PoV: Kaylee

It wasn't till about an hour later that I actually got any answers. Before we got to that, we had to ditch the Civic, and steal someone else's car. Initially I was strongly opposed to the idea, until Meg- Julia, pointed out that the alternative was pretty bad. I still was unclear what would happen if we were caught, but if she was concerned about it, I guessed it was bad.

We ended up stealing an Audi S4, and Julia apparently had some reasoning for picking that car. It was something about it being a really safe car, because it performed well in car crash tests. I didn't pay that close attention, as I was more distracted by how quickly she broke in, found the valet key, and got the car running.  

After we got onto the highway, I began to relax.

"So, do most cars have valet keys like that?" I asked after a couple minutes of silence. Julia was driving again, and I was pleased to see that she was following the rules of the road this time.

"Most, yeah." She answered, then fell back into silence.

Sighing, I tried again, "Where are we going?"

"My home," Julia said quietly.

"Well, shouldn't we be turning around then?" I frowned.

"That's... that's not my real home."

"Okay, then where-" I groaned in frustration, "Meg- Julia! You said you would stop with the secrets! So stop already! Who are you? I mean full name, just to be clear. And how do you know all these things, like how to steal a car, or even drive one? How old are you really? I just- gah! Please give me some clear answers!"

"Are you sure you want to know? It's like that Matrix thing. You've got the blue pill and the red one. If I tell you, you won't be able to be completely normal ever again." She warned me, her tone completely serious.

"I thought I took the 'red pill' when I joined you in that car chase," I responded, "And who wants a normal life?"

Julia snorted, beginning to laugh, "Well, it just so happens that me wanting to be normal kinda started this whole thing."

"Wow, what a shocker," I said dryly. She glared at me, and I quickly added, "But please continue."

"Well, what should I start with?" she asked, looking slightly nervous.

"Well, how about who you work for, if it's not the CIA." I suggested, half expecting her to dodge the question.

She sighed, "I work for an organization called Castle."

"Intimating." I noted, earning another glare.

"Do you want me to continue?" She sounded annoyed, "Because telling you this is going against all my training, and I'll take almost any excuse to stop."

"Yes, please continue," I said quickly, mentally kicking myself, "So, what is Castle?"

"My country's black ops organization. We go to extremes that the government can't to protect our country."

She's stopped talking, so I spoke up again, trying to give her a nudge, "So, you are not American? Where are you from?"

A hint of a smile appeared on her lips, "Eh, well, I'm sorry, but I can't tell you, sorry."

"What? Come on Meg- Julia!" I protested.

She looked over at me, exasperated, "You couldn't figure that out? What else can I do, douse it in maple syrup?"

Realization dawned on me, "You're... Canadian?"

"Yep."

"Wait... are you claiming that Canada has a black ops organization?" I asked, "That's hard to believe."

"Good, that means we are doing our job well," Julia smirked.

I rolled my eyes, "Okay, moving on. How old are you?"

"I'm still fourteen," she said, "That hasn't changed."

"Really? You are fourteen? I... don't know if I can believe that."

Julia groaned, "Not you too! Everybody doubts me. Absolutely everyone! Other agents, who treat me like I don't know anything, and three quarters of the time, I'm more experienced than they are! Then there are those guys who tease me just cause I'm young! Then, rarely, I met someone who respects me, then learn that they just want to spar with me, assuming that they'll be better cause they're bigger, and they're just looking for bragging rights! It's so infuriating!"

I sat there silent, surprised by the rant.

She blinked, then sighed, "I'm sorry. You didn't need to hear all that."

"No, I did," I said quietly, turning to look at her, "I still want to know you, and I now know that there is a lot I don't know about you. I'd really like to remedy that."

"Are you sure? I... I didn't realize this before, but I'm a pretty messed up person." Julia continued to look out the windshield.

"Yes. I do. But I need you to tell me everything that you can manage to. Please?"

She nodded, swallowing nervously, "I would like that. I've always wanted a friend, and now you are offering to be a friend who I don't have to keep sheltered. I... there is a part of me that can't believe it."

"Yep, that's what I'm offering. Now, what's your last name?" I asked, hoping to catch her off-guard.

Julia laughed, "Well, I may as well get the complicated explaining over with. My last name is Bourne."

"Bo- could you spell that for me?" I asked, trying not to freak out in excitement, "Is it b-o-r-n? Or b-"

She cut me off, "B-o-u-r-n-e. Yes, like that spy character you've watched movies about. It's some sort of in-joke in Castle. And no, I'm not related to Jason Bourne."

"Wait, your name is Julia Bourne? You are another spy whose initials are J-B?" I asked, holding back giggles.

"Yes, my initials are J-B." Julia confirmed.

I cocked my head to the side, "How is your last name an in-joke? Last names aren't picked, so..." I trailed off, leaving it open for her to explain.

"Julia Bourne is not my birth name. I don't know my birth name, and I don't feel any need to," she shrugged, "My name is Julia Bourne, and that's all I need. Also, as these last months have proved, names don't really matter that much. I told you my name was Megan, even though my name is Julia. You still know me just as well."

