Teen Spy: The Observer

Chapter 17

Kiara and her friends head to the Lunch Area. After everyone who wants to play arrives, Ms. Lane and Mr. Allen divide them in two large groups. By then a few long golf cars have parked in front of them and when the selection is finished, they all climb in.

They move to the golf fields and Ms. Lane designates the teams' areas, explaining the rules. For the game, they will use two holes that are side by side but are divided by a patch of trees. Those trees are the teams' area limit. Each team can place their flag wherever they want inside their area as long as it is in plain sight. The teams walk to their zones and take five minutes to strategize. Kiara and Zoey end up in one team, and Sydney and Jessy in the other.

When the game begins, Kiara quickly approaches the tress and slows her pace. Her job is to capture the flag while the rest of her team serve as distraction. But first, she must wait for the signal.

As she moves through the patch of trees to get into position, she sees Agent Hunter guarding the area and her breath catches. As first impression go, Kiara can safely say that his profile video does not disappoint. He is as handsome as the photos suggest, but he seems pensive and serious, a stark contrast with the mood of the game. Fortunately for her, he is not looking her way.

Taking advantage of this, Kiara considers her options and decides to move slowly around him. She sidesteps his position being mindful of where she places her feet as to not make any sound. Suddenly she stops, not too far away.

Estimating she still has time before the signal arrives, she retraces some of her steps and purposely enters in his line of sight. Agent Hunter lifts his eyebrow at her and sizes her up in a calculating way. His face betrays nothing.

Kiara steps closer, far enough to not be immediately tagged, but close enough to have a conversation. Agent Hunter stays in the same position, not taking the bait.

"Aren't you going to try and tag me?" Kiara says.

After an uncomfortable pause that made Kiara wonder if he was ignoring her, Agent Hunter finally says: "You did a lousy job trying to get past me undetected".

"Who says that was my intention?" Kiara smirks taking the comment in a stride.

"Hopefully when it starts, you won't take it as a game." He does not have to clarify what 'it' means, and the first comment takes on a whole new sense for Kiara.

"It is a bit arrogant of you to think you know me by the little information we have of each other." Kiara says calmly with the smirk still intact. Inside, she is offended. It does not matter how gorgeous he or his accent is. What he said was plain rude. "Do you question all of your teammates like this?"

"Excuse me for having my doubts, considering how little training you've had." He says defensively.

"If I wasn't prepared for this, I wouldn't be in it." She argues not letting her surprise show, but a tinge of doubt creeps in.

She remembers the file stating that both Agent Hunter and Sasha had a few years of training before being activated. But she reasoned that it was because they were too young to be assigned a mission. She did not know two months of formal training was a short amount of time.

"Besides, I have to start somewhere. And what better way than with more experienced a- teammates that can show me the ropes." Kiara says catching herself before saying agents. You never know who might be listening.

She consciously butters him up. It is one thing to be partners with someone who has plainly shown her disdain for her. She does not need another one. Before she could see if it worked, a loud commotion comes from the opposite team's field, reminding them where they are.

"That's my signal." Kiara says. She silently promises herself to prove him wrong.

Agent Hunter tries to tag her, but she quickly dodges him. She moves between the trees out of reach. He follows her for a few minutes, but Kiara stays ahead with fast and seemingly random turns. He soon decides to not waste time on her and sprints into her side of the field.

Kiara moves on with the plan. She increases her speed and when she steps to the clearing, she sprints as fast as she can.

In the middle of the field, many kids are running around and chasing each other without noticing Kiara in the sideline. She can see the flag up ahead with two people guarding it. One is more concerned about what is happening with the others. The other just left his post to stop another one of Kiara's team members whose job is the same as hers.

While the situation favors her, Kiara grabs the flag and keeps running, putting a target on her back. Many of the opposite team shout at her, but she pays no attention. She runs in a straight line, not bothering to border the area. She feels the guards hot in pursuit but doesn't dare look back.

She almost reaches her team's side of the field when someone passes in front of her, making her slow down. Immediately after, she is touched in the back. She freezes in her spot a bit winded. The flag keeper comes around to take the flag, but it is no longer in her hands.

"What the-?" the girl says.

"Too late" Kiara interrupts her and points to the person that passed in front of her. He has the flag in one hand because Kiara had given it to him when they crossed paths. As soon as he steps foot in the team's zone, Mr. Allen stops the game and proclaims the winner.

After a few minutes of brake filled with congratulations, they begin another round and then another until the end of the hour. In that time, each team had the opportunity to win more than once. Although Kiara's path crosses with Agent Hunter's, they do not exchange more words.

When the final game ends a few minutes before curfew, everyone heads back to their rooms. Kiara barely has the energy to take a quick shower and put her pajamas on before falling asleep.