Cammie POV
I stood under a lamppost I once waited at for a date, scanning the crowd. It was market day so the town square was teeming with people. We stood back, hovering to check if anyone was out of the ordinary.
'I've got nothing,' Bex said through the comms. 'You?'
'Nope' I looked over at the Pharmacy. Mr. Abrams was restocking the shelves in the window, wearing his white coat. A moment later, Josh came into view, helping his father.
I decided to move away from them, weaving my way into the small crowd until I got to the gazebo.
The band hadn't yet begun to set up meaning that I could sit on the steps like I had done many many times before.
I sat for a moment watching the crowd from a different view, nothing appeared to be suspicious.
Eventually, my gaze was drawn to the loose rock that held a font memory. It had moved positions from the last time I was here. It's probably nothing, part of me said, but it could be something, the other part said.
Curiosity got the better of me and I lifted the rock. I reached down to find a small brown heavy envelope.
I placed it on my lap, feeling the package. It felt like a book. I opened it slowly allowing the contents to fall onto my lap.
I gasped.
'What is it?' Bex's voice was alert. 'Cammie, what is it?'
I tried to respond but I couldn't. There, in my lap was my father's journal. I didn't believe it, but it was here in my hands.
'Cammie?'
I glanced up, feeling a pair of eyes on me and those eyes weren't friendly.
...
'I've been made' I muttered into the comms
'Where are you?' Bex's voice was cool and collected. She was in mission mode.
'Gazebo' I said. I kept staring at the guy opposite me. He was tall, wearing the classic secret agent outfit. Black on Black on Black. He now stood out like a very sore thumb against the crowd. I wonder why I hadn't seen him before.
'I'm going to draw him away from the crowd. Duchess, I'm going to need you to pick up my dad's journal and then get help'
'Cammie, are you sure about this?'
'Bex, whatever happens I cannot lose this journal again'
'Alright…' Bex seemed unsure but trusted me 'I have eyeball'
I could see Bex standing in the corner of my vision. Waiting.
I stood up, begrudgingly placing my dad's journal on the wooden steps next to me.
I began to move away, slowly trudging across the greenery. The guy began to move with me, keeping his distance, I also saw Bex moving across to secure the package.
I led the guy away from the crowds, the chatter, and laughter dying down until I could only hear my footsteps.
'Backup is on its way' Bex muttered into the comms just as I turned a corner.
'Perfect' I pressed myself into the wall, waiting for the guy to round the corner with a gun. I pulled onto his arm, dragging him into the wall.
'Bitch' He muttered in Russian right before trying to launch at me again. He threw several punches which I was able to block. This guy was fighting rough. He pulled out a blade, it was once commonly used in the Middle-East designed to cause as much pain as possible. I could hear a faint sound of laughter. This is not what I wanted. I began to back away, turning to run, the man following after me.
I had to act quickly, we would be heading into a residential area soon and will then have questions we could not answer. I took a sharp left, powering down the sidewalk until we came to the edge of the woods. I darted into the trees, the branches clawing at my clothes.
The ground beneath my feet began to slope, causing me to run downhill. I tried to steady myself but could feel my feet slipping underneath me.
My foot caught on an overgrown root and I began to tumble uncontrollably.
Eventually, I came to a stop, my head dizzy and my body numb. Maybe my head was bleeding? I don't know. I didn't have time, I needed to get out of there.
Before I could get up, there was a hollow laugh a few feet away from me. I looked up to see the man who had followed me holding a gun in his hand.
'Cameron Ann Morgan' He said my name slowly, savouring every letter like it was a trophy. It disgusted me.
'Who are you?' I hissed
'You don't remember?' He tilted his head as he stepped closer 'We had fun together that Summer. My knife, your blood. It was perfection'
I crawled back, feeling for my pocket knife but realising it wasn't there. I began trying to find any sort of weapon.
'Aren't you going to fight back?' He taunted 'You always were so scrappy'
'I still am'
I grabbed a clump of dirt in my hand and threw it at his face, getting it in his eyes and causing him to momentarily flinch. I swept my leg knocking him off his feet, his gun being tossed to the side. I leaped across to grab it but the guy grabbed my legs pulling me back. He flipped me over, digging his knee into my leg as he aimed a punch at my face. I blocked it, trying to wrestle with him. I kicked trying to use the floor as leverage.