"I guess..." I frowned, "Who are your parents? Or are you still an orphan? Is that why you don't know your birth name?"

"I am technically an orphan, but I do have a guardian. And I don't know my birth name because, well," Julia sighed, shrugging, "When my training began, they weren't training just another agent. They were working on a project called Operation Rosebush. That operation was me. The concept was that I would be trained as a spy from a young age, so that those skills would be as instinctive to me as reading is for anyone who goes through the north american school system. My birth name is unimportant, as whatever life I might have had is long gone. Any biological family might have had is dead, and I've checked that information myself, when Tata wasn't looking, so that life is fully gone. I'm Julia Bourne, Canada's best secret agent."

"The mysterious Tata is a real person?" I asked, surprised.

She laughed, "Yeah, he's real. He's my guardian, though his technical role within castle is my handler. Oh, fun fact, Tata is Polish for dad."

"So he's your guardian slash handler slash dad?"

"Yes, though I'm only allowed to call him Dad when we are outside of headquarters." Julia confirmed.

"And you were calling him Dad this whole time, right in front of me?" I asked, both annoyed and amused.

"Uh huh." She nodded, smiling.

"Well, I feel dumb. All I needed to do was use Google translate, and I would have known all your secrets." I joked.

"Come on," Julia rolled her eyes, "You're the one who taught me how unreliable Google translate is. What makes you think it would get that right?"

"I have no idea," I admitted, then smirked, beginning to chant, "Grad-u-ally watermelon, grad-u-ally watermelon." I earned myself a glare mixed with a smile.

"What else do you want to know?" She asked.

"Um... why the fake name? Why did you pretend to be Megan Jones? Why did you come to America, and why did you come to our family?" I asked, refocusing on getting my answers.

"Honestly? Well..." Julia sighed, seeming reluctant to tell me, "I've been working as a spy pretty much non-stop since age four and I've always envied normal kids, who don't have to worry about the current political climate, how to take down someone twice your size, and who's not allowed in Canada at any given moment. So I asked Dad if I could take a vacation. It took a couple months to convince him, but I got him to relent. Then we had to set it up, and find someone who we could trust. We picked your family because of your mother, and her history with the military. She also has worked with Castle a couple times when she was in the military, and she has always been a motherly person. We gave me a fake name because you guys lived in the states, and we didn't want to make life too easy for the CIA. We've got to keep them on their toes, you know?" She explained casually, as if it was no big deal.

"So that's why you lied to me for months?" I asked, my anger building up, "That's why you pretended to be someone you're not? That is why you were always triggered by weird things? My little sister isn't even my sister, and she's a spy. And she's lied to me for as long as I've know her."

Julia continued to look ahead at the road, "That is correct. Look, I know you said that you'll stick with me, but if you hate me, that makes sense. We can totally part ways, but we can only do that safely after we cross the border into Canada. It should only be a couple of hours though. Then you can go on your way, and hate me for lying to you for as long as you'd  like."

"Do you think I should hate you?"

"Why not? So far I've lied to you, mislead you, and put you in danger because of my own problems. Why wouldn't you hate me?" she said resignedly.

She... expects me to hate her, I realized, She said that she's never had a friend, much less one who really knows what she really does. I'm not happy she deceived me, but I'm not going to abandon her now, or even after we get into Canada. I will deal with my own emotions, so I can support and love her, regardless of her name.

I turned to face her, "Why wouldn't I hate you? Well, you are my friend, and I still consider you my sister, no matter what happened with those adoption papers, your reasons for lying are pretty good, and I would never forgive myself if I let myself miss quite possibly the most interesting thing that will ever happen to me. Seriously, that car chase was like something out of a movie! How could I leave the story alone now? Maybe I could document this." I grinned, noticing her confused expression.

"You... still want to stick with me?" She asked hesitantly, "After all of, well, everything?"

I nodded, "I'm not going anywhere. Wait, that might now be true. As I am coming, I want to make something very clear." I started, my mouth dry as I thought about what I was about to say.

"Okay, do tell." Julia was still sounding shocked and confused.

I swallowed nervously, but kept my voice firm and determined, "I'm the red shirt. If we get in trouble, I'm the one who will be left behind. Understand? I'm coming into this, and I see that I'm the sidekick, and I don't want anything more. These guys are after you, and I will do everything in my power to stop them."

She nodded slowly, "Okay. I can do that."

I closed my eyes, trying to calm down, and slow down my imagination about what I had just promised to do.

"Kaylee?" Julia began to speak, "Don't try to document our adventures. I know that you are horrible at describing scenes."

I opened my eyes to glare at her, "Fine then, I guess I'll hire someone."

She sighed, "Well then, I guess I'll have to kill you." she began to reach into her pocket, keeping one hand on the wheel.

"What?" I shrieked, sitting bolt upright, beginning to fumble with my seat belt.

Julia laughed, pulling out her phone, "I was joking! Wow, you really fell for that."

"Seriously? Did you just really do that to me?" I asked, my heart pounding.

She nodded, still laughing, "Yes, I did. And I am very happy with the results."

