“Well, I did a bit more than that…” Emily mumbled with embarrassment.
“Never mind that,” Will interjected, his impatience growing. “Are you going to tell us how to get inside or are we just going to stand in the hallway all night?”
“Knock on the door,” Emily replied. “Then look up. There’s a camera at the top. It’s too small for us to see, but it’ll project our image to a screen in the apartment. Once Matina sees who it is, she’ll let us in.”
Will did as he was told, rapping his knuckles against the steel before stepping back to wait for a response. Moments later, the doors slid in opposite directions, revealing the sight of Matina dressed in a sparkly, black party dress, a glass of unidentified fizzy liquid in her hand.
“Hi, Will,” she beamed when she saw him. “Thank you for coming!”
Her eyes fell upon Finley, Lois and Emily stood behind him, her face faltering with a mixture of surprise and disappointment.
“The entire Famous Four!” she observed. “I didn’t expect you all to be able to come.”
“That’s probably because you didn’t invite us,” Emily retorted, a false smile plastered across her face.
“Well, I told Will he could bring whoever he wanted,” Matina replied pleasantly. “Which evidently is the three of you.”
“So it would seem,” Emily nodded, folding her arms as she straightened herself to her full height.
Will looked from Emily to Matina as they stared each other down, uncertain as to what exactly was happening or how he might be able to stop it. He exchanged a glance with Finley, who appeared as equally befuddled by the situation as he was. He cleared his throat loudly, directing the girl’s attention towards him and snapping them out of their inexplicable anger.
“Can we come in?” he asked Matina.
“Of course!” she exclaimed as she remembered her manners, stepping aside to allow them entry.
Will walked across the threshold and into the apartment with Finley, Emily and Lois following close behind. The living room was modest sized but had been vibrantly decorated, with multicoloured hangings and bright, abstract paintings covering the entire surface of the walls. Spread over the floor was a large, polyester rug, embroidered with swirling patterns of red, yellow and orange, giving the room a feeling of warmth. Mismatched lamps in shades of blue and green had been placed sporadically upon every available surface, mixing with the clutter of ornaments and animal statues that rested atop the furniture. Around three dozen students from the Academy were mingling about the room, sprawled across the large armchairs that dominated the space, or else standing in small groups and chatting amongst themselves. Will recognised several familiar faces, including Cara Demozay, who was in his class at the Academy. When she noticed their arrival, she bounded over with enthusiasm, knocking into several disgruntled party guests along the way.
“The guest of honour has arrived!” she exclaimed, grabbing Will’s arm and steering him into the middle of the room. Several heads turned towards them as they reached the centre, where Cara stopped and engaged him in an animated conversation, glancing every so often towards their spectators.
“I still can’t believe what happened with Allance,” she frowned, shaking her head in an exaggerated fashion. “How did you manage to work it all out? He was so well disguised, nobody had a clue what he really was.”
“Well, it wasn’t really me,” Will stuttered, beginning to suffer flashbacks of his numerous interviews with the News Station. “It was Finley. The Admiral confessed everything to him.”
“It’s so scary though, isn’t it?” Cara continued, thwarting his efforts to put a premature end to the discussion. “To think that there were so many aliens living amongst us all this time and we had no idea. Do you think the De Havilland Initiative is going to work? I hope the Captain succeeds in finding all the imposters.”
Will winced, the words “De Havilland Initiative” sending his stomach into knots. It had become no easier to hear the phrase in the days since Alfie had announced it as the title of his investigation, having felt guilty for ignoring Will’s father’s numerous warnings about the Vacuous. In his haste to make amends for the past, the Captain had completely overlooked Will and his mother’s feelings when he had plastered Austin’s surname over every television screen on the Mayfly.
Before Will could answer Cara’s probing, he was rescued by Matina, who glided gracefully between them, somehow hearing Will’s silent plea for help.
“Will, would you come and help me hand out the drinks?” she asked him, ignoring the affronted look that had appeared on Cara’s face. “They’re too heavy for me to carry alone, and I’m sure everyone here would like to get a chance to speak to you.”
“Of course,” Will replied, silently mouthing “thank you” to her as they walked through the gathering of people and to the other side of the room.
“Sorry about that,” Matina sighed, once they were out of earshot. “I don’t think Cara fully understands what you’ve all been through. She finds the idea of knowing the ‘Famous Four’ far too exciting to be able to control herself.”
“You don’t need to apologise,” Will smiled. “It isn’t your fault. Besides, I expected to be treated a bit differently when we saw everyone again. So far, I seem to have got off lightly.”
“Well you haven’t seen Rudy yet,” Matina reminded him.
“Oh no. He’s not coming, is he?” Will asked her, his heart sinking at the thought.
“No, I’ve got more sense than to invite him,” she laughed. “I didn’t want tonight to become a complete disaster. It’s the first time I’ve ever be allowed to throw a party. If you two got into a fight and broke something, I’d never be able to have another one.”
They walked over to the drinks table where a small, white robot was busily pouring drinks from a large dispenser. Will noticed the new I-Tech logo emblazoned in bold across the android’s chest, featuring the name of the company against an illustrated image of the Mayfly.
