Book: See How They Run (EmbassyRow #2) by Ally Carter

★★★½/★★★★★

“Just a few weeks ago I was obsessed with the Scarred Man and justice and proving to the world that I’m not crazy. I was wrong, of course, about so many things. And I may be wrong about this. But if there’s something worse than knowing an awful thing, it’s knowing nothing at all.”

Okay. So, the second book in the Embassy series, I can say, was more intense than the first. Not action-packed intense but crazy-Grace intense! Well, Gracie wasn’t really crazy but she just happened to remember that she actually killed her mother. And as if that wasn’t enough to make her crazy! I remember having mixed feelings with the first book and I’m not really sure what I feel about this one. It was gripping and entertaining but somehow Gracie became more and more paranoid. But then again, she had a reason to be!

The story picks up when Grace finally remembers what happened that day when her mother died. After years and years of accusing the Scarred Man, Dominic, of killing her mother, she realizes that she was actually the one who killed her mother. Now Grace tries to live with that fact that she killed her mother and even though no one really blamed her, it still hurts to know the truth. The story continues as Jamie and his West Point friend, Spence, visit Adria. And when Spence is found dead one day after a party, tension mounts in Embassy Row and next thing they know, one of Grace's friends is accused of being a murderer.

 I enjoyed this book better than the first because here we see more action from Grace and her friends. They did a lot of spy things and it was actually exciting how they explored tunnels and caves and secret doors! But more importantly, we got to know more of Adria's history that might've gotten Grace's mom in danger in the first place. I also liked the idea of the secret society and I think I might've an idea why they were so eager to take in Grace.

But though there were interesting things going on, I can't say that I liked Grace that much in this book. Mostly she irritated me. I don't blame her but it was annoying how she kept blaming herself and thinking she was crazy and that she made all the bad choices in the world! I mean, she can be crazy at times but being crazy over and over again was frustrating. As for her friends, I've grown to like them more and more! Noah, I liked him ever since the first book and I don't know *shrug* but I'm somehow hoping for him to have "something" with Grace. Lol.

“Noah shakes his head and backs away. I know he wants to fix this — fix me. He doesn’t yet know that his best friend was broken long before he met her — that I’ll never really be okay again.”

Megan and Rosie were still adorable and Lila, well, I'm not sure about her but she can't be that bad. And Alexei, oh Alexei, there were times I was so sure about him but there were also times when I felt nervous of who he might really be. But of course he can't be the bad guy!

“I laugh because, for once, Alexei chose to run away with me.”

We also got to finally meet Jamie, the big brother. He wanted to be there for Grace, to protect and make sure she was fine. He came to make sure that his little sister didn't blame herself for what happened to their mother. He was also Alexei's bestfriend but with all the allegations after what happened to Spence, they drifted apart.

 Alexei’s mask is gone, forgotten. And Jamie looks up at his oldest friend and says, “I’m okay …”
“Shut up,” Alexei snaps. “Save your strength.”
“I’m fine.” Jamie struggles to pull his arm from around Alexei’s shoulders, but when he does he stumbles, and Alexei catches him.
“I’ve got you,” Alexei says.
“I know,” Jamie replies.
This is how boys make up, I decide. Some bloodshed, a mob, and a few terse words, not a single one of which is sorry.

The last part of the book was my favorite part, with the celebration and Jamie and Gracie in the middle of it and everything else happening around them. It all happened so fast but I loved how Grace finally figured things out and how Alexei just showed up when he needed to and Princess Ann helping them and Dominic saving them and Ms. Chancellor explaining Grace everything. It was so intense I was actually on the edge of my seat the whole time!

Overall, it was fast-paced, gripping and a little frustrating if you hate repetitive scenes and cliffhanger. And with the revelation at the end of the book, I know it's gonna be a long wait until the third book! But I'll patiently wait for it because I'm interested to know how it would all end.

