by Julia Nobel
The song ended, and the crowd cheered. Emmy’s knees started to quake. She jumped up and down a few times and slapped her legs. She had to get ahold of herself. She took her position and waited.
Then the whistle blew.
The crowd roared, sending a rush of heat and energy through her veins. This was where she was meant to be. Whatever plots the Order might have, whatever happened at Latin Society, none of it mattered as long as she was on this pitch. For a fleeting moment, Emmy wondered if her father had felt this way before a rugby match. Then the ball came toward her, and she forgot all about him.
The first two matches were easy wins, but the third was tough. The Whitaker team was scrappy, and they had risen to Wellsworth’s level today. Finally, Mariam scored the winning goal in the last ten minutes of play. The final match was what everyone had expected: Wellsworth versus Saint Mary’s.
An official ushered the teams to the largest pitch, where the match would take place under the big stadium lights. The crowds had gotten bigger throughout the day, and by now, the stands were overflowing.
Emmy gulped. There sure were a lot of people wearing Saint Mary’s blue.
Lola took a swig of water and handed Emmy a fresh bottle. “Remember, their keeper has got a weak left side. She’s pretty good at reading the ball off your foot, though. So wait until the last moment to set up your shot.”
“Okay.”
“Stay away from the keeper’s right,” Lola said. “You’ll never beat her there.”
“Right.”
“And stay away from their defenders, because they’ll bash your ankles without the officials ever seeing a thing.”
Within five minutes of the first whistle, it was obvious that Lola hadn’t been exaggerating. The Saint Mary’s side was rough. Natalie’s ankle was already swelling like a softball, but she didn’t want to use up a substitution to get it checked out. Ten minutes later, Dillon took an elbow to the face, but it was behind the play and the official didn’t see it. By halftime, most of the team was battered and bruised, but they had managed to keep the Saint Mary’s forwards in check. The score was nil–nil.
“Better keep an eye out,” Lola warned Emmy. “You’ve had the best chances so far, so they’re going to make you their target now.”
Lola was right. Every time she touched the ball, Emmy was swarmed by two or sometimes three people. But the Wellsworth defenders were just as solid, and when they headed into stoppage time, there was still no score.
Emmy was running slower and breathing harder now, and she wasn’t the only one. Both teams kept turning the ball over, but no one seemed to be able to get it out of the midfield.
Finally, Lola got past her defender and moved the ball up the pitch. Emmy sprang forward. It might be their last chance before extra time. She moved into the box and made sure she knew where the last defender was. Stay onside, Emmy. You’ve got to stay onside.
Lola kicked the ball forward and Emmy ran to meet it, reached back, and—
WHAM!
She hit the ground hard and clutched her knee. It felt like someone had bashed it with a two-by-four. She looked up and saw a Saint Mary’s defender looking down at her with a smug grin.
“Whoops!” the girl said.
Emmy’s eyes were watering. She’d never been kicked that hard before. She looked around for the official. This had to be worth a foul.
Finally, the official came over. “You all right?”
Emmy nodded.
“Good,” she said curtly. Then she reached into her pocket, pulled out a yellow card, and pointed to the goal. Emmy glared at the Saint Mary’s defender and smirked. She was going to get a penalty shot.
Emmy rubbed her aching knee. She had to numb the pain, or she wouldn’t even be able to get up, let alone get off a decent shot. Finally, she stood up and took a few painful steps. It was agony. But there was no way she was going to let the Saint Mary’s keeper know that.
She had to tune it all out: her teammates’ screams, the crowd’s cheers, and the pulsing pain in her knee.
She stared at the keeper. Weak left side, but she knows it. That’s where she’ll expect me to go.
The official had placed the ball. It was now or never.
She took a deep breath and attacked. She reached back with her right foot, bent her throbbing knee, and kicked. The ball rolled up her toes and curled right. The keeper dove left, and a moment later, the ball was in the back of the net.
• • •
The common room was boisterous that night. Madam Boyd had left early—she couldn’t exactly approve of their partying, but she didn’t seem too interested in stopping it. Even Victoria was in a good mood, and Emmy couldn’t help but notice the gold chain dangling from her neck.
“I see you found your locket,” she said.
“Eventually, though I did have to put a lot of effort into looking for it.”
“Where was it?”
“Behind the dresser, and don’t bother gloating about it. I’m still not convinced you didn’t put it there.”
Emmy rolled her eyes and took another swig of ginger ale.
A few hours later, the party was still in full swing, but Emmy could barely keep her eyes open. “I’m going to bed.”
“You can’t go yet,” Natalie protested.
“Yeah,” Jaya said, “you’re the American who won the game. It’s not even that late!”
“Seriously guys, I’m beat.”
“But I haven’t even pulled up my karaoke app yet!” Cadel said as he madly tapped away on his phone.
Lola gripped Emmy’s arm. “You cannot leave me alone down here if Cadel’s going to use that app again. Last time he started singing reggae—badly.”
The other team members begged Emmy to stay, but she was exhausted. She trudged up the stairs, opened the door to her room, and gasped.
