Most of the students had known about Nathaniel already – rumours had been rife for ages about a divide among the school’s administrators – but the idea that the division could go this far caused panic.
The elegant dining hall looked the same as it always did – candles glittered on the round tables, crystal sparkled at every place setting, heavy silver cutlery gleamed in the warm glow of the heavy chandeliers – but the mood was ugly.
Once again, none of the senior staff was present. It had been so long since they’d shown up for a formal meal Allie was beginning to wonder if they were starving themselves to death out in the woods. Part of her hoped so.
Across the dining hall two red-faced boys were having a shouting argument, one pounding on a table in rage. Nearby several girls seemed near tears.
Do they even know what’s going on here? Do they realise they’re losing control?
Although they’d all expected it to happen, no students had been pulled out of school by their parents that day. This fact only made the sense of dread worse. They were all waiting for something horrible to happen.
‘What do you think he’s doing?’ Carter asked. ‘If he’s really planning to take half the school, why did he just pull one student out and then no more?’
‘Perhaps it was a warning,’ Nicole said.
‘It’s his way of telling Isabelle he’s serious – and he’s giving them a chance to give him what he wants,’ Rachel said. ‘Like blackmail.’
‘He’s wasting his time. They’ll never do that.’ Allie pushed the food around her plate with a desultory fork.
‘Especially since they barely seem to have noticed Caroline is gone at all,’ Zoe said.
Looking up at her, Allie noticed Jules watching them from a nearby table. She was sitting with Katie and a few other friends, as she had the night before. Her eyes looked hurt, and when she caught Allie’s gaze she quickly looked away.
Allie wondered how Carter had explained what was going on. Why he wasn’t sitting with her at meals any more. With all that had happened in the last few days, the two of them must barely be seeing each other at all.
‘So there’s no Night School training tonight…’ Looking across the table at Sylvain, Carter didn’t appear to notice his girlfriend’s expression. He was too focused on the project at hand.
Sylvain seemed to get what Carter was implying – he sat up straighter, his gaze fixed on Carter’s.
‘Yes,’ he said. ‘And the weather is clear.’
Some sort of agreement was being made between the two of them.
‘What’s going on?’ Zoe asked.
A knowing smile tugged at Nicole’s full lips. ‘I think the boys are plotting.’
Sylvain and Carter grinned. Allie wasn’t sure she liked this new alliance.
‘OK. Here’s the thing,’ Carter said. ‘We’ve been waiting for the teachers to come back so we can find out what’s going on. Sylvain and I have been thinking it’s time to go to them. And find out for ourselves.’
‘What? We’re going to go and find them?’ Zoe’s face brightened at the idea.
‘We’re going,’ Sylvain said, ‘to talk to Eloise.’
‘Maybe this isn’t such a great idea,’ Allie said.
Perched on a bench in the Night School girls’ dressing room, she loosened a knot in the laces on her trainers. ‘It kind of feels like we’re pushing our luck.’
‘You think?’ Rachel’s sarcastic voice emerged from a borrowed, thermal top she was struggling to pull over her head. ‘Just a little bit?’
‘We will be fine.’ Nicole pulled on thick, black leggings and reached for her socks. Allie had to admire her cool composure – nothing seemed to intimidate her. ‘We will do nothing but look.’
The utilitarian room was painted plain white; the only decoration the shiny brass hooks that lined the walls, each one with a name painted above it in glossy black, and the black clothes beneath. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors lined one wall, making the room seem bigger than it was. It was a familiar place by now to Allie – but she knew Rachel, in all her years at Cimmeria, had never seen it before, because it was Night School only.
When the boys first told them about their idea, they’d all reacted with enthusiasm. If it gave them the chance to find out more about what was really going on, it was worth taking all the chances.
It was only now that they were in the middle of it that Allie’s doubt gene kicked in.
