My Classified Life

Chapter Twelve: Not Solo Anymore

~Christina Point of View~

I woke up that morning before Emily did. My head felt heavy and one of my arms had fallen asleep but I felt rejuvenated from the long sleep. After stretching slightly in my large bunk bed I hopped down nimbly and avoided Emily’s arm as I used her bed to step down. I knew better than to wake her up in the morning so I would leave that up to her mom. When I turned away from a sleeping Emily I was faced with her mom.

“Good morning, Christina.” she told me softly.

“Morning.” I scanned the jet and saw that no one else was inside other than the three of us. I somehow hadn’t noticed the night before. “Do you want me to wake her up?” I whispered to her and hoped she would say that she would do it.

“No, this is a solo mission Christina.” I was relieved at first when she said this but then I felt I hadn’t heard her right.

“Solo mission?” I asked.

“Yes, your parents trusted me to train you in their absence and that is exactly what I am doing.” she said this so simply but we both knew there was more behind her words. My parents left me at my house with only a note and a stocked pantry. The Smith family took it upon themselves to train me the last few weeks. My parents never asked them to, they wouldn’t know our neighbors from a couple of scarecrows. For the excellent spies I know them to be, they don’t pay much attention. Which is why I would be forever thankful for my best friend and her family because they have practically become mine, too.

I wanted to say thank you to Mrs. Smith but I stayed quiet and waited for her direction. She walked away from me toward her purse which was sitting on the small dining table in the corner and grabbed a small square envelope which she handed to me. As I started to rip it opened I saw her slip towards the exit and I shouted out to her when she had one foot out the door.

“Where are you going?”

“All the information you need is enclosed in the envelope. Now, hurry and do not wake Emily. This is a solo mission.” and she was out the door.

I finished ripping the envelope open quietly and unfolded the paper inside to read it. Alone with the note was also a bunch of money which I slipped into the long strapped purse I’d grabbed in Washington D.C.

Dear Christina,

The hunter has become the prey. You are being watched.. I’ll be waiting for this

letter back at the Imperial Palace at three. If you can’t come alone, don’t come

at all.

-Mrs. Smith

I shivered slightly when I read how I was being watched. I hated knowing about something like that, it always made me nervous and jumpy. I tried to push the thoughts of people lurking around dark corners out of my mind and started to sneak out of The Raven and outside. The door closed loudly and I guessed that it probably woke Emily up so I started to walk quickly away from the jet and into the airport where we had landed. I would have to think of a plan inside.

I slipped into the airport seemingly unnoticed and I felt alone so far. In a nearby food court I sat down on an empty booth and took out my iPhone and started to text him.

I felt bad for not telling Emily the entire truth about Cameron and I but I felt it was necessary. She would have freaked out on me if she knew all that had happened in Paris. Cameron had done more than say he was sorry to me, he had also asked me to be his girlfriend. And I had accepted immediately.

But the reason I didn’t tell her about it was not because I wanted to have a secret relationship or something, I had been dying to tell her about my first kiss for the last few days and I almost let it slip a few times. I didn’t tell her because I knew she didn’t trust him, or Dylan. She changed after Paris and I could tell by the way she didn’t like to talk about her mystery boy when he was usually all she talked about. It was such a slight change in attitude but it was enough for me to notice.