When she finally heard Raj’s familiar voice from the front desk, the relief felt like fresh oxygen in her lungs. She took a steadying breath – she was going to get out of here.
The two officers left her alone then. The walls were thin, and she could hear Raj calmly presenting paperwork proving she was a student at the school, explaining – lying – that Mark was a student too, and that it was all just a childish prank. The school would, he said, pay for any damage.
He was nothing but polite although she could hear simmering anger beneath the surface of his voice. Whether that anger was directed at her or the police, she couldn’t tell.
When the police asked him about the school’s security system, he never raised his voice but his tone was chilling.
‘I could answer your questions, of course,’ he said. ‘But first, why don’t you tell me how long you held these children before you notified the school they were in your custody?’
A pause followed.
‘We would have called you sooner,’ the officer replied after a moment, ‘but they refused to tell us who they were. We had a devil of a time identifying them. Seems you’ve got some problem kids up at that school.’
Hearing the flat lie, Allie stared at the door in disbelief.
But the unspoken threat in Raj’s question seemed to have the intended effect. After that they asked no more questions. When she walked into the room a few minutes later, Raj’s eyes searched her face for signs of harm.
‘You OK?’ he asked.
‘No thanks to them.’ She shot a contemptuous look at the officers.
Raj’s face darkened. ‘Don’t blame them. You got yourself into this trouble.’
With that, the sense of relief evaporated – Raj might be rescuing her from the local cops but he was also still angry.
As they walked from the police station Allie squinted tiredly into the sun. The sky was bright blue, the late winter air crystalline and cold. The beauty of the day struck her as ironic.
At that moment, Raj’s black-clad security guards appeared at her side to escort her across the small car park. Her eyes were sandy with exhaustion and her head pounded as if someone was beating her skull from the inside. She was being ushered into a black SUV when she spotted Mark being placed in another car driven by one of Raj’s guards.
‘Mark!’ she cried after him. He didn’t look up.
Anger – always looking for an excuse to strike these days – uncoiled inside her.
‘Where are you taking him?’ From the back seat, she leaned forward to where Raj was climbing into the driver’s seat.
When he didn’t reply, she just kept asking, her voice shrill. ‘Where? Where?’
‘To Cimmeria,’ Raj snapped as he started the engine and pulled out on to the road. ‘The same place we’re taking you. Now be quiet.’
‘You can’t do that!’ She stared at the back of his head in disbelief. ‘He’s not a student. That’s kidnapping. You have to let him go.’
‘He’s been released into our care legally,’ he said evenly.
‘Legally?’ Her voice rose. ‘You lied to the police. You said he went to Cimmeria and he doesn’t. How is that legal?’
A wave of helpless rage left her trembling.
When he didn’t respond, she reached for the door handle, glaring at the back of his head. The car was moving fast now but she was so angry she didn’t care. ‘Maybe I should just go back and tell them the truth —’
Without warning Raj slammed on the brakes. The car screeched to a halt, skidding from the force of it.
Allie was thrown forward against her seatbelt, and back again hard.
Raj spun round in his seat to face her – for the first time she noticed the dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. ‘You have caused enough trouble for one day. Isabelle has been worried sick. I was up all night searching for you. My team hasn’t had a break in fourteen hours because they’ve been out looking for your body.’
Flinching at the last word, Allie struggled to make herself hold his condemning gaze.
‘Now, unless you want to be restrained for your own protection,’ he said, each word sharp as a blade, ‘you need to sit back. And be quiet.’
She knew he was right. Knew she was behaving like a child. But she couldn’t back down – he wasn’t the only one who was angry and tired. With an exaggerated gesture, she lifted her hand from the door handle and rested it in her lap, holding his gaze defiantly.
After a moment, he turned back to face the front and the car began moving again.
For the rest of the journey she stared out of the window.
I have no one left, she thought, fighting back tears. Even Raj hates me.