It looked like a tornado had ripped through her half of the room. Everything had been dumped out of her suitcases. The mattress had been pulled off the bed, and her bedspread and pillows slashed open, the stuffing littering the floor. Her textbooks were scattered around the room, and some had their pages ripped out of the bindings. Even the pockets of her jeans and blazers had been torn out. Someone had been looking for something…and they were really angry when they did it.
A pulse started beating in Emmy’s temples. Victoria. Who else would do something like this? Who else would destroy her things out of spite?
Emmy slammed her hand against the door and ran down the stairs. Something had finally snapped. She kept running until she reached Victoria and shoved her so hard she fell back onto the couch. “What is wrong with you? What kind of person would do that over a stupid locket?”
The common room went silent, and Victoria stared at Emmy like she had turned into Sasquatch. “Are you completely mental?”
“ME? You’re the one who’s lost her mind!”
“I don’t even know what you’re talking about!” Victoria shouted.
Emmy put her hands on her hips. “Yeah right, I guess my stuff just trashed itself then!”
Victoria’s jaw dropped, but Emmy just shook her head. Victoria could pretend all she wanted, but Emmy knew what she had done.
People started muttering to each other. Victoria pushed past Emmy and raced up the stairs. Most of the girls followed after her, and even some of the boys went up to see the damage for themselves.
Lola passed Victoria on the stairs and reached the room first. She looked inside and swore. Victoria raced in after her and put a shaky hand to her mouth.
“Come on,” Emmy scoffed, “your stuff’s fine. Of course, it’s fine, you’re the one who did this!”
Victoria looked straight at Emmy. “I didn’t do any of this.”
“Oh, really? You’re the one who was complaining about how much ‘effort’ it took to find your locke
t!”
“I was talking about the effort it took to move the dresser!” Victoria protested.
“I know it was you, so don’t even bother trying to weasel out of this one!”
“All right, that’s enough!” Lola pushed Emmy and Victoria away from each other and stood in between them. “It’s a good thing my mum’s already gone back to the teacher dorms or you’d both be in for it by now! We’re not going to figure this out tonight, so everyone should just get to bed.”
“I don’t have a bed!” Emmy said.
“Arabella went home for the weekend, so you can sleep in my room,” Lola said.
“But—”
Lola pressed her hand on Emmy’s shoulder. “Emmy, let’s just leave it for now.” She was talking quietly now, and her voice was serious, almost urgent. “Come on, let’s just go to bed.”
Half an hour later, Emmy pulled on a pair of Lola’s pajamas and yanked the covers off Arabella’s bed. “I don’t know why she’s bothering to deny it.”
“I don’t know,” Lola said. “That’s pretty extreme…even for Victoria.”
“But we know she was looking for that stupid locket today, and the person who ransacked my room was definitely looking for something. And her stuff was totally fine—not a single one of her things was out of place.”
“I know, but Victoria never does anything that could actually get her into trouble. Besides, doing that much damage to your stuff would have been hard work. That’s not exactly Victoria’s style.”
“But who else could it have been?”
Lola sat down on her own bed and drummed her fingers on her pillow. “I keep thinking about what my mum told us. About keeping your dad a secret.”
“What about it?”
Lola shifted uneasily. “You said Brynn was there when you told Jonas about your dad.”
“Yeah.”
“It takes a lot to put my mum off, and she was really rattled when she found out who your dad was. If she’s nervous about people finding out about him, there has to be a really good reason.”
“You think someone from the Order ransacked my room?”
“Victoria’s just not that good an actress,” Lola said. “She was completely shocked when she saw your stuff. I really don’t think it was her. And it’s like you said: Who else could it have been?”
Emmy put her head on Arabella’s pillow and pulled the covers up to her chin. “What do you think they were looking for?” she asked, even though she already knew the answer.
Lola paused. “I think it’s a good thing Jack had your dad’s box today.”
CHAPTER 17
Staying or Going
Emmy rubbed her eyes. Why did her blanket smell funny? Like perfume and old nail polish. She looked at the comforter and groaned. Right. She was in Arabella’s bed. Because her bed was trashed. She got dressed and walked to her room, where she found Lola and Madam Boyd sitting on her overturned mattress.
“When did you discover this had happened?” Madam Boyd didn’t bother with any pleasantries this morning.
“Last night, when I was going to bed. I thought it was Victoria, she was looking for that stupid locket—”
“And had you been in your room since you got back from the tournament?” Madam Boyd interrupted.
“Yeah, I threw my bag in here right after I got back.”
“And obviously you would have noticed if your room had been in this state then,” Madam Boyd said.
Emmy’s heart sank. She would have noticed.
“Then it couldn’t have been Victoria,” Lola said. “She was downstairs all evening.”
Madam Boyd put her hand on Emmy’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Emmy, but this is way beyond a roommate’s revenge. Someone is targeting you for something serious. I will do everything I can to find out who it is, but in the meantime, I think we need to send you home.”
Madam Boyd may as well have kicked Emmy in the gut. Send you home. Just the thought of being sent home knocked the wind out of her.
“I don’t think this was a random incident, and I am genuinely concerned for your safety,” Madam Boyd said.
