Cam POV
'We need to talk'
'Oh do we know?' I raised an eyebrow
'Don't play with me, Gallagher Girl' Zach growled 'You've been avoiding me'
'Can you blame me? You killed the only lead I had to find my parents and Joe' I snapped
'I told you, killing is natural to me. Give me any weapon and I'll hit whoever I need to'
'That's funny because the first time we met properly, you couldn't hit me, and I distinctly remember a knife being thrown above my head' I pushed him off of me 'Don't be so cocky'
'What's gotten into you?'
'Me?' I arched an eyebrow
'Yes! You're starting to shut me out again' His voice caught at the end
'Can you blame me? I'm trying to figure everything out first before I can even think about letting other people into that situation!' I paused for a moment 'The gun was empty, Zach'
'I know'
'He wasn't going to hurt me'
'You don't know that. You even said that he tortured you before, what's to say he wasn't going to do that again'
'Because he wasn't being covert enough. He let me see him, he let Bex see him, it wasn't a slip up. He wanted to be seen' I looked up at the elevator ceiling 'And I fell right into their trap'
Zach didn't say anything, but I could feel his gaze on me. Eventually he spoke.
'Do you want to take a walk with me?'
I looked over at Zach.
'Are you serious? Even after everything that happened you think going outside would be a good idea?'
Zach shrugged 'If you're that worried, I'm here to protect you'
I rolled my eyes but like a fool, I agreed.
…
Zach POV
Cammie led us back to the surface and through the ruins of the castle.
The windows had all been blown out and some of the upper floors had collapsed causing the ground to be covered in debris. This didn't seem to bother Cam at all, she glided through the rooms without a problem.
'How did you do it?' I asked
'A load of C4 and a few others of the homemade variety'
'Why?'
'They packed the biggest punch'
'No, I meant why did you burn this place down?'
Cammie paused, she looked up at the stained glass window. Majority of the panels were still intact but there were a few broken.
'To protect the sisterhood' She muttered
'Did anyone die?' I asked. Cam remained silent. 'Did anyone die?' I repeated
'No' She said hesitantly.
'Then why did you and the other girls freeze when we asked you before?'
'Zach…' She sighed 'Please don't make me answer that'
I took a step closer, my hands on her forearms.
'You can trust me' I said.
'I died' She admitted
'What?'
'Cameron Ann Morgan died in that tragic accident. There was a quiet funeral, I'm buried in the Morgan family plot in Nebraska next to my Grandparents'
'I don't understand'
Cam pulled away from me, wrapping her arms around herself. She looked away, back to the stained glass.
'After I went missing, I came back completely different. I was scared, paranoid and a risk. I was so worried that was coming after Gallagher's secrets that we came up with a plan to move the school underground. Then I burnt it down. It was reported that I'd died to get the scent off of me and hope that whoever had me would stop looking. But it didn't work'
'Is that why you were freaked out in town with that Jimmy guy'
'His name's Josh. And yes. When I've been back, going into town is easy, I just fly under the radar but Josh...Josh always sees me'
She turned back to me, a small smile graced her luscious lips.
'Are you jealous?' She teased
'Of Jimmy?' I raised an eyebrow and chuckled 'Not in the slightest' I stepped forward, closing the small distance between us. 'Why? Do you want me to be?'
Cam's eyes flickered to my lips for a moment. I smirked, loving the small yet obvious effect I was having on her. She turned away from me. 'The, um, Grand hall is over here' She stepped away, towards a pair of grand doors that have somehow remained in excellent condition.
Cam flung the doors open to reveal a large space with the ceiling completely gone, exposing all the stars in the sky.
It was beautiful, and so was the girl walking over the tiled floors.
'We used to have our school dances here' Cam said as she spun around 'We were all given covers for the evening. My first one was Tiffany St. James'
'This is amazing' I said looking around, imagining what this would look like in it's glory days.
'It was' Cam paused for a moment in the middle of the room. I couldn't help but smile at the wonder in her eyes.
'Dance with me' I found myself asking. I offered out my hand as Cam spun to look at me.
'Jey, you sure know how to ask a lady properly' She teased. I smirked
'Would you like to dance with me?' I asked. Cam smiled back at me, she accepted my hand. Without hesitation I pulled her flush against me, my spare hand placed firmly in the middle of her back whilst she placed her other hand on my arm.
We began to sway a little.
'This is nice' She said 'Not having to think for a while'
'I'm glad' I moved my hand a little which caused Cam to subtly stiffen up. I bit back my smirk.
'You have really pretty eyes' I muttered. Cam smiled up at me
'So do you. I don't think I've seen that shade of green before. Do your parents have green eyes?'
Now it was my turn to stiffen momentarily. Judging by the flicker of something in Cam's eyes, she noticed too.
'My mom'
'Is she a spy too?'
