9.

I felt a little ridiculous in the disguise, but I knew that the girls would never even remember it after I had taken it off and revealed myself. I wore a maintenance department uniform with thick glasses and I had made myself look older, forcing my left hand to stick out at an odd angle and giving myself a slight limp. My nametag said "Art". It was the shortest name I could come up with at the time aside from "Joe". And "Joe" would be a little obvious.

I limped slowly into the room. "You're the juniors?"

The junior class whirled around and stared at me the way you would look at someone you don't know. They were trying to figure me out. And I have to say, I was a little disappointed when no one figured it out. Katelyn would have.

I felt a pang at her name and I forced myself to think of the task at hand.

Teaching.

"Solomon said you were the juniors," I said, using my own name as if I really were someone else.

"Yes, sir," Mick Morrison, a beefy sort of kid that loved fighting, said. I was proud of her for that because even if I wasn't Joe Solomon and I really was a member of the maintenance department, I would still merit respect. At Gallagher Academy, and everywhere else in the spy world, things are more than they appear. And also, to work on the maintenance staff at Gallagher, you have to have earned your time in the field.

I turned and headed out the door, knowing that they weren't following me. I stopped and called over my shoulder, "Well? Are you coming or aren't ya?" I had given myself a Southern accent for the occasion and I kind of liked it.

The juniors followed me, their footsteps sounding against the floor. No one said anything – which is always surprising when you're dealing with a group of girls – but I could see them glancing around at each other, wondering what was going on. I heard Tina begin to whisper to Eva Alvarez and I said, "Walters!" in a sharp voice.

We passed rooms and continued to climb higher towards our destination. We neared the top and they began to head towards the elevators. "Ladies!" Always anticipate, never commit. Katelyn had probably known that since she was three.

Stop thinking about her.

We went through the enormous door.

"It's a closet," Eva Alvarez said, awed.

"And it's…huge," Tina threw in.

I saw them all gaping in wonder at the racks and racks of clothes and the assortments or fake noses and the huge mirrors. Eva reached for the switch and the lights around the mirrors came on.

Time for my debut.

"Ladies." I stopped forcing my left arm to stick out and I reached up to toss away the glasses. I kicked off my right shoe, picked it up, and shook a small pebble out into my hand. And then I put the shoe back on as I stood straight and tall. Finally, I pulled off the gray wig and dropped it onto a shelf.

Tina gasped. Anna stumbled. And I was the only one smiling. I swept my arms wide around the closet. "Small changes. Big differences."

*Katelyn*

I looked out the window and saw that it was rainy outside. I couldn't help but smile; I had always loved the rain. When I was littler, Rider and I would go outside in the rain and dance and run and just play around as the water fell on top of us.

I loved the color that the sky got and the feel of the floor as the thunder shook it. I loved to watch the lightning and the way it lit up the entire sky for only a moment before the brilliance faded. I loved the sound that rain made on the roof or the pavement or the fabric of a jacket. Basically, I just loved thunderstorms.

But, I knew that it would somewhat be a hindrance on surveillance. I began to wonder what Joe would suggest doing, but then I shook the thought out of my head and moved to get ready. I saw no reason to take a shower since I would probably get soaked form the rain anyway, so I just pulled on jeans, a T-shirt, and a rain coat. I pulled my hair into a messy bun and decided against any kind of makeup. I wouldn't be needing it.

Finally, I left my room and walked out of the hotel, realizing that surveillance would be a lot different because not a lot of people were walking the streets. Not as many people liked rain as much as they liked staying warm and dry somewhere.

Not me, though. I smiled as I walked down the street and headed for the coffee shop to grab myself some caffeine. After I'd paid, I sat at a table and drank it where it was dry before I moved back out into the rain and towards the building.

Strangely enough, my thoughts wandered to Joe. I wondered if he liked the rain or if he got annoyed because it kind of messed up surveillance. He hadn't really struck me as the type to get angry or easily annoyed…

Stop it. I told myself sternly. What would your fiancée say if he knew you were thinking a lot about some guy that you barely even know?

But something inside of me just felt like I'd known him a lot longer. I mean, the way that he looked at me…

"Ms. Cullen?" a man asked.

I was confused and then I remembered. "Oh, yes. You're the executive that helped me."

He smiled and moved closer to cover me with his umbrella. "Are you lost, ma'am?"

"Yes," I faked easily. "Could you direct me to the nearest restaurant?"

"I'll be happy to accompany you there."

"Great," I smiled and inwardly cursed myself. I'd been so preoccupied with thoughts of Joe that I had almost blown my cover. I decided to send him a message to come back to Italy, just so I would be able to focus.