If it's Heads I win
Author's Note: Sorry for writing just now, I appreciate all your reviews for Pretending is Our Game! :D Oh and sorry if this seems un structured, It's just a story line I thought of literally just now, and I had nothing else to do so I decided to write I hope you guys would like this!
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story; they are all Ally Carter.
Chapter 1: Death by Nail Polish
The feeling came out weird. It was like choking while gasping at the same time, and it's the feeling I'm having now while I take a look at this tracker stuck all this time to my nail. Yes, it's stuck to my nail. Now let me tell you how it got there. It was just one day I "let" my friends touch my nails and me. I was sitting pretty near out good old window porch when "entities" came barging into my happy place.
"Hey Cammie!" That was my best friend Bex, and she was calling me in this really sweet with matching fluttering eyelids, which signals a tragedy as worse as the wipeout of an entire city. I'm never more afraid of her when she does that, coz it means there's this something she wants done and she would ask me to be part of it; (well asking is an understatement its more of asking = breaking my bones if I don't join). So basically she was calling me, so I looked. Standing right beside her were my other friends, Macey and Liz, and the fact that they are standing all together, STARING at me while SMILING those wickedly sweet smiles is really the signal to go and run, and so I did.
I dropped my book slowly, looked at them as if I was standing to acknowledge them, then the moment the backed of a bit to give me a little space to move, I ran for my dear life.
"Get her!" Macey pointed at me as I lunged out of the door even slamming the door to my kneecap as I ran for it. I heard Bex call after me "Come back here! What are you doing running away from your lovely friends!" I looked back and shouted, "You're running after me! That's not a good thing!" I continued to run, oh and did I mention that when we mean run, we mean running with a couple of jumps, spins, climbs and gymnastics. I felt relatively slow that day, even though I'm running at a speed that could get me into the Olympics, but I know that its just because of the fact that that was the first day of classes; luckily my friends are a little slower than me (blame the heels). Well we're spies, and that's our kind of thing.
I was running past the mess hall, and several statues of the greatest spies known in the land, and from all those glass I can see the reflections of my now enraged friends. I know they're mad but I'm just happy I'm ten meters away from them! I can hear them shouting random curses and different languages, and when I mean languages, I mean something like sixteen different types; and I just can't help but grin. So the cocky me, thought that I'm free, I'm not the chameleon for nothing you know. But something happened – you know how us spies are trained to look at everything and memorize them? How we specialize in running as if we're always on some sort of an invisible obstacle course, and how we can evade and kill at the same time? (Yes, we are cool like that). Then the "something" happened, something that we spies were never really prepared for - My foot fell inside a stupid broken tile!
"SHIT!" I growled, "What the hell is this stupid empty tile doing here? You've gotta be kidding me!" I said that as I attempted to pull up my leg from hole, my friends slowly catching up now. Who would've known that a place constructed to be one of the most technological sites in the world could have a problem such as a broken tile that looks exactly like a durable one besides the fact that there's no cement under it!
I was trying to finally get my shoe our the hole when Bex jumped on me, "You are not going anywhere now!" She was tackling me to the floor, oh and did I mention that my shoe went flying into the air when she did that. Totally a wrong time for my shoe, which was stuck a while ago to be free. "You almost destroyed my Jimmy Choos! These are limited!" I felt how nearly bad Macey felt for her shoes, she was tying my foot and my arms using on of our school's latest technology, well to put its simply it's a super elastic that can stretch and hold strong enough to tie a person; and a good demonstration would be them tying me now. I know I should've been able to escape that but if it's hard being tied up by a villain, its even harder to be tied up, tackled and rolled around by three female spies experiencing PMS or god knows what – maybe puberty. But it is especially hard when they're the best students in the academy and your best friends at the same time. I mean you could attempt to pay me but I'd rather be broke than be squished like a bug by Bex who happens to have the strength of an ancient ape or maybe Godzilla and the body of those movie Egyptian princesses. Well it's not only Bex who I'm afraid of. We've also got Macey McHenry, the daughter of Senator McHenry, and currently the most beautiful female in the entire academy. And did I mention she could literally kill you with her eyes if she wanted too? She's the school devil, tempting yet deadly. You can compare her to the apple in Snow White and the seven dwarves for future reference. As small, fragile and clumsy as Liz may seem she is still a monster at work (I know my descriptions would remind one of a little lost kid bent to cry anytime now). She's relatively more conservative than we all are when it comes to killing, but don't get her wrong, messing with her and that platinum brain of hers would mean killing yourself in milliseconds. She will tear you apart with technology if needed be, and that means screwing with practically everything that would make one survive (what will you do without the refrigerator!).
