Cammie always thought I knew too much and it annoyed her. A lot. She wanted full, complete answers and not a wild chase around half of the globe just to find a tiny piece of a puzzle.

The problem is, I didn't really search for clues- I guessed.

And everything I saw came horribly close to my guesses.

Foreboding instincts are the worst.

-Z

I've always had known that Mom had powerful friends. I guessed that she had eyes and ears everywhere. Or at least the Circle has. I never thought it was impossible that there was a mole at the highest level of security in the CIA, MI6, KGB…you name it.

But I'd never guessed that she had friends powerful enough to drop me in Missouri and create a whole new identity in Preston Winter's security detail. It was impressive that a guy codenamed 'Hawk' with wild, white hair and a bushy mustache could just magically appear beside the potential First Son's side for the rest of the campaign trail.

The most important thing is that Mom or the Circle always acts with ulterior motives. And that motive had to do with Preston Winters because I had to steal his itinerary.

Or maybe Macey McHenry because she was a Gallagher Girl and was in the room just down the hallway and I had to hack into one of the itineraries' files to change the location of her film promotional video to Level R.

Or maybe Cammie Morgan because I overheard Macey saying that she was coming to visit.

"Mr. Winters," I said in my fake Southern accent. "We're here."

"And where is 'here'?" Preston asked.

"Boston."

Preston swallowed and rubbed his Spiderman watch. "Right, let's go."

Number of times the lady with the clipboard ordered the McHenry family to do something cheesy and ridiculous: 19

Number of times the Clipboard Lady was being way too annoying: 19

Number of times I was sorely tempted to reach under my wig and fake mustache to scratch because the fake hair was unbelievably itchy and was driving me crazy: 76

Number of minutes I was watching Cammie Morgan sit alone and wondered if she ever thought about me: 55

I'm pretty sure many teenage guys feel some sort of pressure when they're in the same room with their crush- the need to talk to her, that need to look at her and that need to have a tiny, little physical contact.

Let me tell you, assassin-slash-resistance-slash-highly trained Blackthorne Boys are no different. Just that normal civilian boys would've cracked in ten minutes and we could stand a full hour. Or at least until Preston Winters started talking to Cammie and I think I needed to...do something?

"Hey," Preston said as he, Macey and Cammie walked towards an underground tunnel. "Yeah. Itineraries. Doing our part. That's great. I'll walk with." Cammie just gave him a strained smile and nodded. Then I 'accidentally' barged into her.

"Excuse me, miss." I said softly, making sure that there was no Zach-ness in it. I only had a split second to feel her skin on mine's, to be able to look her straight in her hot chocolate eyes and for her dishwater blonde hair to brush against my cheek. She had grown a bit taller, more relaxed and quite a bit tanner where her t-shirt didn't cover so she had these weird tan lines. Her hands had new calluses on it from some sort of work during the summer.

Then I remembered that her file I read half a year ago mentioned something about a temporary home on a ranch in Nebraska.

Once I fell in step behind her, a voice crackled in my ear. It wasn't the head of security detail, though. "Hawk, are you in position?"

"Yes." I mumbled as I followed Cammie, Macey and Preston into an elevator. I remembered the plan- get them up to Level R. All three of them. Because two were a distraction, a confusion to send everyone into a frenzy. That was all I knew. Those were my only orders. The only other thing I could glean was that one of them was a Gallagher Girl. Mom had said nothing more.

"This is Charlie, by the way." Preston gestured to me in the elevator. "Charlie's been with me since…when was it? Missouri, I think?" You would've thought potential First Sons had better memory.

But I didn't say anything and just ran the plan in my head again. Awkward silence hung in the air and Preston whispered, "Good times."

"Did you hit the wrong button?" Cammie asked as the doors of the elevator finally slid open. Beyond the door was just a tiny room where hotel essentials came to die.

"It says 12:05: film promotional video. Service elevator. Level R." Macey read from her sheet of paper and pointed to the big R that was painted on the wall. I felt Cammie's eyes flicker towards me and I wondered for a second if she could see me.

I held up my arm and spoke into my sleeve where the Secret Service had given me the microphone. But the words were for only one comms unit. "Control, I'm with Peacock and Mad Dog. We're on Level R. Are they filming the video here, or has that been changed?" But my brain was saying, 'the target is on the rooftop with the other two. You may move in.'

"Excellent." A voice I knew too well spoke in my ear.

"They're checking." I looked at Cammie. Good luck, Gallagher Girl.

