Sad chapter. It hurt me, and it may/may not hurt you. Enjoy...I guess? Have a great day! This chapter will require you to grab a box of tissues. This chapter has also been inspired by smh204 beautiful writing in Spy School: Clash of Spies. If you haven't read that, then please do. All of smh204's books are simply wonderful.

Ben's POV

The mental timer in my head did nothing but make me more and more worried. Cynthia was worried, but she didn't know that we only had seven minutes and thirteen seconds left.

We had no hope.

"Cynthia," I whispered softly. "We...we only have seven minutes before this building blows up."

"We're not going to make it, are we?" she asked. There was no worry in her voice. She embraced the fact that we wouldn't make it.

"I...yes," I said, giving up on any lie. "I'm sorry, Cynthia. You didn't deserve to be pulled into this."

"Yeah," she replied.

I turned to her piercing violet eyes. "How did you get here?"

"I don't really know," she replied. "I was in my room, and then Dad called me, so I went to his office. And then...it was like someone hit me on the back of my head. I was unconscious, I guess, and then I woke up in that room with Murray. He said I was...bait." Cynthia sounded doubtful.

"Anyways, you don't deserve this. If we make it out, you'll probably never see your parents." I realized something as I spoke. I immediately leapt to my feet and looked at her. "Cynthia, do you have a hairpin?"

Her hands went up to her hair and she pulled out a shiny pin crusted with tiny diamonds. "Here."

"Do you mind if I use this to break us out?" I asked, eyeing the diamonds. Judging by how rich Lucio was, I could only assume that the diamonds were real.

"Our lives are at stake here. A few thousand dollars won't matter," she responded. I inserted the hairpin and turned it sideways, trying to undo the lock.

It popped open and we both heaved a huge sigh of relief. "We're going to make it," she said, a warm smile playing across her lips.

"Hopefully," I corrected. "We only have five minutes and twenty-nine seconds."

We raced out of the room and sped down the hallway, desperately trying to search for an exit.

"Do you know which way to go?" Cynthia yelled.

I looked over my shoulder at her. She was surprisingly fast, and she kept up.

"No!" I yelled back. "I have absolutely no idea where we are!"
A while later I stopped short in my tracks. Cynthia slammed right into me. "What happened?" she asked.

"We have two minutes and thirteen seconds left," I said. "One of us may not make it, or neither of us won't make it. I just wanted to say that you've been an awesome friend."

"Ben," Cynthia spoke, her eyes welling up. "No."

I pulled her into a hug. "If you make it out, tell Erica that I love her from the bottom of my heart. Tell everyone I'm sorry."

Cynthia shook her head. "No, Ben. No."

Without thinking, I cupped her face and pressed my lips to hers. She was startled, but she kissed back, and she threw her arms around my shoulders.

The kiss lasted seven seconds. I pulled back, both of us gasping for air, and she blushed deep pink.

"I've wanted that," she said. "I love you."

"Me too," I said. "Let's go."

We kept running. The mental timer in my head read 01:05. A minute left. We turned around the corner and to my absolute relief, there was the ladder we had come down on. My shoulders visibly relaxed as Cynthia raced past me. "Finally."

00:43. Cynthia placed her right foot on the bottom rung, slowly climbing up. I began to follow her slowly.

Cynthia was almost at the top of the ladder. She pushed the fake manhole door open, and I caught a glimpse of daylight.

00:17. Cynthia climbed up, then looked at me. I was still only halfway there. Cynthia peered over at me from above. Worry creased her forehead as her eyes grew watery. "Ben!"

"Bye, Cynthia," I found myself muttering. "Bye, Erica."

"No Ben, no!" she screamed. "No!"

00:07. "Close it and get out of here!" I screamed. She ran off, and I closed my eyes.

00:04. 00:03. My heart was aching, and my eyes grew heavy with tears.

"Goodbye, Erica." I could barely hear myself.

00:02. 00:01. 00:00.

The building exploded.

The world tilted sideways, the a piercingly sharp sound echoed in my ears. I saw red liquid, then I saw debris.

Then I saw absolute nothingness as the world faded away to a dark, dark black.

