Nightgrove Academy Book One

by Bailey Blackwell

It would, and clearly she believed that was the truth, or she wouldn’t have her son at Nightgrove along with the rest of them. And, still…

  “We have the right to know. To make our choice with all the information available,” Izzy said stubbornly.

  “She was afraid it would cause a panic that could even trigger an episode, Izzy. I’m not saying I agree with her decision, but I do understand it…” He trailed off and she got the impression he had more to say.

  “This is the time to put it all on the table, Jake. I’ll buy whatever your mother is selling in regards to this Martin dude and even Jessica, but Trent doesn’t fit the profile at all. So what gives?”

  To his credit, he didn’t even try to argue this time. “I don’t know, yet, and I don’t know who I can trust that can help me figure it out.”

  “I’ve got a plan that might help expedite that process, if you’re interested.”

  The silence stretched between them and Izzy said a little prayer under her breath. This was scary enough to do with a partner, never mind to consider going it alone. And, if she was wrong, and Trent really did tap out, Jake was the only student in school with immunity. He might get reamed out for being nosy, but he wouldn’t get expelled by his own mother. If he would even agree to help here…

  “Okay. Let’s hear it.”

  Chapter 18

  The next day of classes crawled by. Partly because Izzy was again exhausted due to a fitful night's sleep, and partly because she couldn't wait to put her and Jake’s plan into motion later tonight. It didn't help that the mood in the room was positively maudlin. No one could understand why Trent would've left. Even Professor Baxter wasn't himself, and seemed pale and distracted.

  Every so often, she would shoot a glance toward Jake, but he was in his own world, consumed by his thoughts that were likely about as terrifying as hers.

  What if Trent had been fine one minute, and then something inside him just snapped? Could that happen to any of them?

  Could that happen to her?

  She shuddered and laid her head on the desk in front of her for a second, suddenly overwhelmed with everything that was going on.

  "Izzy?"

  She looked up to find a pinched-looking Professor Baxter standing over her.

  "Sorry, Professor, I'm paying attention, I just have a headache all of a sudden."

  "That's all right. I'm about to call it a day, but I'd like you to stay back for a minute with me. I just have to ask you something."

  She nodded, and stayed in her seat as the others filed toward the door, some of them, include Jake and her girlfriends, shooting worried glances.

  Once it was only her and Baxter left in the room, he closed the door, slumping against it with a sigh.

  "I value your opinion a lot, Izzy, and you seem as broken up about Trent as I am. Did I push him too hard?"

  She blinked up at him and frowned. "No, no. I don't think you did, sir."

  He shrugged and shook his head. "Such a bright future, such a sweet kid. I don't understand why he would leave. I can't help but think back to the first day of class when he was so brash, trying to show off a little. And how, when I bested him, he took the humiliation with such affable grace," he said, a fond smile tipping his lips. "How did we go from that to this? What did I miss?"

  Izzy tried not to let her fears show to the preternaturally perceptive professor as she rose from the desk and made her way toward him to give him an awkward pat of comfort on the shoulder.

  "If you missed it, we all did, too," she said softly. She knew he must be feeling horribly guilty right now, but there wasn’t much else she could say. She was as clueless as he was when it came to Trent, at this point. “Maybe you can ask the Dean if he gave his reasons?” She eyed him carefully to see his reaction to that, but his face remained as solemn and sad as if she’d said nothing.

  “I did. I even asked if I could speak with him before he left school grounds, but she told me that it wasn’t possible. She said he told her he’d been homesick for a while, and had left a girl back in Colorado, where he’s from, that he was anxious to get back to. He felt he had a good handle on his abilities and could manage them well enough on his own going forward. Something just...doesn’t feel right, you know?”

  Oh, she knew.

  She tucked the information he’d shared in the corner of her mind to discuss with Jake when they met up later, and turned her attention back to the Professor.

  “The Dean said he was happy to go and I guess we have to accept that. And, if it’s any consolation, I know he really liked you a lot. He told me he thought your powers were the coolest.”

