Barbie and the Spy Squad: The Start of Something New

Chapter Seven: No More Lies... Vigil Eyes

"So... now you know..."

Tense, strained silence suffocated the two blondes as Ken's strangely blank yet subtly bewildered face never left Barbie's eyes the entire time she spoke.

She spilled her guts... she told him all of it...

Her recruitment...

The gem thief mission...

Dunbar...

Her weird trips and incessant phone calls...

Her three-week disappearance...

Her injuries...

All of it.

"Are... are you OK?", Barbie cautiously sought out from her best friend who was practically stupefied.

At first, Ken didn't respond... he just sat there in a trance with his mouth half gaped. He did blink once in a while, but mostly he was just quietly but intently paying attention to every word Barbie confessed.

My best friend is a spy... my best friend is a secret agent spy...

"Ken?", she bit her lip nervously because he was taking forever. Barbie knew this was going to take a while for him to process, but she desperately wanted to make sure he was alright with everything. A prayer went through her mind that she didn't screw up their friendship or his trust completely.

"Sooooo... you're... you're a spy...", he reiterated in such a deadpan voice that made Barbie anxious, pointing to her as he said it aloud. She sighed and nodded.

"Yeah..."

"And... when you... didn't come out to dinner that night, it wasn't because you... fell asleep on the couch... it was because you were... out... fighting a... bad guy..."

Another nod, "Yes..."

More silence... then Ken inquired even further, still slowly allowing the bombshell to register, "And you weren't in Willows for three weeks helping your aunt with her house, you were trapped in Australia... in the Outback... with another bad guy..."

Barbie exhaled and scootched closer to the edge of her chair and wrung her hands, "Are you mad?"

Ken blinked... his jaw still hung from its open position, nearly catching flies. Barbie's blues darted back and forth across his face, desperately wishing he'd say something soon that let her know where she stood in his life. What their future would be as friends given everything she just let loose.

"Mad?"

Barbie gulped at that one curt word... she figured she ruined them. She had every belief in her bones that he would never trust her again.

"I'm not mad... but you're crazy!?", he began wildly.

She blinked and sat back, wondering what he meant. Then, he stood up and paced the room, waving haphazardly as he emphasized his whole rant with finger points and hand gestures.

"My best friend... my best friend in the whole world is a secret agent spy! You mean to tell me that you're going out at night--- or, ya know, the day--- on these weirdly suspicious and random trips where you don't let anyone know where you're going or when you'll be back, risking your life to help others, getting yourself hurt—nearly killed!!—and you want to know if I'm mad?!"

She bit her lip and shrunk lower even more at his outburst.

Ken huffed, then chuckled, but it wasn't a laugh to indicate he was happy... he felt like he was going bonkers.

"Barbie! I'm not mad! I'm terrified!!", he threw his hands against his chest, "All this time you've been hiding this huge secret from me because you're out there beating up bad guys and using weapons and getting hurt and risking your life... and getting hurt!!... and never knowing when you'll be called next or where you're going or when you'll be back... knowing you can't tell anyone your secret because you're afraid they'll get hurt too and you want to know if I'm mad!?! Barbie, I'm not mad at you... I'M OUT OF MY MIND WORRIED SICK FOR YOU!!"