Book: A Gallagher Wedding (Short Story) by Ally Carter

★★★★★/★★★★★

Gallagher Girls will always be my favorite. Ever!

     I saw my mother in her ivory gown, Bex and Aunt Abby carrying the train as they walked from the P&E barn toward the gardens where people waited in white folding chairs. Mr. Solomon and Townsend stood at attention at the front of the crowd. Even in July and on his wedding day, Joe looked cool, like he had planned every possible outcome for that moment, and things were going exactly according to plan.

    “The bride and groom have requested that their maid of honor and best man join the ceremony,” Liz said, holding out my high-heeled shoes. “Besides, you guys have the rings.”

   “What do you say, Gallagher Girl?” Zach offered me his arm. “Do you want to join them?”

   I turned into the light.

  “I do.

And I do, Zach. I do! :")

2015 Book Review Roundup

January:
To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
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I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
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February:
Meant To Be by Lauren Morill
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The Alchemy of Forever by Avery Williams
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March:
Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover
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April:
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
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June:
Bully by Penelope Douglas
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July:
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han
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August:
All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
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September:
The Fill-In Boyfriend by Katie West
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Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
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Confess by Colleen Hoover
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Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes
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All Fall Down by Ally Carter
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October:
When by Victoria Laurie
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Playlist For The Dead by Michelle Falkoff
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Mosquitoland by David Arnold
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All The Rage by Courtney Summers
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I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios
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Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon
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Tonight The Street Are Ours by Leila Sales
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My Heart And Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga
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November:
What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler
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Dumplin' by Julie Murphy
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Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
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December:
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exepury
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Made You Up by Francesca Zappia
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Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino
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Never Never: Part 2 by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher
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Book: All Fall Down (Embassy Row 1) by Ally Carter

★★★/★★★★★

“No, Grace. You don’t get to be stubborn this time. This time you have to be safe. Okay?”

Gallagher Series was the reason why I love spy movies. I know the books didn't have much of guns and jumping off buildings and killing but I loved how Ally Carter has written it. And besides, Cammie was a bad ass and so her bestfriends.

Anyway, this first book of her third series is not what I expected it to be. I wanted more. I wanted more action. I wanted more spy stuff. And I didn't really connect with the characters. That's the reason why I only give it 3-stars. 

The story is basically about Grace and the Scarred Man who she thought killed her mother. She was thirteen when she saw her mom died in front of a scarred man. Then there was a fire that burned down her mom's antique shop. She witnessed and remembers it all. Only not exactly the way it really happened. Now she sees the Scarred Man again and this time she's convinced it's really him. Though there were other four times she thought it was that Scarred Man, or not. She wasn't really sure then but now, she's very certain. So when she hears that the Scarred Man is going to kill again, she makes a move. Only this time, she's wrong again.

"I am the Girl Who Cried Wolf. And now I am the only one who can save the lambs."

From the moment I started reading I've been thinking of possible ways it could end and somehow I got it right. Grace remembered it all wrong. Her memories were playing her and eventually she realized it.

And I'm not sure about Alexei, btw.

Book: Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter

★★★★/★★★★★

It's winter break and Cammie is with her bestfriend, Bex, and her parents in London. It is a vacation they always wanted but turns out to become a classified vacation when Joe Solomon, who is suppose to be missing, comes to Cammie just to tell her to follow the pigeon. Zack is there too.

Cammie is brought to a secret facility for questioning and stays on different places every night to be safe. Abby appears too and Cammie learns from her that Joe Solomon is a double agent.

After 3 weeks of vacation, Cammie and Bex are back to the mansion. Home. And as soon as they come back, Professor Buckingham tells her 3 things. Their vacation is classified so tell no one, no more outside activities, and her mom, Headmistress Morgan is detained. At dinner that night, Agent Edward Townsend is introduced as their new CovOps teacher who was also the one who broke into their suite early that afternoon. From then, they already hated Agent Townsend.

