Spy Girl (Spy Girl #1)

“Hooked up with?”


“Whatever—hacked it for me.”

“You only saw what they wanted you to see. Basic notes about your behavior. Your personality profile. Notes from your shrink and teachers. Your grades. Right?”

“Yes. So what did you find out?”

“That Blackwood didn’t exist before you. I believe it may have been created for you.”

“That makes no sense. The school had been there forever. I was the new kid.”

“It had only been there for a week. For years before that, Blackwood had been an elite boarding school known as the Turnberry Academy, but the school was closed suddenly due to mismanaged funds.” He studies me. “Have you ever thought that your parents were training you to be a spy? You speak how many languages? Your passport had more stamps than anyone I know.”

“But why?”

“That’s what I want to know. I also wanted to know about your partner—your brother, Ari—how was he chosen. And why. We were able to access his CIA file, no problem.”

“What did you find out about him?”

“Army. Special Forces. Commendation. The fact that he was sent to train with the CIA at his age was unusual but not unheard of. But what is surprising is that you have no file.”

I shrug. “I probably don’t warrant one yet.”

He shakes his head, disagreeing. “With the way your parents died, there should be something. The CIA is meticulous at recording information. We did find something interesting, though. An encrypted message. Just five words. Sent to an address we couldn’t trace.”

“What did it say?”

“Spy Girl is a go. It went out on Sunday morning at 11:12 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.”

“The Dean called me into his office at 10:30 to give me my mission.”

“I think you are Spy Girl.”

I can’t help but smile. “I have a code name?”

“Yes,” he says, punching me in the shoulder. “Don’t look so happy. Tell me this, when did you first hear the name Huntley Bond?”

“A few days ago, when I was given my mission.”

“There are Huntley Bond social media accounts. Well, Huntley Bond-Von Allister now—you recently announced your name change.”

“I what?” He pulls up a profile and scrolls through photos of me over the years. All taken at Blackwood. Me with other students. A cute photo of me and Josh. “I don’t understand. These are all my posts. But at Blackwood we weren’t allowed on social media. We had our own private intranet they called XBook. It allowed us to post stuff for each other to see and chat with each other after curfew, but was not public.”

“My guess is they allowed you to post on XBook, then some were filtered through to here. Look, a few weeks ago when Ares Von Allister passed, you mentioned a life-changing event. They’ve been setting up your cover for months. Years. Almost eight years, to be exact.”

He pulls up a post where I mention finding out about my real father and the brother I never knew. Along with a cute selfie. Since then, no posts.

“Part of me is mad I didn’t know about this. Part of me thinks it’s brilliant. Have they done this for all the Blackwood students?”

“I wondered the same thing myself. So I compared the students from the Blackwood intranet to what was out there. They used their real names. And I have a sneaking suspicion that the reclusive Ares Von Allister’s death was well-timed.”

“You think he was murdered?”

“I think we have to consider that possibility. His passing was essential to your cover.”

“That’s what doesn’t make sense. After today, I won’t ever be able to go undercover again. I was photographed with the Queen. Why would they spend eight years of training and cover building to blow it on saving the Prince of one small country?”

“You tell me, Spy Girl.” He looks at his watch. “I gotta go, and you need sleep, Huntley Penelope Bond-Von Allister.” He hands me the small duffle that he brought in. “There’s a phone in here. I added a little technology, so it’s untraceable. Destroy the other one and only use this to call me if you need something important. The number is saved. It will route it to a computer, and I will receive the message. Be careful. I have a feeling you’re being watched very closely.”

“Because they have high expectations?”

“That and because I think it’s a little too much of a coincidence that Blackwood is now closing its doors.”

“It is?”

“Yes, and there’s something else.” He glances nervously around the room, like he’s afraid to tell me.

“What?”

“A few minutes after we read your file, it was deleted. Actually, all the files were gone. Like Blackwood never existed. Like you never existed.”

I shake my head not even sure how to reply to this information. I just give Terrance a hug. As I do, I hand him the disk from my mom’s locket. “This may put you in danger.”

“I can handle it.”

“How do I know you’re not part of whatever scheme this is?”

“You don’t, Spy Girl. But you have to trust someone.”