The Outcast (Sacrisvita Book 7)

by Dylan Steel

  “Oh.”

  “And on a related topic, just so you’re aware, you’ll have a meeting with the headmaster and Mr. Gaztok soon to go over your progress. But for now, you may return to your Common Lounge.” She nodded toward the door.

  “Oh,” she repeated, standing up hesitantly. Her question hadn’t been answered, but she didn’t want to press the matter any further. She stopped and turned back to Ms. Verdan, her brow furrowing in confusion. “Don’t I need to wait for my escort?”

  “I don’t think that will be necessary, do you?”

  “I… I didn’t know I had a choice,” she said.

  “Well, it seems to me that you’ve done alright without one before.”

  Panic gripped Sage. Did she somehow know about the time she’d tricked the headmaster’s assistant into letting her walk to class alone? It hadn’t been that far…

  “After all, your abduction happened when you were off of these premises,” Ms. Verdan continued. “And we’ve asked you to trust us here. It seems to me that continuing to provide you with an escort only serves as further proof to you that we don’t trust our own defenses here at the Institution.”

  Ms. Verdan finally raised her eyes to meet Sage’s. “If we expect you to trust us, I feel it’s only right that we demonstrate a similar level of trust in our own capabilities. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  “I-I guess.” Sage was relieved that she wasn’t in trouble, but she couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

  “I’ve finished with my inquiry for today, Miss Indarra.” Ms. Verdan’s eyes flicked back down to the screen in front of her. Her lips thinned into a tight line.

  Dismissed again, Sage took a step toward the door and then paused. Something was odd about today’s session. Something she couldn’t quite figure out.

  “Ms. Verdan?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did…” she stopped herself, unsure if she should ask the question that was at the forefront her mind.

  “I haven’t got all day, Miss Indarra.”

  “Sorry,” she said. “Did something happen with the case? Have they made any more progress?”

  “You know those aren’t things that I can discuss with you. My role is, and always has been, to ask questions—not answer them. You’ll have a chance to get questions answered when you meet with Mr. Gaztok and the headmaster.”

  “And when will that be?” Sage bit her lip, hopeful that it would be soon.

  “You should be prepared to meet with them as soon as their schedules open up and coordinate well.” She looked over her rims. “They’re very important and busy men, Miss Indarra, and they can’t be expected to cater to your academic schedule.”

  “Oh, no, of course not. That’s not what I meant. I just—”

  “Good day, Miss Indarra.” Ms. Verdan nodded once more toward the door.

  Sage shut her mouth and turned to leave. Obviously, Ms. Verdan was no longer in a mood to continue their conversation.

  But she couldn’t help but wonder what had brought on all the sudden changes in her session. Why a new question when she’d been answering the same ones for months? Why no more escorts? And why would she be meeting with both the headmaster and Mr. Gaztok soon just to go over her ‘progress’?

  It was all too strange. Nothing added up.

  Something must have happened. But what?

  15. OVERHEARD

  “Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb,” Penelope muttered under her breath. She raised her voice so Sage could hear her. “Have you finished Mr. Sorns’ assignment?” Her tone was laced with disgust as she glared at her databook.

  “Huh?” Sage looked up from her reading. “Oh, uh-huh. I did it with Nic at dinner.”

  “How?” Penelope whined.

  Sage shrugged. “I can help you if you want.”

  Penelope tossed the tablet on the cushion beside her and crossed her arms. “I want to just skip it.” Her eyes narrowed at Sage. “I still don’t get how it’s somehow magically easier for you now.”

  “I told you,” Sage said, lowering her voice as her eyes darted around the lounge. “They helped me. A lot. It just makes more sense now.”

  “I know, I know.” Penelope’s face scrunched up.

  “Mr. Sorns is pretty awful, though,” Sage reassured her. “I definitely needed help on this one too.”

  Penelope rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She poked her cheek, looking around the room absentmindedly.

  Sage followed her gaze across the room to a group of boys laughing loudly around a table. She didn’t know most of them very well, but she definitely recognized Drue. She grinned and looked back at Penelope. “Or I could ask someone else to help you,” she teased, raising an eyebrow.