I kneed him in a pressure point and when he cringed, I flipped him over, kicking him away. I stood up, his gun now in my hand, but aimed at the ground.
'Who are you?' I hissed again
'You don't remember anything, do you?' He chuckled. I cocked the gun. His eyes lit up 'But you remember how to kill don't you? The rush of adrenaline when you hold that weapon in your hand'
'How did you get my dad's journal?' I asked.
'You gave it to us'
'You're lying' I snapped
'You gave it to us in exchange for your mother'
I froze.
'But it didn't give us the answers we wanted; so we kept both of you. But you got out' He tilted his head again, narrowing his eyes 'How did you get out?' That question was genuine. He truly wanted to know how I got out of a situation I don't remember.
'Where is she?' I pointed my gun at him. He smiled.
'Somewhere you'll never find her' A sickly grin that made me want to fire my gun right there and then.
The guy took my hesitation as a moment to strike, despite my gun being trained on him, he launched at me.
A shot rang out and the guy fell back on the ground, blood pouring from his chest.
But it wasn't me that pulled the trigger.
I glanced over my shoulder to see Zach standing several feet away with his gun aimed.
'Why did you do that!' I exclaimed rushing to the guy to stop the bleeding. I pressed one of his hands onto the wound then applied mine on top, maintaining the pressure. With the other I propped his head up, trying to keep him conscious.
'He was about to attack you!' Zach retorted, coming next to me
'I had it handled' I snapped, turning my attention back to the guy on the ground. 'Look at me' I grabbed his chin to face me. 'Who do you work for?' I asked 'What do you want?'
'They're coming' He muttered, the colour draining quickly from his face.
'Who is coming?' The guy turned his gaze to me, a glint in his eyes I had seen before.
'C….C….'
And with that, he died right in my arms. I slowly stood up, running my hands down my jeans.
'Cammie…'
'Don't Zach' I cut him off 'You shouldn't have shot him'
'He was going to attack you! What did you expect me to do? Just stand there?'
'HE WAS A LEAD!' I snapped 'You could have shot his shoulder or hit him in the leg!'
'I'm sorry. I'm trained to kill. It's like a reflex'
I opened my mouth but closed it quickly. I shook my head and turned away, picking up the guy's gun I had dropped.
But something was wrong.
.
Zach POV
Cam didn't say much. Not when her friends arrived to help clean up. Not when she got into the car. Not when we drove up to Gallagher & not when it was time to put the code in. She seemed numb. Her fingers were wrapped tightly around her necklace. Her mind was elsewhere.
Dr. Fibbs began an autopsy, Jonas & Liz acting as his assistants.
'He has no fingerprints' Dr. Fibbs held one of the guy's hands up in the light. 'They've been lasered off. And his teeth have been filed down preventing dental records to be checked. Fascinating'
'So we have no way of identifying him?' I asked.
'Possibly not. Removing fingerprints and dental records are used for people who don't want to be found. He's a John Doe'
'He's not' Cam spoke for the first time, everyone turned to her 'His name is Charlie. He's one of the people who tortured me'
'Are you sure?' Liz asked. Cammie let go of her necklace.
'I didn't recognise him until he was dying. It was the look in his eyes' She stepped forward coming next to the body 'I'm positive' She looked at the body for a moment before walking out of the room. I followed after her.
'Hey' I caught up, grabbing her forearm and causing her to stop. 'You okay?'
'The gun was empty, Zach'
'What?' Cam pulled out the man's gun, handing me the cartridge. It was in fact empty. 'And the barrel?'
'Clean' Cam looked up at me 'Zach, he was unarmed'
'But he was going to attack you!'
'That doesn't matter' her eyes were full of pain 'This was a test and I either passed or failed' tears began to spill. I reached to wipe them away but Cam stepped back, out of my grasp.
'Don't start shutting me out now' I said. Cam sighed.
'I'm going to get some food. Can we talk later?' She shot me a quick, sad smile and then walked away.
.
Cam POV
I rested my head against the cold elevator wall to ease the storm in my head. I closed my eyes and my vision was instantly filled with flashes of Charlie, his sickly smile as he stabbed his knife into my-
The elevator dinged and I opened my eyes.