"I bet we're supposed to be out there." Macey walked forwards and opened the door. Preston and Cammie followed her. And before they could look back, I had already bolted the door. I'm sorry.

I peered through the small window on the metal door and watched them on the rooftop, sixty floors above the ground. From their body language, I could tell that they knew something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

They turned to Preston but he just shrugged and held out his palms facing them like he was saying that he was innocent. Cammie frowned and ran towards the door. I ducked down before she saw me and I could see the handle tremble as she tried to force her way through. But she couldn't and she saw the helicopter.

"We've got this, Hawk." Two masked figures came in through the elevator and grinned like there was absolutely nothing wrong with attacking three innocent teenagers on a hotel rooftop.

I nodded stiffly, "I'll leave them to you." And I stepped into the elevator to cut the wires in the control box as the two guys unbolted the door and stepped out into the light.

If I knew the Gallagher Academy's training like I did, Cammie would've chosen the best and easiest escape route off the rooftop- the window washer's plank that was on the side of the building. (I know that because I put it there.) She could've lowered herself to safety, climbed through a hotel window and run to safety.

But if I knew Cammie like I did, she would've chosen the worst and the most risky escape route off the rooftop- the air vent. (I know that because I had checked out the hotel's blue prints.) Before that, she would've guessed that the people in the chopper was after Preston Winters so she would've pushed him onto the window washer plank and stayed on the rooftop to fight with Macey. When she finally accepted the fact that she was overpowered, she would kick open the air vent, jump through it into the room where the elevator was and slide through the laundry chute.

And Cammie would've landed in the laundry room in the middle of some soft, clean and white sheets to cushion her fall. (I know that because I put them there.) She'd be safe, alive. But with at least a couple broken ribs and bones, a cracked skull and lots of bruises.

Then I stood still in the corner, leaning my side against the wall and looking bored, watching Cammie fight outside on the rooftop and eventually appear in the room where the elevator was. She couldn't see me, though. She was too worked up and too distressed that the wires had been cut in the elevator's machine box. I think Macey saw me as she tilted her head because I heard her whisper, "Charlie."

The three Circle agents opened the metal door (because I hadn't locked it again after the two agents had went out) and advanced towards Cammie and Macey. Cammie grabbed a cart and shoved it towards the three agents but one of the agents just stopped it at arms length and tossed it aside like he had been expecting it for his entire life.

"Cam." Macey rasped and pointed to the laundry chute. I half-smiled- she had found a way out. Cammie knew exactly what her sister was talking about and pushed Macey down the chute and she dove in after her. Then I heard a loud and sickening thump echo up the metal chute.

"Good work. We've given them a big enough scare." The female agent said. I could already tell by her ring that it was my mother. She nodded at me, "Catch you later."

But I stayed still in the corner as they exited the room until they were out of earshot and very softly, I whispered into the microphone in my sleeve, "Control, there's something in the laundry room. Check it out."

"Enjoyed the show?" an elderly woman's voice sounded through the cell phone. Mom was a pretty good actress when she needed to.

"Not as much as you did." I said flatly.

She laughed. "It was simple and easy. My, my, the standards sure have dropped."

"Or maybe you just expected that. You weren't surprised at all." I shot back. "That's why you were there last spring, weren't you? To 'evaluate'? To see them for yourself?"

"It was necessary…for future encounters." And I heard hardness creep back into her voice. I felt sick hearing that. It was like giving a scent to a bloodhound and making it track down the scent…eventually, kill.

You disgust me. I wanted to snarl.

Let me go, you madwoman. I wanted to yell.

I never want to see you again. I wanted to snap.

But I held onto my cover and said, "Bye."

The Pros and Cons of Being an Undercover Agent In the Potential First Son's Security Detail:

(A List by Zach Goode)

Pro: You get to stay in really nice hotels and ride awesome limos.

Con: Being on security detail means you have to work on shifts and of course, do counter surveillance procedures. So you have less time to enjoy these cool privileges.

Pro: You get close proximity with Preston Winters, who is a normal civilian boy and you can occasionally 'bond' with him over…normal stuff. Which is nice, for a change.

Con: Being a Blackthorne Boy, you honestly have no experience with this…normal stuff.

Pro: Two words: No school. And no Dr. Steve, for that matter.

Con: You're on a mission and you have absolutely no idea what's the mission objective except for orders to have rendezvous with a senior agent every month. With no mission objective, you can only sit around and wait…and guess…and let yourself worry over which Gallagher Girl the Circle is after.

