“Do you remember your father’s parents at all?”
“I think I remember them visiting when I was younger. But I don’t remember anyone else.” I paused. “Part of me isn’t sure if I remember or if Marie told me. I know my grandfather used to watch baseball games. You didn’t mention it to me?”
He nodded slowly. “We didn’t know if it should be believed, and it was very little to go on, anyway. We tried to look up your family on his side, but we were having trouble locating them. And during the time, we didn’t want to bring it up with everything else going on.”
I reached up absently to scratch at my cheek. I couldn’t blame them for being careful with anything she had said. “I’m not sure I would be ready to believe it, either.”
“We can’t dismiss the possibility entirely, but there’s more going on now.” He reached out for my hand, tugging it away from my body and squeezed it. Looking into my eyes, he spoke. “Dr. Green said you enjoy Frappuccino, I believe? Shall we pick a couple up on the way in to the high school?”
Despite the surprising information about my father and this supposed cousin, his gentle tone and offer for getting something to drink made me feel like we weren’t about to discuss my family’s dark secrets. We were merely about to go on an outing together.
Should it bother me that the information about my real mother didn’t concern me much?
Somehow being out from under the thumbs of my step mother and my real father made the harder parts of life a little easier to deal with. If I knew the truth, what would change? My mother was still dead. My step mother and real father didn’t want me. I’d still be with the guys.
Knowing the truth wouldn’t lead to any consequence other than knowing what really happened.
But part of me was still curious, and somewhat afraid of the truth. I hid this feeling from him, agreeing to get up and get going.
What if I was wrong with it not changing my life?
???
Later, Mr. Blackbourne and I were in the silver BMW. He wore his usual gray suit, white shirt, maroon tie combination. I hadn’t needed to shower, since I’d bathed last night. He changed in the closet while I was getting ready. We’d slipped out of the house without coming across anyone.
I wore a school uniform, with a patch on the jacket, something that Gabriel had designed months ago for themselves. Instead of pants like the others wore, I wore a gray pleated skirt. The white shirt underneath the jacket was kept unbuttoned at the collar for easier access to the cell phone tucked away in my bra.
The outfit was surprisingly comfortable.
“People will notice,” I said, smoothing my fingers over the patch. “With me like this.”
“Part of the plan,” he said. “Today, we want people to know you’re with us.”
No complaints from me for that. Many suspected I was, anyway, and I had to lie and say I wasn’t. The change would be interesting, especially since it would be my first day back.
He glanced over at me. “But you haven’t said anything about your sister. Do you think she knows?”
On the drive, we’d stopped by a Starbucks, where he purchased a Mocha Frappuccino for me and some sort of herbal tea for himself. He picked up a protein box as well. We split the fruit and hardboiled eggs between us. He tried my drink, but puckered after a couple of sips, saying it was very sweet to him.
During that time, he talked about what was happening with Nathan, how he was coerced into letting Danielle and Marie spend the night, and then further was asked to get Marie, and Danielle, out of school in exchange for information on my mother’s real name.
“She’s been in the house with my mother, and monitored, right?” I asked Mr. Blackbourne.
He nodded, focusing on the road. “This is the sort of thing we hope to hear about. We’ve been listening.”
“I’m not sure how she’d learn without someone overhearing as well.” I paused. “But...maybe...”
“Maybe what?”
“Maybe she remembers a name. Maybe she remembers more than I do about relatives coming by the house. But if she died...there’s no way she would remember meeting her. She was one when I was born.”
He was quiet for a moment, considering the thought. “What do you think about giving them what they want?”
“I don’t know why Danielle wants out of school. Wouldn’t her parents notice?”
“I imagine she wants more than just being allowed out of school,” he said. “This shouldn’t have been a surprise. We knew about her getting called in to see Mr. Hendricks, but it was the same questions and empty threats.”
“We should have stopped those before.”
He frowned. “And we should have done much more. We did coach her a bit about what to say to Hendricks and let her know the threats were empty. Your sister should have been monitored at school more closely and whenever she left the house.”
“I didn’t know she was leaving the house.”
“It isn’t often, but we monitored where she was going. Our concern for her safety and catching information didn’t extend to following her everywhere. Just within the house.” He looked over at me quickly. “I think we failed you there.”
“There was no way to know,” I said. “I should have been in touch with her to find out what I could. We can’t prepare for everything. You can’t put cameras up at Danielle’s house, too.” As for her getting called into Hendricks, that was something I should have known would happen. If I wasn’t there, he was going to ask her about me.
He pulled to a stop, waiting for a red light to change. “Let’s wait to talk about the rest when we’re with the others.”
Mr. Blackbourne and I remained quiet for the rest of the drive to Ashley Waters.
It was difficult to put out of my mind the family issues I was facing, with Marie knowing about my real mother, with Danielle possibly knowing the same information and using her to get what she wanted. I think that bothered me more than learning the possibility of who my mother really was.
That Marie wouldn’t come tell me when she figured it out. That she went to Nathan, not me. Maybe it was all Danielle. Maybe it was a trick. That’s what had me concerned. Thinking how they could manipulate us by withholding information showed me we needed to protect them from learning anything else about what the Academy could really do.
Ashley Waters High School’s drab brown brick building hadn’t changed much since a few weeks ago. The bushes along one side appeared dead mid-winter, blending in with the brickwork.
Mr. Blackbourne parked where the student lot and the teacher lot met, split only by a drab grass-covered divide one could easily drive over. Students were already arriving, parking in prime positions to escape easily during the after-school rush.
When he parked, he rushed around, opening my door for me before I had to chance to even release the seatbelt. I appreciated the nicety, something I was getting used to as part of the culture in the South.
“Should we be concerned about...what people think?” I asked. “I mean with me arriving with you?”
“Not today,” he said simply. “When we walk in, stay by my side. You’re officially one of us now.”
One of them.
I swallowed and smoothed my hands across the outfit once, making sure everything was neat. Nerves electrified inside me. I’d already been gone a week since winter break ended and school started again. Unfortunately, I wasn’t invisible any more, and I thought of a few people who might ask questions.
And everyone would notice the uniform. The boys being in uniform was one thing. Adding in a girl was another.
And I’d be the only one.
I trusted this was part of a plan of some sort. There was nothing they did that wasn’t part of a plan. I had a feeling this wasn’t for students, though. Our focus was Mr. Hendricks. This was meant as some sort of intimidation. Some sort of shake up.