'Oh' Bex was about to come in but stopped when she saw me 'I was just about to look for you. Buckingham wants to see you in her office immediately'
'Did she say why?'
'No, but she probably wants a debriefing'
'No problem' I began to move past her when Bex blocked my path.
'Hey' Bex gave me a look, a look of a concerned friend who has seen too much pain in her friend. 'I know what you're thinking and you need to stop. None of this is your fault'
'That guys said that I gave up my dad's journal to save my mom and that I failed. What if they're…'
'No' Bex gripped my shoulders 'You are absolutely under no circumstances going to think that way. I won't allow it'
I nodded.
'Thank you. For everything. I don't think I've told you that enough' I tried to move past Bex once more when she blocked my path for the second time.
'Why does it sound like you're saying goodbye?' She raised an eyebrow
'I'm not, I promise. I'm just scared, Bex. I'm scared about what might happen next. They found me. Here. At Gallagher. Yes, it was likely that I would come back here, but they managed to get onto the grounds'
'You said it yourself, someone wanted you in London and they probably wanted you here for some reason'
I gave a shudder not wanting to think about it.
We continued, making our way towards Buckingham's office. We opened the door to find Professor Buckingham, Townsend and to our surprise, Professor Smith waiting for us.
'Hello Girls'
'Good afternoon Professors' Bex and I say together.
'Is Abby okay?' I ask
'She's resting' Townsend said. I raised an eyebrow 'She's absolutely fine' He added after seeing my expression.
'We're here to discuss what happened earlier in town' Buckingham said.
'Well, I noticed that the stone near the bottom of the Gazebo was loose and inside was my father's journal' I began
'Which is where?' Townsend asked
'Safe and secure' Bex said.
'Then I had the feeling of being watched, and when I looked up...he was there. I led him away from town as best as I could and-' I looked between my teachers, noticing that Professor Smith was not interested in what I had to say, he was more focused on a knife on the desk.
'That was his, wasn't it?' I asked
'We're not sure. It was found by Miss McHenry when she scanned the grounds' Buckingham said
'So it's most likely that man's?' Bex asked
'If he's working alone' Townsend responded. I didn't care about what everyone else was saying, I was too focused on the knife and the chill running down my spine.
I looked up to see Professor Smith staring directly at me.
'You've seen it before' He stated. I gave a weak nod. 'I'm so sorry Miss Morgan' It's a saying that I've heard many times from many different people, all full of sympathy but Professor Smith gave none of that. The way he said I'm so sorry Miss Morgan was from someone who knew, somebody who knew too well.
'What is it?' Bex asked. Professor Smith held my gaze for a moment before turning away.
'It's a traditional Moroccan hunting knife. Given to the guerrilla army; it was designed to be better than a swiss army knife, but was mainly used for-'
'-Torture' I finished. My breathing was laboured; my body remembering all the details that my brain refuses to remember.
'You've seen this before?' Bex asked me
'Seen it. Felt it. Scarred by it' I gave a hollow chuckle. It wasn't funny, not at all, just a piece of a puzzle I've been trying to solve for a long time.
'Hold it' Professor Smith said
'Are you mad?' Townsend snapped
'It's okay' I said stepping forward. I tentatively grabbed the knife, the metal handle cold against my fingertips. I held it in my hands, it was heavier than I had thought. I closed my eyes for a brief moment.
A flash of red hair filled my vision and a cackle rattled in my ears.
Get Her.
I opened my eyes, dropping the knife as if it burnt.
'They got me' I muttered taking a step back
'Who got you?' Professor Buckingham asked. My gaze was trained on the knife, particularly the symbol engraved at the bottom.
'The Circle' I whispered. The words hung in the air.
The adults in the room froze.
'Professor…' I looked at Buckingham, her face as white as her hair. 'What aren't you telling me?'
At that moment, Professor Buckingham seemed to snap back into action.
'Secure the room' She said to Professor Smith. He nodded, pressing a button which caused the door to shut, the metal locks clunking into place.
'What I tell you, girls, now should not leave this room. Understand?'
'Yes, Professor' Bex and I said.
