Invisible Secrets, Chapter 18

*I'mma ditch this.*

 "Josephine Glenn! You should be ashamed of yourself!" I scream in Joe's face. "Did you betray us or anything?"

    There's a story behind my words. Josephine "Joe" Glenn was a secret agent who was excellent at first. She was a smart kid, really talented and open-minded. However, she often goofed off, so the enraged headmaster kicked her out of the agency. In order to get revenge, Joe crashed our headquarters at random moments, hoping to infuriate the headmaster.

    "Dawn," Joe says, sweetly smiling. "Would you please show me where the headmaster is?" She has no idea, I think. "That would be me..." I say. "The old headmaster retired."

     Joe grins broadly. "Well, I'm not super mad at you, so I guess... um... well... uh..." Her voice is so nervous, I end up feeling sorry for her. Luckily, she has extrasensory perception too, so we can communicate mentally. I can tell she wants to join the agency again, and I'd love to let her.

    "Remember our ESP link?" I ask. ESP is our abbreviation for extrasensory perception. "I can read your mind. Of course you can come back."

Invisible Secrets, Chapter 17

*I might ditch this story if I want to and enough people vote on the poll.*


    I scream and jump backwards. Who is this stranger, and why is he threatening me? What did I do wrong?
    Strangely, the unwelcome crasher seems to read my mind. "Don't worry about why I'm here," the figure says in a freaky and mysterious voice. It sounds familiar, like I heard it a while ago and forgot who it was. "I'm not going to hurt you... much... Stay calm... It'll be all right..." The person's tone is eerily soothing. I feel like my mind is being invaded by this vaguely familiar black-cloaked intruder. Not fair.
     "What?! Not you! Joe, what are you doing here?" asks Ceres, her eyes burning with intensity. The figure takes of the cloak and reveals a pleasant face with long, flowing hair. Clearly a girl. "Ceres. Don't call me Joe; I'm Josephine!" she says.

Invisible Secrets, Chapter 16

*Pathetic today, but I have so much other stuff...*

     Kara, Sam, and Ceres get to work rebuilding the chamber, while I stay back and investigate. The bomb, as it turned out, was manufactured by another developer. The developer didn't supply to our rivals, so they must have had some other motive to explode headquarters. But what is it? That's what I have to find out.
    In no time flat, the other three kids have completely remodeled the headquarters. It looks totally new, I can count on my loyal advisers, but what about me, the inexperienced girl leader?
    BAM! Someone bursts through the door of the agency. It's a figure clad all in black. I can't tell if it's a man or a woman. "Give me your money or else!" the person screams. "You  and your organization will be DESTROYED once and for all!!"

Invisible Secrets, Chapter 15

 *Sorry I can't write very much, but I'm super busy w/ track and field, band auditions, being a flute teacher, etc.*


     The world exploded. I know I exaggerate a lot, but not really this time. There was this huge thunder-like BOOM, and then the chamber's walls collapsed into rubble. It's our rivals again. We could just form an alliance, but they will never agree. They're a warlike group, always looking for trouble. And they usually get it.
     I dig around in the drawers of the headmaster's desk and finally find a red telephone. It's the hotline to the police station. They know about our agencies, so it's okay to contact them.
    Once I call and get a reply, I explain about the incident. I forget my exact words so I won't write them here. The police come and investigate. "This bomb wasn't put here by your rivals," says the police chief. "It was definitely a third-party developer. We'll look into this and see what we can do, okay? In the meantime, try and rebuild your headquarters." The chief is just trying to sound encouraging. What, after all, can she do about this? She's not a teenager who has to run a whole spy agency and has her office blown up on her first day, I think.

