“You mean Brian?” Brendan asked.
“Poser, Brian. Whatever he’s calling himself today.”
“No. He’s not acting like himself. He’s a little off.”
“Let me guess. He doesn’t talk like he did before. Seems a little spaced out. Does he look the same?”
Brendan sighed. He couldn’t believe he was sharing their crazy ideas with her. “He seems to be right handed now. I don’t think he was before.”
Tina looked back at Henry. Paul was in view through the restaurant’s windows, just getting up from a table.
“What happened to Paul?” Brendan asked.
“Oh, he got hit by one of the darts. I stayed with him for a couple of hours in the nurse’s office until he woke up. Even then, he was groggy but normal. They said he’d need to be checked by a doctor. My counselor said he was released and brought back to school yesterday evening. And then in class this morning, he’s like someone else. Spacey, stiff, oddly engaged by schoolwork. He wasn’t the brightest bulb, but now it’s like he took a double dose of Ritalin. But that’s all just behavior. Chalk it up to trauma or whatever. But his hair is different.”
“He has a buzz cut,” Brendan said. “He had one yesterday.”
“Yeah, and yesterday the shaved parting line was on the other side.”
“So maybe he went and got a fresh haircut,” Soren said. He shrank back when they all looked at him.
“That didn’t happen,” Lucille said. “And I don’t believe he cut his own hair after getting out of the hospital. It’s like the dynamics of his entire face have…shifted.”
Tina made a half-hearted attempt at making a mysterious sound, but she quit and fell into thought. “That just about sums up Poser. Just different enough, but still the same person.”
“Maybe Poser got attacked as well,” Brendan said. “Maybe the tranquilizer has some hallucinogenic aftereffect. We don’t know. We’re just getting too paranoid.”
“Look, I’m not asking anything from you people. I just wanted to see if you’ve noticed anything, and if you figure anything out, consider letting me in on it. If something is going on, I’m going to help. If not, then that’s fine too.” She looked at each one of them before leaving. Brendan watched her go.
Tina punched both Brendan and Soren in the arm. “Come on, guys, stop staring. Remember, she’ll be fat and old one day too.”
“Did she actually offer to help us?” Brendan asked.
“Suspicious, isn’t it?” Tina said. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, they say.”
“I’m going to tell her you called her a horse.”
“Go ahead. I’m suspicious of her, and I miss the way she used to be. At least that was predictable. But I’ve got a theory on how we can explain her current behavior. Maybe she got hit with a dart just like Paul.”
“Really?” Soren asked.
“No,” Tina said with a sigh. “No, not really.”
15. Dorm Rules
He only had twenty minutes before meeting Charlotte in front of his dorm. He’d considered bringing Vlad or Tina, but he thought his own connection with Charlotte was too tentative. He didn’t want to spook her. She knew something, and he wanted her to share. Vlad would be too pushy, Tina too manic. The thought of bringing Lucille was ridiculous. He decided to go meet Charlotte alone. But he had one thing to do first.
He knocked on Poser’s door. He hadn’t thought his neighbor was home as it was dead silent, but Poser answered.
“Hey Brendan.”
The desk light was on and his tablet was propped up on his desk, displaying a page of text that Brendan guessed was class material.
“Hi Brian. I was just checking in to see how you’re doing. It’s so…quiet in here. Did your speakers blow out?”
“No, I just had to get some reading done. I’m sure you have homework, too.”
“Of course. But most of my teachers have been keeping the workloads light with everything that’s going on, so it’s not that much really. If you have a sec, how about you telling me about what happened?”
Poser stared at him with a neutral expression on his face as if processing the request. He remained in the doorway so Brendan couldn’t step inside. The room was a mirror layout of Brendan’s own. There couldn’t be much of anything blocked from view, so that meant Poser just didn’t want him to enter.
“Why don’t we do that tomorrow,” Poser finally said. “Good night.”
