Cam POV
I rushed to her bedside. She was bruised, severely, covered in purple and blue patches up and down her arms and face. She had a cut lip, and a nasty gash across the face. But under all of this, the figure was still my aunt.
A woman who taught me how to bake, how to rollerblade & a woman who took a bullet for me.
'What happened?' I asked, my eyes not leaving my aunt.
'She was found on the beach in Eastbourne by a couple of dog walkers. She appeared to have washed up. She was taken into hospital' Townsend informed me, his tone neutral and calm.
'How did she end up here?' I asked.
'It seems that when they ran Abigail's blood to get a DNA match, it pulled up one of her old aliases. I was registered as her emergency contact. I had her transferred here but with your parents and Joseph's disappearance, I knew you'd be hard to find. Then there was the explosion at Abigail's safe house in D.C. and I contacted Amelia to give me a hand in trying to find you'
'But it seems that you found us first' Amelia added. I brushed Abby's hair delicately, the tears falling down my cheek.
'What happened to her?' I croaked
'We don't know for sure but…' Amelia began. I nodded, knowing exactly what she was talking about.
'She was tortured' I whispered
'Not necessarily' Townsend stepped forward, standing on the other side of the bed 'Judging by the bruises on her knuckles, she put up quite a fight. These marks could be from her escape. We don't know how she ended up on the beach or where she came from'
'We won't know anything until she wakes up' Amelia said
'She hasn't woken up?' I looked at both of them 'How long has she been out?'
'Two Weeks. We've managed to hide her for now, but soon there'll be questions'
'A CIA agent being held by an MI6 and an Interpol agent. Yep, bad news' I said 'Was she found with anything? Was there any indication as to where she was?'
'Cameron, we've told you everything we know' Amelia said calmly 'Now it's your turn' She folded her arms 'Care to explain how your friend is a Blackthorne Boy?'
'I don't know' I said. Townsend sighed at me.
'Miss Morgan…'
'Apparently, Joe set it back up!' I exclaimed 'I don't know how or when but they know Joe and they have Blackthorne training'
'Cameron, could they just be saying that to get close to you?' He asked. I paused for a moment. A moment that any normal person would miss, but for three trained spies, the moment was deafening.
'No' I shook my head 'After what we've been through… they aren't bad people'
The adults seemed to accept my answer, or if they didn't, they were silent.
'I have a question' Amelia said 'How did you know where to find us?'
'Well, Townsend tried to access my file and I thought that you would be-'
'File?' Townsend looked confused 'I have not tried to access any files'
I looked at Townsend.
'Yes, you did. We went to Amelia's to get access to the-'
'You've been to my house?' Amelia narrowed her eyes 'Let me guess; Nicholas helped you'
'He only knows what he needs to know, I promise' I tried to smooth it over. Amelia sighed.
'I think you're missing the main point' Edward interrupted 'I did not try to access your files'
All of us descended into silence, only the sound of the life support machine could be heard,
'We need to move her' I said 'There's only one place in the world that Abby will be safe'
'I agree. Which is why I had already made the arrangements. We fly tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I suggest you go rest' I nodded at Townsend's proposal.
…
Amelia drove me home. There was a low hum of music playing but neither of us was paying attention.
'Don't be mad at Nick, he was just trying to help me' I offered.
'I'm not mad at him' Amelia kept her eyes on the road 'I'm worried for him. He's been different since his father died and now mixing with his new friends...The Henley incident was hard to clean up and I nearly lost my job because of his stupidity'
'He's not stupid. He's talented, Amelia. You've got to trust him'
Amelia chuckled lightly.
'I never thought the day would come where the little girl I once knew who fell over on the ice would grow up to be a great spy' She squeezed my arm. 'We'll find them'
'Amelia…' I began 'I think someone's after me too...and I believe that they have been for a while' Amelia let go of my arm 'And I guess you think that too'
Amelia sighed. 'We don't know why that man targeted you, three kids, ten years ago but clearly whatever your father, my husband and Joe were dealing with was far greater than they let on. But…'
'But what?' I asked. Amelia bit her lip.
'You were a ten-year-old girl who had never held a gun in her life, yet you killed that man like a trained spy. How?'
I rested my head against the headrest 'I've been asking myself that too'
We pulled up outside of the house. I stepped outside.
'Edward will accompany you all back to the states with Abby tomorrow'
'You're not coming?' I asked. Amelia shook her head.
'I have business to attend to'
'That's a shame. You know Professor Buckingham loves when the alumni come to visit'
'Tell Patricia that I say hello'
'Will do' I hopped out of the car and headed towards the door but hesitated.
'Amelia' I spun back around 'Have you ever heard of the Circle of Cavan?'
'Hmm…' Amelia thought deeply 'Cavan...I'm sure I recognise the name from somewhere...why?'
'Joe left a message and mentioned them...I think they had something to do with your husband's death'
Amelia pursed her lips.
'I'll have a look at it. Thank you for letting me know. If there's anything else you need, you know how to reach me'
'Likewise'
With a single nod, Amelia drove off into the London night.
.
