Life of Maggie Marshall

Chatsworth Spy Agency

Chatsworth Spy Agency

Midnight

The wind catches my face as we speed down the chutes. I can see Leon to the left of me, but I don't dare look directly at him. I am screaming in fear as I shoot down the tube. Surely, we will be crushed as we land; the chute is a vertical drop.

I can see light, which illuminates the chutes. We are reaching the end and I close my eyes tight, waiting for the impact. There is none. I open my eyes to find myself standing in a white circular room. By the side of me I see Leon biting back a smile. I look at him and he bursts out laughing.

'It's not funny Leon. It was just scary,' I say serious.

'You should have seen your face though,' says Leon, with not a hint of sympathy. As soon as the laughter came, it disintegrates as we both realize why we were here.

'Maggie, I should warn you, they deal with things very differently here. I... I just want to... apologize, 'he says.

'What for?'

'Maggie, you might get hurt, 'Leon says his eyes strong with fear.

'I can bare it, I have trained you know. We had our bodies pushed to the bare limit...'I blurts.

'No, Maggie. Well, yes I do mean that kind of hurt, but I mean emotionally hurt as well,' says Leon his head hung slightly.

'Leon, what's going on?' I say trying to stay calm, but I swear my heart is beating hard enough to show I am scared.

'Maggie, you won't like it. I could tell you after the...'He says, his eyes blank.

'No, I want to know. If it is so important, tell me now. Leon! Tell me now!' I yell, not caring about anyone who heard.

'Okay, but put aside everything, I still love you Maggie... I was sent to spy on somebody from your agency. They did not however, say I would be spying on the most beautiful 15 year old girl ever. You. It wasn't a coincidence when I was in Debenhams. I mean, why would a 15 year old boy go to Debenhams - to buy lipstick? Anyway, after a while, I found that I liked you. And some part of me, somewhere told me that it could work out. We could be together,' Leon says, running his fingers through his hair.

Then a feeling like no other bubbles up inside me. My heart is like a volcano, cracking at the surface and oozing hot and angry. I did trust him, but this is too much.

Yes okay, he says he still loves me, but can I trust him now? How do I know if this isn't just one big trap?

'Traitor,' I whisper, by voice shakier than I thought it would be.

'Maggie, no, no, I love you, you know that,' says Leon, his eyes pleading.

'No! Leon! No! Do you even understand how I feel right now? Were you ever going to tell me? Do you think that everything will go back to normal now? Is this even a trap?' I yell, a tear dashing down one cheek.

'Maggie, I'm sorry, 'he says, his voice quiet.

'It's not enough.'

'What is enough, then?' Leon yells, causing me to jump.

'Excuse me,' I say, trying to hide the shock in my voice.

'Every night, Maggie, every night! I came back here, to my room. My room, Maggie, isn't like the LSA's rooms. You have hearty open fires, we have cold gas burners. You have king beds, we have wall beds. I came back here, and I was trapped. You were my freedom. Every night, I would stay up till late hours of the morning. Trying to find you. Not the agency, you. Since I was 13, Maggie, 13 years old, they have been training me, to find the agency. But I found you, and that means so much more to me. We are both being held here for crimes against our services. I went out past curfew to find you,' Leon says, emotions making his voice uneven.

'I'm...I'm' I say, wracking my brains, for the right word.

'Maggie, I think it's best if we don't see each other any longer. For both of our sakes,' he says, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

Something smashes, shatters, brakes inside of me. Leon turns away from me and I frantically rub at my eyes, telling myself not to cry.

The white doors in front of us slide open and two men dressed in heavy black leather come up to us. They take Leon by the arms and push him through the door. I am alone. I have never felt the true meaning of the word, but I feel it now.

Alone.

My parents will be scared sick, Nancie will be... Nancie! She must have called the police. She is the only other person who knew.

I feel lost, abandoned by the people I love the most; and this time I don't hold my tears in. I cry, I cry and cry until I feel like a sponge that has had the water sucked out of it.