Espion | Book One

Thirteen.

As soon as Anna stepped past the doors of Mr. Heckles' history class, the white haired teacher called her straight up to the front. She hovered in the doorway, watching as Mina, Dan and Jessi make their way to their seats.

"Miss?" Mr. Heckles called to her again. Anna gave him a dead look.

"Yes?"

"Would you like to come up to the front of the class?"

He smiled at her, prompting her with his hand but she merely gave it a disinterested glance. "Why would I do that?" she asked blandly, looking back up at him.

He looked taken aback at her question. His bespectacled eyes widened in surprised and he blinked at her, the rheumy orbs staring at her as if he couldn't believe she had asked such a question. "W-well, to introduce yourself to the class of course," he stammered.

She knew everyone was watching her from their seats. All twenty heads were turned in her direction, all twenty eyes staring her down, all twenty minds wondering why she doesn't want to introduce herself. It wasn't that she didn't want to do it. She wanted to remain under the radar. Going up to the front of the class and announcing to everyone in the room that she was the new girl was not staying under the radar. That was the complete opposite.

But, seeing no way out of it, she made her way to stand beside Mr. Heckles. She cleared her throat, "My name is Annabelle Ferguson."

No one spoke after that. They all just stared at her, all twenty one of them – Mr. Heckles inclusive – expecting more. Anna stared back. What more did they want from her? She introduced herself, didn't she?

"Is that all, Ms. Ferguson?" Mr. Heckles asked her.

She nodded.

"I think we're going to need more than that," someone said from the seated students. Anna looked in front to see all eyes on one person: Jessi. He leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed, and regarded her with amused eyes.

This guy was beginning to make her more confused by the second.

"I'm seventeen years old," Anna said, matching him stare for stare. He laughed at that, as if he hadn't expected her to say that but he was glad she did.

The entire class chuckled at her reply but Mr. Heckles didn't look amused at all. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"That's not what I meant by an introduction, Miss Ferguson," he said tiredly. He stopped rubbing his nose and looked at her directly. She could see the irritation hidden behind his glasses. "Please introduce yourself properly and stop trying to be a class clown."

Introduce herself properly? She was introducing herself, as properly as she could. What more did he want? What more did this school want? How did she go about this?

There was nothing to say. Nothing came to her mind. No matter how hard she thought her mind was blank slate, the only thing recurring over and over was the thought: I'm an NPA assassin. That was the only thing she knew about herself to say but she definitely, most definitely, could not say that.

So, she lied.

"My name is Annabelle Ferguson and I moved here from ... an island."

"An island?" someone asked. It was a sandy haired boy, his jacket collars turned upwards as he slouched in his chair. He looked perennially mischievous, but now his face was made up with curiousity. "How comes you don't have an accent?"