Zach POV
It had been three hours since Cam disappeared into a car with those two Agents. Three and a half hours since I had kissed her. We had all got back to the house, I'd gone to have a shower straight away to cool off whilst everyone else relaxed.
Currently, we were all watching a movie. I don't really know what, it just became background noise my focus was on where Cammie could possibly be.
We all looked up when the door shut. Grant paused the movie and we waited patiently
'Hey' Cammie gave a tired smile as she came into the room
'What happened?' Bex asked. Cam sat on the back of one of the sofas. Her whole body drained.
'They found Abby' Cam's voice cracked 'She's not in a good state'
'You mean...' Macey began. Cam nodded grimly.
'That's not the only thing' She sighed 'Townsend said that he didn't try to access my file. Which means-'
'Someone wanted you here' I said. Cam looked up at me and nodded.
'We're leaving tomorrow and taking Abby with us' Cammie stood up, taking off her shoes.
'Why?' Grant asked 'Surely being with MI6 is the safest place for her'
'It's not the safest place' The girls said in unison.
'Looks like you're finally going to get the answer you've been waiting for' Cammie said to me. She shot me a half, sad smile before walking away.
'Cam, wait' I followed after her. She stopped on the stairs.
'Yeah?'
'Look, about the...you know' Seriously, why couldn't I say kiss? 'It was just for cover'
'I know. We thought it was security, they'd tell us off, we act all innocent then walk away' She shrugged 'It's a classic diversion technique, I've used it before'
'You have?' I raised an eyebrow, not liking the idea that she'd done this with another guy, and if she had kissed them with half the passion she gave me, then how far did they go?
'I have and I don't want to talk about it. Goodnight Zach'
'Night' I said as Cam disappeared up the stairs.
...
It was a few hours later when...
BANG!
I shot up, alert and awake. I must have fallen asleep on the sofa. I looked around the room, there was no one there. Perhaps I dreamed about it. This is why I shouldn't have a drink before bed. I began to lie back down when there was another bang. I froze. Trying to listen very carefully to where the sound came from.
I moved slowly, reaching for my gun.
I stood up, hugging the walls as I slipped out of the room into the corridor.
There was another bang. I turned to see someone stumbling in the dark by the front door. I pointed my gun at them and stepped closer. As a car passed, the light from the headlights shone through illuminating the figure.
'Cammie?' I lowered my gun. 'Are you okay?'
I went to reach for her shoulder when a hand grabbed me. It was Bex.
'Don't' She hissed 'She's sleepwalking'
'Sleepwalking?'
Bex nodded. 'She hasn't done it in a while. The most important thing is to stay close to her, but whatever you do, don't wake her up'
.
'How long does this go on for?' I asked Bex, we'd been walking for close to an hour now and it seemed that Cam was just taking us on a tourist trip around London.
'It depends' She said 'Sometimes she snaps out of it in minutes, but this time her body is taking her to a specific place'
'Do you know where?' I asked.
'Sadly I do' She kept her focus on Cammie who was a short distance ahead. I raised my eyebrow at Bex.
'We're close to where she killed that guy' Bex said grimly.
'How did it happen?' I asked, trying to make light conversation on a hard subject.
'We were separated from our parents. Nick, Cammie and I were basically pushed into this alleyway and this guy came out with a gun. Nick and I were scared, we didn't know what to do, but Cammie seemed calm and in control, like she'd done it before. I don't know, but something clicked in her and she just took him out. A single bullet to the head. Job done.'
'Did the guy put up a fight?' I asked. Bex's rhythmic steps faltered slightly
'No' She looked at me 'That's always been the scary part'
The sound of a car horn pulled our attention to where Cammie stood...or where Cammie had been.
'Shit'
...
Cammie POV
That night, even as I slept, I saw the city streets. They were emptier than I remembered, though. Too dark. Too cold. Something pulled me forward, down a path I didn't know. And beneath it all, there was a word that kept washing over me, breaking against me like a wave.
Cammie.
Cammie.
Cammie.
It was Zach's voice calling to me through the haze.
Cammie.
I heard it drawing closer, and so I fled, past closed doors and heavy gates. The fog grew thicker, and I ran.
'Cammie, wait!' Zach yelled, but I couldn't trust the words. Didn't trust my own mind. There were sirens and borns and the feel of the wind.
'Cammie, stop!' he yelled.
Another horn. The rush of air.
'Cammie!'
And then arms grabbed me, pulled me from my feet. I wanted to claw and keep running, but my feet no longer struck the pavement. I tried to toss and turn - to break free - but the covers must have been tangled around me. There was no escape.
'No' I said to myself, panting 'No. No. No'
'Cammie!' Zach's voice was stronger. I began to shake 'Cammie, wake up!'
'No, no' I said, certain I could stop the dream. Change it. I was so sure there were answers at the end of that dark walk, and I had to stay there - stay sleeping to find them.
'Cammie!'
My back slammed into a wall, and only then did I bolt awake.
A car horn screamed out. The wind I felt was the rushing air of passing traffic as Zach held me on a narrow sidewalk.
