Former Glory An Ex-Spy Story

Chapter Three

My friends stare at me as I climb in bed early. They both give me odd looks as I tell them I want to go to bed. I'm at total night owl. Usually after coming back from a mission Leanne makes hot chocolate and we all talk about what happened even though it is classified. We don't care. No one will tell. We all trust eachother. Another reason I don't think either of them would ever leak information to an enemy agency.

I break tradition tonight though. I tell them I'm tired, but I could run a mile. My blood is racing through my body. I put my pajamas on and put my hair in a long fishtail braid. My hair is naturally pretty straight, but a bend is nice.

I pretend to sleep while I hear my friends wonder why I retired early. I honestly do not plan on going to bed. I just want some time to think. There is a possible double crosser in my team and Jackson is I'm not really sure...

Eventually I fade to sleep.

I wake up in a wide entrance of a long field. Everything suddenly fade faster and faster so a dull gray. The only thing I think is, "I need shelter." I turn slowly and see a huge sheltering rock and I try to run to it, but my feet are stuck. My legs feel like lead. When I move it is in slow motion. My legs wobble and I come crashing down into the gray grass. The grass painfully stings my face and bare arms. I scream, but it comes out in slow motion. Then the world flips and I fall through the ground. The rest of the world disappears and I am alone. I call out but the sound never leaves my mouth. I don't know how I was able to scream, but the ability doesn't come again.

I am in a land full of fire. Everything burns bright red. My back hits the ground and is instantly burned. The shirt I'm wearing is torn to shreds at the bottom. I touch my back and my hand burns. The skin on my fingers burns. They are a light pink shade.

Then I see Jackson, Lisa, and Jace. I rush towards them. Relief makes me blind and I don't see them start to speak or that none of them have eyes. I jumps back and stare at their empty eye sockets. Their words are dead and monotonous all speaking at the same time. "You think I'm a traitor!" On "traitor" their words sharpen. Their voice is now yelling. "Did you not trust me?!?!"

I'm unable to speak so I shake my head in slow motion. I had alibis for all of them. How could they think this? I fall to my knees and they move closer. "We shouldn't have trusted YOU!!!"

I wake up stifling a scream. My friends are all asleep and I check my alarm clock. It's only 3:00 o'clock in the morning. Moonlight pools into the room.

It's just a bad dream. It's just a bad dream. I tell myself.

It felt so real though. I can't go back to sleep and I know I can't. I pull back the curtains and watch the moon.

After watching the moon for a while I decide on walking the halls for a little while. I keep my fishtail in, but change into a white tank top, a brown leather jacket, black leggings, and my brown leather boots. Neither Leanne or Lisa stir as a leave. The door closes slowly behind me.

As soon as I step out of the door I feel a little bit better. I sigh, the familiar school giving me a warm feeling. This place has been my home for two years.

I walk down the sloping staircase painted red and gold. Long ago they were ballroom stairs. Now they house hundreds of boys and girls learning how to be spies.

I turn the corner to a giant room. The ballroom. The simple silver necklace around my neck feels cold. The only possession of the mother's that I own. It's a simple thing, a silver chain with a heart charm. She's been dead so long I barely remember her. That doesn't keep my heart from breaking everytime I think about her. And when I bring myself to think of her I think of my father.

My father is a ghost of the past. It's as if he never existed in the first place. Honestly I've been told that he left my mother and I when I was small, but I don't believe that. He's the most painful thing to remember because he was murdered, right in front of me.

A voice suddenly startles me out of my thoughts, "Hey Princess, what're you doing up so late?" Jackson.

My cheek feels wet and I realize that I had been crying. "Agen - Jackson," I correct myself. My voice wobbles but I steady it and pretend to be fine. It's a spy thing. It's no big deal; but it is. "what are you doing up?"

"Ah ah ah...I asked you first." He counters smirking.

"I couldn't sleep." I admit.

"Aww..." Jackson teases. "did baby have a nightmare?"

The last part was entirely teasing, but I admit again, "Yes."

His face falls, "Ah - I sorry."

"It's alright." I say immediately forgiving him.

"Good." He says and walks over to me.

He elbows me. "It's your turn." I point out. "Why are you here?"

Jackson reddens but says, "Can we sit?"

"Alright." I say pretending to be annoyed.

We walk over to bench a few yards away.

"I saw you looking lost and I didn't want you to be alone." He admits.

I blush and respond, "I'm never alone."

"That's what I hoped you'd say. " His smile widens, then disappears. "What happened to you parents?" He asks and I flinch. "I'm sorry." He rushes trying to take it back. "I've - I've just only ever heard you c-call the McMasters your foster family and your last names are different. You also look nothing like them. I-" I cut off his fast talking and answer smiling sadly.

"My mother, as I'm told was an amazing woman. I believe she was a spy, but one day-" My voice breaks and Jackson looks at me worriedly. He touches my arm and I take a deep breath. "I had a nanny back then. I remember her getting a phone call and looking horrified. Even as a small child, I asked her what was wrong and she said, 'Sweetie, don't worry about it.' and told me to go to bed. I got ready for bed. Then I climbed in bed and waited for what felt like hours. My mother, no matter how late she got home would always wake me up and get me a milk or hot chocolate. It was a secret from my dad who was almost never home. I waited until early morning and just as I was about to fall asleep I head my nanny, Mrs. Hopkins, start to cry. She was one my mother's closest friends and really cared for her. I went downstairs to comfort her. She hugged me close and whispered, 'There's been a terrible accident and your mother is dead.' I started to cry and she kept whispering, 'You're father will be home shortly.' We sat together for two hours. My - my father-" I start to cry.

"You don't have to tell me." Jackson says his voice soft.

"Yes I do." I say furiously swiping my tears away. "My father walked in the door and I ran up and hugged him. People always tell me this never happened and I was too young to understand, but he got shot. Right there. The bullet barely missed me, but went right through my father's stomach and hit Mrs. Hopkins. They tell me I was alone in the house. They tell me Mrs. Hopkins tripped and fell on her kitchen that night and was taken to the hospital and my father was with my mother for the accident, but they lie." I say. My voice turns bitter and a pull away from Jackson and stand up. "I think the people who told me that were spies. From the other side. Enemies of the US. They killed my parents and broke a little girl's heart." I spin on my heels and bitterly squeeze out, "I'm going to go."

Jackson looks hurt, but I don't care. "I'm sorry." He mutters.

"Don't be." I snap and stalk off.

I want to go to my room and forget everything that happened tonight. I'd never told anyone, but Leanne that story and she already knew it. Mrs. Hopkins is her mom. She is Leanne Hopkins. But Mrs. Hopkins survived and my mother did not.

My face is now wet again and I don't try to stop the tear this time. I just let them fall.