I knew from the start she was bad. It was strange that this girl, apparently named Lise, just transferred, in the middle of the year, from California to Florida just for school. So? There are plenty of great schools in California… but are there? Yes, Lise was bad. But was it just me?

No.

Okay, okay, I’m from a secret good organization named PYGFE, and my trainer, Bailey, told me that. He showed me pictures, and we played many identifying games to find a way to see her. And now that I saw her, I was supposed to call Bailey immediately, and basically, kill her. It was too bad that my best friend, Emma, had to get her as her buddy to tour around the school. I hate the Buddy System, but Emma is in charge of it, so I can’t say anything. Maybe I can get PYGFE to come over here and shut it down, but not in a way that would scare Emma.

Anyway, whenever Emma tours somebody, she says she feels an instant connection, and that they should be best friends. It’s ridiculous, but who am I to tell Emma that?

Naturally, Emma was leading Lise around, and then I caught her eye. I panicked, unsure of what to do. Like, what were the odds that Lise Yang would come to my school, to kill me? Kill me. That’s right. I’m fifteen-years-old and I have another fifteen-year- old--who, by the way, it from a secret quay in Florida-- trying to kill me.

To start this off, this is quite violent, but it’s just the truth. I ran up--something easy, thanks to Bailey--and tapped Emma on the shoulder. Of course, I couldn’t actually tell her about PYGFE, and Lise’s organization, but maybe I could hint something. However, it was Emma, and she would never suspect anything wrong, take the hint, or, let alone, even think of something like that. And even if she did, she wouldn’t believe it. And I didn’t want to ruin her day...so what could I do to keep her away from Lise? It was pointless, so why was I even doing it?

“Yes, Laurence?” Emma said, sounding exasperated. Whenever there was a visitor, Emma was not someone you wanted to mess with. “What is it?”

Lise and I made eye contact, and that’s when my world fell apart. My friends, family, parties, schoolwork...all fell away in the blink of an eye. Lise looked like she was going to kill me, and she wanted to kill me. With her long, wavy black hair, her pretty tall figure, and her pretty brown eyes, she wasn’t not attractive. The thing that threw me off was the look. She had a cold look in her eyes, like she was a trained killing machine. The scary part is, she actually is a killing machine, sent to kill me. It looked like she was about to do something, because she took out some glasses, put them on, and then her mouth dropped. Yes, she looked nervous, but then her eyes went back to the death-stare. I bet she was trainined to spot me out like I was with Bailey. Thinking of Lise practacing to kill me was scary, but I knew I had to brush it off because being scared wasn’t going to do any good. She wasn’t scared, though...or at least, she was super good at acting.

“Um, guys?” Emma squeaked. “Laurence, Lise, what are you doing? Do you guys hate each other already?”

Lise spoke in a cold, harsh voice that sounded as smooth as ice. “No. We don’t. I just feel like I know her from somewhere. Sorry.” Even her voice is intimidating. How am I supposed to do this?

Emma looked confused. “Okay, but you used to live in California,” She stopped at Lise’s gaze. “Anyway, Laurence, you wanted to ask me something?”

“Nothing.”

Seeing Lise brought up bad memories. Stupid someone from Lise’s organization attacked my dad and paralyzed him, and now he can barely even talk. And to see Lise smirking, knowing what her group did, was upsetting. I don’t understand how she could do something like that, but she did.

“Guys!” Emma yelled. “Stop acting so weird. Please, guys. Okay, Lise, your first class is math. I don’t have it, but Laurence does, so could you please…?”

“Yes,” I barked sharply. “Let’s go.”

I love touring new students around. Being the head of the New Students Society, I do this a lot. I usually tell new students about all the clubs I run and have started. My favorites are the Math Club, the WAHSA (Writers at High Schools Association), the Peanut Butter vs. Jelly Club, and the Debate Club. But my favorite by far is the New Student Society. Today I woke up at six a.m. and got everything I needed for the new student, named “Lise Yang”. I quickly ate my breakfast and got my backpack and my bike and pedeled to school. It's only half a mile so I was there in 5 minutes, at 7:30 am. The school opens at 7:45, but I was meeting Lise at 7:40. I waited outside, reading. I felt my mousy brown hair fall over my face and my book, so I put it up in a ponytail. The bell had already rung but she wasn't here yet. I was a little hesitant to wait because I had never been tardy before. But, it was my duty to wait for her and maybe my science teacher would let me slide? Finally, she arrived at 8:05. Her car was a black Chevrolet Camaro Sports Car; I know my cars because I’m also the head of the Car Club. She jumped out of the car, slammed the door, and put her glasses on.

“Hey! I’m Emma, are you Lise Yang?”  She smiled sarcastically, but I moved on.

“Yup.” She smiled again the same way.

“Can I see your schedule?” I asked cheerfully. She handed it to me reluctantly. “You have math and I have science, but it’s fine because my best friend Laurence is also in math so I bet she’ll be okay with taking care of you.”

“Laurence?” she asked.

“Yeah, Laurence. She’s my best friend.”

“Ok.” This time she actually did smile, but it was kind of weird.

