When I can be bothered, I get up at 7 and go for a swim. But I won’t lie — that doesn't happen every day. Anyway, at 8 o’clock my iPod is set to play the Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun, and that wakes me up. I brush my teeth, shower and do my make-up before I get dressed, then grab a slice of toast before driving off at 9.
I live with my mum, my brother and three foster sisters in a tiny village in Surrey. It’s very countryside and I prefer that. I work for a company called Answers Investigation. The office is in the middle of nowhere, a 25-minute drive away — well, 20 minutes for me, as I drive quite fast. My car’s an ice-blue Volkswagen Beetle, and on the way I sing along to Glee CDs at the top of my lungs. I’m obsessed with that series at the moment.
I had no idea a job like this was real, but I always liked the thought of being some top-secret spy I turn up for work, never knowing if I'll be leaving at 5 or at midnight, or if I’ll be on a train to somewhere at noon. I love working crazy hours; it’s better than being bored, sat in a 9-to-5 kind of job. I heard about this place when a friend at college asked me to join their mystery-shopper campaign. I had no idea a job like this was real, but I always liked the thought of being some top-secret spy, and I absolutely love CSI.
In the office, I check my emails and Facebook. I make coffees for the guys all the time, as they drink about 10 cups an hour, and green tea for myself. There are three of us full time — me, Andy and Nigel — and we have specialists and part-time investigators all over the place.
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When it comes to undercover work there are roles that only a teen detective can do. I can act young and mature. I’ve been a 14-year-old, a college student, an office worker, a goth, a ditsy idiot — people will tell you anything if they think you’re stupid — as well as some randomer on a train who you would never know was following you. Acting is what makes me tick.
For surveillance operations we prepare for every possible scenario, but people always surprise you, so you have to stay focused. Sitting in my car for 12 hours is never fun. I prefer surveillance when it’s active, like once when I followed a guy around London — I was five steps behind him the entire day. He never noticed. We trace people from the office too, using databases like UK-Info Disc and social-networking sites. It’s harder if they’re over 50, but if they’re under 20 it’s easy as pie; it’s so bad the stupid things people put about themselves online.
I’ve been in situations with all sorts of criminals. But when I’m undercover with a dodgy person I’m never on my own. And I have a distress signal — I tie my hair up — as people I know are in eyeshot at all times. I use a voice recorder and a camera, with the look and size of a button, attached to my handbag. It links to a mini MP4 player inside. When I first joined, it was in a rucksack, but I said I was not using that. My dad was really worried when I started. He’s ex-Met and knows the dangers in people. But now my parents think it's amazing.
My life is peachy. But of course you get affected by things on the job. My first job was looking for a kid who’d run away from home. A few days later his body was found. But you learn to move on and remember the reasons why you’re doing it. Getting a good result for a client is the best feeling ever — like the case when, after months of trawling, we helped a man who was adopted to track down his birth mother in Spain. And we helped a Saudi father to protect his daughter by exposing her fiance’s dodgy financial dealings and love affairs. Our investigators here have travelled to Dubai, France, Ibiza… I've been to Wales!
If I’m stressed I send a message to my boyfriend, Will, who’s at uni in Nottingham. We both have BlackBerrys, and we message all the time. I love him, he’s always like: "Ring me at lunchtime and you can moan." Around 1 o’clock I'll drive to Cranleigh and call him from there, as there is no signal where the office is. I buy lunch at M&S — soup or something salady. Being a massive foodie, I always have a Special K bar in my bag, just in case.
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I change my mind every three months about what I want to do with my life. Like I want to apply to drama school, join the police, travel the world… And this is not lost on Nigel, my boss. He always gives me time off when I need it.
I see my friends whenever I can. Otherwise the responsibility with my job makes me completely crash out in the evenings. I drive home, take my shoes off, make a G and T. My mum cooks something quick for everybody, like risotto with leftover Sunday roast. I’m a terrible cook, so I lay the table and clear.
I need to watch television or read a book in order to switch off. I like magic, fairy stories, things that aren’t real — like Twilight. If I’m really tired, I send myself to bed at 9 or 10. I'm such a geek. I brush my teeth, take my make-up off, get into comfy pyjamas and curl up in bed. After talking to the boyfriend, the last things I think about are what I’m doing tomorrow, what time to set my alarm, and whether I’ll go swimming. I probably won’t.