“You can’t punish her when she hasn’t done anything wrong,” Lola said.
“She’s not being punished, she’s being protected. I don’t like it, either, but I have to put her safety above everything else.”
“But—”
“I’m going to speak to the headmaster about what is to be done.” Madam Boyd picked up her cane and left the room.
Emmy kicked Victoria’s chair. This was completely unfair. Whatever Madam Boyd said, being sent home was definitely a punishment, and she hadn’t even done anything wrong.
“I told her because I thought she might be able to help.” Lola usually looked like a bull ready to charge ahead with her next great plan. Now, she looked like a helpless puppy who didn’t know how to find her way home. “I didn’t think she’d try and send you away.”
“Just forget it,” Emmy mumbled. Madam Boyd would have found out eventually. Most of Audrey House and half of Edmund House had seen her trashed room the night before. There was still stuff everywhere, and it was making Emmy claustrophobic. She unfastened the window latch and pushed the glass wide open. Droplets of rain splashed off the window frame, bouncing and tapping at her fingers.
She breathed in the familiar smell of wet pine trees and salty sea air. The forest, the mudflats, the football pitch, the common room… They all meant something to her now. When had she started thinking of Wellsworth as home? How could she be so rooted in a place she’d lived for less than a year? No place had ever really felt like home in Connecticut, and she’d lived there all her life.
She leaned her head against the thick wooden window frame. Jonas had said this would happen. He said eventually this place would be in her blood, just like it was in his. Her lip started wobbling. She couldn’t let this happen. She couldn’t leave, not now.
Lola pressed her lips together and slapped Emmy on the shoulder. “We won’t let her send you away, and that’s all there is to it.”
“Does it really matter that much to you if I’m here?”
Lola crossed her arms and looked at the floor. “Of course it does. Let’s face it, most girls can’t stand me.”
Emmy giggled. “They don’t like me much, either. I guess we’re stuck with each other.”
Lola’s mouth twitched. “I guess so. Besides, I don’t want our team to have to find another striker.”
• • •
Madam Boyd had been gone all morning, and Emmy was sitting on a couch beside Lola…waiting.
“She can’t send you away,” Lola said for the hundredth time. “She just can’t.”
Emmy shrugged. If the headmaster agreed with Madam Boyd, she was out of here and that was that.
The common room door opened, and Madam Boyd strode in. “In my office, Miss Willick.” She looked annoyed. Was that a good sign or a bad sign? Maybe the headmaster was refusing to send Emmy home. Or maybe Madam Boyd had found out who had ransacked her room, and it was all some stupid prank.
“Sit down,” Madam Boyd said.
Emmy closed the office door and sat in a hard chair. She slipped her hands under her knees.
“I’ve spoken to the headmaster and to your mother,” Madam Boyd said.
Emmy pressed her lips together to stop herself from groaning. Getting her mom involved was the last thing she wanted.
“We all agree this is a very concerning incident. However, the headmaster doesn’t believe this is a matter of personal safety for you.”
Emmy took in a sharp breath. Did that mean what she thought it meant?
“He thinks the search was so thorough that there would be no point in anyone returning to your room.”
“So, I can stay?” Emmy asked.
Madam Boyd tapped her finge
rs on the desk. “He didn’t have all the facts, Emmy. I didn’t feel it was…appropriate to discuss your father or his history here.”
Emmy folded her arms across her chest. Madam Boyd could at least tell her about her father’s history. It wasn’t fair.
“I can’t make you leave. I’m going to ask you to make that choice for yourself. I beg you to consider the risks and—”
“I’ve already considered them. I’m staying.”
Madam Boyd nodded and stood up. “If that’s your decision, I won’t stand in your way.” She opened the door. “I—”
Lola tumbled into the room, and Emmy snickered. Lola wasn’t the subtlest eavesdropper. She struggled to her feet, and Madam Boyd snapped the door shut behind her.
“As you must already be aware, Miss Willick is choosing to stay at Wellsworth.”
Lola gave Emmy a thumbs-up sign.
“Which means I need a promise from both of you,” Madam Boyd said. “You will not be snooping into things that do not concern you. You will not be wandering at night. You will not be antagonizing others. Is that understood?” She fixed each of them with a tight stare.
They both nodded.
Madam Boyd looked straight at Lola. “And the part about not antagonizing people goes double for you.”
• • •
By the time Emmy got back to her ransacked room, she had three missed phone calls from her mother. It took a long time to convince her mom that everything was okay. She told her it was just a prank, that someone was just messing around. Emmy wished she could believe that herself.
Jonas came by to ask Emmy a few questions about her ransacked room. Then Emmy and Lola started the cleanup. It took all day to get the room livable again. Jaya gave Emmy her spare bedspread, and Natalie, who was about the same size as Emmy, lent her some jeans. By the end of the weekend, her room looked almost normal again.
The next morning, Jack didn’t turn up at breakfast, even though he should have gotten back the night before. At lunchtime, he ran into the Hall, grabbed a few apples, then ran back out without saying a word. They didn’t see him again until humanities class, when he slid through the library door just as the last bell rang.