Hey.

Okay, so this is my VERY FIRST Gallagher Girls fic, so be nice :)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Gallagher Girls, or any of the songs or brands that I might use. Actually, I just don't own anything. This disclaimer will apply to all chapters.

Oh yeah, just to warn you, I might switch povs from time to time.

And let's pretend Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover ended during the summer, kay?

w e w e r e b o x i n g t h e s t a r s
['smannequin]

She blocked her attacker's blow, sending him down on the floor. She ran the second he was down, while her two assailants ran after her. But she was smaller, she was faster.

And she ran, and she ran.

She ran as fast as she can, never considering stopping to catch her breath, overlooking the fact that she barely got any sleep last night, and ignoring the rumbling of her hungry stomach.

She ignored her body screaming for her to stop.

She ignored her desire to just collapse, to just lay down on the ground and let her enemies take her, to just stop running and breathe.

But to stop was to quit.

And Cammie Morgan never quits.

.:~*~:.

She opened her eyes and the first thing she saw were glow in the dark stars stuck to the white ceiling. They weren't glowing, it was daytime. She looked to the right and she saw the pale yellow walls of her room in her grandparents' farm in Nebraska, and for a second she thought she just had a bad dream.

But it wasn't a dream. It was real.

The last thing she remembered was running, running so fast. She reached her grandparents' house five minutes after shaking off her attackers, making sure to leave no trails behind. Her grandmother's face was the last thing she saw before she collapsed on the threshold.

Now she was here.

For five minutes, she just lay down on the soft bed, staring up at the stars on her ceiling. She turned off all of the lights, and drew her curtains closed. The stars shone green, and she focused on the dull soft lights they emit. For the first time in her life, Cammie wished she was a star. A star doesn't have to worry about being kidnapped. A star doesn't have to do countersurveillance every time she goes out. A star just has to shine, to attract attention, to be seen.

But Cammie has to be invisible.

She sighed, got up off the bed even if her legs were protesting. She walked out of her room and down to the kitchen, where her mother was sitting down with her grandparents

"Cammie!" her mom said when she saw her, and Rachel Morgan got up and gave her daughter a hug.

"Darling, how are you?" Grandpa Morgan asked.

"Fine," Cammie answered, lying. No, she wasn't fine. She just got attacked and almost kidnapped, she was tired, and she wasn't fine. But she was a spy; spies lie.

"Good," Rachel murmured. "Sit down, honey," Rachel told her, and Cammie obeyed.

"Why in the devil did you run so much, Cammie?" Grandma Morgan asked, and before Cammie could answer, she caught her mom's eyes, warning her to watch what she said. Her grandparents weren't spies. They could get heart attacks if they knew their son was; especially if they knew their granddaughter was following the family business.

"Oh, I just wanted to exercise," Cammie lied.

"Well, darling, there's no point in exercising if you don't eat! Over-fatigue is not a joke! We were very worried!" her grandmother lectured.

"What were you talking about before I came?" Cammie asked, wanting to change the subject.

Her grandparents and her mother exchanged looks, and Cammie knew they were talking about her.

"We were talking about you, kiddo," Rachel replied.

"And?"

"And about how you would spend the summer with me instead," her mom said slowly.

"Why?" Cammie asked.

"Honey, we think you'll get more rest there with your mother," Grandpa Morgan answered.

"What about you? Who'll help you for the summer?" she asked, making sure her grandparents were okay with it. That mansion was her home. She knew she would be safe there. She was thankful her mother was staying in school for the summer, making sure that the additional security the maintenance was adding was fine and that it was all going smoothly.

"Your mother offered us tickets to a cruise, and we're accepting it."

.:~*~:.

"Why offer them a cruise?"Cammie asked her mom when her grandparents left to pack.

"Cammie. The Circle of Cavan managed to track you down here. They could find out where your grandparents lived, and they could use them. I needed your grandparents to go away so that they won't ask questions when people start adding security cameras and motion sensors and other security items to their ranch," Rachel answered.

"Oh," Cammie said, realization dawning on her. She wasn't leaving for her safety. Her mother could just ask anyone to follow her around and protect her, and she was a spy in training, so her safety was somehow assured here. No, she wasn't leaving for her safety. She was leaving for her grandparents'.

.:~*~:.

Cammie half expected maintenance workers to be roaming around, but she knew she was just kidding herself.

The maintenance workers of the Gallagher Academy would never show themselves when they're updating the mansion's security system. No one can know how safe the school actually is. It provides a façade for the school; if the townspeople see men adding motion sensors and such, they'll surely ask questions.

.:~*~:.

[cammie]

In our room, there's this little nook that you can snuggle up in, and directly in front of it is a window. That's where I was later that night, after a quiet dinner with Mom and…well, Mr. Solomon. He decided to help Mom with the preparations for the updating of the school security system.

I just sat there, thinking about nothing.

I didn't let anything bother my mind. Nothing at all.

That is, until, the light switched open.

I didn't even hear the door open!

I knew it couldn't be anyone dangerous; I doubt they will turn on the lights and warn me about them.

I was wrong.

I was someone very, very dangerous.

Macey McHenry.

"Cammie! I didn't know you would be here!" Macey said, genuinely surprised at seeing me there.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I wanted to get away from my parents. This was the first place I thought of, so I said 'What the heck, I'll go to school.' It's a new experience for me. Usually, I try to get away from school, but this time, I ran to school. I guess this school is just special. I mean, technically, if Gilly never turned this into a spy school, then I might actually be living her so…" she rambled on, being very un-Macey-like, but I got what she was trying to say.

She was trying to say that this mansion was home.

"…and I thought, why don't I just go to school, maybe it'll be fun to try to go and beat the school's defenses and…" she continued, but I never let her finish since I gave her a big hug.

"This mansion is my home, too," I whispered and pulled away.

She looked like a kid trying to tell her mother that the one who broke the vase was actually the cat, but then her mother catches her anyway. "Yeah."

"But, they're updating the school's security system. How'd you get in?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I'm Macey McHenry," she answered with a smug smile.

I gave her a look.

"I used the secret passageway behind the Gallagher family tree tapestry," she answered.

I'm not sure whether I should be scared or proud that a teenager got past the school's security.

But, then again, I was talking about Macey. She's no normal teenager.

"I have to tell my mother," I said. "You can't just hide in this room for the whole summer. She'll find out within three days."

"I knew you would say that," Macey said, looking down. "But please tell her that I don't want to go back. This is home."

.:~*~:.

"Well, Macey. I won't force you to go back home if you don't want to," my mother said, and Macey sent me a look that said "Yes!"

"But I will have to tell your parents that you're here," Mom added, and Macey's jaw dropped. "Macey, they'll get worried. Your face is known everywhere in America. Do you know how many people would start looking for you? Plus, the press will make a big deal out of this. It'll be bad for the school."

Macey understood, and she said, "My parents might probably still be awake if you call them now."

"Okay. Now, you two, go back to your room. And don't stay up late," my mom said, and Macey immediately dragged me out.

"Your mom is the best headmistress ever," Macey said, and I smiled at her. Not just because of the compliment she gave my mom, but because she was there, beside me.

And I really needed a friend right now.

So how was that?

I admit, these characters might get a little OOC. And Cammie's seriousness was there during the third book, so I don't think I went that far.

Right?

Review.

And can anyone tell me what color Cammie's eyes are? And Zach's? Also Zach's a brunette, right? If you don't tell me, I'm giving Cammie dark blue/sapphire eyes (Taylor Swift seriously has the best eye color) and I'm giving Zach dark gray ones.