Hey people. Thanks to all for the great reviews of the last chapter.
so I really want your opinion on this one. I particularly want to know what you think about Zach. Have I got his character right? If not how do I need to change him? Only you guys can tell me so review.
Disclaimer: I am not Ally Carter and I own nothing but the plot of this story.
Enjoy.
Cammie, Zach, the Passage Way and the Water
Cammie POV
I was sitting on my bed wondering what the mission could be when the door opened.
"How's it going Gallagher Girl?"
"You're in a better mood," I noticed, "decision made?"
"Yeah. I just told Solomon." I nodded knowing he expected me to ask what he said, "I asked him what your answer was."
"And he said?" I asked because I honestly didn't know if he would have told him.
"That it's not his place to say," he sounded like this had annoyed him, I smiled, "So what was your answer?"
"What was yours?"
"I asked you first," he threw back with a smirk.
"What are we five years old all of a sudden?" I retorted. He was still smirking. At this point he was really starting to annoy me so I had to know if I was going to have to spend the rest of my summer with him. I sighed, "I agreed. You?"
"Me too." Well great (at the time I was thinking sarcastically... mostly).
He stood up and walked towards the door so I flopped back on my bed and closed my eyes. I didn't hear him leave. Instead I felt his warm breath on my ear as he whispered, "Did you miss me Gallagher Girl?"
His sudden closeness made me shiver but I couldn't let him see that he had that effect on me. So I summoned my inner Bexness (everyone has a part of them that is like Bex. You just have to know when to use it), I rolled so I was facing him. Our faces were an inch apart,
"Why would I have been missing you?" I said as if it was the stupidest thing he could suggest, "I've had two weeks of not having to guess what boys are thinking. It's been heaven!" He started to smirk. Then there was a knock at the door."
I sat up and called "Come in." Zach was still smirking at me when Joe walked in.
"Hey Cam. Zach." Zach did that half nod that boys seemed to do, "Sorry to bother you kids when you're catching up but there is a phone call for you Cammie."
"I'll be down in a minute."
Joe nodded, "My office phone," and he left. Who was phoning me? I hadn't got round to emailing the girls and telling them that I'm back because of the mission, so no one even knew I was here. And who would call Joe's office and not my mom's? While these thoughts were going through my mind I was acutely aware of Zach staring at me.
I got off my bed and went over to the desk. "Something else you wanted?" I asked as I picked up a pen and slid it into my pocket.
Zach (who was still crouched by my bed) stood up and walked over to the desk slowly. He stood beside me, "Yes," he was talking very quietly. He put his hand on my shoulder and turned me to face him. It took all of my control not to shiver again, "I want to know if you missed me," there was still a smirk on his face.
"I just told you," I said, surprised that I could lie so smoothly while I was this nervous, "These last few weeks without you have been like heaven." I was looking innocently into his gorgeous eyes as I said it.
He leaned in slowly. He tilted my head towards him and gave me a soft kiss lasting less than a second.
"Your voice might tell me that but your lips beg to differ," he whispered his lips just millimetres from mine. He kissed me again. This time longer, his arms slid around my waist pulling me into him. I allowed my own arms to go up and wrap around his neck. I don't know how long the kiss lasted; for the first time in a long time I wasn't counting the seconds.
Eventually I stopped, "I have a phone call waiting for me."
I tried to pull away but he kept hold of me. He kissed me again and said, "Are you still telling me that you didn't miss me?" before he let me go.
I walked across the room and opened the door, "Well go on. Get out of my room." He smirked his signature smirk and left. Then I walked down to Joe's office.
"You took your time," Joe said as I walked in.
"Sorry. I was trying to get Zach out of my room without injuring him before the mission." I lied. Joe smiled briefly before getting up from his seat and gesturing towards the phone. I sat down and picked up.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is that Cammie?" The voice seemed familiar, one of the boys I thought.
"Yes. Who is this?" I asked kind of annoyed at myself for not remembering the name.