Cammie tells her other bestfriends, Liz and Macey, about what happened in London and they can’t believe it too so they agree on finding out the truth and believe that Agent Townsend knows something. But Agent Townsend doesn’t have any interest on teaching but is only interested on knowing things about Joe Solomon. 

The Operatives (Morgan, Baxter, Sutton, McHenry) look for clues about “pigeons” but there is nothing. Until they think of squeezing it out from Agent Townsend himself. But it shocked them when they find out that Joe Solomon is not only a double agent but also the one who killed Cammie’s father. Then Headmistress. Morgan is back.

Cammie doesn’t want to believe that Joe Solomon killed her father so she has to find the truth. She does what Joe Solomon told her, to follow the pigeons, and luckily she finds something, a note. She is determined to know the truth so they sneak out of the mansion to meet Joe but Zack shows up instead. He tells her that Joe wants her to find and read a journal, her father’s journal. 

The next day, Agent Townsend brings them to an amusement park for a covert operation. Everyone thinks it is a covert operation but it's not. Because he brought them there to catch Joe Solomon who, he is so sure, will come if he knew that Cammie would. And he did. Zach is there too.

As they return to the mansion, Cammie realizes that she needs to read the journal. So after three weeks, they finally breaks into the sublevel two. They take the journal and they are almost caught. Almost. Then Cammie reads it. They all read it and they learn a lot of things about her dad and Joe Solomon.  

The next day, they learn that Joe Solomon is taken by Circle of Cavan. Zack makes a move by coming to Cammie and asking her what she found out. He also tells her that if her dad kept a journal, so did Joe Solomon. But they need to get it at Blackthorne. Just then, Cammie finds out that her mom is actually keeping Zack at her office.

After what Zach told her, they headed to Blackthorne with the help of the Baxters. The operatives and Zach go on but only Zach and Cammie reach the Tombs where they are keeping Joe Solomon. Zach finds the journal and tells Cammie to go back but they are caught. Cammie only then realizes that Blackthorne boys are not technically taught to be spies but to be assassins and that the woman in Boston was Zach’s mom. She gets mad at Zach for keeping it from her.

They are captured by the guards and by Zach's mom but Zach is able to break free, fighting for their lives. He helps Cammie then tells her to run away. Zach' mom chases her down. Joe Solomon fights too but they are not able to get away leaving them no choice but to blow up the place. On the other side, Cammie keeps running but Zach’s mom corners her when she reaches the edge. Zach’s mother tells her that they won’t hurt her and that they just need to ask her few questions. She also says that she's the only one who can bring Cammie to her father. And then Cammie also finds out that Zach's mom used to be a Gallagher girl too.

No other option, Cammie jumps off the falls. But she's alive, she's safe and she's back. Agent Townsend, of course, has some questions for her and she tells him everything that happened. He also brings her to a room where a man covered with bandages is lying. He says that a young man brought the man in the other night and suggests that they call him Mr. S. Then Townsend leaves after giving Cammie back her father’s journal.

Zach is back too. Cammie gives him the journal of Joe Solomon. Headmistress Johnson also mentions that he will be spending more time with them since there's no place safer than the Gallagher Academy for him. Then Cammie feels that Zach is keeping distance. Fortunately, she bumps into him after checking Joe Solomon in his room. They talk and Zach gives her the idea of running away. With him. But Cammie knows that she can't run away. Not with him.

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Book: Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

 ★★★★/★★★★★

 Cameron Ann “Cammie” Morgan is in Boston with her bestfriend, Macey McHenry. It’s election and Macey’s dad, Senator James McHenry, is running for Vice President. Then Cammie meets Preston Winters, son of Gov. Winters who is running for President. He’s dorky and Macey kinda hates him.

