And here comes chapter 8! I promised myself I wouldn't eat lunch until I was finished, but my mom made some fantastic steak, so I kind of retracted that promise... I'm hoping to get another chapter up tonight, but I'll see how today goes. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It was both fun and painful to write, but that's the best kind of writing, right? Know that there is some real action-y stuff coming up very soon. Thanks for reading! -Tickgrey

When a finally woke up, the sun was barely peaking over the walls surrounding the school. I always thought there was something calming about watching the beams of light streak across the grounds at daybreak, but today, the sensation escaped me. I wanted the sun to sneak back under the horizon as though the world should stay dark while I grieved. I checked my watch to see that it was still long before my classmates would be getting up for classes. I wasn't really certain about anything in my life right then, but I really didn't want to have to face my friends.

My cheeks were still stained with dry tears. My skirt was covered in dust and dirt. My hair must have been a mess. And more than anything, I wanted to curl and start crying again, but it felt like I had nothing left in my tear ducts. As much as I would have liked to think it was all just one horrible nightmare, I couldn't even let myself pretend. Was this what Mom felt like this summer?

I knew I couldn't hide forever, so I slipped out of the passageway before nearly running into Mr. Solomon who had been sitting on the window seat near the entrance. He had been sleeping apparently because he gave a groggy, "Hi, Cammie."

I couldn't bring myself to reply for some reason, so I just say down next to him. He put his arm around me and said, "She'll be back here in no time."

I looked into his eyes and saw something I rarely saw: fear. I knew that he didn't really believe it. I'd already lost one parent this way, so my eyes flickered with determination when I said, "I know."

He sighed, "This is what it felt like." I looked up not totally understanding. "When your father went missing, this is exactly what it felt like. Only, it was easier then. I didn't know you yet. I knew Matt had a daughter, and I knew Rachel quite well, but it wasn't as personal then."

If I wasn't on the verge of tears before, I definitely was then. It took all my might (both teenage girl and spy) to hold them back like floodgates standing up against rushing waters twice as strong. For some reason the only thing I could say was, "Does everyone know?"

He shook his head, "Not yet. Not if you don't want them to."

I nodded. I wasn't really sure if I did want them to or not. On one hand, it would be really nice for them to comfort me or just to have someone to talk to about this. But, on the other hand, I didn't want them to think of me like they had last semester: as a nut job ready to crack at any moment. For now, I just wanted to be alone in my battle.

Mr. Solomon turned to me and tried to perk up a little, "Come on, let's see if we can get some waffles before everyone else shows up."

We ate in silence. Neither of us wanted to pick at the wounds anymore, so we just sat and ate. My head was finally a little clearer as I thought about what to do. I had to go back to class or my friends would get suspicious if they weren't already. After all, I hadn't slept in our room last night, and I had disappeared from COW for the rest of the afternoon. But part of me wanted to run. To run and get my mom back.

When I finally got up to my room, my roommates were already awake. I knew I must have looked horrible, and their expressions confirmed it. A quick glance in the mirror revealed deep bags under my eyes which were starkly contrasted by the paleness of my face. I barely looked alive. It reminded me of when I came back home with autumn, only then it had been cause by malnutrition and torture. This was a much different kind of torture.

"Where have you been?" Bex asked. She seemed both curious and even a little upset. My friends hated when I did anything alone now. After the fiascoes of last year, they never knew what I was about to do.

"You look awful," Macey pointed out though I really didn't need her to.

I drew up all of my lying skills before shrugging and saying, "I had to take some psych evaluations. They're routine after the head trauma I had."

None of my roommates seemed to believe me, but they knew that was all they were getting out of me for now.

I knew I needed to change my grime-ridden clothes, but instead I just sat on my bed and stared at a picture frame on my nightstand. It was my mom, my dad, and I. It was the last picture I had of the three of us. We were sitting in our old living room. Smiling. We were actually smiling. It was almost hard to remember the last time I really felt that happy. It was probably before my dad died. Before I knew my parents were both spies. I knew I would never feel that same innocent happiness that I felt in that picture again.

I finally noticed my roommates were all staring at me. There were a few tears rolling down my cheeks, and I knew I must have looked very odd in the moment.

Liz gaped, "Seriously, are you sure you're okay?"

I nodded trying to get it together. "I already ate, so you guys can go ahead."

They didn't look like they believed me, so I shooed them more vigorously. "I swear that I've eaten!"

Liz accepted my answer and started making her way to the door. Macey hesitantly joined her, but Bex didn't budge. She called to them, "I'll meet you lot down there."

She turned to me. I started to walk towards my dresser to pull out a fresh set of clothes. They felt good in my hands. I changed in the bathroom, but when I came back out Bex gave me a very stern look. "What's wrong, Cam?"

"Nothing," I lied. She didn't believe me so I conceded, "Okay, something's up, but I can't tell you."

"Can't or won't?" Bex asked.

"Can't." It pained me to lie like that because technically I could tell her, but what was I supposed to say? 'Actually, my mom's missing, and I just don't want to tell you!' didn't quite seem like the right thing to say.

She sighed, "Fine. I'll see you in CoveOps, then?"

I nodded, but I really didn't want to have to face classes and other students.

When I walked into the classroom at the end of SubLevel 3's twisting hallway, I had my self pretty composed. I made my way to my seat trying to avoid conversations or eye contact with anyone. I was pretty sure any of the almost-trained spies in the room would have been able to see right through my disguise.

Bex sat down next to me and looked me over. I knew she knew there was a lot that I wasn't telling her. Macey also grabbed her chair near us. She knew something was up too, but she was acting far more subtle than Bex was. I figured they were going to try two very different approaches to getting me to talk.

Mr. Solomon walked in before either could say a word. He was noticeably different than yesterday. His hair was ruffled, he relied entirely on his cane to walk, and his eyes were tired. Somehow, he gained some composure and wrote on the board 'Torture.'

My eyes must have flickered when he wrote it because when I caught his eyes for a minute, he gave a knowing look. Neither of us wanted to cover this topic, not today at least. Rather than give one of his normal lectures, he passed some textbooks down the rows and said, "Next up on the curriculum is torture unfortunately."

I'm pretty sure no one else in the room knew quite why it was so unfortunate right now. He continued, "Rather than tell you guys what it's like, I'm going to let you read about it today."

I heard some groans. People were having faint reminders of Townsend's classes. But Mr. Solomon finished, "Tomorrow we will begin more practical studies of the topic. But for today, please read the chapter and be prepared for a quiz tomorrow."

When I got a book from Tina, who was sitting in front of me, I merely set it on the corner of my desk. I didn't even think about opening it. I just sat there and stared at it for the rest of class as if opening it would bring my mom more pain or suffering. As if knowing what my mom was probably going through would make me hurt worse which I knew it would. So I sat there and avoided looking at anyone.