How To Become A Spy

Chapter Twenty

Yesterday, I'd managed to wipe away the tears and look calm by the time my mother had picked me up. I hadn't told her about me quitting because if I did, then I'd need to come up with a new excuse for me coming home late on weekdays.

I was still feeling extremely shaken with everything that had happened. Gymnastics had been my life for more than four years and all of a sudden I had just quit. Coach May hadn't bothered contacting me about it but Kevin had called me to find out what had happened. I had assured him that everything was okay but he was surprised to hear about me quitting. He had also promised to let Debby know for me.

A part of me still wondered if I had made the right choice, I knew I wouldn't be working with the RUA for much longer but I also knew that wasn't why I quit. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The pressure of trying to be some perfect athlete had always felt like some expectation I knew I couldn't reach, and now I didn't have to. But God, did it feel weird. I'd been a gymnast for years and all of a sudden, I just wasn't anymore.

I tapped my feet impatiently as I waited for the elevator to take me underground to headquarters. When I had woken up, it had hit me that my bike was still chained up and leaning against a pole at Seaville so I wouldn't have a way to get to RUA, but this morning when I had looked out my window, I saw it leaning against the old tall tree in front of my house. I assumed that it had been Eric's doing and didn't bother questioning it. After all, stranger things have happened.

I was nervous about seeing Eric, I didn't know how he was going to act this morning. After Saturday night, I hadn't seen him since and I could feel my stomach churning as I stood in the elevator. One thing was for sure, he was going to pretend none of it had happened. As the doors opened, I nervously looked to where Eric usually stood but instead, Cassie was there in her place.

"Eric's on a mission, you're with me this morning," she said simply as she walked off without a moment's notice. I followed her quickly as she walked faster. He wasn't here? He had been on missions before but a part of me wondered if he was on this one to keep away from me. The thought of it made me slightly annoyed but I decided not to believe that theory. Eric was too into his work to let personal things get in the way.

I followed Cassie into a conference room I had never been in before. There stood a huge table in the middle of the room surrounded by many empty chairs. I could only imagine the huge kind of meetings that took place in this room. At the front stood a large projection screen which must have been used for presentations; briefings for the agents when they were learning about their new missions. Cassie walked over to the large table where she picked up some files that had been left on it. Once she had grabbed a hold of them. she walked out of the room just as swiftly as she had entered and I tried to keep up with her. She was obviously hard at work on some case and I hoped that I wasn't going to slow down her morning. My high school case seemed like nothing to what they were dealing with.

"Uh, I can just go and get ready now if you want?" I offered while awkwardly trying to keep up with her pace.

She looked at me as we walked down the hall. "That would be great, your outfits in wardrobe," she said, pointing at the door we were nearing. I nodded in understanding and turned in the opposite direction to her.

I still couldn't push the thoughts of Eric out of my head. I wondered what he could be doing on the mission. I just hoped that it wouldn't be similar to the last time where he was covered in bruises. I could feel myself start to worry. But, in a way, I was relieved that I didn't have to face him this morning because I was unsure of how the two of us would now act around each other. And he had made it very clear to me that he knew how to take care of himself.

I walked into the wardrobe room and grabbed the pile of clothes that were sitting on a chair. It didn't take me too long to get dressed but I stayed in the changing room for a while longer enjoying any peace of the day that I had left. I knew that I was only an hour away from facing everyone again. Tasha, Violet, Charlotte, Misty, Henry....Brad. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. This whole case was becoming a mess.