Good vs. Evil High

by April Marcom

  I breezed through the rest of my shower and pulled my clothes on just long enough to go grab my shadow suit.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  ~ They Know ~

  Once I had the suit in hand, I stopped beside my bed, thinking of the safe pressed against the wall underneath it. Someone would have to take care of it for Luke if I didn’t make it back, and I knew there was a very real possibility I wouldn’t. When I looked up and down the middle of the room and didn’t see Harmony anywhere, I went to the rec room and found her sitting by Sassy in a corner, looking at a magazine.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked when she saw me approaching.

  “Listen,” I said, ignoring the question and crouching down in front of them. “That small safe I had last night is under my bed.” I looked behind me to make sure no one was nearby. “It’s Luke’s, and you have to look after it for me, okay? Don’t let anyone else have it.”

  “Why us?” Harmony leaned forward, looking really worried. “Why not you? What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to try and get to Luke, but you can’t tell anyone.”

  “Aw, it’s like Romeo and Juliet,” Sassy said.

  “Romeo and Juliet died,” Harmony said hotly, “and that’s exactly what’s going to happen to Kristine if she goes looking for Luke. You can’t do this, Kristine. It’s too dangerous.”

  “I know that, but I’ve got a shadow suit, remember? And I’ve got a plan. Just keep his stuff safe if anything goes wrong.”

  Harmony stared at me with big pleading eyes. “Please, please don’t do this.”

  “I have to. Try to understand. I’d do it for you two if you were locked up, and I know you would do it for me.”

  Harmony nodded sadly, assuring me that I could count on her.

  I stood up and ran back to the bathrooms, where I put on the suit and turned my arms inward to activate it before I left the stall.

  First I looked in the dinner hall for Thorn, but that didn’t turn up anything. So I crossed through the Cinder gym and into their hallway. I went in each room I passed just long enough to get a good look at every face, but this also turned up nothing.

  I followed the hall to an empty stairway and took my con from my pocket. “Hello, Kr—”

  “I need to know where Thorn’s room is.”

  “All right.” The screen went black and showed me the layout with the same neon green lines that had shown me how to find Luke. “Go up two flights of stairs and follow the hallway through the Cinder girls’ quarters. Take your first right. She and Mystery are in the seventh room on the right.”

  “Kristine Con, return.”

  I barely got it into my pocket before three guys entered the stairway. Bane stood in the center of them, which was a good thing, because he told the other two to leave when they made a move to grab me. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said when we were alone.

  “I have to find Knight.”

  “I told you last night, if the wrong person finds you here they’ll hurt you. And you’ll never find him, anyway. You need to get back to your school and forget about him.”

  “No. I’ll die before I let him go.”

  “You’re right. You will die if you don’t go back.”

  “No, Bane, I’ll never go back to life without him.” I turned my arms inward and ran up the stairs.

  “Where did you get that?” he shouted after me. “Stop—you’ll never find him!”

  I climbed as fast as I could when I heard him running behind me.

  “He wouldn’t want you to go after him, Kristine.”

  I stopped on the third floor and waited inside the hallway to hear him keep going up. As I waited I smiled, thinking how that was the first time he’d called me by my first name.

  “Get back here,” he called up as he headed for the fourth floor.

  “Thank you, Bane,” I whispered to myself, touched to know he cared enough to chase me up a flight of stairs, since I knew there weren’t many others, if any, he would have done it for.

  Then I started down the hallway, hoping I would find Thorn alone and that she wouldn’t attack and try to kill me, though I fully expected it. I stopped in front of her door and took a deep breath before I inched it open.

  A big punching bag was chained to the ceiling in the middle of the room. Thorn had her back to me and her boxing gloves on, beating away. It was a horrible time to come to her for help, but nothing scared me the way losing Luke did. I turned my arms outward and knocked on her open door.

