Spy School - Back to Basics [2]

02: Warning

Hampton Inn

Vienna, Virginia

May 06

650 hours

"Benjamin, hold still, it's almost like you're hyped up on enough caffeine to give a water buffalo a heart attack!" Elizabeth exclaimed, dabbing an unknown substance onto my cheeks.

"Sorry," I mumbled, "it just tickles."

"I know it tickles, but that doesn't mean you should wave your limbs out and about!"

We had arrived at port yesterday. Other than security somehow mistaking Alexander's iron (used for his suit collection) for a bomb, the day was uneventful. The Mogilvskys used what money they had left on their key cards from the Queen Anne to rent two cars with one being a limo, along with a bike, buy some basic school supplies, and get three rooms at the Hampton Inn. When we arrived at the inn, Cyrus officially told us all CIA agents that were part of Operation M&M's were going rogue, since the mission was issued by the FSA, although most of us already knew.

It was a bit strange to be in my hometown and not being at my house. Well, my house wasn't mine anymore, my parents moved to Florida after they were nearly assassinated to start new lives. Mom, from what I heard, had become a veterinarian, while Dad had sold the grocery store and now had his own ice cream shop.

With a startling jolt, I realized Mike's family still lived here. I turned to look at him and-

"Benjamin, you're moving again."

"Right, sorry," I apologized.

"You think get your cheeks painted is hard? Try getting fake eyelashes," Mike complained beside me, fluttering his new extended eyelashes.

"Micheal, keep your face still while the glue dries please, we don't want your eyelashes flying off in the middle of class," Elizabeth requested.

Elizabeth, Erica's grandmother, was in charge of makeup for Mike and me, since we used to go to Robert E. Lee Junior High, the school we were infiltrating. The two of us needed major face-altering, which was why we had to get up before everyone else. Erica would also getting makeup, to hide her age, and Josephine needed a huge amount of makeup, but that was because her cover story required her to be a millionaire's daughter, which was a bit cliché, but still required. Since Erica and Josephine were able to put their required makeup quickly and perfectly, they were allowed to do it by themselves right before they went to school.

After what felt like a billion years, our makeup finally dried, and we were allowed to eat some pastries for breakfast while Cyrus advised us.

"Remember, she could be anyone, anyone. She could be that artsy kid, the school bully, or even the kid who's more of a ray of sunshine than the sun in Texas."

The six of us munched on our food silently, nodding our heads.

"Now, it's 730 hours already, it's time to get going," announced Cyrus. His voice was quiet as to not have our neighbors eavesdrop, but it carried the same meaning as if he just yelled those orders louder than a drill sergeant.

We all scrammed, going on our given modes of transport. Mike and Trixie walked together, as their cover story said that they were friends, "partners in crime". Josephine and Conner, meanwhile, were driven to school by Eric in the limo that Mr. Mogilevsky had rented. I was riding a bike to school, and Erica was driven there by Cyrus.

I grabbed my nondescript backpack and heaved it over my shoulder and headed outside where my bike was waiting. Fidgeting with the bike lock, I took it out onto the road.