  “Wha—?” Penelope’s eyes snapped to Sage’s, her cheeks reddening. “No, thanks,” she mumbled.

  “You sure?”

  Penelope just glared at her.

  “Ok, ok.” Sage held up her hands. “It was just an offer.”

  “Exams are still a few months off anyways,” Penelope said, almost to herself. She sighed. “Really, I wish we could just go… you know.” Penelope’s eyes rolled upward, toward the roof. “Stinks that you can’t go anywhere without an instructor or somebody. And something tells me they wouldn’t let you up there even if I offered to escort you.”

  Sage stuck her tongue out. “Nope. I’m not required to have escorts anymore.”

  “Seriously? Awesome!” Penelope brightened, sitting up straighter. “Now we can actually do stuff!”

  “Don’t get too excited,” Sage cautioned. “I still have this meeting with the headmaster and Mr. Gaztok—to evaluate my ‘progress.’ So… let’s not give them a reason to think I need to be shunned, k?”

  “Fine.” Penelope slumped back in her seat. “Way to take all the fun out of life.”

  “Gee, thanks.”

  Penelope drummed the edge of the couch thoughtfully as she surveyed the room. “You know, it’s really noisy in here.”

  “So?” Sage brushed off her concern. “That’s kinda normal.”

  “Yeah, but it’s so hard to concentrate, ya know?” Penelope’s eyes sparkled with mischief.

  Sage eyed her suspiciously. “No. Whatever it is you’re thinking, just no.”

  “I have no idea what you mean,” Penelope said, smiling innocently. “I’m just suggesting that I might be able to concentrate better in a quieter setting.”

  “No.”

  “You wouldn’t want me to fail my classes, would you?”

  “One class. Singular. And I already told you I’d help.”

  Penelope waved her hand dismissively. “But I obviously need you to help me somewhere else.”

  “No.”

  “C’mon. Please? It’s impossible to concentrate in here.”

  “Clearly.” Sage shook her head in exasperation.

  She stood up and tugged on Sage’s sleeve. “Glad you finally agree.”

  “I don’t think that’s what—”

  “C’mon. We won’t go far. Just somewhere quieter. Promise.” She grinned.

  Sage felt herself being dragged out of her chair. “Don’t we need our databooks?” she protested, looking back over her shoulder.

  “Nah. We’ll just go to a tech room and use their stuff.”

  Penelope poked her head out of the lounge, making sure no one was coming. “Ok.” She pulled Sage into the hallway with her. “There’s one pretty close.”

  “I swear, Pen. Kidnappers didn’t get me shunned, but you will.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.” She smiled sweetly. “You’re just helping a fellow student be the best and brightest she can possibly be. It’s all for the good of Eprah, after all.”

  “Oh, of course,” Sage said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  Putting a finger to her lips, Penelope led them through several corridors and down a couple flights of stairs. They wound their way through a few more hallways, moving deeper into the center of the Institution.

  “I thought you
said it was close,” Sage hissed in a loud whisper.

  “Shh! Not so loud!” Penelope shot her a reprimanding look. “It is close… now.” She jerked her head toward the end of the hall as they continued tiptoeing forward.

  Sage reached her hand out and grabbed Penelope’s arm, stopping suddenly. She craned her neck, listening. A low noise was growing in the distance—something that sounded an awful lot like talking.

  Penelope’s eyes grew wide. Adults, she mouthed. She pushed open the nearest door and dove inside the classroom, motioning for Sage to follow. Sage quickly slipped in behind her and shut the door as quietly as she could.

  Footsteps clacked down the hallway as the girls stood as still as they could, pressing their ears to the door. The instructors’ voices grew louder as they walked past the classroom.

  Exhaling slowly, Sage squeezed her eyes shut, worried the instructors would hear them breathing on the other side of the door. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and she could feel her hand shaking against the wall.

  Both girls breathed a sigh of relief once the adults’ chatter had faded away.

