Allison Blake was on a high after her "groceries meet SUV" stunt. She sat cross-legged in her lair, a tub of ice cream in one hand and a spoon in the other, replaying the encounter with Rob Carter like it was the season finale of her favorite drama.
"Did you see the way he picked up that apple, Alfred?" she said, gesturing wildly with her spoon. "So sweet. So unsuspecting. Phase Four is off to a dazzling start!"
"Indeed, madam," Alfred's voice replied from the speakers. "Your performance as a bumbling schoolteacher was… convincing. Although I'm not sure bruised fruit counts as a masterstroke of espionage."
Allie coughed on the fistful of ice cream she was greedily scarfing down.
Alfred truly was too mean to her, she thought with a pout. Then she gathered herself and got back to the task at hand.
Allie waved him off, nearly spilling her ice cream. "Details, Alfred. Details. The important thing is, I've made contact. Now it's time for Phase Five: Casual But Purposeful Infiltration."
"Might I inquire what that entails?"
"Simple," Allie said, pulling up a color-coded spreadsheet on one of her monitors. "Phase Five: step one, I keep running into Rob or Max Carter under perfectly ordinary circumstances. Step two, I charm them both into loving me. Step three, I… well, I'll figure it out when I get there."
"Ah, yes," Alfred deadpanned. "The hallmark of a flawless plan: improvisation."
Allie ignored him, spinning her chair dramatically. "Now, let's set the stage. I need to upgrade my wardrobe. Something modest but unforgettable. Think 'sweet kindergarten teacher who bakes cookies but could also overthrow a small government.' Suggestions?"
"I'll consult the algorithms," Alfred replied dryly.
The screens lit up with various lines of code running across them, and Allie giggled as she finally had her last spoon of ice cream and headed to bed.
The next morning, Allie strode into Bright Horizons Private Academy wearing a floral dress that screamed "approachable," a cardigan that whispered "trustworthy," and boots that muttered "I mean business." She felt like a walking Pinterest board, but that was the point.
Her classroom was already abuzz with tiny voices. Max sat at the back, quietly constructing a tower out of colorful blocks. Allie's heart melted at the sight of him. Her boy. Her genius. Her accomplice in waiting.
Allie was ready to scoop him up and run away with him but that wasn't exactly feasible right now.
Maybe tomorrow.
"Good morning, class!" Allie chirped, clapping her hands for attention. The kids paused their activities to look at her, some with wide-eyed curiosity, others with the suspicion only toddlers can muster.
"Today," Allie announced, "we're going to learn about teamwork! Because teamwork makes the dream work, and also because it's my sneaky way of getting you all to do my bidding."
The children giggled, and Allie beamed. Hook, line, and sinker.
She spent the morning orchestrating a series of increasingly absurd "team-building exercises." First, they had to build a paper chain long enough to stretch across the room. Then, she made them stack cups into a pyramid while blindfolded. Finally, she unveiled the cherry on top: a treasure hunt with clues she'd scribbled on sticky notes at 2 a.m.
Max, of course, solved the hunt in record time. When he presented her with the "treasure"—a box of crayons—Allie made a big show of knighting him with a ruler.
"Sir Max, Champion of Teamwork," she declared, and the class erupted into cheers.
During lunch, while the kids devoured their sandwiches, Allie took the opportunity to "casually" bump into the teacher next door. Mr. Grayson was a grumpy man in his 60s who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else.
While Allie had no real interest in socializing with the teachers around here, she did want to talk to Grayson. He was one of the senior most teachers in the school, and would be a great source of information into how to sneak around the authorities.
"Hi there!" Allie said brightly, poking her head into his classroom. "I'm Nancy, the new teacher. Just thought I'd introduce myself."
Grayson looked up from his sandwich with a sigh. "Great. Another perky one."
"Oh, don't worry," Allie said with a grin. "I'm only perky on the outside."
Grayson blinked. "Fair enough. I'm Grayson."
"Nice to meet you, Grayson!" Allie said, already plotting ways to make his life more interesting. "Say, do you happen to know much about the Carter family? Max is in my class, and I just want to make sure I'm meeting his needs."
Grayson snorted. "Good luck with that. The Carters are… complicated. Rob's alright, but Max's mom is a piece of work. And don't even get me started on the extended family."
"Oh?" Allie said, feigning innocence. "Do tell."
Grayson shrugged. "Let's just say they're not exactly the best bunch. Lot of power plays, lot of drama. Makes parent-teacher conferences a real joy."
Allie slowly inched toward Grayson till she was staring him right in the face.
"Should I talk to them? Parent teacher meeting type sitch? Max is a good kid but could probably do with some support."
Grayson slowly extended his hand till it was right on Allie's forehead, and then slowly pushed her away with a sigh.
"Avoid them as much as you can. Anyway they'll show their faces around more than you'd want."
"Good to know," Allie said, filing the information away for later. "Thanks, Grayson! You've been super helpful."
He grunted in response, already turning back to his sandwich.
That evening, back in her lair, Allie reviewed her progress.
"Phase Five is off to a roaring start," she told Alfred, who displayed her updated flowchart on the main screen. "I've sniffed out Rob, impressed Max, and infiltrated Grayson's grumpyness. Next up: securing an invitation to a Carter family event."
"And how do you plan to do that, madam?" Alfred asked.
Allie grinned, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Oh, I have my ways. But first, let's order a celebratory pizza. Operation Befriend the Carters is officially underway!"
"Shall I also prepare an order for industrial-strength patience?" Alfred quipped.
"Oh, hush," Allie said, throwing a pillow at the nearest speaker. But she couldn't help laughing. This was going to be fun.