by W. J. May
“For ten bloody years I served your father. For another ten years I had to wait for you to turn sixteen. You think I just sat and twiddled my thumbs while I waited? That I didn’t take the time to think about what you might become or what monster you might turn into that would be different than your father?” Lanford paused for dramatic effect and Rae knew he was about to go on the attack, but she stood completely unprepared for it when it came. Physical blows she might have been able to deal with, but Lanford’s chosen weapon was her own insecurities. Like a passive-aggressive parent, he dug into her psychological wounds with unerring accuracy.
“Everyone here is terrified of you.”
No. Don’t listen to him. He lies.
“You’re never going to be accepted anywhere you go.”
NO. I won’t let him turn me inside out! Rae felt a curious sensation, a warmth and strength like fire-cured steel filled her up, blossoming from her heart to her fingers and down to her toes. She didn’t know what it meant, but she knew it meant something good.
Lanford, ranted on, completely unaware of the change. “The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can see what I have to offer you is your freedom, and the power to make those fools serve you. Wake up and see your destiny!”
The crazed light in his eyes gave Rae pause. But she was done cowering from him. “I have a hard time believing you’re my destiny. I don’t follow assholes.”
Rae heard someone’s voice hollering from the stairwell. “They’re up here!” Riley. Riley had called for help. Her heart leapt with joy. Go Cheetah-boy!
Lanford glanced over his shoulder and then took another step toward Rae, gun aimed at her heart. “Fight with me or die. You choose.”
Rae lowered her head, glaring at him from under her lashes, and squared her shoulders. She spoke evenly, precisely, wanting to make sure there would be absolutely no misunderstanding. If these are my last words, this asshat is going to hear them.
“I would rather die, than be even one-tenth of what my father was.” She shut her eyes and inhaled slowly, trying to focus on the waiting bullet. Let it come, I have hope.
The gun fired with a percussive boom, amplified by the acoustics in the round stone room, making her ears ring so loudly no other noise could have been heard.
Despite the noise, Rae was ready and she exhaled a breath, thinking of Haley and hoping the gust might curve the bullet away from her. She had the tatù’s power zipping through her veins, had made sure she had it ready, but she had no idea if her crazy plan would work or not, until she felt the bullet’s wind brush by her hair and the dull crushing sound against the old stone, an impact more felt than heard. Little bits of wall pelted her back and scattered to the floor. At the same time, she felt the vibration of something large hitting the floor hard and clumsily.
Then, there came a noise Rae had never heard before – a very dull, but thick, cracking sound, heard even through the ringing in her ears. She peered through her half-closed eyes and saw Lanford on the ground. The scene made no sense at first. It took a moment or two for her understand what she was seeing.
He must have slipped on the ice. Rae’s eyes opened wider when she saw a pool of blood begin forming around his head. He didn’t move and the gun lay by the door.
She didn’t know what to do. Part of her screamed that he was dead, another part told her to check to see if he might still be alive. Fight or flight…Fight or flight…played over and over inside her mind. Just freakin’ run!! But she stood frozen in place, and everything seemed to move in slow motion, sounds coming to her as if from under water while her heart raced. Her ears rang like cymbals and her head pounded. I must be in shock…is that what this is? Or am I dead? Dead, too?
She heard and felt nothing, almost like she wasn’t really there. Afterward, she couldn’t have said how long she’d stood there, acting a zombie; there but not there; her body a sort of place holder for something that had said “brb” and left.
Sound came back slowly, but it returned before anything else did. She heard something…something familiar, but her eyes were fixed on the body lying before her. Gradually, the sound became words, and then the words became a voice she could understand.
“Rae. Rae! Come here. Walk around the body but don’t touch him. Come over here by me.” Dean Carter’s urgent voice beckoned her. The thought why not whispered through her foggy mind.
She let her eyes trail away slowly from the body to the dean, his face full of concern, but the pull to stare at Lanford won and she couldn’t stop her gaze from fixing on him again. “Is he…dead?” she whispered, still afraid to move.