Invisible Secrets, Chapter 14

     "First thing's first. Let's get some new equipment! Like... those new invisibility cloaks, and those special time-bomb tranquilizers we heard of, and how about some new smoothie machines?" I blurt out excitedly. "No thanks about the smoothie machines," says Ceres, making a face. "They're a huge waste of money. No offense, Dawn, but I'm starting to rethink having you as headmaster."
     This makes me feel offended. "You think you could do better?" I retort. That shuts her up for the moment.
     Even though I kind of got angry at Ceres for rethinking having me as the leader, I consider her words. I'm letting this new responsibility get to my head. That's even worse than being constantly attacked and not knowing what to do about it. I can speak seven different languages and hack anyone's credit card or email account, and that's just the lowest of my capability. But if I always let accomplishments enlarge my ego, I'm a total goner, no matter what skills I have.

Invisible Secrets, Chapter 13

*Can't write much today. Busy w/ track and field.*
     It's my first day taking over the agency. Now, headmaster is the most dangerous job you can have as a spy. Even more dangerous than a field agent. It's almost impossible to run a whole spy corporation and still be anonymous, but that's what I'm striving for.
     "Okay. My first... um... order is for you to never tell anyone that I took over. ANYONE. Understand?" I say in a strict tone. "If another spy from our agency asks, tell them though. That way, our opponents will try to attack the old headmaster, who fainted. They won't attack me."
     Kara, Sam, and Ceres say they got it, that they never will tell another secret agent about my new position. I feel like I'm totally ready for the job. I have three great advisers, a strong background in spying, and an aim to be virtually unknown. Some people might say that an inexperienced girl like me can't handle the work, but I'm determined to prove them wrong.

Invisible Secrets, Chapter 12

    Before Ceres, Sam, or I can do a thing, Kara comes rushing in to the office. "Oh. My. Gosh. I found the reason the headmaster fainted!" she exclaims. "He was shot with a tranquilizer gun. Now I've used one before, but this wasn't your average tranquilizer. This was some new, powerful technology which caused him to go insane for a few weeks. And during the insanity, he did that weird stuff, like saying that someone was attacking the country and firing you.. It had been planned out to make him faint today. You know, like a time bomb."
    Someone has more powerful technology than we do? NO. Then it must be the.... the.... I can't force that name out of my mouth, and I'm too scared to write it here. It's our rival agency. They must have set this up. But they didn't know exactly what the headmaster would say in his stage of insanity! They didn't know he'd let me take over! And I am totally ready to take on the job! I, Dawn McAllen, will now take over the agency!!
    "DAWN!! Back on the planet!!" It's Kara's screaming that snaps me out of my trance. "So... are you taking over or not?"
    "I guess I am," I say, false confidence blatant in my voice.

Invisible Secrets, Chapter 11

*Note about "chapters": Today is Ch. 11, which only means it's my 11th day on the story. So it's not exactly a chapter, more like a segment. Sorry I can't write much today, but I was busy...*

    "IT. IS. NOT. A. TEST." There's something about those words that's reassuring. So when the headmaster finally says them, I feel okay again. Like my life actually isn't a big trap to see if I'm worthy of this or that.
    "I'm so sorry about all this! It really wasn't a pre-planned test. Someone got hold of... of the..." he says, before fainting. Literally. He collapses on the ground. Kara calls the spy doctors, who help revive him.
    While Kara is helping the spy doctors, Ceres, Samuel and I go into the headmaster's office. Normally, we're not allowed there, but today, we suppose we can make an exception.
    

Invisible Secrets, Chapter 10

     "You?" the headmaster asks, his face shadowed. "Ceres Flynn? Why, may I ask, did you summon me again?" "Sir, it's an emergency. You just fired Dawn here. We're asking you for a second chance," Ceres calmly replies. That girl just can't get angry, no matter how much people aggravate her, I think, admiring her.
    "Oh no! Dawn, I'm so sorry! You seemed like a 'special case,' as some of the other staff put it. Basically, that means you were exceptional. This whole thing was just a test to see if you'd survive through all this. I planned the whole thing, with some assistance from your brother," says the headmaster. "I'm proud to say that you're in charge of the agency now. It's time for me to retire, you see, and I needed someone worthy enough to take my place. Dawn McAllen, I'm proud to pronounce you head of our agency."
     NO!!!!! I can't take on the responsibility!! NO!! This can't be just a test. I've had enough of just tests. I need something REAL for a change!! "Don't worry; we can be your advisers," Kara says, smiling. "Remember, we've got it covered!"
    And I'm still nervous. No matter what people say to calm me down, I'm thinking, This is a test. THIS IS A TEST. THIS. IS. A. TEST. It's what people have been hiding all this while. My whole life seems to be a phony test.

