Trials in Walls of Ivy (Triskelion Trilogy Book 1)

by Deborah Jayne Pye

  We walked into the living room to find it dark. I called to Owen and Bree, but got no reply. I turned on the lights as I walked up to my room.

  “Put the kettle on, Ash,” I called as I headed for the stairs, “I’m just going to quickly change.”

  I switched the shower on as I passed the bathroom, and then ducked into my room to grab my wash bag and clean clothes. A note from Bree had been left on my bed. She was heading to the social bar, again, and wanted me to join her there. I rolled my eyes at the note. There was no chance of me having the energy to go out after training with Ash.

  By the time I had showered and dressed, Ash was sat on the settee, coffee mug in hand. He held a mug out to me as I came to sit beside him.

  “I raided your biscuit barrel. Hope you don’t mind?” He held up a packet of chocolate digestives.

  “We have a biscuit barrel?” I asked, as I dug my hand into the packet. I mentally noted that I would have to run to the shop in the morning to replace them.

  We relaxed in front of the TV. Time was measured by the mugs of coffee we consumed. Without realising when it happened, Ash and I fell into a new level of friendship. He touched me casually, as I rested my legs over his. As if acknowledging a silent acceptance signal, I felt closer to him, like I was welcome within his space.

  We both jumped when Warwick slammed the front door open and stumbled into the room.

  He looked down at us and laughed. “Your turn on the settee tonight?”

  I threw a cushion at him. “Not in the way you use it.”

  He caught it and threw it back. “You’ll have to clear off soon anyway. She’s on her way to a good night over there. She’s probably gonna want to use it.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me drunkenly.

  “What? Who’s having a good night where? You’re not making sense.”

  Warwick leaned on the back of the settee, lowering his head to mine. The smell of his breath was enough to make me dizzy.

  “Cheese. She’s about to have a good night.”

  My stomach sank. Bree was at the social bar. Alone. I looked to the clock to see it was passed eleven.

  “Oh god, how bad is she?”

  “Who says she’s bad? She’s just pissed up enough to not remember much in the morning. Well on her way to a good night.”

  I stumbled to my feet and grabbed Ash’s hand. “Come on.”

  “Where are we going?” He asked, as he stretched.

  “Social bar. She’s been out for hours.” I jabbed my thumb over my shoulder, pointing at Warwick. “If he says she’s having a good night, it can’t be good.”

  We walked to the bar as fast as my legs would carry me, which wasn’t very fast given all the exercise we had done. I always considered myself quite fit, but now I felt like a slob. My scar was still screaming at me, but I was getting used to ignoring it’s ever presence now.

  The thudding music grew louder as we approached the bar. The silhouettes through the window told us it was packed. We opened the door and came face to face with Spring. She was stood with a group of girls, all dressed the same in tight skirts and heels.

  She held up a glass, like she was toasting. “To the slut of the year!” She shouted.

  I stepped forward. “What did you call me?” Ash grabbed my arm, holding me back.

  She grinned. “Oh, not you. Your friend over there. Think she’s taking the term, giving it away for free, a little far.” The group of girls erupted in laughter as Spring high fived them.

  I shoved through roughly and made my way into the room. Crowds of people stood in every direction, all taking louder and louder over the music. My eyes raked the crowd, finally settling on the far side of the room. Within a heartbeat, Ash was ahead of me as we forced our way through the dancing crowd.

  In a booth, Bree was sprawled across one of the seats. Eyes closed, she looked unconscious. Two guys were leaning over her. Each of them tugged and pulled at her clothes, reaching in to touch her. Ash lunged forward with a growl. He grabbed the first guy who had both hands under her top. Holding him by the scruff of his neck, he threw him backwards. He stumbled to the floor and backed away. I slapped at the second guy. He shoved me away and leaned back over Bree. I pulled at him as he crammed his lips against hers, forcing her unconscious mouth to open with his tongue. His hands groped over her body greedily. Ash’s fists wrapped around the guys throat and yanked him free, throwing him to the ground where his friend had fallen.

