“Wha-what’s going on?”
I laughed. “That’s what you get for disappearing.”
Dustin glared at me. “You’re crazy, Lilith Mason.” Shaking his head, he laughed too.
Then he asked me what I was doing there anyway, since I was supposed to be in class. I threw the same question back at him.
He sighed, rising from the floor and taking a seat on the edge of the bed. I stayed where I was, waiting.
“When I saw what they did to that kid, I just lost it. All I could think about was that hand sticking out from under the car. I couldn’t focus, so I decided not to go to class. Sorry I didn’t warn you or anything. I just needed to process everything.” He looked up.
The memory of the monster boy made me shiver. I remembered the blood. So much blood. This made up my mind. We had to get those kids out now, like tonight. He shook his head, claiming that this was impossible to do on such short notice. Besides, where would the kids go?
“Away from here, of course! You know how to drive. So use your mad driving skills and get them out. Maybe to the nearest hospital or clinic. Then they would be able to get checked out.”
He looked up at me, unsure. “Do you really think we can do this?”
I grabbed his wrists. “Yes, I really do. Please. Will you help me?”
The silly boy shook his head in disbelief. “You’re pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
Dropping his wrists in disgust, I let out a huff of exasperation. “You bet I am. I can’t just sit here and do nothing while more innocent people are being treated like lab rats. Really, where’s your common sense?”
“My common sense is telling me that we can’t do this tonight. It’s impossible. Maybe we can in a few days or so, but not tonight.”
“Well, you’re wrong!” I shot back with a glare. “I’m going to do this with or without your help. Since it looks like you already have your mind made up, then I’ll just show myself out.”
Dustin stopped me before I could make a dramatic exit. “All right, I’m in. But before we start planning, I need to excuse you from class. Trust me, if any of the teachers think you’re skipping their class, there will be severe punishment.”
I started for the door. “Let’s go then. No time to waste.”
Dustin hurried to keep up with my fast-paced walk, telling me to slow down. I would not, however. This was very important and I didn’t want to lose too much time when we could be making our plans.
When Mrs. Lorgnette, the chemistry teacher, saw us, she excused herself from class and stepped out into the hall. “Lily, there you are. Where have you been?”
Dustin stepped forward. “Excuse me, ma’am, but something has come up and I need Lily right now. Here’s a letter excusing her from class. Could you please give this to the other teachers so that they know she’s absent?” He handed her the note, tapping his foot impatiently while she read it.
She looked up at him, then at me. We smiled angelically back at her.
Mrs. Lorgnette sighed. “Fine, but you’re responsible for the work you miss.”
I answered her with a “Yes, Mrs. Lorgnette. Thank you.”
My teacher sighed again as she went back to her classroom, closing the door behind her.
Letting out a quiet whoop, I pumped my fist in the air. Then I hurried back the way we’d come, Dustin at my heels. He’d gotten a little used to my brisk pace. Good. There was so much to do in so little time.
Once in his room, I ripped paper out of the back of my notebook and took a pen from my pocket. I sat down on one of the beanbag chairs, hand poised to write. Dustin sat across from me. He laughed at me for being so secretary-like, but I didn’t laugh along. Once he saw that I meant business, he cut and began to strategize.
This is how it was going down. Dustin would convince his dad that he wanted to take me out on a date. That way nobody would be suspicious if we were gone for a few hours. Before leaving, Dustin would somehow obtain the map for the lab building. How? I had no idea, but he assured me that it was no problem at all. Next, we’d find True and Cattie and be on our way.
Using the route we had taken before, we’d break into the building, find the kids, and get out as fast as we could. Then Dustin would bring around the getaway car. (His dad had some kind of secret stash of cars somewhere.) If all the people didn’t fit, then we would have to make second and third trips. True and Cattie would stay with whomever was left and keep them hidden until we came back.
After dropping the kids off at a hospital…Well, we weren’t sure what the logical thing to do would be after that. I mean, if we released just the kids from the lab, wouldn’t they just take more kids from the school? That would totally be defeating the purpose. And another thought. What would happen to us? It would be way too suspicious how the timing of our departure matched the timing of the breakout. Of course, we were hoping that we could save the kids as quickly and quietly as possible, but there really was no telling what would happen.
Dustin and I both paused, thinking about what to do. I wondered what I was going to do after we’d saved everyone. Dustin had to have gotten the hint that I was planning to escape with them. What if he tried to stop me? Would I have to use the gun lying at the bottom of my bag? The most important question was, would I be able to? The memory of that horrible dream made me flinch. I quickly went back to figuring out how to get my peers out of the school and back to their families.
Dustin snapped his fingers. “I think I know what to do.”
I leaned in to hear what he had in mind. He spoke excitedly, making hand gestures while he explained. I sat there and listened, impressed. He knew more about this place than he had let on. I took notes. My pencil flew across the paper, using up a big chunk of my notebook. We looked over what I had written, made some changes, and that was that. We had our plan.
“So I’ll talk to Marcus about it and see if he knows anyone he can really trust that’s willing to help,” Dustin promised as I got up to leave.
