‘Nothing,’ Allie wiped her cheeks with her sleeve. ‘Just… nothing.’ She cleared her throat. ‘What’s going on?’
‘I don’t know.’ Zoe motioned for her to hurry. Before Allie knew what was happening, she was following her down the stairs. ‘She just came out of her office in a bad mood and called for you. And you weren’t there and then she shouted.’ She paused. ‘Isabelle never shouts.’
Side by side, they sped down the curved staircase, hitting the ground floor at a run, skidding to a stop in front of the common room door. Zoe went in first.
‘Where’s Isabelle?’ she said, looking around. ‘I found Allie.’
Rachel and Nicole were waiting by the door.
‘In her office. She said for us to all come.’ Rachel’s eyes scanned Allie’s face, missing nothing. Her eyebrows arched up. Allie hurriedly turned away.
Zelazny stood just inside Isabelle’s office.
‘In,’ he growled. ‘Now.’
The two guards Nathaniel had returned earlier that night sat nervously in the chairs in front of Isabelle’s desk.
Isabelle and Eloise stood behind the desk, looking at something on a laptop screen – it was turned away from the girls, so Allie could see nothing.
Isabelle’s cheeks were pale, her lips set in a thin line.
Zelazny closed the door behind them.
‘Thank you for coming.’ Isabelle’s raised her eyes from the screen. ‘I’m afraid there’s something you need to see.’
Allie’s chest felt tight. She couldn’t breathe in this room. Everyone was scaring her.
He can’t be dead. God, please don’t let him be dead.
She couldn’t speak. Her lips felt nerveless.
‘What is it?’ Rachel asked, frowning.
The headmistress nodded at the two guards. ‘Tell them what you told us.’
Allie turned to them. Outside they’d just been shadows. This was the first time she’d got a good look at them. The one on the right had blond hair, cut short, and freckles. The one on the left had dark skin and short dark hair; he had a similar athletic build but looked a little older – more like Raj’s age.
‘He said to give you a web address,’ the older guard said hesitantly. ‘He said you should see what you’d done. He said… if you don’t give him the school the boy dies. He said “The clock is ticking.”’
A strange fuzzy sound filled Allie’s ears. She could see the others talking, but it was all muffled, distant.
The headmistress held up her hand, and the room fell silent.
Then she turned her laptop so they could see the screen.
Allie saw a body in a chair, chained, dark head slumped forward. At first, because of how the body was placed, she couldn’t make out his features. But she still knew. She recognised those shoulders. The line of his back.
Then he shifted on the hard wooden seat and looked up.
It was Carter.
16
Allie ran from Isabelle’s office to the girls’ bathroom down the hallway. Crashing through the doors of the first cubicle, she threw herself down on the cool tile floor, her stomach heaving.
When she’d finished vomiting, she didn’t get up. She just stayed where she was, her forehead resting on her crossed arms on the toilet seat. She kept seeing Carter in chains. It had been dark, and the picture was grainy but there was no question. It was him.
She wanted to weep but she had no tears left. This day had finished her.
First Nathaniel, then Sylvain. Now Carter.
She’d never felt more defeated.
She just wanted it to stop.
She didn’t know how long she’d been there when the bathroom door opened with a faint creak. ‘Allie? Are you in here?’
It was Isabelle.
Vaguely, Allie considered saying nothing. Maybe she’d just go away.
But she knew that wouldn’t work. The headmistress would search every cubicle.
Still, it took all of her strength to respond. ‘I’m here.’
There was a pause. ‘Are you OK?’
Allie didn’t want to talk to her. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. But she couldn’t hide forever.
With slow reluctance, she dragged herself to her feet and opened the cubicle door.
‘I’m fine.’
Isabelle ignored the lie. Her golden brown eyes scanned Allie’s face.
‘We’ve been monitoring Carter for nearly an hour now,’ she said gently. ‘He has water. He doesn’t look starved or drugged. We had the doctor take a look at the footage and she sees no signs of dehydration or catastrophic injury…’
‘He’s in chains, Isabelle.’ Allie cut her off. ‘He’s been there for days.’ Saying those words made it all real again. Her hands trembled. She crossed her arms tightly to hide the shaking. ‘He’s tied up like an… an animal…’
‘I know.’ Isabelle pulled her into a tight hug. Only when she felt the warmth of her body did Allie realise how cold she was.
‘We’re going to figure this out,’ the headmistress vowed, still holding her close. ‘We’ll get him back. I promise.’
Allie didn’t want promises now. She wanted facts. And the truth.
She extricated herself from Isabelle’s arms.