  She spun around and stared at me for a moment. “Fayre,” she said with a sadistic smile, as she pulled her gloves off and threw them down. “Who’s gonna save you now?”

  I did my best not to let on how afraid of her I was. “I came to make a deal.”

  “No.” She rushed forward and reached back to hit me.

  I fell into the hallway, trying to get away. “I’ll let you win in the next race—”

  Thorn stopped mid-kick in her effort to stomp on my face. She put her foot on the ground and leaned down to grab my feet, drag me into her room, and shut the door. “You think I need you to let me win?”

  Yes, I thought to myself, although I answered, “No, but I could guarantee it. I just need to know how to get to Knight.”

  “You came here to ask me for help with Knight? Do you know what would happen if I did that and someone found out?”

  “Nothing, because no one would ever know.”

  She stared at me as I stood up, and then glared as she asked, “How do I know I can trust you? How do I know you didn’t come here to get me in trouble with my headmaster?”

  I fought not to cry as I struggled to answer. “Because I love Knight—and I’ll do anything to get to him. You’re the only one who can help me. You have my word, I’ll never tell a living soul, and you will win the next race.”

  Thorn leaned against her punching bag and chewed on her lip. I could tell she was considering it. She wanted to beat me in front of everybody, but she also hated me more than anyone else in the world. Helping me was probably the last thing she wanted to do...

  “Well, I have heard a North Havener’s word is as good as gold...All right, I’ll help you. But you have to let me win both of the next races.”

  I only hesitated for a second, not wanting to suffer the humiliation of losing twice. “Deal.” I held out my hand.

  Thorn’s lip curled as she stared at it, looking repulsed, but she took my hand and twisted her arms so that she disappeared in her shadow suit. “I know you’re wearing one, too, Fayre,” she said, letting go. “Make yourself unseen and be absolutely silent.”

  When I’d done this, she grabbed my wrist. Then I felt her pulling me out of the room and down the hallway in the opposite direction I’d come from. She dragged me through several other hallways and pitch black rooms and finally down a flight of stairs. We came out on the Cinder side of the arena where Thorn led me down to the Cinder girls’ locker room.

  She appeared in front of me, looking around the empty room. “Southland Cinders, show yourself.” When nothing happened and she was sure the coast was clear, she walked to one of the shining black lockers in the back of the room and let go of me to press the knob.

  It sunk in and something in the top of her locker began beeping. “Activating,” a robotic voice said. “Cinder Thorn, password.”

  “Loyalty to your master and to your school,” Thorn said. The door opened slowly. It was much thicker and heavier inside than any regular locker door.

  “Remain unseen while you’re down there,” Thorn said. “The system’s gonna think you’re me, so be sure you come back through door number one fifty-six—one-five-six—when you’re done. When you step in here, you’ll be taken down deep underground. You’ll see a bunch of hallways. Go to the one farthest to the right and take it to the very end. Get in the elevator and type six, six, eight, four, one, zero into the security panel. It’ll take you to the prisoners. I don’t know which cell Knight’s in, but I’m pr
etty sure he’s the only one down there. Do not open his door. If you do, an alarm will sound and you’ll be killed on the spot...which wouldn’t be bad, actually, except that I might end up dead too.”

  I gulped as I climbed into the box. What was I supposed to do if I couldn’t open the door? And how many times must I be reminded of the potentially lethal risk I was taking?

  “Got it,” I managed.

  “And if you tell anyone about this or you back out of our deal, I’ll kill you myself.” She hit a button next to my head and pulled her arm out just before the door shut.

  My heart pounded as I went down. Was I doing the right thing—risking my life looking for Luke? I could still go back and trust that he would find his way back to me someday. No. Even if I was doing the wrong thing and I was caught and cooked alive, it was far better than going back to North Haven and letting him slip away.

  How did I live without Luke before? I wondered. I was young and helpless, I guess, but not anymore.