Just my luck. That dumb good girl from PYGFE that I have to capture is taking me to class. I can’t just capture her now, I have to be careful and wait till I can get her alone. I’m pretty glad to get away from that annoying girl. I think her name was Emily but I don’t really care. “I’m the president of everything! I’m so sweet and punctual, and I am everyone’s best friend!” Ugh. It makes me sick. First, I have to be “friends” with Laurence.

“Hi, I’m Lise,” I said, trying to be friendly. It feels so weird. I hate it. I want to throw up. 

“Yeah I’ve heard,” she said jokingly. She’s so fake it’s funny. I hope I don’t sound that obviously fake. 

“Do you like school here? I’m kinda nervous to start.” That was a complete lie. I’m kinda good at this. 

“Yeah, it’s great. I think you’ll like it.” She answered kindly. I have to hold myself together. I can’t start laughing. I swallowed my laugh and smiled awkwardly instead. For the rest of the walk to class, we remained silent. I’m having trouble being nice to her since I’m not nice to anyone. I have to control myself no matter what. If I blow this mission, my parents would (literally) kill me. 

Laurence is stupid. She’s so stupid to the point where I think she’s faking. She got one of the easiest problems ever wrong. I mean, I’m pretty good at math myself, but most agents have to be good at math. Maybe she’s actually faking to hide her abilities. I like to show my opponent my skills to intimidate them. It works most of the time, but Laurence seems confident, which might be a problem in the long run. Maybe I should just take her now, and get it over with. I don’t really want to go back there, but I don’t want to stay here either. I should convince Amelia or whoever she is to take us somewhere after school so I can get her alone. Maybe I can ask Emily if she wants to see my car or something. She seemed pretty interested. I just want to go home, but I don’t really have one.

The walk to math class was really awkward. All during math class, I kept an eye on Lise. I asked Mr. Sanderson if she could sit next to me, and, as Bailey said, I played dumb. Lise had obviously learned something different, and she showed off her math skills quickly. Bailey says that you never want to show off your skills, or else, other organizations will personalize your capture by what you’re good at, and what you’re not.

In truth, I’m super good at math, and with Bailey’s teaching, I’m even better. Lise obviously was like me, and she was whipping through the problems fast. Mr. Sanderson called on me a bunch of times with questions I could have answered in my sleep, but for Lise’s sake, I got them wrong. She kept looking at me weirdly like I was dumb or something, but I wasn’t really paying attention, as much as looking at her paper, getting a sense of what she was good at, and what she wasn’t.

“Laurence, tell me if 7+5 = x - 4, what is x?” Mr. Sanderson asked.

I could tell Sanderson was going easy on me, but I still didn’t want to give any answers. I played dumb, yet again.

“Um, thirty-five?” I answered meekly.

The class laughed. Lise just looked like killing me was going to be easy, and that was good because the trap she would set would be very easy to get out of. All I had to do was just get through the day, and then tell Bailey...but then he would just tell me to kill her. Yes, this is life.

Sanderson gave us some word problems, and Lise whipped by them, Sanderson walked over to me, planted his hands on my desk, and then sighed.

“Laurence, are you feeling alright?” Sanderson asked. “You’re getting every problem I throw at you wrong!”

I sniffled for effect, for Lise to think I’m weak, but didn’t keep it too exaggerated. Just because I’m an agent doesn’t mean I don’t have a social life too.

“Just...got sick the other day and my head isn’t working right,” I lied.

Lise rolled her eyes.

“Well, do you want to go to the nurse?” Sanderson said slowly.

“No.”

I couldn’t get that far away from Lise. She would slip poison in my pencil case, or something like that, and I couldn’t risk it.

“Then please don’t act out,” Sanderson ordered.

“How...?” I said, but then decided to stay silent. Explaining things to Sanderson was pointless, and there wasn’t really a point. He would just send me to the office for being rude, even if I was “sick.” 

I heard Lise snicker under her breath, but, of course, Sanderson didn’t hear her because he’s old and deaf. I sighed, and yes, Sanderson heard that.

“Laurence!” he yelled.

“Sorry.”

Thankfully, he walked away. Two minutes later, the bell rang, and I ran out of there, desperate to find Emma before Lise Yang did.

I saw Lise jogging up the stairs as she said, “Hey Gemma.” She really smiled for the first time this whole day.

“Hey Lise! Just so you know, my name is Emma, not Gemma” 

“Oh.” She said, her smile fading away.

“It’s fine, a lot of people mess it up.” I said, not wanting to make her feel embarrassed about it. I then see Laurence running down the hallway calling my name, “Emma, emma.” She pants as she runs to me.

“Why are you running?” I asked her.

“I.. um.. didn’t want to.. be late for.. Lunch.” She replied, still panting like a dog

“But we still have- um- 5 minutes.” I said checking my 3 watches.

“Why do you have three watches?” Lise asked me like it was stupid to have three watches. Ha!

“Because I’m the president of the telling time club, duh.” She smiled fakely, again. All I can think of is that It’s so awesome to have all these friends! I love getting to know every person and their new personalities. I think that Lise seems tough on the outside, but she is a very sweet person on the inside. I really want to be good friends with her, maybe even best friends!

