Earlier on, Spy School 2: Miles from Normal,
"You," Lilith said, turning towards me, "you ruined everything." I didn't remember doing anything to Lilith. The day we met was the day I decided to steer clear of her.
"You're the reason it all fell," she continued, "You're the reason we messed up. You and your shitty secrets."
---
Chapter 17
Armistead Dorms 402; Charlotte Anders
1430 Hours
I stared at Lilith, bewildered. What secrets? Was there something I didn't know that she did?
"What secrets?" I asked interested.
"Oh?" she giggled sarcastically, "Are you saying you don't know?"
"Know what?" Grayson said, peering at her.
Lilith did not stop giggling. As if everything around her was humorous, "Maybe you should ask Ben..."
My eyebrows crossed, Ben? Who's Ben? I glanced at Jack, who was sitting beside me on my bed, we exchanged expressions.
"Enough of this," Said Grayson, "We aren't going to get anywhere with these fruitless questions." I stared at Grayson, had he not wanted to find out who Ben was? Or maybe, he already knew who Lilith was talking about.
Lilith did seem a bit strange at the moment, she seemed as if she was not truly connected. Her consciousness not close to her body.
"Right," said Max, agreeing to what Grayson had said. "Who do you work for?"
Lilith stared at Max with wide eyes, but nothing came out of her mouth.
"Who do you work for?" Max asked again. Nothing. That is when Grayson walked up to her and whispered something into her ear. As if her eyes could not widen any more, she sighed.
"Alright," She said, still looking at Grayson, "if you'll keep your end of the bargain."
"I always do."
"What's going on?" I whispered to Jack; curiosity filled his eyes too.
"I didn't think he'd do it," He said, referring to what Grayson whispered to Lilith.
"Do what?"
"Don't worry about it," Grayson said from the other side of the room. I jumped a little, not knowing he could hear me from the other side of the room.
"It's this organization," Lilith started, "I don't agree with their motives, but I needed the extra cash, and the jobs were pretty easy."
"What's the name?" Grayson asked.
"I can't say." Lilith said, her voice distant.
"What do you mean you can't say?" Jack asked, sitting up.
"No like," Lilith said, looking at him with annoyance. "I can't say."
"You might want to start talking Lilith," I said, gritting my teeth.
"We don't have time to waste on you." Jack said, finishing my sentence.
"Exactly." Lilith said, "took you awhile to realize I'm useless."
"She doesn't know," Grayson said from his corner.
"You're a waste." Someone said.
"Let's let her go." Max said.
"She's going to end up telling her boss what happened here." I said, looking Max in the eye.
"That's what we want," Max said.
Grayson's eyes lit up, "I'm impressed, Max."
Confusion was spread across Jack and I's faces.
"Thanks?" Max said before he explained.
Max explained it like if it was the best idea he'd ever come up with. After Grayson complimented him, a little spark went off in him, a surge of confidence per se. The whole idea was to get the organization to come to us. We could make them believe it was on their own terms though. It was a brilliant plan. We would need to get more people aware of it though.
"We should tell someone," Max finished.
"Who?" Jack asked. The room was silent, all that could be heard was Lilith humming a tune.
"Ripley," I whispered.
"What?" Jack asked from beside me.
"You want to tell Ben Ripley about this?" Grayson said.
"Why shouldn't we?" Max said, "I think it's a great idea."
"He's just one person though, shouldn't we tell a teacher or anyone else?" Jack said.
"Anders is right." Grayson said, "We just met him though."
"He's a trusted CIA spy. He's done lots of things, plus we technically know him." I defended my idea.
"True."
Lilith laughed again.
"Someone stuff her in that closet again."
---
"I don't understand why you asked me to come with you," Grayson said.
"Well, Grayson." I said, emphasizing his first name. He grunted.
"I don't like you calling me that yet." He rolled his eyes.
"I know,"
We were walking towards the principal's office. The plan was to ask him about the whereabouts of Ben Ripley.
"I asked you to come with me because," I paused. Why had I asked him to come with me? I hadn't even thought if we were on good terms yet. Yeah, having his company was nice, when her wasn't a total jerk. I ended up lying to myself.
"Do you even know?"
"I like your company?"
He laughed. A good genuine laugh. A laugh I had caused. I would never get sick of his laugh.
"You're something else, Anders." Grayson said.