“Where are your parents tonight?” Will asked Matina, continuing their conversation as he loaded several drinks onto one of the round trays stacked upon the table.
“They’ve gone down to visit my Aunt,” Matina answered, dropping her gaze with embarrassment. “She lives on Floor Seven. We don’t like to talk about it. My mum says it’s a miracle she’s even aboard the Mayfly, considering how little wealth or skill she had before The Split.”
“What does she do now?” Will inquired, his curiosity getting the better of him. “Your Aunt I mean.”
“She’s a nurse,” Matina replied.
“Emily’s mum’s a nurse,” Will told her, looking around the party in an attempt to locate his friends, who he hadn’t seen since their arrival. As though by magic, Emily appeared beside him, joining him at the table with her brother Charlie and two of the old school Prefects, Sam and Ant.
“There you are!” she exclaimed when she saw him. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“Where are Finley and Lois?” Will asked, immediately noticing their absence.
“I’ve got no idea,” Emily frowned. “I was bombarded by a huge group of people asking me all these questions, and then I lost them both.”
“It’s lucky we came to her rescue, actually” Ant quipped. “I’m pretty sure she was about to be carried off by the swarm and made their Queen when we arrived.”
“I still can’t get used to my sister being famous,” Charlie laughed. “Our dad’s loving it, of course. He keeps talking in an extremely loud voice about how his daughter has inherited the “Pannell genes of bravery” whenever we’re in public.”
“Yes, well, you can hardly be surprised that he’s using the situation to elevate himself,” Emily retorted. “He’s been dying to worm his way into the top circle of authority for as long as I can remember. Only now, they actually give him the time of day. It’s probably the first time he’s truly been pleased to have a daughter.”
“I know you lot aren
’t exactly enjoying your fame,” Ant interjected, steering away from the uncomfortable topic of Emily’s father, “but you’ve all done the school a huge favour. Allance was a nightmare Headteacher. He never let us start up the “Students United Against May Parsons Club”- no matter how many times we asked him.”
Will snorted, remembering the snooty female Prefect whom they were referring to. She had led them to their very first Rocket Control lesson with an air of utter disgust and had looked down on the first-years every time she saw them.
“I would have joined that,” Will said with sincerity.
“Be that as it may” Sam interrupted, directing his speech at Ant. “The fact that he was an alien secretly plotting to take over the Mayfly and kill everyone was far worse than him not letting us start that club.”
“That is a matter of perspective,” Ant replied, sending Sam’s eyes rolling to the heavens.
“You two should be thankful that you graduated before Miss Fortem became Headmistress,” Charlie reminded them. “I’d be willing to bet that she’ll be ten times scarier than Allance ever was, even if she is only human.”
“That’s true,” Ant nodded. “You’ll have to keep yourselves in line. No getting involved in any sinister plots to overthrow the Captain and take over the Mayfly this year.”
“We’ll try our best,” Will laughed.
“Come on Ant,” Sam told him, steering him away from the group. “Let’s go and make a nuisance of ourselves somewhere else and leave this lot in peace.”
“I had better go and mingle as well,” Matina announced. “Cara’s been giving me death stares from across the room the entire time I’ve been standing here. I don’t think she’s used to not having my full attention. I’ll have to go over and see what’s wrong with her, or else I’ll suffer for it later.”
“Do you still want help with these drinks?” Will asked her, gesturing to the tray he was balancing in his hand.
“No, that’s okay,” she said, taking the heavy platter away from him. “You enjoy yourself. I can manage.”
She smiled and turned, taking two steps in the opposite direction, before pausing to speak again.
“Maybe we could meet up again during the holidays?” she suggested. “It’d be nice to see you.”
“I’d like that,” Will nodded. “We can go to Joe’s café. They do the best hot chocolates in the entire lobby.”
“Sounds good to me,” she beamed. “I’ll send you a message on your Personal Device.”
With that, she headed off, leaving Will standing statue still, a bemused grin spreading across his face.
Without warning Emily huffed loudly, folding her arms and storming off, as she mumbled something about going to look for Finley and Lois. Will looked at Charlie with bewilderment, wondering what in the Universe could have caused Emily to become in such a terrible mood.
“What was that about?” Will asked Charlie, though he appeared equally as perplexed.
“Girls,” Charlie sighed. “I’ll never understand them. I’d better go and see if she’s alright.”
He departed, leaving Will standing self-conscious and alone, with only the serving bot to keep him company. Desperate to find somebody to talk to, he scanned the room with intent, his eyes eventually falling upon Madison Jacobs- a girl from the Academy he had sometimes sat next to whenever his class had been ordered alphabetically. Standing by herself in the opposite corner of the room, she appeared to be deeply engrossed in Matina’s music player, swiping through the list of available songs as a holographic representation of each singer danced above her in mid-air. Hoping she wouldn’t mind an intrusion, Will made his way over to her, avoiding the gaze of several curious pairs of eyes as he went.
“Hi Maddy,” he greeted her warmly upon his approach. She jumped, shaking her thick, mousy-brown hair over her shoulders and spun around to face him, her eyes wide and startled.
