Neverland Academy

by Daelynn Quinn

  “Oh, Shag,” she said, trying to buy time while she figured out how to let him down gently. She slid her hand out from under his. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I threw this party for Lily and I need to be here for her.”

  “I get it,” Shag said, standing up. “You’re not really that into me.”

  “I’m really sorry.”

  “No, it’s cool. Just had to try.” Shag stammered off and now Daphne was left alone. She watched Max try to attempt a break dance on the floor and decided it was time to get him back to his dorm before he seriously injured himself. Plus it gave her a good excuse to leave.

  ***

  Lily couldn’t remember if she had left the light on when she finished her evening shift. She had intentionally stayed until the others left so that she could sneak some of the party refreshments to the boys. Sure, it ruined the surprise, but it wasn’t as if she didn’t know that they were throwing her a party.

  She moved silently through the aisles of shelves, picking off a few things that nobody would notice missing: another bag of chips, a package of gingersnap cookies, and some marshmallows. She dropped them on the counter next to the sink and snuck into the main kitchen. The liquor was kept in a cabinet just behind the walk-in refrigerator. Lucky for her, the kitchen staff trusted her and never locked it. They never seemed to notice when bottles went missing—the boys were stealthy in the way they stole things. Only things that they knew wouldn’t be missed, like the cheap bottle of brandy that hadn’t been replaced in six months.

  The hinges on the cabinet screamed in defiance as Lily opened the doors slowly. Nine full bottles of alcohol stared back at her. This was the backup stash used to replace empty bottles from the faculty dining room and lounge. She wouldn’t dare try to steal from there—she lacked Finn’s bravado.

  A shadow hovered over Lily and the cabinet before she even heard the approach of the three feet behind her. The cane tap, tap, tapped on the tile floor as she slowly pivoted around to face the headmaster, who towered over her. His expression was a surprise to her. Rather than looking angry or threatening, he wore a mask of vainglory. An expression that gleamed hope and excitement, while whispering treachery.

  “Well, what have we here?” Trappe drawled in a high-pitched tone. “Stealing alcohol from the faculty? And if I do remember correctly, you are quite underage, are you not my dear?”

  Lily froze. Her head raced with a riptide of lies, but which to use? How could she justify stealing a bottle of booze late in the night. None of the ideas that came to her seemed logical or believable. He knew what she was up to. So she simply clamped her mouth shut.

  “A little birdie tells me that you are here for your friends. Preston’s little gang of outcasts. Such a shame that they’d make you do their dirty work on your own birthday.”

  “Nobody makes me do anything,” Lily hissed.

  “Is that so?”

  Lily stood her ground, squeezing her fists so tightly her stubby fingernails dug rifts into the skin of her palms.

  “Well, then. I’ll be happy to know that you will give up Preston of your own accord.”

  “You’re delusional. I don’t know where he or any of them are. I was stealing this for myself. It’s my birthday and I wanted to celebrate. That’s all.”

  “Oh come now. You can think of a better fib than that, can’t you? I’ve been standing guard at the doorway for the last hour. There’s no other way into the kitchen. You’ve entered through a secret passageway. His passageway. And now you will show me to it.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “The freedom you’ve been given these past few years—the freedom to work, to roam the premises, your free time—all will be revoked. You have just been found attempting to steal from the school faculty and engage in underage drinking. You’ll have to be disciplined for such unscrupulous behavior. And I’ll make sure the experience is very unpleasant. My dear, tell me where he is.” Trappe reached out and placed his hand upon her shoulder. “Or you will regret it.”

  Lily trembled at his touch. She knew of the room where he punished students, though she’d never been there herself. She knew it existed, simply because Finn had told her. And as far as she was concerned he had no reason to lie. And she knew how venomous the headmaster really was, deep underneath his false “southern gentleman” exterior. But could she really give Finn up? Could she expose her best friends to save herself the torment?

  Trappe’s fingers gripped her tighter. “Where is he?” She imagined round bruises on the back of her shoulder where his fingers pressed.

