The Inside Job by Jackson Pearce Page A

some little old lady’s house was wrong, right? But they did it for years and years, according to Otter. Because that was the mission. You always have to think of the mission at SRS. It’s the most important thing.”
    â€œOkay . . . ,” Beatrix said, nodding, trying to understand.
    I went on. “My parents eventually left SRS—which was the right thing to do. But they also left me and Kennedy behind. They didn’t warn us or take us with them or come get us after it all blew over. Because they
can’t
—their mission,
our
mission, is to take down SRS for good. And if they come get me and Kennedy, the mission could be compromised. So they’re thinking of the mission, just like they did at SRS. Putting the mission first. Above everything, even their kids.” I drummed my fingers on the table and shook my head. “I get that they’re heroes and spies and all,but sometimes I wish they’d just be my parents. I wish we were as important as the stupid mission.”
    â€œHale, I’m sure your parents think you’re just as important—
more
important—than the mission! But it’s not safe for them to come get you yet,” Beatrix said.
    I shrugged. “I guess. I mean, I
know
that’s true, deep down, but sometimes it doesn’t feel very true. And then I get so mad at myself for
getting
mad, because of
course
they should be thinking of the mission!”
    â€œYou are always telling the rest of us to put the mission first,” Beatrix agreed.
    â€œRight! But then . . . then I’m just acting like I’m back at SRS too. So what’s the point of fighting SRS if, in the end, they’re too deep inside me for me to ever really escape them? Maybe it’s too late for me and my parents and Walter’s mom. Maybe we’ll always be SRS agents, no matter how hard we fight it.”
    Beatrix went quiet and put her Right Hand down, which wasn’t something she did very often. She turned to face me, even though I still wasn’t really looking at her. “Remember how my parents were League agents?”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œAnd that they died on a mission?”
    â€œYes. I mean, you and Ben didn’t tell us that, but I sort of guessed,” I said quietly.
    Beatrix folded her legs up underneath her. “I don’t really know how it happened or anything—Ben and Iwere only a year old or so. Uncle Stan says he won’t tell us everything till we’re older, but I think he really just never wants to think about it. I don’t know that I want to know. Ben says he does, but I’m not sure he means it. Anyway—sometimes I’m mad at them. Which is the worst, since they’re dead and all, but sometimes I’m mad because they went on that mission. There were a billion other agents at The League back then who could have gone, agents without kids. Why did
they
have to do it?”
    I didn’t say anything. I didn’t know what
to
say. I understood what she meant, and I thought I understood how she felt, but there was just no fixing it.
    Beatrix took a long breath. “If they’d known what would happen, I’m sure they wouldn’t have gone. And if your parents had known how long they’d have to be away from you and Kennedy, I bet they wouldn’t have gone either. Just because they’re parents doesn’t mean they can’t make mistakes. And just because they’re SRS agents doesn’t mean they love the mission more than you. They were all just trying to be heroes.”
    I nodded because she was right, and then I sighed. “I always wanted to be a hero, you know. Like them. But I don’t think I want to be the kind of hero who leaves my family behind. Does that make me a terrible person?”
    Beatrix smiled. “No. It just makes you a regular person, I think.”
    I nodded. Then after a long time I said, “I’m sorry about