"LONDON??!"
I covered my ears with my hands. Wow. I hadn't known that my friends has so much vocal potential.
"Yea. Pretty crazy, aint it?," I asked with an eye roll. I pulled off my sweatshirt and tossed it onto the bed. Then I sat myself down in front of my laptop, and began to surf the net for plane tickets. Again.
I sighed as I scanned the different ticket prices. Nothing below 750. What was so expensive about oil anyway?
"Cammie," Bex started. "Do you realize that I live in London?"
I jerked my head towards her and smiled. "Omigosh! YES! Okay, so does that mean we get cheeap airfare or something?," I asked, hopefully.
Bex chuckled. "Not exactly. But you DO get free hotel rooms," she pointed out.
I grinned happily. And then it hit me. "Bex, does your mom know that we're missing?"
Bex sighed, and slapped her hand over her forehead. "No," she groaned. "Ugh, sneaking around is soo not a picnic."
I nodded, agreeably. "Ex the free hotel room thing. There goes staying at Bex's house," Liz retorted from a far.
A sinking feeling hit my stomach. Why hadn't my mother called me? Did she care about me?
I straightened my back.
Cammie, you're being stupid. Don't focus on someting so petty right now. You're finding your dad. You're going on a mission that top spies can't even handle. Don't think about your mom.
Steadying myself on the computer desk, I sighed shakily and transferred myslef to the window seat.
"Cam, what are you thinking about?," Macie asked softly as she stepped closer to me. I shrugged. No WAY was I admitting to my friends that my MOM was on my mind right now. There were more important things to think about. FAR more important things. Perhaps the fact that Zach and I needed to get to London ay-sap. Or the fact that four teenagers had escaped a top spy school and were probably being tracked down at that very moment. Or the fact that my dad was found and my mom was too chicken to bring him back.
"Just this whoole London thing," I lied, through clentched teeth. I rubbed my temples with my index fingers and loosened my achingly tight ponytail.
"Don't worry. We have Zach on our side. He'll totally figure something out. Did he say he'll do research tonight?," Liz asked as she stroked my back with care.
My first inclination shouted to shake her hand off out of stubornness. But I knew that no matter how strong and confident I pretended to be, I needed my friends. Through everything.
Stifling a tiny sob, I pulled my knees up against my chest and wrapped my arms around them.
"Yea, he siad he'd look," I answered quietly.
Liz nodded. "Kay. That means that you'll be in London before you know it. Sleep peacefully," she commanded and took her hand away. Silently and painfully, I begged for her hand to continue resting on my back. But she had slipped away. A tear slid down my cheek as I watched Liz slide into bed, and her tiny arm reach for the lamp. The room went dark.
I snuggled my head in between my knees and cried, purposelessly.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

"It's on me, Gallagher Girl," Zach insisted at noon the next day. Here we were, standing smack in the center of Times Square, and Zach was so adorably paying for my plane ticket.
"No it's fine. I can pay," I fought. But Zach merely lifted a hand to silence me. And it worked. My pleading died down just as quickly as it had began.
"So where do you wanna go to discuss stuff?," Zach asked, turning his body towards the flashing lights of New York City. I shrugged. There were so many plcaes that appealed to me. How could I choose one?
Zach snickered. "Fine, I'll choose for you," he siad, and grabbed my hand, pulling me down the hectic streets.
My heart fluttered excitedly and I glanced down at my watch. It was already 12:05. I had promised my friends that I'd be back in the hotel by half past.
Sighing, I allowed Zach to pull me, and soon we were under the heated roof of Hershey World. I inhaled the sweet scent of chocolate and closed my eyes. Serenity had finally swept over me and I wasn't planning on rushing this moment by. Too bad. Zach rushed it for me.
"Cammie, get in it," he shot at me forcefully. I opened my eyes, and nodded, slightly flushed.
"Sit there," he demaneded, pointing at a chair, shaped like a hershey kiss. The chair was hard and it squeaked as I sat. He sat across from me in an identical chair, and let his fingers lock together, hanging in between his knees. He leaned forward and tilted his chin upwards towards me.
"Okay. Here's the sitch, Gallagher Girl," he began, smoothly. I fought back a shiver. I locked my eyes on his flawless face and didn't move them from their position.
"We leave in two days. We get to London at 1:00 pm on Sunday. We check into an inexpensive motel." I sighed.
"Shut up, Gallagher Girl. I wasted half my money on you," he teased, playfully.
I smiled, guiltily.
"I'm sneaking into Brooks's office tonight to see how much more info I can find on Mission 3. For now, all we have is what I told you. Which means we'll be stumped for a while, just sitting in London with no place to go. Cuz I have no idea where they are," Zach explained, running his fingers through his thick dark hair.
I nodded, slowly. "Good luck with that. Need help?"
He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "I think I'm capable."
Whoa. Snappy much?
Reading my expression, Zach chuckled.
"Sorry, Gallagher Girl," he apololigzed without feeling. "But it's a guy thing..."
Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow.
"And the rest of this mission...it's a guy and girl thing," I said, forcefully. "And never tell me that I can't help you again. Cuz we're in this together."
Zach whistled and locked eyes with mine for a moment.
"Ok. Sorry. You're right. Meet me tonight at midnight. Same place as last night. Wear black," he said with a wink. And then he got up and disappeared into the crowd.

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