by G S Banks
She stops in front of us and stands there, grim faced, with the Rabbits either side, all of them looking equally stern. Shadow appears by Lady Muldoon’s side and even he projects an air of disdain. The whole entourage stands there for some moments, not saying a word. All eyes are on Lady Muldoon whose expression is now, without a doubt, furious. Her nostrils flare, she grips the staff tightly, looking down on us with her cheekbones held high. The feeling in my stomach spreads, my heart flutters and my knees begin to go weak. I give a sidelong look at Lucy whose face is, for once, grave. Another slight but no less worrying tremor runs along the ground and Lady Muldoon starts to speak.
‘In all my years as Principle of Muldoon Academy,’ she begins. ‘I have never encountered such insolence from a group of Trainees.’
Her eyes scan the benches, from one end to the other. I gulp. Lucy gulps.
‘It has come to my attention, that one of you has committed violations that simply can not be tolerated within these walls.’
By now my body on the inside is a jangling ball of confusion – my heart, my stomach, my knees. She knows.
‘It has come to my attention that certain off limits parts of Muldoon Academy were entered last night and highly sensitive, classified documents were tampered with.’
She glares at us. My eyes flick to Heather. She must have told them what she saw in the dorm last night. No one else knew.
‘Two of my Rabbits on their nightly rounds found evidence of violation. We already know that it wasn’t one of our own Apprentices. This act was perpetrated by someone in this room.’
It wasn’t Heather. And Lady Muldoon doesn’t know who did it. Yet.
‘It is with great regret that I come to you in this way. However, such treachery from individuals who are invited into this Academy and trusted to be in this space simply can not be tolerated.’
Treachery? No, it wasn’t that bad, but somehow I don’t think she would agree with me right now.
‘Someone in this room knows who did this.’
My throat tightens. With Lady Muldoon against me, what chance do I have? If I am expelled now, my chances of finding Kelci are excruciatingly slim. I will be sent away, with my memories erased, just like Dominic said. I’ll be dropped back into my old life again, whether I like it or not, a million miles from finding Kelci. I’ll be clueless, and what if I’m made to forget the co-ordinates? I’ll have lost the clue, the one clue I have. What about Lucy? She can’t be punished for this… It’s my problem, she wouldn’t have gone in search of secrets if it weren’t for me.
‘I only want to punish those who perpetrated the crime. But unless someone here tells me who did this, every one of you will be punished.’
Dominic gives me a sly look. It is glaringly obvious that I was the one who went up there to find the information. And he knows it. And now he gets to watch me thrown out in disgrace. I’m the only one who has gone on about needing to find my sister. James shuffles in his seat and Ben looks anxious.
‘I am not afraid to make you all pay. The security of the Academy has to come above all.’
I look around the group, frantic. Heather will tell them it was me … Lady Muldoon glares at us, eyes flashing.
‘You have one more chance.’
I’ve got no choice. If Lucy stands up, she’ll be punished, I’ll have to face the consequences myself. I begin to rise from the bench, slowly.
‘It was…’ I begin.
Lucy pops up.
‘…me,’ she finishes.
Before I have a chance to react another voice pipes up and a figure rises.
‘It was me.’
Heather.
‘Me too,’ say James and Ben, in unison, rising together.
‘And me,’ says Alisdair, rising.
I don’t know what to do, what to say. What is going on? James… Ben… Alisdair… Heather… Standing up… for me…? There’s a long, awkward silence as we stand there. Lady Muldoon glares at us.
‘Six of you?’ she says. ‘I don’t believe it.’
A commotion starts up. Dominic glares at us, incredulous.
‘They didn’t all go,’ he says. ‘They’re just trying to help their useless friend – it was obviously Nina who did it. She’s the only one stupid and selfish enough. You should punish her. Just her.’
His eyes glow like two rubies.
‘Be quiet, young man,’ says Lady Muldoon, giving him a withering look. ‘If I am ever in a situation desperate enough to ask for your counsel, you will be the first to know. Meanwhile, hold your tongue.’
Dominic looks appalled and so angry he looks set to burst but he doesn’t say another word.
‘If these six are admitting guilt,’ she says. ‘Then they shall be the ones to face the consequences.’
21. Clenched Jaw
Ten days since Kelci was taken, Lady Muldoon’s Study
The six of us stand here in Lady Muldoon’s office, staring at each other in total silence. After a few more seconds, I can stand it no longer.
‘What are you guys doing?’ I say, my voice hushed even though Lady Muldoon and her Rabbits just stormed out, locking us in here to await our fate.
Everyone begins talking at once.
‘It’s obvious Nina, they want to help you, help us, we can go find your sister, follow the co-ordinates…’ says Lucy.
‘I thought it would… Make things easier…’ says James, who looks like he isn’t totally sure what’s going on.
‘I’m not letting Lucy take the wrap for this alone… If she’s involved, then so am I,’ growls Alisdair.
Ben says something in Swedish. Heather just stands there, arms folded, one eyebrow lifted, looking at the rest of us.
‘You!’ I say, to Heather, squinting at her suspiciously. ‘What are you doing here?’
She shrugs her shoulders and pouts a little.