“Come on guys! Let’s go to lunch.” They both glared at each other like they had daggers in their eyes. Will this ever go away?

During lunch, all I could think about is how awkward the two of them were acting. And how did they “know each other” If Lise had just moved here from California and Laurence has lived here in Florida her whole life. I just want the day to be over, but then again, I would have to go home and be asked the same questions by my parents:: “How was your day at school honey?” and without giving me the time to answer “fine.” Like any other 15-year-old would do, they ask me the questions that I hate the most: “Did you make everybody around you smile? What did you achieve today?” And the worst of all: “Did you do anything that even remotely compares to your sister?” Okay, okay. They don’t actually say that. But they ask questions that subtly ask that. Just because my sister is graduating Harvard and then is going to study law at Yale, doesn’t mean I have to be compared to her for everything that I do. But no one at school understands that- and no one ever will because I have to be “happy, happy Emma. Emma runs so many clubs!” Ugh. I’m sick of it. I even try not to think about being mad. “Loving” all the clubs that I run- and most of them, by the way,, my sister founded. The only thing I really love is touring new students around, because they don’t know me for my sister, they know me for me and if they don’t like me after they learn about my sister, that’s their fault, not mine. “Em, Emma!” I snapped out of my head and focus on my two friends at Lunch.

I was so excited when Lise asked if Laurence and I wanted to hang out after school because that means even longer until I have to go home. I felt bad for Lise because it must be really nerve wracking to go to a new school, and even more nerve wracking to ask us to hang out. Because of this, I really wanted Laurence to come with us, even if it took begging. 

The rest of the day was as awkward as the first half, but it breezed by and before I knew it, I heard the bell.

I really don’t want to eat with Ella and PYGFE girl, but I don’t have much of a choice. If I don’t become “friends” with them, I’ll probably fail my mission. I almost blew my mission when I called that annoying girl Gemma to her face. I honestly couldn’t care less about her name. She acts like she has me all figured out, but she doesn’t know anything about me. We just met. She acts like she thinks that I’m “tough on the outside but sweet on the inside”. My parents used that to describe me, when they actually spoke to me. The only difference is that Amelia says it as a compliment, and my parents say it as an insult. I am NOT sweet on the outside, or the inside. I really want to leave.

“So Lise,” Emily started, “What did you eat back in California?” 

“I ate burgers,” I replied, with my fake cheery voice that was getting so familiar to me. I don’t even like burgers that much. It’s not like my parents took me out for that many “family dinners” or anything.

“Cool! I’m the president of the Vegan Club, so I don’t have meat, but everyone has their preferences!” she answered happily. There’s no way someone could be this happy 24/7. How is she always so happy and energetic? I really don’t get it. I’ve never met anyone else who acts like that. 

“So, I know you guys don’t know me very well, but you guys seem like really nice people, and I want to be good friends with you guys, so I was wondering if you guys wanted to do something after school,” I suggested in my fakest, most joyful voice. PYGFE girl looked terrified. Good. That’s what I wanted.

“Oh! I would love to do something with you after school! I really want to be friends with everyone that I can. I’m so excited! How about you Laurence, are you available after school?” Ella replied excitedly. I really don’t want to do anything with them, but I also want to finish this mission as fast as possible. She better say yes.

“Um, where would we go?” PYGFE girl mumbled. She really wants to get out of this, but she probably won’t want to leave me alone with her precious Ellie. I shot her a look that I hope shows her that I’m not playing around. If it comes to it, I will kill Gemma. Maybe turning her against PYGFE girl would be more effective. I’ll decide in the moment I guess. 

“Please, please Laurence?” Emmy begged. I wouldn’t beg for my life. Begging shows weakness, and I do NOT want to show weakness, especially in this situation. I probably should beg, but I won’t. She seems to have come to her senses, I could see it on her face.

“Fine. I’ll go. But I have to be home by 6:00,” she murmured. Anna smiled. Almost right after she agreed, the bell rang. Just in time PYGFE girl.

“Now we have history together Lise! I’m so excited to have class with you!” Bella exclaimed. Ugh, I would rather be in class with PYGFE girl. Well, not really. 

“Cool!” I replied “excitedly”. I have to tell my instructor about this “hangout”.  At least he’ll be proud of me.

Dang it! I have to hang out with stupid Lise after school...with Emma. So...is this my chance to finally get at Lise? I could attack, but then, in her final moments, she could give me information about EPDS...then I could tell my parents, and my friends at PYGFE, and most of all, who would be most proud of me, Bailey. Oops, Bailey...I still hadn’t had a chance to call and tell Bailey yet, so I snuck off right as lunch ended, just so I could call him.

“Hey?” Bailey said, unsure of why I was calling him in the middle of the day. “What’s up? Why are you calling me in the middle of the school day? It’s 2:40.”

“It’s Lise!” I yelled desperately, then had to take a breath to cool down. 

“Lise Yang?” Bailey squeaked.

“No, Lise Sparkles from the kids show,” I joked sarcastically. “Yes, it’s Lise Yang! And she’s here, so what do I do? And now she’s friends with my best friend! Bailey, what do I do?”

