Daphne dropped the grass and brushed her hands together to sweep off the remaining sticky bits. Finn took her left hand in his and produced a black ink pen from his pocket. Her hand trembled in his as he drew a jagged maze over her palm.
“Hold still,” he said. “There.”
Daphne examined the line drawing with X’s that marked the cellar, Lily’s house, the lake, the garden, and one other access point. She looked back at Finn’s smiling face.
“Thank you.”
Chapter Twelve
Two New Outcasts
Halfway through their journey through the tunnels, Daphne remembered the promise she’d made to her brothers. She had completely forgotten to tell Finn that she’d gone to see them and wasn’t sure how he was going to take it. He might get angry that she told them about the outcasts, or even that she’d outed herself to her brothers and put them all in danger of being revealed.
“Um, Finn?”
“Yeah?”
Daphne clamped her eyes shut when he turned toward her. The glaring light from his headlamp shot piercing pain into her skull. “Oh, sorry,” he said and took it off.
“When I was with Lily earlier . . . I, uh, kind of asked her to take me to see my brothers.”
Daphne couldn’t read Finn’s blank expression. Was he angry that she exposed herself to Josh and Max? Confused as to how she did it? Worried that she may have been seen by somebody else?
“Please don’t be mad at me. I didn’t tell them about you specifically or the tunnels. And they won’t tell anyone I’m here, I swear.”
A broad smile stretched across Finn’s face. “No worries Daffy. Everyone knows I’m here—that’s no secret.” Finn laughed. “And even if they found the tunnels do you really think they could find me?”
Daphne glanced at the conglomeration of lines drawn on her palm and snickered at herself. “No, they couldn’t. But, anyway, Max worships you guys and Josh wants to meet you too. I think he’s worried about me. But I’m sure once he meets you guys he’ll be okay.”
“That can be arranged,” Finn said as they continued to walk down the long corridor.
“Thanks.”
When they arrived back at the cellar, Trick, Toot, and Hangman were huddled together pointing and staring at something on the floor that Daphne couldn’t see.
“Looks like you guys already have something going on,” Finn commented as he stood over the boys. Daphne could see what the boys were looking at now. It was a floor plan, scribbled on a piece of newspaper that had been faded and yellowed by the sun. “Where’re the others?”
“Went for supplies,” Toot said.
“We’re targeting Bradley this time,” Trick added.
“Professor Bradley?” Finn raised an eyebrow. “Why? He was actually one of the nicer ones, if I remember correctly.”
“Not to me he wasn’t!” Toot hollered. “He used to make me stand in front of everybody and recite the Neverland Academy Code of Conduct whenever I forgot my math homework.”
Finn howled. “Is that all?” He bowled over in an exaggerated display, all the while Toot’s face grew red with rage.
“Cut it out!” Toot snapped. Finn took a minute to ease up.
“I’m just messing with you, Toot. You know that. So what are we doing to good ol’ Horseface?”
“We’re going to ‘Carrie’ him.” Trick said proudly.
“Carry him?” Daphne asked scratching her head. “What does that mean?”
“You’ve never seen Carrie?” Hangman said. “Or read the book?” Daphne shook her head.
“It’s a Stephen King book,” Finn pointed out. “The main character, Carrie, gets pranked at her senior prom. A bunch of the cool girls dumped pig’s blood all over her head.”
“Pig’s blood!” Daphne croaked. “You’re not—”
“No!” Hangman laughed. “Shag and Kevin are collecting a bucket of frying grease from the kitchen.” Daphne relaxed. Hangman continued, pointing to a rectangle on the floor plan. “We’ll have to cut a hole in the ceiling here, right above Bradley’s desk. The ceiling will need to be covered loosely so it’s not so visible. We’ll lead some fishing line from the handle of the bucket across the back of the ceiling and down the wall with staples and attach the other end to his chair. When he sits down and glides it up to the desk—”
“SPLASH!” Toot shouted. “Right on his big-ass head! He’ll smell like stale French fries for at least a week!”