  Baxter offered her a bittersweet smile and then straightened, stepping away from the door.

  “I appreciate that, Izzy. And I’m sorry to keep you. It’s not your job to comfort me, but mine to comfort you all.” He clapped his hands together and blew out a sigh. “This is part of the gig, I guess. I suppose I just didn’t realize how attached I’d become to you all.”

  It was true. In regular life, friendship took time to develop. People were busy and constantly multitasking. Even when they were together, they weren’t necessarily together, checking phones, taking selfies, posting pictures on Insta. Here at the Academy, all they had was each other and the thread of something amazing tying them together in a profound way. It made for quick bonds that seemed to hold fast.

  She couldn’t imagine her life without her roommates now, and she suspected that they’d be friends long after graduation.

  If any of you get to graduate, a little voice in her head whispered.

  She forced a tight smile and gave him one last, sympathetic pat. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Professor. And sorry you’re sad. We’re all going to miss Trent a lot.” With that, she made her way out of the classroom and down the hall toward her dorm, her mind already on the evening to come.

  Just another few hours until it was time to put their plan into motion. And it couldn’t happen soon enough, as far as she was concerned.

  She headed back to her dorm room and found Max and Rebecca there waiting for her, both glowing with excitement, which was a nice change from the heavy melancholy of the rest of the day.

  “You ready to see it?” Rebecca asked, a sly grin on her face.

  “More than ready,” Izzy replied with a start. “You guys are the best! I didn’t expect you to be able to finish until later tonight.”

  “Yeah, well, we worked on it late last night and we were just waiting for the glue to dry and to test it out before we showed you,” Max said, pulling her hand out from behind her back. “Voila! Meet Orville.”

  Izzy stared down at what looked like a massive cockroach sitting in Max’s hand.

  “That’s...you guys fit a camera in that?” she asked, wrinkling her nose.

  “You wanted unobtrusive. What’s more unobtrusive than a fly on the wall...although, a fly would’ve been too small,” Rebecca amended with a chuckle. “But still. Pretty awesome, huh?”

  “Yeah. So awesome. It’s just, um, do you guys think if someone sees it, they’ll just stomp on it, maybe?”

  The two exchanged a glance and Max scratched her nose absently. “Don’t look at me. I’m the tech person, you’re supposed to be the brains of the operation.”

  Rebecca’s shoulders sagged like someone had let the air out of her. “I guess I was so excited we’d found something that fit in stealth-wise, it didn’t occur to me that someone might stomp him. Look how cute he is? Why would anyone want to do that?”

  Izzy took the tiny camera from her and smiled. “It’s great. Seriously, I’ll just hide it really well to make sure no one squashes the little fellow. Thank you both so much, you have no idea how much this means to me. How do I access the video feed?”

  Max reached behind her and grabbed what looked like a tiny monitor off her desk.

  “The picture isn’t great, but it’s the best I could do in a short timeframe.”

  She flipped a switch and the miniature screen came to l
ife. Izzy gazed down and grinned when she saw the front of her shirt displayed there. She lifted Orville to eye level and nodded as her face filled the monitor. “Okay, cool. So it’s in real time. And the screen can be far from the camera without any issues?”

  “Up to half a mile,” Max said proudly. “And it records, in case something is happening when you’re not watching.”

  “Like Jake taking a shower or something,” Rebecca chimed in helpfully.

  “You’ve got to stop with that. There is nothing between us.” But even as she said the words, her cheeks went hot.

  “You could’ve fooled us. The tension between you two in that locker room was thicker than the smog in L.A.,” Max said with a snort.

  “Be that as it may, he’s just a friend. Actually, not even that. He’s someone I have to work with, is all.”

  More so now than ever…

  “Anyway, thank you both again. I owe you guys one.”

  “We were happy to help. Plus, you took the blame for our little night excursion, so now we’re even,” Max said with a smile.