And he shut the door. Brendan waited for a moment in case it was some kind of joke. But his friend didn’t open it back up.
Several other students on the floor had their music on. It blended together as it vibrated down the hall, becoming a mash-up of nuevo synthpop and the latest teen glamrock, with more echo coming from the singer than actual lyrics.
He went downstairs. The lounges were full. Several groups of students were watching movies. At least three of the screens were showing the same “Year’s Best” supers fights. A pair of hoodie-wearing men were getting beaten bloody by a masked man with neon suspenders who wielded a pipe wrench. It made him feel queasy. Perhaps it was the recent real violence, but he wasn’t in the mood for it. He stepped outside.
“Hey,” Charlotte said. She had been waiting in the shadows under an overhang. “I’m glad you came despite what I said earlier.”
“Here I am. Where to?”
She led them back near the restaurant where they found an isolated bench. Enough students were still around so that a buzz of conversation filled the air. Several teachers Brendan didn’t know were speaking with some of the students in a casual manner, but by the way they gestured and laughed he thought they were trying too hard to be chummy with the kids.
“You go first,” she said.
He told her about Poser, how his friend had changed dominant hands and how his personality was now subdued. He related what Lucille had said about Paul. He explained how both boys even looked a little different. The more he talked, the less he believed any of it himself. A few students passed by. He found himself speaking more softly even though no one was in hearing distance.
But he had Charlotte’s complete attention. She nodded a few times as he spoke and waited for him when he paused. She didn’t interrupt.
When he finished, she said, “I think our next step would be to get more evidence. Poser is your neighbor?”
He nodded.
“Let’s go see him together, and maybe we’ll find out something that will give us more to go on.”
“If you say so. He wouldn’t even let me in the room.”
“He’ll let us in. And if he doesn’t, remember I know how to pick locks.”
To avoid a dorm monitor seeing Charlotte go up to Poser’s room, they took the stairway. Even still, Brendan had to endure two sets of students heading the opposite direction. The boys clicked their tongues and passed along suggestive comments when they saw Charlotte. He doubted anyone would report her, but once they made it to his floor he whispered, “We need to make this quick. “
A few doors were open in the hallway. The bathroom and showers were at the opposite end of the floor. Charlotte had her hoodie pulled over her head and wore baggy cargo pants, so a quick glance might not spot the female invader in the male dormitory. But if any of the dorm monitors came along, they’d both be busted. Members of the opposite sex were forbidden on all floors above the first. The monitors patrolled at irregular intervals, so it was a risk.
Brendan knocked on Poser’s door. When he didn’t immediately answer, he knocked again. Poser cracked the door. The lights were out inside his room. His hair looked lopsided, and he squinted against the modest hallway lights.
“I was sleeping,” Poser said.
Charlotte nudged Brendan, and Brendan pushed forward through the doorway, ignoring a weak protest.
“Sorry, Brian, but we can’t be left hanging out here,” Brendan said.
Poser turned on the lights. “Who’s she?”
“This is the mystery girl I
told you about in electronics lab. She’s helping me figure out how we can get some kind of communication going with the outside world. She fixed my signal antenna, remember?”
Poser took a moment, then straightened out the blanket on his bed and offered them a seat. He leaned against his desk.
“Yeah, I guess. So what’s going on that can’t wait until tomorrow?”
“We still haven’t talked about what happened to you. Now that no one else is around, it’s safe to talk.”
Poser continued to eye Charlotte.
“She’s cool,” Brendan said. “I’ve told her everything.”
Poser shifted his attention to Brendan. He studied him as if seeing him for the first time. “How well do you know her? What classes do you have with her?”
“I told you already. I don’t have any classes with her. Do you?”
Poser didn’t answer. Charlotte looked down at a stuffed wastebasket, then up at a blank space on the wall.
“Do some redecorating?” she asked.
A large poster of a gang of kimono-clad musicians with an assortment of instruments had been pushed into the trash.
