I was in the hospital. It was the nearest hospital to where I live and I was going to school in a matter of minutes. Mark was opposite me. I sighed. "Mark, I quit." I said and he nodded.
"I know... I told Alan." He said and smiled. "Well, this is goodbye, then." He said and held out his hand. Despite my shoulder being hurt, I disregarded the hand and hugged him. After a split-second, he hugged me back. He nodded at me and looked towards the door.
"You want a lift to the school?" He asked. "So you don't have to take the bus?"
"Yeah, thanks." I said and stood, wincing in pain, due to my gunshot wound. It had only been another month but I wanted to go back. We walked towards Mark's car, the business atmosphere that was usually there gone. We were just friends. We drove to Teringham.
Back at school, I wandered into the office, to sign in. The receptionist went pale as a sheet when she saw me. I smiled slightly and signed in. I walked into a corridor and headed towards a classroom but ended up leant against a wall, wincing. I held my hip, seething. I looked up just as a few familiar faces rounded the corner. Gabriel, Drake, Harry and Jake all stopped in their tracks. I smiled at them. "Miss me?" I asked and, before I could even register what was happen, I was being hugged by Gabriel. "Watch my hip." I said quietly, wincing.
"Sorry." He said, looking at me as if I weren't real. He went quiet and I looked at Harry, Jake and Drake, all of whom were simply stood there, seemingly unable to believe I was real.
"I am real, you know." I said. Drake walked up to me and I watched him, eyebrows raised. He looked at me, seeing my limp and then my slightly lowered shoulder.
"Where have you been for six months?" He asked me and I began to say 'Hospital' but was cut off by his slightly angered voice. "Oh come on! You were not in hospital for half a bloody year. Where the hell were you?!" He asked, almost shouting. I backed away and sighed, grunting.
"I can't tell you." I said quietly.
"Why not?" Gabriel asked and I looked at him.
"Because if I do, I'm liable to be put in prison for the rest of my life." I told him and Jake, who had always been smart, looked at me and said, very quietly, so only our little group could hear: "You're a spy." All of them looked at me.
"Was. I was a spy. I quit this morning." I said, sighing.
"So where've you been?" asked Harry, who watched me sternly.
"Afghanistan." I said.
"In the conflict?" Drake asked. I chuckled slightly.
"No... I was kidnapped. Kept in an empty cell for five months..." I explained, my gaze low.
"But you escaped?" Jake asked me and I looked at him.
"I sure as hell wasn't rescued... Not for the most part, anyway." I said. "I didn't escape unharmed, either."
"What happened to you?" asked Drake and pulled them into a little nook. I unbuttoned my shirt and the group watched me, blinking. I removed my shirt from my wounded shoulder, revealing the long white scar that had formed there.
"Bullet shattered a window. Glass fell and cut my shoulder... And..." I said and grasped my trouser waist.
"Woah, Josh... Let's not get too serious here." Drake said, trying not to laugh. I rolled my eyes and pulled it down, just so it was below my injured side. I watched their reactions. Drake: Curiousity, surprise and concern. Harry: Curiousity, mixed with disgust. Jake: Disgust mixed with concern. Gabriel... Well, Gabriel went white as a sheet. He looked up at me.
"Wh-What happened?" He asked and I smiled softly at him. I relayed the entire tale of my capture to them.
After I had finished, I was looking at four faces of awe and almost sadness. "You killed a man?" Drake asked quietly. I nodded.
"Yeah, I did... " I said and sighed. I had avoided thinking of two things. The killing I had committed and the explosion after I had escaped. Jake looked at me suddenly.
"How long have you been a spy?" He asked and I sighed.
"Three years, give or take." I said quietly. Drake and Gabriel rounded on me.
"You lied to us for three years?" Drake asked and I shut my eyes for a second.
"I had to." I said.
"Why?" Gabriel asked, eyes looking just as angry as Drake.
"Ever heard of the Official Secrets Act?" I asked sarcastically. "I'd have been put in prison for the rest of my life if I told you."
"You just have." Drake said and I sighed.
"I'm out of the game now, Drake." I tried.
"How does that change anything?" He asked, annoyance clear in his eyes. I felt my patience diminish.
"Because I almost lost all of you! I almost died in the middle of a desert! I would never have seen you again. You'd never have known what had happened to me. I'd just have disappeared. Gone, forever. From you, from everyone. And you know that I'd hate that... You guys are my family." I said and Drake looked taken aback.
"So..."
"So, I think it's time to start trusting you all with this." I said and they nodded, I walked away. Now two other people I had to tell.
Eleanor Goffee and Emma Glenister. I really hoped they wouldn't mind that I'd lied to them for three years, but I doubted it. Eleanor and Emma had the knack, though through different methods, to make you feel bad when you've done the smallest sin or committed the smallest error. I slightly feared how they'd react when I told them that I had formerly been an spy in the British Secret Service for three years, been all over the Earth and, worse of all, lied to them for three years.I found them and leaned on a wall. On the way to find them, you wouldn't believe how many people went extremely pale seeing me. Very few of them had spoken to me. I would have a lot of explaining to do next lesson. Anyway, neither of them saw me for a while. I smiled softly as they talked animatedly. Soon enough, Eleanor looked up and then down again. She hadn't registered me. I fought the urge to grin. She looked back up, finally registering me. Emma was still talking to her but stopped. I heard her say "Eleanor, what're you looking a-" She stopped when she saw me. Neither of them moved for a few seconds. Then, they came practically running over to me. They both hugged me tightly. I ignored the pain in my hip as I hugged them back. "Six months!" Emma said to me. I nodded.
"I know." I said quietly.
"Where have you been?" Eleanor asked and I sighed. I gestured to the table.
"Let's sit." I said and sat. They sat opposite me.
"Well?" Emma asked. I sighed and began my tale.
After I'd finished, they looked at me. They had the same look as everyone had. Horror and shock, mixed with a little bit of mistrust. "So you lied to everyone?" Eleanor asked. I nodded.
"I had to." I replied and she nodded.
"Right." She replied and both of them were silent. I had to admit, I was confused. Relieved, but confused. There was no indignation. No anger. It seemed weird. Then, I realised. They didn't trust me. Not at all. It would take me a while to win back their trust but... I hoped to acheive it.
###Author's Note: I understand this wasn't my best chapter. For that, I apologise. The next one will be better, You have my solemn word. Don't give up yet!
Yours Sincerely,
Josh.
(Yes, my actual name is Josh. I am not a spy. After thinking about it, which spurred me to write this, I don't want to be.)###
