Life, Lies and Really Hot Spy Guys

Chapter 1: Clearance A

Hi Guys! I am going to try to add a song every chapter. When you see the <>, that is where I think the song should be played. I hope you enjoy the soundtrack and the story!

Cheers,

Darla

"BEEP BEEP BEEP!" the alarm yelled at me at the top of it's lungs.

I frowned as I woke up instantly from the annoying alarm. Through blurry eyes, I looked at the time that my phone said. I stretched, feeling my body ache. It couldn't be time to wake up just yet. It felt like I just went to bed 30 minutes ago. I pulled the pillow I was laying on out from under me and hit the alarm with it. "Why did I set the alarm to 6:30 on my birthday?" I grumbled. I paused to think about it then remembered that I had to work.

Without wasting another minute, I stretched and got out of my bed. I rubbed my eyes with yawn as I walked around my modest bedroom and started to get dressed for the morning. I picked up a blouse that I left out the night before and in the process, dropped my name tag on the ground.

I picked it up quickly then looked at it in detail. They wanted me to sleep with this thing, they swore that it was the most important piece of documentation I had, but I knew it wasn't. They were just smart at scare tactics. The CIA was full of them, and I knew better then to listen to all of them. I crossed my T's and dotted my I's but I knew when they were making me do something unimportant. I had been around the CIA long enough to know at least that.

I rubbed my finger over my name in bold lettering. Annalise Phillips, Clearance A, it read. The badge was worn for years of wear and the photo of me hardly looked like me anymore. The short blonde frizz that I called hair was replaced with my now controlled not as blonde curls. As I looked at the photo, I couldn't help but smirk. I finally seemed to master the art of eye shadow.

I cringed for a second as I thought of little 15 year old me getting this badge. I thought I knew it all back then. I was a mess, emotionally and physically and everything in between. I was proud to say that I had grown up a lot since then. Thank the stars. Now the freshly turned 19 year old me had seen the world twice over and been on countless assignments on command of the CIA.

Breaking me from my thoughts was a buzz to my phone, reminding me that I needed to move on if I wanted to make it on time to work. I quickly made a mental note to redo my photo then shoved the badge into my pocket of my slacks as I walked down the stairs of my townhouse. The last thing I needed was to be late once again for work.

I made a lot of poor choices between 15 year old me and now but one thing I would never regret was my choice to work for the CIA.

I grew up with the CIA all around me. My parents worked for them, my grandparents, even my great grandparents. I could easily say that CIA work was hardwired into my very being. But after my parents died when I was 14, I didn't know where to go or who to trust.

For a year, my faith in the CIA wavered, I didn't want anything to do with it, even though I lived with my grandmother who was the head of the DPD within the CIA. I was grieving for a while, I went into a very dark place.

I was bitter with life. It wasn't until I realized that the only way I could improve was to do something. So I applied for an internship at the CIA so I could be closer to my grandmother. I relied on her since the rest of my world seemed to fall apart on me.

At first, I only ran coffee and papers between offices after school and on summer break. But after I graduated early from high school last year and started college, I started to work assignments and missions as a team. Since last year alone, the CIA has sent from everywhere from London England to Nigeria Africa.

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I walked into my small kitchen and looked at the dirty dishes in the sink. I frowned at them as if that would make them wash themselves. I was going to clean them last night but I was so tired from working late in the office, that when I did get home, I forgot.

Making a mental note to do them later, I walked over to the fridge and opened it to see almost empty shelves. However, I still rummaged through them, hoping that there was something that I could eat for lunch. Just like the dishes, I forgot to go shopping yesterday.

Ever since I moved out of my grandmother's house, I felt like I couldn't keep up with house chores. I struggled to find a work/school/life balance. Recently I felt like a lot of things were slipping through the cracks but I was trying to make it not apparent.

With a heavy sigh, I grabbed an apple and stuffed it into my purse for lunch. "I guess I'm going to have a diet day," I said to myself with disappointment as I closed the fridge door.

I felt my phone buzz again. I pulled it out of my dress slacks to see a reminder text from my grandmother. I tried to pretend that it didn't bother me that she didn't wish me happy birthday. I knew she loved me but my grandmother and I had a very different relationship then others.

Most of the time she was emotionally unavailable. She was barely there for me when my parents died. Honestly that was one of the reasons why I joined the CIA. She was there and I was hoping to build more of a relationship with her.

In some ways I think it did help. But she pushed me too hard and it often left little time for anything else. She saw great things in me, or so she said, honestly I think she just wanted to see her son, my father, in me. Regardless of what it was, I felt like I had to live up to her expectations. I worked too hard, at least that was what my best friends told me.

I shook my head to clear it as I looked at the clock on my microwave. I swore mentally. I was going to be late and that was the last thing I needed for today.

I grabbed a hand full of nuts for breakfast and walked to the front door. I looked at myself in the mirror right beside my front door and smiled lightly as if trying to convince myself that I looked presentable. But that was a lie. My hair looked a little too messy today and the lack of makeup made me look more tired then I was. .

I pulled my blonde mane back into a pony tail and threw myself more of a convincing smile. I was Annalise Phillips. I worked at the CIA and I belonged there, I was not there because of my grandmother. I deserved a spot at the table just like everyone else there. I repeated those words again in my mind to make it more believable. I needed to believe it myself. I nodded. "Better" I said as I walked out the front door to my car that was parked in the drive.