Pro: The senior agent I'm supposed to rendezvous with is Joe!

Con: Other than monthly meetings, you have barely anything to do, so you'd much rather be studying at school. Even if it means seeing Dr. Steve.

Pro: The potential First Son also came with people to care for his every need and want. No matter how ridiculous, no matter how impossible. So when I asked them to buy a postcard with the picture of the Ruby Slippers from the National Museum of American History, no one did a double take or raise any alarms.

I had a million things to say to Cammie. I wanted her to know that someone might be after her. Or Macey.

I wanted her to know that I had been on a mission to understand Cammie in the spring. And the Circle actually had contact with Gallagher Girls. With so much information about her and them, it was too easy for the Circle to get at either Cammie or Macey.

I wanted her to know that if either one was being targeted, the other would still be in potential danger because they were so close. And I would never forgive myself for letting any of them get hurt. Because I promised Joe.

And I wanted her to know that my mom was a part of the Circle and I wanted to beg someone to pull me out of the mission.

But there was only so much space on a postcard so all I could write was: Be careful.

And maybe she'd take my word and stay at the Gallagher Academy.

But knowing Cammie, she wouldn't.

We were called to assemble in the basement of a very nice hotel in Illinois where the Winters-McHenry's campaign group was staying in. (The security detail, not the Circle.)

One of the senior agents cleared his throat and said, "As you all know, Ms. McHenry will be going back to her school on the first of September. Precautions have been taken and she will be assigned an agent to accompany her wherever she goes- at school or on the trail. She will also be in charge of Ms. McHenry's security detail from now on. She'll oversee everything and I trust that all of you, even the ones on Mr. Winter's security detail, will cooperate with her to keep both teenagers safe."

"Abigail Cameron." A new voice sounded behind him. The senior agent stepped aside and the newcomer emerged from the shadows. "Call me Abby." She flashed a beautiful smile and surveyed all of us. From her gaze, I knew she was an expert of the best. She had seen many things. And she was a Gallagher Girl.

Now, if you've been reading this for long enough, I'm sure you know how people look at me. Mom looks at me like I'm 18, young and ready for anything. The Circle agents and Joe looks at me like I'm at least 25, with their level of expertise. Grant and Jonas looks at me like I'm a senior student. And Cammie looks at me like I'm a guy who is a bit older than her and loves to annoy the hell out of her, just for fun. But no one looks at me like my real age- 16.

Except for Abigail Cameron.

When her eyes swept over me, I knew she could see me. I literally shrank. I knew she could see who I really was and I knew she had something to do with Catherine Goode because she mouthed, "You."

"Liking it here?" Abby walked up to me as I stood in the hotel's restaurant, watching Preston Winters eat. She leaned close to me, "Zach."

I shrugged and replied in my Southern accent, "It's swell."

Abby laughed softly, "I know it's you."

I glanced at her warily, searching her eyes for anything. But she was very good- there was nothing.

Abby waved her hand in front of my face. "I know what you're thinking. You're thinking about Cammie, aren't you?"

"Does it matter to you?" I arched a bushy eyebrow, genuinely surprised. How did she read me so easily?

"I'm her aunt, I need to know these things."

"So?"

"You're finding her in me. Well, let me tell you, kid. Cammie Morgan's nothing like me. She's nothing like her mother. But she's everything of her old man." Abby smiled but it didn't exactly reach her eyes.

"He and I." Abby nodded and closed her eyes, as if going back to some distant memory that I couldn't decide if she wanted to erase or keep. "We've been after the Circle for a long, long time. He was the one who came closest. It's comforting to know that after so much work, the Circle is still able to send you in here." Her voice was slightly different- hurt, bruised, completely not the bulletproof image she had. And maybe, she was a bit like me.

"Maybe I didn't want to." I whispered.

Abby just gave me an odd look and said, "Do you?"

A/N: Well, well, well...look who's back. *points both thumbs to myself and...erm..Zach*

So that's the first chapter of Zach's POV of Don't Judge a Girl By Her Cover. I know it doesn't have much action and stuff but you know, sitting next to the potential First Son doesn't really allow you to go on clandestine missions at the same time. But I think there will be something more interesting later on... I really enjoyed writing Abby, though. She was...interesting. ;) And she kind of reminds me of Zach. You know, the regrets, the cockiness and the teasing. So it was fun.

Stay tuned!

AwesomePP