“I need to check his vitals, but I’m not doing anything until you’re out of the room and safe.”
Safe…he wants me safe. The dean? Wait, but he’s bad, isn’t he?
Rae’s mind continued to futilely trying to put coherent thought together. It took momentous effort on her part. A warning finally got through to her brain, telling her lungs they’d forgotten to breathe, and she sucked in a long, noisy breath. The rush of oxygen flowing into her body was just what she needed, so she did it again. But somehow, she lost control of it after that and began hyperventilating. She knew she had to slow her breathing, but the rush of oxygen felt like a welcome relief and at least her brain had started working again.
She forced words out between her heaving. “Wh-What about Riley? Is h-he outside?” Still unsure if leaving the room was her safest option, Rae’s feet refused to budge.
“Riley’s a good guy. He works for me. For the Privy Council.” He beckoned her with his hand, gently but firmly, a perfect counter-balance to her terror. “Come now. Let’s get you a blanket. Your teeth are chattering. You’ve got goose bumps the size of mountains.”
Great. Hyperventilating, freezing my ass off, trying not to die…and the icky Dean is the hero? This has been a night I’ll never forget. Rae edged toward the dean, small hesitant steps between gasps for air and violent shivers, keeping her back pressed against the circular stone wall until she reached the door. Where’s a freakin’ paper bag when you need one? Then the dean pushed her behind him into the reception area, slung a rescue blanket over her shoulders and forced her to look him in the eye.
“Stay here. Don’t go anywhere. We need to talk.” He turned and stepped into the room, slamming the door shut.
Chapter 24
Why Me?
Rae stood in the middle of the reception room. Strangers bustled around, whispering and pointing to the closed door, and then to her. Someone had called 999 and an ambulance was en route. Riley had been hovering nervously by her side for a while. She wasn’t sure how she got there, but she ended up in front of the leaded windows. Resting her forehead against the cool glass, she stared out.
“Rae,” Riley said, politely keeping his distance for once. “I’m sorry I had to be such a jerk before. It’s just… It’s just that I really want this job. I had to prove to Carter and… well, you know.”
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “I know what? That you betrayed me? That you lied to get me here, where I almost died? That Lanford worked for my father? That he planned this whole stinkin’ thing and wanted me here to finish some stupid file my dad started?” She paused when Riley’s eyes grew as big as his open mouth. He obviously knew nothing either. She should care that she’d just given him information, considering she hadn’t really decided for herself which side he was on, but then again… She shrugged and turned back to the window. “Whatever. Thanks for getting help, but it doesn’t erase the rest. You’re gone after this year and I hope I never have to see your stupid face again.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” Riley reached out and touched the blanket on her shoulder. “Not everything was an act.”
He dropped his arm and straightened when the door to the prison tower room opened. Carter stepped through, spoke quietly to the paramedics and then came over to the window.
“That’ll be all for now, Riley,” he said. “Pack your st
uff from the dorms and one of the drivers will take you to the training center.”
Rae watched several professors and students crowd into a small area of the parking lot. Molly, Maria, Haley, Julian, Andy and Devon were down there waiting. All my friends… “How’s Lanford?”
“He’s in bad shape. Seems you had a slip of luck.” He paused before speaking quietly, “Lanford cracked his head, and it looks like he’s broken his neck.”
Good. A twinge of guilt settled in Rae’s stomach, but she quickly squelched it. He’s the monster, I do not have to feel sorry for him. “Can we get out of here?” She felt trapped inside the reception room and wanted to get outside where her friends were.
“Of course.” Carter pointed to two chairs in the corner.
“But first, we need to talk.”
Rae glanced longingly at the window to her friends below, but realized she had a few questions for two-faced Carter. She’d seen enough psycho-ness for one night, and she intended to get to the bottom of it. She led the way to the chairs and dropped into one.