“Sounds fun,” Finn mused.
“Yeah, but it may take all night to get it all set up just right,” Hangman said, scratching his head.
Finn flashed an impish grin at Daphne. “Not if we have help.”
***
Daphne and Finn hunched behind a magnolia tree a few yards from the back entrance of the boys’ dorm. Daphne fingered a white blossom delicately to ease her jitters.
“There’s night security at the dorms, so you won’t be getting in so easily this time,” Finn whispered. He was wearing his old blazer from his days as a student here. It was wrinkled and at least a size too small, but it had a purpose.
“So how do we get in?”
“I’ll cause a diversion. Then you run in, get them and return to the tunnel in the old cotton field. Climb down and wait there for me.”
“What kind of diversion?”
Finn stared hard at the building. Daphne could see the anticipation building up inside him like the slow rise on a roller coaster. His eyes grew wide and bright like he just woke up and found a mountain of gifts on Christmas morning. He was amping himself up for something good.
“The fun kind,” he said, and then he took off, leaving her behind the tree alone. Daphne watched as he entered the dorm’s back door. She heard muffled shouting, just before he ran out. He flashed her a signal and then ran in the opposite direction. Seconds later, two men—nightly chaperones—came charging out of the door after him.
Now was her chance. Daphne bolted to the building and zipped up the steps. As she approached the door to her brothers’ room, she prayed that they were still awake. It was only eleven o’clock. She tapped on the door quietly and waited a few seconds before tapping again. She couldn’t afford to wait too long or she might get caught.
“Max!” she whispered. “Max, it’s me. Open up.”
The door cracked open and Max’s face lit up in delight.
“I heard something downstairs. Was that you?” Max wondered aloud.
“We have to go!” Daphne whispered. “Now.”
Max flew back into the room and shook Josh, who was already drooling into his pillow, fast asleep. He rubbed his eyes lazily before putting his glasses on. When he saw Daphne he shot up out of his bed.
“Daphne! What are you—?”
“If you’re coming, let’s go,” Daphne said, and then ran back down the hallway to the stairs, refusing to wait any longer. Max followed and Josh sluggishly trailed them.
After a quick check at the back door, Daphne raced back to the tree she and Finn had hidden at until her brothers finally caught up. Her body churned with adrenaline and she was finally beginning to understand what attracted Finn to this lifestyle. The thrill of danger, of possibly being caught and escaping, was exhilarating. She felt alive and free. And there was no better feeling in the world.
***
“Whoa, what is this place?” Max murmured as he stepped off the ladder. Daphne was already waiting at the bottom and Josh was gingerly making his way down, his bare feet trembling against the rungs.
“You could have at least waited for me to put some shoes on,” Josh complained. When he reached the bottom, he looked around, observing nothing but darkness.
“Don’t worry, Finn doesn’t wear shoes either.” Daphne grinned.
“Who?”
“It’s an old slave tunnel,” Daphne said, ignoring Josh. She recounted Finn’s story about the history of Neverland Academy and the first of Trappe’s ancestors who built it.
“So are we just going to sta
nd here all night?” Josh wondered aloud. Daphne was getting worried, but she was glad her brothers couldn’t see her face in the darkness. Finn should have been here by now. She could feel the tension tighten her skin and though she tried to tell herself that he was okay, he got away, she was starting to believe he hadn’t.
“Finn will be here soon.” Daphne stood there with Max and Josh, waiting for twenty more minutes. Finally Josh had had enough.
“That’s it, I’m out of here.”
Daphne flung her arm over Josh’s shoulder as he tried to climb the ladder.
“Wait, Josh,” she cried. “Just wait a few more minutes.”
“Yeah,” Max piped in. “Why are you in such a hurry to go back to sleep?”
“Because I have an trig quiz tomorrow. That’s why. And if I don’t—”
Suddenly a ghostly light flashed down over Josh from above. It looked eerily like a theatrical footage for a documentary about alien abductions. Josh comically dropped to the floor, landing flat on his back.
