Covered Correspondence

Chapter 14 Family Reunion

Hey guys, thanks for reading everything so far and not giving up on this book, even when it got kind of screwy at some parts! Enjoy this chapter! -Your Faithful Writers-Steve~Lewis-

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 I didn't even wait to ask Piper's permission, but instinctively hopped up and crossed the room.

"Phill," I said casually, even though I was DYING to grin my way to heaven. It felt like years since I had seen my brother, and even thought we fought a lot, we're still pretty close.

"Oh my gosh, Phill... It's Mark," the girl said. She put down her sandwich and so did my brother. It was then that I realized two very important factors. One, my brother Philmore was on a date with a girl and two, that the girl was Carey Luendousky from school.

"Mark! Where the heck have you been?" Philmore turned to me. He looked like he was trying to be angry at me, but I could tell he could hardly hold in his excitement, kind of like me.

"Hey, Carey," I said, noticing the tone of my brother's voice was not exactly pleasant.

"Hi, Mark," Carey said sweetly, but I her voice sounded tense, like she knew some sort of awkward brother hug was going to happen soon, and that was probably something she wanted to miss.

"You know, I feel like I'm kind of intruding, I'll see you at school tomorrow Phill. Bye Mark." Carey wrapped up her sandwich and then hugged Philmore goodbye before leaving. I looked around and saw Piper sitting at her booth. Chase was currently in the bathroom so she was alone, staring at the nothing across the restaurant and trying to avoided eye contact with me.

"Mark, what were you thinking?" Philmore then used a high girly voice to represent mine, "Oh, it's a cute, suspicious girl coming to collect valuable info from me. I think I'll just go after her and forget my poor family without telling them what I'm doing. We didn't know what happened to you, Mark!"

"Look, I'm sorry," I apologized, and I meant it... "I didn't know what I was getting into. If I had known, I wouldn't have gone."

"What did you get into?" asked Philmore.

"Look, Piper..." I started, but a solid wall of words built itself up in my throat.

"Piper...?" Philmore said.

I started again: "Piper recruited me as a um...um...a....burger...flipper....I mean, not burger flipper, because that would be so dumb. I mean..." I suddenly occurred to me that the agency probably wouldn't like me telling people that they exisited.

"You're so full of crap!" Philmore got up and walked over to the table. "Piper is it?"

Piper looked up. "Yeah, are you Mark's brother- Philmore right? Mark is doing so great in our...program."

"What program?" asked Phill, agitated.

"Well, he's a...um... he works for a camp in New Jersey...and...he can't go back home or tell anyone...becuase it's really supposed to be a government secret right now, and we don't open up the camp doors and share the news until the government allows us to." Piper struggled to find a good story, and to be honest, I was impressed. Did she walk around with them prepared in her head or something? But even though it was a great filler, Phill stared at her like he was having trouble digesting those fries he had been eating.

Phil shook his head. "Come on, Mark! That's a lie!  I'm taking you home to Dad and away from this creep!"

"Sorry, Phil. I can't go home," my voice cracked a little as I looked into my brothers baby brown eyes.

Just then I heard Chase's voice. You could say that that was the first time I was ever genuinely happy to see him.

"What's going on, Piper?" asked Chase, who was great deal more menacing than Phill had ever been.

"Chase, this is Mark's brother, Philmore," Piper explained.

"Oh," instead of telling Phill to get off my case, Chase started a conversation with him about me. By the end of the conversation, I was more embarrassed than when I had been riding in the side car, which reminded me that I would have to drive back to the agency in that thing.

"Oh my word," Piper laughed.

"Ha-ha ha-ha," I managed to force fake laughed for Phill's sake. He had never been able to tell the difference between a real and fake one.

"Well, we have to get back to the...um...camp," Piper said awkwardly. I was five hundred percent sure Chase, Piper, and I were all wondering the same thing: Did Phill finally buy Piper's story?

"Yeah, it was nice to meet you," Chase and Phill shook hands and then Philmore pulled me to the side. "Look, I know you're telling the truth now, but you need to come home. At least explain to Dad where you are."

"I can't and you can't tell anyone where I am or what I'm doing," I said, pointing out the obvious. "Except...maybe Dad." I usually would have never said something like that, but I felt bad about leaving Dad and Phill in the dust.

"What about Carey? What am I supposed to tell her? She saw you, Mark. I can't just say that it wasn't you! She'll know I'm lying," Philmore exclaimed impatiently.

"I know, but you won't have to worry about it for long. Once Chelsea..." I started, but my voice faltered then died.

"Who's Chelsea?" asked Phil. "Look, it doesn't matter. You need to come home."

"I'm sorry, but my country needs me," it was probably the most mature and grown-up thing I'd ever said.

"Mark... I think I know what's going on, you've finally found something to do with your life that makes you feel special, but don't get hurt. I may have not been a great brother in the past three years, but when we lost you, Dad and I wouldn't stop looking, and now that I know your alive, I want you back more then ever. So please, please, come home soon." Phill looked at me with misty eyes, gave me the mushiest hug I'd ever recieved, turned around and crossed the parking lot to our small, reddish purple car. He then pulled up and rolled down the window. By this time, I was already in the screwy side car with my ugly helmet on.

"You have fun doing your 'secret camp stuff'," Phill said half sarcastic and half in his normal voice. Then he saluted Chase and drove away.

"I thought you said your brother couldn't drive," Piper commented as we watched the car dissapear behind a few buildings.

"Well, he couldn't last time I talked to him," honestly, my brother had not been able to drive when I left home. I hoped he hadn't faked it to get Carey to go out with him.

"Ready, Mark?" asked Piper.

No, I thought.

"Yes," I answered, trying to pull my helmet lower over my eyes so the group of teenage girls walking by wouldn't see me. Hearing Chase rev his engine, I braced myself for the jolt. From then on I respected cars one hundred times more.