Spy School and the Dead Agent

Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Aftermath

1200 Hours

Tuesday

CIA New Training Facility, ███████, ████████ Montana

Well, It's been two months since Ben's death.

It's hard to believe that my best friend, my childhood friend, is gone. But here we are.

I'm currently in our new state-mandated espionage academy, sitting in the library and studying the new books we were given. The CIA really outdid themselves this time. The academy is hidden high in the mountains of northern Montana, right in the middle of nowhere, and everything is brand new. Our dorms are new, the beds are comfortable, there are no cracks in the walls, and we even have electric fans. The classrooms are modernized, and we have uniforms. We also have a new name, disguised as a prestigious private school: Newhaven Private Academy. The only things that stayed the same were some of our teachers, a few old classmates, and the disgusting food.

"If only Ben were here to see this," Zoe said gloomily beside me. I nodded. She was studying Nelson's Basics for Disarming Nuclear Submarines. I closed my book and covered my face with my hands out of stress.

"Ugh, everything isn't the same without him. Spy school feels bland. I don't feel motivated to do anything," I told Zoe. She closed her book and looked at me.

"No matter how much I try, I just can't go back to the way things were before I met him, dammit," Zoe said joylessly.

"It's been two months. If it was an ex-girlfriend, I would've already forgotten about her," I replied. We both leaned back in our wooden chairs, letting our arms hang loose.

I remember when we spent hours looking for him. Cyrus and Catherine combed every inch of that damn forest. I checked every hole and cave, holding back my tears, refusing to believe he was dead. But of course, we found nothing, and by early morning, we gave up. He was confirmed dead by the agency.

But the worst part was a month later, when his "remains" were buried in Washington, in a private spot where no one usually visits. I've heard this is also where spies who die are buried. At his funeral, I saw the way Ben's parents cried. In my life, even before I entered this academy, I'd never seen them cry or be sad about anything. Seeing them in that state was heartbreaking; it must have been difficult to accept the news when they first heard it. The only thing the CIA gave them was a few medals for Ben and five hundred thousand dollars. Zoe also bawled as she kneeled in the grass. Cyrus and Catherine shed a few tears, and Alexander punched the ground—though he only punched it once before hurting his hand. But I remember one person who was hurt the most, the girl who cried and felt the most emotional, the one who cried in the pouring rain, who stayed for hours in a single spot watching the tombstone soak in the rain. The one who wrote the words for the tombstone:

The greatest friend.

I looked up to a far corner of the library, on the second floor, and watched a girl read a book. She had raven hair, cold blue eyes, and sculpted cheekbones. Every move she made was perfect, even the way she flipped a page. She looked emotionless, stoic even. Most new boys in our class looked at her with puppy eyes, but those who knew her before stayed away from her.

"Hey, is it true?"

A voice behind me startled me. I turned to see two figures I recognized as Jawa and Chip.

"Is it true? About B-Ben... is he—" Chip stuttered, his face showing shock and disbelief. I met his eyes.

"Unfortunately," was all I could say. Chip looked devastated, but Jawa took a seat beside me.