  The dancing crowd stopped and turned to watch as the guy ran for Ash. He swung once, drunkenly, missing completely. Straightening himself, he lunged again. Ash punched him square between the eyes. He dropped without a sound. Blood poured from his nose, pooling on the floor where he laid beside his whimpering friend.

  Bree was cold. I put my hands on her cheek, her neck. Her pulse was weak, but it was there. I tapped her gently.

  “Bree? Wake up, Bree.”

  She didn’t respond. Her head lolled to the side as I shook her shoulders harder. Ash leaned over and pulled one of her eyelids up. Her eyes were almost all black, un-focusing.

  “Ash, this isn’t right. What’s wrong with her?”

  He knelt beside me, taking her hand. “That’s not alcohol. She’s had something.”

  “How do you know? What has she taken?” I felt through her pockets. They were empty. “What should we do? Where should we take her?”

  He leaned over and scooped her up, just like he did the first time we met. “Let’s see if anywhere’s open.”

  We pushed through the crowd roughly. I didn’t care if I shoved too hard or knocked any one over. These people had stood by and watched my friend as she was assaulted. Anger rose in me as people dared to look annoyed by my shoving. I pushed harder.

  “Can’t handle her drink, can she?” Spring laughed, as we passed.

  I turned back and stood in front of her. “Why didn’t you call for help?”

  “She looked like she was enjoying it.”

  Fury enveloped my vision. My body tensed ready to pounce, my fingers tingled with rage. Before I was aware of my actions, my fist flung back and smashed into Spring’s cheek. She screamed and fell to the floor. Cheers filled the air around us as the drunken students began chanting fight, fight.

  Still filled with rage, I stormed out of the room, into the cold air.

  Ash was running back toward me. “You okay? I thought you were right behind me.” Bree was limp in his arms.

  “Probably just got myself kicked out of here, but it was worth it.”

  I leaned over to check Bree’s breathing. She was still unconscious, her skin sallow and pale. I scanned the area for light. Every building looked closed.

  “Isn’t there an emergency number or something?” Ash asked, looking to me like I had all the answers.

  “There is, but I never properly looked at it. I didn’t think I’d ever actually need it.”

  I motioned for him to follow me as I ran to the end of a path, looking for any sign of life. There, in the distance was a glow. We ran together around a row of buildings, following the lights.

  “There,” I shouted, as the building came into view. Every light inside the science block was lit. We ran together awkwardly, as I held Bree’s head for support.

  I opened the glass doors and held it while Ash came through. The smell of chemicals tickled my nose as we walked the corridors in search of life. We pushed open a side door to see a man in a white lab coat with his back to us.

  “Excuse me, we need help,” I said.

  I walked into the lab in time with Ash, still supporting Bree’s head. My mouth fell open as the man turned.

  “Mark?”

  Mark put down a tool and took off his gloves. “Roz, hi. Not seen you in a while.”

  “Not since the hospital.” I tried to keep my voice cool.

  No way was I going to let him know how much it had hurt when he didn’t ask how I was after the bomb.

  “I know, I should’ve called. But, I’ve been swamped here. Leg b
etter?” He pointed to my injured leg.

  “More or less. Twinges still, but nothing I can’t deal with.”

  “Sorry to interrupt,” Ash snapped, “do you have a phone? We need to call a doctor.” He laid Bree out on the top of a work bench.

  Mark seemed to snap back to reality. “What happened?”

  “We think she’s taken something,” I said.

  “She’s been slipped something. Bree doesn’t do drugs.” Ash folded his arms and looked at Mark expectantly. “We need to phone a doctor.”

  Mark ran to the side of the room and lifted a phone receiver from the wall. He dialled a number and waited.

  “Hi, Doctor Levins? There’s a medical emergency at the lab.” A muffled voice responded. “No not any of us. It looks like a student has taken somethin’, but we dinnae know what. She looks out of it.” He nodded and put the phone down, turning to me with a smile. “Shouldn’t be long. He’s not far away.”