They’re rehearsing for the campaign that day. Cammie, Macey, Preston and Charlie, their bodyguard, are on their way to the next venue. Whey they reach the rooftop, Cammie and Macey know that something is wrong. And they’re right. Because the next thing they know, a helicopter and black masked guys are ready to kidnap Macey. They are able to put Preston on safety but Cammie and Macey barely make it out. Then they are brought to Mr. Solomon’s, their CoveOps teacher, safe house for treatment. Headmistress Rachel Morgan, Cammie’s mom, is there too.

Cammie and Macey thought that it was just a test but they knew it wasn’t. So they are questioned by the FBI and after, Cammie is brought back to the mansion. Macey goes back to her family but then later on she's brought back to the school.

Cammie, Liz and Bex still remember that first day Macey McHenry came to their school. She was wearing black boots, a skirt with a diamond nose stud looking like a model but now she’s wearing a modest pants, sweater and she’s changed. Or maybe it’s just one of her covers. At the welcome-back dinner, Agent Abigail Morgan, Cammie’s Aunt, is introduced as Macey’s new security agent. She's there to protect Macey and she even said that she'll take a bullet for her. Another semester, Cammie and Bex are seeing sublevel 2, Liz is on Research and Operations and Macey is still a year behind. And everyone thinks Macey is okay, but Cammie thinks she’s not. Because maybe, she’s really not.

Macey’s dad has campaign rallies and it’s just normal for Macey to be there. So when she attends the campaign in Ohio, Mr. Solomon has another covert operation for the whole Junior CoveOps class. It’s to observe, listen and watch. Try to find out who are the bad guys. And then Zach is there too. Meanwhile, Preston is amazed. He thinks Cammie and Macey were cool and strong even though they’re girls. And he’s persistent. Sometimes Macey thinks of knocking him off but she knows she can't.

The campaign rally is finally over. Macey is back. But Cammie still wonders and she wants to know why the kidnappers were after Macey, why they only wanted Macey and not Preston too and why Zack was there. He came to see Cammie? She doesn’t know either. And she really wants to know why. Just then they realize that maybe the kidnappers knew that they were Gallagher girls because they weren’t surprised when Cammie and Macey fought back.

Another campaign rally is to be held in Philadelphia and Macey needs to go, again. Cammie and Bex think of ways to stop her but there’s nothing they can do. Duty calls. But then an idea pops up after Joe Solomon introduced them into the Science of disguise. So they go the Philadelphia with their disguises. It’s good so far until they see Mr. Solomon and a guy Cammie swears she’s seen in Boston. And she’s right, Zach is also there and she’s not imagining him on her head. Zach has been following her. She then stumbles on him on the train when she tries to see Macey. Cammie asks Zach what he was doing in Boston but Zach tells her that there are things he can't say. But Cammie is persistent. They also try to hide when they hear voices outside the room but Macey catches them. She tells them that Abby will be there anytime soon so they should stop their LQ right away. Zach tells her to be careful before disappearing and just then Abby catches Cammie. Her Aunt Abby is disappointed and she also warns her to stay away from Zach.

They come home after. Days pass and Headmistress Morgan and Joe Solomon tell them that Macey doesn’t have to go to her dad’s campaign anymore because it’s risky. Cammie is still bothered by the kidnappers so she continues to find clues together with her bestfriends. And fortunately, they’re able to finally figure out that the kidnappers want revenge on Macey because she’s the last descendants of Gillian Gallagher who killed Ioseph Cavan.

Friday night, Joe Solomon has another covert operation for them but that doesn’t include Cammie and Macey since they are in agreement with her mom that if she behaves and gets into no trouble, then she will spend the vacation with Bex and her family in London. That means no outside activities for both of them. But Cammie always breaks rules. So she and Macey go out that night to see Roseville. The town is celebrating a homecoming and there's a football game and somehow Cammie feels like Zach is there too. And she’s right. Zach is there and she is caught in an argument with him that Macey hears. Just then Macey realizes that Cammie and her two other bestfriends lied to her by not telling her that she’s a descendant of Gillian Gallagher and that is why the kidnappers were after her.