‘Let’s just say it didn’t seem right.’
‘What do you care what’s right?’
‘I heard you guys last night in the dorm, saw that it was Lucy who dragged you along and it didn’t seem right – for you to lose your place here.’
She cares about my place on the program? Since when? She twists a strand of hair around her finger, watching it slide from her grip.
‘Why do you think I have such bad intentions?’ she says.
‘I don’t know, because you do?’
I swear a glimmer of hurt passes across her face, but I can’t be sure. Her plump lips squeeze together.
‘Look,’ she says, smoothly. ‘I don’t blame you for not liking me. And believe me, I’ve felt the same since I met you, and with good reason.’
I roll my eyes.
‘However, we’ve all heard so much about this sister of yours, it’s time for us to put an end to it. Things have been getting a little boring around here anyway.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean, we go. We bring her back.’
I look at her open-mouthed. Ben and James are murmuring in agreement.
‘Yes! Finally!’ cries Lucy, who promptly goes on to tell them about what we saw last night and the co-ordinates we found.
Alisdair stays stonily silent but the rest of them begin feverishly making plans, as though we are all about to embark on a really exciting field trip. Heather confidently claims that she will be able to ‘convince’ Kenny Collins to take us anywhere we want in his plane so long as we get moving fast, it doesn’t seem to bother her that the co-ordinates are thousands of miles away. The glint in her eye gives me the distinct feeling that this is not the first time she has broken the rules. Can she be trusted?
Lucy urges us to go tonight, and the rest of them - aside from Alisdair - seem to agree, nodding their heads in earnest. They start listing the things we should bring, what we should wear. What choice do I have here? The plan is flimsy to say the least: disastrous at worst, foolish at best. But what was I expecting? A team of fully trained Anitars to fly me out there? I look around at this unlikely band of Tr
ainees. An effervescent, loyal young girl and her moody older brother. A pair of guys who have shown me nothing but kindness since we met: one a literal jumping bean and the other an enormous, mild-mannered Swede. And to top it off, a girl who redefines the word foxy, who has given me absolutely no reason to trust her any further than I could throw her (which is not very far). But this is my chance to find Kelci. And provided Lady Muldoon doesn’t physically restrain us for the entire night, or have us removed from the island right this second, I give my agreement when Heather announces that we will meet, at midnight exactly, on the airstrip just next to the lake.
______
I listen to the growl of the engine. We arrived, at midnight, backpacks strapped over our shoulders just as Heather told us to and now we’re inside a plane, similar to the one we had to jump out of in the first challenge, and it feels like we’ve ended up in the belly of a hungry dragon. It’s too loud for conversation despite the fact that we’re facing each other, girls on one side strapped in by seatbelts clamped over our shoulders, and boys opposite. For the first time, I am thankful for the terrifying nature of the training. Without it, fear would melt me, I’m sure of it. I place my hands on my knees to stop them from shaking. I look at Alisdair, directly opposite me. If his hands are shaking, I don’t see it. All I see is a clenched jaw and frozen ocean eyes.
My mind swims with the events of the day. I still can’t believe these guys are willing to do this. I’m not quite sure if they are incredibly supportive or incredibly stupid. Alisdair is neither. He’s here for Lucy, that much is blatantly apparent, and the fact that he blames me for leading her into this, is also blatantly apparent. Heather, well, so far she looks like she is plain old having a good time, like she was built for ‘clandestine missions’ such as this. I think of the grilling we received from Lady Muldoon when she came back into her office this afternoon. It would probably have been more comfortable to stand in front of a burning furnace for half an hour. For all the apparent gentleness of the Deer, Lady Muldoon firmly retains a fiery side.
Initially I thought we were all done for. It seemed like her telling off was leading up to a grande finale of memory erasure and immediate removal. But instead she listed a series of gruelling punishments, and set an excruciating schedule for us that would have been nearly impossible for us to keep up with, if we had any intention of staying to do it. I feel a pang of guilt knowing that her leniency is going to be rewarded with finding us all gone in the morning.
We’ve been flying for several hours before the plane eventually begins to nose downwards, curving through the air. Lucy grabs my hand and I squeeze back. A clattering starts up and I turn to see that James is bouncing up and down in his seat. Ben tries to give him an encouraging look but he looks worried. He rattles about as much as his seatbelt will let him. At that moment the plane drops, bashing us from side to side. At first I think it has something to do with James but it was the plane itself jolting. I hold onto my seatbelt with both hands. There’s another massive bump. My heart sprints so fast I wonder if it might explode. The plane jostles all the way, but we nose down enough to eventually land with a thud. Soon after, the back of the plane opens up like the mouth of a whale and Kenny Collins stands in the darkness, one arm on the door, hair flapping in the wind. He has a distinctly glazed look about him, like he doesn’t quite know what he’s doing here. I feel another pang of guilt.
‘Bit of a bumpy ride there,’ he says. ‘Weather’s terrible.’