So basically my friends were able to drag me back to our room. "You gave us a hard time ya know? I'm hung over from the beach, my tan, the boys and all that – then you suddenly start running like a cheetah?" Bex grabbed a seat as she kept on tugging on the elastic. While I squirmed to get a feel of how I can possibly breakthrough it.
"Why were you guys coming on me that way?" I looked at all three of them while they all started passing the glare to each other.
"The hell guys! Somebody answer me! Can't you guys see I'm tied up here like a criminal or a hostage!" I shouted at them, I mean this is really weird of them, tying me up as if what's next is going to ruin my life forever and that I'm about to run away from it!
Liz fiddled with her fingers. Oh God no, she's nervous! Why is she nervous! I kept thinking to myself, I mean she's rarely does that, unless there's some weird thing happening like an animal massacre or maybe an open screening of porn (anyway, you get the point) "Well, its nothing really, we just need your cooperation for something!" Liz looked at me with pleading-puppy-eyes.
"Now that's what I mean by asking, my friends! What's with the attempt to kill me!" I kicked "That" I gestured to Liz with my unwired hand "that would work! You could've tried some nice talk or cake if nothing really worked!" I scoffed as I tried lecturing them as if they were kids. But Bex just put me off; she placed her hands on her waist and started her lament with this really deep breath that I think depleted our room's oxygen supply! "Sweet talk you're talking about! We tried that and you ran away, forced us to run without proper stretching! Don't you know that I we might develop some sort of ugly-muscles-in-the-legs-syndrome because of you!" She was about to add more but I stopped her –
"You're not answering my question Bex, why am I tied up here and what's Liz talking about?" I raised my eyebrows and they began staring at each other again. I don't like this, what's with all the staring and telepathic glances!
"It's nothing really, I mean you know its nothing that important!" Bex was squirming around and all that, and its making me feel sick to the core!
"Say it Bex! And stop squirming, you're making me dizzy!" I told her, impatient to know what these girls are up to this time.
"Oh come on Bex, this is gonna take forever, say it already!" Macey crossed her arms and I can see the pressure building up, Bex looked like she was about to go and have LBM anytime now.
"Then why don't you go say it!" Bex said to Macey. And as usual, Macey just glared at Bex, something that would instantly read force-me-and-I'll-kill-you, and Bex knew that she had to say it.
"Fine then! Umm…its…its…!" And she exhaled.
"The what and the what? You are so talking gibberish" I looked at her slightly concerned that she lost a lot of oxygen in her brain trying to say that all in one breath.
"Oh according to what I caught she seems to have said: we need you to become this really pretty stylish babe so that we can land a sweet mission. That's all, please correct me if I translated wrongly" Liz was in her usual narrate-like-a-computer mode.
I stared at them blankly then I laughed. Hard. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! No way man, that would be like skinning me death, I'm not doing another mission in goddamn heels, the last time I did that, I almost died from having to avoid a freaking bullet because the heel of my shoe was stuck in the freaking mud!" I blurted out that sad experience of mine but they were all looking at me like being a princess at that moment means life and death for them.
"Oh….you all seem so serious….you're not kidding are you?" I looked at all three of them, trying to find someone who'd croak and laugh, finally spilling the joke; but it never came, instead they all said in unison –
"DEAD SERIOUS" And that blew me away.
Next came the dreaded moment of allowing them to do their thing. The make up, the clothes (so even a difference in the length of our uniform would be a very important fashion thing – as I have been told), hours and hours for the hair that just won't flatten enough, the waxing and several screams of death; then came the thing that almost killed me – the nail polish.
"Finally! From Frankenstein to Miss Universe!" Macey sighed as she crash-landed herself to the bed. I glared to her but nothing could ruin her parade, seeing me like this seems to be some really worth it trophy to her!
"Now what? That you have turned me into this very vulnerable spy after making me wear 4 inches of non existent width!" I looked at them, scowling.
"This just means, you're ready. Come on we have more things to do." Liz sounded determined. And as she stood up, the others went to drag me out our door.
"Where are we going?" I asked them, and Bex just replied "To your mom, time to shut up and follow us" She sounded stern and so I obliged. We finally reached the door and as we opened it I saw my mom and Mr. Solomon talking about some urgent…need…to…*something* I wasn't able to get anything afterwards since they immediately stopped as Liz held on the doorknob.
