The equipment arrived that evening in the form of a small envelope pushed under her door. Shay herself was nowhere to be found. Inside the envelope, Ana found ten tiny nodes similar to the one she had found in her bag. They seemed too small to do anything. Shay had assured her that if there were listening devices, they had to transmit. These tiny nodes would form a neutral net rendering anything in their area radio silent.
Ana wanted a listening device too. After all, it only seemed fair that she return the favor. But Shay had refused. “Way too much trouble,” she had said. “Bad for business.”
Madame Bali stepped into the living room and saw Ana holding the envelope. “What do you have there?” she asked.
“Nothing,” Ana said, stuffing it in her bag. “Just a doodle from one of the Arkwrights.”
Madame Bali clasped her hands together and inclined her head. “I’m pleased to see you are making new friends.”
After Madame Bali retired for the evening, Samuel came up the trellis. It had been several days now since “the incident.”
“I was beginning to wonder if you were coming back.”
He plastered on his gallant smile. “Wild dogs couldn’t keep me away. Unless they’re really mean ones, that is.” He looked around the room. “Madame Bali still up?”
“No, she went to bed a few minutes ago.”
“In that case, let’s make coffee.”
Ana scooped the coffee and placed it into the filter. “So, are we going to talk about the other night?”
“The other night?”
She snapped the lid on the coffee maker closed and turned to face Samuel. “The bracelet. It was from your family, wasn’t it? You’re a Jacobs.”
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a minute. “I was a Jacobs. Past tense.”
“What happened?”
“Oh, you know, the age-old story. Genteel young boy is raised by narcissistic monsters. Learns his family legacy is in usury, death, and blackmail.”
“Come on, Samuel. Please tell me. You know everything about me.”
The coffee machine beeped, and Samuel turned to pour a steaming mug for each of them. He walked over to the couch and sat down.
She followed him.
After a long sip, he finally said, “Okay. Fine. What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
“I was raised like any other Jacobs. I was top of my class here at the academy. My dad thought it would be good for me to begin learning the family business. I started the summer after I turned sixteen. I mostly organized his files and prepared basic financial documents.
“Everything was fine, boring even, until I saw the other side of the family business. It happened late one night while my parents were out at some gala. I had just started smoking, and I realized I was missing a pack. Afraid I had left it on my dad’s desk, I broke into his office to look for it.
“Well, I found something else instead. A comm from someone high up in the Rockwell family. I searched my dad’s files after I read it. I couldn’t believe it. My dad was putting up cash for a weapons deal with the Rockwells and Nobles. I don’t want to get into the details, even now it could be dangerous. Needless to say, it would have resulted in the deaths of thousands of people.
“I sat on the information for an entire day. I agonized over what to do with it. I knew what my family would want me to do— nothing. But I knew I couldn’t live with myself if I did that. So, I met with a reporter in secret, just outside of the capital’s mountains. I gave him everything— files, bank account numbers, and more.
“And then I knew it was time for me to leave Bellaton. Traitors aren’t celebrated in any of the seven families. Your grandmother helped me get away, and your mom helped me acclimate on Earth.
“You were homeless,” Ana said.
“I was disguised. I don’t have any shortage of money, Ana.”
“But—” She opened her mouth to ask another question.
“Let’s talk about something else for a while. Please.”
She relented. “Wanna watch cartoons?”
“You hacked the infotab.”
“A friend uploaded them for me. All the kids are doing it.” She smiled. “I can project it on the wall.”
“What are we waiting for?”
* * *
A week passed, and Ana was beginning to think everyone had forgotten about the beach bust. In this case, no news was good news. She hadn’t heard a word from the headmistress. Madame Bali seemed to still be in the dark. No punishment had been doled out. She couldn’t believe her luck.
In celebration, Adam had asked her if she wanted to go to the town on Sunday. Things were really looking up.
