1952, Kinross High School, Scotland

The twelve year old toyed with the end of her long, blonde braid, twirling the end round her finger, her science teacher rambling nineteen to the dozen about stem cells and every other person in the class sitting head bent, writing every word that left his lips. The girl's own jotter, in which she was supposed to be doing the same, was near empty, save for a few random stick figures armed to the teeth with guns and various other spy weapons that she had hastily scribbled in an attempt to look as if she was actually doing something.

"Evelyn," Mallory, the girl/awful swot that sat next to Evelyn hissed through her teeth, shoving her somewhat too big glasses up her nose and jabbing a bony elbow into Evelyn's ribs. "Aren't you supposed to be making notes? We've got a test next week."

"Sod it," Evelyn looked out the window vacantly, ignoring the second elbow jab from Mallory that this earned her, her steel-flecked blue eyes picking up what of the persistent drizzle that apparently passed for mid July in Perthshire that she could actually see through her overlong blonde fringe. She had been told the specifics, but she still had no idea why she went to school in Scotland; it wasn't like she boarded or anything, she had lived in Kent for most of her life and when they were actually in the country, both her parents worked in London - the pair of them were MI6 agents and she hoped to be at some stage as well. It was something to do with both of her parents currently being on a mission, and her in some kind of 'safe house' a few miles from the school. She still hated it, mainly because both teachers and pupils gave her hell for her English accent; other kids called her posh and teachers assumed that she was thick. She wasn't, though due to her short attention span, she played up to this for all she was worth most of the time. "Just tell Mr Martin that he can stick his 'test' up his fat ar-"

"Miss Cameron?" Her teacher, Mr Martin, turned round, glaring at her. "Are you even listening"

"Yes...sir?" Evelyn said gingerly in a monotone. Then, turning to Mallory; "Did I guess right?" The other girl simply rolled her eyes and got back to drawing a small cartoon owl in the margin of her jotter.

"Really? What did I just say?"

"You said; 'Miss Cameron? Are you even listening?' I'm surprised you can't remember, sir. Still, happy to help."

"Why you little-" Evelyn inched away as he jabbed a ruler in her face. Before he got the chance to either hit her or bark 'DETENTION!', presumably spraying her with saliva in the process, Evelyn heard the voice of Ms McLaren, the school's platinum blonde secretary.

"Excuse me, is Evelyn Cameron in this class?"

Evelyn's hand was up before the final word could leave the secretary's mouth.

"Evelyn, there's someone here to collect you. Take your things," then, a lot quieter. "I'm afraid we've got some bad news."

Evelyn found her legs shaking as she stood up, cramming her science jotter into her flowered satchel, and made her way towards the door.

As she left the room, she felt Ms McLaren's hands turn her around so that they were face-to-face. "Evelyn, I've got some bad news concerning your parents. I understand that you know that your parents are both agents of Her Majesty's Secret Service, don't you?"

Evelyn was freaking out now. She nodded lamely, fearing that she was going to burst out crying if she attempted to even open her mouth. The receptionist picked up fear in the girl's steely eyes. "Well, as I think you know, they were on a mission in Italy until recently. Your father got involved in a shoot-out between a suspected member of the Mafia, and your mother was caught in the crossfire. I'm afraid I have to tell you that they were both shot dead this morning. There's a car here to pick you up; you're wanted in MI6 to take a few tests as they feel that you know too much about the organisation to not be involved with it somehow, and if your current IQ results match up to the ones you take there and you're at a decent level of physical fitness, then you're being offered a scholarship at a British espionage college in Switzerland. I'm sorry about your mum and dad, but I don't think we want to keep the car waiting for you any longer than necessary."

Evelyn nodded again, chewing her lip. She knew now that he dream was coming true before her, but at what cost? The gravity of the situation hit her as she began walking, and her world totally shattered.

Fifty years later, London

Exactly fifty years since her parents' deaths, the seemingly nameless woman known to all who knew her as M stared at the embossed gilt lettering on the white marble of their gravestone.

Christopher Alexander Cameron

Unknown-17th July, 1952

and

Marion Judith Hargreaves Cameron

Unknown-17th July, 1952

Loving parents to Evelyn Judith Marion Isabel Cameron

M let a tear slip down her face at the memory of that day of the twelfth year of her life. If she was to go back fifty years and a day and tell the young girl, Evelyn, that this was her future, she was almost certain that the girl wouldn't believe her.

M smiled weakly as she stared at her parents' names above her own, crying at the thought that she was the only person in her family still alive and at the thought that she now was older than thy had been when they died...