SEVEN

Turns out that very same Jaisen was in my biology class, just as he’d said he was. The next morning at school, I turned around to the sound of twittering females and in the middle of it all was Jaisen. He grinned at me. I turned back to my desk, trying to keep the blush from creeping onto my cheeks. Infuriating and a good kisser–the rookie was trouble all around. His German accent seemed to have come back full force. Either he was playing up his role as a foreign student or he knew the effect this accent was having on his female audience. They were swooning.

I had never had to deal with having another spy at my school before. Cora went to East High School and everyone else at the U.E. was too old or too young to be in high school. Why, of all of the Novice Spies in the world, did I get stuck having this one at my school?

I made it through bio and almost forgot about Jaisen as I trudged through my morning classes. Until lunchtime.

“That totally hot new guy is checking you out,” Emma said as I put my lunch bag down on the cafeteria table and sat across from her.

“What hot new guy?” I turned to see where she was looking. Who else could it be but blonde beautiful Jaisen? I played it cool. Never having met him before outside of that whole spy business there was absolutely no reason to acknowledge his existence.

“I don’t think he’s checking me out Emma.”

“He so totally is, Katie. He’s a hottie. I’ve heard that he’s got an accent too.”

“Emma I am not into preppy guys like that. I want a guy who can see into my soul.”

“Katie, you want a guy who doesn’t bathe. That doesn’t mean that he can see into your soul. It just means that he smells.”

“I never said that I wanted a guy who didn’t bathe.”

“Practically. Those hippie guitar guys you are always drooling over are not the cleanest people that I have ever seen. You can’t tell me that you think Dustin bathes regularly?” Emma nodded her head in the direction of the slacker table where Dustin Starr resided as King of the Slackers.

I could not argue with Emma, for, while I thought that Dustin Starr fit right into the soulful rebel category, he did look a bit dirty. But what was a little dirt? Dustin didn’t play the guitar anyway, so he wasn’t even an issue. I didn’t want just any old slacker. I wanted a soulful slacker musician.

“You’re just looking for an accessory,” I said. “An accessory that smells good.”

Emma smiled at me. “Well, maybe. I’m not sure that I really want a guy looking into my soul.” She shuddered.

I smiled and started my cheese and tomato sandwich.

“Katie, look out, he’s coming over here.” Emma’s voice pulled me away from my sandwich.

“No, he’s not.” I looked up. He was. It was unmistakable. Jaisen was walking across the crowded stinky cafeteria right over to our table. Smiling.

“Katie, right?”

His navel was at eye level and his German accent was going strong.

“Mmmm…hmm,” I smiled back. What in the world was he doing?

“I’m Jaisen. I just moved here.”

“Oh.” Brilliant conversationalist, aren’t I?

“Why don’t you sit down?” Emma’s voice came from across the table.

“Thanks.” He sat down. Right next to me. Navel replaced by the grinning face of Jaisen Bax.

“That report you did in bio was great.”

I nodded. Why was he talking to me? And for God’s sake, why was he ignoring Emma? No one ignored Emma Krimstein. Beautiful, always fashionable Emma drew attention like no one else I had ever met. Her dark hair stood out against her pale rosy complexion and her perfectly clear blue eyes lit up her face. It was difficult to miss her in a crowd.

I, on the other hand, blended right into the crowd. Just as a good spy should.

“What report was that?” Emma asked.

“Whales.” I turned back to the table. Emma was giving me the eye. “Oh. Jaisen, this is Emma.”

“Nice to meet you Emma.” He glanced at Emma briefly and then turned those sparkly blue eyes right back at me.

“So you are going to the benefit dinner tomorrow?” Jaisen asked. What in the hell was he talking about? He knew that I was working at the U.E. tomorrow night.

I nodded. “Of course.” There must be something that he knew that I didn’t. How was that possible?

“Me too. There wasn’t a Save the Whales organization at my school in Germany, so I’ve never been to a Save the Whales Benefit Dinner. My school was too small.” He gestured with his hands. “I love your school here. It is so large—there are organizations for everything. Do you live near Rosedale?”

He damn well knew that I lived near Rosedale. He had driven me home less than twelve hours ago. What was he playing at? Was he trying to trip me up?

“Yes, I live in Kenwood.”

“That is perfect,” he said with his accent. “I have a car—it is not so exciting I think to have a car here, but where I was from everyone rode bikes.” He smiled, no doubt thinking about his new car. “If you do not have a ride I would like to pick you up.”

“Great.”

“Six o’clock then?”

I nodded. He beamed at me, blue eyes sparkling and got up to go. I could feel Emma having a conniption behind me.

“It was very nice meeting both of you. Katie, Emma.” He nodded to each of us and left.

“What was that all about?” Emma demanded when Jaisen was out of earshot.

“I have no idea.” And for once, I was telling the truth.

My secure spy phone, which I was supposed to check every waking hour of my life practically, but which I hadn’t looked at yet that day, was not overly helpful. In the girl’s room after lunch, I covertly checked and found one text message from the U.E. written in code.

Translated, all it said was, “Say yes to Jaisen.” Way to keep me in the loop.