  As she stood contemplating her decision, she heard her name faintly in the distance. It was Finn. How long had she been here? He must have noticed that she was gone longer than expected and come after her. “No,” she whispered.

  “Yes.” Trappe grinned. He released Lily and limped his way toward the back of the kitchen. Lily couldn’t remember if she’d left the panel open or not, but she couldn’t let Trappe find it. She latched on to his arm, desperately trying to pull him back. But he shrugged her off, smacking her in the cheek with the cane.

  “FINN, RUN! TRAPPE’S HERE!” Lily shouted, hoping that her voice would carry through the walls clearly.

  “Shut up, girl!” Trappe sneered and pulled his cane back, threatening to hit her with it again. She cowered on the floor.

  “Lily?” Finn called again.

  “FINN! GET! OUT!”

  “WHERE IS IT?” Trappe roared from the back of the kitchen. Lily sighed in relief and lay her head back, allowing her eyes to fall shut. She did close the panel after all. Now she just had to hope that Finn would heed her words and make his escape.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Moving Forward

  Daphne half-carried Max while watching Josh zigzag through the tunnels, banging into the walls as he went along. By the time they’d made it above ground she was exhausted. She could have collapsed right there on the grass and slept through noon. But she had to get her brothers back to their dorm.

  She stopped abruptly when she reached the magnolia tree by the boys’ dormitory, and grabbed Josh’s shirt by the collar, tugging him back into hiding. Three figures were roaming the quad. Daphne slapped her head in annoyance. She’d forgotten about the nightly chaperones. She wouldn’t be able to sneak her brothers in without getting caught herself. And she didn’t want to go back and get Finn, no matter what thrill it might give him to cause a ruckus. She decided the best thing to do was to let them sleep it off outside. Max was already passed out at her side and Josh was halfway there. It may have been smarter to carry the boys back to the cellar and let them crash there, but Daphne was so tired and figured it would teach them a valuable lesson about getting drunk. As long as they stayed behind the magnolia till morning, they’d be okay.

  Back in the tunnel, Daphne was finally alone with her thoughts. She deliberately walked a turtle’s pace, giving her more time to think. What was she going to do? She wanted Finn with every fiber of her soul, but that annoying voice in her brain telling her it would never work wouldn’t shut up.

  Further down the tunnel, Daphne heard a symphony of noises: heavy breathing, sobbing, and dragging footsteps. She picked up her pace, hoping that Lily hadn’t had an accident in the dark catacomb. When her flashlight picked up a figure, she was relieved. It wasn’t Lily. It was Belle. She was obviously coming from the party, and her face was slick with tears. Daphne didn’t know what to say, if she should say anything.

  “Are you, um, okay?” Daphne said, figuring whatever made Belle cry was enough pain without Daphne shoving it in her face.

  “Get away from me,” Belle hissed and stomped off.

  “Um. Okay.” Daphne sauntered on, unmoved by Belle’s display. Whatever that was about, she was sure she’d hear about it from the boys.

  ***

  The music snapped off, leaving a deafening silence in the air.

  Daphne had just gotten back from her stroll in the tunnels. When she’d arrived back at the
cellar, Finn and Lily were both missing and she’d wondered if she should just go on to bed. The silence was followed by whining moans. One by one the usual lanterns switched on, brightening the room to its usual radiance. After the darkness of the tunnel, even the dim lights gave her momentary blindness. Through squinted eyes, she spied Finn at the entrance, his hands assertively fisted on his hips. To Daphne this was the leader hidden under the guise of a boy. This wasn’t the happy-go-lucky prankster she’d come to know. Finn had a serious side. Something was wrong.

  “Party’s over,” he announced with the authority of a commanding father who just caught his kids smoking pot. “Time for bed.” In a discombobulated synchronicity the boys groaned.

  “Aw, come on,” Toot whined.

  “Yeah, we were just getting started,” Shag added.

  “Enough,” Finn snapped. “Lily was caught. Party’s over.”

