I pull the shoes out of the closet and ask, “So who d’you think the greatest catch in your class is? Maybe I can help you snag him.”

She pauses in thought for a minute. She’s obviously struggling with what she wants to say. “You have to promise me you won’t tell ANYONE this,” Caitlin says emphatically. “I’m only telling you this because you’re my best friend and I know I can trust you.”

“You can trust me,” I tell her with sincerity, “after all I’ll be gone in a couple of months.”

“Okay,” she leans close and whispers. “But you can’t tell anyone–especially your cousin. I’d just die if she found out. If I could pick any guy to be my boyfriend,” she pauses and looks furtively around, “it would be Chris Quinn. God, I get wet every time I even think of that boy.”

Chapter 31: Revelations and Spy Lessons

“CHRIS!” I exclaim.

“Keep it down, girl,” she whispers urgently. “Your aunt might hear you.”

My mind is having a very hard time getting around this new revelation. Who would have thought?  A quick review of the past doesn’t bring to mind even the slightest of indications that Caitlin has been interested in me as Chris. Obviously I missed something.

“But,” I whisper back with emphasis, “Chris is Laurie’s boyfriend. Does he know you’re interested in him?

“I know,” she sighs, “In my opinion Laurie’s the luckiest girl in the school and, no, I don’t think that Chris has a clue–though I’ve done everything but throw myself at him to get his attention. I swear, that boy is so oblivious it’s frustrating.”

I have to admit that Caitlin never made my radar as a romantic interest, but what does she mean that she’s been trying to get my attention? I don’t understand that statement at all.

“I’ve had a crush on Chris since Middle School,” she continues. “It’s not like he’s a real hunk or anything, but he has this wonderful purity about him. He’s nice to everyone–kinda’ like you–and good at everything he does. He is good looking too, in a geeky kind of way. The girl that gets him for good will be very lucky. I just wish it was me. In a way I’m glad that you’ll be gone this fall. I suspect that he’d go for you in a heartbeat if he met you.”

I’m still baffled by her claim to have tried to get Chris’s attention. I suspect it is this strange notion that girls seem to have that they need to act disinterested to get someone to notice them.

“What’ve you done to get his attention?” I ask with curiosity.

“Oh just about everything in the book,” she says in frustration. “I started taking classes that he was in. I even played dumb a few times to get him to help me with my assignments. I’ve also tried to dress in a way that would get any boy’s attention and I’ve gotten every boy’s attention EXCEPT his–most of them I’ve had to beat off with a baseball bat. Heck, the only reason that I joined the running teams in the first place was to get his interest. And I’m not the only one–several of the other girls are only there because of Chris. I guess I’m hoping that all this extra running this summer will put me in good enough shape that he’ll finally take notice of me.”

I think I must’ve touched a nerve here.  The dam has broken and she is letting it all out.

“Do you know what’s really so frustrating?” she continues. “Your cousin. Don’t get me wrong, I like Laurie a lot, but you know, she just waltzes in and before you know it the two of them are an item. You should see the way they are when they’re together. He treats her like a real person, with kindness and respect. I really wish I was the girl getting that kind of attention.”

“You know,” she continues, “I’ve given up a few times and dated other guys but they all fall short. I did meet one guy when we were in Mazatlan last Christmas break who swept me away for a few days. In the end he was just a smoother operator than the other jerks. I was such a fool to fall for his charms.”

I really like Caitlin as a girl friend but I really don’t see her as a romantic interest for Chris. Unfortunately for her, she has some real issues. Part of me wants to know the details of her Mazatlan romance but I don’t want to pry.

“Surely there are other guys like Chris around,” I suggest.

“Not that I’ve seen,” she responds with another sigh, “And believe me, I’ve looked. Anyway, I’m not sure what to do, but I am patient.”  Looking back at me standing in front of the mirror, she says, “You do look pretty hot in that dress. It is out of character from the rest of your other outfits–which, in my humble opinion, is a good thing. A nice pair of chandelier earrings, your hair let down, and the right makeup and you could have any guy around. It is kinda’ fun to watch them drool, isn’t it?”

We spend another hour going through my growing collection of clothes and sharing life stories. Actually, she shares most of the stories as mine aren’t really girl stories. I do alter some of my past experiences to appear like girl perspective stories but let her ramble on carrying most of the conversation. I show her some pictures from Alaska and my family there. Eventually she has to leave as she has an early shift at McDonald’s in the morning. We agree to get together again after tomorrow’s running practice as we hug goodbye when she leaves.

