“I’m sorry if I frightened you. I thought it was hysterical. Did you like the book being thrown at the two guys running out of the office?”
“No, we were terrified! And what will they think?” Tom said.
“Nothing, they were in on it!”
It took a few moments for them to see the funny side.
“The spinster PA was very good,” said Tom. “She came across like a real witch.”
“Sadly, she wasn’t in on it. She doesn’t approve of humour. She frequently tells me off for my childish behaviour.”
“Seriously?” asked Lela.
“Absolutely. In fact, she asked me to have a word with Tom regarding his remarks about tweezers?”
“She can’t have heard what I said,” said Tom highly embarrassed.
“Oh but she hears everything. Watch this…tea anybody?”
The doors opened, Ms Anderson came in with a notepad to take their orders and promptly left to organise tea.
“No way. You’ve got an intercom in here somewhere.”
“Yes I have but the button is over there,” he said pointing.
Tom looked across at the button and it was well out of Mr Sakamoto’s reach.
“Naah,” he said, still very embarrassed.
Mr Sakamoto just nodded and added, “freaky but true.”
They spent the next hour chatting with Mr Sakamoto. He explained that he had received a call at around the same time as they had from Sam Mitcham who asked him to take on the role of Headmaster. At first, he had been reluctant as he was committed to his own children. However, his children were now grown up and were fending for themselves. They encouraged him to go for it and so there he was. Sam Mitcham had made it clear that they wanted a businessman and not an educator to run the school. He had been their number one choice and was told, after he’d accepted, that he was the only person who fully fitted their criteria. He was an exceptional businessman who was respected throughout the world, had no ties to any organisation nor any enemies. Tom remembered that his father had told him about just how brilliant Mr Sakamoto was in the boardroom and how much he respected his ability to see the big picture whilst being aware of every last detail.
Once Mr Sakamoto had explained how he had got his new job, he turned his attention to the day’s events.
“OK. So who’s going to tell me what really happened today?”
Chen spoke first.
“Well, this morning we had a run in with Yuri and his gang. They took our carts and hit Oleg. This afternoon they attacked Tom and me in the toilets but fortunately, a group of larger boys came in and scared them off. I think that’s about it, wouldn’t you agree Tom?”
“Yeah, something like that. Yeah, Lela?”
“Yeah, something along those lines.”
Mr Sakamoto thought for a second.
“Interesting…any idea who those other boys were?”
“No, we didn’t really get a chance to see them. Everything happened so quickly.”
“Yes, it all happened very quickly,” agreed Tom who was very impressed with Chen covering for Lela.
“Lela, did you see them?” Mr Sakamoto asked looking directly at her.
“No, sorry,” said Lela, relieved at the question. She would not blatantly lie to Mr Sakamoto and with his question, she didn’t have to.
“So what did they say when you spoke to them?” asked Tom.
“Similar to what Chen said but I have to say I’m a bit concerned about the mysterious group of boys that you mentioned Chen. Yuri and his brutes were big and scary and I can’t imagine who they would be scared of,” said Mr Sakamoto staring directly at Lela.
Tom and Chen watched his gaze. Chen looked away guiltily and as he did so, Mr Sakamoto winked and smiled at Tom and Lela. He knew fine well.
“Well unfortunately, I have more work to do. I only arrived today and it’s been rather busy. It was great to see you both and very nice to meet you Chen. Wait a minute, your family name is Xiao and you’re from Hong Kong. Your father isn’t Li Xiao, is he?”
“Yes, he is.”
“Don’t you remember me? I’ve known you since you were a baby. I used to do a lot of business with your father. The last time I saw you was when you were…let me think now…when you were about three!”
“I’m sorry, I don’t remember,” said Chen shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
“So how is your father?”
“He’s very well thanks. I’ll let him know you were asking after him.”
“Excellent. Now, I really must be getting on.”
They said their goodbyes and headed back to their block, jubilant.
They arrived at the block to find a very worried group of friends. They filled them in on what happened and a relieved and excited group of friends made their way to dinner.
Chapter 31
Reaper surveyed the map in front of him. Nearly 300 highly trained operatives were now in place. He ate, breathed and slept his plan. He had covered every conceivable eventuality and had spent over $50million dollars in the process. His client had neither queried nor questioned the vast sums of money being swallowed up by the operation. Reaper had considered increasing his take for the mission but on reflection, his client’s capabilities had ensured that every cent was accounted for.
He then considered the report again from Ling which described in some detail the events of the day. He was interested to hear about Lela’s talents although it seemed that Ling had not witnessed the whole event and therefore it was a little sketchy as to what exactly had happened. He was also pleased to find out the identity of the Headmaster which had been a closely guarded secret. He had made a number of phone calls but soon found out that Sakamoto was irreproachable in all areas of his life. This was disappointing as Reaper had considered the possibility of enticing the Headmaster into the mission. Mr Sakamoto put paid to that plan.