They knew that by bringing Rachel into the section of the school reserved solely for the group’s secret activities, and dressing her in someone else’s Night School gear, they were breaking several of the school’s inviolable Rules.
‘How can you be so calm about this?’ Allie asked Nicole. ‘Aren’t you worried about getting expelled?’
‘I am sorry but if one of the teachers says to me, “You broke The Rules,” I will say to them, “Well, where the hell is Eloise? Where the hell is Jo? Where is Ruth?”’ Nicole’s French accent grew thicker when she was angry. ‘Where were you when the school fell apart? And I think that will be the end of that conversation.’
Allie had to admit she had a point. The whole situation was so intensely wrong, what did The Rules matter any more? Was anyone keeping score?
As they talked, Zoe stood in one corner of the dressing room, clad fully in her black Night School gear and kickboxing the air, chirping with each move, like a small, angry crow.
Allie worried about bringing her, too. She was fast and smart but… so young. So small.
Before she could think it through, though, Rachel distracted her.
‘This doesn’t fit.’ She stood in front of a mirror, eyeing herself dubiously; the pilfered top ended in the middle of her midriff, revealing a few inches of latte-coloured skin. ‘I’m too tall.’
‘Jules is tall like you,’ Nicole said, pulling her long hair back into a ponytail. ‘Try hers.’
Across the room, Rachel picked up the new black top, weighing it in her hands. Allie, who was wearing one just like it, knew it was light but very warm, made of the kind of material used for ski clothes.
‘This is so weird,’ Rachel said, pulling off the too-small top and trying on the larger size. ‘I can’t believe we’re doing this.’
Zoe stopped kickboxing to look at her. ‘We do this stuff all the time.’
Rachel studied her, a thin line appearing between her brown eyes. ‘I know.’
All her life, Rachel had tried to learn nothing about Night School. She’d absorbed a great deal of information because her father was very involved in it but she’d always been resolute about having as little as possible to do with it.
Allie watched soberly as she pulled on the last of her Night School garb – transforming herself from a brainy student into a fighter. Jules was a couple of inches shorter than her, but her gear fit well enough. Like the others, she was now clad entirely in black, with thick leggings and warm running shoes. Her dark curly hair was tucked under a black knitted cap.
It gets us all in the end.
‘I look like the Hamburglar,’ Rachel grumbled.
‘Can we get going?’ Standing by the door, Zoe hopped on one foot impatiently until they all, at last, lined up behind her.
Then she flipped out the lights and opened the door.
It was midnight. Curfew began an hour ago.
The basement corridor was dark; they crept along it in absolute silence. Sticking close to Rachel, Allie lit the way with a special torch that emitted a pale blue light – enough to show obstacles in front of them but difficult to detect from a distance. The others didn’t need a light – they’d been down this hallway so many times they could do it with their eyes closed.
Raj’s guards weren’t following their usual schedule so they couldn’t be certain when the patrols would pass. But the guards were coming by less frequently than they used to so their chances of getting out unnoticed were good.
The decreasing patrols were worrying: the school leaders must truly believ
e they’d caught their spy if they were easing back on security.
Just what Nathaniel wanted.
Ahead, Zoe had stopped at the base of a set of stairs, holding up her hand. The others waited as the younger girl darted up to the top. A door swung open without a sound and a wave of cold damp air flowed over them. Steadying herself, Allie inhaled its cool freshness deeply.
She glanced surreptitiously at Rachel; like the others, she stood unmoving, staring at the opening through which Zoe had disappeared. Her nervousness was betrayed only by the fine sheen of sweat on her forehead and the way her hands clenched and unclenched at her sides.
Reaching out, Allie took Rachel’s hand and squeezed it. Without looking at her, Rachel squeezed back.
Then Zoe appeared at the top of the stairs and motioned for them to follow.
Allie let go of Rachel’s hand.
Ducking low and moving stealthily, the girls ran up the stairs and into the night. As they raced across the lawn, the only sound was the squelching of the cold mud under their shoes and the sound of their breathing.