When they arrived at the school the grounds teemed with activity. At first Allie was puzzled to see so many people around, but then she realised it must be lunchtime. The rare February sunshine had drawn everyone outside.
Students gazed curiously at the line of cars as they rolled up the long gravel drive to stop at the front door. Raj stepped back and let his guards open her door. She climbed out of the car with a guard on each side of her, like a prisoner. She saw Mark being similarly escorted.
As the students gathered around them to watch and whisper, Allie shrank back behind the guards. Within half an hour, everyone in the school would know about this. Rumours would spread like wildfire.
The thought made her feel sick. All she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and hide from their prying eyes. But she couldn’t let them see her humbled.
Raising her face, she swept the crowd with an imperious look – as if this was exactly what she wanted. As if the security guards worked for her.
Suddenly, though, her gaze encountered a pair of extraordinary eyes the precise colour of the clear winter sky above them.
Allie froze.
Standing at the top of the steps leading to the front door, Sylvain watched her incredulously. She could see his tension in the way he held his shoulders and the set of his sharply defined jaw.
For one bittersweet moment she let herself wish he would sweep her up and take her away from this moment. But no one could do that.
Holding her gaze, Sylvain held out his hands questioningly.
Colour rushed to Allie’s cheeks and she dropped her eyes. Because what was there to say?
When she glanced up again he was gone.
Inside, she was met by a furious-looking Isabelle who didn’t say a word to her. As she led the way to her office, Allie couldn’t take her eyes off the stiff, angry line of her back. Her heart sank with every step.
Without saying where she was going, the headmistress left her there, in the care of one of Raj’s guards, who stood silently in front of the door, his arms crossed.
She didn’t see where they took Mark.
Her nerves on edge, Allie looked around the familiar room as she waited for Isabelle to return. Low wooden cabinets lined one wall, while Isabelle’s large desk took up much of the remaining space – her eyes darted to the elegant leather blotter where she’d found the mobile phone yesterday. It was empty now.
Isabelle would never make that mistake again.
Before she could think about that further, though, Isabelle returned accompanied by Night School instructor Jerry Cole. The two looked solemn and tense as they asked the guard to leave them alone.
Isabelle sat at her desk; Jerry perched on a filing cabinet. Isabelle was white with anger.
Jerry spoke first, his voice stern. ‘Allie, you are in a tremendous amount of trouble. We need to know exactly what happened, and you will make things better for yourself if you answer our questions.’
Her stomach roiling, Allie nodded to show she understood. ‘I just… could I have something to drink? I’m really thirsty.’
Silently Isabelle opened the small refrigerator she kept in one corner and handed her a bottle of water.
Allie didn’t think anything had ever tasted as good as that water.
Their questions were straightforwa
rd. How had she got Isabelle’s phone? How had she escaped? How had she got into town? Had anyone helped her?
She tried to answer as clearly as she could – hoping that would get her out of there quicker – but they just kept asking more questions.
When she told them what happened at the police station, Isabelle and Jerry exchanged a dark look.
‘I’ll take care of it, Isabelle,’ Jerry said placatingly. But Isabelle didn’t appear mollified.
‘Find out who they are,’ she said. ‘I want to take care of it myself.’
Still the questions continued. The pain in Allie’s head had worsened, and she was hungry and tired. Her temper grew short.
‘I wish you’d worked this hard to find out who’s helping Nathaniel,’ she snapped.
Jerry glowered at her. ‘How do you know Mark doesn’t work for Nathaniel?’
‘You must be joking.’ Allie scoffed, the very idea making her laugh. That was a mistake.
‘Do you think this is funny?’ He nearly shouted the question.
Before Allie could reply, Isabelle held up her hand. ‘That’s enough. Both of you.’
Allie’s shoulders slumped. She was so tired. The pounding in her temples was growing into a kind of banging. She couldn’t think straight any more.
Isabelle turned back to face Allie. For the first time today, she didn’t look angry. She looked sad. ‘Just answer this one last question, Allie: what did you tell Mark about Cimmeria?’
