interrupted when she hears her ringing tone. Grabbing her phone from her nightstand like a lifesaver, she sees that Zoey is calling her.

"Hey Z, what's up?" Kiara shifts her mindset.

"Hey, you tell me."

For a moment Kiara panics, thinking Zoey found out. But then she thinks it through. As far as she knows Zoey doesn't have telepathy to know her thoughts right now. She is probably asking about something else.

"About?" Kiara takes her shoes and puts them in her bag.

"Well... there's a video of you arguing with Ryan in the school's parking lot and it seems like you are just one word away from punching his lights out."

Kiara groans. "Why am I not surprised? Let me guess, it was one of Ryan's friends"

"Owen," Zoey confirms. "But don't worry, it has already been deleted from social media"

This surprises Kiara. It is very difficult to eliminate something posted online. Although, she knows of someone with the right resources to pull it off. She will have to thank Agent Knight next time she sees him.

"Sooo, want to tell me what happened?" Zoey asks.

Kiara tells her everything that happened from Ryan and Sasha's breakup fight to her rubbing it in Ryan's face.

"Well at least you didn't punch him" Zoey says consolingly

"Oh, believe me, most of the time that's what he deserves, but-

"I know, I know. Punching someone should only be in self-defense or to defend others." They laugh at Zoey's imitation.

"I don't sound like that!" Kiara fakes offense, but the effect is ruined by their giggles.

"Okay, okay. But seriously, are you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just Ryan being Ryan. I can handle him." Kiara assures her friend.

"I don't doubt it. It's just..." Zoey hesitates. Kiara waits for her to gather her thoughts. "You've been spacing out and you're acting distant. Jessy and Ney have also noticed it. And we're a bit worried. Is something bothering you?"

Kiara opens her mouth to defend herself but stops. Her friends are right, but how could she explain everything that has transpired since her birthday. It isn't that she doesn't trust them. She does, wholly and completely.

But she has the feeling that it would do more harm than good to tell them. She also signed a confidentiality clause. She can't exactly tell them much of what she does.

"I'm fine." She finally says sitting on her bed. "I just have many things in my mind lately."

She stays as close to the truth as possible, but she must be more careful. She will have to take this into consideration during their stay in Paris.

"But enough about me. How about you tell what happening between you and Santiago" Kiara says humorously and totally changing the subject.

"Uh! Not you too! For the last time, we had to work on a project for the Spanish class. Nothing happened and nothing will happen between us!"

Kiara contains her laugh, saying in a very innocent and serious tone: "So you don't find him even a little bit attractive?"

"Yes. I mean no. I mean... Uh! That's not the point!"

At this point, Kiara cannot hold back her laugh.

"I swear, sometimes you're worse than Ney!" Zoey says indignantly. They both pause for a second thinking it over.

"Nah!" They say at the same time and then laugh at their reaction.

"Now, seriously, if you like him, just ask him out. The worst that can happens is that he tells you no." Kiara says. "And if you are not interested in dating anyone, that's fine too."

"Whatever."

With that, she knows she has hit Zoey's limit. She better back off. "Anyway, I have to finish packing. Talk to you later"

"Wait, before I forget. Ms. Lane uploaded the trips schedule in CrystalWeb. Could you send it to my personal email? My school mail is still not working."

"Yeah, sure."

After hanging, she powers up her laptop and searches for the schedule. She sends it to Zoey's email and to hers. Remembering her earlier dilemma, Kiara details it and pays special attention to June 11th visits. She laughs at herself. She worried for nothing because they are going to spends that day in the Versailles Palace. She only has to figure out a way to sneak off to the meeting point and return before anyone notices her absence.

It seems like a coincidence that the day she needs to be in the palace is the day the trip is scheduled to go there. But Kiara doubts it. She wouldn't put it pass ISS to arrange that "coincidence". As she has learned these past few months, ISS has a long reach.