The Brotherhood of Ieoseph Cavan
ChAptEr 7
A Note to Reviewers:
Guys, there is no way to express how grateful I am for all the reviews, story alerts and story favorites! You make the writing worthwhile, and I can only apologize for not responding to each review like normal. Life just got in the way for a little while, and there's an explanation in the authors note at the bottom about my ridiculous absence and the details of why I have decided to continue writing this story and not give it up for adoption as I previously said I would. Thank you everyone! I love you guys!
The Story So Far:
Cammie and the Gallagher Girls arrived at Blackthorne, and all except Cammie were immediately welcomed by the boys. Tyler Hill took pity on Cammie and easily befriended her, but he was the only boy willing to. Zach Goode, another junior boy, was intrigued and confused by Cammie, who seems to know nothing of her father's involvement at Blackthorne, but only watched her from afar. There was immediate chemistry between Zach and Cammie, to Cammie's embarrassment and to Zach's amusement.
During dinner, the girls found out they would be sharing a bunker with the boys, much to their dismay, leading to a fight between Tina and Cammie.
In the middle of the night, the girls were surprised with Night Drills, a vigorous night-training program they will be graded on. The Night Drill instructor/sergeant, Beau, immediately singles out Cammie, just like the other boys did. Except, instead of singling her out to make her a social pariah, Beau singled her out because he is sexually attracted to her…in the creepiest way possible. [Rapist, much? Cammie thinks so.]
The next day, Cammie, Bex and Liz get a taste of morning life at Blackthorne. They even have to shower with the boys, in the communal shower room! Not to mention how much more obnoxious Zach gets!
During breakfast Xavier Gray and his gang disrespect Cammie, but she handles it beautifully, much to the admiration of Julien Walsh, one of the guards sent by Gallagher. The girls get their schedules and split up to go to class. On the way, Cammie and Tyler run into Wesley Hamon, the other young guard from Gallagher. Immediately, Tyler takes a liking to him.
Oh, and Grant is an idiot.
Chapter Seven: Uncle Joe?
.~***~.
Dear Uncle Joe,
I can't say I'm not disappointed you and Dad aren't here for my birthday. You promised you would be, but Mom says you and Dad are working on something special—Top Secret. I guess I can't argue with government priority and confidentiality.
I've twelve today! Can you believe it? When you get back I'm expecting my birthday surprise, but I don't know how it will top last year's. Really, how did you get the director of the CIA to sign a copy of Gallagher Girls Unleashed: Silent and Deadly? I'm pretty sure he isn't even cleared to know that book exists. I'm beginning to suspect the use of memory tea was involved…?
Anyways, I can't wait until you and Dad are home again. Tell him I love him and I miss him, and that I've cracked all ten of the NASA codes he left me in case I got bored. They were disappointingly easy. And did you know the Hubble Telescope crashed onto Mars years ago? All that footage they've been releasing over the last decade is at least sixty years old. The new stuff from their new telescope is one hundred percent confidential to anyone below a level eleven government clearance. Oh, and anyone who can crack the code.
Love always,
Cammie.
P.S. Aunt Abby misses you, but she made me swear not to say anything. Too bad I'm a spy, and my word means next to nothing.
Dear Uncle Joe,
You still aren't back, and I'm starting to get suspicious! My birthday surprise must be really good, if it's keeping you away for so long. I'm expecting something super awesome since it's been three whole weeks since my actual birthday!
Love You!
Cammie
Dear Uncle Joe,
I'm starting to get worried. Why haven't you replied to any of my letters? It's been months since you and Dad left. Why aren't you back yet? Mom says I should stop asking questions before I get into trouble, but of course I won't. Please tell me what's going on…
Love,
Cammie
Dear Uncle Joe,
It's been a whole year since I wrote you last. I've given up on you coming home. Besides, no one will tell me where you are…where Dad is. Why are you doing this? Why is this happening? I miss you and Dad so much. Why did you leave me? Where are you?
Cammie
.~***~.