I stopped walking. "You used to call me by my first name."
Grayson stopped next to me, "The first day, you're entrance exam."
"Yeah," I breathed. "how come you stick to my last name?"
"How come?" Grayson looked at me, confusion struck on his face.
"I want you to call me by my first name, Grayson." I said, looking him in the eyes.
His brows furrowed, "But-"
"But no." I interjected, "We've already been through a lot together, why do you insist on calling me by my last name? I feel like we're strangers, Gray." He smiled upon hearing his new nickname.
"But we are strangers." He said on a more serious note, "I've only known you for a few days."
"That's not true, for me these past few days have felt like months. So much has happened in so little time-"
Grayson sighed, "Fine."
"But I didn't even get to finish-"
"I don't need to hear the rest." His words were harsh but his facial expression wasn't. My brows furrowed in confusion, I opened my mouth to reply but closed it once Grayson put his arm around my shoulders.
He looked at me, my face flushed. He smirked, "Now Charlotte,"
"Hm?" I said looking at him. I smiled as he used my first name.
"I get it that you're new to the school, but you really have a short term memory when it comes to direction."
When I didn't reply he continued, looking up and steering us in the opposite direction.
"The principal's office is that way."
"Oh I knew that." I gave him a sheepish smile, my face heating up.
"Maybe if you had payed more attention to my tour..."
"Oh, shut up."
—
It took us a little while to get to Sidebottom's office. We had a conversation for the whole time, a record for Grayson and I. He asked me about my old school, while I asked him about himself or the Academy.
I learned a lot about Grayson, while he learned a lot about me. We had many common interests, we both loved to read. But we also had our differences.
We were nearing the principal's office but before we went in Grayson steered us in the direction of the library, which we where in.
"What kind of spy would you want to be?" Grayson asked me while we walked into another isle of books.
"Elaborate." I said, taking out a book labeled, My Spy Adventures by Alexander Hale.
"Would you want to work in the field?" He took the book from my hands and flipped through it.
"Where else would I be?" I said taking the book back and placing it in its spot. We kept walking.
"A desk job, working to find information."
"That sounds boring."
"Glad we're on the same page then. Come." He said, grabbing my wrist and heading upstairs to the section labeled Biographies.
"I think I would want to be in the field, knock some people out, you know?" I jested, making a punching motion with both hands, Grayson's grip on me nonexistent.
He laughed, "Me too, but I would want to be the brains too." We rounded a corner and into another isle. Grayson stopped and picked out a book labeled Ripley and Hale Operations.
"The brains?" I asked. Looking at the book he had now handed to me.
"Keep that," he said, motioning to the book he had given me, "if we're going to be working with them we should know more about them." I nodded.
He continued, "I would want to be the one to figure things out."
"You know, I like that idea better. I'll be the brains and the fists."
He sighed. "You can't be both, you have to choose one."
"Why not? Erica Hale did it." I said, pointing to a page in the book and showing it to him.
He rolled his eyes. "I'm the brains, if we're going to be on the same team there can only be one."
I smiled. He wanted to be on the same team. "Well, there can be two."
"I just told you-"
"Grayson?"
Grayson and I whipped our heads to where the voice came from. I sighed when I saw it was Brian.
"Oh, hey Brian." Grayson said, sending Brian a small wave.
"I didn't know you would be here too." He said not looking at me.
"I wasn't planning on being here."
"What's this about being on the same team?" Brian said. Grayson looked towards me and caught my eye. Don't.
"Just fantasizing." I said, Brian looked at me.
"Charlotte right?" He asked. I nodded.
"You're new here right?"
"Right."
"Well, don't get your hopes up. Only the best get into the field. Grayson's already number one, so he'll get in. It'll be tough for you two to be on the same team." He said. Looking at me, never breaking eye contact. It was like we were the only two in the room, Grayson wasn't even there. For once I didn't think of Grayson.
"Now that I'm here, you'll have to work extra hard then." I said.
Brian laughed, "I like you." He slung his arm around my shoulders just like how Grayson had earlier. I rolled my eyes. Was this guy that dumb? Could he not tell I wanted him to leave? I gave Grayson a pointed look, but then looked up to Brian and smiled.
"Brian, right?" I asked. He nodded. "I think I like you too."
——
(1734 words)
i love my characters <3