Night School: Legacy

‘He’s gone,’ he said.

Allie could breathe more easily without his weight on her chest. She could think more easily, too, with him further away. Even though she hadn’t wanted Carter to stop, some part of her was glad they were interrupted. She cared for Carter. Maybe loved Carter. But she wasn’t sure she was ready for what might have happened if Jerry hadn’t walked into the room. It all seemed to happen so fast. They’d gone from kissing to something more just like that. And suddenly it had been like a merry-go-round spinning too quickly for her to jump off safely. She’d had her chance to jump when it was going slow at the beginning but she hadn’t done it. So what did all this mean? Could she jump off now, and go back to just kissing? Or was she required to stay on for the entire ride?

A worried frown rumpled her brow. When he noticed, Carter reached over and smoothed a hair from her eyes.

‘He wouldn’t have been too cross,’ he said, with a lazy, unworried smile. He clearly believed she was just fretting about nearly being caught. She let him think that’s all that concerned her. Now wasn’t the time to talk about sex. Was it? ‘But he probably wouldn’t have been very happy either,’ Carter continued. ‘He’d have taken us straight to Isabelle. And she’d have forgiven us after a lecture about safety.’

Imagining Isabelle looking at her with disappointment, Allie flushed and sat up. ‘It’s fine, though,’ she said. ‘He didn’t see us.’ For the first time, she thought about what they’d overheard and turned to look at Carter. ‘What was that all about?’

‘Sounded like another angry parent.’

‘I didn’t know teachers had phones,’ Allie said.

‘Some do.’

Stretched out on the floor he watched her, his eyes serious, as she re-buttoned her shirt. Feeling suddenly shy, she looked down until her hair swung forward to hide her face.

Sitting up, he pulled her against him so her forehead rested against his, and she looked into his eyes.

‘Everything is OK,’ he whispered. ‘I promise.’


‘Where the hell am I?’

It was just before nine o’clock as Allie hurried down a narrow basement corridor. Carter had given her thorough instructions to the gym and training rooms but it all seemed to be taking too long and she had the sinking feeling she was lost.

The basement gave her the creeps. The ceiling was so low it felt like a long coffin; the harsh green-yellow fluorescent lights made everything look like a television crime scene. The corridor was lined with closed doors – most of them unmarked. A thud that seemed to emanate from the wall beside her made her jump.

Just the pipes, she told herself, having no idea at all why pipes would make such a noise.

When something creaked above her head a few seconds later, she refused to look up.

Just someone walking upstairs. But her heart thudded in her ears.

Then a skittering sound from just behind her and a rush of air. Before she could react, someone flew by her at speed, knocking into her hard and stepping on her foot as she passed.

Already jumpy, Allie recoiled, bashing into the wall.

Ahead, a slight girl with a brunette ponytail paused and glanced back at her.

How could something so small cause so much pain? Allie thought, grabbing her foot and hopping in panlace.

‘Hey!’ she snapped. ‘Like … Ouch?’

Bird-like, the girl tilted her head to one side, studying her for a quick second.

‘Sucks to be you.’ Her voice was high-pitched and unsympathetic; Allie gaped as she dashed around a bend in the hallway and disappeared.

‘Bloody, bloody, bloody hell,’ she muttered, limping after her.

She followed the girl around the corner, only to find an empty hallway stretching on for what looked like for ever.

‘Where in the name of holy hell is this useless, pointless, stupid gym?’ she muttered.

As if she’d summoned it, a set of double doors appeared on her left, with opaque glass windows with the word ‘Gym’ written above them in faded letters.

‘Oh.’

Carter had said the training room was across from it. Turning in a circle, she saw a door marked only with the word ‘One’. Training Room One.

Taking a deep breath, she turned the handle.

The room was dimly lit, small and crowded. About thirty students stood around on the blue exercise matting.

She was just closing the door behind her when the rumble of conversation diminished, and Zelazny, at the centre, of the room, shouted, ‘Quiet please! Let’s get started.’

Noticing Allie standing in the doorway his expression soured.

‘Nice of you to join us, Sheridan. One second later and you’d have had the shortest Night School career in the school’s history.’