Espionage? Teenage spy? Sounds bonkers. That kind of thing only happens in movies.
Normal teenagers wake up every morning and go to school, come home, do homework, do their chores, go to sleep - then wake up and do it all over again.
Ariella Alder...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢-𝚜𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗 | 𝚒𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚘𝚗𝚕𝚢𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜𝚙𝚢
I ditched Grayson after my meeting with Jessica. He didn't notice my limping frame hopping past him, but eventually he'll realize I'm gone. He's either going to read my mind and know where I'm going, or he's going to send a search party to find my body.
I stood leaning against the wall on the disgusting subway platform, waiting for the worst public transportation to get to the station. Not a single seat was open. Perfect.
Touching the dirty subway poles seems worse than having Leila Schneider's fist in my wound.
Thankfully, this is an express train and I only needed to stand for three stops until I reached the middle of Central Park. Then I would have to walk through the park. Fuck. I really didn't think this through.
I hobbled my way into Central Park and muscle memory guided me to where I needed to go. No amount of pain was going to keep me from getting to the spot.
It took me a lot longer than normal to reach the one fucking tree in all of Central Park that I needed. Grayson and I secretly planted this tree when I was fifteen. It's the one place the organization doesn't know about, relating to our parents.
"Secret agents Bruce and Vivian Alderidge. I know it's been a while, but let me just say, it's been a rough few months," I said to the tree.
The gigantic American Elm tree has the initials B.A + V.A carved into the side. The C.I.A authorized cemetery for deceased agents has our parents buried there. However, Grayson and I wanted to keep our parents close to the city. They loved New York City almost as much as they loved London.
We planted this tree and curved their initials into it, so that our parents would blossom each year. Sprouting new leaves during the springtime.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you this, but I got fired from the agency and disobeyed every rule you taught me to follow."
It took a few minutes to sit down, but eventually I got it. My muscles ache from standing and walking. We didn't need to sit in front of the tree, but I needed to remain seated. I couldn't stand for much longer.
"I also fell in love," I murmured.
That's crazy to admit.
If my mom was still alive she'd be pleased that I found someone. Someone who wasn't only a case file. She'd be overwhelmed with happiness that she wouldn't consider running a background check on Archer. Vivian Alderidge may have been a hardened secret agent, but she was an underground romantic. Her romance story with my dad was beautiful, and she wanted the same for Grayson and me.
My dad is another story.
My dad would sit Archer at the kitchen table, holding a knife in one hand and a gun in the other hand. It wouldn't matter that Archer is the son of my parents best friends. My dad would want to put the fear of God into Archer.