Blackthorne Institute for Boys
Room 101
Advanced Russian III
"Hello, hello, hello! Please take your seats." Dr Steve cheered merrily as the boys (mostly seniors and juniors, with a couple of sophomores mixed in), Cammie and Mick filed into the room. Cammie and Mick sat together at one of the front desks. "Welcome to Advanced Russian III!"
.~***~.
Blackthorne Institute for Boys
Room 113
Norwegian Dialects II
"Psst! Tyler!"
Something soft bounced off of the back of Tyler's head. He frowned and turned around, spotting a ball of paper on the floor by his chair.
"Psst!"
Tyler looked up and raised an eyebrow at his brother, Scott, who sat snickering with his friends Shiloh, Ian and Henry. "What?"
"We were thinking—"
"Always dangerous when you're involved, Scott," Tyler quipped, rolling his eyes. His brother scowled.
"Shut up, tool! Anyways, how about you introduce us to your new friend at lunch? Cammie Morgan," Scott said, wiggling his eyebrows. His friends guffawed. "Wouldn't mind getting to know the great Matt Morgan's daughter, if you know what I mean. See what kinds of…skills she's keeping a secret."
Tyler's hands clenched and his eyes betrayed his fury. He worked to control his voice. "Shut up about Cammie. You have no idea what you're talking about."
Scott stopped laughing and glared at his younger brother. "Oh, and you do? You've never even been with a girl before." He scoffed. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were—what's the phrase—batting for the other team."
Tyler's fist slammed down onto his desk, making his brother jump and the smirk drop from his face. "I said shut up! Just stay away from Cammie, and leave me the hell alone!" Tyler spun around forcefully in his chair, and his hands remained clenched on his desk.
"Tyler…" Scott trailed off, his face slowly falling. "I didn't mean—"
"Hey, he said leave him alone." Zach's furious voice cut in, surprising Tyler, who hadn't noticed him listening in from a table over.
Scott scowled. "Listen, I wasn't talking to you, Goode. I'm trying to have a conversation with my brother."
"A conversation he obviously wants no part in," Zach shot back.
"Hey, maybe you should back off!" Scott was growing angrier and angrier at every passing word.
"Maybe you should learn to respect your brother!"
"Oi! This isn't even any of your business!"
"Whatever, dude," Zach said, shaking his head. He turned to Tyler and gave him a small nod, which Tyler returned with a small, thankful smile. Their eyes met and a moment of understanding passed between them.
For the rest of the lesson, Tyler ignored his brother's regretful apologies.
.~***~.
Blackthorne Institute for Boys
Room 115
Accents of the World IV
"Now say it with me, please. I want you all to imitate my accent as closely as possible," Professor Hamilton said.
He pursed his lips and stuck his tongue out: "I vwould like to buy a haamburgsdlkjsdfer."
Bex stared. "Is this a bloody joke?"
.~***~.
Blackthorne Institute for Boys
Cafeteria
Lunch
"Hey guys," Tyler said, as he plopped into the seat next to Grant, who sent a look saying "dafuck is he doing?" towards Zach and Jonas, who sat across the table.
"Hey, dude," Zach said, sending a half nod at the brown haired boy, while sticking a carrot in his mouth. At Grant's still confused look, Zach raised an eyebrow and said, "I asked Tyler to sit over here today. Thought it'd be a good idea to get to know him a little bit better, you know, after having gone to school with him for the past five years." Zach didn't meet anyone's eye as he said this, and Grant couldn't help but suspect that his friend had ulterior motives. Perhaps ulterior motives that wore a plaid skirt.
Before he could question the boy, Bex pranced into the room and sat herself merrily on his other side. "Hello, boys," she said with a saucy wink. Grant would have replied, but his mouth seemed to have sort of…melted. "Oh, Liz is on her way, by the way," Bex said to Jonas, who blushed. "She'll be dying to talk to you, and I'm sure you'll be the only one willing to listen to her commentary on the radio-signal, hand-held clock bomb she built in Mechanics today," she went on with a roll of her eyes. "I swear—that girl is a walking hazard! I'll tell you what boys, if there was ever a girl to be scared of, she was born in the form of Elizabeth Sutton."
