Spy School: Operation Downfall

Exams

    *I only own the plot, all characters and other aspects of the story is owned by Stuart Gibbs*

Washington, D.C

Academy of Espionage, Capture the Flag feild

0010

             It was a brisk summer-start morning, it was the fourth day of spring exams. On my usual list of "what not to do in the morning", laying face-planted deeply in the splotch of mud under an unseemly tall wall to climb would qualify. However, before any thoughts of throwing the test and walking off the field. Coach Bronston yelled in his deep voice, "Ripley, get up! You're only on the second obstacle while everyone of almost finished! It took you 1 hour to get over the first one! I won't wait for you all day!" 

It was true of what Mr. Bronston said of me, taking 1 hour just to get over a rather pathetic half-wall in which everyone took 10 minutes to scramble over. While I wanted to defend the little "respect" I had from my peers I saw a few of them snickering off to the side watching me. I rolled onto my back groaning, the falls from the wall onto what little cushion the mud could provide had finally taken a toll on my back. However, I was surprised that it hasn't fractured and broken into countless vertebrates already. I tried my best to look at Mr. Bronston and leaning my head I said trying to hide the pain from my voice, "All right, I'll give it my best shot. But let's see you do it first." I saw a few of my peers nodding in response.

Mr. Bronston sneered, "I've done this whole obstacle course blindfolded, how about focusing on yourself before worrying about me." Mr. Bronston had only two emotions, being partially supportive and sinister, he tended to sway unexpectedly between them. I stood up, the mixture of sand and mud splattered on my clothes, and feeling the cold mud dripping down my chest inside my shirt. The humidity of the morning wrapped around my body as if a thick woolen blanket. Sweat covered every part of my body. I looked over at the finish line, there she was. Eric Hale was one of the best spies in Spy School or our alise St. Smithen Science School for Boys and Girls. I fell in love with her in my first year immediately when I came to the school. She could outclass almost everyone in the CIA, although she was trained at a very young age dating by from her family lineage to the Revolutionary War and most of her family, excluding her father Alexander Hale, are very competent. 

Then standing nervously beside her with her eyes of concern locked onto mine. The sea-green eyes were full of concern for whether I would finish the obstacle course in time and looking at the awkward movements of my arms her eyes narrowed. She didn't look like much, a small stature used to let her enemies underestimate her and win, but it did work sometimes. Things became awkward as Zoe Zibbel landed a job in DADD, Double Agent Detective Division, and tried to arrest one of his friends Erica Hale who proved to be wrong. She apologized but things were never the same between her. On the last leg of the race, Jawa O'Shea and Chip were competing on who would reach the line. Chip was a student known more for his brawn than his brain and Jawa O'Shea was the best all-round physically and mentally. However, both wouldn't stand a change between Erica Hale. 

As I tried again to climb the wall sticking my fingers into the gaps between the wooden planks and heaving my whole body up was tiring, especially after doing it for more than an hour and a half. The sweat dripped into my eyes stinging it, but I couldn't afford to wipe it in fear of falling. As I neared the top finally using the last of my strength. I used the coarse rope on the other side, stained with blood from previous students whose rope burned themselves on their already raw skins. As I carefully maneuvered to grab it and climb down, however enjoying the moment for a second looking around. At the swaying pine trees and the path that connected to the main compound of the spy school. This was the field in which they played capture the flag a few days ago as part of their test, the grass was still splattered with red and green paint and not yet put away fortifications on the hills on either side. With holes every few feet the field looked like a reenactment of the Revolutionary War. I look down to see Mike Brezinski pacing himself and preparing to hurdle some fences not far in front of me. I was glad to see most of the students weren't much in front of me if I paced myself. Mike Brzezinski was my best friend in regular school, he used his knowledge of me going to a spy school and his regular outside-the-box thinking, to land a spot in Spy School. 

As I neared the bottom of the wall the timer in Mr. Bronston's hand buzzed. As he shouted, "All right everyone stop where you are." This was easy as almost everyone was gassed out excluding Erica Hale who stood there without a hint of tiredness although completing this obstacle course three times while I was barely past the second. He went through everyone generally nodding approvingly after looking at each student's spot and told them their score. However, when he came to me I could only hope not for an F as I would have to go through this torturous class again. I was never physical, I was cerebral and managed to thwart many evil plans with my brain. As he walked close to me, I could smell the cheap deodorant that only masked his sweat-sulfurous smell, and his unkept hair and nose needed trimming. He said nothing as he looked at my spot and muttered something to himself. After a while of silence, he wrote down a D+ and I caught a glimpse before he walked away. After he called, "Dismissed." And proceeded towards the path that led to the compound. We were all tired and couldn't wait for exams to be finished as we headed in that direction.