Night School

Flushing at the memory of her humiliation, Allie nodded.

‘We don’t get new students here in the middle of summer term who don’t have a strong connection to the school. Like their parents are on the board. Or their whole family studied here. Something like that,’ Carter explained. ‘All I was trying to find out was which one of those you were. But you’re none of them. You don’t have any connections to the school at all.’

He met her gaze directly. ‘That just doesn’t happen.’

Clinging to the branch with her knees, Allie chewed on her thumbnail as she tried to process what he was telling her. Evening was encroaching on the summer sun, and it was getting harder to make out his features in the fading light.

‘I don’t know what to tell you,’ Allie said. ‘My parents said the police recommended Cimmeria – or at least,’ she stopped to think, ‘they sort of said that. But they were all top secret about it before we came here. They wouldn’t even tell me where the school was. I still don’t know the name of the nearest town. The whole thing was all rushed and weird and James Bond-y.’

Carter shook his head. ‘The police in London wouldn’t have recommended this school because they wouldn’t ever have heard of this school. So your parents lied to you. Now, why would they do a thing like that?’

Feeling her heart pound crazily, Allie tried to breathe normally and not panic. (Five breaths in, four breaths out.)

‘You know what, Carter?’ Her voice was tight and she swallowed hard. ‘You’re right. I really don’t know where I am.’

‘Then you need to find out,’ Carter said. ‘And you need to decide pretty fast who you’re going to trust.’





EIGHTEEN


This was all too much for Allie to handle. Shivering now, she wrapped her arms around her torso. ‘Carter, if you’re trying to scare the crap out of me? You’ve totally succeeded. So, can you stop now?’

For a long minute he said nothing, then he sighed heavily. ‘I’m sorry to dump all this on you. And I really don’t want to scare you. But I do want you to realise this is all serious.’

‘I knew this was serious the second I fell down in a puddle of Ruth’s blood,’ she snapped. ‘I get it, OK? I freakin’ get it. We’re in a lot of trouble. Something messed up is going on. People are dying. This school is really weird. And I don’t belong here.’

Carter slid along the branch until he was so close to her their knees touched, and pulled her into a hug. At first she tried to push him away, but he held her tight.

‘I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be doing this to you. I just don’t want you to get hurt,’ he said.

Taking a tremulous breath, she allowed herself to relax in his arms. The warmth of his body felt like security.

Letting her go, he leaned back far enough to see her face. ‘I was trying to freak you out, but only because I’m worried about what might happen. The thing is, I came out here today to convince you to go back home.’

Surprised, she looked up at him as he continued, fumbling now with his words. ‘I figured they’d let you go because of, like, mental stress or whatever.’

She opened her mouth to argue, but he continued before she could speak. ‘Only, I decided that I really didn’t want you to. Go, I mean. What I mean is … I really hope you’ll stay. We’ll figure out what to do.’

‘I think we’ll have to,’ Allie said simply, ‘because I haven’t got any place to go any more.’

In the darkness, Allie couldn’t see his eyes when he replied. ‘Then you’re just like me.’

Carter looked up at the sky where the last light was now fading away. ‘We better go in. It’s getting late.’

Jumping down from the branch with athletic grace, he turned and put his hands around her waist to lift her down. She held onto his shoulders as he set her on her feet. His eyes held hers for a second, then he turned towards the gate.

‘Step on it, Sheridan,’ he said, his voice rough.

‘I’m right behind you.’

As they hurried back down the wooded path the sun disappeared entirely, and with the dark came disquiet. Allie looked around as they jogged in the gloaming, trying to sense movement or danger in the forest around them. The breeze blowing through the tops of the pine trees made a mournful hum. She could tell that Carter was hyper-aware of every sound – his eyes were watchful – and she stuck close to his side, matching him stride for stride. Neither of them spoke until they reached the treeline and the school came into view. They stopped to catch their breath at the edge of the school lawn.

Even though Allie knew nothing was safe any more, she was still glad to see the school, with lights shining through its leaded windowpanes, and her spirits rose just a little.