"Run away with me." Zach's breath was heavy and warm against my face. I didn't hear the words, I only knew that the kiss was real-the kiss was safe. "Gallagher girl," he said , pulling back, holding my face in both of his hands, "we can go. We can run. We can get off the grid and stay off the grid until it's safe. For everyone." His eyes were inches from mine as he whispered, "We can keep each other safe."
I knew that Zach was right. I was dangerous to be around. The Circle of Cavan would not stop until they got me and the information that was hidden somewhere inside my head. I looked into Zach's gorgeous green eyes. Those eyes could destroy the wall that I put up to shield my emotions from the outside world. Those eyes tore that wall down, brick by brick until he could see the real me, my real thoughts and feelings. As a spy we were trained to never show weakness but with Zach, I could be both a spy and a normal girl. It's one of the many reasons why I love him.
"Zach, I want to leave with you. I know it's the right decision but what about my Mom? What about Bex, Macey and Liz?" I asked. They would never let us leave without them.
"We can't tell them. It would have to be just you and me Cam. We wouldn't be protecting them if we brought them with us." He wrapped his arms around me and I placed my head on his chest, soaking up his warmth. The beat of his heart was steady and consistent. It shouldn't be beating. Neither should mine. We had cheated death. We should have died in the Catacombs but we didn't. Eventually death would catch up to us and if we didn't leave then the lives of my friends would also be cut short which I would not let happen. I had come to a decision.
"Okay," I whispered, my voice barely audible.
"You'll come with me?" Zach asked, his words filled with hope.
"Yes," I replied, "But we're going to have to leave a letter explaining everything. I can't leave them in the dark about this. It wouldn't be fair to them and they'd come looking for us, which would defeat the whole purpose of going." I lifted my head so I could see his face and his reaction. He kissed my forehead and I felt his smile against my skin, sending shivers done my spine.
"We'll have to leave tonight, we can't risk waiting any longer. We need to run." Zach said.
All year I had been hearing that word. Run. Run. Run. I was going to listen and follow my orders and I was going to do it with the boy I loved.
Zach and I walked back to my room in silence. When we reached the door, he kissed me lightly on my lips, gently squeezed my hand and walked back down the corridor. We had made our plans and it would not be easy to execute them. I would have to lie to not only some of the best spies that I knew but also to my three best friends who knew me better than anyone. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and turned the cold handle. The door swung on silent hinges and I padded along the thick carpets back to my bed without making a single sound. I didn't need to be as quiet as I was, I knew the girls were awake by their shallow breathing and the lack of any Baxter or Sutton snores.
"Where have you been Cam?" Bex questioned exactly one minute after I had lay down. Sighing I sat up and answered, keeping my story as close to the truth as I could.
"I went for a walk and bumped into Zach." Great, no lies yet.
"And what happened?" Macey asked with her perfectly plucked eyebrow raised and her arms crossed over her chest. She would always want the details, Macey McHenry was never satisfied with the bare minimum. Queue the lying.
"We spoke. A lot. He explained to me why he hadn't told me about his mother being the devil and about that night and what had happened. We spoke about where things were going between us and there might have been a few exchanges of kisses." Huh, actually not any lies there either. I was quite proud of myself.
"So, where are things going between you?" Liz inquired wide eyed.
"Well, we both feel the same way towards each other. We do want to make it work, I mean we've been through so much and there's that connection between us that I never had with Josh. I love him and I won't let his mother come between us." With each sentence I said my voice became quieter. I had just admitted to the girls that I loved Zach. I hadn't even told him that yet. Oopsie daisy as Liz would say. All eyes were wide and all jaws were on the floor all thanks to my stupidity and honesty.
"You LOVE him?!" Bex practically screamed. "Have you told him yet?"
I cringed and said through gritted teeth, "That...wasn't meant to come out. I don't even know whether I do or not. It's just been a hard couple of weeks in case you hadn't already noticed, so my feeling are all confused. And no I have not said anything to him so would you all do me a favour and keep your mouths shut.", "Please?" I added as an afterthought.
"Of course we will, what do you take us for Cam? My name is not Tina, but you have to tell him sooner or later. I'm sure he feels the same way." Macey said and gave me a smirk, "But just remember, you can't be the first one to say it, so hang on there and don't let it slip like just now before he admits it first, okay?" She stood up, gave me a wink and headed to the bathroom to start her morning routine.
"This is huge Cammie! I always knew you and Zach were the perfect couple!" Liz babbled on. Oh well, at least they'd give me some alone time with Zach today, even if the reason they thought it was for was far from the truth. I still had to figure out how I was going to pack my stuff without them noticing. It was going to be a long day and one that I would not enjoy. A lump formed in my throat and I had to fight back the tears whilst keeping a smile on my face. I loved these girls and I hated lying to them, I hated that I would have to leave them. Life was so unfair. These were my sisters and I was going to walk away from them. Even though I was doing it for their safety, I knew they wouldn't see it like that. They would see it as betrayal. If by some miracle the Circle didn't kill me I knew I'd suffer the wrath of Bex and die by her hands instead. I pushed the thoughts to the back of my head and focused on the task of getting ready.
Forty three minutes later we were walking the corridors and heading for breakfast. It was time to put my formulated plan into action. "Oh shoot, I forgot to put on some lip gloss!" I exclaimed, "Macey could I borrow your one, pretty please?" I batted my eyes and stuck out my bottom lip.
"Of course you can Cam, it's in the room, do you want me to come with?"
"No no, I'll go and catch you up in a bit. Could you save me a slice of toast and croissant before they all disappear please? I won't be long but I know what you lot are like." I said with a smile.
"Yeah, sure but seriously don't take ages, I know you want to look good for Zach but he's seen you after P&E so it doesn't really matter."
I rolled my eyes at Bex's joke and ran back towards the room. I had about ten minutes to complete my mission before they started to get suspicious. I grabbed my black duffel bag and started to throw in some clothes, shoes, money, fake IDs and girly bits. I hid the bag under my bed, applied some of Macey's ridiculously expensive (and only legal in Europe) lip plumping lip gloss which made my lips tingle and flew down to the hall in record time with 36 seconds to spare. I sat opposite Zach, gave him a small smile and tuck into my breakfast, after all I had to keep my energy if I was going to survive this day.