Invisible Secrets, Chapter 9

    Kara, Samuel, and Ceres drag me out of the house, with some assistance from Jim. They're taking me to headquarters so I can rejoin the agency. We proceed down the street, and stop in front of the manhole cover that blocks the passageway to headquarters. Samuel casually lifts it off, making sure no one's looking. And then we're ready.
    The four of us climb down into the underground network of tunnels. After the trip, we find ourselves in headquarters. Ceres walks to the corner of the chamber, over to a small metal box. After she taps three times on the top of the box, it grows into a humanoid robot. "How can I help you?" it asks in a clear voice. "Contact... master," Ceres says slowly, over-enunciating a bit so the humanoid will understand her.
    The robot turns around and walks through a door on the side of the chamber, while saying, "Accomplishing mission. Accomplishing mission..." over and over again. Finally, after two horrendously long minutes, the robot returns, followed by a man we know as the headmaster of the agency. "Mission accomplished," the bot says. "Do you require further assistance?"
    "Of course," Kara says, rolling her eyes. "We need to let Dawn McAllen rejoin." "I'm sorry, but the mission you requested is impossible," says the humanoid.
    And right then and there, my hopes feel crushed. Because of a silly robot.

Invisible Secrets, Chapter 8

    "Kara? Ceres? Samuel? What are you guys doing here?" I ask. Kara replies that it was no big deal about the emergency, just a little test to see if I was a good enough spy. And, apparently, I'd failed. I wasn't good enough to figure out that my parents and brother were spies too. "I'm so sorry, Dawn," Ceres says, her head bowed. "It totally wasn't our fault. Or Principal Reid's. This was done by none other than the head of the agency!"

    "We'll get you back! We need you!!" Kara says. Samuel nods in agreement.

    I can't bear to leave my life behind like this. The agency would just have to hire someone else. They'd just lost me, with my extrasensory perception, college-level intelligence, and all those other excellent qualities. Those qualities which very few other people have.

   It's fine. Kara, Ceres, Samuel, and Jim will get me back. I know it. They're secret agents too. They'll contact headquarters or something. They might even blackmail the head of the agency! Despite these hopeful thoughts, another voice inside of me speaks. NO. They won't get you back. They're just secret agents. How much can they do? I don't care that you and Kara have been best friends since preschool. I don't care how much Ceres is like a sister to you. And I don't care how much you like Samuel. They can't do anything about it. 

    

Invisible Secrets, Chapter 7

    Jim pulls me away into his room. "Dawn, I know that you're with a spy agency right? I am too, it's just that I'm in a different unit than you are. You don't see me at the school spy meetings because I'm in high school. But I'm a spy too. Everyone in our family is a spy!" he explains calmly.
    I feel shocked. No, I AM shocked! Someone from the spy agency is planning an attack on the country! If only Ceres could here this. If only... If only... She's been through this. Even though she's younger, she's extremely knowledgeable. She'd know exactly if it's a hoax or not. But Ceres, no matter how much I need her, isn't here. I have to decide for myself.
    Jim continues, "I got the same notification as you did, Dawn. Someone from our family is apparently attacking the country. Well, this is an alarm notification. It's not true. Trust me."
    I definitely can trust my brother now. But before I can tell him this, there's a knock at the door. I answer it, and see Kara, Samuel and Ceres, all spies, standing there. A big surprise.
    