'Cammie, are you okay?' He asked, searching my eyes. 'Cammie, wake up' He shouted, shaking me again 'Tell me you're okay. Tell me-'
'Where am I?' I pushed against him but Zach had an incredibly tight grip on me and didn't seem to want to let me go.
'Cammie…' I looked to the side to see Bex coming up next to me. 'It's okay'
I looked around me and saw the Tower of London a short distance away. Every fibre in my being relaxed and I guess that Zach sensed this too as his grip loosened.
'She took the bullet for us' I said, my voice cracking and I didn't care.
'Who did?' Zach asked
'Abby' Bex answered for me 'She was the first adult to find us. The guy shot her and then-'
'I shot him,' I said bluntly. I pushed against Zach and this time he didn't stop me, he let me go as I began to walk down the street. The pavement was shiny in the moonlight.
I walked a few short steps and could practically hear the gunshot being blown with the wind. I turned to the wall, feeling along the bricks until I came to a small dent exactly where it should have been. I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. 10 years and the bullet hole is still there.
I crouched down just in front of where I stood, seeing the view from a 10 year olds height. I remember the look in his eyes. The blood pooling next to his face. A flash of a memory seared into my brain. I closed my eyes.
'They kept me in a room. It was dark and cold' I blurted out, my mind drifting back 'I was woken up every few hours. They wouldn't stop. There was so much blood' Instinctively I wrapped my arms around me, rocking slightly.
'Cam' Bex's voice was barely a whisper. I felt a hand lightly on my shoulder. 'It's okay. You're okay' Despite Bex's words, I could hear her holding back a sob 'Let's get you back home'
.
The walk back was slow. Bex was on the phone slightly ahead of us, Macey had woken up and noticed that we were missing and went into a slight panic mode. Bex was currently calming her down.
'You okay?' Zach asked. I nodded 'You sure?' He raised an eyebrow.
'I don't want to talk about it'
'Fair enough' He waited a few seconds before talking again 'So...you sleepwalk?'
I rolled my eyes. He just doesn't give up.
'I don't normally sleepwalk. It rarely happens but it's always a shock when I wake up'
'When did it start?'
'After I went missing' I tried not to look at him 'Most people return from a trip with a fridge magnet but I came back to nightmares and sleepwalking'
'Bex told me not to wake you, but then you started running towards traffic and I just…' Zach stopped and I, as a result, did too. He looked troubled 'I had to do something'
'Thank you' I smiled at him.
'You weren't lying when you said you were pretty fast. Bex and I were chasing you for several blocks' He smirked a little 'But I did catch you'
'Only just. You might not be so lucky next time' I tilted my head. Zach smirked at me.
'We'll see about that'
Author's note: Hello everyone! Hope you enjoy this super long chapter! Looks like the girls will be heading back home super soon...So it seems that someone planned for Cammie to be in London, whoever is orchestrating this seems to be a few steps ahead of Cammie...can she out run them? And we see Cammie sleepwalking returns, there was a massive chunk taken straight from the books so all credit goes to Ally Carter (You'll know the section). Thank you all so much for all your support! Sorry I didn't upload yesterday as I normally do but FanFic wasn't working & none of the reviews were loading even though I got all the notifications. Anyway, it seems to all be fixed so I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I'll see you soon! (P.S I haven't forgotten about Moving On - it will be uploaded in the next few weeks!) xxx
Archer5210: Ohhhhh I'd love to hear your theory! Please Private Message me! I want to know! There's more coming soon and more clues. Thank you as always for your support xxx
FanFix2.0: Thank you so much! There will be more twists heading your way xxx
Em03590: Thank you! Yes, Zammie finally kissed but both of them brushed it off as a 'distraction technique'. But now that they're heading back to Cam's home turf for a while, will she finally relax? xxx
XOMaggieWrites: Thank you xxx
Gymnast1150: Ahh yay! So glad to see your review! The HS series is so good! I love the characters and the storyline in it. Zach is super sneaky with his little games, he wants to know everything he can about Cam. We won't find out about Joe & the everything surrounding Zammie not meeting up until now for a while. Zammie moments are always interrupted! It's like the universe doesn't want them to have a cute moment. Hahaha you predicted the 'I didn't want to get caught/it was just for cover' explanation about the kiss. lol. There are SOOO many references to the books dotted around this story; I've loved revisiting all of these! Abby is unconscious at the moment, she's clearly been in a very bad state. Hope this chapter answered some of your burning questions! You are not a sad excuse for a loyal reader, you're amazing! I look forward to each and every one of your reviews no matter when they come! Speak soon xxx
Archer5210: Yeah there seemed to be a problem with Fanfic this last week as none of the reviews were getting posted but I was getting the emails to say there was a review left. Very strange but thank you for posting again! xxx
Allycarterfan101: I hope Abby is okay too! Thank you so much for all of your support! xxx
Smiles180: Zach and Cammie haven't realised it yet, but that kiss has just changed everything. Glad you are enjoying the story thus far. xxx
Tkd girl: Thank you! I usually upload Tuesdays and Fridays but I've been busy this last week so didn't upload on time. xxx
Roxie: Thank you so much! I do love the HS series, but I've found it harder to write the fanfics for it.
