Life, Lies and Really Hot Spy Guys

Chapter 4: Far Too Much Time

Song is for the start of the chapter!

All too quickly I found myself walking into Langley the next day. I pulled on my shirt as I told myself that I deserved working here just as much as they deserved it. I said these words more often then I would care to admit but yet I still felt like they weren't real.

I was so tired of putting up this facade but people would never stop talking about me until I was perfect or did something fantastic. Until now, that had not happened, I was just Annalise Phillips that some how got missions that people wanted and somehow still made mistakes. Currently, I would not reach anyone's expectations. I was not like my parents who seemed to do everything right. I was sure that was why Gram had kept her distance from me. I shook my head, not wanting to linger on those thoughts.

As I walked onto my floor I noticed that everyone was busy. I walked passed Auggie's office to see that he was typing on the computer with passion. He looked lost in his own world as I stepped in to his office space. "Auggie, what's going on?" I asked as I leaned my thin frame against his door frame.

"Flight testing," he said, not even looking at me, his eyes still on the computer.

Realization flooded through me. I should have known this. We do this every year after my birthday. Flight testing was that one time a year where we tested all communications with our bases all over the world. The whole test took about a week and everyone works over time because something always seemed to go wrong during the time.

"By the way, your grandma wanted to see you like five minutes ago," he said, not missing a beat with his typing.

I frowned, I had been over this with him. If there was an ASAP moment, he needed to text me about it. At least then I could prepare for her wrath.

He stopped typing and looked at me with a smile. "Relax, I'm messing with you, she just said to tell you to go up to her office when I saw you."

With a nod, left him to go to my grandmother's office. There, waiting for me in my grandmother's large office was Toby and my Grandmother. They talked quickly to one another as if they were in such a deep conversation, so deep that they didn't seem notice as I walked in.

This wasn't something new though, I was so used to being forgotten or looked over. I wasn't the all star team member, like Toby, so I expected it. Sometimes I wondered if my grandmother wished Toby was her grandson instead of me.

Silently, I closed the door behind me and cleared my throat loud enough that they would hear me.

Suddenly, their privet conversation was cut short, falling like leaves to the ground. Gram looked at me with a small smile. "Oh Annalise, good, you're here. I was just telling Toby that you two are going on a mission together."

I smiled widely as excitement rose in me. I haven't had a mission in months; it was about time for me out get out of this office. I tried to control my excitement but clearly it wasn't working. "Where too? Africa? Europe? Asia? I'm there," I said, a little too eagerly.

"No, I'm just sending you to New York city," she said and smiled widely, like this was the best news I have heard all week long.

"Fun. Alright," I said, clearly let down a bit. However I still excited to please my grandmother. That was all I shot for, every time I went to work, I just wanted to make her proud.

"You leave today at three. As you know, we're running our yearly flight testing and New York City is having problems with their communication. So I thought the two of you would be a good choice to send. Annalise, you have years of knowledge and experience with flight testing and I want you to show Toby the ropes," Gram said as she handed me a folder.