  The box stopped moving and the door opened. I stepped into a long, wide area and turned right, holding my hands in front my face the entire time to be sure no one could see me. If I hadn’t had the protection of invisibility, I would have been absolutely petrified. I walked past empty spaces where other lockers could come down and also past a few lockers waiting for their Cinders to return to them.

  Through the hallways to my left, I heard feet shuffling and watched shadows move under torchlight from one door to another.

  Sixty-six, eighty-four, ten, I kept thinking. Sixty-six, eighty-four, ten. If I forgot those numbers, everything would be for nothing.

  When I got to the end, I turned left into the last hallway. I passed doors with signs on them that said things like “Stealth,” “Targeting,” and “Punishments.” The last one made me shiver as I passed by, because of the tortured cries coming from inside. The next door was unmarked and had all sorts of strange growling and screeching sounds coming from the other side. Being all alone in that dark, horrendous place was terrible. Such a strange pl—

  The door in front of me opened and a guy ran out of it, right into me. I reached out to catch myself as I fell back against the ground, fighting not to make a sound through it all.

  “Fayre?” he said hoarsely. I looked down and saw my torso and legs. My arms must have turned the wrong way in the fall. “FAYRE!” the boy ran back into the room shouting.

  I jumped up, turned my arms inward, and took off toward the elevator at the end, pushing myself to run faster than ever before. Every nerve ending in my body seemed to be exploding, taking turns between spurts of numb dreamlike feelings and outrageous panic.

  They knew. They knew I was there, and they would be coming for me.

  The traditional elevator doors opened immediately when I hit a silver button beside them. I dashed inside and had to feel my way over the keys as I punched in the numbers, since I couldn’t see my hand. My fingers were shaking horribly.

  “Invalid code, one more try,” the robotic voice said. My hands shook even worse then.

  A bunch of guys, men and students, ran out of the open door, all carrying guns.

  The deep breath I let out shook audibly. One more try...Then what?

  The guys were running down the hall away from me or opening doors to peer inside as I did my best to punch in the numbers a second time, taking way too much time on each one. Two guys were getting closer and closer, moving through the doors.

  The two doors in front of me began to close when I hit the last number. I felt a great deal of relief—but only for a second.

  And then the shots were fired. I screamed and flattened myself against a side wall, then crouched down and wrapped my arms around my head. The elevator began moving, guns still ripping holes through it until they couldn’t get to it anymore.

  Cautiously, I picked up my head. I turned my arms out and looked over my shaking body for wounds, because, even though I didn’t feel it, I was sure I’d been hit. I stumbled into standing and twisted around to see my backside. Somehow, they’d missed me. Looking over all the quarter-sized gashes in the door, I couldn’t believe my luck.

  But how long would it last? Once I got down there, I couldn’t go back up. Even if I called my headmaster, he wouldn’t be able to help me. I was entirely at the Cinders’ mercy. I could only hope Luke would know what to do.

  The injured door opened and I stood in a long silver corridor with bluish lights hanging from the dirty ceiling. Giant metal doors with small windows and levers pointing up where doorknobs should have been lined the hall on both sides. I jogged through the hall, glancing into each room for any sign of him.

  A lever was lying on its side up ahead, so I raced to that door and looked inside. It was like every prison cell I’d ever seen on TV, two beds protruding from the wall and held up by chains on one side and a grimy toilet on the other.

  A guy in black jeans sat leaning against a chain on the bottom bed with his back to me. Luke!” I knocked on the window and shouted.

  “Kristine?” He got up and came to the window with a half-crazed look in his eyes. “Don’t open the door.”

  “But I can help you get away.”

  “Headmaster will have you killed if he finds out you helped me.”

  “It doesn’t matter. They already know.”

  “No,” Luke and another voice said.

  “You’re not supposed to be here,” Roman said, approaching from my right, even though there were only prison doors that way.

  “Neither are you.”

  “Who’s there?” Luke asked, as I noticed the gun in Roman’s hand.