"Hmm…so it is possible, good work girls." Mr. Solomon eyed me as if he was scrutinizing how I looked. My mom on the other hand was smiling at me as if she was about to take pictures of me, like those parents who are about to send their child to their first prom.
"Yes this looks convincing enough, and you look very nice dear." My mom smiled at me and I kinda felt awkward having no reply to that but a small nod.
"So since we have everyone here and all is set, I want to discuss the mission now, especially for the benefit of Cameron here." Mr. Solomon eyed me, and I felt bad being the only one oblivious to this mysterious mission (well not so since everyone seems to know about it!).
My mom stood up, as she paced around she spoke "As it may be known to all of you, spies like us are only of a few numbers, but are from different places in the world. Have you ever wondered where other spies like you came from?" And she left the question open ended, but that really bugged me, how have I not thought of this before! I mean my dad can't be from Gallagher, he's a guy for heaven's sake, and here we are pretending to be an academy catering to excellent girls!
My mom paused to grab a pen, then continued afterwards "Now that would be the focus of your new mission, you will be facing to compete with other spies, those that are of the same stature, but from different places" She looked at all of us to see our stunned faces, I mean you won't expect us to come head to head with other spies from some planet we may not know!
"I see this is the first time you are encountering such a mission, but here lies the honor of our school. For this is where the highest ranked officers would want to see how each training academy is doing – and we have chosen the four of you to represent our school." Mr. Solomon crossed his arms, and I felt the chill of reality down my spine.
"Oh God… So we really are going to face other spies…" I pity Liz, coz I know how she tends to feel of giddy and dizzy whenever we have to join competitions, and now that its for real and that we will lose our heads to our sisters in the process if we lose, I think puking would be a controlled reaction. Though I think Bex is really opting for something near uncontrolled muscle movements, wobbly legs, or just fainting.
This may all be a surprise to me, but as the chameleon and the daughter of two of the best spies ever, I need to keep myself controlled, coherent and at the least conscious. I motioned for a question "If that's out new mission, why do I need to look like this? I'm the chameleon remember? Where in this is camouflage?" I motioned to myself, this would really stand out. With all the make up, the really glossy hair that by the way took two hours (just the hair) and the accessories, attempting to blend in would be as stupid as the effort to force Macey to talk to one of her stalkers.
"Yes dear we know, now listen – " before my mom could even finish her sentence, Dr. Fibbs shot into the room with a device that looked like a satellite dish or an umbrella.
"I finally finished it! My tracking device that would track trackers!" Dr. Fibbs was so happy that we couldn't interrupt with his blabbering of physics and the mechanics involved in his new invention. "Now I'm gonna turn it on to show you! I put sample bugs in this room!" We looked at him dumbly, he seems prepared for this, he even had sample bugs!
Then it happened. He turned it on and I immediately flew towards the umbrella-slash-satellite dish! "What the hellllllllllll! Somebody grab me!" I was stuck, fingers glued magnetically to the umbrella.
"Oh goodness! What happened to you Cameron, I do not recall putting bugs on your…" Mr. Fibbs looked like a kid who just misplaced his toy while I looked like some crazy girl with her nails stuck in an umbrella! "…nails?" I knew he's not the type to put trackers in his student's nails, especially not our type of students so this has got to be something else.
"What happened to you Cammie? How the hell can you stick there nails up?" Macey examined the situation when Mr. Solomon and my mom started glancing at each other.
"So they're starting…" My mom said as she grabbed some solution and poured them onto my nails.
"What! What do you mean by starting?" Bex asked, as she was standing there shocked as ever. "Well Rebecca, it seems that your competitors have started way ahead of us, we might need to immediately send you to the mission then. We have no more time." Mr. Solomon answered as he and my mom finally got me of Mr. Fibbs' invention.
"I'm afraid I'd like you all to pack and meet me here by 10:00 pm on the dot. It's starting and I don't want us left behind." Mr. Solomon turned his back to us as we all scrambled out of the room to ours.
"What do you think are we facing here?" Liz asked me and honestly I have no idea "Who ever these people are, they know what they are doing. And we're about to meet them, sooner or later…" I looked at her, seeing as to how scared she really is.
Macey started grabbing things as she said "So they put stuff on my nail polish! Wait till I meet them and crack their skulls into half!" No one would want to mess with Macey, I mean touching her would be like suicide, but touching her clothes, bags and other stuff would be like wishing you were never even born.
"Somebody's screwed to hell" I smirked, I know this is gonna be one hell of a rough ride, but one could always use a good blood rush.
We all headed down stairs, and seeing that chopper right in front of our faces just means – It's game time!