Chicha's, I'm kind of sad that none of you bothered to go join the forum, but I guess I'll have to get over it. Sorry if this chapter isn't the best it took a while because I had to add in so many descriptions.
Disclaimer: I don't own a single character in this chapter, they are all Ally Carter's creations, or well, yours.
"Cameron if you don't get out of that cupboard this minute…" Macey's voice threatened me from the other side of the wardrobe's door (Note to self: Russia has really comfy wardrobes.)
We had three hours left before the Gala and already the suite had been turned into an observation post, Bex and Liz were going to be spending the next six hours up here watching every surveillance camera and listening to every conversation being held in five different languages.
On the other side of the door Bex had started to sing 'Chiquita.' By Abba. Probably thinking that this was like that scene where the mother locks herself into a bathroom stall.
"Cam, hurry up and get out here so we can get ready and leave before Bex acts out the whole Mumma Mia musical… again." Macey told the door that was creating a barrier between me and the curling iron she was holding.
I opened the door slowly and saw Macey standing there ginning and holding the curling iron and liquid eyeliner. The sight was nearly enough to send me back into the cupboard.
I sat quietly in front of the bathroom mirror and stared grudgingly at my hair; Macey had used wash out dye to turn it light blonde earlier this morning and added extensions; I was still getting used to it. Macey turned the chair slightly so I was facing her and she started to make me over.
An hour later I stood in front of the mirror, looking at myself while I waited for Macey to get ready. Macey really did do a marvellous job; my now light blonde hair was hanging down my back in long loose movie star curls and I now sported a light tan that would take at least a week to get rid of. My dress was long and flowy; the light blue skirt complimenting my new tan and the top was covered in sparkly diamond stones that shined in the light.
I had also donned some brown contacts that had interesting gold flecks in irises. All in all I looked the part; stunning, elegant and rich. Even Zach would have trouble recognizing me.
Macey stepped out of the bathroom and I had a hard time trying not to glare out of envy; she had kept her hair black and short but had put on some gold contacts, and added glittery gold eyeliner, she had also given herself a slight tan for the occasion. Her dress was long and silver with no sleeves and a gold belt, she also had on gold sequined heels; the bitch looked like an Egyptian princess.
"I have decided that I may poison your drink tonight." I warned her.
Macey laughed as she strapped a knife to the holster on her calf. "Pretty sure most the girls down there will want to kill her." Bex commented, looking at Macey in awe. Though now that I think about it, girls wanting to kill Macey because of her looks was quite normal.
"Now remember," Liz started as she handed us our comms, "Macey, your new name is Jasill and Cammie…"
"I'm still Viviana, we know Lizzie."
Bex pouted as she looked us over and muttered something about how she wanted to go to the ball for a change.
"Let's get this over with." I groaned to Macey before Bex could try and guilt trip us into letting her come.
The two of us stepped through the doors and into the ballroom; the room was full of light and colours. This made Blackthorne's gala look like a six year old's dress up party. Women twirled around in vibrant colours as men drank expensive wine. The giant chandeliers gave the party an air of elegance as did the multiple jewels that glittered from necks, fingers and dresses.
"There are so many red heads it's like a Weasley family reunion." Bex commented over comms. I laughed lightly at Bex's remark as Macey rolled her eyes.
"Bex, darling, red is the 'it' hair colour in Russia," Macey informed her.
I picked up a glass of champagne and walked off towards the girl surrounded by young men. Erin Metrick had long auburn curls and stunning features, and she just so happened to be one of the most important people in the room. Erin was the daughter of the mob boss that was holding this party which meant she was the heir to his criminal empire.
"I just love your dress," I told her in fluent Russian, "where did you get it?" Because even though teenage girls are on to the whole strangers-with-candy thing, the strangers-with-compliments strategy is still remarkably effective.
Erin looked down at her dress; it really was lovely; it was long, flowy and emerald green, which clung to her chest before flowing out. It was complimented by a golden bedazzled wrap belt right under her breasts and gold sparkly heels. Her smoky eyeliner and red lipstick made her look a year older than she really was, which was just encouraging the men around her.
"Why thank you. I love your dress too, I'm Erin."
"Viviana Maiz." I replied pleasantly as Erin handed me a glass of Champaign.