Zach snorted. "Oh really? That Liz Sutton," he asked sarcastically, nodding to Liz, who had just entered the cafeteria and managed to somehow knock over gigantic Dr Steve with her petite body, sending his lunch tray flying. Jonas stood up immediately and ran over to help the flustered girl, who was apologizing so profusely she was slipping in and out of Mandarin Chinese, which, as any Gallagher Girl could tell you, was what happened when Liz was close to crying.
"Don't let looks deceive you, Zachary Goode," Bex said, her finger flying. "That girl is dangerous."
"As dangerous as Ms Morgan," Zach asked, with a suggestive wiggle of his brow. Tyler choked on his drink, and Bex's eyes narrowed.
"Now you listen here, Zachary Goode! I don't know who you think you are—who any of you think you are—but don't you mess with Cam! Or else I'll mess with you!"
"Whoa there!" Zach said, putting his hands up in mock surrender. "Relax, I didn't mean anything by it."
"Anything by what?" Cammie's voice came from behind Zach, who instantly froze up.
"Er, nothing," he said, pulling at this collar. He wouldn't meet her eyes as she lowered herself into the seat next to him and diagonal from Tyler.
"Hey, Tyler," she said, smiling.
"Hey, Cam," he said, a sense of familiarity between the two evident. "How were classes?"
"Pretty good. I really liked Chemical Warfare."
Bex leaned over conspiratorially at this and said, "That was my favorite. Mr. Ivanovski was H-O-T!" Grant scowled at that, and Cammie giggled. "Besides, Accents of the World was a joke."
"Ah, yes," Zach drawled sarcastically, smirking, "Mr. Hamilton. Always a favorite." Grant snorted.
While they were discussing the pros and cons of nuclear warfare in times of economic crisis, the rest of the junior class filed in, distributing themselves around the table in small groups.
The group closest to Cammie didn't bother with pretending that they weren't listening in on the conversation, and the boys took turns staring at Cam with curious, guarded expressions. Eventually Cammie became unnerved, and stopped interacting with the group. Zach noticed and frowned at his classmates, and caught Mario's eye the next time he turned to stare at Cammie. His eyes sent a clear signal to steer clear, which the other boy promptly ignored.
"Hey, Cammie, right?" Mario said as he scooted closer to the Gallagher girl.
"Um, yeah," she said, hesitantly. She wondered if he was only getting closer to look at her like an animal at the zoo.
"So, some of us were wondering…" Mario started, scratching his neck and giving her a tight half-smile. Zach and the other boys tensed, sensing what was coming. Mario ignored his classmates and plowed on, paying no attention to the warning glares Zach and Grant were sending his way. "Are you really Matt Morgan's daughter?"
Cammie's fork dropped out of her hand, and the smile that had started to work it's way up her face fell immediately. She felt as if all the air had been knocked out of her. Her breathing coming fast, she snapped: "How do you my dad's name? Is this some kind of joke? Because it isn't very funny."
"No—I—"Mario's eyes widened at her reaction and he moved back on the bench.
Cammie's breaths started coming in shallow gasps, and she could feel her body start to go into panic mode.
"Holy shit, is she okay?" Grant asked.
"Cammie?" Bex asked.
Abruptly, Cam stood up from the bench, brushing off Bex's worried hold on her hand, and pushed her way out of the cafeteria, ignoring the wide-eyed stares of the Blackthorne boys following her out.
Bex stared at the door and raised herself half out of her chair. "I think I should go make sure she's okay…"
"No," Liz said, "I'll go. I can at least get her to the bunker before it starts raining." The petite blonde quickly darted from the lunchroom after her friend, who had wandered out just as a particularly nasty rainstorm rolled in.
"Bex," Zach said, catching the girl who still didn't lower herself back into her seat's attention. "What just happened?"
Bex grimaced at the emerald-eyed boy. "I don't think it's really my place to say what's going on with Cammie." All the boys were listening. "Cam's dad…well, he—I just—I'm sorry, I can't say. Listen, I have to go check on her." Bex sent Zach an apologetic look as she shouldered her bag, along with Cammie's and Liz's.
Bex turned to leave, but at the last moment turned back. "Please don't mention Cammie's dad to her," she said, her face unreadable. "She gets panic attacks…" Then Bex ran out after Liz and Cammie.