  Sage punched her in the arm.

  “Ow!”

  “We almost got caught!”

  “Barely,” Penelope retorted. “And that really hurt.” She rubbed her arm, frowning.

  “Not as bad as being shunned.” Sage glared at her.

  “Fine, ok, yeah. But we’re here now. And we didn’t get caught, so try to relax.” Penelope wrinkled her nose as she shook out her arm, rubbing her wrist.

  For the first time since ducking into the room, Sage looked at her surroundings. A familiar large table sat in the middle of the room, and a soft light lined the walls. They’d actually made it into a tech room.

  “Did you plan this?” Sage asked, gesturing around the room.

  Penelope looked around in surprise. “Can I say yes?”

  Sage shot her an unimpressed look.

  “Ok, so maybe not. But obviously, everything’s working out awesome tonight.”

  “This is what you call awesome? Almost getting caught?”

  “Not getting caught,” Penelope corrected her. “Not getting caught is pretty awesome.”

  Sage shook her head. She collapsed into one of the seats around the tech table. “So? Math homework?”

  “Eh,” Penelope flicked her hand, “I don’t really feel like it, do you?”

  “What—isn’t it quiet enough for you here?” Sage asked in annoyance.

  “Doesn’t that seem like a waste? Now that we’re actually not being monitored?” Penelope’s eyes twinkled impishly.

  “You know that’s not exactly true,” Sage said quietly, glancing around the room nervously.

  “They’ll never look for us here,” Penelope said. “Besides, if they caught us, we could easily say we were just working on an assignment. No big deal.”

  “Right.” Sage rolled her eyes. “Even I don’t believe that story.”

  “Ok, fine. Maybe I just wanted to get out of the Common Lounge. Hang out without everyone staring.”

  “No one was staring,” Sage retorted.

  Penelope arched her eyebrow. “Uh, well, Carnabel was looking at you like a piece of meat, so…”

  “Eprah’s name. Doesn’t she have anything better to do? Like, ever?” Sage shook her head resignedly. “That’s not exactly new, though.”

  “Yeah, I’m not sure what you did to make her hate you so much.”

  “Me neither.” Sage groaned.

  “Well, it’s probably a good thing we got out of there when we did anyways. She was looking extra eager tonight.” Penelope’s eyes narrowed.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You haven’t heard?”

  “About what?”

  “Um…” Penelope shifted her weight. “I think she’s trying to make up for the Chances she lost in her bet about you being shunned.”

  A sense of dread washed over Sage. “How?”

  “A fight,” Penelope admitted reluctantly. “Against you. At least, that’s what’s been going around. A bet that she’ll beat you in a fight.” She smirked. “She’s giving herself three-to-one odds against you, though, which is ridiculous. It should be at least four.”

  Sage stuck out her tongue. “Thanks a lot.”

  Penelope’s smile waned. “Seriously though, you need to watch your back around her. She’s out for blood. And she knows she doesn’t have much to lose, so that makes her extra dangerous.”

  “She has plenty to lose,” Sage retorted. “We both do. Not that it matters if she doesn’t realize it, but I—”

  Penelope held up a hand. Her eyes widened as she stared intensely at the door, as if she were trying to see through it. Did you hear that? she mouthed.

  Sage nodded gravely. She stood up and moved to the door as quietly as she could, cupping her hands around her ear as she leaned against the wall.

  Hushed voices drifted through the hallway and into the room as the two girls strained to listen, holding their breath. Sage started to be able to make out words as the voices neared them.

  “—told you already. I’m not changing my mind.”

  “You have a few more months to decide. I’d seriously consider it. I mean, I’m telling you as a friend. Your choice won’t be popular.” The boy’s voice held an edge of warning.

  “That doesn’t matter. It’s about strategy, not popularity.” The first boy spoke in an annoyed tone.

  Students. Sage let out her breath slowly, relieved. Even if they were discovered, students were nowhere near the same threat as instructors. They didn’t have the authority to shun them, and it would just be their word against them—and she doubted the other students were supposed to be wandering the halls at this time either.