Erin didn't get a chance to reply because at that moment a stunning young woman arrived… on the arm of none other than Zach Goode.
I gave the girl a covert once over and tried not to let my jealousy show on my face. The girl – who Zach had just introduced as Aria Dawn –had a slightly heart shaped pale face and mid-length dark brown curls. She had Cupid's bow lips and brown eyes and was wearing a red empire waist dress that totally flaunted her assets and made me want to throw up.
Zach winked at Erin after introducing himself to her as Parker Hastings, wasn't Hastings the last name of the woman I had given the rose to at the office building where I first met Zach? He turned to me and frowned as though he was figuring out if anything about me was familiar.
"You see something you like Mr Hastings?" I asked him huskily.
"What did you say your name was again?" He asked; the gears in his head turning.
"I didn't." I replied pleasantly.
Erin smiled at Zach, "This Mr Hastings, is my dear friend Viviana Maiz." She was just making this easier for me; the closer she and I were, the more information I could gain.
Zach smirked and his eyes took in every detail of my disguise. "Oh I see something I like Miss Maiz, but I must say that I prefer honey blonde hair."
With that he and his date walked off.
I turned to Erin. "I'm really worried; what if someone tries to come in here hurt us? I mean we are all very rich. It's a thief's dream come true to have us all in the one room."
Erin laughed darkly. "Oh don't worry, we have two security cameras in every room and hallway, plus a guard stationed down where the real value lies." Of course what she didn't say was that all the city's criminals were already in this room. But then again, my life is built upon the things that don't get said.
I smiled at her, glad that as smart as she was she had just given me her house's security details. "You must tell me when your birthday is so that I can send a gift." I told her, completely switching the subject. Not that she really cared about the last conversation all too much.
Erin's eyes gave me a once over; calculating how rich I was and how expensive of a gift I would give. She must have approved because she answered, "Nineteenth of July, and you really don't have to send me gift."
I smiled once more before turning and disappearing into the crowd.
At that moment a brunette in a periwinkle dress walked towards me.
"Hello, I don't believe we have met before, I'm Miss Melinda Arkadyevna." Tina smiled elegantly and I could tell she was enjoying the looks that the slightly low square neckline of her dress was getting her.
"Viviana Maiz, it is a pleasure really but I must be going…"
Tina lightly grabbed my wrist before I could leave and then pointed to a girl in an aqua dress on the far side of the room. "Doesn't Alex Windchester just look toasty in that dress?" Of course the girl looked anything but toasty in the strapless dress but every operative knows that 'toasty' is spy/terrorist slang for an agent who is about to get compromised. And I knew that that girl with the blonde hair and strapless dress just so happened to be Anna Fetterman.
"Oh and what about the woman beside her in the lime green dress," Tina continued, to any outsiders we would have sounded like two rich girls gossiping, but really Tina was giving me a rundown on the situation, "That's Elissa Lomen, I'm glad she died her hair black, it suits her so much better. Anyway, she's Alex's cousin, by marriage of course, she married some big art dealer a year back and has been waiting to meet her younger cousin ever since."
Oh God this wasn't good.
"Is her husband here tonight?" I asked Tina, hoping the answer was no. But Tina just smiled sadly and pointed to a man who was talking to –who could only be his secretary - Lucinda White.
"Are Lucy and her employer in a relationship?" I gasped, "Because that skin tight black dress she is wearing defiantly makes a statement." A few of the people who were subtly listening to us smiled slightly. Their prying ears were making it hard to have a proper conversation.
"Oh yes, quite the scandal, if my sources are correct Lucy will be keeping him busy enough that he won't have time to see his cousin for maybe another hour or so."
I nodded once, before speaking into my comms. "Kim, I hear you can't speak French and need a translator, turns out Anna would be happy to help."
A moment later a girl in a turquoise dress with silver jewels that caught the light was interrupting Anna and Elissa's conversation. "Sorry, hi, I'm Maria St Marks. I was just wondering if you could come be a translator for me, it's just that I'm trying to make a business deal with a French art thief but I can't understand a word he's saying."
I winked at Tina before disappearing into the crowd.
A hand snaked around my waist and I was spun around. I was just about ready to hit my attacker when I realised it was Zach. "Grabbing a random woman around the waist is what I would call assault Mr Hastings."