Invisible Secrets, Chapter 6

    Thanks to Kara's extremely hard pokes on my rib cage, I come back to the real world. Where am I? That's right. In the principal's office. Spy meeting. I happened to have slept the entire time the meeting was happening. But the thoughts... and Ceres's words... it's all haunting me. It's not as if I could go home and ask, "Which one of you guys is attacking the country?" That would reveal too much information.
    After school that day, at the dinner table, I finally bring up the point with my family. "So... did you hear about the alleged attack on the country?" I ask. As I'd predicted, my parents reply that they never thought anything was happening. Pleased that my scheme is working, I reply,"Well... one of my friends... this kid from school whose parents are with the FBI... she said something about this. I don't know if it's real or anything, but... yeah..."
    My family is getting a bit "weirded out" because of the conversation, but Jim finally replies. "Dawn, I need to talk to you. Like, in private. OK?" A serious look crosses his face as he stares at me.
    Is it Jim? The terrorist? Even if he was a bit annoying at times, he was so nice. Always there for me. And here he is, plotting against me. NO. This is not happening.

Invisible Secrets, Chapter 5

     My mind is plagued. Again. I wish I could get rid of my secret life as a spy. But that's impossible. Not every seventh grade kid has extrasensory perception, is an excellent liar, and has a learning level that's higher than a college graduate's. However, once I discovered the agency's existence, I had to join. Or else I'd die. 

    And then new ponderings add to the stream of thoughts. Should I die now? I won't have to worry about any of this. But suicide is an act of cowardice. I can't be a coward. No. I'm strong. I'll save the country.

    Finally, the spy meeting starts. "Um... someone... who apparently lives at my house, is attacking the USA," I say to the other spies. The only people in the principal's office are Principal Reid, me, Kara, and two other kids named Ceres and Samuel. 

   Ceres, a wiry sixth grader, stands up and replies. "You know, recently, I got that same exact notice! But it turned out to be a fake," she says.

   I think carefully about Ceres's words. She's just a sixth grader, but an extremely trustable one, almost like a little sister to me.

   What if she's right? What if it's just a fake? What if no one's plotting anything? What if... What if...

   "DAWN!!" Kara whispers loudly, nudging me. "Get back on the planet!"

Invisible Secrets, Chapter 4

    "Dawn!! Get out of my room NOW!" screams Jim. I reply that I'm very sorry, that I lost something in his room. Being a secret agent means that you have to be very good at lying.
    "What did you lose?" asks Jim. "It's not in here; none of your business," I reply, my voice shaking nervously. I go to my room and get ready for school. The main reason I go to Sandyville Middle School is not because it's the closest to my house; it's because the school principal herself is a spy! That's also the reason I convinced my parents to move here a few years ago.
    My friend Kara arrives at my house. We usually walk to school together, so we get started right away. After the two-mile walk, we finally arrive at the middle-school campus and enter our first-period class. I'm the only one that's acing through the work without even thinking. Because of my secret career, I'm smarter than the average seventh grade student. But half of my mind is occupied with "the thoughts." Someone from MY family is attacking the country. And I'm a world-class secret agent. It's reality, but it's overwhelming. Way too overwhelming.
   After sitting through two whole hours of classes, I'm allowed to go to recess. Most kids will be playing outside, but not Kara and me. We have spy meetings. All the other kids think we go to Math Club at recess, but they were misinformed.
     As I open the door to the principal's office, I'm nervous. I need to tell all the other Sandyville Middle School spies about the attacker, but because the terrorist is from my family, I might be kicked out of the agency. And every spy is needed. With one less person to fight crime, the world will be at stake...

