the wall and listen to the thundering feet and squeals of hello that areprobably pretty standard at boarding schools everywhere on the first day aftersummer break (but they probably stop being standard when they take place inPortuguese and Farsi). Out in the hall, Kim Lee was talking about her summer inSingapore; and Tina Walters was declaring that "Cairo was super cool.Johannesburg—not so much," which isexactly what my mom had said when I'd complained about how Tina's parents weretaking her to Africa over the summer whereas I was going to have to visit mydad's parents on their ranch in Nebraska—an experience I'm fairly sure willnever help me break out of an enemy interrogation facility or disarm a dirtybomb.

"Hey, where'sCammie?" Tina asked, but I wasn't about to leave my room until I couldcome up with a fish story to match the international exploits of my classmates,seventy percent of whom are the daughters of current or former governmentoperatives—aka spies. Even Courtney Bauerhad spent a week in Paris, and her parents are both optometrists, so youcan see why I wasn't especially eager to admit that I'd spent three monthsplopped down right in the middle of North America, cleaning fish.

I'd finally decided to tellthem about the time I was experimenting with average household items that canbe usedas weapons and accidentally decapitated a scarecrow (who knew knitting needlescould do that kind of damage?), when I heard the distinctive thud of luggagecrashing into a wall and a soft, Southern, "Oh, Cammie … come out, comeout, wherever you are."

I peered around the corner andsaw Liz posing in the doorway, trying to look like Miss Alabama, but bearing agreater resemblance to a toothpick in capri pants and flip-flops. A very redtoothpick.

She smiled and said, "Didyou miss me?"

Well, I did miss her,but I was totally afraid to hug her.

"What happened toyou?"