Making the Grade (The Model Spy #2)

Chapter 13 - Emily

"How was your first day of classes?" Professor Scott asked while placing a mug of tea in front of me. St. Margaret's: Live. Learn. Enjoy Est. 1996 the mug read.

My first day of classes had consisted of five hour-long lectures that ranged from "I think, therefore I am" to the various environmental problems that plagued the coast of England, as well as an hour-long detention that Jayden had unsurprisingly skipped. My first day of classes ended with a planner in which the entire first page was filled with various homework assignments to be completed by Monday. Fred's ancient history homework was currently sitting uncompleted in my dorm, a seven page essay. If Fred wasn't my godfather and my boss, and now come to think of it, my teacher, I would have killed him.

"It was okay," I answered simply. I hadn't called a meeting with Professor Scott to discuss classes. I needed to acquire Emily's file so I could get her address. Max and I had decided to visit her the next day, a Saturday, and see what she knew. While being a spy enabled me with the skills to illegally acquire her information, I thought I had best try and get Emily's address the legal way first. If that failed, then Max and I had agreed to go into full-on hack-mode.

Professor Scott sat down in her chair across from me and lifted her own St. Margaret's mug to her lips.

"I assume you are not here to talk about classes," she said over the rim of her mug. The corners of her eyes crinkled. Besides being a genius, she was very pretty. I could see why Fred fancied her.

I watched the steam swirling from my mug. "I need access to Emily's file. I know it is against a million rules to just give it to us," I explained when Professor Scott's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline, "but I wanted to ask you first before Max and I go and hack into the system. Which is what we were going to do anyway," I added underneath my breath before taking a sip of tea. I winced when it scorched my throat.

"While I admire your dedication and commitment," Professor Scott said, the side of her delicate mouth upturning in a smile, "I'm afraid that I cannot help you. I cannot simply hand over the file. While doing so does not break, as you say, a million rules, disseminating confidential information can land all of us in prison for a long while."

My shoulders slumped.

She sighed and placed the tea on her desk. "I'm sorry. However," she slid open her desk drawer and pulled out a small stack of papers clipped together, "I am not giving you her file." She slid the papers towards me.

I picked them up and studied the transcripts in my hand. Emily's name was typed at the top of every page as Daniels, Emily and the word Official was stamped across the first page in dark red ink. One of the papers had Emily's school picture. She stared back at me through a curtain of thick, black hair. She knew something, I just had a feeling.

"I am not giving you her file," Professor Scott repeated again.

Her words clicked and I had to admire her wit. "Not the file. But the papers in it." I smiled at her.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

We both raised our mugs to each other.

I was on my way to Max's room, the papers held tightly to my chest, when I bumped into Millie outside of the dining hall. I hadn't seen her all day and it dawned on me that we didn't have any classes together. I couldn't have missed her if we did. A large purple flower was pinned into her shiny hair and she had bedazzled her blazer with bright yellow sequins. Two girls moving past her, towards the dining hall's doors, bent their heads together and I heard their giggles echo in the chamber.

"Millie!" I held my papers tighter to my chest.

"I was looking all over for you!" She grabbed my arm. "I was saving you a spot at my table. Not that my table will get filled," she added. "It's just me and Lucas and Haylee, you will love them!"