Cammie POV
I walked back into the house dripping wet, I shut the door softly hoping to sneak past everyone. I spun around to see several pairs of eyes and several raised eyebrows on me.
'Don't ask' I muttered before hurrying up the stairs. I beelined straight to the bathroom and took a nice long warm shower, warming up my skin & washing away the chlorine from the pool.
I stepped out of the shower and dried myself. I caught my reflection in the mirror and saw my scars. Liz and Macey (along with some help from Dr Fibbs) had created a cream that would cover my scars completely but so far it's only temporary. I usually apply it when I have to show my back off, like the night at the ball. A backless dress and scars just don't go well for a Chameleon, they just stand out too much. The cream fades & washes away after a few days and right now, they're red, scaly and tender.
I stare at them, unsure of what to think. I don't remember exactly what happened or who did it to me, but I get flashes sometimes of a blurry concoction of screams, metal and blood. I even have ghost pains; on occasion, I'll get a burning or a stabbing sensation in my back out of nowhere, sometimes it feels a little numb & I can ignore it, however, there are other times where it feels as though someone has shoved a red hot poker into my back and will not stop.
The girls don't know this. No one knows this. It's a pain that I've had to deal with and I will always deal with.
…
'NO!' I screamed. I sat up, my heart racing, a film of sweat over my entire body. My room was dark, pitch black. I turned to my bedside table; 4:30 am. Damn. I ran my fingers through my hair, taking deep breaths trying to calm down. Guess I had another nightmare. Considering that I didn't wake up with the girls pinning me down or claw marks on my wrists, I say that it was a pretty mild one.
'Well, since I'm awake' I muttered to myself, throwing off my duvet cover and getting changed into gym gear.
I crept downstairs, the entire house was silent so it was easy for me to sneak out undetected.
The air was incredibly crisp this morning and my breath was visible immediately. I welcomed the cold. It helped me run faster and to clear my head. It has always been my body pushing me to its limits before my brain can react. So I kept running and running until a sob caught in my throat and I stopped. I crumpled to the floor, my head beginning to spin and I began to cry. The tears flooded through my body, causing me to shake. It felt as though someone was squeezing my brain, my chest getting tighter and tighter...then it stopped.
As quickly as it had come on, my panic was over.
I wiped my eyes with the back of my sleeve, composing myself. I stood up, my muscles beginning to ache. I checked my watch. 3 miles. Oh shit! I must have been so zoned out that I hadn't realised how far I'd gone. Guess I better head back.
…
Zach POV
I couldn't sleep. The events of the previous days kept punctuating my sleep. So many unanswered questions that I don't even know where to start.
I picked up my phone. 5:30 am. I flopped my head back on the pillow, groaning that after all this time, my body randomly likes to keep me on Blackthorne training time.
Knowing that sleep was going to avoid me now, I decided to go and make breakfast.
I crept along the corridor barefoot and only in shorts. There was light snoring coming from Grant's room. Everywhere else was silent. I paused for a moment outside Cammie's room. Bex had mentioned that she had nightmares & I wanted to check that she was okay. I pressed my ear to her door, instantly feeling a bit of betrayal about overstepping her boundaries. Nothing.
Satisfied, I backed away from the door and made my way downstairs at the exact same moment the front door creaked open.
I halted on the steps, no weapon but ready to pounce on wherever entered. The figure stalked in, closing the door as silently as possible. A smirk tugged at my lips as I worked out it was Cammie.
'Early morning?' She jumped and spun around to stare at me. At this point, I would make a witty remark or smirk more, but I looked into her eyes. She'd been crying. I took a few steps forward.
'What's wrong?' I asked.
'Nothing' She lowered her head slightly and went into the kitchen, beelining for the fridge. 'It was cold outside, made my eyes water'
It was convincing, even believable, but my gut told me she was lying.
'You went running?' I asked, knowing that she wasn't going to tell me the truth. She hasn't told me the truth about anything so far so why would she start now.
'Mmm, 6 miles'
'Impressive. So you really are a track star' I teased
Cam shrugged 'I guess so'
I furrowed my brows. Something was up, usually, Cammie is witty and quick on her feet. Something we have in common, but right now, she seemed out of it.
'The girls were talking last night...Tina and some of the others are going to go back to Italy, retrace your steps again. They're hoping that the...the photos will help' I said, perhaps a professional conversation would be easier.
'They won't help. They're just photos of a room' She shut the fridge with a little more force than normal.
'Maybe. But the convent would be a good start' Cam shot me a look of pure betrayal and hurt mixed with anger.
'You told them?' She whispered.
'No' I shook my head and took a step towards her 'But they need to know'
'Why? It's not going to help, the nuns knew nothing, they just found me half-dead! That's all!' She was getting defensive.