  “Popularity is strategy. Most people here already hate her,” the second voice continued. “It’d be pretty dumb to waste your nomination. It’ll probably get voted down anyways, and then you won’t have anyone looking out for you. Don’t throw away future favors. Especially not over a stupid crush that you can’t even be paired with.”

  “It’s not a crush,” the first boy growled. “Like I told you…”

  With those words, Sage’s cheeks burned, but she couldn’t make out the rest of what he was saying. The voices continued arguing back and forth, fading into an incoherent rumble as they walked farther down the hallway.

  Furrowing her brow, Sage exchanged an uncertain glance with Penelope. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought the first voice sounded a lot like Darren’s. And by the look on Penelope’s face, she thought so too.

  “What was that all about?” Penelope whispered.

  Sage looked at her blankly. “I have no idea.”

  “You don’t think… He wasn’t talking about you, was he?”

  “Why would he be?” she snapped.

  “I don’t know. Because—” Penelope held up her hands defensively. “Just… what if he was?”

  “What if he was?” Sage repeated, shrugging helplessly. “I still wouldn’t know what he was talking about. And I really doubt he has a crush on me,” she added pointedly. “He’s barely spoken to me all year.”

  “Ok…” Penelope looked at her uncertainly.

  Sage clamped her mouth shut and crossed her arms, looking away.

  But she couldn’t help wondering what the boys had been talking about. Strategy? Nominations?

  It didn’t make any sense. Her heart was racing. And the uncertainty was already eating at her.

  Because even though she didn’t want to admit it, she was pretty sure Penelope was right—Darren had been talking about her.

  16. THE MEETING

  Sage stared at the bottom of Ms. Firth’s desk. She could just see the tips of the woman’s shoes, lightly scuffed, tapping up and down.

  Twenty minutes earlier, Ms. Pembergast had pulled Sage out of the Common Lounge rather unceremoniously. For an important meeting, she’d said.

  She'd been marched straight to the headmaster’s
office, instructed to wait outside his door until he was ready for her.

  By the time she’d spent two minutes sitting there, Sage’s mind had gone from exhausting every awful possibility to completely blank.

  The headmaster’s assistant was acting more nervous than Sage was. It was understandable. And probably a good sign, actually. Mr. Gaztok’s presence seemed to have that effect on everyone, so that probably meant he was waiting on the other side of the door. Maybe this was just going to be a status meeting for her kidnapping case. Maybe they had good news, and she wasn’t being shunned. Maybe—

  The headmaster’s voice suddenly crackled through a speaker on her desk, making both Sage and the assistant jump.

  “You can send her in now, Ms. Firth.”

  She nodded at Sage. “Well, you heard him. You can go in now.”

  Sage stood up shakily, turning toward the now-familiar door to the headmaster’s office. Her hand hovered just above the doorknob, trembling.

  “No, dear, not his office this time. Sorry, should’ve specified.” Ms. Firth’s voice was slightly higher than usual. “The conference room. Last door on the right.”

  “Oh.” She stopped, then turned and forced a small smile. “Ok. Thanks.”

  Ms. Firth gave her a sympathetic nod.

  Forcing one foot in front of the other, Sage trudged to the end of the short hallway. Her heart thumped wildly as she reached for the door, pushing it open.

  “Ah, Miss Indarra.” The headmaster looked up, disappointment plastered on his face. “Please take a seat.”

  She swallowed hard, willing her feet to stay firmly on the ground as she looked from the headmaster to Mr. Gaztok. Quivering, she made her way to a chair across the table from them. Only once she’d taken a seat did she notice another man standing in the opposite corner of the room with them. Captain Ludlo.

  Questions began racing through her mind. Why was he there? Was the captain always part of shunnings? It was possible—it’s not like she’d seen everything that happened when Cal was shunned—or was it a special case just for her?

  “Miss Indarra!”

  Her eyes snapped forward. “Yes?” she croaked.

  The headmaster’s eyes narrowed. “Did you hear anything that I just said?”