by Katrina Cope
Hayley turned to Brendan. “You do remember he was the guy who came out looking for that strange, suspicious person that one time with Dr. Ernest, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do. That was why I asked who he was when I was with other people,” Brendan said.
“Ah! Aren’t you a secretive, plotting little being?” Hayley lifted her eyebrows in understanding.
“I wouldn’t say that, exactly. Just curious.” Brendan looked away from her glare.
“Oh, yeah? What else have you been curious about?” Haley placed her hands on her hips.
“Nothing in particular, just about the suspicious circumstances,” Brendan replied.
“Have you found out anything else that’s interesting?” Liam asked.
“I’ve only managed to confirm that something is going on, but as to what, I don’t know.”
“Well, genius, that makes you so much more advanced in finding out what’s going on.” Hayley rolled her eyes. She grabbed a headband off her wrist and tied her fiery-red hair into a ponytail to stop it from flying around her face. She did this with aggression and haste, taking out the annoyance of the conversation on her hair.
“And you found out… what?” Brendan scrutinized Hayley with a glare, while she sat still, looking at him with a blank face. “Exactly! Just as I thought.” He wore a smug smile.
“Ahhh! Hayley, you really need to hold that tongue.” Liam was enjoying the play-off between the two. People were starting to get up and get ready to go to the next class. Walking away from the admin building, they continued quietly with their conversation. “Anyway, I think it’s worth looking into this locked admin door with no title. Maybe Brendan is onto something, but I’m not saying hanging out here isn’t also a good idea. Who knows what we might see?”
“So how are you going to get into this locked room?” Dryden asked. “I, sure as anything, am not an expert cat burglar. I can’t even get into my own home when I’ve locked myself out.”
Giving in to the rest of the group’s wishes and the temptation to get to the bottom of this secrecy, Hayley joined in with their plotting. “What sort of lock does the door have on it?”
“An electric pin pad,” Brendan said.
“Oh, yeah! That’s going to be easy. Not!” Hayley said cynically. “Do you know anyone who can break into electric pin pads?”
Brendan thought of Eva. “Actually, I do. But they’re not at this school, so it may take me a while to hook them up to help us.”
“Seriously?” Hayley’s jaw had dropped, and the two boys were also looking at Brendan in shock.
Brendan nodded.
“When can you hook this person up?” Liam asked.
“First, I think it’s best if I get them to work out the code. Then when it’s all done, I’ll come, get you guys, and let you know.”
“Don’t you go and enter there without us, or I’ll be extremely annoyed and take appropriate action.” Hayley planted her hands on her hips.
“Oh.” Brendan chuckled, knowing that she didn’t have a chance of defeating a surrogate. “And what action would that be?” He shook his head in disbelief and surveyed Hayley’s threatening glare. He backed a step away from her and raised his hands in defense. “I wasn’t planning on going down there without you, anyway.”
“Cool!” Dryden’s face lit up in anticipation. “Sounds like fun.”
“First, we should agree on what time is best for a break-in,” Liam said. “We should try to do this properly, as we are going somewhere that is not allowed, and probably, if we get caught, we’ll end up being expelled. I really don’t want that to happen. Being here is my life’s dream, and I don’t want to lose it.”
“We all don’t want to lose this opportunity,” Hayley said.
“Which is why we must do this carefully,” Brendan said. “So without exactly knowing what is in that room, when would be the best time to enter it?”
“My guess would be late at night, but as you said, we really have no idea what is in that room, or if that even is the room,” Dryden said.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Liam said to Dryden. “Does everyone else agree?”
Hayley and Brendan nodded in agreement.
“So it’s settled,” Liam confirmed. “Once you find out the passcode, Brendan, come and get us. In the meantime, if anyone has a better idea, then we should share it. Remember we are all in this together, and none of us want to be expelled.”