“Calm down,” Bailey ordered, sounding surprisingly calm. “From my sources, I see that you’re going to hang out with Lise and your friend tonight. Try to kill Lise...in the bathroom...with a knife…”

“Got it…?” I was worried about his sources, but I didn’t question what he said. He’s always right.

“Good. I have to go now, things to take care of, but I’ll call you later, to try and finalize plans. Bye, now.” Bailey hung up.

For some reason, something didn’t feel right. Bailey was acting...like something was up. But what?

“Ding” I check my phone, it’s an email from my mom. The word that sticks out in the email is, “Alice”. Of course, why am I surprised? The email itself, however, is a Google Calendar invite for Alice’s Harvard Graduation. “Will you attend?” Yes, no, or maybe buttons are below. I want to press no- but I know I can’t because then my parents would say, 

“Emma, if you were in Alice’s position and Alice was in yours, you know that she would come so you have to come.” Plus, my sister would be sad because she “loves me more than the world”, and truth be told, I love her so much and look up to her, it’s just why does she have to be so perfect? She’s always been so nice to me and everybody around her, so that means I have to be the same too. If my parents ever-- and I mean ever--- get a call from a parent of a kid in my grade, or from a teacher, about how I did something mean or bad, they would get mad. So mad. And I know all parents would be mad if that happened, but you don’t get how mad my parents get when I do something that Alice would never do. But- there was a time when Alice did something bad. In her last year of highschool, One night, she wanted to do something she would never have done. I was 12, she was 17 and her high school graduation was the next day. I remember it like it was yesterday- because it is the biggest secret I have kept in my life. One night, I was in the bathroom looking for my toothbrush. I remembered that I had left my toothbrush in her room when we hung out last night. So, I tiptoed into her room, making sure not to wake our parents- when I saw someone. And that someone, was Alice. She was just about to climb out of the window and slide down a rope down to the ground. She, of course, was really good with ropes because she was the founder of the rope club (which I run currently).

“Alice!” I scream-whispered across the room.  

“Emma!” She said shocked as she climbed back into the room. “Please don’t tell Mom and Dad. They will be so disappointed in me, but I just want to do something really fun- I want to feel free-- before I go to college.”

 I promised to keep her secret and the next morning she told me she had the “time of her life”. But- some of these days, I just want to tell my parents, so they will get of my back for being perfect. But I know I can’t, because Alice has been so nice to me and that was the one thing she wants from me, even if she caused all the things my parents want from me. 

“I got her.” I said to my instructor, trying to hide my excitement. I really hate being in this tiny bathroom stall. I’m having trouble breathing, and I feel like the walls are closing in on me.  I had to call him on the second phone that I got when I joined EPDS. The only numbers I have are my instructor’s and EPDS’s actual number. The one that PYGFE found a few years ago was a fake but we made a huge deal about it, or else it would be suspicious. 

“You got her?” he asked in a stern voice. That’s weird, he’s never actually interested in anything I do. 

“I’m going to ‘hang out’ with her after school.” I answered, trying to forget about my suspicions.

“Good. I’m at PYGFE right now, so I have to be pretty careful about what I say. Even though they seem stupid, they’re pretty sharp. I’m going to tell Laurence’s instructor to tell her to try to kill you in the bathroom with a knife, since you’re really good with knives.” Wow, a compliment. It feels pretty weird, but I kinda like it. I feel like he’s enjoying his time at PYGFE too much. He sounds less lazy and bored, and he’s being pretty nice to me. As nice as anyone from EPDS gets.

“Ok, sounds good. I’ll report back to you as soon as I ‘capture’ her.” I don’t really like the term “capture”. I’m not sure why, but it just doesn’t seem like I’m actually “capturing” her. I feel more like I’m bringing her. Capturing sounds more like kidnaping, and I don’t like kidnapping. I lost my sister because of kidnappers, and I don’t want to become one. At all. When my little sister Grace was about ten (two years ago), she was sent as an undercover agent to PYGFE, since no one would suspect a kid. She found out a lot of classified information. There was a mole at EPDS, and they informed PYGFE that Grace got their information, and some agents kidnapped her. She never came back home. I don’t know if she’s dead or alive, in a cell, or roaming free. She was the only person at EPDS that I liked. Every time I get scared of blowing a mission, a crystal clear image of her forms in my mind’s eye. She’s a reminder of all of my failures.

“If you fail this mission...I’m not sure what I’ll do to you, but trust me, it’ll be bad.” he threatened. I snapped back to the present. My parents would get so mad if they ever found out that I think about Grace almost every day. On another note, my instructor has never threatened me before. He barely even talks to me. I wonder if he’s stressed at PYGFE or something. 

“Agent 284, are you listening? I’m serious. You better not fail this mission. I have to make another call.” Then he hung up. He’s literally never spoken to me like that before. What’s wrong with him? Who does he need to call so urgently? It’s not like he has a boss that he needs to report to, he is the boss. I was just about to leave the stall when I heard my phone ring again. This time it was my parents. Why would they call me?

“Lise, are you failing the mission?” They asked. They sounded livid. They hadn’t even given me time to respond, when they snapped, “If we had sent your brother…” I stopped her.

