Night School

He chuckled.

As she neared the light, she saw that he was sprawled in a chair with his foot propped up on a table between a couple of lighted candles. His forehead was neatly bandaged. He was holding a book, which he now dropped lightly on the floor.

There was another chair next to him, and he gestured at it.

‘Sit.’

‘Don’t tell me what to do,’ she muttered, as she sat.

He smiled darkly. ‘Sorry, I thought I was being polite.’

She ignored that. ‘How’s your head?’

He waved the question away. ‘I’m fine.’

There was a moment of silence.

‘So, what’s up?’ Allie asked to break the stillness. ‘Why did you want to meet me here? In case you’re hoping, I don’t dance.’

He shrugged. ‘I like it here. I’m always here. They never check it, I don’t know why.’

Lifting his foot from the table, he turned to face her. ‘I just want to know how you and Blondie ended up in the summerhouse tonight right when everything went down. Gabe left you both safely in the common room on the verge of a girly conversation about … shoes or lipstick or whatever girls talk about. Fifteen minutes later, you’re at the summerhouse in the pouring rain tying bandages. How did that happen, Allie?’

She dodged his eyes. ‘Jo just wanted to look for …’

He cut her off. ‘Oh, give it a rest, Allie. I’m not Isabelle.’

Surprised by his vehemence, she fumbled for something to say. ‘I … uh … Well …’

He sat still, studying her.

The same instinctive worry that stopped her from telling Isabelle told her not to tell Carter either. But she had to find out what was going on around here, and if anybody would know, he would.

‘Ruth. She came and got us.’

In the candlelight, his eyes were fathomless. She stared into them for a long, silent moment looking for a reaction, but saw nothing.

When he spoke, his voice was cold. ‘What did she say?’

Allie crossed her arms across her torso, visualising Ruth standing in front of her, water streaming from her hair and dripping onto the floor. Fear on her face.

‘She said Phil and Gabe were hurt. And something weird. I think she said “It went wrong.”’

Carter came out of his chair so fast that later she couldn’t remember seeing him do it. Holding her by her shoulders he seemed to tower over her. Allie recoiled.

With his lips a few inches away from hers he spoke in a harsh whisper. ‘You must never tell anybody else what Ruth did. Swear it.’

Allie stared up at him, and her lips moved for a second before any sound came out.

‘Yeah, sure. OK, I won’t tell anyone. Jesus, Carter.’

As if he’d just realised what he was doing, he let her go.

‘You’re freaking me out,’ Allie said, rubbing her shoulder. ‘What is your malfunction?’

Trying to look casual, he leaned against a pillar.

‘Sorry. But Ruth shouldn’t have done that and people might be pissed off if they knew. I don’t want her to get in trouble, so you really can’t say anything.’

‘Hey,’ she said icily. ‘No worries, mate. And while we’re all about honesty maybe you could tell me what tonight’s performance was about? How did you all end up cut to pieces in the middle of the forest?’

Crossing his arms, he looked at her coldly. A long silence fell.

‘Well, thanks for the inquisition and the threats and everything. It’s been really great. But I should probably be going.’ Allie affected her most bored expression.

Carter stared at her as if there was something else he wanted to say. In fact, she could almost pinpoint the moment when he decided not to say it.

‘You make a good bandage,’ he said instead. ‘Where’d you learn to do that? Crimea?’

She thought about just getting up and walking out. But she stayed. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe curiosity.

‘London,’ she said. ‘First aid class. Girl Guides.’

He raised one sardonic eyebrow. ‘You were in the Girl Guides? No way.’

She couldn’t figure out why they were having this jovial conversation after he’d just gone all Hannibal Lecter on her but she decided to go along with it.

‘Yes way. I was a kid then but that stuff stays with you. Bandage-tying. Butterfly-catching. Jam-making. I can do it all.’

He barked a short laugh but Allie didn’t smile. ‘What’s really going on around here, Carter? I mean, what happened to you tonight? Did you guys get in a fight? It looked really bad.’

If he’d closed a door in her face it couldn’t have been more clear. His eyes went blank.

‘Just let it go,’ he snapped. ‘And don’t ask anybody else either. Nobody will tell you a thing and people will get angry if they know you’re asking.’ He looked at his watch. ‘It’s nearly eleven. We have to go.’