~~~~~
SNOW DIDN’T COVER the mountains of the Sanctum during winter, but ice coated the tips of the frostbitten grass covering the hills of the mountain. Howling, chilly winds penetrated any warm layers, making it impossible to keep warm. It wasn’t so much the temperature, but rather the frigid winds that made the students stay indoors during the winter months.
For the last few days, the winds were beginning to die down, the flowers were starting to bloom, and the birds sang their traditional coupling songs.
It was Sunday morning, and Jayden was tired of being cooped up indoors. He had noticed a change in the outside atmosphere and was determined to say goodbye to the indoors and enjoy his day. He hadn’t spent as much time as he would’ve liked with his beloved furry friend, Barney, the Saint Bernard that he and Aaron were raising together. On his way downstairs, he spotted Aaron, Eva, and Robert in the common room.
“Hey, guys. I’m heading outside to spend some time with Barney. Do you want to come?”
“Sure. I’d love to spend some more time with Bessie,” Eva said. “Come to think of it, I haven’t spent as much time as I would like with her. Can’t wait to see that cute little brown face again, though she’s not so little anymore. Are you coming too, Robert?”
Robert shrugged. “Yeah, sure. It’s about time I hung out with living cute things rather than electronic ones.”
“You do need to spend more time outside.” Eva eyed him up and down. “Especially after the last few months. You seem never to go outside, and I think your waistline has managed to expand even more.” She patted his stomach.
Robert looked at his stomach and shook his head. “I know. I’ve been so keen to finish Shelly and had so much to do with helping Niles that I just haven’t had time.”
“And a brilliant job you’ve been doing,” Aaron congratulated him. “Except in a way, Eva’s right. You know I love you, man, but it’s time to get healthy and work off that waistline.” Aaron patted him on the back. “Perhaps I can wake you in the mornings to take you for some training.”
“That ain’t gonna happen.” Robert shook his head and laughed.
“Oh, don’t give me that, man. You know you want to.” Aaron gave Robert a personal training pep talk.
“I do?” Robert raised an eyebrow. “In your dreams, buddy.”
Aaron shrugged. “It was worth a try.”
They had left the confines of the building and headed to the dog kennels. A familiar voice sounded out from behind them, “Ah, just the students I wanted to see!”
The four of them turned to find Charlie walking quickly in their direction. “Looks like I just caught you. Talk about good luck. Where were you kids off to, anyway?”
“Hey, Charlie,” Jayden greeted him in return. “We’re getting out to get some fresh air and spend some time with the dogs again.”
“Good for you! First, though, could you help me with these blasted birds? I have nothing but bad luck with these troublemakers, and you and Aaron are the closest thing to bird whisperers I can find.”
“We’d love to help, Charlie,” Aaron said enthusiastically. “What do you need us to do?”
“It’s time to get them out of the indoors of the Sanctum and back out into the aviary. Those young ones never want to come down to me.”
“That’s because they know that temper of yours well.” Aaron smiled broadly and winked at the short-tempered-but-lovable maintenance man.
Charlie grumbled, “Ha! Here you go.” He handed the bird tethers to Aaron, Jayden, Robert, and Eva. The four student
s each cuffed the chains around one of their wrists and headed back inside to retrieve the birds.
Once inside the common room, they grabbed a nut each from the box and immediately craned their heads to search for the birds.
“Juliette!” Jayden called. “Do you want a nut?”
Almost immediately they heard a “Hello” from above them. Sitting on a branch not far from them was Juliette.
“There you are.” Jayden held out his hand. “Hop on.”
He held the nut up so that she could see it. She didn’t need any more encouragement. Her favorite person was asking her to come for a treat. She flew down to his arm, which he held high, showing off her brilliant red, blue, and yellow feathers. She looked magnificent, as she always did. Jayden loved taking in the glory of the beautiful, impressive birds. After landing on his arm, she took the nut from him, instantly shredding the shell and devouring the kernel inside.
“Now where’re your cheeky children, Juliette? Are they going to come down today?” Eva asked Juliette. She searched the area above her then held her fingers near Juliette. “Scratch?”