"Whoa, dude. Talk about an over reaction," Logan muttered from down the table. Zach heard him and shot him a death glare, which shut him up quickly.
Zach turned back to Jonas, Grant and Tyler, who were exchanging raised eyebrows. "Do you think she's okay?" he asked them. No one replied, but Tyler shrugged his shoulders. Zach sighed. Cammie Morgan just got a whole lot more complicated.
.~***~.
"Cammie!"
Cammie heard her name being called from behind her as she walked on her own to Cove. Ops. She had just come from the bathroom, after Bex and Liz had found her crying in a toilet stall. After crying on her friends' shoulders, and many assurances that she was fine and capable of making it to class herself, she had sent Liz and Bex on to class ahead of her and stayed behind to wash her face and blow her nose.
Now, feeling slightly refreshed, if not a little gross, she plastered a fake smile on her face as she turned around to greet Zachary Goode, who had jogged up behind her and called her name multiple times.
"Hey there, Gallagher Girl," he said with a smirk, his green eyes dancing. "Feeling better?"
The smile dropped from Cam's face as she abruptly remembered what a jerk this boy was. "Much, thank you," she said tightly. She spun back around on her heel and marched off towards Cove. Ops., her shoulders tight. Much to her aggravation, Zach's long legs made it possible for him to easily keep stride with her determined gait.
"So listen, Gallagher Girl," Zach said, a laugh in his voice. "Me and some of the other guys were wondering—"
"Don't even start, Zachary Goode!" Cammie said sharply, stopping suddenly and spinning to point her finger in his amused face.
"You haven't even heard what I'm going to say yet," Zach laughed.
"Oh, I know exactly where this is headed. And I'm not going to talk about it with you," Cammie huffed. Once again, she turned and continued toward class, her angry footsteps kicking up the dusty gravel.
"I was just going to ask you about what happened in the cafeteria," Zach said slowly, now all the laughter gone from his voice. His sudden change in demeanor had Cammie glancing up at his face as she walked, and she was startled to notice his penetrating gaze trained on her face.
She sighed. "I don't want to talk about it with you, Zach."
The boy remained silent for a moment before saying quietly, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made a joke out of it."
Needless to say, Cammie was incredibly shocked by his apology, for the simple reason that he didn't seem like the type of boy who would ever apologize to anyone. But then again, she didn't know a lot about boys to begin with. Well, except for one certain boy in particular, but she shook herself as her thoughts turned to that taboo subject.
The two operatives arrived at another low-to-the-ground bunker-type trailer, just as the rain began to descend heavily. They quickly ascended the stairs, eager to stay dry, and Zach graciously held open the door for Cammie to enter ahead of him. Cammie didn't miss the smirk on his face the entire time, though, and she turned her head up to glare and roll her eyes at him as she entered.
Because of Zach's distraction, Cammie didn't notice the older man leaning against the wall at the front of the classroom until she was half way to one of the open desks, Zach's broad form clse behind her. When she did raise her eyes to the teacher, she stopped abruptly, and for the second time that day all the air went out of her.
"Uncle Joe?"
.~***~.
The gasp came out as a strangled choke, and Cammie felt all the strength leave her legs. She began to fall against the desk, her disbelieving eyes never leaving the man staring at her unblinkingly, but Zach's reflexes kicked in and he grabbed her arm to hold her up, most of her weight falling against his chest and abdomen.
Cammie couldn't speak. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't even think straight. All that was going through her mind was that it couldn't be him. This man in front of her could not possibly be the man who left her twelve-year-old self that summer's day. This couldn't be the man whose car she had run after, laughing and waving, as it pulled out of the long drive. Who had grinned at her in the mirrors. Who she had written almost everyday for two years after he left. Who never once wrote back. Who, for all intents and purposes, had disappeared off the face of the planet, taking her father with him.
Joe Solomon stared at the girl—no, woman—in front of him. She was so...grown up. In the back of his mind, he supposed he had never been able to let go of the image of her at twelve, with braids down her back and braces. When he heard she would be coming he had half expected that little girl to walk into his classroom. Not this teenage girl who looked so much like her father it took his breath away.