  With that, Finn marched out of the cellar. Daphne knew she should stay behind and clean up, but she’d convinced herself it could wait until tomorrow. She suddenly awoke to a second wind when she heard the news and had to find out what happened. She shuffled into the tunnel behind Finn.

  When she’d arrived at the room he and the other boys shared, Daphne was shocked to find it empty. Where had he gone? The only place she could think of was the lake. On her way out she’d stopped by her room to grab her flashlight. She nearly fell over when she’d found Finn there, crouched down by the lantern, waiting for her.

  “What’s going on? What happened?” Daphne asked, kneeling down in front of him. He raised his vivid eyes to look at her. She was right—his mischief was gone. There was no trace of the boy who wanted nothing of grown up life. This boy was well beyond his physical years. The severity in his eyes cut through her like a razor slicing through a tomato.

  “He got her,” Finn responded. “Trappe got Lily.”

  “What do you mean, he got her?”

  Finn fell back, slamming his back into the wall behind him. “I don’t know. I wasn’t there. But I could hear them talking and Lily shouted a warning at me, telling me to run.”

  “So, she’s in pretty big trouble then?”

  An acerbic grunt escaped Finn’s lips. “You could say that. The question is, how deep is she in?”

  “Surely it can’t be that bad,” Daphne assured, not quite believing herself. “I mean, her mom lives and works here. The punishment would have to be reasonable. Maybe he’ll just let her mom take care of it.”

  Finn shook his head. “If it were just about the party, you’d probably be right. But it’s more than that. She got caught because of me. For helping me. To Trappe, that’s like aiding and abetting a terrorist.”

  Daphne didn’t know what to say. She reached out for his hand and he allowed her to hold it, gently stroking the back of it with her thumb.

  Finn shrugged. “There’s not much we can do tonight. Trappe would have informed the others by now. They’ll be on high alert. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to do anything.”

  Finn stretched out across the pad on his side, sinking his head into Daphne’s pillow, while she watched, bewildered.

  “You’re sleeping here tonight?”

  Finn reached up and pulled her down so that she was lying in front of him and touched his forehead to hers. His arms wrapped around her waist snuggly, as a child holding a teddy bear. “If I don’t I’ll be up all night thinking about what to do. I’m too on edge right now. You bring me comfort Daffy. There’s something about having you here. It’s almost like . . . like that feeling that if something goes wrong you’ll be here to take care of me.”

  “Like having a mother?” Daphne grinned.

  “I guess. To be honest I wouldn’t know.” Finn brought his lips to hers, soft and delicate. When he pulled away his eyes remained closed. “Get some sleep Daffy. I have a feeling tomorrow will be a big day.”

  “What do you mean?” Daphne whispered, allowing her own eyes to fall shut.

  “The plan. Tomorrow we move forward.”

  ***

  Finn’s foot slipped on the fifth rung of the ladder. He’d never been so clumsy before. His movements were always so nimble and as natural as a chimp swinging gracefully from limb to limb in the rainforest. But he wasn’t in his right mind this morning. Though he slept through the night with his arms wrapped tightly around Daphne, his dreams were restless. His mind kept reminding him that Lily was in trouble. It was as if it were screaming at him, “How can you sleep at a time like this?” He woke up early, unable to take the pressure anymore. With a heavy heart, he left Daphne sleeping soundly on her own. If it weren’t for this mess, he’d have been content to stay with her all day.

  Now, as he made his way through the narrow walls toward the kitchen he wondered if Lily would be there, if she had set aside breakfast for the boys as she always had. It was earlier than usual, but she would be there working. Or she should be there.

  The sweat on his palm caused him to slip on another rung, and he slammed his chin on the wooden slat below him before catching himself. He wiped the warm moisture there, but wasn’t the least bit concerned whether it was blood or sweat. There was a more important task at hand.

  Finally he reached the next floor, bewildered at his own clumsiness on such a short climb. Not sparing an extra second, Finn slunk silently down the narrow tunnel, feeling the support beams in the walls dig into his back with every other step.