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Aunt Jen is hanging out in the living room reading a book and listening to old music when I return from seeing Caitlin off. I decide that it’s time to be sociable with her so I flop myself down on a couch.

Looking up from her book she says, “Hey, Tina. Aren’t you a bit over dressed?”

I’m wearing a new dress that I picked up today–it’s shorter than I would have picked on my own and I’m not sitting very lady like either. To tell you the truth, I’d forgotten how I was dressed. Getting a bit self conscious, I sit up in a more lady-like fashion, crossing my legs.

“That’s better, darling,” she observes. “How’s your day been? It certainly seems that you keep a pretty full social calendar.”

“I’ve never been so busy in my life,” I respond. “I’m thinking that I need a social secretary. But, you know, it has mostly been pretty fun. I don’t think that I would have done half this stuff if it wasn’t for the job but I am really glad that I am. It’s been fun making new friends and finding out what it’s like to be a girl.”

“You certainly seem to be handling being a girl quite well,” she observes. “In fact I’m actually surprised at how easily you’ve taken to it. I don’t think that it’s the process as it’s not supposed to mess with your personality. I guess the psych report was right when it said you are pretty neutral as far as sexuality goes. I just didn’t really believe it. I don’t think that most people could handle an unexpected sex change as easily as you have–I know that I couldn’t.”

“That first week was pretty tough,” I point out, “but knowing that it is only for a few months helps a lot. So does keeping busy.”

Changing the subject, I ask, “So how am I doing as far as the security team is concerned?”

“Well,” she says with caution, “I really shouldn’t say too much, but I think I can tell you the views of the committee are generally favorable though some members are getting impatient. They seem to have thought that we’d crack the case in a week with your help. You just keep doing what you’re doing, darling, and I’m sure that some good will come of it. The only complaint I’ve heard is that you’ve haven’t implemented all your instructions so far. I assume that you are working on that?”

“Yeah, well,” I hedge, “maybe. Some of the instructions don’t make much sense.”

“That’s the problem with compartmentalization,” she tells me. “Just be assured that we’ve talked it through as a committee and we know what we need from you.”

Recalling that both my computer and cell phone are back in my bedroom I decide to take a chance.

“But,” I ask, “what value is there in accessing classified information when it is where it belongs?”

She sits up straight and looks hard at me. “What do you mean?” she asks obviously very interested. “We haven’t asked you to do that.”

“We did get instructions recently to try to obtained classified information,” I tell her, “including leaving listening devices where we know that classified information is likely to be discussed. This is more than what we were told to do during our training in Alaska. If you remember, we were told then just to record what was happening around us. I guess I can handle that but I think now we’re being asked to basically plant bugs in areas where secure work is being done. I don’t feel comfortable doing that.”

“Where did these instructions come from?” Aunt Jen asks with great interest.

“They were with one of our questionnaires,” I reply.

“Hmm,” she says as she sinks into deep thought. “This is interesting. Very interesting indeed.”

“What?” I ask.

“Oh,” she waves off my question, “never mind, darling. I’m glad that we’ve had this little chat. I wonder if that is the instruction that you’re supposedly not following?” she asks herself more than me. “I take it that you haven’t complied with the instructions?”

“Not yet,” I answer honestly–well almost. Technically the plant that I did with dear sweet Dr. Quinn was only made to appear to be in compliance. I’m not ready to tell her about our little experiment. “Do you think that I should?”

“No,” she replies, “Actually I don’t.”

Aunt Jen is obviously thinking pretty hard about all this and almost seems to forget that I’m there. Eventually she arrives at some sort of decision and returns to the present.

“Darling,” she asks me, “have you talked with Susan about this?”

Taking her to mean being uncomfortable about intentionally stealing documents and recording privileged conversations I answer truthfully, “No. I assumed that the instructions were coming from her and–after all the hype in Alaska about following instructions–I don’t feel comfortable about talking to her about it. I suspect that she’ll just tell me to do as I’m told.”

“Hmm,” she says again before departing back into the land of deep thought.

Eventually she surfaces again. “Do you know if Laurie received the same instructions? I just know that you two have been comparing notes against the rules–You’re thick as thieves.”

“Yes,” I admit sheepishly. “we have and, yes, she’s received the same instructions but she hasn’t done anything yet either.”

“Hmm,” she says before mentally slipping away again.  This time much longer. If her head was transparent, I’m sure that you’d see gears turning like mad.