“Will, you scared me!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“You must have been the only one,” Will said, raising his eyebrows and glancing at the number of inquisitive guests that were gaping at him from all directions.
“You’ve become something of a celebrity, haven’t you?” she smirked, peering over his shoulder at their audience. “Maybe I should sell my story to the News Station. Sitting next to you in Arithmetic class could be my claim to fame.”
“I don’t think anyone would want to read that,” Will replied with amusement. “Not even being part of the ‘Famous Four’ is enough to make algebra interesting.”
“True,” she agreed. “Maybe you can use your new hero status to get us out of it when we start second year.”
“I’d rather take on Allance again than ask Miss Fortem for special treatment,” Will responded, only half joking. “Still, maybe she can do something to stop all the constant staring and muttering. It’s starting to drive me insane.”
“Don’t worry,” Madison re-assured him. “It’ll die down eventually. There’ll be something else for everyone to focus on soon.”
“Well it better be something huge,” Will retorted. “Big enough to make everyone forget about us.”
“You should be careful what you wish for,” Madison warned him, her gaze dropping to the floor as she spoke.
Before Will could respond, he was distracted by a loud crashing sound resonating from across the apartment. He turned to locate the source of the noise just in time to see Emily barrelling towards him, bumping into various pieces of furniture as she pushed her way through the crowd.
“Emily? What’s wrong?” Will asked her as she reached him, his heart rate accelerating as he noticed the look of panic on her face.
It’s Finley!” she exclaimed through ragged breath.
“What about him?”
“Something’s happened,” she said frantically. “We need to get down to the Medic Ward.”
Will froze, blinking with the shock of her revelation.
“Now!” she hissed, and Will snapped into action, following her as she sprinted from the room.
3.
The Ordinary Boy
Finley lay in his Healing Pod, staring through the glass lid at the bright, white ceiling lights that illuminated the Medic Ward. He remained still, hoping not to alert the robotic I-Healer that was busily checking his vital statistics to his consciousness. Closing his eyes, he allowed the embarrassment that sleep had been keeping at bay to sweep through him, making him flush deep crimson as he recollected the events that had led to his current state.
The moment he had arrived at Matina’s party, he had known it was a terrible mistake. The apartment was far smaller than he had expected, and the number of people packed into the vicinity had made him feel extremely claustrophobic. Seeing everyone’s faces turn towards him as he walked in had sent him into a panic, causing his throat to close in on itself as he lost the ability to breathe normally. A burning heat had seared through his neck and into his face, making him feel uncomfortably hot. With the other’s distracted, Finley seized his opportunity to slip away, backing through the front door and exiting the party as his vision began to spin. He sped down the corridor, praying he would make it to the safety of the lift before his legs succumbed to the numb sensation that was spreading through them.
“Finley!”
The sound of Lois’ voice had halted Finley in his tracks, and he stopped running, leaning against the wall for support as his palms started to sweat uncontrollably.
Lois bolted towards him, grabbing him by the arm and steadying him as she looked at his pale face with concern.
“Are you okay, Fin?” she asked him. “You don’t look well.”
“I’m sorry,” he replied, his heart rate slowing as he was soothed by her presence. “I don’t know what happened. I just had to get out of there.”
“We don’t have to go back,” she reassured him. “Let’s go down to the lobby and have a drink. It’ll make you feel better.”
She smiled and he nodded, his
face faltering slightly as he envisioned the crowds of people that would surely stop to gaze at them the moment they reached the lobby floor.
“When I was little, people used to stare at me and my family wherever we went,” Lois began, as they walked through hallways. “I didn’t understand why it was happening, and it frightened me. One day, I asked my mum why everyone kept looking at us. I told her that I found it scary and that it made me not want to leave the apartment. Do you know what she said?”
“What’s that?” Finley prompted her, enjoying the way her face lit up when she spoke about her mother.
“She said ‘people gaze at the things they find beautiful’,” she replied, her eyes sparkling as she recalled the fond memory.
“Are you trying to say that everyone on the Mayfly thinks I’m beautiful?” Finley asked her, a mixture of confusion and amusement in his voice.
“No,” she laughed. “What I mean is that people are looking at you because they think you’re a hero, and that can only be a good thing, can’t it?”
“I’m not a hero,” Finley shook his head. “You know that.”
“I think you’re the bravest person I’ve ever met,” she shrugged, “but don’t tell anyone I said that- especially not Will.”
“I promise,” he smiled.
They continued through the interconnecting corridors until they reached the lift, which Finley was glad to find almost empty. Aside from themselves, there were only two other passengers; a young woman in her early twenties and an older man, engrossed in his Personal Device. If either of them recognised Lois or Finley, they were too polite to say so, with neither of them so much as glancing in their direction for the entire journey.
Reaching the lobby floor, Finley balled his fists up as he looked out at the crowds before him, who had turned up in their droves for the evening’s entertainment. Roaming amongst the bustle of passengers were several large, imposing robots, the unmistakeable I-Tech logo etched garishly into their wide, metal chests. Each one was carrying a bulky, automatic weapon, their cold, unmoving eyes searching the area for any sign of suspicious activity.
The Secret Society Page 2