  “By the way, what did Professor Baxter want?” Rebecca asked as Izzy put the monitor on her desk and slipped Orville gingerly into the pocket of her uniform shorts.

  “He wanted to talk about Trent. He was feeling guilty, I think. I told him none of us had any clue, either. We were as blindsided as he was.”

  “That’s for sure,” Rebecca said, shaking her head. “Just promise me that if you guys ever even think about tapping, you’ll tell me first so we can discuss it, okay?”

  “Pinky swear,” Max said, and held out her finger.

  Izzy felt a little silly, but at Rebecca’s pleading stare, she extended her own digit with a sigh.

  “Pinky swear.”

  Aiko walked in a moment later, with Ashley following shortly behind. After chatting and chilling for a while, they made their way to the cafeteria for dinner, but Izzy’s mind wasn’t on food.

  In just one hour’s time, she and Jake were going to meet up in the courtyard and head over to the bell tower to plant Orville in view of the tap out bell. If there was something fishy going on, or the kids were being forced or coerced to tap, they’d be able to see it first hand. At the very least, they’d be able to tell if the students tapping displayed erratic or unusual behavior that would support Jake’s theory.

  Soon enough, they’d have some answers. In the meantime, she had a plan of her own. She was going to scope out the wing of offices to see which of the professors had a phone she might be able to sneak in and use so she could get into contact with Sam. The more information she could get about Jessica’s current whereabouts, the better.

  She glanced over at Jake’s table and tried not to let her gaze linger. Part of her was still surprised he’d agreed to go along with her plan. He had always been so rigid and unwilling to bend. The fact that he thought she’d come up with a good idea, that might actually assuage their fears and answer some of their questions, had gone a long way to alleviating some of her perpetual irritation with him.

  “Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” Miguel teased as he slid in between Ashley and Max.

  “Stop it, babe. They’re still in the denial stage of their relationship,” Ashley said, giving his arm a playful shove.

  He responded by dropping a kiss to the tip of her nose. “I’m glad we didn’t have to go through any of that crap.”

  Izzy didn’t even bother to argue this time. She was too busy trying to think up an excuse for why she was in one of the professor’s offices if she got caught.

  “She’s still shook over Trent tapping,” Aiko said with a sage nod. “Let’s knock some back for our homies who can’t be here.” She held up her chocolate milk carton and the others followed suit. “To Trent.”

  “And Jessica,” Izzy said softly.

  The others mumbled noncommittal, incoherent replies before taking a slug of their respective drinks.

  “I’m actually going to head back to the room a little early,” she said, grabbing her untouched tray as she rose to stand, itching to get on with it. “I’ve got a wicked headache and I still have to get to the gym for a run before bed. See you guys a little later.”

  They all waved her off and she slipped out of the room alone, aggressively ignoring Jake as she passed his table, just in case anyone was looking.

  She made her way down the hall, mentally ticking off the staff she’d seen at the caf. Dinner was in full effect, and Baxter, Sloane, Kristoff and the Dean had all been there, along with most of the assistant staffers who helped with testing and recording data.

  There was likely no better time to take a quick traipse down the faculty corridor and see if anyone had left their door unlocked. If she could just talk to Sam for two minutes, half of her worries could be laid to rest before bedtime.

  She moved quickly and quietly down the hall, shooting a glance behind her as she slipped down the hallway that led to the Dean’s office. As swiftly and stealthily as she could manage, she stopped at each door and tried to turn the knob.

  Baxter.

  Nope.

  Kristoff.

  Nope.

  Sloane.

  Score.

  The knob gave way in her hand and blood roared in her ears.

  “Hey there, Isabelle. Can I help you with something?”

  She froze and turned, pasting an apologetic smile on her face. “Professor Sloane! Exactly the man I was looking for. Do you, um, do you think we could talk for a quick sec?”

  His laser blue gaze was so intense, it was a wonder it didn’t burn a hole through her, but she managed to keep it together.