“My brother? You’ve got to be kidding. I’m better than Jake, and no, the mission is going fine. But you don’t care, because Jake’s so much better than me.” I wish I had the courage to say that, but I didn’t. I just said, “Stop comparing me to Jake. The mission is going great.” And hung up the phone as fast as I could. I’ll have to deal with her and Dad yelling at me later.

“Lise, are you ok?” Ella asked hesitantly. I didn’t even hear her open the door. Shoot. She heard me. She kept talking,

“I get it.” she said, with a look of sympathy on her face.

“What do you get?” I asked confused. 

“About your parents… and your brother Jake. My parents are the same way, always comparing me to my older sister. That’s why I run all these clubs and everything. So, If you need anybody to talk to about that, just remember that I always can.” She’s kidding. I thought she was just insane. I can’t get close to her. I can’t get close to anyone.

“Thanks.” I said reluctantly. 

“OK. We’re almost late for history. Let’s go!” she exclaimed.

Shoot I forgot, I still have class. I glanced at my watch which read 2:38 pm. Class starts at 2:40.  

I still really want to leave. At least it’ll be over soon. Very soon. 

After calling Bailey, I called my parents. We did a group FaceTime, which, as I could tell, was going to take a while, so I ran over to the bathroom. Yes, I was skipping  class, but it was something that I did a lot to talk to Bailey, so I was used to it. The teachers were too.

Anyways, my parents answered the phone on the second ring.

“Laurence? What’s wrong?” Mom asked. “You have class now, and we got a note from Bailey that you were calling him. Tell us, now…!”

Mom and Dad are very strict. They say they want the best for me, but do they really have to be so strict? Dad, as you’ve heard, can’t talk all that well, but he gets his point across. Now, Dad managed to shake a shaking finger at me, and frowned.

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry!” I pleaded. “It’s just, do you know how we’ve talked about Lise Yang? Yeah, so, she’s here, so I’m going to a party there tonight, somewhere, and Lise’s going to be there…” 

“Well, stop panicking!” Mom said strictly. “And talk to your little sister Grace about it. She always has good ideas.”

Grace was my little sister. She is adopted, and she is always really sad about it. She was always talking about how she used to have an older sister, but Mom always tells me to ignore her. I don’t know why, but maybe she’s talking nonsense or something.

“Why Grace?” I asked. “Does she even know about PYGFE?” I looked liked she was about to say something- but then she stopped herself and sighed. I then sighed too. “Anyway, Bailey told me to try and kill her in the bathroom. Also to use knives.” Listening to what I just said was crazy. I, a 15 year-old spy, is supposed to kill another 15-year-old spy. In a bathroom. Using knives.

Mom said, “Okay, okay, good luck. Got to go. Bye.”

I was upset by Mom’s lack of concern, but knew deep down inside, she cared. So, I just hung up, walked out of the bathroom, and slipped into class.

After school, Laurence, Lise, and I met up where we said we were going to- outside the Shack. The Shack is a place with food and drinks and other things like that. I jogged up to the bench we were meeting but Lise and Laurence were already there. They were arguing about something again. I know I shouldn’t but I tiptoed over and hid behind the bushes to listen to what they were saying. I got alarmed the first time I heard my name. Laurence said sternly in her most serious voice, a voice I had never heard her use. “Don’t touch Emma, ok? I don’t care what you do, but you do not, do not, touch Emma. You can try to kill me, but don’t mess with her.” KILL LAURENCE?!! What the… I walked next to them, pretending to not have heard anything and say, “Ready to go?” Lise shrugs and says, “Yeah, I guess. Let’s go.” The walk to FoodHouse was awkward because whenever Lise glanced at me, Laurence glared at her. Finally, we were there. The restaurant was pretty empty, so we sat down right away.

Laurence then said, “I have to use the bathroom.” 30 seconds later, Lise said, 

“I have to use the bathroom too.” I was a little alarmed that they would both be in the bathroom alone after the conversation I had heard. When I heard a scream in the distance, I knew I had to go in. I stepped into the bathroom and saw them both fighting. With knifes. I screamed as loud as I ever had. They stopped fighting and put down their knives as I proceeded to slowly walk backwards to get out of this.. this...  

“Emma, Emma.” Laurence said calmly, but I couldn’t think calmly knowing that my best friend in the entire world, the only person who I thought got me, had lied to me. She had just had a knife, a KNIFE, in her hand. Nevertheless, she was fighting another 15-year-old. with. a. Knife.

“We’ll explain” Laurence said, still trying to be calm. Lise rolled her eyes and Laurence glared at her.

“How.. can… you… explain… this?” I said, out of breath.

“I work for PYGFE. It stands for Protecting You Guys From Evil. It is a good secret spy organization. I was sent to kill… to kill Lise.” My mouth dropped to the ground.

“And I… I work for EPDS. It stands for Evil People Doing Stuff. It is an evil secret spy organization. I was sent to kill Laurence.” She was stern when she said this and stared right at Laurence. I was shocked. 

“How do you know how to do all of this… this spy stuff?”

The both answered at the same time. “My trainer. Bailey.” 

They stared at each other, “Bailey?”

