Kate examined the two teenagers sitting at the table. One was a girl who had a strong, athletic build. She had unnaturally straight black hair that went down to her shoulders. Her eyes were a dark shade of brown. The warm smile that she wore lit up her features.

The other teenager at the table was a short, skinny boy who looked to be slightly younger than Caitlin and the other girl. He had blond hair, ocean blue eyes, and a smile that could illuminate the world.

"Hey Bethany and Logan! I found these new recruits in the lunch line. They need a warm welcome, don't you think?" Caitlin asked, gesturing to Kate and Valerie.

Kate shifted her feet uncomfortably, glancing at Valerie to see if she would say anything first. Kate wasn't shy exactly, but Valerie was typically the one to speak out first.

"Hey guys. My name is Valerie. Nice to meet you," Valerie introduced herself. Bethany and Logan said hello and then glanced at Kate expectantly.

"Hi. My name is Kate. Thanks for allowing us to sit with you," she smiled politely, taking a seat. Valerie and Caitlin did the same.

"So how long have you all been spies?" Valerie asked after a beat of silence.

"I have been a certified spy for two months. I really enjoy it here. At first, I was really scared because I had no friends. But then-" Caitlin explained, but she was interrupted by Bethany.

"This girl talks way too much, but you gotta love her. Anyway, I've been here for four months. I am also a certified spy," Bethany answered. She laughed at Caitlin's expression of shock over being interrupted.

Kate laughed along with her, glad to have someone making jokes and bringing humor to the table.

"I've been here for one month but it's pretty chill," Logan piped up. He didn't seem to talk too much but when he did, he spoke in a confident, easygoing manner.

"This place is honestly so amazing. You guys definitely need to show us around sometime," Valerie said. Caitlin, as enthusiastic as ever, instantly agreed.

"Hey Garret!" Caitlin greeted, glancing behind Valerie's shoulder. Both Kate and Valerie turned around to find Garret standing right behind them.

"Hey everyone. I need to borrow Kate and Valerie," Garret smiled down at the group.

Kate and Valerie stood up, excusing themselves from the table. They walked away from the table and out of the cafeteria, glancing quizzically at Garret.

"Harry and Susan want to discuss the details of your first mission," he said simply. Kate and Valerie glanced at each other, a small smile playing at their lips. Their transition into spies was about to begin.

∆

Harry and Susan were sitting at Valerie's desk when the girls walked in, paperwork scattered around them. They looked up briefly but then returned their gazes to their work.

"We were just sorting out the details of your mission. Please sit down," Susan ordered, pointing to the bed. Kate and Valerie did as instructed.

"Your mission is not too complicated. You are to ensure that Ms. Martinez, a science teacher at Westhill High School, loses her job," Susan began to explain.

Kate interrupted Susan by letting out a loud gasp. "That's my science teacher! Why does she need to lose her job?"

Susan glanced up from the paperwork. "Your science teacher," she continued, "has been using the school's advanced technology to attempt to overthrow our spy organization."

A silence fell over the group. Ms. Martinez, the sweet, elderly science teacher, was trying to overthrow an entire spy organization?

Kate could not wrap her mind around this situation. Her mind was a stream of jumbled thoughts, a river that would not stop flowing. To her, it was impossible and unreal.

She would rather believe the beautiful lie than face the hideous truth.

"What is her motive behind this?" Kate asked.

"Unfortunately we do not have the answer to that yet. All we know is that she has tried to hack into our elite computer system to try and shut us down," Harry explained.

Kate glanced at Harry. Her face was filled with worry. "What do Valerie and I have to do?"

"You two need to go to the school and find some sort of evidence to prove that she has been hacking into our system. Once you find that evidence, Susan and I will take care of pressing charges against her," Harry explained.

"When do we begin?" Valerie asked. Kate could not help but notice that Valerie was much more laid back about this whole situation.

"You girls start tonight at 11:00. I have the key to the school so you can get in easily. Go straight to her classroom and begin searching," Harry ordered.

"If the alarm goes off, use the code ch001 to disarm it," she explained. "Also, do not forget to wear black."

Susan handed Kate a slip of paper with the alarm code, which she placed in her pocket.

"Thank you. What should we do now?" Kate asked. Susan and Harry were already packing up their paperwork into a large briefcase.

Harry answered. "Now you wait."

∆

Valerie and Kate began walking back to the cafeteria after their meeting. Once they arrived at the table, they found that Caitlin, Logan, and Bethany had left.

"Why don't we explore the castle?" Valerie asked, looking around the emptying cafeteria.

Kate nodded, realizing there was nothing else to do now. "Sounds like a plan."

The girls stepped out of the cafeteria and walked aimlessly around the headquarters. Kate opened a door to reveal a large movie theater with plush red carpeting and comfortable reclining seats. No movie was playing but a few kids milled around, talking amongst each other.

The girls then walked to a gym, where other kids were running on treadmills or lifting weights. They stopped at a library, an arcade, and an art gallery that was filled with exquisite paintings.

"This place reminds me of home," Valerie sighed, gazing around the room wistfully.

"I sure hope so. You guys will be staying here for a while," a voice said from behind them.

Kate and Valerie turned around to find Bethany standing in the doorway, a small smile on her face.

"Hey Bethany! Where did you come from?" Kate asked.

"I was coming down from my room when I saw you guys come in here. How would you like a VIP tour?" Bethany asked the girls.

"We would love that. What is that, exactly?" Valerie asked, curiosity evident in her tone.

"We can head into the Certified Spies section. It is similar to the Employees Only section of a store," Bethany explained.

"That sounds amazing. Let's head over there now," Valerie exclaimed. Her excitement was simply radiating off of her in waves.

The girls headed out of the art gallery and followed Bethany around the headquarters until they reached a door marked Certified Spies.

"Here we are. Let's go inside," Bethany said, unlocking the door with a small key that she had produced from her pocket.

The girls stepped into a large room with couches lined against the back wall, a modern kitchen towards the left-hand corner, and some arcade machines scattered throughout. Off to the right was a long hallway with stark white doors.

"Let me show you my bedroom," Bethany said, opening one of the doors. Kate gasped at the extravagance of the bedroom.

The room was ten times bigger than the room she had. Not only did the room have a massive desk, full-size bed, and a large dresser, but it also had a master bathroom, a shelf filled with trophies, and a walk-in closet.

"I have never seen such an amazing room. If I had this room, I would never leave it," Kate marveled. Bethany laughed in response.

"What do you think Valerie?" Kate asked, turning around to look at her. A look of panic dictated her features when she realized that Valerie was not behind her.

"Where did Valerie go?" Kate asked frantically, glancing at Bethany.

Bethany looked around worriedly. "I don't know. I thought she was behind us!"

Kate took a deep breath. Valerie had disappeared.