However, when she returned from her last class of the day, Madame Bali was waiting. One look at her and Ana knew she was busted. Madame Bali’s back was straight as a rod, and her arms were crossed over her chest.
“Anabella Halt,” she said in a disapproving tone.
Uh-oh. Ana’s first instinct was to take a step backward. She fought it.
“I have just received word from the headmistress that you were out after hours at a gathering of sorts. A gathering where another student was gravely injured. A gathering where drugs were present.”
Ana hurried to defend herself. “Whoa, I don’t know what you heard, but I didn’t touch drugs. And I had nothing to do with Baylan getting hurt.”
“But you were there.”
“Well, yes.”
“You lied to me. You said you were tired. You said you were going to bed.”
“I mean, technically, I did go to bed.”
Madame Bali stared her down. “Anabella, our relationship only works if you are honest with me. My job is to keep you safe. How can I do that if you are sneaking out after hours and spending time with people I do not know? What if you had been the one to fall off those rocks? How would I explain that to Ms. Kandinsky, to your brothers, to your people?”
Ana hung her head. Madame Bali was right. It had been a selfish thing to do. What if she had been blamed for Baylan’s accident? She could have been expelled. Or worse, what if she had been the one pushed? There were certainly those who would like to see her out of the picture. She resolved not to sneak around after dark anymore.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, looking at the floor.
Madame Bali, always one for efficiency, forgave Ana and doled out her punishment in a single sentence. For the crime of sneaking out (and getting caught), Ana received one hundred hours of community service, due at the semester’s close. Her first day would be this Sunday. So much for her date with Adam.
* * *
Madame Bali delivered Ana to the gate at 7:00 a.m. sharp on Sunday morning. Headmistress Whys and a small crowd of students were waiting. Out of them, Ana recognized the redhead and the young teen from the headmistress’s office. She nodded at them.
The surprise was Baylan. He was standing among the other students. It seemed that nearly dying wasn’t sufficient punishment. The only one who seemed to have gotten off the hook was Lauren Fleur.
Madame Bali nudged Ana forward. “Work hard. Follow instructions.”
Ana joined the others, grateful Madame Bali wasn’t going to wait with her. No one else had an adviser present.
Icicle blond hair stood out in the small crowd.
“Ophelia!” she exclaimed.
Ophelia didn’t look up. “Don’t talk to me,” she hissed.
“What?” Ana blurted.
Ophelia turned her back on Ana and walked a few paces away. Ana couldn’t believe it. What was Ophelia doing here? And why wasn’t she talking to Ana? Had she done something to offend her?
Headmistress Whys whistled, and they all circled in closer.
“I’m going to divvy out assignments. Step forward if you’d like to volunteer. Got it?”
They nodded.
“Good. The first on our list is Mainland Mission.”
Five or six students stepped forward, and the headmist
ress gave quick instructions and sent them on their way with a representative of the mission.
“Dock Street Animal Rescue,” she called.
Ophelia stepped forward, and Ana followed suit. She wanted to find out what was going on, what she had done wrong.
Headmistress Whys pointed at Ophelia, Ana, Baylan, and three other students. “You six, follow Mr. Abbot.”
Several paces outside the gate, Ana caught up to Ophelia. “Hey, what did I do wrong?”
“Nothing!” Ophelia beamed. “I just wanted us to be in the same group. If Headmistress Whys thought we were friends, she would have never placed us together. You’re being punished, after all.”
Ana’s eyes widened. “Ophelia! You had me fooled. I had no idea you were such a good actress.”
Ophelia blushed. “Thanks. You’re going to love the Dock Street Animal Rescue. I’ve been coming for years.”
“So, you’re not in trouble?”
“Of course not. I love visiting all the animals. I volunteer almost every Sunday.”
Ana wasn’t sure what to expect. She hadn’t seen any domesticated animals since she had arrived, other than Petrie, who she felt sure would not appreciate being referred to as such. She had visited her local animal shelter on Earth only once on a school field trip. Inside, it was a drab, depressing sort of place with gray walls and metal cages. Outside was different; the dogs played in the fenced yard with visitors and staff. Did Bellaton have dogs?