“Finn!” Daphne cried. “Where were you? I thought they’d caught you!”
“Who me?” he replied. “Nah. Haven’t you learned anything Daffy? I never get caught.”
“Daffy?” Max squealed and bent over, hysterical.
“Shut up, Max!” Daphne barked.
“So who’s this?” Finn asked.
“This is Max, and that klutz on the floor over there is Josh. Guys, this is Finn.”
“So are we going to do something fun tonight?” Max asked. Finn flashed the light towards Max and his face wrinkled from the glare.
“You want fun, kid?” Finn grinned. “I’ll show you some fun.”
***
Josh woke up in his bed and yawned while he turned over on his side. The green LED numbers on the clock were staring at him through his overturned glasses on the nightstand. He lay there a moment, trying to decipher the bizarre dream he’d had the night before. Something about being in his math class with a team of boys he didn’t know. And Daphne. And . . .
Josh shot up out of bed, realizing not only was his dream real, but he was going to be late for his trigonometry class. He threw off his clothes and rapidly got dressed. There would be no time to shower or brush his teeth this morning. He had five minutes to get to class. When he sat down to put his socks on he noticed dirt between his toes and under his toenails. He cursed under his breath at Daphne and Max for making him stay up all night setting up that stupid prank. Shaking his head, Josh slid his socks and shoes on, grabbed his glasses and messenger bag, and headed out the door to class.
The quad was empty. Most of the boys were already seated in their classrooms, ready for their lessons to begin. Just outside the west wing of the main building, Josh ran into someone. A girl. He shook his head, wondering if he was still dreaming.
“Oh, hey . . . Josh, right?” The perky blonde chirped.
Josh nodded.
“Remember me? We met that first night you were here.”
“Oh, yeah, uh . . .” Josh scratched his head. He recognized her face, but everything was so new and crazy that first night he couldn’t really remember anything else about her. She was cute, but not really his type.
“Belle?” she hinted.
“Yeah. Sorry, Belle. I’m actually late for class, so . . .” Josh ran off, leaving Belle gaping after him. He hated to be so rude, but she was not worth the extra discipline he’d receive if he were late to class.
Inside the building, the hall was empty. Was he already too late? Josh bolted down the hall, figuring that the punishment for running inside couldn’t be any worse than getting caught late to class, especially on a test day. Much to his relief, when he stepped inside the classroom, the professor’s seat was empty. And precisely placed from the night before.
Josh took his seat near the door and waited as if he were sitting on a bed of hot coal. He peered up at the ceiling where invisible drywall tape loosely held the cutout square of ceiling in place. Above that, a plastic bucket teetered at the edge of the hole, filled to the brim with frying oil. Josh could smell the rancid grease from his desk. From the ceiling, his eyes followed the line, perfectly placed and almost imperceptible to the naked eye. While his classmates chattered around him, Josh worried that he’d be caught. They’d know he was involved somehow. And if they didn’t, his demeanor would give it away. He straightened himself in his seat and told himself to relax. Yet, his heart raced and he flinched when Professor Bradley passed his desk, reeking of garlic and eggs.
Josh’s head pounded. Why was it his teacher that they pranked? And why did it have to be today, when his was the first class of the morning?
“I assume you’ve all turned in your homework?” The professor said it more as a statement than as a question. Josh stiffened. He saw the pile of papers at the corner of Professor Bradley’s desk and cursed himself for forgetting. Now he’d draw attention to himself just by turning in his homework after class started. Josh reached inside the front cover of his trigonometry book and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Professor Bradley stared daggers at him as he approached the desk. “He knows,” Josh thought to himself. “He knows about the prank. And he knows I did it!”
“Thank you, Mr. Werring,” the professor said, a hint of a smile forming at his lips. Josh relaxed. He couldn’t possibly know, could he?
“Close your books and get your pencils ready,” Professor Bradley announced, picking up a stack of papers from his desk. He counted out the sheets and placed them on the desks of the first student in each row for them to pass back.