  He reached the usual panel and slid it open just enough so he could see who was in the kitchen. Nobody was in the back section. Lily could still be up front cooking or serving. Dishes were usually one of the last duties the kitchen staff had and it was still early yet. Carefully, Finn slid the panel away and slithered into the darkness between storage shelves. He deftly moved from one to another, until he was as close as he could possibly get to the front part of the kitchen.

  He peered through a triangular space between a bag of oatmeal and an industrial sized bottle of maple syrup. He saw some of the cafeteria staff and cooks shuffling lazily between the cook tops and ovens. He could not see Lily. He couldn’t give up just yet. He had to be sure. He couldn’t risk jumping to conclusions at a time like this. Lily was his best friend. He remembered all the times she’d helped him. Not just saving him meals, but other times when she’d distracted the professors so that he could escape or cause trouble.

  “Finn?”

  Finn spun around to face the familiar honey-coated husky voice. Janine stared open-jawed at him. Her black hair was pulled tightly in a bun under a hairnet of the same color. “My boy, what on earth are you doing in here?” He really was distracted today. How could he have not heard her coming?

  “I . . .” Finn’s mind was racing as he struggled for words. “Is Lily here?”

  Lily’s mother shook her head sadly as she dropped her eyes to the floor. “Lily’s been suspended from all activities this week, including work. Got caught stealing from the headmaster.”

  “Is she at home? Can I go see her?”

  “‘Fraid not, son. She’s in detention. I’ll let her know when she’s out that you were asking about her. You should get on back to where you came from. I can’t afford to lose my job if you get caught in here.”

  Finn nodded but felt numb from what she’d just said. If Lily were in detention that means she would be in the discipline room. Who knew what kind of horrors she was being made to endure there? Finn’s heart froze when he remembered the way the room looked—empty and cold—and smelled, like rotten eggs and Clorox. And the eerie silence from the double-insulated walls.

  “Son, did you hear me? You need to go.”

  Finn snapped out of his head. Part of him desperately wanted to tell Lily’s mother about the discipline room, about the place Lily really was, to save his friend from torment. But if he did, he might not see his plan through. Janine would certainly confront Trappe before alerting the authorities. And then it would be just another repeat of five years ago. And even if Trappe did get caught, his punis
hment wouldn’t be severe enough. Sure, Trappe might lose the school. He might even get some decent jail time. But that was not enough for Finn. Finn wanted Trappe to pay for all his crimes.

  As she stared expectantly at Finn, he made his way to the back wall of the kitchen and turned back. Janine gave him a brief nod of reassurance before heading back to work. Finn slid through the opening, replaced the panel and stood frozen between the walls. This is it, he thought. Trappe is going down. Tonight.

  ***

  “Lily’s in the church,” Finn announced as he marched into the cellar. Daphne had just woken up and was cleaning up the last remnants of the previous night’s party while Hangman and Shag argued over a game of tic-tac-toe.

  “Where’re the others?” Finn demanded with an urgency that resembled the impatience of a worried father in a hospital waiting room.

  “Kevin’s still asleep. Toot and Trick are at the lake, cleaning the vomit off their clothes.” Daphne scrunched her nose at the comment. Evidently, Josh and Max weren’t the only ones who partied beyond their limits last night. Once again, she was thankful that she had her own room to sleep in.

  “Shag, go get them. Now.”

  Shag knew that look in Finn’s eyes. He didn’t see it often. Maybe once a year, if even that. It was a glaring look—glowing fire behind his eyes—that was not to be questioned. Immediately, Shag dashed off into the tunnel, without even a glance back.

  Finn strode toward Hangman, who was now on his feet, his eyes flicking nervously at Finn’s fiery eyes.

  “Go get the documents.”

  “Which ones?” Hangman asked.

  “All of them.”

  As Hangman left, Finn stood motionless in the center of the room, his body as heavy as a marble statue, and as impenetrable as steel. Daphne wanted to approach him, but it was like when the phones were shut off. He was in that zone and needed to be free of distraction. His stance was rigid, his voice sharp as a well-honed butcher knife. So she stood still, barely breathing, hoping that he hadn’t noticed her. But he had.