Poser was flustered. “I don’t think I can help you with anything right now. Last night really was just me losing sleep, wandering around, and getting nothing done. So whatever you have planned, I’m not up for it.”
“Okay, no problem,” Brendan said. “I didn’t want to pressure you. I just thought you might want to meet Charlotte and see that she’s real.”
“He knows I’m real. We have some classes together.”
“I guess,” Poser said.
“Which ones?” she asked. “In fact, off the top of your head can you name all your classes without checking your schedule?”
Poser picked up his tablet and started to enter the secure code, then stopped. “I want you both to leave.”
“You’ve met my father, haven’t you? Did he bring you here for some reason?”
“Wait a minute,” Brendan said. “Tell me what’s going on. What’s she talking about?”
Poser stood and pointed at the door. “Get out.”
Charlotte got up from the bed and opened the door. Brendan stood up but didn’t budge.
“Do you know her, or don’t you?” he asked.
Poser gave Brendan a push towards the door. Charlotte tugged at Brendan’s arm.
“Why did you throw your poster out? What happened to you?”
Another shove, and Brendan was in the hallway. Poser slammed the door. A few nearby floormates were staring. Brendan and Charlotte had made it to the stairway when Brendan heard one ask, “Was that a girl?”
Charlotte took the stairs two at a time. Brendan hurried to keep up.
“So do you know him?” Brendan asked. “And what was that thing about your father?”
She said, “No, but he doesn’t know that. It’s not a satisfying answer, but it’s all I can say about it for now. We need to talk but not here.” They emerged into the lobby, and Charlotte pushed through the fire door on the side of the building.
Officer Glenn was waiting for them. Before Charlotte could react, he took her by the arm.
“Both of you please come with me. We have guidelines regarding dorm access.”
Charlotte allowed herself to be led along. As they walked towards the security office, Brendan kept up a steady stream of assurances that they only went up to his room to get his tablet and to check on a lab assignment. Officer Glenn didn’t comment.
He was the officer who had gotten them out of the classroom the day of the attack. Unlike Officer Foster, this guard didn’t give off the wannabe cop vibe, and he was one of the few who didn’t wear sunglasses at all hours.
Brendan managed to get in front of him. “Stop,” he said, and to his surprise the man did. “Just wait. Did someone call and report us? We were up there for five minutes. We both know the rules, and we’re very, very sorry. Nothing happened. Ask anyone on my floor. At least a dozen others saw us. And she wanted to wait in the lobby, but I talked her into going up the stairs. For five minutes! Come on, give us a break.”
When the guard let go of Charlotte, Brendan thought she would bolt away, but she stayed put.
“Since this was a complaint, I need to record some sort of report,” Officer Glenn said.
So someone did report us.
“Can you just put my name down?” Brendan asked. “I’ve been in trouble before, but she hasn’t. Her record with the school is clean. Cut her some slack.”
The officer considered both of them and then settled on Brendan. “Okay. But you’ll have to come with me to the office. Look, kid, it’s not going to be a big deal. It just means you initial that you were reminded of a dorm regulation.”
“Fine. No problem. I’ll do that. She can go, right?”
Officer Glenn gave a nod, and Brendan was now almost eager to continue on to the security office. When Charlotte started to follow, he thought she was trying to come with them. He mouthed, “Get out of here.”
She grabbed Brendan and leaned in close as if for a good-night kiss. Officer Glenn paused and waited.
“He’s one of the good ones,” she whispered. “But don’t let them keep you there.”
And then she walked quickly away.
16. Stardust
The security office was a bland space lit by cool blue fluorescent light and totally devoid of personality but for a tiny vase of fresh white flowers on the front reception desk. To Brendan, it looked more like a dentist’s office than a police station. Another security guard, one of the female officers, sat at a desk and had a phone to her ear. Brendan wondered if the phone lines were back up or if it was just connected to other phones within the school.