With each step Allie waited for the shout – for someone to spot them and haul them in. Her muscles were tight with tension as they sped across the flat open ground. But the shout didn’t come.
When they made it to the forest, she relaxed a little, falling into line behind Rachel but ahead of Nicole, who brought up the rear. They were safer here, virtually invisible in the dark.
With each step, Allie was reminded of how out of shape she was. How she was still healing. She was glad Rachel’s presence gave her an excuse to take it slow. Rachel hated exercise – Allie could hear how laboured her breathing was. But she kept going.
It took them around ten minutes to reach the edge of the stone wall surrounding the old chapel. Zoe slowed her pace and they followed suit. A few minutes later Allie saw the battered old gate ahead of them – it stood open.
Her heart tripped but she kept running, and reminded herself that this was the plan.
Right on time, two shadows slipped out of the dark churchyard – silent as wraiths. The girls increased their pace.
Allie watched as the Carter shadow sped ahead to join Zoe in the lead. The Sylvain shadow slipped back to the end of the line, joining Nicole.
Zoe and Carter led them past the chapel then turned on to a second path towards the stream. At Zoe’s signal, they all crouched low and slowed, moving with absolute quiet.
On one side of the footpath a small stone cottage appeared out of the darkness. This was Mr Ellison’s home, and the place where Carter had lived as a child. To Allie it had always looked like a house from a fairy tale, with gingerbread trim and a garden full of lush flowers.
The lights were all off but a faint curl of smoke still hung above the chimney; the gardener had gone to bed, but not long ago.
As they crept by, Allie noticed winter roses growing, pale and unexpected, along the stone wall. She touched one with her black glove as she passed – it seemed too beautiful to be real. Her touch shook raindrops loose from the bush and they pattered on to the ground below.
From out of nowhere, Sylvain grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the wall. Catching her eye he gave her a warning look. Even now, in these circumstances, his blue eyes made her heart stutter. She nodded apologetically and, after a second, he let go, dropping back out of sight.
The second path was narrower and rougher than the main footpath – it had been much less travelled upon. Fallen branches and stones made it treacherous. It slowed them down and made it difficult – if not impossible – to move with stealth.
When they reached a point where the path was blocked completely by a fallen tree, they stopped. Grabbing a branch, Zoe hopped up on to it and over to the other side, light and quick as a squirrel.
Carter followed with more effort. Then, one by one, they helped each other across. After helping Rachel over, Allie grabbed the branch to pull herself up but the movement caused a stabbing pain in her knee. She clutched her leg, willing it to stop.
From below, a warm hand grabbed her arm to steady her and she looked down into Carter’s dark eyes.
‘You OK?’ he whispered.
She nodded and prepared to jump down. But before she could make the leap he grasped her waist and lifted her to the ground. It was exactly the kind of thing he used to do, back when they were friends, and Allie looked up at him in surprise.
Before she could think of the right thing to say though, Nicole jumped off the fallen tree, landing next to them.
‘Go,’ she hissed, pointing down the path.
Turning, Allie realised the others were already out of sight. The path ahead was empty.
Swearing under his breath, Carter took off into the dark.
Allie followed, but her knee was stiff and painful now and she couldn’t keep up the same pace.
Remembering how agile she’d been before the accident – how fast she could run – she hated Nathaniel and Gabe even more. They’d ruined everything.
Rounding a bend, she saw Carter waiting for her ahead. He was holding up a hand in warning. She slowed her pace, trying to disguise her limp.
When she reached him, Nicole and Sylvain were right behind her. Carter pointed to the left. A tiny path disappeared under the trees. He motioned that he would go first and she should follow.
She nodded.
The new path was so small it was hard to see it in the pitch dark – she could just make out Carter ahead of her, moving carefully.
They came to a narrow stream – barely more than a trickle – and he jumped over it.