Heather sidles over to him, somehow already on her feet as the rest of us grapple with our restraints. She steps out of the plane, smiles, then whispers something in his ear. He nods in agreement. What is she saying? I take a deep breath. Kenny takes hold of my hand and helps me to the ground. As the others pile out behind me I feel a chill wind on my face. I look up to the nighttime sky gurgling above us like boiling soup. It’s starless, with clouds churning along lit by an eerie glow that is both lime-green and violet. I make out the mountains and sense that there is space, lots of it. It smells different here, like flowers mixed with smoke.
For one moment I think of myself at home, tucked under Mason’s arm, strolling through Central Park on a Saturday afternoon, warm and safe. It is such an inviting thought, but so at odds with my current situation, I have to shake my head to get rid of it. I turn my eyes to the sky once again and wonder if out there, somewhere close by, is my sister. Alisdair hands us earpieces that he found on the plane. They have little microphones on them and he explains that this is how we’ll stay in communication with each other. I am relieved to see that he’s getting involved, I was beginning to wonder if he was planning to sabotage the whole thing. As I fiddle with the earpiece, which feels cold and hard in my ear, Heather speaks up.
‘We’re about six miles from the compound.’
Her face is shadowed but her eyes shine through the dark.
‘It should be 43 degrees North East.’
Heather will be able to use her Fox’s sense of direction to get us there. Alisdair can do the same. James, as a Frog, ought to be able to but I have a feeling he just isn’t there yet. Ever since he manifested he’s been unable to control his body, which makes me feel a tad sorry for him, despite the fact that it’s entertaining to watch. He’s got better, that’s for sure. He is able to keep his feet on the ground the majority of the time now. Ben looks out for him of course.
‘Just come right back here when you’re done,’ blurts out Kenny Collins.
‘We will,’ I say. ‘We’ll come right back.’
Heather whispers again in Kenny’s ear and he walks back to the cockpit of the plane. With that, we set off into the darkness. We trek over fields, through valleys, across streams, along dirt tracks. We hike through a forest, emerging from it to finally arrive at the exact location of the co-ordinates. The first light of dawn is just beginning to appear and I can hardly breathe with anticipation. Could this be where Kelci is? The six of us come to a standstill, looking at what stands before us. Immediately, my heart sinks. There’s nothing but a few hills, a smattering of trees and that’s about it.
‘There’s nothing here!’ I say, feeling tears prick at my eyes.
After all this, escaping Muldoon, commandeering a plane, jeopardising everyone’s future – there’s nothing here!
‘Wait,’ says Alisdair, frowning and holding his hand out to quieten me.
He moves closer to the edge of the forest and crouches down and for some reason we all follow suit. No one says a word. What is he doing? He places his hands on the ground and stares out at what lies in front of us. His eyes narrow and suddenly he whispers:
‘There. See that? In the side of the hill. There’s an opening…’
‘There is?’ I say, squinting.
‘I don’t see anything,’ says James.
Heather crouches next to Alisdair, peering out.
‘That’s right,’ she says. ‘I see it too.’
She turns to Alisdair and smiles.
‘Nice work, Snow Leopard.’
Neither I, nor James, nor Lucy, nor Ben can see the opening, but both Heather and Alisdair insist that it is there.
‘I’m going in, to get a closer look,’ says Alisdair.
Before any of us get the chance to reply he’s already disappeared, lightening fast, leaving us looking at each other in astonishment.
‘He shouldn’t just go off like that!’ says James. ‘Are we a team? Or are we not?’
‘Let him do his thing,’ purrs Heather. ‘That’s how he works.’
Minutes later Alisdair comes back and tells us that he’s found three openings, each one manned by a few guards and a camera.
‘A few guards?’ says James, looking anxious.
Heather pays no heed to that.
‘So here’s what we do,’ she says. ‘Three entrances. Three groups of two.’
‘We split?’ says James. ‘What, no? That’s a terrible idea. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that you should always stick together when you’re doing st
uff like this?’
‘We have the radios,’ she says. ‘We can stay in touch. We have only one person to find in there and we don’t know how big the place is. We need to cover as much ground as possible and if six of us go in together, we could all be caught and that’s mission over. We need to split up.’
James looks dismayed.
‘Lucy and James,’ she goes on. ‘You two need to get us in there. There are cameras, right? So Lucy you need to sneak in and get to the control room, disable their systems. There will be a computer server room, where all the systems are controlled – surveillance, doors, everything. I’ll talk you through it but you need to take down the camera servers first. Then the doors. And each team, make sure you take a security card or whatever they have from one of the guards. That will help you to get into other areas of the building. There will only be a few minutes before their back-up computers take over, so we must move fast once Lucy is done.’
Alisdair looks horrified whilst Lucy looks a mixture of panicked and thrilled.
‘She can’t go in there first,’ says Alisdair.
‘She can get us in, she’s a Chameleon,’ says Heather. ‘That’s what Chameleons do.’
‘She’s never done anything like that in her life,’ snarls Alisdair.
‘Yes I have!’ says Lucy. ‘I helped get the co-ordinates in the first place. Chameleons can get in and out of anywhere. They are masters of disguise, experts in lock-picking and safe-breaking. A well-trained Chameleon relishes the challenge of getting into the most well guarded places undetected. That’s what Artemiz said. I remember.’