Spies in Skates [Book Three]

Chapter One: Breaking the Ice Is Hard in Subzero Temperatures

Ahh hello!!! So here's the third installation of Spies in Shoes - "Spies in Skates." I'm so sorry that it took so long to get it up, I couldn't think of how to start it for ages. But yeah, I really hope you enjoy this first chapter. I think I've got a good plan worked out, and with some luck, it'll still be sorta humorous. I don't wanna make it super dark, although it kinda is haha, so I'll try my best. Anyway, please shoot me a comment telling me what you think, and maybe a vote :)

Pic of Nat --->

Gracias! <3 vb123321

Chapter One

Breaking the Ice Is Hard in Subzero Temperatures

I'm not really sure how most third books of a series start out, but however they do, I won't do that. At this point, if you don't know what's going on, I really don't know what to say to you except get your head in the game and go read the other two books first. That's probably your best bet - and you'll probably still think I'm insane.

Here's a shocker: This story doesn't start at school. Yeah, it probably should have, but thanks to a grand old polar vertex that decided to swamp half of the United States, we were blessed with two snow days in a row in the first full week of January. Although they were actually kinda "cold days" because of negative temperatures. But on the afternoon of Saturday the fourth, I didn't know that we'd have Tuesday and Wednesday off, only that Monday was the last day of our Christmas break.

My friend Sarah called and asked if I wanted to go ice-skating, and an hour later I was walking into an indoor rink with my skates in hand. It felt weird to go to an indoor place in the middle of January, but seeing as it was, like, two degrees outside, it was definitely the better option. We had just chowed down on pizza, sang along to Austin in the car, and were looking forward to an evening of laughing at my friend Jessica (she couldn't skate).

I wasn't thinking about Jer, who had gone back to Chicago a week before, still all bandaged up and under pain meds.

I wasn't thinking about the midterm exams I'd be taking in a week's time.

I wasn't thinking about Pazzini and how the CIA still hadn't found him and how he could be out there somewhere, anywhere.

I wasn't thinking about spies, I wasn't thinking about paintings, I wasn't thinking about guns or thieves or people who wanted to kill me, and I definitely, most certainly, was not thinking about a boy whom no one had seen in over two weeks.

Instead, I let myself feel normal as we skated around the rink, laughing and talking and sipping hot chocolate. Jessica spent most of her time clutching the wall and wailing for us to slow down, which only Sarah did, since she didn't have a mean bone in her body. The rest of us skated circles around them and discussed what so-and-so had said to someone at some party thrown the previous night that none of us had attended.

"Did anyone finish the chem review packet?" asked Jessica as we finally slowed down to sit on the edge of the rink with her. "I did about half of it."

Maggie made a face. "Can we not."

"I think it's ridiculous that we only have a week before exams," said Sarah, looking concerned. "The teachers will all be rushing us into reviewing, and some of them haven't even finished teaching the chapter we're on - like Euro! Are we supposed to know chapter twenty-five or not?"

I groaned, digging the end of my skate into the ice. "I'm with Maggie - forget school. We only have two days of break left."

"It's supposed to be in the negatives next week!" Jessica's eyes widened. "Do you think maybe they'll cancel school?"