Zach raised an eyebrow at me quizzically, "Gallagher Girl we both know that it isn't assault if you like it."
I frowned at him, "I'll shout rape." Well I didn't want to, I liked being in Zach's arms but I had a job to do.
"The guests at this party most likely wouldn't care, they're all criminals." Then he frowned as though something had just occurred to him. "I guess you're a criminal too Gallagher Girl."
He moved me onto the dance floor and as we twirled around I thought about his latest comment. I had accepted long ago that I was a criminal; my job description isn't really something the police force would be proud of. But hearing Zach say it made me kind of sad and worried, he had called me a criminal as though he didn't really want to be associated with one.
He spun me outwards and then pulled me against his chest. "What's wrong Gallagher Girl? You have been lost in that pretty head of yours for the past ten minutes."
Ten minutes? Oh God!
"I've got to go." I told him quietly, still unsure about all my feelings.
I wasn't supposed to care about what Zach Goode thought; he was just some boy that kept turning up in all the wrong places. Yet being this close to him made me feel safer than I had in a long time and I had been hurt by the way he had said I was a criminal. I didn't like him did I? I couldn't like him. Liking him would make things get a whole lot more complicated, especially with what I was about to do.
He leaned his head down so that our faces were inches about. "Gallagher Girl, don't do it." He told me equally as quietly. If only he knew what I was really going to do.
I looked at him, knowing that my face had my hurt and unsure emotions on display. I spun outwards and let go of his hand. Disappearing, just like I always did. But I didn't want to disappear anymore; I wanted someone to be able to always find me, to be able to locate me no matter where I was. And that was more confusing than anything else. I was the chameleon; I was the best at hiding in plain sight, but I really wanted someone to see me.
I passed by Macey, who was chatting up one of the wealthy bachelors, she winked at him before walking over to me.
We walked to the doors leading into the rest of the house and turned off down a hallway, Bex gave us directions over comms and soon we were just one hallway away from our destination; the vault.
Macey stopped walking and turned towards me. "Cam what's wrong? And don't give me any shit about being alright I can see it in your eyes that something is the matter."
I was silent for a moment.
"It's got to do with Zach hasn't it?" She asked me, taking out her comms unit and motioning me to do the same; I didn't want the other girls to hear this.
"I'm not sure if I want to go through with tonight. I don't think I can do this to him, but I'm a Gallagher Girl first and foremost and I don't want to let everyone down over a boy… again."
Macey looked at me in a knowing sort of way for a moment. "Look, Cam, I would normally tell you to screw what everyone else would think and go after the guy. But your mum and Solomon wouldn't send us to do this if it wasn't important. This isn't some practice test, this is the real deal and I think we are going to have to go through with it if we want to protect our school."
"You're right, but what if I freeze? What if I can't do it?" I asked her.
"Cameron Morgan, you are a terrorist you will not freeze and we both know it. Also word of advice; act confident, pretend that you don't care about how he thinks of you." Macey shrugged slightly and added, "It's sort of like a break-up."
How could you break up with a guy that you never dated? I wanted to be the girl he wanted, not the criminal. But then again I don't want to change who I am, and I loved my job. Besides was I really a criminal? I mean the CIA is the ones that employ us, the only reason spies hated Terrorists was because we were the ones called in when a Spy messed up. We were the destroy-all-evidence squad.
"You're right, thanks for the advice. Now hurry up and go do your job." I told her as I put my comms unit back in and tried to find out if anything had happened while Macey and I had been talking.
Macey blew me a kiss and sauntered off towards the vault and the young guy with a gun who was guarding it.
The guy looked up in surprise. His eyes widened as he took in Macey and he didn't even seem to find it suspicious that she was there. They flirted and then Macey tipped her head towards a door down the hall that was obviously a broom cupboard. The guy smirked and walked off with Macey. The Idiot.
How is it so far?
What were Macey and Cam talking about? Was it about the vault they are trying to rob or something bigger? Read on to find out.
I know that the whole thing with Cammie wanting to be seen probably didn't make any sense, as I didn't know how to phrase it properly.
Obviously I decided to make this gala go over two chapters.
Also I'm really happy because I just found out that they are making a movie for The Book Thief, which is one of the most beautiful books ever written. You should all go read it.
Love you all xx