The Secret Society
Page 27
At that moment, the door to the Medic Ward burst open, and Miss Fortem strode in, hesitating when she saw the four of them together, her step faltering for a moment before she continued towards the group. Reaching Finley, she came to a halt, her long, blonde hair falling away to reveal a large bandage covering the left side of her face, leaving only a small hole around her eye. Noticing his stares, she pulled the sleeve of her roll neck jumper down self-consciously, hiding the unsightly burns that were covering her skin.
“Hello” she nodded, her voice frail. “I didn’t expect to see all of you here. Nice to see you’ve recovered Lois.
Lois wheeled her chair over to Miss Fortem, reaching out and embracing her around the waist from her lowered position, tears spilling down her face.
“Thank you so much, Miss Fortem” she sobbed. “You saved my life.”
“You’re welcome, Lois,” Miss Fortem replied stiffly, unsure how to respond to such a raw expression of emotion. “I only did what any decent Headmistress would do. Besides, Saul’s device wasn’t as powerful as he thought it was, hence why we’re all standing here today.”
“Did you see the broadcast?” Will asked her. “Saul’s getting the same punishment as everyone else. He’s a lunatic. The Mayfly isn’t safe with him on it.”
“I know it seems unjust,” Miss Fortem sighed, “but I’ve had a long discussion with the Captain and he felt that throwing Saul from the Mayfly would be too much for the passengers to swallow, considering his age. The Society almost caused a revolution. The Captain must tread carefully while the incident is still fresh in everyone’s minds.”
“At least his decision saved Mr. McGowan,” Emily noted. “I don’t think he really understood what he’d become a part of.”
“I don’t think any of them did, save for Pax and Saul. The Captain told me that Pax confessed he was part of the original Society of the Enlightened, back on Earth. He was disgraced amongst his fellow members when he applied to board the Mayfly. I suppose he must have seized upon the opportunity to redeem himself and relive his glory days,” Miss Fortem said, her voice tense with anger.
“What about Saul?” Finley asked, speaking for the first time. “What was his motivation?”
“He lost his parents to The Split,” Miss Fortem replied gravely. “His grandparents got places on the Mayfly, and they brought him and his sister on board to save them. I don’t think Saul ever got over the fact that his mother and father became Forgottens. It was all in his file on the school database. I’d just never thought to look.”
There was a pause as Finley, Emily, Will and Lois digested this information.
“It still doesn’t excuse it, though,” Will shrugged. “Most people on the Mayfly have lost someone. Making someone else suffer isn’t going to bring any of them back.”
“Wise words, Will,” Miss Fortem replied, raising her eyebrows in surprise.
“I have my moments,” he grinned.
“You’re probably wondering why it is I came here tonight,” Miss Fortem said, moving to sit on a chair beside Finley’s Healing Pod. “I wanted to apologise. Particularly to you, Finley.”
“What for?” Finley asked, blinking in confusion.
“For forcing you to become a part of something you desperately tried to avoid. I should never have made you become part of the detective team at school. You knew something bad was going on, and I ignored you. The truth is, as much as I tried to pretend, I knew you were right about the Society being at the school. I was scared, and so I hid behind a group of children. How ridiculous is that?”
She shook her head in disgust at her own actions, tears of remorse forming in her eyes.
“It’s not that ridiculous at all, Miss Fortem,” Finley shrugged. “Everybody gets scared sometimes.”
“Thank you for saying that, Finley,” Miss Fortem nodded with gratitude. “My apology extends to all four of you. I should never have put any of you in danger the way I did. I made so many mistakes in my first year as Headteacher, I almost begrudge the fact the Captain has given me another chance next year. My students didn’t even finish their academic year. Everyone has received an automatic pass, whether it’s deserved or not.”
“I’m sure nobody’s complaining about that,” Will snorted. “I was convinced I was going to fail this year. It almost makes me glad that all this happened.”
Finley, Lois, Emily and Miss Fortem stared at him in disbelief.
“What? I said ‘almost’!” he defended himself.
“Well, along with my apology I also came here to make you a promise. It’ll be quite fitting now that you’re all here,” Miss Fortem continued, gathering herself as she prepared to finish her speech. For a moment, it looked as though she had lost her nerve, prompting Finley to encourage her to continue.
“What is it, Miss Fortem?” he probed her gently.
“I want to promise you, that your next year at the Academy will be as normal as it can possibly be. The only thing you’ll have to worry about will be your exams and your grades. Everything will be as it should be. You’ll never have to go through an ordeal like this again, as long as you’re on school property and under my care. You’ve all been incredibly brave, but I know the cost of childhood trauma better than anyone. Be comforted in the knowledge that the worst is over. Nothing will ever be as bad as what you’ve already faced.”
Will, Emily, Finley and Lois exchanged a sceptical glance.
“What is it?” Miss Fortem asked them.
“Well, with all due respect, Miss Fortem, that’s exactly what we thought last year,” Will replied, remembering their foolish optimism with a smile.
“Things will be different, now,” Miss Fortem reassured them, standing up from her chair.
She nodded her goodbyes before making her way over to the door, her authoritarian demeanour somewhat returned after the weight of her apology had been lifted. Just before she left the room, she turned, regarding the four teenagers before her with a look of envy.
“You’re very lucky, you know,” she told them, her expression pained. “You may have been through Hell, but you all have each other. That’s more than most people can say.”
With a sad grin, she walked away, heading through the exit and out of sight.
Her words sinking in, Finley looked at the smiling faces of his friends around him, his insides filling with an inexplicable warmth as he took comfort in the fact that he was not alone. The hardships he had faced may have been far more than a boy his age could cope with, but the friendships he had made as a result gave purpose to the horrors, and he was certain that he wouldn’t change any part of it. His heart bursting with a renewed hope, he beamed happily at the other three, feeling for the first time in forever that all would truly be well again. Leaning back into his pillows, he closed his eyes with contentment, the dread that had taken up permanent residence in his stomach disappearing for the first time in over a year. Though he didn’t know what the future held, he knew one thing for certain. As long as he had Emily, Will and Lois by his side, there would be nothing left to fear…
Afterword from the author…
I wanted to take a brief opportunity at the end of this book to thank everybody who has decided to read “the Mayfly series” so far. Having dreamt up the idea that would eventually become “The Split” more than six years ago, it’s incredibly exciting to finally have the story down in print, and releasing a sequel is more than I ever dreamed! My goal over the next two years is to fully complete the series, with three more books set to follow “The Secret Society”. If you would like updates regarding future releases, then go and follow me at:
https://www.facebook.com/hannahhopkinsauthor/
I would love to hear your thoughts on “The Split” or “The Secret Society”, so please do not hesitate to leave me a review on Amazon or Goodreads! I try my best to keep up to date with both websites and am extremely grateful to anyone who takes the time to give the books some feedback.
Thank you again for suppo
rting these novels, and don’t forget to look out for the next instalment, “The Forgotten”, coming late 2018!
Best wishes to all,
~Hannah Hopkins~