Alexander's POV

I stared at the sight before my eyes. Benjamin was...gone?

One of my favorites. I had a paternal affection towards him. I recruited him. I felt a pang of sadness as I stared at the sight before my eyes.

How I would explain this to Catherine was beyond me.

Jamie's POV

"Ben," I heard myself whisper as the building exploded. I didn't look anywhere else. Erica's love. My sister's love. I heard shrieks and screams, followed by more shrieking and crying. I found my sister, who ran up to us. I pulled her into a tight embrace and she sobbed into my shirt. I found myself grieving for him.

Mike's POV

"Ben!" I screamed. "Ben!"

There was nothing I could do. He was...gone. I found myself sobbing. Zoe was crying, and Erica was speechless. I dropped to my knees. I had known Ben longer than anyone else had, since we were five.

I closed my eyes and let the tears flow out, not trying to stop anything at all. I needed the moment to grieve my best buddy in the whole world.

Zoe's POV

No words came out of my mouth as the building exploded. One name ran in my head over and over again. Ben. My face was wet with tears, and they were replaced with new ones. I felt like I had just fallen off a three-story building. Mike was sobbing as he sunk to his knees, but I couldn't see anyone else. No one else mattered to me at the moment.

Ben was gone.

"No," I whispered. "No, no, no, no, no."

Cynthia's POV

Ben. He was...

No.

Yes.

"No!" I screamed. "No! Ben!"

I could only run up to Jamie and sob. I had known him for only a week and a half, and he was my first kiss. I could only cry while Jamie tried to calm me down.

Nothing good had happened today.

Erica's POV

The building blew up.

It felt like a bad day at the beach. I felt like a chew toy chewed up by a dog. I felt thirty-three emotions at the same time. It felt like a heavy wave crashed down on me.

My heart dropped down to my knees as I gaped at the scene. Zoe was crying, Mike was sobbing, Cynthia was uncontrollable and I was standing there, gaping at the scene.

It's not true. You're dreaming, I scolded myself. I pinched myself. It hurt.

I couldn't believe it. It felt like a dream. But it wasn't.

Tears started making their way down my cheeks. I needed someone. Something. Nothing comforted me at that moment.

I wanted Ben, and Ben alone.

But I couldn't get him.

No words exited my mouth as I swallowed, accepting reality.

I closed my eyes. "No."

Yes.

I dropped to my knees and buried my face in my hands. Underneath all that debris was...the second person who stole my heart.

The first one who actually cared.

"No, Ben, why did you have to leave me?" I sobbed, so quietly that no one could hear. I didn't care who saw me. It pained me.

My heart. It felt like someone had chopped my heart up, then blended it, poured it in a glass and drank it.

I felt a protective hand. Dad. He was crouched, and his hand was on my shoulder.

"Erica," he spoke softly. "Erica, darling."

That only made me sob more. Memories of the kisses we shared came flashing back to me. He was the first one I kissed, and I promised myself that he would be the last.

"Erica." This time the voice was Jamie's. He placed a hand on my shoulder. His touch was comforting. It reminded me of Ben's.

Dad helped me up to my feet. I didn't want to stand. I didn't want to sit. I didn't want anyone or anything. I just wanted to fall into Ben's caring, open arms.

But I couldn't.

"What do we do?" I heard Riley slowly ask. "With the body..."

"We leave it here," Dad replied. "We have to go, now. Lucio and Murray have escaped. James Thomas is dead."

My eyes were closed. I forced them open, and I let my Dad squeeze me in a hug. Then I let him and Jamie take each of my hands, leading me to the SUV.

As soon as we were in the jet, I surveyed the team. Riley and Dad appeared calm, like spies were supposed to be.

Zoe had wiped away her tears, but her head hung low. Mike was still crying. He had known Ben since they were five.

Cynthia had also stopped crying, but she appeared inconsolable. Jamie sat in the middle of both of us, placing a comforting hand on me.

I laid my head back and closed my eyes, sobbing softly.

Nothing could calm me down now.

I'm sorry if that left you sobbing, because it did so to me. I'm sorry.