Hi guys! So I decided to update as a little New Year's present for you all. It's not like there's anything else better to do. Our antenna isn't working so I can't watch Dick Clark's (l think that's his name) New Year Program like I usually do. Sigh. But you don't care about that, do you? Sigh. Fine. Here's the moment you've been waiting for…

Chapter 7: What's your last name?

Zach POV

Mr. S? As in MR. SOLOMON! After they had left, Grant whispered, "We've got to follow them."

"I couldn't agree more."

"But first, we've got to find them." I cursed in Farsi as I realized they were nowhere to be seen. We scoured the whole store and couldn't find them. How'd they get away?" Grant fumed.

"They're spies. Good ones. "I replied quietly. Suddenly, I caught a flash of black hair entering Abercrombie&Fitch. I yanked Grant to his feet and mouthed "at four o'clock." He glanced in that direction and nodded. I bent down, pretending to text, so that they couldn't see my face. We walked in the midst of the crowd of shoppers until we reached the store. Then we nonchalantly turned and walked inside, still keeping our heads down.

Cammie POV

We walked around the store, sometimes stopping to look at a shirt or a pair of jeans. I noticed a man with thick reading glasses, a polo, and khakis standing in a corner. I smiled, went up to him, and tapped him on the shoulder. "We made it." I told Mr. Solomon. He raised his green-contact tinted eyes to mine.

"Not quite." He smiled. I spun around and saw the grinning faces of James and Alex.

Zach POV

I watched in amusement as Candie-if that was really her name- let out a long string of curses in Farsi. That was MY cussing language. I smiled. Bella, Madion, and another girl patted her on the back. "It's okay Cammie, you were bound to fail a CovOps assignment sooner or later." She has a spotless record like me. Well, used to. And then I realized.

"What's your last name?" I whispered Cammie looked taken aback.

"What?"

"What, Is. Your. Last. Name?" My clenched fists were shaking now.

Cammie glared at me. "Why should I tell you?" she retorted, eyes blazing. And that was when I knew that it was her. Cameron Morgan. I knew because it was the look she gave me every time I beat her at something. I looked at Joe Solomon, my mentor, the person I had trusted the most.

"You lied to me, Joe." He didn't meet my eyes. My chest felt hollow. Grant grasped my shoulder, but I shrugged his hand off. With one last look at my teacher and the girl I love, I ran out of the store. I faintly heard Joe Solomon calling my name.

Cammie POV

Damn. How could I have missed it? I had seen James in Express even after I had done my best to annoy him and make sure he wanted to be nowhere near me. I was sloppy and paid the price.

I said some words in Farsi that would've gotten me expelled in public school. Mr. Solomon and my friends looked shocked by my choice of words, but James just raised his eyebrow. I stifled the urge to punch him. Bex, Macey, and Liz enveloped me in a hug and patted my back. "It's okay Cammie, you were bound to fail a CovOps assignment sooner or later," Liz said in her Southern accent. I glanced at James to see if he was getting any satisfaction from my failure. Surprisingly, his eyes were wide, his jaw clenched, and he was standing as stiff as a board. "What's your last name?" he breathed. Um, random much?

"What?" I asked, even though I heard him perfectly well the first time.

"What is your last name?" he enunciated each word as if talking to a child. He was shking now. My confusion was immediately replaced by anger.

"Why should I tell you?" No operative gives their real name easily. I gave him a death glare. But he didn't back off. He just turned to Mr. Solomon, who strangely, wouldn't look at him.

"You lied to me, Joe." he said with an incredible amount of pain in his eyes. Mr. Solomon not only ignored James' (I'm pretty sure that's just a cover) use of his first name, but also didn't meet his eyes. I'm sure all of us girls were staring. Then "James" looked at me with a tender expression that took my breath away, before promptly sprinting out the door. There was a split second of silence before Mr. Solomon yelled, "Zach!"

Zach POV

I could hear Grant's heavy footsteps behind me. I lost him just a little bit later after a woman with a stroller blocked his path. I wandered aimlessly around, using every counter-surveillance technique in the book. I also observed. One of the displays in a shoe store featured two left shoes. There was a fern near GAP that needed watering. 32.7% of the people I saw had a watch...

This mental rambling was fairly successful at distracting me. It kept me from thinking about Cammie.

I was shaken out of my reverie when I bummed into someone. I automatically held my arms out to steady them. The next thing I knew, I was staring straight into a set of familiar blue eyes. Cammie had taken off her black wig and contacts. Her long dirty blonde hair fell over her shoulders like a waterfall. She was looking at me disapprovingly and her arms were crossed. I inhaled sharply. I had never imagined she would grow up this utterly gorgeous. Good job, dumbass. There goes your chance of moving on.

"Zachary Goode. We need to talk."

She started to drag me toward a little corner, but three voices hissed, "Where do you two think you're going?" Cammie's friends, who I just realized to be Bex, Liz, and Macey McHenry stood there.

"Hello Rebecca. Long time no see." I smirked at Bex who looked murderous. "Hi Liz." Liz waved back timidly. I've always liked that girl. "Macey McHenry." I regarded the infamous senator's daughter. She had ditched her blonde wig and looked hot in her natural straight black tresses. "Cammie and I were just going to go for a little stroll." I assumed my most innocent expression.

"No you're not." Joe Solomon stepped out from behind them. He looked tired and worn. "I know you have a lot of things you need to discuss, but you're going to have to wait until we get to Gallagher."

Cammie smirked-my smirk!-at my surprised expression. "You don't know about Gallagher Academy?" I started to object; of course I knew about it, it had been all over the news after Macey McHenry started attending. "Because I know ALL about Blackthorne. " she stated, the same way she would if she was talking about the weather. She added, "It's too bad their student list isn't as say to access as their firewall is to break." I felt my jaw dropping. I didn't stand there for long because just then Grant ran up to us, panting.

"Are you guys like, invisible or something? I looked for you everywhere." Noticing my shocked expression, he asked, "What did I miss?"

"We are going to a spy school for girls." I managed to choke out.

AN: This year, I resolve to be a better updater. You should resolve to review every story you read. Seriously, you're reviews make my day. Considering I live on the West Coast, most of you have already had New Year's already, so you can make good on this resolution. And for all of those who have 15ish minutes left, you could always practice while you wait Probably not, because I'm probably the only person lame enough to be on fanfiction right now. Whatever. Ok…I'm gonna stop this insanely long AN now. Happy New Year's!