Hello! This is a completed story that is set between the fifth and sixth Gallagher Girl novels (I started this before the sixth book came out.) After several hiatuses, it took about 3 years to actually complete. After all that, I'm now going back and rewriting sections. Feel free to read it even if the rewrite isn't yet complete – I'm not changing plot points, just the writing of it a touch. Happy reading!

We'll be the ones doing the chasing.

I promised myself that last year, but after my winter break in London with Bex's family, I was beginning to doubt I was ever going to get the chance. My best friend Bex sat beside me in the back of a limo on our way back home to the Gallagher Academy. Despite the familiar setting of Christmas with the Baxter's, this time there were no guards, no MI6, and no Circle of Cavan. It was just Bex's parents and us. It was freedom again.

Sure, Mr. and Mrs. Baxter are some of MI6's best agents, and I was never more than 10 yards from a member of the Baxter family, but I finally felt normal. I was no longer crazy. The spy in me knew that it would take some time before I was back to my normal self which is typical when you're tortured for months, but the girl in my knew that I was never really going back to my normal self.

The walls of my beloved school cheerfully approached me. It felt like I was back for the first time since last spring. And really, it was the first time I had been back since last spring. That girl who was in my place last fall wasn't really me.

"You ready to go?" Bex asked happily after thirty minutes of scans, checks, and clearances. My threat level may have died down, but it seemed that security at the Academy was permanently elevated. I guess some things can never completely go back to normal.

I paused, breathed in the fresh air of my school, and replied, "Of course!"

We grabbed our luggage from the back and rushed to the front doors which were bursting with eager faces. Unlike a lot of schools, everyone is always pretty excited to go back to the Gallagher Academy after break. I waved at some classmates and even assured Tina Walters that I, in fact, had not got re-kidnapped over the break. Bex and I shrugged her off and pushed through the crowds up the stairs, but something stopped us.

"Ms. Morgan," I heard a familiar voice call from behind me.

Bex and I spun around to see our supposed-to-be dead Cove-Ops teacher, Joe Solomon, standing at the foot of the old wooden staircase. He looked different from when I first met him sophomore year. This new Mr. Solomon lost some of his presence. He carried a wooden cane and walked gingerly. The old Mr. Solomon carried an aura of mystery and power. I wasn't sure if that had vanished because he was weaker or because he wasn't as much of a mystery anymore.

Bex was the first to respond, "Wait, aren't you supposed to be dead still?"

He smiled and replied, "Headmistress Morgan and I took care of that over the break."

"So that's where she was," I muttered, and Mr. Solomon nodded. I then added, "It's really great to see you alive again."

Mr. Solomon smiled and then said, "Well, I don't want to keep you ladies too long. I am to tell you, Cammie, that your mother will not return to school for a little while-"

I opened my mouth to question him, but he stopped me and continued, "-and that she will be back as soon as possible. And that's all there is."

I knew better than to pursue more so we said goodbye and made our way through the crowds to our room where a very excited Liz and a worried Macey waited for us. Liz was the first to move as she leaped towards us screaming, "Bex! Cammie!"

"Relax, Liz. We no longer have to fear death when we leave the school," Bex joked. Liz ignored her and hugged me. She may have been quite possibly the smartest teenager on the planet, but as she tripped over my suitcase, I couldn't help but laugh at her.

"Hey, Macey! We're back!" I called to her cheerfully. Maybe she hadn't quite realized the good news yet.

She stood up and looked at me seriously, "So, how are we going to rescue Preston?"

Bex replied, "So I see your holiday went well."

"I'm serious. We said that we'd get him after break. And it's time!" Macey began to get agitated which reminded me of Macey McHenry the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the country. I couldn't help but think back to the day on the rooftop of the convention center. That was the Preston we had to go rescue. We had to get him off this roof too.

I sighed, "You're right."

Macey smiled pleased with herself, but Bex said, "Can we at least wait to start planning covert missions that involved sneaking out of school and going to Rome until after we've spent some time in school? Like maybe after dinner?"

We agreed because I wasn't exactly itching to leave for the first time in a while. I was tired of running, getting chased, and breaking rules strangely enough.

"Ms. Morgan! A word, please!" Professor Buckingham snapped at me as my friends and I made our way to dinner. I told them I'd catch up as I hurried over to the side where Professor Buckingham was standing.

"Your mother gave me this before she left and asked that I give this to you when you returned to school," she handed me a small brown envelope. "She asked for me to make it very clear that you are to read it immediately and follow the instructions to the letter. Are we clear?"

"Yes, professor," I responded.

I turned to head to the dining hall when Professor Buckingham called back, "And Cameron, be careful."

I was a little confused as I walked to an empty hallway to read the letter. The Circle of Cavan no longer needed me alive because the splinter group had the list, and the Circle didn't really need me dead anymore because I wasn't the only person with the list anymore.

I flipped the envelope to the front where my name was in my mom's handwriting. I was a little afraid to open it for fear that some terrible news could be inside, but before I had a chance to find out, a voice behind me cooed, "Were you ever going to say hello, Gallagher Girl?"

I have to admit, I'd almost forgotten again that Zach went to my school. You spend all those years thinking you go to an all-girls school and then suddenly you have a classmate who is also your boyfriend. I crammed the letter in my pocket and turned to say, "Nope. I prefer to let you find me."

He smiled like he always does and grabbed my hand, "May I escort you to the dining hall?"

I thought for a second about the letter, but I figured it could wait until after dinner. "Let's go!"