'No. She's something else' I hissed, hating where this conversation was heading. Cam opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it.
'You know, you're not a bad dancer' She commented.
'Not bad? I'm amazing'
'I beg to differ'
'Hmmm' I pulled her impossibly closer 'I'd love to see you beg' I growled into her ear. Cam's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Before she composed herself I spun her around.
We then began to dance a little sloppily which made Cammie laugh (which then made me laugh).
We paused to catch our breath, my arms still wrapped around her as she leant on me for support.
'I haven't laughed like that in a long time' She said looking up at me with those big eyes. 'Thank you'
'Always' I smirked back. My gaze flickered to her lips. I began to lean in when the inevitable happened…
Cam's phone rang, interrupting us.
'That'll probably be the girls'
She pulled out her phone, and answered the phone.
'Hello?'
I couldn't hear what was on the other end of the call but Cam seemed to be listening carefully. She then hung up after a few moments.
'Who was that?'
'Professor Buckingham'
'What did she say?'
'That everything's ready for tomorrow' She said quickly 'We should probably get some rest'
'You go ahead, I'm going to get some more fresh air'
Cam nodded and walked back towards the elevator. I watched her leave knowing that what she said about the phone call was a big lie.
What are you lying about Cameron?
Cammie POV
Zach's gaze flickered to my lips. I knew he was thinking about kissing me, and I was thinking about kissing him too. He leant in just as my phone rang.
'That'll probably be the girls' I muttered, grabbing my phone. It was a blocked number. This can't be good.
'Hello?' I said into the phone. There were a series of beeps and dashes. Morse Code.
'.-. ..- -.' Which translates to 'run'
I hung up immediately.
'Who was that?' Zach asked
'Professor Buckingham'
'What did she say?'
'That' everything's ready for tomorrow' I tried to say it as calmly as possible, but feared that Zach could see right through it 'We should probably get some rest'
'You go ahead, I'm going to get some more fresh air'
I nodded and headed back towards the elevator. I could feel Zach's gaze burning into the back of my head. I quickly did my retina scan before sinking against the edge of the elevator.
…
There was snow and rocks under my feet, cutting into the skin. Every step was agony, pain flashing through my body with every moment. But I knew that I had to keep going, I had to get as much distance as I possibly could.
'FIND HER' The order was barked out, rattling off of the trees and carried around by the wind. A shot rang passed my head, splintering into the tree next to me. I turned around the see a red dot from a sniper in the distance. Shit
'GET HER'
I kept running, hoping to use the thicker trees for covering. But they didn't. The trees eventually thinned out and gave way to a cliff edge with rapid water.
'Shit' I hissed, my breath forming a cloud in front of me. I could hear movement behind me. They were getting closer. They're coming.
I took a deep breath and jumped.
I gasped out loud, shooting up in bed. My body drenched in sweat.
I brushed my hair back, trying to steady my breathing.
'You okay?' Bex grumbled, half asleep.
'Yeah' I sighed. 'Just a bad dream'
I laid back on my pillow, staring up at the ceiling trying to pick apart everything I just dreamed about; was it make up? Was it a memory? And if so, why am I scared?
…
Morning couldn't have come sooner.
I had spent the rest of the night tossing and turning drifting in and out of a broken sleep. Everytime I closed my eyes I was back in the woods, running for my life.
I skipped breakfast with the others to pack my bags; although my bags were never really unpacked so I just spent some time walking through the halls.
I slowly found myself noticing all of the school photos from previous years, Gallagher Girls past and present.
Their faces, their hair, their eyes.
'Are you going?' I spun around to see Amy coming towards me
'You should be in class' I raised an eyebrow. She shrugged
'I had a feeling in my gut that something was happening so I excused myself from class'
'I see' I nodded 'Well, looks like your gut instinct is right. Always trust it'
'So you are going?' She asked
'Yeah'
'For how long?'
I sighed.
'I don't know'
'But you'll be coming back, right?' Amy looked up at me with big wide promising eyes. I gave a small smile.
'Can you keep a secret?' I asked. Amy nodded.
'My aunt is here. She's in the medbay and will probably need some company. You can't tell anyone she's here. But could you look after her for me?'
'Of course!' She said gleefully, practically jumping up and down. 'I promise I won't say anything'
'Thank you' I said
'Cammie?' I looked up to see Macey at the end of the hallway 'It's time'
I nodded.
'I'll see you soon, Amy'
Macey and I made our way to the elevator.
'You okay?' Macey asked
'Had a rough night'
'Nightmare?'
'Something like that'
When we eventually got outside, Bex and Liz were packing our transport vehicle - a tricked out people carrier that would look inconspicuous to the naked eye, but then if we needed to, would get us out of a situation.
The guys were there as well, talking quietly just passed the van. They stopped talking once I approached.