“Yeah, and I’ll ask the girls.” I decided to ask Cameron too. That is, if I could find her . . .
He smiled. “OK. This just might work.” He sounded surprised.
This annoyed me a little. “Of course it will. With geniuses like us, anything’s possible.”
He laughed. “I guess you’re right. See you tonight.”
I turned to go, but then I remembered something. As I passed the school building, I noticed something odd. In faded white letters, the title Wackerson Academy had been painted on the front of the building. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed it before.
Dustin smiled an embarrassed little grin. “Guess I forgot to tell you…”
I took a step toward him. “What?”
His grin grew even wider and more embarrassed. “My last name isn’t what you think it is. It’s actually Wackerson.”
Somehow this did not surprise me in the least. “I guess that makes sense.”
He gawked at me. “Really? O-OK. Anyway, he’s comfortable with using his real name because this place is a real boarding school. Some of the kids here are just coming for the schooling. Their parents have no idea what this school really is.”
I sighed. “That figures. Are there any more secrets you feel like sharing before I leave?”
Shaking his head he replied, “Nope. You know just about all my secrets.”
I smiled. “I’m sure that’s not the case.” With that, I made my exit.
Breaking In
Butterflies filled my stomach. I had no desire to eat the food on my plate, but I needed the energy. Without tasting anything, I chewed and swallowed. I kept going over the plan in my head. It was frightening to know that in less than an hour, I wouldn’t be going over it, I’d be doing it.
True, Cattie, Marcus, and some other kids sat across from me, clearly thinking about the same thing. Earlier that day, I had talked to True and Cattie about the events that would be taking place that night. They were all for it. I hadn’t been able to g
et a hold of Cameron. She must have been studying or something, because I couldn’t find her. Oh well. I hoped she did well. Anyway, the people that I could get a hold of met up with me at the dining hall. Marcus had brought his most trustworthy friends. He had told them all about the breakout. So there we sat, picking at our food. When it was time to go back to our rooms, we didn’t dare look at each other. It would have given too much away.
I immediately began to get ready once I reached my room. This “date” had to look convincing, so I combed my hair and tugged it into a neat ponytail. I picked up the crimson dress I had found carefully laid out on my bed. I decided to wear shorts and a T-shirt underneath. That way I’d be able to take it off once we were out of sight. I pulled them on and checked myself in the mirror. It really was a beautiful gown. How could his father possibly have known that it would fit me perfectly? Doreen must have had a hand in picking it. The dress would have matched my glasses if I hadn’t gotten contacts from the optometrist on campus. It also went well with my skin tone. Apparently red was my color. Turning my head from the mirror, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Time seemed to be closing in on me. In a matter of minutes, I’d be out of this room forever. At least, I hoped it would turn out that way.
When I opened my eyes, there was a knock on the door. This was it. I looked in the mirror one last time. I wasn’t sure I liked what I saw. First, I looked like a frightened rabbit. Second, there was a hardness in those two eyes staring back at me that I hadn’t noticed before. I flexed my arms. Were those muscles? How much had this place changed me? Before I could take a closer look, there was another knock on the door. This one was louder and more impatient. I hurried to answer.
Dustin’s nervous face greeted me. He began to talk as I opened the door. “Jeez, Lily. Why were you taking so lo—?” He stopped mid-sentence and stared.
I squirmed under his gaze. “Sorry.”
He blinked. “No, that’s okay. Really. You weren’t…I mean, I was just being…You look…wow.”
I smiled. “Thanks, but we really should be going now. What’s in the bag, anyway?” I gestured in the direction of the bag he had slung over his shoulder.
He blinked again. “Oh. Well, I brought some gadgets that will help. A lot.”
“May I see them?” I asked, getting a little impatient myself.
Dustin gave his head a little shake. It reminded me of a dog shaking off water after a bath. “Of course.” He walked swiftly past me into my room, dropping the bag onto my bed.
I unzipped the bag and took out what looked like a gun. I flung it back down. “Is this really necessary?” My nose scrunched up as if I’d smelled something awful.
Dustin rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry. It’s not an actual gun. Just a tranquilizer.”
Gasping, I exclaimed, “We have tranquilizer guns?”
He nodded with a look like I was the dumbest girl on the planet.
I whirled around and strode toward my own bag. With my back to Dustin, I gingerly picked up the horrible object that had been concealed under clothing. It felt heavy and chunky in my hands. I slowly turned around, holding it out as far away from myself as I could.
All the while Dustin had been watching me curiously. His mouth dropped when he saw what I was holding.
I flashed him a nervous smile. “Guess we won’t be needing this, then.”
“How the heck did you get that?” he questioned.
“It doesn’t matter now,” I answered quickly. “All that matters is that we need to get those kids out. Now. So let’s go.”
We decided to take the other gadgets out once we had gotten to the meeting place.
On the long trek there, Dustin just would not drop the fact that I had a gun in my possession. He kept asking me silly questions. Why did I have it? How had I gotten it? Did I even know how to use one correctly? What was I thinking? Who had been dumb enough to give me one? That question smarted a little. All that really mattered was that I wouldn’t have to use the gun. The relief I felt was the best feeling I had ever had at that school. No longer would I have to worry about having to hurt anybody with it. No longer did I feel like I was deceiving Dustin. That dream was nothing but a fading memory now. I could not help but skip and twirl with elation. Was it me, or was the setting sun brighter than usual?
