Cameron and Zachary were five years old when they first met. They both went to Roseville Elementary but never talked to each other, despite their families' closeness. This all changed one day after a party for Joe Solomon, Zachary's uncle. They were the only two children there and in desperate need for some fun.
"Aunt Abby, I'm bored. Can I please play outside?" A young Cameron asked.
"Sorry, squirt, but you have to stay in here," responded Abigail Cameron, a member of the Secret Service and highly trained spy.
Cameron huffed and sat down on the floor as her aunt left. She crossed her arms and stared out the window, where all the grownups were. How dare they have fun while I have to sit here, she thought.
Meanwhile, Zachary Goode was watching from his spot in the hallway. He was fed up with being ignored, but that didn't matter to him right now. He was too busy watching the girl, taking a sudden interest in her. He was sure he had seen her before. And he had, but with Cameron being a pavement artist- well, soon she will- he had merely forgotten her. No surprise there.
"What are you doing?" he inquired, walking towards her.
She turned and stared at him, automatically remembering him. "None of your business."
"You don't have to be mean, I was here to ask you something," was his response.
"What? You're not going to ask me to play, are you?" The young girl suddenly took interest as her eyes sparkled.
"Well, I was. But I have a better idea. We should spy on them."
"On who?"
"The grownups. We should see what's so 'portant that they left us in here."
The smile on Cameron's face grew wider as she followed him out. While they caught glimpses of the inappropriate things that were being done- don't ask- they had grown a friendship. But for five year olds, they automatically like you if you give them your milk and cookies.
Sadly, Cameron left after accidentally drinking wine, thinking it was cranberry juice. Her dad carried her to the car as the young boy called out, "Bye Cammie!"
This party led to other events- several play dates and them doing everything together. They shared the same classes and sat next to each other. They traded lunches and colored after school. As they grew older, their friendship became stronger.
They walked to school together, alternating days of picking each other up from their house. After school, they would take martial arts classes. Cammie and Zach dreamed of becoming professionals. Despite the fact that their interest changed every year, their families had them stay in those classes for obvious reasons. Finally, it came to be the summer between 6th and 7th grade. It was their last summer together. When the last week came, they knew they had to say their goodbyes. Just two weeks before, Cammie had been admitted into the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, where her mother is the headmistress and Zach into the Blackthorne Institute for Troubled Young Men, where his uncle taught.
Sitting on the swing sets that they loved to play on when they were younger, Cammie and Zach spent their last few moments together. They were being sent to their boarding schools in mere hours, and this may be the last time they ever saw together. They couldn't even interact in the summer, seeing as Cammie was to spend it with her grandparents while Zach was God knows where.
"I'm going to miss you Cammie."
She was silent and stared at the floor.
"Cammie?"
"Oh, Zach, I'm going to go crazy missing you," she said, looking up at him.
He just nodded solemnly.
"Cammie, it's time for you to go now," Rachel Morgan said, appearing in front of her. She had just come from unpacking Cammie's things in her new room at Gallagher, which wasn't too far from the park.
"Okay mom. Do you mind waiting in the car?" Rachel gave a knowing smile and walked away.
"So I guess is goodbye?"
Cammie gave a weak smile and started to walk away.
"Wait Cammie!"
"Yes?"
"I have M&Ms. I don't think they have them at Gallagher," he teased, knowing the girls weakness.
"Zach, give me those!" she screamed, jumping all over him. She finally grabbed one and shoved it in her mouth.
"Wow, Cam, I didn't think you were that crazy about these."
"Come on Zach, you know they're my kryptonite."
He laughed and kissed her cheek.
"Bye Cammie," he whispered.
And those were the last words Zachary Goode would ever say to Cameron Morgan.
Well, at least until their senior year.
"Cammie, Cammie, Cammie. What on earth are we going to do with you?" Elizabeth Sutton, better known as Liz, asked her roommate, Cameron.
"I say we take her shopping," Macey McHenry, the Senator's daughter, told Liz.
"Or maybe we should torture her," came Rebecca "Bex" Baxter's reply. Cammie's eyes widened at the thought of Bex and torture. After all, her best friend is scary enough, but adding torture? She didn't want to think about it.
"Fine! I'm sorry that I wandered off again! Please don't hurt me!" Cammie said in a mocking tone.
Liz, Bex, and Cammie were inseparable from the very beginning. And then in their sophomore year, Macey came and joined these close friends. At first, it was hard to accept her, judging her on her 'spoiled princess' cover. Because, really, it's not every day the Senator's daughter- one of the most famous girls in America- waltzes in to spy school. But they started to include her after discovering she was a descendant of Gillian Gallagher, the founder of the Academy.
"Cam, you're getting sloppy. It's our senior year; you should've remembered not to leave the picture crooked when three girls are out to get you," Bex teased.
Cammie rolled her eyes and exited her secret passageway, her friends following closely behind. They were legends in the spy world- The Chameleon and Her Crew. Cammie, obviously, was the Chameleon. Bex was Duchess- a name she loathed-, Liz was Bookworm, and Macey was Peacock. The four were walking towards the East Wing to go to their rooms but stopped dead in their tracks after hearing noises from their headmistress' office.
"So Monday?" This was Rachel Morgan speaking, and the girls just had to figure out what was going on.
"Okay. Can't wait to see you. Bye."
Now, this was sounding awfully like Ms. Morgan was planning on going on a date. The girls had to investigate- especially Cammie. So they devised a plan. There was a secret passageway leading to her office, but it didn't open from the inside. The three girls were to go in there while Cammie did what she did best- disappear. After Rachel left her office, completely oblivious to Cammie, she walked in and opened the latch on the wall.
"Liz and Macey, search the cabinets. Bex, cover the trash can and bookcase. I'll check the desk.
They found a file in Rachel's safe. They immediately opened it and had Liz memorize all its contents. What they found out shocked them.
For years, they were one of the few to know about Blackthorne Institute. They just thought that their brother school would always be isolated from them. This was all about to change. Because they were coming on Monday.
And the once young kids were going to be reunited.
Blackthorne was coming to Gallagher for the semester, possibly year.
Little did they know that this year was going to turn from boring to the most thrilling year yet. Whether they liked it or not.