  I paced the room while we waited. Ash stood beside Bree, like a body guard. Arms folded, he watched Mark like he was the villain.

  I jumped when Levins slammed open the door. Without word, he strode over to Bree, pushing Ash out of the way. He leaned over her defenceless unconscious body, peering into her eyes as Ash had done. We waited helplessly as he whispered to Mark, pointing to a cupboard on the wall. Mark rushed to it and wrenched the doors open. Clattering echoed through the lab as Mark ran back with a silver tray filled with tools and sterile packets.

  All Ash and I could do was wait in the wings, as the two men worked on our friend.

  “You okay?” I asked Ash. He had hardly spoken two words since we had gotten here.

  “I’m fine,” he replied, “but I’m going to kill whoever slipped her the drugs.”

  “Are you sure she didn’t take it herself?” I recoiled as he glared at me. “I’m just saying, she likes to drink, she likes to go out. Why not take drugs?”

  “Because she wouldn’t. Bree’s not like that.”

  I watched him as he paced, consumed by the floor which his gaze didn’t leave. He chewed his cheek, grimacing at whatever thoughts were raging through his mind.

  “You really like her, don’t you?” I asked.

  He came to an abrupt stop. “We work together, we train together. She’s my partner. Of course I care about her.” He continued to pace, his shoulders hunched against the strain of helplessness.

  I stared at him unblinking. She was his partner? How had I never known that Ash and Bree were together? How had I not seen how close they were? How protective he was of her? Of course they were together, it made sense. How could I have missed it? My heart sank as the selfish thought flooded my mind. I had read him wrong. He was my friend because he was with Bree, my best mate here. How could I have been so stupid to miss-read their body language so badly?

  “That’s it then,” Levins shouted, from across the room.

  Ash ran over to join them. “How is she?”

  I shook myself out of my stupor and ran to stand beside him.

  “She’s had an alarming amount of alcohol. And, it looks like a worryingly large dose of Rohypnol.” He went to the sink and washed his hands.

  “What’s that?” I shouted, panicked.

  “Date rape drug,” Mark said, “most likely someone slipped it into her drink. If she was already half gone, the people in the bar probably thought she was just drunk.” He went to a computer, printed off a sheet and handed it to me. “This is the test result Doctor Levins just did. The drug will metabolise in her system. By the time she goes tae police, there won’t be much left. She’ll need this as evidence.”

  I stared at him blankly. “Thank you.”

  “Roz, whoever gave her this, gave her over three times the dose.” His eyes were grave. “You two saved her life tonight.”

  My hand crammed over my mouth, muffling a cry. I hadn’t realised how serious it was, how much danger she was in.

  He placed his hand on my shoulder, rubbing my neck with his thumb. “You dinnae need tae worry about her now. Doctor Levins has it in hand. She’s goin’ to be fine. But, Roz, do you think somethin’ happened before you got to her?” His tone was delicate like I was the one injured.

  I shook my head in a daze. “This is all my fault. She left me a note asking me to join her. If I had gone, this wouldn’t have happened to her.”

  Ash took my hand, stepping in front of Mark. “We got there in time, Roz. She was still in the bar, in full view.”

  “But, they were all over her.” Bile rose with the memory.

  Ash’s grip tightened. “They were, but they didn’t get that far. Not while they were in the bar.”

  Mark inched closer. “You can take her home. Just make sure she drinks as many clean fluids as she can. Best way to get it out of her system. And, stay close to her. She should be watched until it’s completely out of her system.”

  “I will. Thank you, Mark. And, thank you Doctor Levins,” I shouted, across the room. Levins had already picked up the work Mark had left.

  “Nice to meet you again,” he shouted, without looking up.

  The moment we got Bree through the house door and on the settee, I called Llamp. It rang for what felt like hours. A night official answered and told me to wait while they roused her. I held the phone to my ear, tapping it absentmindedly while I watched Bree. Her eyelashes had begun to flicker. Slowly, she was wakening. Ash sat beside her, stroking her hair and talking softly. He tried to give her sips from a cup, but she turned her head in refusal.