Lise said, “Bailey Dred?”

Laurence replied, “Yup.”

“How is that possible?” Laurence said confused.

“I don’t know.” Lise said, but I feel like she knew because it looked like something clicked when she said- “Yup.”

I was still super confused. “Laurence- is the reason you hate Lise so much because of her organization, or from something else?”

“I guess.. I’m mostly mad at her because SOMEONE from her dumb organization paralyzed my father and made him not even able to talk to me.”

“You’re lucky.” Lise murmed under her breath but Laurence still heard her.

“Why am I lucky?!” She was the most angry I had ever seen her.

Lise pulled up her sleeve. “You see this huge bruise?” I did, and it sure looked painful.

“It’s from a bullet that I took in the arm.”

“Who shot it?” Laurence asked.

“My brother.”

“Why would your brother shoot you?”

“He wasn’t trying to. He was trying to kill your father by shooting him in the heart- but I through my body in front of him and took it in my arm. It still hit your dad’s spine or something around there and caused him to fall. My brother didn’t have any bullets left though so your dad could call PYGFE so he could get medical attention. Actually, I called them for your dad. He used his last words to tell them that he needed help. I ran off and have never seen him since.”

“You did that?” Laurence said shocked. Surprisingly, she hugged Lise and said, “Thanks so much.” I think I might have even seen Lise smile. 

“And Lise- is there any other reason you hate PYGFE so much.”

She quickly replied, “I don’t hate them. I hate what they did to my sister. They kidnapped my sister, Grace.”

“Grace? Did she happened to be kidnapped almost 2 years ago?”

“Yeah, why?” Lise looked confused.

“I have an adopted sister named Grace… and she was adopted 2 years ago?”

“Grace is your sister now?” 

“Yeah. Black hair, brown eyes, and the nicest smile, right?”

“That's her.” Lise showed emotions for the first time “undercover”, or whatever you call it. I saw tears form in her eyes but she quickly wiped them away. I knew she was soft on the inside!

Lise then, surprisingly, called her parents. Without giving them a chance to talk, she said, “I’m sick of you always comparing me to Jake. I quit EPDS!” Lise then hung up right away.

Laurence’s mouth dropped. “You quit EPDS? What are you going to do then? You have trained your whole life to be a spy.”

Lise then said something I thought I would never hear. “I want to join PYGFE so I can be with my sister. My parents are already disappointed in me so I don’t care what they say.”

“This isn’t a trick, right?” Laurence questioned Lise.

“No. I’m sick of my parents and being put down. I don’t even want to be a part of their family.”

I still couldn’t believed they had lied to me. But, this did make more sense as it went along.

This is my chance. I’m going to carry out my mission, and make my whole family proud. This will prove to my parents, and everyone at my organization that I’m better than Jake. I saw Laurence walk up to me. 

“Stay away from Emma.” she said calmly. Getting straight to the point I see. 

“Who’s Emma?” I asked, smirking. I wanted to play with her before I took her. That way it’s a lot more fun.

“You know who Emma is.” she replied, even more calmly. Why is she so calm? She’s not making my job fun.

“Don’t worry, I’m not here for her. I’m here for...something else.” I said, still smirking. I saw her clench her fist. Good. The whole “calm” thing was an act. This is going to be fun.

“Don’t touch Emma, ok? I don’t care what you do, but you do not, do not, touch Emma. You can try to kill me, but don’t mess with her.” Shoot. Emily’s here. Did she hear anything? I hope not. That would be almost as bad as failing the mission. 

“Ready to go?” Elly asked happily. Well, not necessarily happily. She sounds kind of nervous. I wonder why. I shrugged.

“Yeah, I guess. Let’s go.” I replied lazily. On the walk to FoodHouse, I tried not to look at Laurence, but I kept glancing at her, and I could tell that she was doing the same. Amelia seems to have noticed, but she’s not saying anything. When we finally got there, we got seated pretty fast. 

“I have to use the bathroom.” Laurence said nervously. Getting right to it I see. Why is she in such a hurry? I don’t really care, so like 30 seconds later I said,

“I have to use the bathroom too.” Gemma looked confused, but lets me leave anyways.

“Hi PYGFE girl,” I jeered, “what’s up?” Then she took out a knife. “Oh I get it now! You want to fight me!” I said. I was starting to get excited. “Well, two can play at that game.” I smirked, and pulled out my knife. She ran at me, but I slashed her arm. She let out a scream. That’s when Emily walked in. Laurence dropped her knife quickly, but I was a bit hesitant to. Ellie started to slowly walk to the door. Jeez, we’re not that scary.

“Emma, Emma.” Laurence said soothingly. I stayed silent. I didn’t want to make things worse for me or my mission.

“We’ll explain” Laurence said, still trying to be calm. I rolled my eyes. What weak lie is she going to come up with now?

“How.. can… you… explain… this?” Emmy said, out of breath. Jeez, calm down girl. It’s not that big of a deal. Well, except for the fact that I might blow my mission and get disowned or something.

“I work for PYGFE. It stands for Protecting You Guys From Evil. It is a good secret spy organization. I was sent to kill… to kill Lise.” Oh. My. God. She actually exposed herself. How is a person that stupid? Bella looked at me expectantly. Should I really tell her? I don’t even like EPDS. I’ll risk it.