  “Sure, I have a few minutes. Come on in my office.”

  She stepped back from the door and he pushed his way in, gesturing for her to follow.

  Her thoughts raced as she tried to come up with a feasible reason to speak with him that made even the tiniest bit of sense. They were cordial, but it wasn’t like they were close or had much cause to interact.

  “Everything okay?” he asked as he rounded his desk and took his seat. She lowered herself into the chair opposite him and blew out a sigh.

  “It’s going all right, but I’m struggling to come to terms with Trent leaving so soon after Jessica. I tried to talk to Professor Baxter about it, but he was just as upset as I was. I was hoping that you, a tough and stoic soldier, might have some words of wisdom for me to help reconcile with losing a teammate.”

  It was thin, as far as excuses went, but his ego was big enough that he seemed to take it at face value. He leaned forward on his elbows and steepled his hands together as he considered her words.

  “It’s not easy to ask for help, so I’m honored you came to me, Isabelle. I think the first step is acknowledging that you can be sad that your friends didn’t succeed here, while also still being invested in your own success. That doesn’t make you wrong or selfish. You giving up won’t bring them back to Nightgrove.”

  “Wise, wise words,” Izzy said with a sage nod.

  Sloane snapped his fingers and then stood. “I actually have a book that might help you with this. It deals with how to master your fear and deal with pain and loss in your life like a true soldier. Let me grab it for you.”

  He made his way around the desk to a bookshelf and began rifling through the selections. Izzy scanned the room for a landline telephone and found it tucked next to a plant that sat on a window sill behind his desk.

  Sloane seemed none the wiser about her true intentions. If she could get the balls to try again, she could come back at night…

  She smelled it before she saw it. A cloying, chemical smell that brought her thoughts to a screeching halt as she wheeled around to find Sloane hulking over her, a dripping cloth in hand.

  “No!” she shouted as she took a second to dig down to find her strength, then let her fist fly.

  She never knew if she hit her mark or not, though, as her vision flickered and darkness closed over her like a shroud.

  C
hapter 19

  Harsh light filtered in through Izzy's lowered lids, crimson and jarring, and she jerked her head back with a start. It was a bad move. Her temples throbbed like they each had their own heartbeat.

  "Ah, there she is..." The mocking male voice sounded familiar but Izzy's head was too muzzy to place it. It seemed as if her cranium was full of wet cotton.

  "I have to admit, you had me worried there for a minute. I thought maybe I overdid it with the chloroform gag. The second I took Trent's off, he woke up. Although, I suspect that's due to his enhanced immune system. He truly is special. At any rate, glad to see I didn't kill you."

  Izzy blinked furiously as her eyes began to adjust to the light, and Professor Sloane stepped into view, his bloodied nose bringing it all rushing back.

  Her in his office. The smell. Him coming up behind her. Closing his hand over her mouth and squeezing. Apparently, she’d gotten one shot off before he’d subdued her, and despite the fear, that realization gave her a moment of dark satisfaction.

  Bastard.

  She moistened her parched lips, wincing at the chemical taste as she looked around the cavernous, unfamiliar room. The space was dank and smelled like mildew. She couldn't be sure, but something told her, if not for the extra-high watt bare bulb hanging from the ceiling over her head, they would be in utter darkness.

  "Where are we?" she asked, her voice low and raspy.

  "That's the awesome thing about castles. So many hidey holes and secret passageways," he said with a wide grin that didn't quite meet his eyes.

  She shifted in the hard seat and tried to lift her heavy arms, but was stopped short, the clank of chains echoing through the room.

  "Why?"

  She wished she could make her sluggish brain move faster and form the words she wanted to say, but it was all she could manage. Turned out, it was enough.

  "Money. Why else?" Sloane asked with a shrug as he lowered himself into the folding chair across from her. "Turns out, some smaller, underground paramilitary operations both here and overseas no one likes to talk about are always on the lookout for new...talent."