Invisible Secrets, Chapter 3

    I hurry back home, the thoughts still attacking my brain. Is this the secret that everyone's hiding from me? I ask myself. Someone plotting against the country? But no, my conscience replies, there's more to it. Much more.
    Under the guise of a normal teen, I finally go back to my room. I hide in the closet while a mannequin that looks like me is still lying in my bed. I may seem like a coward, hiding in my closet when the country is suffering, but I've already reached the attacker's home. MY home.
    Finally, after what seems like a million years shrouded in darkness, daylight comes! I quickly shove the mannequin back into my closet and take its place in my bed. "Wake up already, sleepyhead!" shouts my older brother, Jim. He's not a secret agent, but I feel like he's plotting something. Even if it's not the attack on the country, it's still something significant, something that can change my life.
    I spring out of bed and say hello to my brother. After wolfing down my breakfast of waffles, I run upstairs into Jim's room. Jim is the typical older brother, who doesn't want his kid sister touching his stuff, so I'm lucky that I can snoop around for a few minutes. There's nothing significant, nothing worth mentioning, just a normal older-brother room. A huge disappointment, not what I was expecting. So Jim is certainly hiding something...

Invisible Secrets, Chapter 2

     Try not to think like this, Dawn, I tell myself. You have to change your mindset to that of a spy, not a normal teenager. I take my seat next to another secret agent, a girl named Kara. She's also disguised as a normal teenager, and we've become best friends over the years.
     A whirring sound can be heard under my chair. My agency has extremely high-tech equipment, so the seemingly normal steel chair prints out a small piece of paper covered with writing. I pick it up and read it carefully, word for word. It's my new spy assignment! Another whirring sound is heard, and my chair transforms into a jet pack. Normal humans might not think jet packs have been invented, but they're actually only used by my agency and kept very top-secret.
    I fly over the city lights, wishing no one will spot me. As I soar above the world, the invasive thoughts about my school friends return. They're hiding something, something worse than what I'm hiding... what is it? What's the price I must pay to learn just what it is, if anything at all? These may seem like just thoughts, but when you have extrasensory perception like I do, they're something a lot more.
    According to my assignment sheet, someone's attacking the USA. That's it. It may seem pathetic that there's not much info, but it's surprising how people can hide secrets so well. Like my being a spy, for one.
    The assignment sheet says that the alleged attacker lives in America, and includes a street address. I read the address carefully, suspended in midair, and find something surprising.
    Someone who lives at MY house is planning against the country.
    And then, given the situation, the thoughts strike back.

Invisible Secrets, Chapter 1

     It's midnight. To be more precise, it's 11:59 PM. Most sane humans are asleep now, in the small town of Sandyville, but not me. I have another life to attend to. There's no time for humanly issues now. You might not have guessed this by now, but I'm a secret agent. Wait, who am I talking to? This is my private journal, and I don't think anyone is reading this right now...
     I get up from my rarely-used bed and leap out my bedroom window. I may sound crazy, but this is for a reason! If I can't make it to secret agent headquarters on time, I'll get fired. With one less person to fight crime, the world will be at stake.
     As I fall out of my bedroom window, I adjust the angle of my fall so I'll land where I want to. I finally fall on top of what looks like an ordinary manhole cover. But it isn't. It's the only route to my headquarters, so I open the lid and hop inside. A small cart carries me through a network of underground tunnels. And then I'm there, in the small chamber, packed with electronic gear, that we call headquarters. Not a second late.
     But as I approach my seat, nervous thoughts cross my head. What if someone else finds out about this place? My parents, maybe, or someone from school? What if they're stalking me secretly and I don't even know it? What if.... What if...?  These thoughts plague my mind and make it impossible for me to concentrate. Right now, I'm not Dawn McAllen the normal teenager. The fate of the world is in my hands... in a way...

Invisible Secrets (Preview)

*This is a preview of Invisible Secrets, which is a story I'm going to write soon. So stay tuned!!*

    It's really hard to maintain a secret identity. Especially when everyone around you is a total deception artist. Why am I saying this, you ask? That's because it totally applies to me. Most people know me as Dawn McAllen. But no, that's not true. I'm not a normal girl, as normal as I look and act. I have another life too, it's just that no one knows about it. 

    I'm a secret agent. Really. Like, with the FBI. It may freak you out, but it's true. And for the longest time, I've always felt that everyone who knew me, everyone I knew, had something to hide from me. Maybe even worse than my being a secret agent. Maybe, just maybe, one of them has the power to destroy the world as we know it...