"Cammie?" he said hesitantly, realizing she hadn't said anything other than his name. "Cammie, it's me." He took a step closer. Then another, but the girl still didn't move. "Cam?" he whispered. It was just he and she now. Just him and his goddaughter, the baby girl he had watched grow up before—well, before he and Matt came to Blackthorne. Joe gulped. And finally he reached her.
Up close she was so beautiful, just like her mother. His hand came to her face, and he squinted as if he were trying to find that little girl somewhere behind her face. A stunner. But he could she her father in the way her eyes stared at him wide-eyed and in the set of her mouth. And he had heard so much! From the trustees and teachers who passed on stories of her adventures from Rachel, and from those who had been at dinner the night before. He couldn't help the pride swelling in his breast when he heard that she was a pavement artist. As good as her father, they said. He knew Matt would have beamed with happiness if he were there.
Joe gulped again, and reached out hesitatingly. He didn't look at the shocked boys and girls who came for class. It was just him and this girl who he had missed like a hand that had been cut off.
His hand grazed her arm, and her entire body shuddered. Still she didn't move, though. "Cammie," he whispered. "Cammie, it's me. It's your Uncle Joe."
And just like that, Cammie came to. Her body stood ramrod straight and her eyes narrowed. And then suddenly, her hand came flying and smacked Joe right across the face.
Joe's head turned at the impact, and he felt his eyes widen involuntarily. He put his hand to his cheek and spun his head back around to face Cammie.
There were tears in her eyes and she was gulping, not seeming to get enough air to speak. The entire room stared at her in shock, until finally she spun on her heel, pushed past Zach, and fled the room.
Joe stood in shocked silence, looking after her. Finally he came to his senses. He grabbed his coat from his desk chair and bolted out of the room after Cammie, into the rain.
A beat passed and the entire junior Cove. Ops. class stared at each other in stunned silence.
And then Grant said: "Does this mean class is dismissed?"
.~***~.
"Cammie! Cammie, wait!"
Cammie heard Joe calling after her, but she didn't slow down. She ran blindly through the heavy rain, letting her feet guide her all the way across campus, to the training field.
Just as she reached the field, a strong hand gripped her arm.
She spun around, her fist flying back in preparation to punch her uncle, but stopped short when she realized the hand on her arm was not Joe Solomon. It was Beau Travers, the creepy night drill sergeant.
Cammie's hair was plastered to her face, and she was out of breath from running. At the sight of Beau she groaned inwardly, a glance over his shoulder telling her that Uncle Joe was closing in on her too. As she turned her attention back to Beau, she realized that his leery gaze was trained on her chest, and that his grip was tightening on her arm. She realized suddenly that the rain had made her white blouse see through, and that it had molded to her body, giving her night drill instructor a good look at her red lacy bra beneath (she cursed Macey for insisting that they only pack sexy underwear). Cammie quickly yanked her forearm from the dark-skinned man's grasp and crossed her arms over her chest.
"What are you doing here?" she said, almost aggressively.
Beau held up his hands in mock surrender, a smirk spreading across his face. "I saw you running around out her so I…"
"You followed me?"
"Well, when you put it that way, if doesn't sound nearly as nice," he laughed. Despite his seemingly good mood, there was a dark look in his eye Cammie still didn't trust.
"Listen," Cammie said, shaking her head, "I don't think it's a great idea for you to be out here with me—"
"Cammie," Beau cut her off with a whisper and a finger to her lips. "I really like you, and I want to get to know you better." He stepped closer and his hand closed around her hand again.
She tried to step back but she wouldn't let him. "Beau—"
"I want to get to know you as a boy to a girl, not a teacher to a student," he continued, pulling her towards him further.
"Beau, please, don't!" Now she was beginning to panic a little. She could feel his hand bruising her arm.
"Cammie, stop struggling," he said as she twisted in his grasp again, getting aggravated.
"No! Let go of me!"
"No!"
"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing Travers?"
Suddenly Beau's hand was ripped off her arm and he was pulled back, and furious Joe Solomon standing over him.