My nagging friend picked up on my sudden giddiness and ceased with the flood of endless questions. He crossed his arms, eyebrows raised. His walking slowed. I slowed down too, almost tripping on my dress. It was beautiful, but irritatingly long.
“You seem happy,” he commented, glowering at me.
I laughed at his annoyance, which made his scowl deepen. “That’s because I am happy. I’m happy that I don’t have that thing anymore and that we’re going to free everyone.”
Dustin wouldn’t quit with the glaring. “You should’ve told me.”
“I’m just gonna tell you the whole story so that you don’t have to keep asking me questions.”
After I explained the plan we created at boot camp, there was a long silence. He didn’t look at me. His eyes met nothing but the dirt path. We were almost at the meeting place.
“Say something already,” I begged, lightly touching his arm.
Dustin moved away. He stole a quick glance at me. “You should’ve trusted me. If you had told me that you wanted to go home, I would’ve figured out a way to help you.”
“Ha!” I snorted. “Yeah. Right. I’ve been telling you I wanted to leave ever since I got here! Now I’m supposed to believe that you were willing to help me? That’s a bunch of crap and you know it.”
He frowned at me. “Excuse me for thinking that maybe you were starting to like it here.”
My laugh came out angry and sharp. “Like it here? Are you serious? I miss my family, my friends, and even school. And I mean my real school. Not this Wacko Academy or whatever it’s called. You may not have an actual life, but I do.”
OK, maybe I shouldn’t have said that last part, but I was furious. He had no right to just assume that everything was fine now. What, was I supposed to spill my guts out for him and tell him how I felt? I had already cried in front of him, and big surprise, I was still here.
I didn’t bother looking at his expression. His silence said it all. He knew I was right. With a snort of disgust, I ran away from him. Thank goodness I was wearing sneakers instead of high heels. It was bad enough I had to lift my long billowing skirts to run. Now I knew how the girls felt back in the olden days.
It’s funny how fast your mood can change. When the walk had started, I was as happy as can be, without a care in the world. Now, as I ran the final distance, there wasn’t an ounce of joy left in me. Anger had filled its spot. How dare he upset me before we had to go save everyone?
I could see the parking lot for the skating rink. My legs slowed to a brisk walk. To my great irritation, Dustin was not far behind. He caught up with me once I placed my hand on the door handle. He grabbed my shoulder to stop me from going inside.
“Look, I’m sorry. I was just a little surprised that you didn’t trust me a little more. That’s all.”
I stared at him long enough to make him look away. “Why?”
He was taken aback by this simple question. “I just thought…we were, you know, friends.” He said this haltingly, not meeting my gaze.
“Not unless friends lie to each other all the time,” I answered.
Dustin’s eyes met mine. “You’re right, again. How about we agree not to lie anymore. Not to each other at least. Sound good?”
I allowed myself a smile. “Yeah,”
We went inside, the fight officially over.
True, Cattie, Marcus, and the rest of the gang were waiting for us at a booth in Starbucks. I couldn’t help it. I searched in vain for the cute employee. Sighing, I followed Dustin to the table.
They greeted us rather cheerfully for people who were about to perform a risky rescue mission that could end badly.
Once Dustin had put the bag o
f gadgets down on the table, it was back to business. He took out a few tranquilizer guns.
There were enough for each of us to have one. Next, he took out the same little silver box he had taken out of his pocket the night I was captured. He explained to everyone that if you pressed the green button on the side, the box would unfold and expand into a ladder. There was only one of those, and since he was the only one that really knew how to use it, Dustin kept it. Next were the stink bombs. He had been able to get his hands on only a few of these, so we couldn’t all have one. He handed us each security cards to wear around our necks. They would allow us to get past any scanners.
“Now this,” Dustin began, holding up a small black thing, “is an earpiece that will help us communicate. Each of us will have one.” He handed them out.
The earpiece felt really weird. It was really cold against my skin and it felt like I had a plug in my ear, like the ones kids wear for the pool.
Dustin then handed me a walkie-talkie. He told the group that both he and I would have them as a backup to the earpieces. After that, he took out a few more gadgets that he thought might help us. Then came the map. Everyone seemed surprised that he had been able to get his hands on it. He spread it out on the table, looking smug. The greatest thing about it was that every nook and cranny of the building had been marked. It showed the hidden doors, windows, and rooms. Everything.
“How in the world did you get this? I mean, this has all we need. It must have been really hard to find,” I marveled, studying the detailed map.
He shrugged. “No big deal. All it took was some brainpower.”
I shook my head in disbelief. “After this is all over, you’ve gotta tell me how you got it.”
He grinned mysteriously. “Deal.”
I turned back to the map. “Looks like we can enter this way.” I pointed to the spot. “Then we split up, find all the kids we can, and try to avoid the mad scientists.”
Wacko Academy Page 11