"Oh, Stormwinds take you!" I grumbled.

"Sorry, I'm not planning on going to the cosmere anytime soon." Julia replied, handing me her phone, "Can you set up some music? I'm looking for my playlist called Going Home."

I nodded, then frowned, "Wait, won't they be able to track our phones?"

"My signal is currently being bounced around the world all the time. So we'll be restricted to my downloads for music." She answered, "Though we should probably disable your phone."

"What do you mean by disable?" I asked nervously.

"Pull out the Sim card for now. Nothing serious, it'll just stop then from being able to track it."

I was relieved, "Oh, okay. That makes sense."

"So... music?" Julia asked, "The Aux cord is in my backpack."

A couple moments later I started the music. Hitting shuffle on the playlist, Whatever it Takes by Imagine Dragons began to play. As I looked out the window, processing the past couple hours, and now knowing that Meg- gah! Ju-li-a, was from a spy agency of sorts, the lyrics had some very different meanings to me.

Well Kaylee, you've got the answers you wanted, I thought to myself, Was it worth it?

---   --- ---

PoV: Unknown

I approached the Boardman's house, checking my notebook to make sure it was the right number. I crossed the lawn, unlatched the the gate to the backyard, and walked around the house.

Selecting a back window, I began to pry the window beading free, using a screwdriver from my backpack. A couple minutes later, I was able to remove the pane of glass, and slip into the house.

I'd entered into the kitchen, which was connected to the living room. As I walked closer to the living room, some things seemed off. There were random gaps between photos, and most of the photos featured a blonde haired girl, and an older woman who appeared to be her mother. Yet I saw nothing of her. The girl who I had dropped everything to find. The girl who should be just upstairs.

I forced myself to get back on track. I found the stairs, and crept up them carefully. I turned the corner at the top of the stairs, and opened the first door on my right slowly.

There were clothes tossed all over, and the closet was open. The room was decorated with an assortment of motivational posters and pop culture signs, more posters, and quotes. An empty bed was a couple metres to the left of the door, and a very messy desk was under the window across the room.

I crossed to the desk quietly, doing a quick look at the objects on it. I found some binders, seemingly for schoolwork, pens and pencils scattered around, and an empty water gun. Looking at the items on the desk that seemed to be there for decoration, I found a polaroid in a plastic frame. In it was the blonde from the photos downstairs, and... her.

Excitement began to build up in me, but to anyone looking at me, you would not have been able to tell.

I picked up the photo carefully, not disturbing anything around it. Yes, the brown hair and eyes, the face shape, it was all correct. She was here.

I set the photo down where it had been, and walked back to the hallway. The doors on the right lead to the bathroom and the master bedroom, but there was no one here. What if she isn't here? Why would she have left? I began to wonder, picking up my pace. The other door on the left was another teenager's bedroom. However unlike the first one I'd checked, this one was nearly empty. There was no one in the bed, and almost nothing in the room.

The floor was clear, and the desk and bedside table only had a couple objects on them. I saw a container with pens and pencils,a lamp, but no photos or any personal decorations.

I looked through the drawers, hoping to find something, anything, that would confirm that she had been here, but it was clean. No school binders, nothing.

She did meet that other girl though. That photo was displayed prominently, and they both seemed completely comfortable with each other in it. So they were close to each other, that's for sure. But where can she be?

I closed the drawer, then frowned, noticing something was off. The drawer should be deeper than it was.

I opened the drawer again, and began poking around, checking for a false bottom. After about a minute, I found piece of string, which was tucked under the visible bottom of the drawer. Pulling on it carefully, the false bottom came up. But it was empty.

The room has been swept, and she's gone, but it hasn't been very long. But why would she have a secret bottom to her drawer? If this even was her room. I thought, looking around the room. If there was one hidden compartment, there may be more. I'll have to look quickly.

After checking the desk drawers and cupboard, and coming up empty handed, I moved onto the bedside table. No false bottoms here either, wait- I thought, feeling around the bottom of the two drawers. This drawer should be deeper.

I pulled out the drawer, and looked inside the hidden section. I pulled out its contents, which happened to be a pencil.

Why would that be hidden? I pondered, looking the pencil over. It was a mechanical one, fairly common. Frowning slightly, I removed the eraser on the top, and tilted it to take the lead out. As I did so, a piece of rolled up paper came out as well. I unrolled it, finding an encoded message. Surprised, I inspected the message.

Jctkel,
Ks vgkipm vng crqcutgst rguy touvk. Km aou egp mgt my uwz hasvkt zjat yuwrf be jknvhul
Cmgtv R.

I tucked the paper in my pocket, replaced the drawer, and left the room, heading back down the stairs, satisfied that I'd found my next lead. Time to call in some favors.

A/N I hope you all enjoyed that! What do you think of this unknown person? Any theorys on their identity? What do you think of Julia's various secrets that she's shared? If you liked this chapter, please vote and comment to tell me what you liked. If you have the time, I'd appreciate it if you would share this story around.
I'm sorry that the upload was a little late, but with school starting up again my free time is shrinking significantly so I won't be posting as often. 
Until next time!