Night School

‘If Sylvain’s your boyfriend they won’t dare be anything but nice.’


Before Allie could ask what she meant she said, ‘Right, enough frolicking. We need fifteen hundred words before dinner, which is in …’ she checked the delicate gold watch on her wrist, ‘just over three hours.’

‘Fascist,’ Allie said.

But she was already writing.

At dinner that night all discussion centred on rumours that the school grounds were now opened to students ‘within reason’. The problem was, nobody knew what that meant.

‘Does it mean we can go outside again without dying?’ Lisa asked, flipping her long hair over one shoulder.

‘Nobody died, Lisa.’

Allie thought Gabe’s tone was unnecessarily sharp.

Lisa just shrugged and nibbled her salad.

‘I’ll bet it’s perfectly safe,’ Phil said, his voice deliberately measured, ‘but I was just thinking of going to the common room.’

‘Same here,’ Gabe said quickly.

‘Not me. I’m going out. I’ve had just about enough of inside.’

Jo’s voice was emphatic but she didn’t meet Gabe’s eyes. He was staring at her intently, but she just looked around the table pretending not to notice.

‘Jo …’ His tone was ominous, but she just shot him a warning look.

‘What?’

Throwing his napkin down, Gabe shoved his chair back and stood up, muttering, ‘I’m not hungry any more.’

He stormed out without looking back.

There was a brief awkward silence while everybody pretended not to notice what had happened right in front of them. Allie saw Phil and Lucas exchange a look.

Ruth tried to distract everyone by launching into a story about a science experiment, but her voice gradually trailed off.

‘Right, well, I’m pretty much done. Jo?’ Allie said loyally.

Jo gave her a grateful smile and followed her out. Allie waited until they were far enough away from the table to be certain they wouldn’t be overheard.

‘What was that about?’

Jo was hurrying down the hall, and for a second she didn’t answer; when she did, her tone was bitter. ‘Well, obviously Gabe doesn’t want me to go outside because it’s not safe. And obviously Gabe wants to act like I’m a child and he’s the parent and can tell me what to do. Which I hate. I’ve already got two useless parents, thanks. I don’t need another.’

She moved through the ornate entrance hall so quickly that Allie was nearly running to keep up by the time they reached the front door. Jo shoved it open impatiently and they both stopped, side by side at the top of the stairs.

‘Well,’ Allie said, looking up at the innocent blue evening sky. ‘It looks perfectly safe to me.’

‘I hope it isn’t,’ Jo said. ‘Last one to die loses.’

Laughing, she dashed down the stairs with Allie right behind, and they hurtled onto the empty grass. For a few minutes they danced on the lawn, twirling circles in the freedom of the fresh air.

‘Wait,’ Allie said breathlessly, reaching for Jo’s arm. ‘Where are we going?’

They slowed to a more leisurely pace.

‘Good question. Some place where Gabe won’t find me and drag me back inside like a caveman.’ She thought for a moment. ‘Have you ever been in the chapel?’

Allie made a face. ‘No, but I’ve raked its grass.’

‘Oh yeah. I forgot that detention thing. It’s actually pretty cool. There’s some ancient poetry on the walls in, like, a million languages. It’s super-old.’

The chapel was out in the woods, and Allie glanced in that direction uncertainly – Jo’s manic behaviour was starting to worry her.

‘Is it safe to go right now?’ she asked. ‘I mean with all that’s been happening?’

‘Probably not,’ Jo said, smiling wickedly. ‘Are you coming or what?’

Without looking back, she headed off across the grass towards the trees.





TEN


The sun glinted off Jo’s bright blonde hair as she sped across the lawn, and Allie hesitated for only a moment before speeding after her. As her feet carried her swiftly across the grass, she felt a rush of exhilaration so powerful that she laughed out loud when she caught up with Jo a few seconds later.

‘Hurry up!’ she shouted as she passed her.

Once they were in the forest, though, the blue sky disappeared, and with it the light. In the shadows, they slowed to a walk and some of Allie’s courage left her.

‘It’s always so dark in here,’ she said.

Jo didn’t seem concerned. ‘Forests are like that. You city girls just don’t understand the countryside. There’s only one thing to do in spooky forests.’ She gave Allie a light, joking shove. ‘Run.’

Jo ran ahead down the path with Allie right behind her. The ferns lining the path brushed softly against their ankles. Their laughter echoed hollowly off the trees. But Allie was still jumpy. The sounds of the forest – wind blowing through the trees, a bird call, a twig snapping underfoot – all made her nerves twitch.