Operation 007 (SpyxFamily)

Ch. 19: Part Five

Anya flipped through the textbook, depressed.

How was she supposed to catch up to it all? Becky promised to help, but she was beginning to doubt it'd make a difference 'This isn't gonna make Papa happy, either. . . ', Anya thought wryly. All the homework he'd have to explain to her. The grades that could get her expelled if she didn't keep them up.

The risk to Operation Strix.

She sighed, deciding to just copy what the chalkboard said for now. To write what the teacher spoke.

The class dragged on forever, the teacher's voice, trying to put Anya to sleep.

No! She could. Not. Sleep! Anya, startled herself into focus, resisting the bad habit. She had to concentrate. She had to learn this stuff.

She put in every ounce of effort to stay awake until the end of class, the task proving more difficult than she thought. The bell rang, a blessed sound as they closed their books.

It was going to be a long day if every subject was like this. Maybe she should have stayed home another week.

No. Then the homework would build up even more.

"You ready?" Becky stood, getting them out of the classroom quickly in an attempt to avoid the others.

"Yep." Anya joined her as they left and Becky eyed anyone who might bother them on their way out.

She continued to do so at the next class.

Anya slept through it.

Continued to do so again. And a fourth time as they sat at lunch, Becky catching her up to the last six weeks.

"Nothing much happened."

And that was it.

"It was just school, and more school and a lot of—. . .." Becky paused, fork stabbed in her food. She shouldn't tell Anya how miserable she was. That would just make her feel bad. "Oh." Becky said. "I guess Desmond came to sit with me a couple times, which was really weird, but that's it."

"Sy-on boy? But you hate each other." Said Anya.

"mmMMmmM." Becky hummed, shrugging. Took a bite of her beef. "What abou—" Another pause. She'd almost asked what Anya had been up to, automatically. As if the time she was gone, was a vacation.

She did have a lot of questions, but Anya probably didn't want to talk about it. Becky had been holding back all morning, knowing she shouldn't probe.

How did Becky ask where she'd been? Who kidnapped her? Why did they take her? Did anyone hurt her? Was she lying about her hands? Was she really okay? Did she know someone was after her before it happened? She'd been acting all squirrelly, it was weird. And if so, why didn't she say something? Would she ever tell Becky what happened?

Becky looked to her and caught Anya casting her an uneasy side-glance, then an instant smile to gloss over it.

'Weird. . .'

Could Anya tell she wanted to ask? She thought she'd been hiding it pretty well, but maybe not.

"What about your show?" Anya distracted her, Becky never having to think how to answer that.

Berlint in Love was her favourite program and loved talking about it. But she hadn't watched it since Anya went missing. The passion for it had gone like her best friend.

"Becky?" Anya asked, concern growing on her face.

No way was she that obvious. Was she? Anya was reading her like an open book, how was she doing that?