by Lynette Noni
“Thanks,” she said. “Now, you should all get out of here. And Tom, don’t forget your banjo-thing.”
He looked at her strangely. “My what?”
She pointed to his backpack. “You’re the musician, remember. I’m pretty sure you need something to play.”
“Right,” he said, shuffling over to his pack to retrieve the instrument. “I haven’t played in years.”
“Hopefully it’s just like riding a bike,” Alex said.
“What’s a bike?”
Alex gave a startled laugh at the absurd comment before she brushed his question off and told them all to leave.
“We’ll come get you once we have the performer guy we’re meant to find,” Jordan said.
“Sure,” she replied, trying to act okay about it all when really she was frustrated that she had to stay behind with Skyla. “Take all the time you need.”
Alex watched as they made their own path down the hill and crept along under the cover of the now completely dark sky. After a while it was difficult to see them, but she spotted them again once they were closer to the well-lit mansion. One by one they broke away from the group and entered the building.
“We’re in,” Declan’s voice whispered through the ComTCD. “The waiters are heading to the kitchen and Tom’s joining the band. Pip and I are going to introduce ourselves to the host.”
“Don’t forget to use your fake names,” Alex reminded.
“Oh, right. Thanks.”
It was another twenty minutes before Alex heard anything other than the indecipherable chatter of the various guests and the distorted music from the orchestra.
“Alex, we have a problem,” Declan said. “I overheard one of the guests talking about a performer who was in the middle of his juggling act two nights ago when he accidentally dropped a ball into Sir Oswald’s wineglass, spilling it all over him. No one has seen the performer since, but they think he’s locked somewhere underneath the mansion.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Alex cried. “Do you think he’s our guy?”
“Pretty certain, yeah,” Declan said. “It makes sense, considering Hunter’s instructions to retrieve the performer from his ‘accommodation’.”
“Do the others know?”
“No, I haven’t been able to talk with anyone. But I’ll try to get a message to them.”
“How will you bring the performer out if he’s a prisoner?”
“I’m still working on that,” Declan answered. “I’m hoping one of the others might have an idea. I’ll update you again in a few—”
His words were interrupted by a loud voice. “What are you doing in here? Who are you talking to?”
“Uh, I was just admiring the view,” Declan said.
“Show me your ID,” the other voice commanded.
Alex flicked her ComTCD to the visual setting so she could watch what was happening. The holograph rose up out of her Device, showing Declan and another man standing in a small room. The other man looked like some kind of armed security guard.
Declan handed over his identification tag and the guard peered at it before saying, “Dillon Staring? Never heard of you. How did you get on the guest list?”
“I came with my girlfriend. She’s a close friend of—”
Whatever Declan had been about to say was interrupted when the door burst open.
“Bro, where’ve you been? We’re all waiting for—Oh.”
Alex would have groaned at Blink’s horrible timing if she wasn’t so worried about sound carrying through Declan’s ComTCD.
“Both of you, put your hands up,” the man ordered, pulling out a weapon that looked identical to the military Stabilisers she’d seen at the compound.
“What’s happening?” Skyla asked loudly.
Alex turned to shush her, but the damage was already done.
“Who said that?” the man demanded, looking around the room. “You there, Dillon, what’s that you’re holding?”
The man reached out to snatch the Device from Declan’s hand and Alex abruptly ended the call, not wanting to give him time to activate the visual setting on his end and see them.
“Skyla, I need you to wait here,” Alex said urgently. “You need to be very quiet, understand?”
“Where are you going?”
“I have to go and find out what’s happening,” Alex told her. “I won’t be long—I promise I’ll be back soon. But you have to stay here, okay?”
“I will,” Skyla agreed. “I won’t move until you get back.”
Alex swapped her heels for her hiking shoes, lifted her gown, and took off down the hill at a sprint, only slowing once she entered the manicured gardens. Very carefully, she snuck around the various hedges until she was adjacent with the side of the building. Just as she was about to step out of her hiding place and enter the front doors, two burly security guards walked outside and took up positions by the entrance. Alex had to jump behind a peacock statue to avoid being seen.
