Night School

‘What … what do you mean?’ Allie replied warily.

‘I broke a lot of rules to let you into this school.’ Isabelle’s voice was clipped with anger. ‘Was I wrong?’

As Allie felt fear uncurl in her stomach there was a quick tap at the door.

‘Come.’ Isabelle’s voice was a command.

Sylvain stepped into the room. He glanced around, avoiding Allie’s eyes, then shut the door behind him and leaned his back against it.

Her heart sinking, Allie turned back to the front. ‘I don’t understand,’ she said. ‘What have I done?’

‘I gave explicit instructions that students were not to go outside, and I find that not only have you been sitting up on the roof drinking with Jo Arringford, you’ve also been to the chapel. I ask you, what am I to think, Allie, except that you are insubordinate?’

Allie stared at her, mouth agape. How did she know about the chapel?

Carter leaned forward. ‘Hang on, Isabelle. She went to the chapel because I asked her to. I was with her all the way. She was safe.’

‘And Jo was very upset,’ Allie said. ‘I was afraid she’d get hurt. I was just trying to help her.’

Isabelle’s glare was icy. ‘A bottle falling off the roof missed a student by inches. If he’d been hit we would have been liable. Glass, and might I add, vodka, are scattered around the front door.’

Allie was so stunned and angry she had to drop her eyes so Isabelle couldn’t see the rage in her expression. Ruth dies, the school burns, and she’s worried about being sued over broken glass?

Isabelle shifted her attention to Carter. ‘And why, may I ask, were you with her all the way? You know the rules.’

‘After what happened with Ruth and Lisa, Allie was upset. She was thinking of leaving the school,’ Carter explained. ‘I wanted her to be able to talk freely without fear of being overheard.’

Impressed at how smoothly he used truth to, well … lie, Allie shot a glance at Isabelle to see how she was taking it. She didn’t look impressed.

‘I appreciate that Allie was upset, but there are places where that conversation could have happened in this building, Carter,’ she said dryly. ‘And I do not like it when my rules are blatantly ignored, particularly when they have been set out so clearly, and so recently.’

Carter held out his hands, palms up. ‘Well then I should apologise, not Allie. I was the one who suggested the chapel. At first she even refused to go because she didn’t want to break your rules, but I convinced her. If anyone was insubordinate it was me. But I did it for reasons I thought were right.’

Carter’s voice was surprisingly confident, Allie thought. His tone was more like that of a son placating an angry mother than a student addressing a headmistress.

‘May I, Isabelle?’ Sylvain looked at the headmistress enquiringly, and she gave him a brief nod.

‘Carter, you not only disobeyed Isabelle’s instructions, but mine as well,’ he said, his elegant French vowels curling around each word. ‘And in doing that you put Allie in danger, and that is unacceptable.’

For the first time in this conversation Carter looked tense. Allie saw him clench his hands into fists and then very deliberately relax them in his lap. He said nothing.

Isabelle sighed. ‘Enough. Carter and Allie, this was a serious infraction of the rules I set out last night. I understand that you’re both still upset because of what happened on Friday night, otherwise you would both face detention and written warnings. Instead I am telling you now that another such infraction will not be permitted.’

‘What’s going to happen to Jo?’ The question burst from Allie’s lips before she could stop herself.

Isabelle shot her a sharp look. ‘Let’s start with what exactly happened on the roof this morning, Allie, shall we?’

Allie told her about finding the note, noticing the open window, and then climbing up to find Jo on the roof, and of all that transpired.

‘I really didn’t know what else to do, except to help her,’ she explained. ‘Is she OK?’

‘Four of Jo’s fingernails were torn off,’ Isabelle said, ‘and one hand has a deep cut. She’s badly bruised. All of these wounds were presumably incurred when she fell. She is also drunk. As her wounds are largely superficial and drunkenness is temporary, she’s been treated by nurses and sedated. She will remain in the infirmary until we decide her punishment. Her parents will be notified.’

‘Will she be … expelled?’ Allie gripped the arms of her chair so tightly her knuckles paled.

Isabelle looked disapproving. ‘I will not discuss disciplinary actions regarding other students with you, Allie.’

Matthew leaned over to whisper something in her ear. When he finished, Isabelle turned to Allie. ‘You may leave now, Allie. I would like to speak with Carter in private for a moment.’

Allie glanced at Carter, but he was looking straight ahead as she walked from the room. She noticed that Sylvain and Matthew both stayed behind.