Reaper re-read the part about Lela and the thugs. Although this concerned him a little, he rationalised that they were useless thugs and that against his elite forces, there was no contest. He decided against mentioning Ling’s report to his client. All other reports were exactly as had been expected, no surprises.
The phone rang.
“Reaper here.”
“How’s it going?” came the gruff response.
“Excellent, everything’s going exactly to plan.”
“So you have no concerns?”
“No. My operatives will begin moving into their final positions in the next couple of weeks.”
“And the girl, Lela?” said the client, irritated.
“What about her?” Reaper was unnerved and his voice began to falter.
“Your latest report, her fight with the thugs,” said the client.
“How do you know about that?” Reaper was dumfounded.
“I will say this once again and only once again, DO NOT underestimate me. I have over fifty million dollars invested in this operation and many times that amount riding on the outcome. I know and see everything, now tell me about the GIRL!” screeched the client.
Reaper was speechless. Yet again, his client had obtained secure information. Reaper had the most secure communication network available which he was assured was unbreakable.
“Well?” asked the impatient client.
“I don’t believe it’s of any concern to us. The thugs were untrained oafs and Ling didn’t see everything that happened. I think we’ll find that Lela will have had a few Jujitsu lessons and got lucky showing off in front of her friends. She’s only fourteen and our guys are the best trained soldiers in the world. So I really wouldn’t worry,” said Reaper.
“OK. Well you’d better be right. You mess up, you die.”
“Of course, everything is covered. Hello?...Hello?” Reaper spoke into a silent receiver, the line was already dead. As usual, when the client finished what he had to say, he hung up, no pleasantries.
Reaper was rattled. He called his lieutenants Pieter and Leo into the planning
room. He explained that their communications were being monitored and that their client was watching every move. The three considered the revelation and agreed that there was nothing they could do about it. Their client was obviously an exceptionally resourceful man.
***
The twins had filed their report earlier in the day. They had debated whether to report the golf cart incident but decided that it did not directly affect their targets and so decided against. They therefore had very little to report regarding the targets for that day. However, they were concerned about some strange behaviour within the camp. They were on rotating watch duties for four hours on and four hours off. In their down time, they had to catch some sleep and carry out their normal day to day duties at the base. During their time on duty on the base, their commander seemed overly concerned with what they were doing. He was also giving them a particularly hard time, making it increasingly difficult for them to maintain their surveillance. They had not included any of these details in their initial report but decided to issue a follow-up report, just in case. They were also genuinely concerned that their surveillance capability was being affected. They typed up the follow-up report and filed it.
Chapter 32
The school alarm rang at exactly 7.00 a.m. By 7.15 a.m., Lela had not heard any movement from Tom’s room so she rang through. The phone rang and rang, no answer.
“TOM, WAKE UP!!!” she shouted as she banged on his door. Five minutes later, a ghostly figure opened the door, mumbled unintelligibly and turned tail.
“Tom, it’s 7.20, jump in the shower and get dressed. I’ll be in my room getting ready, come and get me when you’re done.”
He somehow managed to find his way to the shower and after running the building dry, he emerged and got dressed.
After dinner, they had had a two-hour video conference with his mother and father and Saki. They had filled them in on everything with the exception of the Yuri saga as there was no need to worry them. They told them about Mr Sakamoto and Tom’s father could not think of a better appointment. His mother asked for a detailed description of all the other students and for a detailed account of the restaurant, its menus and whether they were eating properly. Saki asked whether they felt safe and whether there was anything they needed. Tom and Lela confirmed that they didn’t need anything and that everything was fabulous. They all agreed that the video conference was brilliant and that they should do it at least once a week. In fact, they would do it on the same night the following week and every Monday night thereafter. Donald was made to swear that he would attend the video conference, no matter what.
“Lela?” Tom knocked on her door.
“Yes, come in, the door’s open.”
“Wow,” said Tom. “That’s some outfit! Amazing!”
“Thanks! I saved it for our first proper day.”
“What did your dad think of it?”
“I’m not sure he’s seen this one,” she said with a cheeky grin.
Tom smiled, Saki had definitely not seen that outfit. If he had, it would not be on the island nor anywhere near Lela’s wardrobe.
“Now, I, as the male representative of our family, should ask you to change but seeing that it’s our first day and you look amazing, I’ll overlook it on this occasion.”
“That’s very kind of you, thank-you. You look pretty hmm interesting in an un-matching, un-ironed ensemble kind of way.”
“Thanks, it took me hours to choose this lot,” he replied proudly and very firmly tongue in cheek.
They made their way down to the foyer of their block where they met their friends who were waiting impatiently to go to breakfast.
At 7.50 a.m., the first bell sounded. The group of eight looked at each other. They were about to find out who was in whose class. As instructed, they made their way to the Year One hall, where they would be given their timetables. As they approached the building, a large group of students had congregated outside, waiting for the doors to open.
