Edition Ten

We all sat there; tapping our feet, or tapping the desk with our pencils. Class was supposed to start five minutes ago. I don’t know about regular schools, but here teachers were never late. Like ever. They were always there, on time, and they couldn’t make excuses because they had clocks in their heads. So the fact that he was five minutes late was absolutely unheard of. Not to mention that fact that Maddie’s chair was empty. She disappeared on the way to class.
Suddenly the lights in the classroom flicked off. Adrenaline started pumping through my veins, I jumped out of my chair and felt my sisters do the same.
“Sit down.” A voice said smoothly. The voice belonging to the one and only Mr. Taylor. I sat down slowly trying to adjust my eyes to the light.
“How many books are there in the back of the room?” He asked slowly. No one answered, no one moved. “How many tables are there?” He quizzed. For the first time in this classes history, no one answered. No one moved, and I swear no one was breathing. “What color is my jacket?” He questioned. Yet again to no response. I heard him sigh and he flicked the lights on silently. My sisters started glancing around the room studying the tables, or looking at his jacket. But I simply looked at Mr. Taylor, stared into his eyes, and he looked right back never backing down from my gaze. I needed a clue as to what was coming next.
The whoosh of the door ended our stare down, we both waited for the other to look away first before finally we both tore our eyes away from each other. We both looked to see Maddie standing next to Mr. Taylor not backing away once. She carefully scanned the room sizing it up as we were.

“Close your eyes.” Mr. Taylor said quickly. Maddie's eyes snapped shut.

“How many books are there in the back of the room?”

She replied with, "Twenty-six."

"How many tables," he pursued. I had counted four, but never would have guessed unless I had been in this room for at least five minutes before getting a pop quiz.

"Four." Maddie had said this as if she were reciting the first hundred digits of pie: bored and rehearsed. But of course I knew that she had just walked into the room and was only in here for a total of six-point-three seconds before being forced to take the test that our whole junior class had failed not even forty seconds ago (thirty-eight-point-seven seconds to be exact).

Mr. Taylor’s face was well composed. If he were the least impressed or even surprised, he didn't show it.

"My jacket-"

“Brown, leather, medium size, and has a zipper on the outside and inside," Maddie finished for him. Mr. Taylor didn't utter a word, he just stared blankly at Maddie and was obviously thinking hard.

“Tell me if you needed to get out of here how would you do it?”

“Ummmm the door?” Maddie said in an innocent, mocking tone. A smile crept onto her lips. She headed towards the seat next to Sophie.

Mr. Taylor tried to stop a smile but it still formed.

"Do I have your permission to be seated?" She said it all the way mockingly now.

"One more thing, Ms. Demmerson,” I could’ve sworn he slightly winced when he said her name.“why did you look around the room before coming in?" Mr. Taylor asked.

Maddie shot a quick glance at me and then looked back to Mr. Taylor; looking him square in the eye.

"Well I can’t tell you all my secrets can I?" Again, Maddie's voice was in more of a mocking tone than anything, and it didn't take my spy training to know that Maddie has had a very interesting history with Andy Taylor.

And that's what I intended to find out.  

       *.   *.   *.   *.  

"Observation, ladies. It is essential. It's what keeps you alive and what keeps you aware in a covert operation. It is such a small thing to do, but it makes a great difference."

'Observe' was scribbled onto the black board in the front of the room in Mr. Taylor's (surprisingly neat) handwriting.

“Be good or die, those are our only options. Notice things, I promise it will save your life’s someday.” He said simply, looking straight into my eyes. Like he was waiting for me to understand something, begging me to understand.

I felt a prickle on the back of my neck, I turned around and Jordan and Kayla were looking from me to Mr. Taylor and back again. Both their eyebrows were raised, asking me what was going on. I shrugged my shoulders as if I knew.