“I guess I owe you an apology… and an explanation.” Carter smiled, actually smiled and he didn’t seem so old when he did it. “I work for the Privy Council and they wanted me here. I didn’t want to come.”
Rae scoffed, unable to hold it back. “Yeah, that was a bit obvious. You’re pretty miserable.” The words slipped out before she realized.
Carter scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish, which weirded Rae out even more. “I deserve that. I didn’t want to have you girls here. It was Lanford’s idea and I seemed to be the only one who didn’t trust him. He wanted you, not the other girls, but you, here, away from your family so he could swoop down to protect you and have you trust him.”
Rae stared at the hem of her Tinkerbelle dress as the guilt she’d been denying rushed out of its hidden place and filled her up. “I did trust him. He was, or at least, he seemed to be sincere and genuinely concerned about me.” Slow tears started dripping from her eyes.
“He needed to find out your ink. I knew that’s what he was after, but I had no proof and it drove me mad. I finally had to resort to asking Riley for help. He’s a candidate for joining the academy.” Seeing the confused look on Rae’s face, he added, “It’s an intense training group of tatùs. Riley was more than eager to prove himself.” Carter shook his head. “It drove me bonkers having to hang out with all you kids when I should be out in the field. I’m a man of action, not subterfuge. I’m terrible at having to wait. And having to watch you and wait for Lanford to reveal himself as the bad guy would make anyone cross. I’m sorry for giving you such a hard time. It’s not your fault.” Rae had a hard time picturing him as some British version of a G.I. Joe, but she figured maybe it was different with tatùs. He patted her knee. “You’re a lot like your mom, you know? She had the same spunk, that inner fire which makes people want to be around you.”
Rae’s head felt as if it were spinning. Now he knew her mother? She had a million questions she wanted to ask him, but not tonight. “Will I have to leave the school now?”
“No. Now I think this is the safest place for you.”
He didn’t even hesitate when he replied.
Rae let out a sigh of relief. She didn’t want to go. “Are… are you coming back next year?”
Carter stood and crossed his arms over his chest. A small smile played on his face. “It seems Guilder is going to be in need of a new headmaster. Which is something I might be interested in. Especially when Rae Kerrigan has another year left and, as much as I hate to admit it, Guilder needs you girls here. It’s good for everyone.” He offered her his arm. “Shall we?”
They headed toward the stairs, moving aside to let the paramedics rush by. Alone on the staircase, Carter spoke again. “I’m sorry again about Lanford. I had no idea he was in league with your father.” He shook his head. “Everything checked out. He’d been here ten years and nothing showed otherwise to mistrust him. It was only a gut feeling I had. I couldn’t use my ink on him until tonight. Then I saw everything.”
“It’s not your fault, sir,” Rae said woodenly. It came out an automatic response, with no feeling behind it. The truth was, Rae didn’t know who was at fault and who wasn’t. At the moment, all she knew was that she wanted to get out of the towers and never come back.
Carter sighed. “I’ve disappointed you and, most of all, I’ve disappointed your mother. I promised her a long time ago I’d keep you safe.”
For a weird moment, Rae felt older than sixteen, her guilt, suspicion and hurt got pushed aside. “You can’t protect me, and you can’t undo the past. Lanford would’ve found a way to get to me one way or another. He said he’d been planning this for years.”
Carter paused on the stairs. “Can I ask you a question?” He waited until she turned to face him. “How’d you get out of those shackles tonight?”
“M-my tatù.” She felt like the wings were fluttering on her back, encouraging her to tell the truth. It was an odd sensation and caught her completely off-guard. “I-It’s the same as my father’s. But different. More.” She didn’t know how to explain it.
“Did you make the ice?”
Rae nodded, her mind picturing the prison room. If her tatù wanted her to tell Carter that much, then…what about the rest? “Sir, have you ever heard of something called ‘H-O-C’ or a hoc file?”
He shook his head slowly. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“It’s something my father and Lanford created.” She went on to explain about the video in the laptop and what little detail the headmaster had provided, knowing in her heart that she needed to pass this information on to him.