Allie’s mind unspooled hazy drunken memories of rambling about Night School and Carter. Nathaniel and Isabelle. Security and threats. Jo.
But she didn’t blink. ‘Nothing.’
‘You expect us to believe you ran away from school and spent the night with that boy, but told him nothing?’ Scepticism was clear in Jerry’s voice.
Allie whirled to face him, her anger spilling over. ‘I didn’t run away with Mark to tell him all your amazing secrets. I ran away because I didn’t want to be here any more. Because someone here helped Nathaniel kill Jo and you haven’t done one thing to find him. I’m not safe here. No one is. And I just…’ She pressed her fingertips against her burning eyelids. ‘I wanted to be with my friend.’
‘You may yet get the chance to do that permanently,’ Jerry muttered.
From beneath her hands she shot him an irritated look. ‘If you want to throw me out so badly, why’d you bother bringing me back? You should bloody thank me —’
‘Language.’ Isabelle’s tone was sharp. ‘I will not have you swear at a teacher. All the rules of civilisation have not been cancelled simply because you are having a bad day, Allie.’ Turning, she said, ‘Jerry, if you don’t mind I’d like a few minutes alone with Allie. Could you please leave us?’
When he’d gone, the headmistress leaned back against the door, her shoulders drooping, staring at the floor. She looked uncharacteristically vulnerable and an unwanted bitter rush of guilt stung Allie’s heart.
‘Look, Isabelle,’ she said hesitantly. ‘Maybe I should just go —’
Isabelle raised her head, fixing her with a steely, incriminating gaze. ‘You do not get any say in what happens right now, Allie. You have broken every Rule Cimmeria has. You betrayed my trust. You stole from me.’
Her hurt and anger cut through Allie’s battered defences – her lower lip trembled. There was truth in what the headmistress said. Isabelle had taken care of her, looked out for her – maybe even loved her. And she’d betrayed her.
My reasons were good, she told herself for the thousandth time.
But somehow that wasn’t comforting any more.
As if she could read her thoughts, Isabelle spoke quietly. ‘I don’t know how we will ever trust each other again. Maybe Jerry’s right. Maybe things have gone so far you don’t belong here any longer. Perhaps I should give you what you want.’ Reaching into her pocket she pulled out her phone – Somebody must have found it in the woods, Allie thought – and scrolled through her contacts. Pressing the dial button she said, ‘But that is not my decision to make.’
A voice answered.
‘Would you like to speak with her now?’ Isabelle asked. After a second, the headmistress crossed the small room and held out the phone. Suspicious, Allie made no move to reach for it but Isabelle didn’t back down.
‘Take it,’ she said, her voice icy.
Swallowing hard, Allie took the device, still warm from Isabelle’s hand.
‘Hello…?’ she said hesitantly.
‘Allie,’ a brisk voice replied. ‘This is your grandmother. I understand we need to talk.’
SIX
‘I understand why you don’t feel safe at Cimmeria any more, but you will most certainly not be safe if you leave the school.’ Lucinda spoke in a curiously monotone manner, as if they were in a business meeting and she was listing the facts about a project. ‘Yes, there is someone working against us at Cimmeria and, yes, that person is dangerous and, no, I don’t know who it is. But while you are at school, you are at least surrounded by people who are trying to protect you.’
Allie made an impatient noise – she knew all this already. Lucinda paused. When she spoke again, her tone was more urgent.
‘Allie, so far we’ve failed to keep you safe. We failed your friend Jo most of all. And I am truly sorry about that. But if I promised you nobody else will be hurt, I’d be lying. This is a dangerous situation.’
Her words rang true. Allie’s heart speeded up and she squeezed the phone tight, as if afraid it might escape.
‘I know exactly what Nathaniel’s thugs did to her and to you. If I were you, I’d want to run as far and fast as I could to put all this behind me. But no matter how fast you run, Nathaniel will find you in the end.’ Lucinda’s tone intensified. ‘So don’t run, Allie. Stay. And fight back with me.’