What now? she wondered, thinking fast.
She dashed from statue to statue, hiding behind large caricature topiaries until she was at the back of the mansion. Moving quickly, she hurried over the lawn and pressed herself against the building, sliding along it until she found a balcony with light streaming through a double-door opening. She could hear the sounds of the party inside; the only problem was that it was two floors above her.
“Good thing I changed my shoes,” Alex muttered, as she reached out to grab the vines that decorated the side of the mansion. Her gown made the climb difficult, but after tucking the hem into her underwear—and hoping no one was around to watch the show—she pulled herself up the side of the mansion and over the balustrade onto the balcony. She made sure she was concealed in the shadows before she peered through the doorway.
“Honoured guests,” called an impeccably dressed older man from the far side of the grand ballroom. He stood at the top of an elegant staircase that led down from the floor above. “Forgive the interruption, but it seems we have some party crashers amongst us. Your safety is my highest priority, so please assist my security personnel as they scan your ID tags to check for forgeries. Feel free to continue the festivities whilst we ensure all the intruders are accounted for.”
Alex watched as the security teams spread out across the room and ran small, glowing devices across the top of everyone’s ID tags. Pip was the first of her classmates to be escorted from the room, followed by Jordan, then Kaiden. Tom almost remained unnoticed, but one of the security guards called out for another to scan the musicians.
“Well, this sucks,” Alex whispered, as the man on the stairs—Sir Oswald Graham, she presumed—apologised for the inconvenience and told his guests to relax and enjoy the party once more.
Having no idea what to do, Alex scrambled back down to the ground and ran up the hill to Skyla.
“What’s going on?” Skyla asked.
Alex told her everything she’d seen, while racking her mind for a solution.
“We need to assume they’re all together,” Alex said. “Hopefully they’ll be locked up in the same area as the performer we’re supposed to retrieve.”
“Why do we want them locked up?” Skyla asked, confused.
“Because if they’re in the same place, it’ll be easier for us to get them all out at once,” Alex said.
Skyla’s voice was surprised when she said, “We’re going to rescue them?”
“What else can we do?” Alex said. “Leave them there? No way.”
Skyla’s silence was enough to show that she agreed, and Alex began to pace while she thought about what to do. Finally she stopped and turned to the other girl.
“I have an idea. But I’m going to need your help.” Alex outlined her vague plan, giving as many details as she could before she asked, “Do you think you can do that?”
“You can count on me,” Skyla promised.
Alex hoped they weren’t going to end up imprisoned with the rest of their classm
ates. “Okay, then,” she said. “Can you grab me Pip’s pillow?”
While Skyla was rustling around in the dark for Pipsqueak’s pack, Alex dug through the bag closest to her and retrieved the relaxant spray from the medical kit since her own was lost somewhere in the Durungan Ranges. Skyla handed her the pillow and Alex sprayed a liberal amount of the medication onto the fluffy material, being careful not to inhale any of it. She then stuffed the fuming object into her own backpack along with her heels and Skyla’s makeup case, securing her bag on her back.
“Ready?” she asked, and at Skyla’s nod, the two descended the hill and stealthily made their way to the place where Alex had climbed up to the balcony.
“We’re aiming for that room up there,” Alex said, pointing to an open window about four floors above them. “Do you see that ledge? That’s where we want to go.”
“That’s high,” Skyla said shakily.
“You can do it,” Alex encouraged her. “We’ll stop halfway, and I’ll be with you the entire time.”
Skyla wasn’t burdened by a backpack like Alex was, but she still had more trouble climbing up the vines. Alex whispered reassurances to her, and when they made it to the second-floor balcony, she and Skyla looked into the ballroom.
“See that guy?” Alex said, pointing to Sir Oswald. “That’s him. He’s the host.”