Mr. Taylor shook his head clearly disappointed. My heart dropped, I hated that head shake. The I’m-very-disappointed-in-you head shake like I was messing up on a really easy math equation. I looked at him shaking my head this time. Exactly what is it you’re trying to get me to remember? I barely remember my mom half the time! I wanted to scream. But instead I gave him a mocking smile. Like my motto says: if you don’t know-it fake it.

Apparently I was convincing because he simply shook his head in disbelief. He didn’t smile, or laugh, he looked almost disappointed, like he was hoping I wouldn’t remember.Gosh! I couldn’t make him happy! He wanted me to remember, he didn’t, like he wished I’d remember him, and what we had, but not what made us have that... like he was protecting me.

Wow, weird. I hate it when people protect me, I’d put up with Sophie, Jordan, and Kayla doing it since last year. Why, they still won’t tell me, and they get really weird when I bring it up. So yeah people protecting me-I hate it, then when they can’t protect you have no idea what you’re facing.

“You either notice things more, or die, those are your only options.” Mr. Taylor said again, this time he was looking behind me straight at Kayla and Jordan. He shook  his head yet again but this time it was more like he was shaking a thought from his head.
He dropped the chalk, not bothering to put it on the ledge. It shattered into four pieces making a slight clinking sound on the linoleum floor. He turned on his heel, with one hand grabbing his jacket, with the other opening the door. He headed down the hallway without a look behind him.
“Class dismissed.” He said, not even bothering to turn around.
“Ummm I’m gonna go see what’s going on...” I blurted, running out the door after him. I took off down the hall, not running, not walking, somewhere in the middle.
“I told you she’s remembering things, more and more, and now this? Conner this is bad. How do we know she won’t blurt out what she remembers?” I heard Andy, wait Mr. Taylor was talking in a hushed tone. I risked a peek around the corner, and saw Mr. Taylor standing now in his jacket again one arm crossed, the other holding a cell phone to his ear. Wait a cell phone? That’s impossible! All cell signals are blocked! But he was standing there talking on his cell phone. To make it weirder the phone was purple, and bedazzled. It looked like every teenage girls dream cell phone.
“I know, I know. But how do I know she hasn’t already?” Mr. Taylor said sighing, he leaned on the wall. At first I thought I was made, but then I realized I was in the shadows, safe.
“Oh how do I start that question? ‘Hey, do you remember that special school you snuck into a couple years ago?’ ” Mr. Taylor shouted, slamming his fist into the wall. I jumped, all the spy training in the world couldn’t make when someone you love is hurt any less painful. My heart lurched, I hated seeing him like this, so mad. Wait someone I love? I love him? Where did that come from?
“Or, ‘Oh how ‘bout your brother, Conner? Oh my bad! Well, surprise you have a twin brother! Oh by the way the CIA has forbidden you from seeing him. And you need at least level nine clearance for that intel... which you have all things considering. Oh well at least you did, you know before the CIA wiped your memory?’ ” He continued, yelling. He sighed. “It’s too much for her to handle,” he wiped the sweat from his temples, returning to his normal voice. “I can’t tell Maddie, it would ruin her.”
I had about a three seconds time to attempt to process the information before the shock set in. It hit me like a bus. It knocked the wind out of me, I gasped before I could think about stopping it. Mr.Taylor whipped around staring into the darkness that was my cover. He snapped his phone shut, and stepped towards my direction. He stepped forward again eyes darting around, he was obviously trying to make my shape out in the darkness. I could’ve run, in the dark I would have been safe. But I couldn’t, legs weren’t working. Until they buckled, making me collapse to the ground. The movement alerted Andy to where I was, he walked a little faster then stopped, listening.
My whole life, I’ve been trained to for these situations. I can spy, well, like a spy. But weirdly enough I think those words were the worst weapons in the world. I couldn’t control my rapid breath, or my shaking, or any part of my body for that matter.
“Maddie...” He started starting to walk again, slower this time.
“Conner...” I started, trailing off because I didn’t know what to say. “I remember him.” I blurted, and once I heard that I knew it was true.