'The Circle of Cavan is a group founded in 1863 by Ioseph Cavan. He wanted world domination, to control every aspect of people's lives so that even when a person breathes, he would know. Wars could be arranged, assassinations covered up and people could just vanish and no one would ask questions' She began 'Gillian Gallagher could see a great danger that was coming. So she did what any Gallagher Girl would do. She stopped him in a way that...we don't train you, girls, too.'
'She killed him' I said. Professor Buckingham nodded.
'After Ioseph's death, the Circle of Cavan was believed to be disbanded but Gillian didn't think that was true. She spent the rest of her life chasing whispers and trying to find the rest of the members. Sadly she died before she found them.'
'That was centuries ago. It doesn't explain why all three of you are scared now' I said. Professor Buckingham looked at Professor Smith. She nodded at him. He turned to us.
'A splinter group made up of the Circle's following formed not long after Ioseph's death. None of the founders were involved which meant this group was radicalized. They then started...intervening with current affairs. Wars started, voting swayed, economies crashed and people died. Many many people died. Anyone who was seen as a threat was taken care of' Professor Smith said.
'Do you think that's what happened to me? I was a threat that needed taking care of?' I asked
'I don't think so' Professor Smith said gravely 'You're alive. That doesn't happen'
'How do you know so much?' Bex asked.
He paused.
'You both should know better than to ask questions you won't like the answer to'
Bex and I nodded slowly, knowing that some things are better left unsaid.
'Joe left me a message. He said that my dad found something that put me in danger. Do you have any idea what that could be?' I asked
'Unfortunately, no' Professor Buckingham sighed
'Abby didn't mention anything'
'Which means the only people who would know are Joe and my dad...who are both missing...great'
'Professor…' Bex began 'You mentioned before that Gillian kept a journal of her life. Are they still here or were they destroyed in the fire?'
'Her journals are safe. I will arrange for you girls, and only you girls, to examine them. Now, you must be hungry, Chef has been informed and is awaiting you both in the kitchen'
Bex and I nodded before retreating out of the room.
Once the doors shut behind us Bex turned to me.
'We have to leave, don't we?' She said. I nodded.
'As soon as we've read Gillian's journals. Hopefully, there'll be some clues there'
'I just don't get it' Bex shook her head.
'What?'
'This organisation has been around since the nineteen century so why now and why you?'
'I have no idea' I said 'But we're going to find out'
Author's note: Hello everyone! Sorry there wasn't an upload last week, I know that FanFic was having problems with their website and some people couldn't access the chapter so I thought I'd give it an extra week to give everyone a chance of seeing it. Anyway, what do you think? It seems that everything has started to happen & Gallagher might not be as safe as Cammie had once thought. Cammie saw a knife and remembered 'Get Her'...hmmmm...see you all next week xxx
covertoperative456: I think Bex is being harsh because she's worried for Cammie. First her family went missing, then she was tortured and lost her memory, then someone is after her, now they've met the Blackthorne Boys, Cammie's nightmares have returned AND she's now kissing this guy? Bex is just worried about Cammie basically hitting breaking point, but her intentions are for the best. Cammie and the group will be looking for the rest of her family very soon. xxx
Tessa Jane: Thank you so much! Cam and Zach being broken are some of my favourite parts to write, as well as them being sassy & smart. I want a Zach in my life too. Thank you once again xxx
Bball101: Hope you were able to read the last chapter and then this one too! xxx
Guest: Thank you so much xxx
TKdgirl: I know! I miss updating twice a week too, but at the moment I don't have a backlog of chapters waiting, plus I'm fairly busy at the moment with another project and then work on top of that. I try to upload on Saturdays, but with the problems a few weeks ago with the website, I skipped so that everyone got a chance to read it xxx
AllyCarterFan101: Awwww thank you! Yes, you can marry this if you want. I haven't seen the series and don't see myself seeing it either. xxx
gymnast1150: Cammie will be looking for her parents soon, she may just need the help of a certain sister. Bex will protect Cammie till the end - I love that kind of friendship. Zach is such a charmer in this story, it's freaking cute. Ohhhh trust me, they'll be hurting VERY soon. Thank you so much! I can't wait for what's coming! xxx
Smiles180: Bex being protective is one of my favourite things too. I'm glad that Abby is okay too. xxx
Luna: Thank you so much xxx
Lanoon: Thank you! xxx