'It's a lead' I said as calmly as possible 'It could be something'
'Look…' Cammie took a step forward, her eyes stormy and thunderous. I half waited for a lightning bolt to flash in her eyes. 'You don't know me and it's best that you don't try to. If you tell them about the convent, you're opening a big can of worms. There is a reason my body has decided to suppress those memories and I'm not ready to revisit them yet'
'But if we work out what happened, then you can find out who is behind all of this! It might be the same person who has Joe!'
'Well maybe-' A ping from Liz's laptop distracted us both. Cammie moved over immediately, her face crumpled.
'What is it?' I hovered behind her, looking over her shoulder.
'Someone tried to access some files a while ago...we've been trying to trace the IP address but it was heavily encrypted...and it looks as though Liz has finally cracked it'
'What files?'
'Classified' She said without looking up from the screen.
'Okay…' I fought the urge to roll my eyes 'So where does the IP address lead to?'
'London' There was something in her voice that made me look at her.
'Have you ever been?' I asked.
'I have...It didn't end well…'
'Oh?' I raised an eyebrow
'I spent one of my winter breaks there with family and friends. It was my first time ice-skating and…'
'And you got hurt?'
'Something like that' She muttered.
'Morning early birds!' Bex bounced into the room, dressed in work out gear. 'Oh, Cam, are you going for a run?'
'Just been. I'm going to have a shower and then we need to pack'
'Where are we off to?' Bex asked, not fazed by the sudden change of plans.
'London' Cam said before moving off upstairs.
'Did...did she say London?' Bex said, slightly stunned
'Yeah' I went to the fridge 'Are you happy to be going home?'
'I am...but…'
'But what?' I asked. Bex looked back over her shoulder to where Cam just disappeared to.
'She told me everything' I lied, picking out an apple and examining it.
'She did?' Bex was surprised.
'Yeah' I nodded, taking a bite 'You never forget your first time'
'Easy for you to say' She scoffed 'Killing is second nature to you'
I nearly choked on my apple. Did she just say killing?
'Cam didn't tell me how it happened' I continued to lie, hoping Bex didn't see through it. Bex sighed.
'She said that something didn't feel right that whole day. She felt...watched. And when we were going through the Christmas market, there was an evacuation announcement and there was chaos. People were running and pushing in all directions. We got separated from our parents and then…'
'Then what?'
Bex closed her eyes for a moment, reliving the memory.
'There was a man with a gun...and we did what we had to do'
'That doesn't seem bad. As you said, you did what you had to do'
'Not when you're ten years old' She hissed. I paused, not saying anything for a moment. Neither did Bex. The weight of her words was like a tonne of bricks.
'We're legacies' She eventually said 'But our parents didn't want us to be. They wanted us to be normal with enough skills to defend ourselves...but after that...they decided to train us'
'Train for what?'
'Survival'
Author's note: Hello everyone! I hope you're all keeping well! We're having a heatwave in the UK which has been glorious but also just a tad too much. What do you think of this chapter? Cammie is still traumatised by her past and doesn't want the others to know; is this a test for Zach? Or does she have something big to hide? And London was mentioned; in the books Cammie was separated & Joe found her but in this story Cammie & Bex were separated and found someone else...next chapter we will meet some new but very familiar characters...See you all soon! xxx
XOMaggieWrites: Thank you! I love Zach's sweeter side, his cocky 'I know everything' side is still my favourite though. Zach seems to know Cammie extremely well. xxx
covertoperative456: There's defo some feelings there. I totally agree! Writers think of absolutely everything and drop little easter eggs throughout (hint hint) xxx
AllyCarterFan101: Cammie still doesn't know who sent her the photos but when she finds out...oh boy...that's all I'm going to say on that for now xxx
BugheadHastings: Thank you so much! Awwww I'm glad you loved the girls' reactions, I reread bits from the books to help me. Cliche's are always needed in stories! And sometimes after everything is so intense (especially in their spy world) they just need a little bit of normality. xxx
Emo03590: Thank you! Glad I made up for it! xxx
Smiles180: Don't worry about it at all! Thank you so much for your continued support through this story & others of mine! This was one of the first moments we see the real Zach and Cammie interacting together and it was very cute. xxx
Guest: Yes, Zammie are! xxx
gymnast1150: Giiiiirrrrrlllll, you know me, anything I write in my author's note could be a hint but it could just be a Red Herring...like the photos. I can promise wholeheartedly (you have my word) that these photos were not sent by Cam's family, they were a warning from an enemy. Bex has her Baxter feelings & just knows what's going on. Zammie's relationship is beginning to bloom in a very natural way but just like Cammie snapping at him in this chapter, things can change very quickly. The struggle is real. That's the BIG mystery...why weren't they introduced before...hmmmm...It is true that Zach didn't react to The Circle being mentioned...I wonder why...(well I know why but I can't tell you hehehe) xxx
Archer5210: Zammie is life definitely! I promise to keep updating if you promise to keep reviewing...If you can ;) (no pressure if you don't want to obviously!) xxx