“And I… I work for EPDS. It stands for Evil People Doing Stuff. It is an evil secret spy organization. I was sent to kill Laurence.” I said tensley, staring at Laurence. Ellie looked shocked. 

“How do you know how to do all of this… this spy stuff?”

We both answered at the same time. “My trainer. Bailey.” Wait what? There’s a trainer at PYGFE named Bailey? Is it my Bailey? Was he training her when he was undercover?

We stared at each other, “Bailey? How many Baileys are there? ‘ so confused.

I asked, “Bailey Dred?”

Laurence replied, “Yup.” I get it now. He told her to use a knife, because I’m good with knives. When he told me that he would tell her trainer to tell her to use a knife, he was lying, because he is her trainer. What else could he be lying about?

“How is that possible?” Laurence said confused.

“I don’t know.” I said, but I knew. I wasn’t about to rat out my instructor, and the leader of EPDS.

“Laurence- is the reason you hate Lise so much because of her organization, or from something else?” Gemma butted in. Ugh, this isn’t about you, shut up.

“I guess.. I’m mostly mad at her because SOMEONE from her dumb organization paralyzed my father and made him not even able to talk to me.” Wait what? That guy my brother shot, the one I took a bullet for, was Laurence’s dad?

“You’re lucky.” I murmed under my breath but Laurence still heard me.

“Why am I lucky?!” She yelled hotly. Is she really this dumb, or is it still a charade? Do I really have to show her my bullet wound? Ugh. I pulled up my sleeve. “You see this huge bruise?” Ella winced, and Laurence looked confused.

“It’s from a bullet that I took in the arm.” I said bordly.

“Who shot it?” Laurence asked.

“My brother.” I replied coolly.

“Why would your brother shoot you?” She asked, looking more confused than ever.

“He wasn’t trying to. He was trying to kill your father by shooting him in the heart- but I threw my body in front of him and took it in my arm. It still hit your dad’s spine or something around there and caused him to fall. My brother didn’t have any bullets left though so your dad could call PYGFE so he could get medical attention. Actually, I called them for your dad. He used his last words to tell them that he needed help. I ran off and have never seen him since.” I said. I was getting pretty annoyed. I wasn’t trying to tell my whole life story here.

“You did that?” Laurence said, shocked. Then she hugged me. Why is a PYGFE agent hugging me? And why do I like it?  She said, “Thanks so much.” I think I smiled a little. Why did I smile? I can’t smile.

“And Lise- is there any other reason you hate PYGFE so much.” Ellie asked. Ugh. Can she not tell that this isn’t about her?

I quickly replied, “I don’t hate them. I hate what they did to my sister. They kidnapped my sister, Grace.” Why did I tell them that? That’s private. I’m so stupid.

“Grace? Did she happen to be kidnapped almost 2 years ago?” Laurence asked concerned. 

“Yeah, why?” I asked confusedly. Do they use her as a token there or something? Is she well known there?

“I have an adopted sister named Grace… and she was adopted 2 years ago.” Wait what? My little sister is living with Laurence? What the...

“Grace is your sister now?” I asked, trying to stay calm.

“Yeah. Black hair, brown eyes, and the nicest smile, right?” She doesn’t deserve to talk about my sister like that.

“That's her.” I said, trying not to cry, or show any emotion at all. I felt a tear roll down my cheek. This is not what I need right now. I have something to attend to. I pulled out my phone and dialed my mom’s number. She picked up on the third ring.

“I’m sick of you always comparing me to Jake. I quit EPDS.” Then I hung up. I don’t want anything to do with that disgusting organization. I don’t want anything to do with my family. I don’t want anything to do with Bailey Dred. 

Laurence’s mouth dropped. “You quit EPDS? What are you going to do then? You have trained your whole life to be a spy.”

I said something I thought I would never say in my entire life. “I want to join PYGFE so I can be with my sister. My parents are already disappointed in me so I don’t care what they say.”

“This isn’t a trick, right?” Laurence asked uncertaintly.

“No. I’m sick of my parents and being put down. I don’t even want to be a part of their family.” I said excitedly. On the inside, I was nervous, scared, even, to move to PYGFE. What if I fail initiation? What if they think I’m a mole and kick me out? What if Grace doesn’t remember me? What if Grace doesn’t love me?

Wow. It happened so fast. First, Lise and I were fighting with knives in the bathroom one minute, while I was fearing for my life, and then the next, Emma just walks in. So…

“Emma, Emma.” I tried to calm her down. Her face was all messed up, and her eyes started to water. “We’ll explain.”

“How.. can… you… explain… this?” Emma said, breathlessly. 

I think I could explain this...but could I?

“I work for PYGFE, Protecting You Guys From Evil,” I said. “I do stuff do protect everyone from her.” I jabbed a finger in Lise’s direction.

“And I… I work for EPDS. It stands for Evil People Doing Stuff. It is an evil secret spy organization. I was sent to kill Laurence.” Lise  said tensley, staring at me. Emma looked shocked. 