Allie was stunned. Was her grandmother asking for her help?
‘Fight back?’ she asked. ‘How?’
‘Nathaniel is out of control, Allie, and I want to see him suffer. I want his plans crushed. I want his hired guns in prison. I want to find out which of our friends is helping him, and I want to deal with that person myself.’ Lucinda’s words were as cold and precise as an ice-pick. ‘I want everything Nathaniel cares about destroyed. But to do that, I need your help. If you stay at Cimmeria, I promise you, Gabe will suffer for what he did. And so will the person who opened the gates that night and let him in.’
The venom in her tone left Allie with no doubts about whether Lucinda was serious.
Revenge. The idea grew in her mind until it blocked out everything else. She could avenge Jo’s death. Pay her killers back for what they’d done.
But to do that she’d have to trust Lucinda. And could she do that? On what would she base this trust? A word. A feeling. The delicate, twisting strands of DNA that connected them.
It wasn’t enough. She needed to be certain that Lucinda was trustworthy. She needed to know more.
‘Why can’t we just call the police?’ she asked. ‘If we tell them what’s happened they’d arrest him. Wouldn’t they?’
Lucinda’s hesitation was slight, but Allie noticed it. ‘I’m afraid that at the moment the government minister in charge of policing finds Nathaniel very convincing.’
Puzzled, Allie frowned at the phone. Why would a government minister listen to Nathaniel? He was utterly mad. But then she thought about the way the local police officers had acted this morning and her heart went cold.
Her voice was plaintive. ‘But the police should arrest him. How is this even possible?’
‘It’s all about power,’ Lucinda said. ‘And control. I have it. Nathaniel wants it. It is that simple.’
‘No, it’s not simple,’ Allie said sharply. ‘Because I don’t understand it at all.’
‘Yes you do. Think it through, Allie.’ Lucinda’s response was low and dangerous. ‘After all these months, don’t you know what you’re part of? In your heart, don’t you already know?’
The phone felt hot in Alli
e’s hands as her mind flipped through the last few months – the things she’d been told. Bits of information like puzzle pieces sliding into place.
Night School is part of a much larger organisation… Cimmeria is more powerful than you know… The Board of Night School is also the Board of the Organisation… The board controls everything… The prime minister… Several ministers are coming to the ball… Lucinda is in charge of the board… The government… Lucinda…
How can you not know?
‘Night School controls the government.’ Allie’s words came out in a whisper, but as soon as she said them she was certain she was right.
‘Not Night School,’ Lucinda corrected her. ‘But the organisation.’
For a long moment Allie sat still, trying to absorb all this information. It was too much to grasp. Too horrible to accept.
‘I don’t…’ she said. ‘I mean… how?’
Lucinda’s reply was brisk. ‘The important thing is that it does. And if Nathaniel defeats me, all that power will be his. He will be unstoppable.’
Imagining a world in which Nathaniel ran everything, Allie bit her lip so hard it bled – the coppery taste was bitter on her tongue.
‘You can’t let that happen.’
This was what Lucinda was waiting for. She pounced. ‘I want to stop him. But I can’t do it without you. So… will you stay and fight with me?’
There was no doubt in Allie’s mind any more. It was so much worse than she’d thought – so much more dangerous and frightening. She didn’t have a choice… did she?
‘Yes,’ she said tiredly. ‘I’ll stay.’
‘Good.’ Lucinda sounded grimly pleased. ‘But now that you know what’s at stake I expect you to be part of this. You’re in danger no matter where you are – even at Cimmeria. We don’t know who the spy is among us so you must be constantly alert.’
‘I will be,’ Allie said numbly.
Lucinda continued, ‘Do everything Isabelle asks without question; I trust her completely and you should do the same.’
Allie’s eyes were drawn to where the headmistress sat watching her, a pen forgotten in her hand. Perhaps she could hear Lucinda’s voice through the phone; her gaze was sharp and knowing.
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