Espionage? Teenage spy? Sounds bonkers. That kind of thing only happens in movies.
Normal teenagers wake up every morning and go to school, come home, do homework, do their chores, go to sleep - then wake up and do it all over again.
Ariella Alder...
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𝚏𝚒𝚟𝚎 | 𝚒𝚜𝚙𝚢
Another two weeks have passed.
I'm nowhere closer to figuring anything else out.
Missions require playing the long game, but this is getting ridiculous. I want this mission accomplished and over with.
Archer has a long day of classes on Tuesdays, so I figured doing another sweep of his apartment was in my best interest. I haven't been in his apartment for a few days, so the fresh eyes should be good.
I went room by room, but I spent the most time in the two home offices.
Maya Hawthorne's office looked like a miniature laboratory. She had beakers and test tubes on every shelf. Handwritten notes on her experiments were neatly in the filing cabinets. Awards given to her by both the FBI and the scientific community rested on the walls. A white lab coat hung behind the door.
Crime Scene Investigators contaminated every room in this house, so I'm looking for evidence that could have been tampered with.
"She's a scientist first and foremost. The FBI came later in her career, so she was taught to keep things secret. Her skills at hiding things probably aren't the best. What could be hidden in plain sight?" I asked myself.
I checked her desk and saw photographs of her husband and son. Family pictures.
I opened the frames to look at the backs of the pictures. Most parents write little notes on the back of pictures to keep the memory. Maya Hawthorne is no exception.
First picture: Archer, age 12, first day of middle school.
Second picture: Archer's first Ranger's hockey game.
The third picture held two photos inside one frame.
The top picture was of Maya and William at some fancy event. They are smiling holding glasses of champagne, but they are not facing directly at the camera. The photo isn't torn, but they are clearly looking to their left. Maya and William must not have known that the picture was being taken.
Third picture: London, 1990.
The bottom picture slipped out of the frame, and I could see the back of it first.
Fourth (hidden) picture: My favorite newlyweds. London, 1990.
My entire body shut down at that moment.
This isn't real! None of this is real.
The hidden picture revealed a man and woman on their wedding day. Both were facing to the right, and the two pictures lined up perfectly with one another.
No! No! No!
The woman in her wedding dress looked stunning. Breathtaking even. She has long black hair that cascaded down her back, as she was arching back in laughter. The thick ringlets of curls framed her elegant and pale face. Her new husband had a genuine smile on his face. Which is strange because I've rarely ever seen that man smile.