Next thing they know, Macey's ran away. She’s gone and Headmistress Morgan and the others are out to find her in Switzerland. But something tells Cammie and her bestfriends, Liz and Bex, that Macey isn't in Switzerland. They didn’t realize it until Liz says that maybe Macey went somewhere safe. And that’s when they take an unscheduled trip to Joe Solomon’s safe house. And they were right, Macey is there. Then they hurry to attend the election party. Everything seems back to normal. Macey is back and everything is fine again. Zach is there too, as always. Until the Circle of Cavan tries to kidnap Macey again, or who they thought is Macey. There's fighting and gun shots and Cammie sees her Aunt Abby being shot. She’s on the ground and Macey is putting pressure on her chest where she was shot. Everything else happens so fast. Zach walks her away from the scene and Joe Solomon instructs to keep an eye on Cammie yelling that they won’t stop until they get her. And there's one thing that Cammie can't take off her mind. It's when one of the attacker seemed to recognize Zach when he pointed at him and said "You."

Cammie is hurt again. Her Aunt Abby was shot but other than that, everyone else she loves is safe again. They’re back at the mansion and she’s able to ask her mom and Mr. Solomon why the Circle of Cavan is after her. Yes, she already figured it out by then but her mom tells her that there are things that she doesn’t need to know. Like what Joe Solomon and Zach told her. And maybe she just has to accept that. She rests and her Aunt Abby is better but needs to go. It’s sad but she needs to. Everyone says goodbye and Abby admits that she’s not good at it. She kisses Joe Solomon before leaving and gives back Cammie the jacket Zach left for her. And there she finds a note saying “Have fun in London –Z”

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Book: Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter

 ★★★★/★★★★★

Cameron Ann "Cammie" Morgan, or simply “Cammie the Chameleon”, is a student at Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women. It’s a school for spies.

Cammie is debriefed because of what happened last semester during her final examination. In short, Josh. The CIA has some questions for her and her mom, Headmistress Morgan, tells her that she totally aced it.

For Cammie, it would be a new semester, a new start. Meaning, no more Josh. They go back to the mansion and have a usual dinner at the Grand Hall before the classes start. Liz, Bex and Macey were worried about the debriefing but she tells them that it went fine. But Cammie and Bex are bothered about what Headmistress Morgan and Mr. Joe Solomon, their CoveOps teacher, were talking about when they overheard them earlier that day. “Cammie doesn’t know anything.”, “She didn’t suspect anything?” 

Classes just started and the East Wing of the mansion, one of Cammie’s shortcuts, is off limit. They wonder why and they have to find out why. That’s what they always do. They also wonder about who or what Black thorn or Blackthorne or whatever it may be is. Because Cammie believes that it has something to do with what she doesn’t know. 

That semester, Cammie and Bex have CovOps, Liz has Advanced Organic Chemistry and Macey is a year behind. They aren’t together but they know they will be fine. And because they are so curious about Black thorn or Blackthorne, they break into the East Wing and see that it’s actually turned into a quarter. More specifically, a boys’ quarter. That makes them suspect that there is really another school like Gallagher Academy for Boys. Cammie also agrees on spying on her mom, at her office, during their Sunday night bonding to find out more about this Black thorn or Blackthorne. She feels guilty but she needs to and finally she finds out what Blackthorne really is. It’s a school for boys. School for spy boys. And it is thanks to that picture of her dad and Mr. Solomon wearing a shirt with a crest of Blackthorne Institute for Boys that she found at her mom’s drawer.        

The next day, Joe Solomon takes them for a covert operation. At the mall. That’s where Cammie meets Zach. A Blackthorne boy. She didn’t think at first that the boy who follows her around and offers her a gum and offers to walk with her to her destination is actually a spy like her. Not until Joe Solomon introduces him to her. And it finally hits her, there is really a school for spy boys and it is called Blackthorne.