Skyla’s eyes travelled over him, looking more focused than Alex had ever seen. “Got it.”
Alex had to trust Skyla knew what she was talking about. After more struggling upwards in the dark, they reached the fourth-floor window.
The room was dark, which was perfect cover for them. Without being able to see anything inside, Alex pulled herself over the ledge, reaching out to help Skyla climb in. The moment both of them were inside, the overhead light flicked on.
“What’re you doing in my room?”
ȁ 9;.
Seventeen
Alex held her breath as she stared at the little boy holding a teddy bear and standing in the doorway of what was evidently his bedroom, judging by the toys scattered all about the place.
“Oh, aren’t you just adorable?” Skyla cooed, walking towards the child. “Would you look at him, Alex? I just want to wrap him up and take him home.”
Alex hissed out a low warning, trying to get Skyla to keep her distance from the wide-eyed boy, but it was no use.
“Hello, there,” Skyla said, kneeling a few feet away from him. “My name is Skyla but tonight I’m Samantha. Who are you?”
So much for our fake identities, Alex thought with a mental sigh.
The boy looked uncertainly from Alex to Skyla before he whispered, “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.”
“Are you allowed to talk to friends?” Skyla asked. “Because I’d like to be your friend.”
Alex inwardly winced at Skyla’s creepy-sounding words, but her intent sounded genuine—and innocent. Regardless, the boy looked confused and Alex was worried he’d make a run for it. She took an anxious step forward, heaving her bag into a better position on her shoulder. Her eyes widened as an absolutely ridiculous idea came to her. Maybe Hunter’s cryptic note had been instructive after all.
“Do you like stories?” Alex asked the boy, and the answer was obvious when his eyes lit up.
She knelt to the floor and, holding her breath to avoid the relaxant fumes, opened her pack and reached to the very bottom to dig out the massive book of children’s stories.
“Would you like Skyla to read to you?” Alex asked, holding the book out to him.
Seeing the item in her hands, he took a step forward, then another one. When he arrived at Skyla’s side, he looked up at her with owlish eyes and said, “I’m Benjamin. We can be friends if you read to me.”
“Oh, Benny, you’re so cute!” Skyla said in a voice so high-pitched that Alex feared someone would hear. “Let’s tuck you in while Aunty Alex brings us the storybook.”
Aunty Alex? Wow, Skyla really was a kid person.
Alex zipped up her pack and stood up to find that Skyla had snuggled into Benjamin’s bed with him. “Here you go,” she said, handing over the heavy book. “Happy reading.”
“Look, Benny! There are pictures!” Skyla said. She seemed more excited than Benjamin at the discovery.
“I’ll leave you both to it,” Alex said. “I’ll see you downstairs, right, Skyla?”
“Ten minutes, Alex,” Skyla said, tearing her eyes from the book. “I promise I’ll be there.”
“See you then,” Alex said, hoping that would be true.
“Hey, Alex,” Skyla called just before Alex reached the door. “You need to swap your shoes. And it’ll probably be a good idea to untuck your dress unless you’re trying to make a new fashion statement.”
Feeling like an idiot, Alex untucked and straightened her gown and swapped back into her heels. She also remembered to grab the compact powder out of Skyla’s makeup case, which was essential for their plan to work.
“Thanks, Skyla,” Alex said, genuinely appreciative.
She hurried out of the room and down a hallway, finding a staircase and descending to the next floor. When she was there, she snuck into a bathroom to straighten her hair and check her makeup. Once she was satisfied that she didn’t look like she’d just climbed up a building, she purposely left the powder brush on the bench and closed the compact, keeping it in her hands. Then she followed the hallway again until she reached the staircase that led down into the ballroom on the second floor.
Alex stood at the top of the stairs and looked out at the scene below, positioned just as Sir Oswald had been when he’d addressed his guests.
I know I need to get his attention, but I wish I’d come up with a better plan than this, Alex thought despairingly. Just like her ‘Inebriated Guest’ moment at the royal palace, she knew she would likely regret her next move.