Juliette held the rest of her nut in her talons and grasped Jayden’s arm firmly with the other foot, bending her head down, ready for a scratch. Eva scratched Juliette on the back of her neck. As she was doing this, she saw a flash of red, blue and yellow in the corner of her eye, coming in fast toward her. She glanced over in time to see Lucy coming to land on her arm.
“Oh!” Eva called in alarm, bracing her arm and body for the landing. “You surprised me, Lucy! But you’re a good girl.” She placed the cuff of the harness around Lucy’s leg and secured it in place. To reward Lucy for her cooperation, she gave her a nut.
Within moments, Oscar’s keen eye caught what was going on. He came down to land on Aaron’s arm without needing to be prompted. Piper followed not long after, landing on Robert’s arm. Robert secured the harness around the bird’s leg.
Jayden and Aaron were busily getting acquainted with Juliette and Oscar when they heard someone on the other side of the common room. “Aw, look! There’s Aaron with his furry boyfriend. There’s the only date he’ll be able to get,” said the mocking voice.
“Aw, at least someone loves him,” said the second voice.
Aaron looked up to see Taylor, Declan, Ben, and Damian across the room. Taylor and Damian wore large smirks.
“Is that the best you can come up with?” Aaron asked them. “Besides, birds have feathers, not fur.” As Aaron said this, Oscar flew off. “Where are you going, Oscar?” Aaron called to him, the annoyance clear on his face. “I was just about to take you outside.” He put his hands on his hips.
“Oh look, a lovers’ quarrel.” Taylor pointed at Aaron and made sure everyone could hear.
Everyone in the common room turned to look at Taylor to see who was yelling. Before the students had time to look at what Taylor was pointing at, they witnessed a rotten piece of fruit being dropped on Taylor’s head, splattering its rancid, smelly juices all over his face. Oscar flapped a few feet above Taylor’s head. The bystanders burst forth with laughter at Taylor’s predicament. All eyes glanced at the brilliance of the colorful bird as he redirected his flight to land back on Aaron’s arm. Once Oscar landed, he gave out a giggle of his own, which sounded very much like Aaron’s chuckle.
- Chapter Nine -
A Long Day in the Rain
A gale of wind pushed the heavy rain against the window of the mountaintop room. The sound grabbed Jayden’s attention the moment he opened his eyes. Daylight had broken, and the light highlighted the large droplets of rain. The majestic waterfall across the valley roared with the excess water. It was nearly double its normal size.
After catching sight of the soggy scenery, Jayden decided to pull his bedcovers over his head and snuggle in to go back to sleep. A little over a year ago, he would have had one of the worst nights of sleep of his life. Homeless and having to sleep outside, he would have been drenched and cold. Now, the heavy rain brought him comfort within the walls of the Sanctum, where he was safe and secure. It made him want to snuggle back to sleep.
He must have drifted back into a deep sleep for a few minutes before Scarlet called in a singsong voice, “Time to get up, sleepy head.”
He didn’t stir.
“Jaaayyyden!”
Thinking it was a dream, he ignored her.
She called louder, “Oh, Jayden!”
Jayden’s mind remained in sleep mode. Scarlet’s call seemed as though it was only a part of his dream.
“Jayden!” Scarlet’s patience had vanished. “Get up!”
He tossed between his sheets, rolling over slowly.
“Get up, Jayden!” When he still didn’t wake up properly, she sighed. “I so wish I could get out of this wall right now and poke you!” she said with annoyance.
Jayden opened his eyes and spotted Scarlet’s face on the screen. “What’s up with you, Scarlet?”
“Finally!”
“What?” he asked, not understanding what she was talking about.
“It’s late, sleepyhead. You need to get up.”
“Why? Everyone else’s asleep.”
“No, they’re not.” She shook her head, annoyed.
Jayden leaned over the side of his bed and looked around the room. To his surprise, all the bunk beds were empty. “Since when do you give personal wake-up calls, Scarlet?”
“Since we became friends.”
