Up to No Goode

Chapter Nine

On our floor, it was chaotic.

Of course, it was the night of the dance and we did have to wear formal wear. So maybe chaos was in order.

Jonas was spastically popping breath mints into his mouth as Grant wrangled with his tie. The eighth grade boys were talking about Macey McHenry.

I buttoned up my white shirt, and slowly put on my tie. I turned to look at myself in the mirror, and well, I looked different. Back at Blackthorne, my face was sallow and afraid. But coming here changed that. The fire was still in my eyes, but it was a different sort of flame. I wasn't as angry all the time.

Here, we didn't have rifle ranges. We didn't learn to kill. Instead, we learned to protect. We learned to love.

The clock chimed seven.

"It's time" I said.

We walked from the east wing to the grand staircase, an army of black and white. We looked strong. We looked confident. We looked like men instead of boys. So maybe that's what made me say "I'll meet you guys there" and duck down a hall that I'd never been down before.

Call it spy intuition or fate, but I saw something that made my blood turn cold. Dr. Steve was talking to a guy who I'd never seen before. I stayed in the shadow of the wall, keeping behind pillars. He was holding Cammies cove ops report.

"Do you know what you're saying?" asked the strange man "Do you know what this could mean?"

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't." Replied Dr. Steve " The girl will be in the hall during the formal examination tonight. It would be the perfect time to... extract her."

The strange man nodded his consent. What was going on?

I knew I had to stay near Cammie all night. I needed to make sure she was okay.

I needed to find Joe Solomon.

I rushed to the top of the Grand staircase trying to keep cool. I didn't want Dr. Steve to know that I knew. Then, I saw Cammie. She was wearing a strapless red dress, and tall matching heels. Her hair was in a twisty up do. She looked... beautiful.

Easy now, I told myself We can't let her know anything is happening.

"Well," I found myself saying "you don't look hideous." I leaned back against the railing and crossed my arms, surveying each face in the crowd. There were three men that seemed to be apart from the rest.

She looked me up and down. "Ditto." She said, and I couldn't help it. The stress was too much. I laughed. She tried to take a step and she stumbled almost falling down the stairs, but I lunged for her arm. I took it the way we were taught the day before, but she looked mad. "Easy Gallagher Girl" I said

"I am perfectly capable of of walking down the stairs myself!" She fumed, but Madame Dabney came to my rescue and said " A lady always gracefully accepts a gentleman's arm when offered, Cammie dear." Cammie practically snatched my arms up in hers.

I tried smiling, which wasn't hard considering this was the fanciest party I'd ever been to. My childhood was spent in dusty safe houses and Blackthorne was, well, a prison. But tonight I was in the ballroom of one of the grandest mansions in the world, next to the girl who I loved.

"Stop it." She said suddenly

Did she know? "What?" I said innocently

"You're enjoying this way too much, you're smirking" she said

She didn't know. And I couldn't tell her. Not there, not with a hundred eyes on us. So instead I found myself saying "Listen Gallagher girl, If you're not enjoying this, you're in the wrong business" I watched as she looked around, taking in the sights. Four members of the philharmonic played Mozart, small tables filled with orchids and roses sat around the edges of the room. Waiters carried trays of hors d'oeuvres.