"It's Grant," how could I not have remembered his voice?! I mean he was one of Zach's best friends so naturally we had listened to many conversations between him and the other boys in their dorms. While I was internally kicking myself I wasn't answering so Grant said, "Err...from Blackthorn?"
"Oh...um...Hi how's it going Grant?"
"All good. So anyway I'm glad you're still at school. You're the only person I could think to call."
"About what?" I wondered, I mean why would Grant call me I barely knew him.
"Well I've been trying to get hold of Zach, so have some of the guys, but we can't get in touch. I wondered if you had heard from him?"
"Why would I have heard from him?"
"Well...err..." he sounded like he didn't know what he could and couldn't say "...umm...well a lot went on with the two of you last semester. I wondered if he might have called you?"
"Well no, h hasn't called me," not technically a lie, "I haven't heard from him at all." Big lie! But it came out smoothly. I mean this mission was top secret. I couldn't tell him Zach was at the mansion without giving him a reasonable explanation for him being here, and there wasn't one.
"Oh," Grant sounded disappointed, "Well if you do hear from him can you tell him that I'm trying to get hold of him?"
"Sure. If I hear from him but I doubt that I will."
"Thanks Cammie. Oh, how's Bex?"
"Enjoying her summer holidays. Grant I have to go. It was nice hearing from you."
"Yeah. Okay. Have a nice summer Cammie."
"You to. Bye."
"See you."
I hung up and frowned.
"So who was it?" Joe asked coming back into the room. I raised my eyebrows, he knew full well who it was, "Okay. Fair point. What did he want?" I gave him another look, "I'm honestly curious. I didn't listen"
I sighed, "He and some others have been trying to get in touch with Zach. They wanted to know if I had heard from him."
"You didn't tell him did you?"
"No. I said I hadn't heard from him."
"Okay. Be in the library at 7:30pm."
"Sure. See you later." I walked out of the office and slipped into a passage way.
Zach POV
I walked out of Cammie's room and headed for my own. She was a good kisser. I knew that she must be worrying about the mission because I was as well but she'd hated it last semester when I could read her face. So now, even when she was alone, she kept her face guarded. How could I comfort her if I didn't know when she needed comforting? The rest of the way to my room I thought about Cammie and Mr Solomon, they were so close. Why were they friends all of a sudden?
When I got back to my room I lay on my bed and thought about the mission. What could our assignment be? Why did they need us instead of fully trained agents? How dangerous would it be? Could we die? ... Like my parents... and Cammie's dad.
I remember when I got the news about my parents. I was in sixth grade. Just before they left they had told me about Blackthorn and that I would be going there in the fall. When I got home from my last day of normal school Dr Steve was there. When he told me my face had hardened and I had got a pain in my gut. I hated everyone because their lives were going on as normal and mine had been turned upside down.
I wish I'd know Cammie when she had gotten her news. I wish I could have been there to comfort her. Urgh! What was wrong with me?! Even thinking about the worse part of my life lead to me thinking of Cammie. She was just a cute girl with some super spy skills. So why couldn't I get her off my brain?!!
I heard a sound from the corridor outside my room. I went out to see what it was. It was Cam. She had dust in her hair and her pupils were shrinking; she had just come out of a passage way (Note to self: find that passage way) She looked beautiful.
"Hey Gallagher Girl. Missing me again already?" as she turned to face me a strand of hair fell across her face, dropping dust into her eye.
After blinking a few times she said, "I'm about to make dinner. Cheese burgers okay with you?" I walked over to her. I moved the strand of hair back behind her ear and looked into her beautiful eyes, the right one was blood shot and watering. I wiped a tear from under her eye and gently pulled the eyelid down so that I could see how bad it was. She didn't move or speak while I did this. We just looked at each other.
"Cheese burgers are fine but wait until you can see before you cook." I finally said with a smirk.
"I can see fine Zach! Dust in my eye is nothing; it happens daily," I smirked again and she smiled. I love her smile, "You're helping me clean up afterwards," she told me.
It didn't sound like I had much choice so I just agreed, "Deal."
