Pandemic Spy School

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven - Xorvat

Junior C.I.A. Academy

Langley, Virginia

April 21

1200 hours

We were back to our old schedule, and I was back to being bored. I couldn't believe that in only a few days everything could happen so quickly.

Catherine had flown in around midnight, and picked us up. Erica had insisted I get some sleep, but I wouldn't because I wanted to be there when Catherine was updated on everything. After a whole night of flying, we landed in Langley, only a few blocks from school. Catherine gave us each some food, realising that we had been lacking on that during our mission, and then sent us on our way.

By the time we reached school, the sun had peaked over the edge of the earth, and it was starting to heat up. Erica thought it best if we waited until the majority of the kids were outside before we went in. So we did. I honestly don't know how we managed to get in, but we did. And then I slept for a good twelve hours. Until Erica came to my room in the middle of the night looking freshened up, and told me we needed to find Alexander.

Alexander wasn't in the building, and we were sure of it because we looked everywhere possible. So we left it till morning, when Erica dragged me to the principal's office to tell him we would be resuming classes again. He was thoroughly confused, which was the reaction Erica had wanted. And then we resumed classes for real. Daily torture if you ask me.

"Smokescreen!" Zoe yelled upon my entrance to self-defense 201.

This led the whole class to look at me, which was not what I had wanted.

I quickly walked to the back of the room where Zoe sat beside Mike, and then tried to be

invisible. I noticed Professor Crandall was still talking to himself as usual, and hadn't noticed me come in. Or so it looked like. He was the most amazing person I had met at hiding his awareness. He had definitely noticed that I had come in, and he probably registered everything I was wearing too. Even the articles he couldn't see.

"Don't bring attention to me." I muttered to Zoe when I sat down.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because I said so."

"But why did you say so?"

I was on the verge of losing my temper, when Erica popped up out of nowhere.

"Leave him alone." she said, and then took the spot on my right.

Zoe glanced between us, and then looked away. Mike was still staring at me, and I could tell that he had noticed something was going on.

"What happened in the year of 1918?" Crandell asked from the front of the class.

Surprisingly, I knew the answer. And so did Erica. The whole class swiveled their heads to look at us, the only two with their hands raised.

"Benjamin?" Crandell said.

"The Spanish flu. Also known as 1918 influenza."

Erica gave me an impressed look, and I felt my face turn red. Mike looked jealous, and he didn't care to hide it.

When class finished, we headed to the Mess Hall - or just "Mess" - for lunch. Erica forced me to study viruses the whole time, while she got to look into Xorvat.

"Is someone going to explain?" Mike asked finally, half way through our lunch break.

"Explain what?" Erica asked.