Only The Goode Spy Forever

Chapter 72: The Next Book

("You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill can not be hidden." -Matthew 5:14)

   Chase Goode put on his freshly pressed and ironed button up shirt. It was white and made him look extremely tan. He pulled up his khakis and combed and gelled his hair. He studied himself in the mirror. He grinned. He looked exactly like the prep school boy that he was pretending to be.
  It was weird for Chase to go to an all girls school as the only boy. His father had done it when he was his age, so Chase figured he could manage. Chase needed to stay at Gallagher. The trustees had agreed due to Chases current situation.
  This was Chase's second semester as a junior. He couldn't believe that in the fall his sister would be a sophomore. What was even scarier was that he would be a senior. He didn't know what his future held. All he cared about was protecting the people that he loved.
  He checked his watch and made his way to the grand hall for a welcome back dinner. It didn't matter where Chase was. Nothing had changed. He was still dedicated and a good student. He could work under any circumstance. He would not be distracted by anything. Especially not by the girls that drooled over him rather than their food in the grand hall.
  "Hey, long time no see," Adalind said as she slid into the seat next to Chase. Chase smiled at his mother's best friend's daughter. Adalind's twin sister Amelia sat across from them.
  "I heard you saw Bree over break. How is she? Are her and Morgan getting along?" Amelia asked. Chase nodded. He didn't want to tell the nosey girls anything.
  Chase felt 2 small arms wrap around him. He turned and kissed his sister on the cheek. They were best friends. They always had been. Chase was usually cocky and confident, but he was mature when it came to him little sister. Family was everything to him. Adalind moved to sit next to Amelia. Anna sat down next to Chase.
  "First day back, how do you feel?" She asked in a cheery voice. Chase bit back his grin.
  "Peachy," he replied with a wink. Diana Winters slid into the seat next to Anna.
  "Hey," she said. She smiled and her blue eyes lit up. Her hair was even longer and shinier than it had last been when they left. Chase waved to her.
  Anna's other friend Caroline sat next to Adalind. Caroline's long strawberry blonde hair was in a bun. Curls were springing out of the sides. Her hazel eyes were huge under her glasses. Chase waited. He looked to the door. Someone was missing. Someone that he desperately wanted to see.
  "Where's Bree?" Caroline asked. The group shrugged and Caroline's huge eyes grew even bigger. "Oh my gosh! What if Catherine got to her! What if Bree's in trouble? This is really bad!" Diana rolled her eyes.
  "Calm down, she's fine," Diana said. "And keep your voice down. No one but us knows about Catherine and Bree. Everyone else thinks that Bree went to Kansas over the break." Caroline looked at Chase with wide eyes. He refused to make eye contact with her, so she turned to Anna. Anna shrugged.
  "She's with aunt Morgan," Anna said. "That means she'll be fine. Morgan is good. She wouldn't let anything happen to Bree. And Bree is good. Have a little faith."
  Chase began to eat his food. Anna was watching him. He didn't want to look back. He could read his sister like a book and he knew something was wrong.  She elbowed him. He pretended that he didn't feel it. She elbowed him harder. He ignored her. He could almost feel her glare on him.
  "Hey!" She hissed. Chase groaned and made eye contact with his pouting sister. "Are we going to talk about what Catherine told you? About Grandpa Morgan loving her?"
  Chase nearly choked on his food. He had avoided this conversation all of winter break. He was not ready to have it yet. The last time Catherine attacked she had told Chase that his mother's dad had been in love with her. She said that she had proof. But Chase knew that Catherine was a liar. His father had said that for years.
  "She lies," he replied. Anna huffed.
  "Maybe not about this. We know that she knew grandpa Morgan," Anna started.
  "We know that she killed grandpa Morgan," Chase said, cutting her off.
  "So maybe they had actually known each other. Maybe she wasn't lying. Maybe-" Anna was cut off.
  "Annalise!" Chase snapped. She shut her mouth. "Do not let yourself believe a single word that woman says. I know that you like to see the good in people, but there is no good in her. Do not let yourself have hope. It will get you killed."
  "Why don't you trust anyone?" Anna pouted.
  "Because you trust everyone!" Chase snapped. Anna backed down. Chase sighed, he didn't want to hurt her feelings. He softened his voice. "Look, Anna Banana, I know that you want everyone in the world to be good, but that's not how it works. I really wish everyone was as pure as you, but people just aren't. You need to be careful about who you trust. Especially in this line of work. Letting yourself trust the wrong people will get you killed. Be smart."
  Anna frowned. Saying 'be smart' had kind of become their thing. When Chase found out that Anna had been dating a townie, he sent her a letter telling her to be smart. It was what he told her whenever she needed to hear it.
  Chase watched her eyes well up. He knew that she was thinking of the same thing. Her mind drifted back to that fall too. Chase knew that Anna had never really gotten over Cason. He wondered if she ever would. Cason left her in the worst way. Chase felt guilty.
  "Things are different now. There's more of a risk for you," Chase said softly.
  "No," Anna said with the shake of her head. "There has always been a risk for me. Ever since birth. There's not more of a risk, I just know about it. We're the same. Nothing has changed."
  Chase jerked his head up to see his aunt walking in the grand hall. She had her eyes glued on the girl that she was protecting. 2 girls stood around the blonde girl. They were her roommates. The beautiful blonde girl was distracted talking to her friends. The only girl that Chase had ever felt anything for. He admired her purple academy sweater and her plaid skirt. Her long wavy blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders. She caught Chase's eye and she smiled. It was like everything was in slow motion. Her hair flipped slowly and angelicly. Her beautiful eyes lit up as she stared at Chase. Chase looked at the girl he loved and whispered "everything's changed."