Next thing they know, 15 boys, not to mention spies, are joining them for the rest of the semester. Things between Zach and Cammie are not really good maybe that’s why she hates him. At first. Zach calls her “Gallagher girl” and he always teases her.

Mr. Solomon gives them another activity about brush pass the following morning. They head to a very familiar place for Cammie where she remembers everything, including Josh. And what are the odds that she will see him that day? She does. Cammie sees Josh with Deedee. She feels kinda hurt but convinces herself that she’s already over him. Cammie tells her mom what happened on Roseville that day. Her mom says it’s okay and that she understands what Cammie is feeling. Then she gives Cammie a present she really wouldn’t have thought her mom would give her. A dress. A red dress. A red strapless dress. 

The following Friday, they are having a ball. It’s another test for them, as always. And maybe it’s the thing that Headmistress Morgan meant when she said that Cammie would be needing the dress anytime soon. The test is to pretend to be someone else. And Cammie likes it. Because most of the time she wants to be anyone else but herself. They’re all having a good time, so far. Zach, who has his own cover, invites Cammie to a dance which she can’t not accept because her cover tells her that she likes dancing. Everything is fine until Cammie feels an emergency, bra emergency. So she goes somewhere to pull off her bra, which at that time she can already feel on her waist and swears that she will never wear a strapless dress again. She goes to one of her passage ways and is surprised to see Zach waiting for her. Then a Code Black happens. 

The next thing she knows, everyone thinks that she was sneaking out because everyone heard on their comms that day on Roseville when Josh asked Cammie to go to their dance that very same night. But she wasn't not sneaking out. She also tells them that they can ask Zach since they were together when it happened but Zach denies it.

More secrets surround Zach which makes Cammie suspect him even more. So Cammie and her bestfriends decide on breaking into the boys’ room and put some bugs. After waiting and listening, they still haven’t found anything. So they thought that maybe the best way to get and hear what they want is to develop a relationship with the boys which Cammie doesn’t quite like since it means studying with Zach in the library, alone. But Zach totally knows what they’re doing.

The semester goes on and on some point Cammie realizes that just like them, Blackthorne boys, Zach, also has pasts and histories. She realizes it when she asks about Zach’s parents.

But Zach continues on being mysterious. Until he tells Cammie that someone knows what happened to her dad. He believes someone knows. Cammie gets confused so she asks her mom about her dad but her mom tells her that she would only tell Cammie in the right time. 

Zach then asks Cammie out on a date. Yep, a date. Of course Cammie is surprised but she’s done that before. The date is good, so far, even though Zach tries to kiss her and even though they meet Josh and Deedee. Until Zach lies about knowing the guy who’s been following them. Cammie does what she’s supposed to do, report it back to the school. But as they enter the mansion and see one of their teachers covered in blood, Code Black is already echoing on the whole place. Their teacher tells them that he has the disc and that it shouldn’t fall on the wrong hands. The girls think the boys did it. So they followed the tracker they put on the boys’ shoes the weeks before. And just like their last fall final examination, they are back on that same place. She’s on that same place where a boy thought he had saved her from danger.

The boys catch up with them. Cammie still thinks that Zach and the other boys are behind all that so she is mad. But she’s wrong. Zach explains that Dr. Steve wouldn't do that unless it's just a test. And he’s right, Dr. Steve wouldn’t really do that unless it is just a test. And it is. Behind it is Cammie's mom and Joe Solomon.

After that night, everything goes back to normal. Except, Blackthorne boys are already leaving. Cammie also goes to see her mom to ask if any of those were real. If Zach is even real. Then Headmistress Morgan tells her to say bye to him.

Cammie knows Zach is real. But then he’s leaving. They never say goodbye but Zach always finishes what he started. So he does that thing he should’ve done that day on Roseville, he kisses Cammie.

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