Saying a silent prayer that her knee could take it, she jumped after him. The soft earth cushioned her landing and her knee held.
Only then did she see the cottage in the distance. It sat on the far side of the pond where last summer they’d all gone skinny-dipping. She hadn’t really noticed it then, probably because it was so overgrown it was nearly invisible. Bushes and trees surrounded it – ivy grew up its old stone walls.
She pointed at it and Carter nodded. This was the place.
Keeping a distance from the building, they made their way in a wide circle through the forest until they came to a cluster of bushes on one side. There Allie nearly ran into Rachel, who was huddled next to Zoe in the dark.
Carter hurried over to Zoe and spoke to her briefly, then returned to Allie’s side.
Leaning closer, he whispered, ‘We’re waiting for the guards to leave.’
Allie nodded to show she’d understood, and stared at the little house as if she were trying to see through the walls.
Nicole and Sylvain had joined them now – Sylvain stood next to Zoe behind the cover of a thick pine tree, watching the house intently. Nicole crouched low, beside them.
The sound of a door creaking open echoed in the silent woods, and they all froze. Allie felt exposed – the others had found better hiding places. She’d thought they had more time.
Her heart pounding in her ears, she looked around for more cover but it was too late; if she moved now they might be seen.
There was nothing else to do – so she stood very still. And tried not to breathe.
TWENTY
The two guards made no effort to be quiet. As they emerged from the cottage, Allie could hear their voices clearly across the distance. One of them barked a laugh and it echoed in the quiet like a gunshot.
Next to her, Carter stood watching them with fierce concentration, as if he were willing them to leave. In their hiding place nearby, Nicole had a hand on Rachel’s arm. Allie was relieved to see that Rachel’s dark eyes were alert and interested – she didn’t look afraid.
It seemed to take a lifetime for them to make their way down the footpath. When the guards disappeared into the trees, Allie inhaled deeply and felt the muscles in her shoulders relax.
Somewhere in the distance an owl hooted.
Emerging from her hiding place, Zoe sped silently to Sylvain’s side. After whispering something to him she took off
into the forest.
When she’d gone, Allie caught Sylvain’s eye and arched her brow questioningly.
‘She’s going to follow them,’ he whispered. ‘To make sure they don’t double back.’
‘You don’t think they saw us?’ she asked, alarmed.
He shook his head. ‘We just need to be sure.’
Sylvain turned to ask Carter a question and Allie crouched down next to Rachel.
‘You OK?’ she said.
Her eyes sparkling in the moonlight, Rachel nodded. ‘That was more exciting than I expected. I can see why you like this stuff. It’s exhilarating.’
‘Yeah,’ Allie said grimly. ‘It’s ace.’
With a curious frown, Rachel opened her mouth to say something else, but at that moment Zoe appeared hurtling from the woods. They hurried to gather around her.
‘They took the main footpath,’ she whispered breathlessly. ‘They’re gone.’
‘OK.’ Sylvain looked at his watch. ‘We should have half an hour before the next patrol.’
‘Everyone ready?’ Nicole whispered, her eyes sweeping the group.
They had planned it all down to the finest detail, so there was no need to go over it again – everyone knew what to do.
Nicole went first, running low and fast across the clearing until she reached the safety of the cottage, disappearing into the shadows around it.
The others waited, squinting into the darkness until they saw the pale blue light of her torch flash twice. After that they followed her one at a time. First Rachel, then Sylvain, then Allie.
For Allie, the run across the clearing seemed to take for ever – she felt so exposed. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the pain in her knee, forcing herself to run faster than she’d thought she could. Trying not to limp.
It only took seconds.
When she was safely beside the others, leaning against the cold stone of the house, she bent down with her head hanging between her shoulders and struggled to catch her breath. Glancing up, she saw Rachel watching with concern.
‘You OK?’ she mouthed. Allie nodded, aware of the irony of Rachel worrying about her.
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