She asked Ophelia, who cocked her head to the side. “Dogs?” she echoed.
The building was on the far end of the town where Ana had never visited. The picturesque buildings of Main Street faded into less desirable housing and finally a small sandstone building painted every shade of the rainbow. A hand-painted sign swung over the seashell path, reading “Dock Street Animal Rescue.”
“Wow, it’s so cheerful,” Ana commented.
Ophelia beamed. “I painted the flowers on the sign.”
Their leader, Mr. Abbot, stopped and turned to face them. “Welcome to Dock Street Animal Rescue! As you can see, we are seated on several acres of land, generously bestowed by the Halt family.”
Ana was taken aback. Her family had granted the land for this place. She felt an unfamiliar swell of pride in her chest.
Mr. Abbot gestured to the facility and shoreline beyond. “Behind the facility, you can see the seashore. Some of our animals are very partial to the salt, sand, and sun. Some of our volunteers too,” he added with a laugh. “I know some of you are not here by choice, but I hope you’ll treat the facility, staff, and animals here like your own. If only for today.”
Ana and most of the others nodded.
“Since we’re already a small group, let’s just split in two. Half of you can come with me and the other half can go with Ophelia. She’s one of our regulars.”
In the end, Ophelia, Ana, and the older Baylan were partnered up.
Ana took a long look at Baylan as they followed Ophelia under the dense canopy toward the back of the building. He was unobtrusive, quiet, and polite. Nothing like he had been at the party the other night. He was tall, like professional basketball player tall, and he had small round ears that reminded her of a cute little monkey. His clothes and hair were very neat.
“Hi,” she said, “I’m Ana.”
Baylan turned and smiled. “The Anabella Halt?”
“That’s me, although I’m not sure I’ve earned the article.”
He stuck out his hand and shook hers. “I’m Baylan, Baylan Arkwright. You’ve certainly made a stir on campus, even in the upper grades.”
“I could say the same about you this last week.”
He slapped a hand to his face. “Don’t tell me you were at the party.”
“Yeah.”
His ears turned bright red. “So it’s my fault you’re here. Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. Nobody falls like that on purpose. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“Yeah.”
He still looked embarrassed, so Ana changed the subject. “Do you know Ophelia?”
He shook his head.
Ophelia turned bright red as he shook her hand.
As they walked through the thick canopy of trees, Ana could hear a chorus of birds and insects, but most were cloaked by the foliage. When they finally broke through, they were on a large expanse of grass. Beyond that was the beach. On the sandy shore, there were three familiar creatures, linking trunk to tail.
“Graybeasts!” Ana exclaimed, speeding toward them with the enthusiasm of a kid on Christmas morning.
Ophelia trailed after with a small smile playing across her pink lips. Baylan scrunched his face up and followed with caution.
Ana slowed as she grew closer, not wanting to spook them. To her surprise, the third one was much smaller, and it’s down was lilac, like the inside of the older ones’ ears. She held out a gentle hand, and the eldest and largest graybeast leaned down so that she could scratch his big floppy ears. He began to purr so loud Ana almost needed to cover her ears.
Ophelia joined her a minute later on the beach.
Baylan stood back, keeping a wary distance between himself and the graybeasts.
“What are they doing here?” Ana asked.
“Just passing through,” Ophelia said. “They were discovered on private property a few hundred miles from here. They weren’t being kept properly. The climate in the winter is far too cold here. They only had a lean-to and a heating apparatus. They need warm, tropical temperatures. Their next stop is the island.”
Ana nestled the graybeast’s soft, downy leg. “You’ve had a hard time, huh fellow?”
The graybeast continued to purr.
“They really do take to you. I heard rumors about the parade,” she added. “Did you really stop one from stampeding?”