  “Why do you have a gun?” I asked.

  “Who’s got a gun?” Luke demanded. “Kristine, who’s out there?!”

  “You’re not supposed to be here,” Roman said again, pressing the side of the handgun against his bruised forehead. His whole face was pretty beat up, actually. “This isn’t how it was supposed to go.”

  “Kristine—” Luke shouted. “Tell me who’s out there!”

  Suddenly everything clicked. Who hated Luke enough to try and blow him up? Who hated Luke enough to frame him and get him expelled? And who made the accusation the night before, even though they were the one who was unaccounted for during most of the dance and then right after? “Roman.” I felt like the biggest fool in the world for not figuring it out sooner.

  “Armstrong’s there?” Luke called. “Open the door!”

  “It was you...and you have a gun...” I said, as the reason hit me even harder. I pressed my body against the prison door, determined to protect Luke. “I won’t let you hurt him.”

  “You can’t stop me,” Roman said, coming to stand right in front of me. “No one can.” He grabbed my face and kissed me.

  Luke shouted with unfathomable rage as he pounded against the glass, which was clearly unbreakable. “OPEN THE DOOR RIGHT NOW!”

  I tried to get away from Roman, but his fingers dug into my shoulder until I was kneeling and screaming in pain.

  “I’M GONNA MURDER YOU, ARMSTRONG!” Luke shouted, now banging on the door.

  “I’LL BE BACK FOR YOU!” Roman yelled over Luke, before I heard the loud crack, felt an icy blow against the back of my head, and then nothing.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  ~ Dying Heart ~

  My head hurt.

  Everything took a couple of minutes to come into focus when I opened my eyes, my memory just as fuzzy. A weakly-lit room took shape as I sat up in bed. It took me a second to realize the bed was only a mattress that had been thrown right on the floor and topped with velvety, violet blankets.

  “Where am I?” Feeling a leg laid over mine, I turned around and found Roman sleeping beside me. “Roman?” I asked, placing a hand on his arm.

  “Hey, sweetie,” he said, sleepily.

  “Where are we?”

  He sat up and took the hand I had on his arm to kiss it. “What does it matter? We’re together.”

  “But—” I took my han
d away to put on the back of my head, which was throbbing. “but—What about Luke—something—” It all came back at once. “Luke! Where’s Luke?”

  I felt something heavy around my ankle as I stood up, causing me to lose my balance and fall back down.

  Roman grabbed my shoulders to hold me in place. “Let’s get something straight. I don’t ever want to hear you say Knight’s name again.”

  “Where is he?”

  “I went back and took care of him. He’s out of the picture, okay? You can stop saying his name.”

  “You, you killed him?” my voice came in a whisper.

  “I had to—”

  “No,”

  “He was coming between us—”

  “No, no, no, NO, NO,”

  “Kristine, calm down!”

  But I couldn’t. Not without Luke. “NO, NO, NO,” I kept screaming, because it couldn’t be true. I continued screaming as I rested my head against my knees.

  “Kristine—“

  “NO, NO, NO,”

  “Kristine—” Roman kept trying to talk to me, but I couldn’t stop screaming, not until it stopped being true. Roman finally stood up and said, “I’ll be back when you’re done with your little tantrum,” before he left through the door at the other end of the room.

  I wailed and cried out, because it hurt like I couldn’t believe. Nothing—not even North Haven or my friends—could ever compensate for losing Luke.

  He was dead. My heart was dying with him.

  * * * *

  Hours later, I lay numbly on the mattress. My ankle was shackled to a chain that was cemented into the wall in a tiny bathroom. It stretched just long enough to let me lie comfortably in the bed.

  I had no idea where I was, just that it was nowhere near another living soul. After the screaming and banging and no one responding at all, I knew I was all alone.

  Aside from toilet paper and soap, all the room contained was a chair with a lamp sitting on it on the other side of the room where I would never be able to get to it.