“After our last get-together, I would have thought you’d be greeting me with a bucket of cold water to wake me up.” He sounded annoyed, and he was—the memory of being squirted in the face was still raw.
“That could be arranged.” A wry smile crossed her face, and she glanced at the fire sprinkler on the ceiling.
“Thanks for the offer, Scarlet, but I think I’ll pass,” he said tentatively.
“Now that you’re awake, do you notice anything different?”
He glanced around the room. “No. No, I don’t.”
Scarlet sighed. “I have been programmed to know that you males are very unobservant. Do you seriously not see anything different?”
Jayden glanced around the room again, not finding anything different. He then looked outside. “Oh! It’s raining,” he said proudly.
Scarlet shook her head in disgust. “No, goofball! Different with me?”
He looked at her and shook his head.
She glared at him. “Oh, you’re pathetic! For one, I’m like thirty years younger, and two, my hair has changed color.”
“Oh, you are different!” he said. “You do look younger! And is your hair… orange?” He blinked a couple of times, wiping the sleep from his eyes.
Scarlet sighed. “No, bright spark, it’s auburn. You know, red for Scarlet. Scarlet is a color of red.”
“Oh. So it is!” Trying to smooth things over, he said, “It looks good on you. Sorry I didn’t notice it earlier, but I was still asleep, you know.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She sounded unconvinced. “At least this time you’ve got an excuse. Anyway, you have to get to breakfast, or you’ll miss out.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice. I’ll catch you later, Scarlet.”
Jayden was sure she knew it was only a figure of speech, although she answered it literally and with a smirk on her face. “I’d like to see you try.” Her face disappeared from the screen.
Jayden quickly dressed and headed down to the dining room. He didn’t have much time to eat before the lessons, so he grabbed a quick breakfast of a bacon and cheese muffin, an apple, and a glass of juice. He watched the other students coming and going from the dining room. Eventually, he spotted his group of friends. Eva, Robert, and Aaron sat in the far right-hand corner, closest to the window showing off the magnificent lake. The view was only slightly dampened by the heavy rain. He weaved his way over to sit with his friends.
“Where have you been?” Eva took a sip of her orange juice.
Jayden felt his cheeks redden with emba
rrassment. “Uh… I kind of slept in.” He glanced down at his tray of food.
“Yeah, easy to do in this weather.” Robert took a bite of a blueberry muffin.
Jayden sat, and Aaron placed a hand on his shoulder. “Good to see you finally made it.”
“Probably wouldn’t have if Scarlet didn’t wake me.”
“What?” Eva looked shocked. “When does Scarlet give a personal wake-up call?”
Jayden realized his mistake instantly. Scarlet didn’t want him to tell everyone about their private chats yet, and it felt like a betrayal of trust. He knew it to be strange because she was a computer, although he felt privileged to have her as a friend. He pretended he didn’t hear the question. “Jeez! How much rain have we had?” He purposefully looked at the overflowing lake that had lost its defined edges.
“It’s been raining heavily all night.” Aaron followed Jayden’s gaze. “I even missed my run this morning.”
Jayden stared at Aaron, wide-eyed. “But you never miss your run, rain, hail, or shine.”
“I know. It’s pretty bad, man!” Aaron ran a hand through his hair.
“Wow! I wonder what’s wrong with Professor Anna. She looks stressed,” Eva said.
The group of students spun around to look at the door to see what Eva was talking about. They saw Professor Anna scanning the whole room with a look of urgency firmly on her friendly face. She was missing her traditional lab coat and was wearing a long pale-blue patterned dress, fitted at the waist and from there flowing down softly to her ankles. Her dark hair flowed loosely from her head and over her shoulders.
The professor’s eyes met theirs, and her shoulders slumped in relief. With a sense of urgency, she motioned with an arm for them to come to her. Always willing to help the kind professor, the students jumped up immediately and did as instructed.
When they reached her, she said, “I’m glad I found you. We have a situation and need your help.”