AN: Hello Dearests!

Quick question: Has anyone had trouble accessing chapter 12? I did a few days after posting it, so I reposted it. Hopefully that resolved the issue. If not (or if any of you are still having trouble accessing any of the other chapters) then let me know, and I might just repost the whole story. IDK.

Happy reading!

Disclaimer: Ally Carter owns Zach, Cammie, and the Gallagher Girls universe.


Cammie's POV

The wind and the chill hit me like a signature Bex punch to the gut, and I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself. Thankfully the porch's overhang still protected me from most of the rain.

Ignoring the cold, I looked around, hoping I'd find Zach sitting in one of Grandma's gazillion rocking chairs, but he wasn't there. That was fine. He was probably hiding from me on the other side of the wrap-around. But a quick lap around the house told me he wasn't, and my stomach dropped. He'd gone out into the rain.

"Oh, Zach," I sighed as I prepared myself for what I was gonna have to do. Briefly, I debated going back inside and grabbing a coat, but I decided I didn't have time to rifle through my luggage for that. Every second I wasted was a second Zach was doubting me. And that thought left me colder than any rain or windchill ever could.

I hunched down to protect myself from the rain as much as possible, but it was a wasted effort. Practically the second I left the porch, I was soaked. My hair and clothes clung to me, and I felt my shoes fill with water after taking only a few steps. Lovely.

"Zach, I'm going to kill you," I muttered as I trudged across the yard to the closest barn, the horse barn. Visibility wasn't great, but I could see the light shining under the door and knew this was where I'd find him.

The door opened with its usual creak, and I stepped through the threshold, wringing out my hair and clothes as I went. The drops of water mixed with the dirt on the floor, creating little patches of mud. But the patches of mud didn't end where I stood. They continued down the aisleway and into the tack room.

I smiled softly. Back at the academy, I had always been the one to seek out a place to hide when I was upset. And more often than not, Zach was the one who found me, who knew where I'd be because he knew me. Ryden would never be able to find those passageways, much less find me within them.

The horses knickered and snorted from their stalls, trying to get my attention as I walked to the tack room. I would come back to give them some calming rubs after Zach and I worked this out.

"You know," I said teasingly, speaking loud enough so he could hear over the horses and the rain, "you could've stayed on the porch. I've already sported this whole drowned rat chic look today—"

I cut myself off as I turned the corner into the small room. Zach wasn't here. But he'd definitely been here. The dots of mud led into this room and to…

"Oh no."

Dragon's bridle was missing.

I left the tack room in a hurry, feeling a little bad that my panic upset the horses. But that guilt was soon brushed aside by intense fear and dread at finding Dragon's stall empty.

I really am going to kill this boy…if he isn't severely injured already.

My mind raced with what to do. I had to follow him, obviously. I really didn't want to take another horse out into the storm, but there was no way I'd catch up with him on foot.

I groaned, realizing there was no way around it. I'd have to take a horse. I went back to the tack room and grabbed Rascal's bridle. I didn't have time for full tack, which was probably why Zach had forgone it. The wet saddle blanket and belly strap would've gotten uncomfortable for the horse anyway.

I took Rascal out of his stall and slipped the bridle on. He was a calm horse, an older one. He wouldn't spook so easily in the storm. I gave him a pat as I walked him to the barn's back exit, the one that led to the trails.

I briefly stopped by the supply chest, half hoping I would find a traveler's pack, and half hoping I wouldn't. It was there, and I made a mental note to rat Zach out to Mr. Solomon for not following CoveOps rule #6: Always use your resources.

The pack was supposed to secure to a saddle, but I was riding bareback, so I had to tie the straps around myself and hope that the knot tying extracurricular I took in 8th grade wouldn't steer me wrong.

With the help of the supply chest, I boosted myself onto Rascal's back, said a prayer that Zach was okay, then took off into the night.


AN: Thank you for reading this short and sweet chapter; though, I suppose it was more short than sweet. My bad. If you liked the chapter, blink once. If not, blink 30 times. Or, you know, just let me know your thoughts in an encouraging comment or helpful critique.

Have a great week! Much love, Rachel