Chapter 1

23 hours, 12 minutes, and 49 seconds until they arrived. 23 hours until I wasn't alone in the biggest building known to teenage spies. Because that's what I am. Because I go to the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Woman. Because I am Cameron Morgan. Because I am the headmistress's daughter and must accompany her when she needs to return to school a week early for some secret CIA thing. I promise you, I'm not complaining! I've been able to keep myself occupied by looking for more secret passages in the mansion because, seriously a girl can never have too many. I found 2 new passages near Dr. Finn's office, both leading to the kitchen. There are 3 going from the Great hall to my mother's office, the stables and the Hall of History.

Of course, I can tell you this because you probably have a Level 4 clearance or higher and know all about my school. And not just what the people of Roseville, Virginia think they know about my school, that it's full of snotty, prissy, spoiled girls who shut themselves out from the rest of the world because they have nowhere else to go. You know that we are trained in 98% of the world's languages, and we can cause some serious damage with a nail file. Not to mention, some of us can hack NASA's encrypted files and rename one of Jupiter's moons after the hamster they had in second grade. But of course, that's Liz. My nerdy, clumsy but lovable roommate. I don't understand how nobody noticed that under Jupiter's files, there is a folder called Mr. Scruffy. After that day, Bex made fun of Liz for choosing the most cliché name for her bunny. But of course, they had made up when Liz had threatened to lower Bex's grades in the system. Even Bex, the teenage, girl version of James Bond, can't argue against her CoveOps grade. Then at this point, Macey would mention how hot our teacher was, Mr. Soloman. And then I would tune out because he is practically my stepfather after how much my mom and he have been hanging out. Macey means no harm, she is a teenage, world-famous, cover girl. She swears she has dated all the boys in People magazine's top ten male actors, teenage edition. And I don't doubt it.

I hug my legs tighter as I stare out the window of the little alcove in one of my favorite hiding spots in the castle. I watch as the birds fly from the fountain in the park to the nests where their eggs are hatching. The town square looks busy as people start school shopping. I can barely make out the shape of a dog running after a stick. And here I am, trapped in the mansion, with no one to talk to. My thoughts instantly go to Zach. I haven't talked to him since he kissed me at the end of the dance. Since I had found out he went to a secret spy school for boys called Blackthorne. It was one of the very few times I felt visible, more than average. I was known as the Chameleon, average, your ordinary girl. But Zach could make me feel like a ruby, sparkling amongst simple diamonds. I decided, I had enough of being alone, and went off to find my mom. As I made my way into the Hall of History, I saw my mother's door open and heard her voice.

"No Patricia, I don't like this idea." She sounded amused; as if it was preposterous she was even considering the offer. I inched closed to the office, without making a noise, and soon found myself resting against the door. I peered in to see my mother sitting at her desk on the phone. I wondered what she could be talking about.

"Patricia, I don't like the idea of introducing this potential distraction to the girls, especially those who are nearing their first year in the field. I just don't see reason to invite the Blackthorne boys for a semester here." I had to stop myself from letting out a gasp as I realized what they were talking about. Zach, and the others were possibly going to spend a semester here again.

"However, there is a chance that this will increase their communication skills as well as their ability to work with other people. I suppose we can give it a shot," explained my mother. I couldn't contain my excitement as I sauntered back to my room. I would get to see Zach again! I realize that I shouldn't be too excited about this, but what I need to emphasize is that I go to an ALL GIRLS SCHOOL! That means all girls, all the time. It was a struggle to have to adjust to having the boys last semester, but one struggle that was definitely worth all the giggling and make-up. Mostly Macey's though. It was almost 4:00 when I reached back and realized I had an hour until my weekly dinner with my mom. I quickly showered and changed into my shorts and a tank and wandered downstairs back to her office. I knocked and entered and found my mom carrying a plate of burned tacos. My mother, quite possibly the greatest spy since Gillian herself, could do anything. She could diffuse a bomb in a train in west side Manhattan with a safety pin. She once stopped an armed bank robber with her car keys and a lightbulb and yet she couldn't cook. I smiled as she dumped the burned food in the trash and waved.

"Hey Sweetie! I was just about to order pizza!" she explained. I walked in and plopped onto the couch. Sunday dinners were the best. It was a time where I wasn't a spy prodigy but I was a daughter. I loved spending time with my mom. Since my dad had died, she had been the only one there for me and I owed her so much. I couldn't believe that she was my mother sometimes, golden hombre hair, and a perfect flawless face. We spent the next hour laughing about her adventures in Egypt while scarfing down a large pepperoni. I almost hated to leave, but I had to get to bed so that I would be able to wake early enough to get ready before everyone arrived. My mom promised that she would spend the night in my room, and that she would be up within the next twenty minutes. I slowly walked upstairs and brushed my teeth. I then climbed under the covers and waited for my mom. I must have been so tired because I felt my eyelids droop and soon I was fast asleep.