Judging from the frustrated expression that comes to her face as she surfaces again, she seems to reach some kind of impasse. Looking up at the clock on the mantel, she changes the subject.

“My sweet daughter should be home soon,” she states to no one in particular.

Looking over at me she takes a minute to look me over. “You know, darling. You really are a cute girl. It appears to me that you get more comfortable in the role almost every day. You have developed a confidence and maturity that seems to be beyond your years and it really brings out what a beautiful person you are. Being a girl seems to suit your personality.”

I’m not sure how to respond to her flattering observation. “I do feel a lot more comfortable in the role,” I tell her after a moment’s thought. “In fact, I’m starting to have fun being a girl.”

“By all means, darling, have fun but don’t get too comfortable,” she says with a smile. “Your mother really is looking forward to getting her son back and I’m very sure that Laurie wants her boyfriend back as well.”

“No problem there, Aunt Jen,” I assure her. “I’m curious though, do you like me better like this or as Chris?”

“That’s a tough one,” she replies. “You’re good for Laurie either way.”

“Yeah,” I press her, “but which me do you like better?”

She ponders on the question for a minute before replying, “I really don’t know. I think you’re a good kid at heart regardless of which sex you are. Of course, in your girl form you do fit better into the household. I don’t have to worry about you and Laurie getting carried away sexually and doing something that you both will regret. As a boy you’ve proven yourself trustworthy also, but I still worry that you two are developing too deep of a relationship too soon. I’m afraid that you’ll get hurt if things don’t work out between you two. Laurie will be a very lucky woman indeed if she ends up marrying you or a guy like you. In a way it’s too bad that you two met so early in life. Relationships at your time of life are more educational than real life-long relationships.

“As girl friends you’re not likely to have the problems that teen romances bring and you have proven to be a great girl friend too.  So, there are good points both ways. I guess that we’re glad to know you which ever sex you are because the real you is great regardless of the package.”

“Did you have a boyfriend at our age,” I ask. It sounds as if she is speaking from experience.

“Oh yes,” she gives a sad smile, “and I thought that we’d never part. I just couldn’t imagine life without him and he was the same way. We were sure that we’d found our life partners. He was a year ahead of me in school and when he went off to college, during the first week he was there, he met the girl that he eventually married. I quit hearing from him after a month, then got my ‘Dear Jane’ letter a month after that. He felt bad about it, but his heart was completely taken by his new love.  They do make a good couple still. We’ve stayed in touch through Christmas cards over the years. Anyway, I’ve been there, done that. So have most adults that I know and I’d like to protect two wonderful kids from the same thing, but I guess heartache is part of growing up.”

“So you think that Chris and Laurie don’t have much of a chance to make a go of it?” I ask.

“Oh, but they do,” she says, “however the odds of success are low. It’s not that there is anything wrong with either of them. It’s just that you all are just young and starting to learn about the more difficult parts of life. If you two do break up eventually, I want you to know that I think that you’re a great kid and welcome at our home anytime. I will be your friend. If you were to stay a girl, then your friendship with Laurie will just get stronger over the years as each of you find the loves that will keep you happy throughout your lives. Strong girl friend relationships add balance and perspective to a woman’s life. That can’t happen if you return to being a guy. At best you can hope to be distant friends if you don’t end up together.”

“Now,” she changes the subject again, “enough of the deep stuff.  I’m dying to see what else you got at the mall today.”

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It’s early for a holiday morning–around eight o’clock–as I pull into the parking lot at the local big box store where Marla works.  She’s not here this early, but it is open and I need a few supplies. Laurie and her mother decided to sleep in this morning but allowed me to borrow the car for this trip.  My main goal is to get another cell phone. One that nobody around here will know about.  My cover is that I need some picnic supplies for today’s hike (I had called Andy yesterday and asked if he would like me to make a lunch–of course he said yes, after all he is a guy) and to refresh some of my makeup inventory. You know, I’m pretty sure this is my first time out on my own since the change. In a way, it feels strange to be on my own–as a girl–without someone to guide and teach me.

Anyway, I make a beeline for the kiosk which sells cell phones and find the attendant just setting up shop. I’ve wrapped my everyday phone in a couple of heavy socks that I brought along and buried it deep in the large handbag I’m carrying. I don’t want anyone eavesdropping on what I’m doing. It doesn’t take me long to pick out a prepaid phone with a card that has plenty of minutes. I’m not to fussy about the phone and get something pretty inexpensive. I also got the display model which is fully charged. I can tell that the sales person is not used to a teen girl that doesn’t want a flashy color and lots of extra features. I did splurge for a blue tooth ear piece which will be covered pretty well when I let my hair down. Unfortunately, it is not charged so I can’t use it right now. I can use it with my other phone too.