'You guys alright?' I asked
'We would like to know where we're going' Jonas said
'Or we're not going' Grant folded his arms definitely. I raised an eyebrow and looked at Zach, but he wasn't looking at me. Strange.
'Alright. Guess this is where we part ways' I said
'Wait?' Grant dropped his arms 'Are you seriously not going to tell us?'
'I was, once we were on the road. Which we should be doing now. If you want to come, then come. If not, it's been nice knowing you'
I walked away and into the van where the other girls were waiting.
'Do you think they'll come?' Bex asked from the driver's seat. We all stared out of the window as they continued to debate.
Eventually the guys came to an agreement and came to the car. I didn't say anything to them but they got in. As soon as the door shut, Bex put the pedal to the metal and we were off.
…
Zach POV
The drive was long, we'd been traveling already for a few hours. Bex was driving and with Macey riding shotgun, Liz with her nose in her laptop and Cam was staring out the window, her fingers wrapped tightly on her necklace.
'Are we there yet?' Grant asked for the millionth time. Bex slammed on the breaks, right in the middle of the highway.
'Bloody hell Bex' Cam hissed, snapping back into the room, her eyes darting around, checking all of her surroundings.
'If you ask that fucking question once more time, I am going to throw you out of this car or strap you to the hood. Your choice' She hissed, ignoring the tire screeches and horns coming from around her.
'Bex, the idea was to be inconspicuous' Cam snapped 'The last thing we need is to be pulled over for dangerous driving' Bex glared through the rearview mirror before setting off again.
Cam took a sigh of relief. She went to turn to look out of the window but before she looked at me.
I could see a pain in her eyes, a fear that she clearly had not voiced. And the small bags under them made me know that she hadn't slept properly. Another nightmare?
Before I could ask, Cam looked away. I knew that I'd speak to her about it another time.
'Um...Zach' Jonas nudged me and told me to look outside as we passed a 'WELCOME TO PENNSYLVANIA'
I turned to the boys. All of us staring at each other with the same expression. And slight anger.
'Is this a joke?' Grant snapped. Cam turned to us in confusion. 'How the fuck did you know it's here?'
'What's here?' Cam asked, genuine confusion on her face.
'Don't act dumb-'
'You don't know?' I cut Grant off. Cam shook her head
'We found a lead that tracked The Circle's origins here. We thought this would be a good start. Why? What's here?'
I looked back at the boys. Grant and Jonas looked at each other, then back at me and nodded.
I turned back to Cam.
'Looks like it's your turn to find out where we call home' I sighed
'You mean…'
'Yep. Welcome to Blackthorne'
Author's note: Hello everyone, so we're now heading to Blackthorne...what or who do you think we'll find there? Will Cammie finally find her family or will she meet her foe? Sorry there wasn't an upload last week, I'm coming to the end of my degree so I've got my final assignments. There won't be an upload next week but there will be one on the 19th ANNNND one of the 22nd! Keep your eyes peeled for them. So sorry for the wait but I need to do this last hurdle and then I'm free from education! Eeek! Soo you all soon xxx
covertoperative456: It was Zach! He's the only one allowed to pin Cam down. *wink wink* xxx
Fanfix2.0: Nope, it was Zach. What did you think of their little dance? The knife might just become the most important thing to Cammie xxx
Embers and Spies: Hey! Glad to see you back! Missed you loaded! Really glad you are enjoying this story xxx
AllyCarterfan101: Of course it was Zach who pinned her! And yes, Zammie is coming very very soon xxx
Alecks454: Zach is, but I think it comes from a caring place. He wants to know what's going on because he's a spy but also because he cares xxx
gymnast1150: There is definitely a lot of serious going on at the moment. But there will be some Zammie moments soon. Now that we're about to be on the boy's turf, they'll be playing a much bigger part in this. Poor poor Cammie indeed. Since she can't quite remember everything, seeing little bits of pieces that trigger memories is an overwhelming experience. Cam likes to protect herself by figuring out what's going on first before she lets other people in. I think she's scared to love. The circle is coming into this very soon and being in Pennsylvania...well...anything could happen...The heart-wrenching scene is a few chapters away, but I'll give you a heads up as prep! No worries! I'll always happy to see your reviews whenever they pop up :) xxx
Smiles180: Thank you so much! Cammie and Zach are getting closer slowly, there's clearly an attraction but for Cammie, there's still so much going on in her head. Heartbreak, action, and a little romance coming soon xxx
MidnightStories1837: Aww bless you so much. I think I've grown as a writer over the years and with every story I'm thinking more and more about the characters and the world trying to make it as interesting as possible. So thank you for your lovely comments! I say this every week but I can't wait to tell you all of my ideas for this story xxx
GallagherGirlzRule: Thank you so much! I hope you like this one too xxx
Tessa Jane: It had to be Zach, though I can see Cammie and Grant having a serious conversation too, one that'll end in a proper fight. Thank you so much xxx
