Chapter Two: Why on earth?

We exited the doors, and were practically tackled by a ton of people . . .

With cameras . . .

Snapping pictures . . .

Of . . .

Me?

"Ms. McHenry?" one reporter yelled, "Is it true you were here to get an abortion?" he said as he held a small recorder to my mouth.

It was so loud out here.

Why did they care anyway?

Seriously.

"Why. Are. They. Here?" I slowly asked Cammie.

"Your dad."

"Excuse me?" I questioned.

"You're dad, Macey. He's famous."

"Crap," I whispered, although I doubt anyone there understood what we were saying at all . . . because this whole conversation was taking place in Farsi.

"Um. . ." I finally said to the reporter . . .

How was I supposed to answer this?

It would be on every newsstand in the country in just a few hours if I responded or not. I could see the headlines now: "Macey McHenry—daughter of state senator—gets abortion!"

So what the hell was I supposed to do about it?

Honestly, how did these people even find me? It was like 4:30 in the morning for crying out loud!

"Well . . ." I started again . . . but I didn't know what was ending that sentence, in the first place.

"No, it isn't true," I heard someone say in a hard voice, "She was here for me."

It took me a second to realize that that was the voice of someone I knew.

Someone who had roomed with me for the last two years.

So why on earth did Cammie Morgan just say that?

Next morning's newspaper (and/or magazine covers) didn't surprise me at all.

"Macey McHenry—found at hospital last night with best friend—Cameron Morgan—for abortion."

Why did she cover for me like that?

I flipped through one of the many magazines until I found the article:

"Macey McHenry—daughter of Senator McHenry—found at the hospital last night with best friend, Cameron Morgan—a fellow roommate at the Gallagher Academy. Although sources had first expected that it was McHenry there to get the abortion, further sources proved to tell that Morgan was the one receiving it. Who the man in question is, remains unknown—"

Crap.

This was bad.

This was very, very bad.

What if headmistress Morgan saw?

Could she actually believe that?

And who would she blame?

Cammie . . . or whoever she would suspect got Cam "pregnant"?

Zach was away for the CIA . . .

So could she blame him?

But what if Zach saw?

He'd probably kill whoever he thought "impregnated" her!

So what would he do?
Abort his mission?

What if Solomon found out?

He'd probably think it was Zach and, well . . . cut something off . . .

Then he'd tell Mr. Smith, who'd make a "no-more-Blackthorne-Boy-and-or-Gallagher-girl-exchanges-for-the-next-decade" rule!

Tina Walters was probably instant messaging every person she ever made eye contact with an entire story about how Cam cheated on Zach with a Russian Mobster looking for fine arts in the mid-west.

Of course, she would have told Zach. Who probably would have told her that her "sources" were complete and total bull and she could stick it up her—well, lets just say it was in Arabic . . . and it wasn't very nice.

What if my parents saw?

They would see . . .

The fortress of magazines practically barricading me inside my room . . .

The thousands of news stands, each a different story, but somehow involving me with Cam, doing something near a hospital last night.

Would they make me leave Gallagher?

Would Ms. Morgan let them?

Please say no.

Cammie POV

It was spring break.

Normally . . . I would go back to Nebraska . . . or get debriefed by the CIA like after I broke up with Josh . . . or maybe go on vacation with Bex in London (which caused a whole bunch of drama in my life which I totally wish I could have skipped), but this . . . me and Liz were staying at a grand hotel . . . with Macey livingin her "fortress" (as her parents called it) just a few blocks away in the middle of . . . well . . . somewhere.

We were there for the "moral-support-every-teenage-girl-slash-senator's-daughter-needs-when-she-hits-17" issue.

Bex was helping her parents with the whole MI6 thing. (Apparently, the Baxter's needed Bex's help with something that involved stabbing and paperclips. So, Bex was all game) which meant she wasn't here.

Macey called last night . . . for some of that "moral-support-stuff." (although I wouldn't exactly call what we went through "moral.")

I met her at the hospital. I stood up for her.

But now the only problem was . . . how was I going to deal with this?

People all over the world knew about "Macey McHenry's friend from the Gallagher Academy that got an abortion."

What people didn't know was that I could probably kill them with a nail file.

Which . . . didn't seem like such a bad idea right now . . .

But what was I gonna do about the people all over the world who knew me? Who cared about me. Who would never let me get an abortion. Who were probably freaking out as they saw that picture of me and Macey from last night . . .

Asking how someone like me . . .

So average and "normal". . .

Could be best friends with Macey McHenry—daughter of Senator McHenry.

How we could have anything in common at all.

Well . . . all I had to say was . . .

Don't judge a girl by her cover. (especially if that cover involves her getting an "abortion!")

I decided I should probably eat something (and yes . . . even spies get hungry.)

As I got up from the couch I asked Liz if she wanted anything to eat. She briefly looked up and said she'd be there in a minute, that she we almost done analyzing my voice and heart rate from a video clip some reporter got last night.

I opened the hotel's mini-fridge. Only a couple of sodas.

I was a little soda-ed out.

"I think we'll have to eat out Liz!" I yelled.

"It's fine," she said, "Macey's paying, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Are you ready yet?"

"Yeah, one sec . . . let me grab my bag."

(still cammie pov)

"Okay . . . so . . . it turns out that you pretty much did this perfectly." Liz started as we walked down the stairwell.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"From analyzing your heart rate, body language, and eye dilation from the clip, you did the perfect thing. Your body language and pulse control was absolutely perfect! But your eyes dilated ever so slightly, causing everyone on the inside—everyone like us—to know you were lying, but still making everyone on the out, think it's true!"

Wow. Talk about lack of air.

"Only problem is, Liz, nobody besides you and whoever filmed that, is ever going to see that clip. Only the one still shot."

Which (in a way) was a good thing, because if we weren't there for me (or in this case, the "baby"), what (or who) would we be at that hospital for?

"Dangit!" she yelled, probably echoing throughout the entire building.

"So what should we have?" I asked—trying to change the subject.

"Ugh. I don't know. I don't care." Liz said (obviously still upset from the whole "being wrong" incident).

"Okay then . . ." I said when the waitress came to the table, "Um, I'll have an ice tea and French fries, please.'

Mean while, Liz was banging her head against the table, so the waitress didn't even try to get anything out of her, gave her a very questionable look (which I guarantee if Bex saw, would have knocked the crap out of her), and walked away.

"Liz! Relax!" I yelled, snapping her back into normality (. . . well, somewhat).

She just pouted—severely pissed off.

"Everyone's gonna think it's true then, Cam! Your mom is gonna go nuts! And Solomon will be pissed. Oh my gosh! Just think about Tina and . . . what will Zach think?"

I seriously did not know what any of them would think.

(Well, except maybe Tina, who was probably talking about how I was having an affair with a middle eastern terrorist while I disabled a bomb strapped across his chest as he tried to blow up a world famous museum fill of treasured artifacts . . . and trust me, I was giving her the benefit of the doubt.)

But would my own mother really think I'd do that?

And what about Solomon?

And Zach?

Oh my God. I just really do not wanna know.

A/N: Yay! Another chapter up and running! Sorry, it takes a while for me to type long chapters...yup. So review. Make me a happy happy person today.

This is mostly an intro until we make it to the real story line. My fav chaps up next :)

So until I finish all my summer homework . . .

~m