  “What are you giving her?” I asked, with my hand over the receiver.

  Ash put the cup on the table and stood to join me at the back of the room. “Hot lemon. It’s what my brother drinks when he’s had too much.”

  “Isn’t that for colds?”

  “I don’t know. I had to give her something,” He shouted. He put his hands over his face and took a deep breath. “Sorry.”

  “I get it, Ash. You’re worried about her.” I knew that was an understatement. Seeing those guys pawing over his girlfriend like that must have been infuriating. I gulped at the thought of my two friends together, and then chided myself for my selfishness. They were my friends; I had no right to be jealous. They deserved happiness.

  “I should have beaten the crap out of them,” He growled, returning to his seat beside Bree. She lifted her legs to rest them on him. “I let them go too easily. They should pay for what they tried to do.”

  “Ash, you did the right thi…” The man on the phone returned, “hello?” I listened for a moment and put the phone down. “Llamp’s on her way.”

  Bree tried to jump up, but Ash held her down. “Here? Llamp’s coming here?”

  She pushed Ash away and began scooping up piles of paper from the coffee table. She stumbled as she crawled across the floor.

  “Come on, this place is a shit tip.”

  “It’s not that bad,” I said, looking around at the scattered magazines and books in the corner. The pile of pizza boxes from Owen and Jay’s last all-night computer session. I gulped and rushed forward to help.

  We didn’t get much of the room cleared before there was a knock at the door. Ash looked behind to check we were finished before he opened it.

  “Having a late night?” Llamp asked, as she walked into the living room. She stood and studied the room, like she was checking for traps. “I was told you had an emergency?”

  Bree inched back, lowering her head. I knew she was humiliated, so I stepped forward.

  “Sorry to bother you so late at night. But, somebody slipped Bree drugs tonight. It looks like they were going to rape her.”

  Llamp folded her arms. “Bregus?”

  “I don’t remember everything.” Bree’s voice was quiet and shaking.

  Llamp smirked. “Tell me, all three of you, what do you think we are training you for?”

  “Covert intelligence,” I replied.

  “Very good, Rozlyn,” She smirked, tapping her finger on her arm. “Y
ou are expected to investigate and deduce the truth from evidence you acquire. Is this true?” She asked, looking directly at Bree.

  Bree’s head rose, returning Llamp’s stare without flinching. “Yes.”

  “And, do you believe that a simple case of drunken misconduct is out of your capabilities?”

  I lurched forward, my hands balling into fists. “This was not drunken misconduct. This was attempted rape. Somebody drugged her. She was being molested when we got to her.”

  Llamp held up her hand, silencing me. “I agree. But, if you are to be Consummate, an investigation on this scale should not be of any difficulty. You have witnesses, a time frame and direct involvement. Please, tell me in what area you are finding difficulty?”

  I was about to protest when Bree held my arm. I looked to her to see her shake her head at me.

  “There’s no problem. I’ll resolve this myself,” Bree said, her voice flat and emotionless.

  “What? No. You can’t investigate this yourself,” I shouted.

  Llamp stepped toward me, still smirking. “Why ever not? Are you suggesting Bregus does not have the ability to investigate this crime?”

  “Of course I’m not,” I glared back, “but she’s the victim. Since when does the victim have to conduct their own investigation?”

  “It’s alright, Roz,” Bree shouted, “I can do this.” She stepped forward, facing Llamp. “I’ll investigate on my own. I apologise for inconveniencing you tonight.”

  Ash stood beside her. “No, we will solve it as a team.”

  “Glad we got that all settled,” Llamp laughed. She left the house, shutting the door behind her.

  I stood in the centre of the room trembling with rage. My fists clenched so tight they hurt. How could Llamp be so blasé about this sort of assault? How could Bree be expected to deal with this and bring her assaulters to justice herself?

  I turned as Bree slumped herself onto the settee. Ash and I followed, each taking her hand in ours. She was like stone. Her shaking had stopped; her frightened eyes were replaced by fierce determination.