She walked out of the east wing and I walked across the corridor and began tapping and looking for joining. I found none. So I started to move paintings and wall ornaments. I moved a painting of Gillian Gallagher and a piece of evapo paper fell into my hands. I read:
Zach,
You will never find the passage way leading to this corridor. So give up before you go insane.
Cammie.
I kept searching anyway. I ran my hands over every inch of wall space there was and I moved anything which covered any part of the wall. I pushed and pulled every stone until my hands were cut and scraped. I found nothing.
By this time I was sure of two things. A, Every put of this east wing had my finger prints on it. B, If Cammie found this passage way, she was even better than I thought.
I was about to go over it all again but Cammie shouted me. So it will have to wait for now. But I will find it. I will.
Cammie POV
I knew that Zach would notice that the heavy door to the east wing hadn't opened. I also knew that he would look for the passage way. Of course there wasn't one – there is a hidden corridor which leads to a secret room just outside the east wing, it had been our observation post last semester, I entered the east wing through the vent which is accessible via the aforementioned corridor – so I wrote him a note before I slid through the vent.
I hid the note behind a painting just before he came out of his room. He lent against the walk and folded his arms, "Hey Gallagher Girl. Missing me again already?" He wished I thought as he smirked. As I turned to him a strand of hair fell from behind my ear and sent dust into my eye, oh well nothing new, I blinked a couple of times and my eye started to water.
"I'm about to make dinner. Cheese burgers okay with you?" He walked towards me, not answering my question, he put the piece of hair back in place and just looked at me. A tear had fallen because of the dust, he wiped it away and pulled my eyelid down to check my probably blood shot eye. I couldn't help thinking his concern was sweet.
At last he said, "Cheese burgers are fine but wait until you can see before you cook."
"I can see fine Zach! Dust in my eye is nothing; it happens daily," I smiled and, you guessed it, he smirked, "You're helping me clean up afterwards," I said making sure he knew he didn't have a choice.
"Deal." I left him there. Walking to the kitchen I, for once, knew exactly what Zachary Goode was doing.
I got to the kitchen and took the meat out the fridge. I made the burgers and was about to put them on the grill when Joe walked it.
"Cam? Have you made dinner yet?"
"I'm doing it now. Why?"
"Well your mom isn't happy about me not telling her who I chose, so I've got some grovelling to do. I'm taking her out to dinner."
"Good timing. I was about to cook it. Where are you taking her?" I asked as I put two burgers in the fridge and the other two under the grill.
"I don't know yet," from the sound of his voice he'd considered everywhere but still didn't have a clue.
I decided to help him out, "Sushi will be your best bet. There's a place about a mile north east of Roseville we went once. She loved it."
He smiled gratefully, "Thanks Cam." I nodded and he left as I put the French fries in the oil to fry.
I began slicing cheese and chopping salad, by the time that was done the burgers and fries were cooked. I put every think on plates and called Zach. It all seemed so normal! It was strange (if you get that).
When Zach came down he started convocation, "How's the eye?" he asked with a smirk.
"Fine thanks. How's the search coming?" I shot back.
He frowned at me. He looked both angry and frustrated, "Where is it Gallagher Girl?" he asked as if it was the most important thing in the world.
"Yeah I'm just going to tell you," I said sarcastically
"Then give me a clue," he pleaded like a whiny kid.
"A clue ... " I thought for a moment, "the only way you will find it is if you give up. Then I might show you." I smiled. I was quite enjoying being the teaser rather than the teasee for a change but Zach wasn't so he changed the subject.
"I don't like celery" he sounded like a little kid again
"Don't eat it then," I said with a whole lot of duh in my voice. Was I his mother all of a sudden?
We were silent for a while before he asked, "So where's your mom and Solomon?"
"She's not to happy with him, as you could guess earlier, so Joe has taken her out for dinner."
"So ... we're alone for an hour or two," I looked up at him, wondering where this was going, he was smirking cockily, "kind of like a date?"
An alarm bell went off in my head. WHAT!? I was freaking out inside and struggling to keep my cool on the outside, "No Zach NOT like a date."
"You're no fun Gallagher Girl."