The doors opened automatically at 7.58 precisely and the students made their way inside. The hall could seat around 300 students and was laid out like a cinema with large comfortable chairs. Instead of drinks holders between the seats, there were retractable desks and a small control panel for, amongst other things, a translation device with headphones. The room was noisy with the excited chatter of over 200 new Year 1 students. Tom, Lela and their friends found eight seats together near the front and waited for whatever was about to happen.
“Welcome to The Academy,” boomed a cheery voice. Silence descended on the hall as an enormous screen came to life and a very cheery Mr Sakamoto sat behind his desk. The picture then broke down into seven boxes showing seven different halls, each filled with excited students. The screen then switched back to Mr Sakamoto.
“My name is Mr Sakamoto and I am the Headmaster of this prestigious new institution. It is an institution founded to ensure the security of the world and its economies. Every country in the world is represented by you. You will form friendships and relationships with students whom your ancestors would have regarded as enemies. You will learn and understand how you, personally, can contribute to and improve the world we live in. We believe that this institution, through its curriculum, will inspire you, as a collective, to resolve many of the world’s biggest issues, in a way that had never been thought possible. This won’t happen overnight but in generations to come and surely in your own lifetimes. Today will be looked back on as the day which changed the course of world history. And every one of you is the key to that.” All seven halls exploded into rapturous applause.
“Sounds exciting, impressive and very scary all in one,” whispered Tom to Lela.
As the applause died down, Mr Sakamoto continued.
“Thank you. Soon, I will hand you over to your Year Heads who will let you know the format of your classes and take you through your timetable. But firstly, I believe there are a number of rumours regarding the exclusion of students from the school yesterday. To clarify the situation, I can confirm that one student was excluded for bullying. Nobody was seriously injured and I want to make it clear that the school rule will always be enforced rigorously. It is brief and overarching. There are no loopholes nor get-out clauses. You must behave like ladies and gentlemen or you will be asked to leave. There will be no exceptions and no second chances. And finally I want to wish you all well in your studies and most importantly, hope that you enjoy your time here. My door is always open and should you wish to see me, please do not hesitate as that’s what I’m here for. Now I’m pleased to introduce you to your Year Heads. Good-bye for now.” The screen went blank.
Mr Sakamoto looked over at his Deputy, Mr Weadle.
“How was that?” he asked.
Unlike Mr Sakamoto, Weadle was a lifelong educator, having been the Headmaster of many prestigious schools in his time. In order to get to know each other better, they had spent the previous week together at an elite training centre in Nottingham, England, with a specialist headmaster trainer, Mr Johnson. It was obvious that Weadle did not agree with Mr Sakamoto’s appointment above him. However, Mr Johnson had put Weadle firmly in his place and had warned Mr Sakamoto that he was going to have to watch Weadle like a hawk.
“Yes, not bad,” replied Weadle.
From Weadle that was as good a compliment as Mr Sakamoto could have expected.
***
A very chirpy and excited man bounced up onto the stage and introduced himself to his audience.
“Bonjour, my name is Monsieur Bécherand and I am the Head of Year One.”
“Bonjour,” came the automatic response from the audience.
“Merci and welcome to l’Académie. Firstly, I’m sure you’re all very keen to know which classes you’re in, so let’s get that out of the way. Could everyone please stand up and look at the ten blocks of seats in the hall. Above each block is a letter from A to J and they each designate a class. OK, if you look at the screen, you’ll see that there are about twenty names
under each letter. Once you’ve found your name on a list, please make your way to the corresponding block.”
Chaos descended on the hall as students fought past each other to find their block. Tom and Lela held each other’s hands tightly as they looked for their names. This was the moment they had been dreading. They could not bear the thought of being separated. Donald had insisted that they remain in the same year. Tom was not allowed directly into Year 2 as he was only thirteen so the only option was to hold Lela back a year which all agreed was better than separation. However, no guarantees were given that they would be in the same class.
Tom found his name. He was in class 1H.
“I’m in 1H,” said Lela.
“So am I!” said Tom, hugely relieved.
“So am I!” came another six responses from around them.
“What! We’re all in the same class?” Tom said.
“Looks like it,” responded Ahmad.
Tom thought back to the meeting with Mr Sakamoto. He had been interested in who they had made friends with and had obviously made a few last minute changes.
“That’s fantastic!” said Mingmei.
“Excellent!” added Chen.
“Wicked!” said Tristan. “Are there any real hotties in our class?”
The group just laughed at him.
As they made their way to their block of seats, they noticed a teacher sitting amongst their group. She was young and Tristan thought looked very fit. As they approached, they counted thirteen students waiting for them. Class 1H had twenty one students, twelve boys and nine girls. Tristan was disappointed with the ratio. Thabo, whom they had met on the first evening was in their class, as was the US Joint Chiefs’ son, Zach. Tom and Lela recognised a few of the others but there were quite a few students they did not know.
Kidnap (The Billionaire Series) Page 13