As I do the rest of my shopping, I call home to Alaska on the new phone. It’s still early in the morning there and I’m pretty sure that I wakened my Alaskan ‘parents’. After spending a few minutes catching Mom Polly up yesterday’s shopping adventure I ask to speak to the Major.

“Hi, Daddy,” I say sweetly as he comes on the line.

“Uh oh,” he says, “I’m told that daughters get sweet like this when they want something.”

“Don’t worry, Daddy,” I play with him, “This won’t cost you much.”

“Define ‘much’,” he cautiously directs.

“Just some of your time for now,” I tell him.

“Okay, Princess,” he audibly relaxes, “I can spare some of time for my favorite daughter.”

“I think I might have a problem,” I inform him. “I have reason to think that there is a leak in the security team managing us. In fact I have a hunch that the leak is using me and Laurie to gather information for them.”

“You’re not using the cell phone the Lab gave you, are you?” he observes. “This number is not an Alaskan number.”

“No, sir,” I reply, “I’ve got the Lab’s phone wrapped up in socks in my bag so they can’t hear anything. I just purchased this pre-paid phone a few minutes ago.”

“I’m glad to hear you’re being intelligent about this,” he says. “You learn pretty fast. Just make sure that you buy lots of time for the phone and keep it charged–you don’t want to get caught short when you need it the most. Have you checked to make sure that you’re not being followed or observed?”

“Ugh, no.” I didn’t think of that one.

“Well, it’s probably too late now if you are,” He points out, “But I want you to wander all the way across the store, wending your way through the aisles. Stop every now and then and look at something on the shelves. Then move back a little the way you came looking around as if you’re lost or looking for something in particular. See who’s around you each time.  Look for any faces that seem to be around you more than once or twice or that seem to follow you around the store.  And stay on the line, we’ll talk some more while you’re doing this.”

There’s nothing quite like getting spy lessons over the phone. I start looking around as if I’m searching for something, noting faces that I see down the aisles. There are not a lot of people around this time of day: I see a few women doing their shopping patiently looking through the inventory and a couple of men shopping like–well, like men. You know, just focusing on what they came for and nothing else. There are a few roving bands of teenagers but not many this time of day. A pair of boys seem to be watching me. Is it just girl watching or something with more purpose? Grabbing a shopping cart I wander through the food aisles picking out some hiking snacks, sandwich fixings, and some fruit for the hike.

I’m pretty sure that I can trust the Major so I spend the next twenty minutes telling him why I think there is a leak in the security team that is managing my mission as I pick up some food for today’s hike. He listens carefully and asks a few questions along the way to clarify what I am telling him. I explain about the two families that I’ve connected with and my suspicion that Dr. Sommer’s is clean and the fact that Dr. Lang is a problem–but I’m not sure what type of problem yet.

“Tell me more about this Dr. Lang,” he requests. “I think that you need to watch out for him and his people until either he is cleared or you know what he is up to.”

“Yeah,” I reply, “I don’t know enough about him yet, but he does seem to have some issues. I need to find out what his connection is with people in the Middle East or Afghanistan. Laurie and I are going on a hike with Andy later today. Maybe he’ll loosen up and tell us more about his family.”

Stopping in the makeup section I am faced with a huge selection. While I know a lot more about makeup than the average guy, I don’t know nearly as much as the average girl and I’m still intimidated by all the options. “Could you put Mom back on the line?” I ask the Major. “I have a couple of questions about makeup. I doubt that’s your area of expertise.”

Sure enough he’s more than happy to give up the phone for the five minutes that I need to sort out the mess in front of me. While I’m chatting with her, I casually make note of the few women and girls shopping in this section. One pair of teen girls who I saw while over in the food section are here. There are absolutely no guys here.  A couple of the females were browsing the food section earlier but none seem to be interested in me.

My next stop is the card section, where I pick up a pack of thank-you cards. I need to send one each to Aunt Jen, Suzie, the Sommers and Mrs. Lang for their kindnesses. I also pick up a couple of friendship type cards for Laurie and Caitlin. While I do this I keep a conversation going with the Major. Staying aware of my surroundings, I don’t recognize anyone else who is looking through the cards. Glancing down the long aisle I see one of the boys who had been watching me in the food section heading slowly this direction. He’s obviously trying to look nonchalant.