I wanted to get off this subject ... fast, "So what have you been doing since you guys left?"
"Oh you know. Aced my finals, then once school was over I started messing around on the computer," He smiled that same smile he gave me in DC. As if he knew a secret ... about me. As if I was on the outside of a joke. I didn't like it.
Zach POV
At dinner Cammie tried to tease me about the passage way so I started back where I left off with getting to her soon after. She asked what I'd been doing since we last saw each other.
"Oh you know. Aced my finals, then once school was over I started messing around on the computer," I answered smiling as if he knew something about her.
I'd smiled at her like that the first time we met. I knew she didn't like it. The reason I was looking at her like that? Well...I had been messing around on my computer, but for a spy 'messing around' was never innocent, I had been hacking into Gallagher, I have to admit it wasn't easy; with genius Jonas being gone I'd spent an entire morning getting through fire walls. But I got in eventually and I started looking at student files, random ones that I came across, Rebecca Baxter, Liz Sutton and Macey McHenry but in most detail...Cameron Morgan. I looked at her grades, at everything the school knew about her and Jimmy, even teacher comments, When students aren't going to see Mr Solomon is more free with compliments.
"What about you?" I asked to make her squirm a bit more.
Cammie POV
"What about you?" He asked still smiling
"Not a lot. I did my finals. Everyone else left. Nothing special's been on since...until yesterday, obviously."
We finished eating and went to the kitchen to do the dishes.
"You want to wash or dry?" I asked as I stacked the plates. He didn't answer. Instead he was leaning against the island in the middle of the kitchen ... watching me – I hate it when he just stands there staring at me, "Zach!"
"I'll wash," he said and started filling the sink.
We stood there in silence for a few minutes before he said, "So this is how it is for you? End for yourself and wonder round passages all summer?"
"Well yeah I guess. My mom always has work in the summer and some Christmases. I go to Nebraska most of the break normally. But when I'm here that's pretty much it."
"You're summers suck Gallagher Girl."
"Well at least I don't spend my time glued to a computer screen!" I countered as he ran the tap to rinse the now empty sink.
He looked offended and flicked water at me, "Computers are very useful technology." He smiled that smile again before he flicked more water at me.
"Well that all depends on what you use them for. What is it you've been using yours for?" this time the water went straight in my eye, "Oh you'll pay for that one Goode." I promised.
Zach POV
The water fight was really fun.
"Oh will I?" I smirked, "Come on then Gallagher Girl, Come and make me pay." I dared her I'd backed away a little so that I was out of range of the tap but she took a glass from the drying rack and filled it. I expected her to throw it, I could easily dodge that. I didn't expect her to walk up to me with a mischievous smile on her face, "You wouldn't" I was 97% sure of it.
"Oh wouldn't I?"
"No." I said smiling. I was so wrong. She lifted the glass above my head; I was still smiling because I still thought she would back down. She tipped the pint glass on my head and soaked my from the shoulders up, "Oh, it's on!" We ran to the sink and started the water war.
We threw water at each other for over ten minutes (thirteen and forty-four seconds to be precise) until both of us, and the rest of the kitchen, were completely drenched. Then Cammie put her thumb on the tap so that a jet hit me full force in the face. Somehow I managed to replace her thumb with my own so that the jet was pointing and her. Five seconds later she slipped and I slid over to see if she was okay. We had both collapsed on the floor in hysterics when Solomon walked in. We both silenced.
"It's 7:11. Get this place cleaned up." I thought he was about to kill us but he smiled slightly before he turned and walked away.
We burst out laughing again. Cam looked over the kitchen at all the water we had to get rid of. I reached over and put a finger on her chin turning her head to face me. I kissed her and pulled her close to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me back.
Okay so what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Room for improvement? TELL ME!!!
Thanks for reading
Luv Thalia
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(Oh I forgot to mention, I was writing this in my note book while we were driving around looking for some restuarant whenI was on holiday. And when I was writing about Cam and zach eating dinner I looked up and saw that we were turning on to a street called Morgan Avenue freaky huh?xxxxxxxxxxxx)