Officer Glenn had him take a seat while he removed a tablet from a charger. The guard tapped and swiped away until he found what he was looking for. He handed the device over to Brendan.
“Read that, please.”
The document on the screen was an excerpt from the school’s code of conduct. It reminded Brendan that access to the dorm was strictly limited, and members of the opposite sex were not allowed above the lobby floor. Brendan gave a grave nod.
“Thumbprint on the bottom circle.”
Brendan put his thumb on the “I Agree” button and handed the tablet back.
“Anything else?” Brendan asked.
“Hold your horses.” Officer Glenn typed on the tablet, filling out the rest of the form.
“Mr. Garza. In trouble again?” came a voice from across the office. Brendan hadn’t seen Officer Foster since the man had tried to speak with him at the nurse’s station after the fight. The confused look Foster had worn then was gone. Now his eyes gleamed with an odd intensity, as if seeing Brendan filled him with delight. He strode out of an office and took the tablet from Officer Glenn.
“Mmm-hmm. You understand that we can’t have members of the opposite sex in our rooms or even up to the floors.”
“I do. And I’m sorry, it was a misunderstanding. Officer Glenn has reminded me of the rule.”
Foster scrolled further. Then his face fell into a scowl. He turned the tablet so both Brendan and Officer Glenn could see. It was a body camera still of Charlotte that Officer Glenn had taken.
“Where is she?” Foster said.
Officer Glenn stumbled over his words. “I…thought I only needed him to sign off on the code of conduct release. I didn’t need her, so she left.”
“She left? Where?” Officer Foster leaned in on the other guard.
“She walked off. Maybe she’s in the student restaurant. I didn’t think I needed to bring her in. The rules state—”
“You idiot. You know we were looking for her.”
“Can I go now?” Brendan asked.
Officer Foster rounded the desk. He clamped a hand on Brendan’s arm and pulled him out of the chair. “Where did she go?”
Brendan tried to twist free, but the grip was strong and only grew tighter. Pain began to radiate up the arm.
“Let me go,” he tried to say in an authoritative voice, his father’s voice, but it came out broken and weak.
“You were with her before. Where does she go?”
“Officer Foster, that’s no way to treat one of our students,” the headmaster said. Brendan hadn’t heard him come in. “Good evening, Mr. Garza.”
Officer Foster released him and Brendan took a step away. His arm hurt.
The headmaster gave a nervous-looking Officer Glenn a pat on the shoulder. Officer Foster hadn’t taken his eyes off Brendan.
“Mr. Garza, it seems you’ve made yourself an acquaintance who is not a student here. She’s a trespasser on school property and is responsible for several acts of vandalism. She’s in need of psychiatric care, so surely you can understand our concern for the school and for your safety. Finding you in her company is troubling for us. You were involved in one unfortunate incident that we have been able to navigate and put behind us. For us to be able to get past this, we must insist on your cooperation.”
Brendan’s mind raced. He considered the exit, only a few paces away. The headmaster wouldn’t be able to stop him, but he wasn’t sure about Officer Foster. And what then? They would call the police if he ran. The school had assumed limited custodial guardianship over him. He had nowhere to go. But Charlotte’s warning remained fresh in his head.
Don’t let them keep you there.
The headmaster smiled and cocked his head ever so slightly, in the condescending way of teachers and policemen when speaking to impetuous youth. “You’ll help us, won’t you Mr. Garza? So where does she go?”
Brendan found it impossible not to get hung up on the question’s wording. It implied she went somewhere only to show up again. How could they not find one student, or not-student, that kept reappearing on campus? All eyes were on him.
“I don’t know,” Brendan said. “I ran into her in electronics lab one evening. She helped me finish an assignment. I saw her again tonight, and we were talking about everything that’s going on, and schoolwork. She has some sort of trigonometry test she’s taking that she’s nervous about. I can’t help her with that as I’m just in geometry.”
Supervillain High Page 12