I tell the Major about the boy. “Either he’s really bad at surveillance,” he says, “or he is your typical awkward boy taken with a pretty girl. Keep an eye out for him and his friend.”

As we continue our discussion, I begin to wander towards the outdoor and camping section–I need to pick up a new pocket knife. I tell him about the little experiment that my real dad and I set up and our plans for another one. I also give him details of my conversations with Mrs. Harrison and Aunt Jen.

“I’m not sure what to make of Mrs. Harrison,” I tell him. “A lot of people don’t like her, but she is pretty good to me. She seems to take her job seriously and I can see how the bearer of bad news could be viewed with suspicion. I want to think that she’s one of the good guys.”

I stop to look at some placemats as I pass through the house goods section. Back tracking a little to look at some kitchen tools that I had passed, I notice a few people around, including the teen boys that I had seen earlier. They are glancing my way and whispering to each other. I’m starting to suspect that their surveillance is driven more by hormones than anything else. I’m wearing my now favorite outdoor pants and top that I got at REI in Alaska and have my hair clipped back in a simple style that I saw in the latest issue of Seventeen. While I think that I look pretty nice–in an outdoorsy way–I wouldn’t think that I stand out or anything.

“The boys are still following me,” I tell him, “but they are being more obvious than they think they are.”

“I suspect that they’re just feeling the effects of their hormones,” he says, “but still be wary.  Also, don’t let them distract you. Keep your eyes open for others.”

Returning our conversation he says, “I think that your continued experiment with your father will help sort out your concerns regarding Susan. If no action is taken and she still claims to not know about it when you talk to her again, then tell her what you’ve done without mentioning your father.  I’d expect her to try and get to the bottom of it if she is one of the good guys. That should shake things up in the committee and you may just see some fallout from it. If that happens then, I suspect that you can trust her.”

“What about Aunt Jen?” I ask him. “How far should I trust her?”

There is pause for a few seconds, “Sorry about that,” he says, “I needed to get somewhere more private to answer that question.”

Answering my question he says, “Jen is a great gal. Both she and Polly came from a home a lot like what yours sounds like. A place where integrity is highly valued.  That is one of the things that attracted me to Polly in the first place.”

“I would have thought that her good looks attracted you in the first place,” I interject.

“Oh, they did,” he says, obviously smiling–you can hear it in his voice. “She’s good looking, but looks only draw a person in. It’s one’s character that keeps a relationship together. Both Polly and Jen are beautiful people as well as beautiful women. It’s a great combination.”

About this time, I arrive in the outdoor section with my two followers in tow. They look like they’re ready to make a move as they nervously approach the display case where I am looking at pocket knives.

As they get within hearing range I say “Thanks for the advice Daddy, can I call you back after I make my selection if I have questions?”

“They’re moving in aren’t they?” the Major asks.

“Yes Daddy,” I reply, “I’ll be home soon.”

“Call me back,” he says, “I’ll be waiting. Bye, Princess.” With that I disconnect.

As I’m leaning over the display case looking at the variety of knives I hear the boys whispering to each other;  “Go talk to her.”

“No, you do it.”

“You’re the one that needs the date to the country club dance, not me.”

“Oh, alright. I just know she’ll just tell me to get lost like the last one. She’s a lot prettier than Janice and I bet she already has a boyfriend.”

“Janice is your cousin. Just get over there and be your charming self.”

Yep, I think to myself, a combination of hormones and desperation. This is getting old. I’ll try to refuse him gently.

I feel a presence by me as I continue looking over the knives.

“What’s a pretty girl like you need with a knife?” he asks as smoothly as he can.  The slight tremor in his voice belies his nervousness.

“Oh, I don’t know,” I say like a ditz then point to a skinning sheath knife in the display case. “Like, you never know when you’ll need to skin at polecat, like, don’t you agree?”

Hearing a loud snort, I turn to see the guy’s friend doing a poor job of trying not to laugh out loud.  In the mean time, the guy next to me turns white as a sheet and looks about to bolt. Okay, so that wasn’t the nicest approach. I figure that I need to make up for it.

“Hi,” I smile at him, “My name is Tina.” Not seeing any real motion, I ask, “what’s yours?”

He stares at me for a second as his thought processes reboot, “I’m Jim,” he says.

“Actually, Jim,” I say as sweetly as possible like an innocent waif–this girl thing is kinda’ fun, “I’m going for hike with my hunky boyfriend later today and I lost my pocket knife. I feel so much better when I have one with me, you know? Do you have any suggestions on a multipurpose knife that I can get that’s not too big?”