“Interesting.” The dean ran his fingers along his chin. “I’ve spent a lot of time working on your father’s jobs and experiments. Most of his interests and agendas were very secretive. Only those close to him knew, and even then, it was always very little or bits and pieces, no one but Simon had the complete picture. I’ve…the Privy Council has spent years trying to find those who’ve worked for or with your father.”
“I, uh, kinda fried the computer and there was a camera in there. I don’t know how much it recorded…” Rae couldn’t help but feel proud of the admission even knowing she may have destroyed vital clues.
“We’ll see what we can salvage from the laptop and we’ll check into the camera, too.” Carter flashed a quick smile. “Your friends are waiting outside for you.” He opened the door.
“Thanks.” She looked at the dean, who beckoned her forward a few more steps.
“May I suggest we try and keep most of this quiet? You know which friends you can trust. The rest will know the truth soon enough. Or at least, what needs to be told.”
“Yeah, I think I know what you mean.” She started toward her friends. She glanced back. “Th-thanks…” But Carter had disappeared, “Sir,” she whispered to the closed door. Maybe having him back next year might not be a bad thing.
As she turned to the parking lot, Molly came running, tears coursing down her cheeks. She enclosed Rae in a tight hug. “I can’t believe it! You’re okay! I’d have been a total mess. I’d have electrocuted everything inside, burned everything down and probably fried myself in the process.” While she babbled on, Rae stared over her friend’s shoulder and spotted Devon standing by Julian’s car. She wanted to run and wrap her arms around him.
She never got a chance. Soon, everyone stood around her hugging, some crying and laughing, all at the same time.
“Rae, your outfit’s ruined.” Molly exclaimed as Rae threw the blanket onto the back of Julian’s car.
“It’s all right. I don’t have any intention of ever wearing it again.”
“Hey, watch the car.” Julian’s lips twitched.
She gave him the bird and laughed at the surprised look on his face.
“Uh… Rae?” Haley stood a few feet back from everyone else.
Rae’s guard instantly came up. “What?”
“I’m, uh, I’m
sorry I was kind of a bitch to you.” Haley stuffed her hands into the oversized men’s tux jacket she wore. “You know, the trying to hit you with the darts, the note in Professor Stockheed’s class…all of it.”
Molly leaned in front of Rae and pointed a finger at Haley, little sparks flying from it. “You’re just apologizing ‘cause you don’t want to get screwed over by Rae’s tatù.”
Haley turned red and opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Maria elbowed her. She glared at Molly, then Maria. “Look, I said I was sorry. I won’t pester you anymore.”
“How about we head back to Aumbry House?” Julian said, “I’ve had a vision Madame Elpis isn’t going to mind if we all crash in the Game Room tonight.”
Rae grabbed his hand. Your vision turned out to be spot-on. Everything you drew was about tonight. I was the one who didn’t look closely enough at it. I won’t make that mistake again, I promise. The eye had been the dean watching over and protecting her. She understood it now. She watched his eyes grow large, obviously shocked at hearing her voice in his own head and then he nodded in understanding. She let go and rubbed her hands along her arms. The cool night air made her shiver.
“I’m giving Rae a lift,” Julian said. “You all can walk back.”
Devon came over and hugged her tight. “I’m really glad you’re okay.”
Devon’s warmth seeped into her core. He felt so good and everything suddenly didn’t seem so awful. He slowly, almost reluctantly, pulled away.
Before she could react, Julian wrapped the blanket back around her and gently pushed her toward the passenger seat. “Race you back to the dorms, Dev.”
He drove off to the student parking lot, leaving Devon behind.
Chapter 25
Hidden Wishes
The next day, Dean Carter informed the entire school during dinner that Headmaster Lanford had suffered a heart attack the previous night after a fall and had passed away. The dean wouldn’t go into details, but the look of shock on the faces of the students made Rae wish she could disappear. Only Julian, Devon and Molly knew the truth. At least, from her end of the story.