"Sir!" Beau's eyes widened with panic and he immediately took a step back. He licked his lips. "I was just—just telling Ms. Morgan that she should go in. She'll catch a cold." His eyes flickered to Cammie's, but she was glaring daggers at him.
"Get out of my sight, Travers," Solomon growled. "If I see you lay a hand on her again—or any of these girls—I'll have you reported to the trustees, and to the CIA." Beau gulped. "Do you understand?"
"Y-Yes sir!" Beau's shoulders were rigid as he stumbled back from Solomon and made his way back inside, his pride stripped.
Cammie stood gasping in the rain, watching him go. Finally, when she couldn't see him through the rain any more, she turned to her uncle, who was staring at her like he'd never seen her before.
"Cammie…" he sighed. He looked down at his feet for a few moments, collecting his thoughts. When he looked back up at her, he sighed again. "I understand that you're angry at me Cam," he said desolately. "But, I need you to understand—"
"Why didn't you ever write me back?" Cammie cut him off, her fists still crossed across her chest.
"What?" Joe asked, his train of thought broken.
"Why didn't you ever write me back?" Cammie repeated robotically.
"I…" Joe squinted at her through the rain. "There were a lot of…factors that were involved, Cammie. You have to understand that. Your dad and I were gone for longer than we meant to be, and after that…it had been so long. It felt…wrong disrupting your life like we would have been. Stepping back in like that wasn't fair to you. And it wouldn't have been safe."
"And my dad?"
"It wasn't over for him that easily. It took us a couple of years to get done what we did, but he wasn't ever truly finished. He had some lose ends to tie up."
"Is that when he went missing?" Cammie wouldn't meet Joe's eyes.
Joe sighed. "Yes…Yes."
Cammie took a shuddering breath and squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She was quiet long enough for Joe to get worried, and he was just about to say something when she mumbled just loud enough for him to hear: "I never got my birthday surprise."
Slowly, a smile spread across Joe Solomon's face. "Come on, kid. I've got it inside, and we better get out of this rain or you'll be really sick."
Cammie nodded, and didn't shove him off when he draped his coat over her shoulders and wrapped his arm around her shivering form. Until that moment she hadn't realized how cold she had felt.
Cammie let Joe Solomon lead her back to the Junior bunker, where she spent the rest of the day in her dad's old pajamas, catching up with the godfather, playing hooky on the first day of classes, and drinking chicken noodle soup. And that evening, when he left for dinner duty, she embraced him, tears leaking into his shirt. "I missed you, Uncle Joe," she whispered, not realizing he had slipped a slim chain around her wrist until he squeezed her hand and wished her a happy birthday.
When the rest of the junior class ambled in, they found Cammie Morgan asleep in her bed, the nightmares leaving her at peace for the first time in four years.
Next Chapter Preview:
Cammie and the boys start to understand each other, and Tyler admits something personal to her.
A/N
Hi guys! It's been a long time! Like, ridiculously long. And I am SO, SO, SO sorry. You have no idea. I literally cringe thinking about it.
I guess I have a lot of explaining to do.
First of all, the reason I've been MIA for so long is that life seriously got in the way. It took up all my time, and took absolute precedence. I'm super sorry that I haven't made the time for this story that I should have, and I really did miss all of you, and just writing in general.
Second, I know that last time we spoke I announced that I would be putting this story up for adoption. Well, obviously, I decided not to after all. I thought about for a very long time guys, and I realized at the last minute that I really just can't. So I'm incredibly sorry for the confusion and the anticipation and all that. And I'm even sorrier to the people who reviewed and PMed me about taking over this story. I can't apologize to all of you enough. I am literally the worst person at correspondence ever, because I didn't even email any of you back, and I feel like a bitch for it. Thank you to all of you for being interested, and I really did like all your stories very much. I'm just so sorry that I never got back to you, and that I left you hanging on like this for so long. And then I just decided I was going to write the story myself. That was seriously a douche move on my part. So, again, I'm so, so sorry to all of you, and I hope you can forgive me!
Anyways guys, it's great to be back! I can't wait to get this story rolling!
Love Always,
Katie