“Yeah,” Ana said, still focused on the graybeast. “I mean, I guess so. All I did was pet his down and hum a little.”
“Well, it’s feeding time for these guys. Maybe Baylan can help.”
It took some coaxing, but they got Baylan to use his height to help with the feeding of the graybeasts. Afterward, they spent the next two hours cleaning their stalls, one of the most disgusting things Ana had ever done. The dung heaps were the size of a Volkswagen Beetle.
Before they left for the day, Ophelia agreed to tour them around the facility. There were no cats or dogs here. Instead, there was the strangest assortment of creatures Ana had ever seen. One of the first was the adorable peppadillo, a small potbellied piglike creature. The peppadillo could disappear into its surroundings when frightened. They were impeccably clean and, apparently, popular household pets. Ophelia had two at home named Bunder and Snoot.
The most terrifying creature housed was the ancient jasper—a large amphibious creature with razor sharp teeth and unimaginable stealth. As they watched one through the glass, another dove for them, slamming against the enclosure. They hunted in packs. Ana hoped she never, ever met one in the wild.
The most annoying creature was the jabber jabber bird, whose name reflected its incessant call. In fact, it was so annoying, it had almost been hunted to extinction. After standing near its nest for a few minutes, Ana could understand why. A teensy tiny part of her wanted to put it in the enclosure with the ancient jasper.
The final stop was to visit Ophelia’s favorite creature, the flying lops, a snow-colored bunny with furry wings and a long tail. One of the flying lops had recently had a litter. One of the little ones had broken a wing, which its brothers and sisters kept jostling. With Mr. Abbot’s permission, Ophelia decided to take it back to her dorm. She carefully packed a small box with nesting and placed the flying lops gently inside.
* * *
The headmistress and Madame Bali probably thought community service would be a terrible punishment, but the truth was Ana loved it. She enjoyed working with Ophelia and Baylan. She liked feeding and caring for the animals at the sanctuary. She loved exploring the world outside of t
he academy gates and meeting the people who lived there. She especially loved the way her head hit her pillow at the end of a long day.
It reminded her of home.
Summer sun had faded to autumn leaves, and the grass turned an interesting shade of burnt amber. The days grew crisp. Her schedule was so full, it was about to explode. Between her classes, briefings with Bali, community service, eating, and sleeping, there was very little time left. She had only seen Adam at meals. Perhaps that had been the point.
19
Virtual Reality vs. Reality
Classes were heating up as the weather cooled down. Gone were the days of clandestine beachside bonfires. It was sweater weather now. Well, it would have been back at home. Here, at the academy, Ana wore dresses with coats and lace-up boots. She felt like a witch from Salem or maybe a fairy-tale princess. The type that was locked in a tower or running for their life. She seemed to do an equal measure of each.
She hurried across campus, clutching a shawl around her shoulders. She should have worn a coat, but it hadn’t been nearly so cold when the sun was still overhead.
Ana had fallen behind in her classes, and exams were on the horizon. She had planned to go straight to the library to study, but now she needed something warmer to wear. She stopped by her dorm to change into yoga pants and an oversized hoodie. Some books Samuel had brought from the town were already sprawled across the kitchen counter.
She started to sit down. She really did. But wouldn’t she work better in a place made for working? Like the library. Yes, she rationalized. That would be best. She’d get more done there. She packed her books in her satchel and headed down the hall.
The door to the Rockwell common area was propped open. She could see Holden and Adam were sprawled across the couch playing a video game. Some sort of battle, of course. You could hear the explosions, even down the hallway.
Although Ana didn’t receive a lot of invitations, students were allowed to visit other families’ common areas. Wouldn’t it be funny to sneak up on them? Ana crept through the door unnoticed.
Adam was wearing black sweatpants. It was weird to see him so casual, but she liked it. He looked athletic and comfortable, almost like a normal teenager back on Earth.
Seven Crowns (Bellaton Book 1) Page 15