"Chapter five" Liz started to read.

Time's a strange thing at the Gallagher Academy. Usually it flies. But sometimes it gets really, really slow. Needless to say, this was one of those times.

The Operatives modified a Mobile Observation Device (aka Macey's new digital camera) and attached it to the bookcase across from the entrance to the headmistress's office with a Retractable Adhesion Unit (aka duct tape) and programed it to take pictures at ninety-second intervals.

"Really? I thought Liz was joking!" Mom said looking at us as if she were just seeing us for the first time.

Down the corridor, I saw Macey kneeling in front of the mysteriously locked East Wing.

The Operatives secured an Entry/Exit Detection Device (aka piece of string) to the doorknob in question, knowing it would fall off if the door was opened in the Operative's absence. For a split second, everything seemed to freeze, but then I heard my mom say, "What is it, Cam?" She walked towards me.

"Nothing." I closed the door and leaned against it. "It's just…" It's just that my friends are completely insane and on the other side of the door right now, doing things they really aren't supposed to be doing, and if you caught them you'll be really mad-or proud-but probably mad.

"We are not insane." Every single one of my dorm mates said at the exact same time.

I just looked at them as if to say 'Really?'

"Well… we're not that bad. I mean everyone besides Bex." Macey said.

Bex just glared at her. She should watch out, because we all know that Bex doesn't forget to get revenge.

"It's just… I wanted to tell you that I think I'm in a really good place this semester." (Because at that moment, the best possible place I could be was between the headmistress and my roommates.) "And I was thinking about what you said," I went on. "I'm committed to-"

But then a bang on the door cut me off, and I had a bad feeling that Liz had fallen off of Bex's shoulders and knocked herself unconscious on the doorknob.

"Cam," Mom said inching closer. "You gonna get that?"

But I didn't dare turn around. "Get what?" Another knock. "Oooooh. Thaaaat."

"Very convincing, Squirt" Aunt Abby laughed.

I opened the door. Please let it be Bex, I prayed. Or Liz… Or Macey…Or…

Anyone but Joe Solomon!

Oh my gosh! Could the night get any worse? Yes, it turns out, it could. Because not only was one of the CIA's best secret agents standing here in front of me, but my best friends in the world were not 20 feet behind him being secretive and agenty! (I know because I could see Macey's hand holding a compact around the corner to see whether or not the coast was clear. Which, obviously it wasn't!)

"Well how was I supposed to know that?" Macey asked, faking hurt.

I had to buy some time- a minute, thirty seconds at least- so Bex, Liz, and Macey could pull themselves from their hiding places and get out of there.

So I said, "Oh, hello, Mr. Solomon," because Madame Dabney has trained me to be socially gracious, and Mr. Solomon himself has trained me to act normal under the most abnormal circumstances.

Though he tried to hide it, I think everyone saw Mr. Solomon smile proudly.

"Ms. Morgan, I hate to bother you, but…" Mr. Solomon looked past me towards my mother. "Those records you asked for, Rachel." He handed mom a plain brown envelope.

"Rachel?" my friends mouthed to be. I laughed out loud, and everyone looked at me.

"What's so funny, Squirt?" Aunt Abby, who had seen what had passed between my roommates and I, asked.

Mom just looked at me with a questioning look on her face.

"Ohhh nothing." I responded because come on, I'm not that mean. I guess it didn't help that I was trying despratly to hold in laughter the whole time.

I'm forever grateful that Liz was the one reading, because at that point she continued on with my old report.

An envelope bearing the word Blackthorne in Mr. Solomon's careful handwriting.

And then time got really slow again.

"Cam?" Mom said behind me. "You aren't really feeling well are you, sweetie?"

"No," I muttered, I was staring at the first piece of concrete evidence that Blackthorne wasn't some weird dream I'd had, and yet I stood there, looking at my Covert Operations Instructor but seeing the man in the picture-my father's friend.

"I was friends with your father for a very long time, Ms. Morgan." And though no one else saw it, he looked kind of guilty?

"Okay, I'm going to go," I said with a glance at my mother. "And you guys have probably got… stuff… to do. And…

I could have said a dozen things in a dozen languages, but before I could blurt a single one I hear a voice at the end of the Hall of History call, "There you are!"

And then the thing that I'd been fearing happened: Mr. Solomon turned around.

But there's a difference between getting caught and allowing yourselves to be found, and right then, Macey, Bex, and Lix were walking down the Hall of History, hiding in plain sight.

"We can't hold movie night forever, Cam," Bex said.

So I turned my back on my mom and Mr. Solomon, and envelope or not, I walked away.

"Skip," Liz muttered.

"We've got to get it!" Bex exclaimed, sounding as excited as a kid on Christmas morning.

"I'll take 'it' as the envelope, right Rebecca?" Mom said.

"Yes, Ms. Morgan." Bex said, kind of reluctantly.

"We can wait until everyone goes to bed and then break into the office!"

"You most certainly can't," my mom said, sounding very aghast.

"That's not a good idea, Bex" I said,

"Skip" Liz said.

"Cam," Liz called, without taking her eyes off of the screen. "You've got to look at this."

I moved from teeth flossing to face moisturizing- anything to stay busy. "I've seen it already." I told her,

"No, Cam," Liz said pointing to the bright screen in the dim room, "Look! Look at Mr. Solomon's T-Shirt."

But she didn't have to finish, because there… magnified-enhanced- I saw what I hadn't noticed in my mother's office. I read the words BLACKTHORNE INSTITUTE FOR BOYS.

"Well at least now I know how you all figured this little mystery out." Mr. Solomon said.

"It's a school," Macey said slowly.

"That's kind of what 'institute means, Mace." Zach commented.

She just glared at him, because she only semi likes it when her best friends call her Mace, and we all know that Zach and Macey aren't exactly the best of chums.

"A boy's school!" Liz cries

I looked at the picture and said what everybody else was thinking. "For spies?"