As Josh sat down, he wondered if he should tell the professor about the prank. It could go one of two ways: he could get in trouble for his involvement or he could be praised for saving the professor from imminent embarrassment. The professor dropped the pages on his desk. Fear clamped his mouth shut. He couldn’t risk it.
Talons of dread began to claw at Josh as he watched his teacher sit down. The wire trembled when Professor Bradley’s weight landed. Then, he rolled the chair forward. Josh caught his breath and watched with terror as if a bomb were about to explode under the desk. Instead, a waterfall of smelly black-specked brown grease spilled perfectly atop Professor Bradley’s head, splashing out in fanned waves and sending splatters across the room. The class erupted in laughter, but Josh simply stared in fright, his jaw dropped. Professor Bradley lurched up out of the chair, sending it flying into the whiteboard behind him. That triggered a second drop from the ceiling—a snowfall of fluffy white powdered sugar Shag had pilfered from the kitchen at Daphne’s suggestion.
Professor Bradley was frantic; he simply stormed through the white cloud and out of the classroom. A minute later the students left as well, gleeful to have their first morning period free.
Only Josh remained, frozen in his seat staring at the splatters of grease that had reached his own desk. But after the last student had left, Josh could have sworn he still heard laughter. He poked his head out the door, but of the few boys who were still in the hallway, none of them were laughing. Back in the classroom, he tracked the sound, stepping around the perimeter until he reached an inner wall where the sound seemed to emerge. Upon close inspection, Josh could detect tiny holes, like the kind left behind after removing a nail from the wall. Closing his left eye, he attempted to see through the hole, but nothing but darkness shown through.
He turned to leave, but heard the laughter again. It was a voice he instantly recognized.
“Max?”
The laughing stopped and a shuffle rippled through the wall. A few steps away, a small section of the wall disappeared and Finn ducked through, into the classroom. Max followed. Josh could see some of the other outcast boys still lingering inside the wall.
“That was awesome!” Max gleamed from head to toe. He looked like he’d just spent his birthday at Disney World.
“That was pretty slick if I do say so myself,” Finn remarked. “Wish I could take credit for it. But it was you guys all the way. What a team
!”
“You guys were watching the whole time?” Josh asked, still stunned.
“Oh yeah. I wouldn’t miss it for the best waffles in the world,” Max declared.
“You’re missing class.”
“Just history,” Max yawned.
“Sounds like you need to catch up on some Z’s.” Finn slapped Max on the back. Max nodded.
“Have you been up all night, Max?” Josh asked, recalling the disheveled sheets on Max’s bed when he woke up.
“Yup. But I’ll go back to bed now. Think I’ll stop by the nurse’s office so I can officially play hooky for the day.”
“Where’s Daphne?”
“Sleeping in,” Max said.
“Missing all the fun,” Finn added. He playfully shoved Max back into the wall. “I’d better sneak you in the back way. And you,” he said, pointing toward Josh, “better get out of here before Horseface gets back with his crew. We’ll catch you later, Josh. Right?”
“Yeah, okay,” Josh said tentatively. He watched as the boys crammed themselves into the narrow space and replaced the hole in the wall as it was. Slinging his messenger bag over his shoulder, Josh headed back toward the dorms to take a nap and clear his mind.
Chapter Thirteen
If I Was Her
For the next few weeks, Daphne enjoyed her full freedom from parental control. Max and Josh kept her updated on her parents’ search efforts, which grimly made her feel smug. They were getting what they deserved. And for once in her life, she finally felt appreciated and loved.
Her days were spread with funny pranks, watching movies with the outcast boys, leisure time in the old cemetery with Finn, spending girl time with Lily, and regular naps to keep up on her sleep. Almost every night Finn would sit with Daphne in her little cove and they would read to each other until one of them fell asleep—usually Daphne. She was getting used to this lifestyle and had grown to love it. Why would she ever want to go home? Days riddled with work and responsibility. Nights spent heartbroken and frustrated over what she couldn’t control. She didn’t need any of that. She wanted to be here. She wanted to never leave.
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