“How do you know how to do all of this… this spy stuff?” Emma mouthed. She looked like she wanted to cry and throw up at the same time.

We both answered at the same time. “My trainer. Bailey.” Hold on...what? How many “Bailey” trainers could there be? This could explain a lot...but does it?

We stared at each other, “Bailey?”

Lise asked, “Bailey Dred?”

I replied, “Yup.” 

Oh, so that explains why Lise was so prepared with the knife. She was awesome with it, and the way she held it, one finger almost crossing another, was a way that Bailey said he made up himself. So that would explain why Lise knew it. 

“How is that possible?” I said, confused.

“I don’t know.” Lise said to herself.

It was obvious she knew--like Bailey was a mole, or something...oh wait, shoot.

“Laurence- is the reason you hate Lise so much because of her organization, or from something else?” Emma butted in to my thoughts.

“I guess.. I’m mostly mad at her because SOMEONE from her dumb organization paralyzed my father and made him not even able to talk to me.” These are things that I never thought I would have to explain.

“You’re lucky.” Lise murmed under her breath, and I barely heard her.

“Why am I lucky?!” I yelled hotly. How could she think that I’m…

“You see this huge bruise?” Lise said, rolling up her sleeve.

“It’s from a bullet that I took in the arm,” Lise said bordly.

“Who shot it?” I asked.

“My brother,” Lise replied coolly.

“Why would your brother shoot you?” I asked, more confused than ever.

“He wasn’t trying to. He was trying to kill your father by shooting him in the heart- but I threw my body in front of him and took it in my arm. It still hit your dad’s spine or something around there and caused him to fall. My brother didn’t have any bullets left though so your dad could call PYGFE so he could get medical attention. Actually, I called them for your dad. He used his last words to tell them that he needed help. I ran off and have never seen him since,” Lise said. 

“You did that?” I said, shocked. “Thanks so much.” And then she smiled. Why?

“And Lise- is there any other reason you hate PYGFE so much?” Emma asked.

Lise quickly replied, “I don’t hate them. I hate what they did to my sister. They kidnapped my sister, Grace.” 

“Grace? Did she happen to be kidnapped almost 2 years ago?” I asked concerned. 

“Yeah, why?” Lise asked confusedly. I could see questions moving in her brain.

“I have an adopted sister named Grace… and she was adopted 2 years ago.” I watched Lise’s face.

“Grace is your sister now?” Lise asked . I could tell that she was trying to be calm.

“Yes,” I said.

  Lise then, surprisingly, called her parents. Without giving them a chance to talk, she said, “I’m sick of you always comparing me to Jake. I quit EPDS!” Lise then hung up right away.

My mouth dropped. “You quit EPDS? What are you going to do then? You have trained your whole life to be a spy.” I was happy, but confused at the same time.

Lise then said something I thought I would never hear. “I want to join PYGFE so I can be with my sister. My parents are already disappointed in me so I don’t care what they say.”

“This isn’t a trick, right?” I pressed her.

“No. I’m sick of my parents and being put down. I don’t even want to be a part of their family.”

So that was that.  

We walked out of the bathroom awkwardly. I have no clue what I just did, and I’m regretting all of my life decisions. I was thinking about how badly I messed up my life,until I heard Laurence audibly gasp. I didn’t know why until I looked to my right, and I saw my instructor. Why is he here? I know I failed the mission, but I didn’t even tell him. Then I remembered that he was also the head of EPDS. What if my parents told him that I quit and he’s here to kill me since I know too much. 

“Hello girls,” Bailey sneered. I saw Emma have a mini panic attack next to me.

“It’s fine,” I whispered to her, “he’s not here for you. He’s here for me.” She looked like she was either about to throw up or cry. I felt bad for her. It feels so weird having sympathy. It must be really scary and confusing to learn all of this so quickly. I sound like a completely different person.

“How are you doing? I’m sure doing great since my top rookie left my organization.” He said.

That night, the night after all of “this” happened, I couldn’t fall asleep. I kept thinking about Bailey, and what he could do to us, especially now that Lise quit. I rolled over, and in the pitch black I saw him and his blazing, glaring, burning eyes. I saw Bailey. I yelped as his big, strong hands grabbed me and he took his knife up to my head. I screamed again but nothing came out. Then I woke up, sweating. I didn’t even realize it was a dream, it felt so real. Still awake, I turned over and looked at the clock. It was 3am and I remembered actually falling asleep around 11. Lying on my bed, my heart beating, my body sweating, I started thinking. After a good 30 minutes, I came to a conclusion that I knew would change my life forever. I wanted to be a spy for- umm.. I think it was called, PYGF or PYGFE. I figured I would feel more safe If I did this, and I would be trained if something like this actually happened. But how would I bring this up to Lise and Laurence? “Oh hi guys, how was your night last night? I woke up from a nightmare where Bailey was trying to kill me in my bedroom, then I decided I wanted to join the good secret spy organization that you guys just told me about yesterday when I saw you in the bathroom trying to kill each other with knives. Fun story, right?” I mean, if I told them, it probably wouldn’t sound that crazy, considering all the stories they’ve heard, so I decided to do it. I was going to join PYGFE.