Looking in his eyes, I can see that his worst fears have been realized, but Jim and his friend do take a few minutes to educate the poor girl about knives before taking off. I’m actually surprised that he and his friend actually know about knives. Most kids these days know more about computer games than tools.

As they wander off, I overhear Jim telling his friend, “I told you she’d have a boyfriend.”

Andy is coming in handy, even if we’re not an item.

I end up picking a Leatherman ‘tool’–a fancy multipurpose knife–in a pretty burnt orange color. It’s not too big and will fit nicely in my handbags.

I wander a few more aisles before heading for the check out counter. I don’t see anyone else suspicious.

Back in the parking lot I call the Major after loading my purchases into the car.

“One of the guys was looking for a date to a country club event,” I tell him. “I don’t think he’s a threat.”

“So,” the Major asks, “are your going with him?”

“No,” I reply indignantly, then relate the interaction to him. He gets quite a chuckle out of it.

“You’re something else,” he says with another of those verbal smiles. “You make a great daughter.”

“While you were playing with the young man’s heart,” he continues, “I’ve been thinking that you’re right. It’s highly probable that the problem is in the security team. I’m also very sure that you can trust Jen but I think that you should still not tell her about your little experiment with planted data. You planted a seed with her last night and she’s obviously going to do something about it. At this point, I suggest that you just lay back and let Susan and Jen work the security team issues and see what falls out. You’ve given them both reasons to suspect their own team. They know the players and you don’t. Let them take care of it.  In the mean time, you just feed them the false documents and otherwise do your job.”

“What about the request to secure secret information that is where it belongs?” I ask.

“Continue to ignore that request,” he replies. “Doing so will keep you out of trouble if this whole thing heads south. Also, your continued reluctance may draw the requester out into view.”

“What about Dr. Lang and Dr. Sommers?” I ask.

“Based on what you’ve told me,” he replies, “I’d say that neither is a security risk. I see nothing in Dr. Sommers profile that causes me significant concern. Dr. Lang is still smarting from his last bout with Susan and seems like a bona fide sexist jerk. If his contact were a security team member who knew about you, then the conversation would’ve been a lot different. If he is a leak then he’s probably not connected directly to the security team leak.”

“And,” he continues, “let’s keep this conversation between us. I’ll ask Polly to keep the fact that you called quiet for now. We don’t want Jen’s people checking your phone and realizing that this call was not made from it. While you’re waiting for things to happen, there may be a few things that I can do from this end. If there is a leak in the security team, there may be a few things that my team can carry out as doing so fits within our mission. Just hang in there, Princess. We’ll help you all that we can. You know, we need a code word that we can use on the other phone that says that we need to talk on your new private line.”

Without telling him that I already have one with my real parents, I suggest the code word system that I already have in place. He agrees to it.

“Thanks, Daddy,” I smile in reply. “It really helps to clarify my thinking by talking with you. Anyway, I need to get back to the house before they think that I’ve gone AWOL.”

“You’re welcome, Princess,” he says, “Call anytime.”

As I climb in the car, I unwrap my other phone and hide my new one. I notice that I have several missed calls and a phone message all from Laurie. Without listening to the message, I call her back.

“Where have you been, girl?” she asks with anxiety in her voice. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for the last half hour.”

“I’ve been at the store picking up some stuff for the hike,” I tell her.

“Well, Tina,” she informs me, “you need to get home pronto. Andy’s here and we’re anxious to get going and I was afraid that something might have happened to you.”

Glancing at my watch, I notice that it’s almost nine thirty and we were supposed to leave at nine. Oops!

“Sorry, Laurie,” I apologize. “I guess I lost track of time. I’m on my way and should be there in five minutes.”

Wow, I didn’t realize how much time I’d spent in the store and I didn’t even get all that much. Fortunately, nothing that I got really needs repackaging.  We can just throw it in day packs and go.  However, I do want to hide my new cell phone before we go.

As I drive home, I keep an eye on the rear view mirror in case I’m being followed.  I even take a few odd turns aimlessly down residential roads but don’t see anyone following me. I’m sure that the Major is being cautious, but I’m starting to think we need to keep from getting paranoid. After all, who would be worried by a simple teen girl working as an intern?

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We're back for a little while.  The story won't be finished before I have to take another real life break, but we're getting there.

Thanks again to Gabi for her help with making this a better product.