Steeling her resolve, she clenched her teeth and slowly moved her foot to the next step down. But instead of resting her heel on the solid stair, she closed her eyes tightly and deliberately overstepped.
The effect was instantaneous.
She fell like a Slinky spring, tumbling painfully down the staircase. The musicians stopped playing and she heard gasps and exclamations all around her. Only when she came to a stop on the hard floor did she open her eyes, finding a swarm of faces all around her.
“Make way, please. Make way,” came the familiar voice of Sir Oswald.
Perfect. Just as she’d planned.
“My dear, are you all right?”
“How embarrassing,” Alex whimpered, actually managing to fill her eyes with tears. It wasn’t all that difficult, considering how painful her landing had been. “Please tell me no one saw that?”
“Of course not, my dear,” Sir Oswald lied, kneeling beside her. “Are you injured? Do you need me to call my personal physician?”
“No, please,” Alex begged. “I feel humiliated enough as it is.”
“There’s nothing to be ashamed about,” he said, patting her on the hand. “Do you think you can stand?”
When she nodded, he closed his fingers around hers and stood to his feet, pulling her up with a surprising amount of strength for someone his age. The room spun around her and it wasn’t hard for her to overdramatise her dizziness. She leaned heavily onto Sir Oswald, apologising profusely when she was finally able to lift her head.
“No need to apologise, my dear,” he told her kindly. “Why, it’s a pleasure to be able to assist such a beautiful young woman.”
Alex almost gagged. He was old enough to be her grandfather. And if he called her ‘my dear’ one more time…
“What’s your name, my dear?”
Alex’s eye twitched at the repeated endearment, but she answered him charmingly. “Ally Jones, Sir Oswald. My mother, Larissa, had me listed as her plus one, but she’s picked up a stomach bug and thought it best for everyone if she stayed home and I came without her
Alex held a breath as she waited to see if she
was right about Hunter’s clue and her ‘mother’ having lots of friends—hopefully enough friends to secure an invitation to an event such as this.
Her heart raced as she watched Sir Oswald scrunch his face in confusion.
“Larissa Jones?” he said. “I don’t believe I know… Unless…” His eyes lit with comprehension. “Do you perhaps mean Larissa Rolar?”
“Rolar was her maiden name,” Alex said, the make-believe story flowing effortlessly from her mouth. “When she married my father she took his surname.”
“Not Renwick Jones, surely?” Sir Oswald guffawed. “That slimy old toad! Who would have thought he’d manage to land a catch like your mother? Ha! Well, good on him, I suppose. There may yet be hope for the rest of us.”
Alex couldn’t believe he was actually buying her deceit.
“Come, come, dear Ally,” Sir Oswald continued. “You must tell me all about how your enchanting mother is faring these days. You clearly inherited her beauty—that much is evident. Too many years have passed since I last saw her…”
Sir Oswald went on to share a memory that included a chicken, a tea set and a thunderstorm, but Alex wasn’t paying much attention to his words. She was trying to figure out if she should start laughing or just shake her head in astonishment. She would have to remember to thank Hunter later… Or not, depending on how the rest of the evening played out.
“—and so, really, I have your mother to thank for setting me up with my darling wife. Oh, how dearly I miss my beloved Bryonie.”
Alex had no idea what to say, so she patted him consolingly on the hand that still held her own.
“You’re such a lovely girl,” he told her. “Kind and caring, just like your mother.”
She managed to plaster an embarrassed smile on her face. “That’s very sweet of you, Sir Oswald.”
“Come along, my dear,” he said, taking her arm. “I want you to meet some of my acquaintances. Although, I daresay you will have been introduced to many already, given your mother’s commendably active role in society.”
“I’d be delighted to,” Alex said, but her fear spiked as she tried to figure out how to move her plan along and not get stuck talking with people Larissa’s ‘daughter’ should already know.