Agent X

xx| 𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗 |xx

I managed to say the words stoically, but after they were uttered, I felt like I had just been cut with a knife. It was true, I was no top spy. I was an amatuer, just like Ty had said. This was my first case. And no matter what I did, I felt like I was one step away from blowing it.

"Oh right," Dari said softly. "Sorry, X. It's just so easy to forget.

"It's fine," I said, forcing my voice to not shake. "I'm glad that I'm able to fill her shoes enough that you forget that it's really me."

Dari smiled at me encouragingly. "Yeah, don't worry X, you're doing a great job."

"You're almost better than the real Xara," Ty joked. "You're less...severe."

I laughed. "Sorry guys, but I just can't seem to force myself to have a heart of stone."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Finn chuckled from the other room.

"Yeah, well, it makes me less Xara-like," I countered.

"True," Finn agreed.

"Hey, you need to start getting ready," Ty said, suddenly serious.

"Since when did you decide to be all serious?" I said.

"Since now. I'm not sure how it's going to take to do your make-up, and we need to be ready for when Miss Monpelie leaves."

That was a first. But he was right, so I ducked into the bathroom with the first outfit to change. My jaw dropped as I pulled a velvet, maroon top and a flouncy, baby-pink skirt from the bag. I glared at the door. Ty was probably cackling in the other room.

It's only for an hour or so. You'll probably have to switch outfits anyways.

I put on the attire I had been given and stepped into the other room. All eyes fell on me.

"Ty!" Dari burst out laughing. "What the heck are you trying to do?"

"I always thought Agent X would look good in pink," Ty said, grinning like he had successfully pranked someone. I wanted to smack it off his face.

"Well, I suppose this is the only time for you to find out," Finn said. "The real one wouldn't be caught dead in pink."

"Yeah, she'd probably come back to life and annihilate the person who dressed her," Dari added.

I cleared my throat. "I am not amused."

"We are," Finn muttered. I balled my fists and started to come at him. Finn leaped over the bar. A smile etched onto his face. "For some reason, you're less menacing in those clothes."

I grabbed a pillow from the couch and threw it at him. He ducked, and the pillow flew right into the coffee pot on the counter behind him. Coffee spilled all over the counter.

"Enough goofing around," I declared. "We need to finish getting ready. Also, I'm not cleaning that up."

"Fine," Ty snickered. "Wait a minute and I'll change."

Ty donned a white top and black suspenders, topped off with a red painter's hat. He then set to work changing our appearances. He brushed a thick, sticky gel all over my skin, which made my pores feel even more suffocated than when I wore makeup. Then, he carefully smoothed a new face overtop. I couldn't help but feel nervous about the adhesive. It would not be fun taking that thing off.

I settled a chocolate-colored whig on my head while Ty applied his own face. It was another first for me—I had never had long hair before.

When I looked in the mirror, I could understand why Ty liked disguises. I was no longer the rough-and-tough Xara. I was a trendy college girl, with a full face of makeup and long curls. It was weird, don't get me wrong. And it was definitely not right if I was pretending to be Xara. But if I was pretending to be someone else, it didn't seem quite so bad.