Spy School: Trust (Completed)

Chapter 1

If you haven't read Spy School: Reality, I suggest you do so. Enjoy Chapter 1!

Ben's POV

One month later...

Dear Diary,

A whole month has passed. A month since we defeated RATT.

A month since my ex-girlfriend and my two best friends turned on me.

Now, for the past month, everything's been strangely normal. Alexander and Catherine have been in Switzerland for about three weeks out of their seven-month vacation. Jenny's in Hawaii, clearing up any last information on RATT. She's also spending time with her parents.

Mike's back at his second job as a cardiologist. Erica and I have also gotten back to spy duties.

Erica's always on surveillance missions and other stuff because of her extreme physical capabilities. I, however, just stay home and take care of crypting, decrypting, hacking, and other logical, math-like things for the CIA.

Erica's been very busy lately. She barely has time to see me in the morning. She's gone long before I wake up. She just tapes a piece of paper to the refrigerator in the morning saying 'see you in the evening' and she would come home at about eleven in the night.

Most weekends the longest she stays home is about an hour. That whole hour we spend together, talking or going out somewhere together. Then she would go back to her laptop and headphones.

We never worked together; it was always separate issues. I really wish I could spend more time with

"Ben?" came Erica's voice. I shut my diary and swiveled around in my desk chair to face her standing in the doorway.

"Hey," I said. It was about two in the afternoon, which was strange because that was when she would be in meetings. "Shouldn't you be in a meeting?"

"I called it off," she replied, coming inside and sitting on the edge of my bed. I made note of her beautiful black hair that was pulled into a messy bun. Her blue eyes perfectly complimented her red tank top and black leggings. Even as a mess, she looked absolutely stunning.

"You just can't help but notice, can you?" she asked with a playful smile running across her lips.

That's when I realized that I was staring at her with my mouth hanging open. She laughed, then motioned for me to sit next to her on the bed.

She yanked on the edges of my shirt, pulling me closer to her. Her breath smelled like strawberries. I inhaled the beautiful scent of lilacs and gunpowder.

"I barely have any free time," she said sadly.

"I regret not having enough time to spend with you," I replied.

She ran her hand through my hair, ruffling it. "You could use a haircut."

"No," I protested. "Let it be."

She laughed. "You're so cute, I could look at your face forever."

Suddenly, my phone rang, startling both of us. It was on the other side of the bed. Erica somersaulted backwards across my bed, grabbed my phone and backhand-tossed it to me.

I glanced at the caller ID. Alexander Hale, CIA.

"Alexander?" I asked. Erica grew concerned as well. I answered the call.

"Benjamin, I need you to check your mail immediately. Something's happened." then he hung up just as fast as he called.

I opened my mail and there was one new unread mail from Alexander addressed to me and Erica.

"Looks like we're both on this one," Erica said. She clicked on the email and it opened up.

Agent RIpley/Agent Hale-

Unknown suspect's location confirmed. 00XX4A 99T6AAW FG556HJ J8 900OHU.

I immediately opened up my decrypting software, trying to decrypt it. Erica hopped off the bed and ran into her room. She reappeared a minute later wearing jeans, a black jacket and her hair now hung loose around her shoulders.

"Dairy Lane, 64737," I said. "This is our place."

"Great," Erica said. "Let's go."

We got in the car and Erica opened up maps on her phone to direct us to wherever this place was.

"Who could it be?" I wondered aloud. "Could it be...?"

Erica looked to me, and shook her head. "It can't be them. They're in jail!"

I turned left and found Dairy Lane. as each home passed by, Erica searched for door numbers.

"I can't find it," Erica said by the time I reached the end of the lane.

"The next street is also called Dairy Lane," I replied. "Let's check that one out."

I turned around and continued driving the other way to the next Dairy Lane. There were more residential areas.

"Here!" Erica exclaimed. "This one."

Sure enough, we were in front of 64737, NE Dairy Lane.

"Come on," I said, parking the car and getting out. Erica slowly looked around for any threats, then walked up the steps to the house.

"Careful," she warned. We cautiously made our way to the front door and I knocked on it.

"Coming!" came a cheerful voice from inside. There was the sound of pots clanging, then footsteps. Then the door opened.

A blonde-haired girl stood in the doorway with a big bright smile on. Her eyes widened at the sight of us, indicating that she somehow knew and recognized us. Erica was surprised as well that she knew us.

"Benjamin Ripley and Erica Hale!" she exclaimed.

"You know us?" I asked. She nodded. Her hoops swished from side to side as she opened the door wide enough to let us in.

"Benjamin and Erica are here!" she called out to someone upstairs, then she turned back to us. "Come on in. We've been expecting you."

I followed Erica in and we made ourselves comfortable on the couch. I looked at her, unsure of what to do. Her eyes met mine and she gave the slightest of nods, indicating that I should keep my guard up.

"I'm Jessica," the girl said. "You know my brother very well. He went to school with you."

"Really?" I asked, unable to contain myself.

Jessica thought for a moment. "He went to school with Erica, but I don't think you knew him back then."

I wondered who this mysterious person could be. Was it Chip? Or Hank? Or maybe Greg?

"They're downstairs!" Jessica called out to whoever was upstairs. Then she apologetically turned to us. "I'm so sorry. My brother's just lazy. He's been upstairs all morning."

There was the sound of someone walking down the steps, then clearing their throat.

"Ben Ripley and Erica Hale," the man said. "How wonderful it is to see you."
I stiffened at the voice. I knew that voice so well it haunted me. I spun around. There was that familiar smile, but everything else had changed.

Beside me, Erica's eyes widened in horror, then shock, then surprise. Her mouth fell open and she stood there, stunned.

"Y-you?" she stammered.

"Me," he replied. "I've changed, haven't I, Erica?"

At that moment, all I could do was gasp, because the person who stood in front of my eyes was none other than...

"Joshua Hallal."

Big shock in chapter 1!