Night School: Resistance (Night School 4)

She settled on to the deep leather sofa and pulled out her books, looking through her assignments with increasing alarm. All the teachers had given out work but the worst was history. When she and Sylvain finally returned to Zelazny’s class, they’d found him giving everyone a huge essay to write.

‘We are looking,’ he’d said, his voice jumping a little as he wrote on the board, ‘at the age of Empire. Particularly, the structure of government and the ramifications for all citizens …’

He’d droned on for ages.

Now she had a week to write three thousand words on something she knew nothing about.

Muttering to herself, she flipped through her text book, but it was soon obvious it contained far too little information.

‘Bugger it.’ She sighed, standing up. ‘I’ve got to go to the library.’

‘I love the library,’ Zoe said without looking up.

Allie couldn’t take much more of her earnestness. She headed for the door, leaving her bag behind. ‘I’m off. If I’m not back in an hour, send a search party.’

‘How could you get lost in the library?’ Zoe looked baffled.

Allie held up her hands in surrender. Zoe didn’t get irony in the best of circumstances – she should have known better.

‘It’s just a stupid thing people say.’

‘People shouldn’t say stupid things,’ Zoe grumbled.

Relieved to leave the conversation behind, Allie stepped out into the hushed main hallway. Her footsteps echoed around her so loudly it sounded as if she was being followed. By the time she reached the library she was getting jumpy.



The library door opened with a shushing sound, as if quiet just sort of started in the doorway.

All the tables were unoccupied – the green glass desk lamps glowed for no one.

A series of thumps split the silence and she turned to see Eloise piling books on a cart. She had a notepad in her hand as she arranged the books into stacks. It was the first time she’d seen the librarian looking anything other than nervous since she’d returned to the school.

Allie cleared her throat and Eloise jumped.

Now she looked nervous.

‘Sorry.’ Allie gave an apologetic wave. ‘Didn’t mean to scare you.’

‘Not to worry,’ Eloise said, straightening her glasses. ‘I just didn’t hear you come in.’

‘The door …’ Allie said, apologetically. ‘You should add squeak to it.’

Eloise accepted this with a quick nod.

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Of course.’ As if adding squeak to a door was a completely reasonable suggestion. Then she went back to her work.

Eloise had once been a confident, warm, friendly teacher. She was much younger than the other teachers and had always been the one the students could relate to.

Now, she looked older. She seemed more fragile, too – her nails were bitten to the quick. Some part of Allie did feel for her.

But, fragile or not, Eloise was still one of the three teachers suspected of working for Nathaniel. In fact, Allie wasn’t meant to be alone with her at all.

Turning away, she trudged through the forest of shelves. The long, shadowy room was lined on both sides by rows of tall, dark bookshelves. Each soared up at least ten feet. The top shelves were higher than the heavy, metal light fixtures that hung from the ceiling by chains.

Thick, Persian rugs absorbed her footsteps but there was no one to disturb.

She turned into the stacks at the history section. Large, leather books lined the shelves – some as old as the time period they covered. She traced her fingers across the gold-embossed titles looking for something useful, but soon realised the books were mostly about the eighteenth century. A century too early for the purposes of her research.

Her head down, still lost in thought, she turned the corner to the next aisle.

And ran headlong into Carter, nearly tripping in the process.



He grabbed her shoulders to keep her from falling. ‘Steady.’

Holding his arms for balance she glanced up at him in surprise.

He was looking down at her with the oddest expression, as if he’d dreamed her up. As if he was contemplating kissing her.

And, for some crazy reason, she found herself wishing he would. She was hyper-aware of the way his leg pressed against hers. She could feel each of his fingers on her shoulders. Feel his breath warm against her cheek.

What is wrong with me? she wondered.

He had Jules and she had Sylvain and this was over between the two of them forever. They’d agreed that last term. They were friends for life.

And yet, for a frozen second neither of them moved.

Then the shutters went down over Carter’s gaze and he stepped back, disentangling himself from her.

‘History essay?’ He spoke casually, as if the moment had not just happened. The strange longing look was completely gone from his expression.

‘Naturally.’ Copying him, she affected nonchalance, but her voice sounded too high and thin. She cleared her throat and tried to force herself to sound cool. ‘You too?’