Instantly, she took a step towards the staircase. Jerry was usually the most laid-back of the teachers so his anger caught her off guard. A puzzled frown crossed Sylvain’s face before he smoothed it away. ‘Sorry, Jerry. We were just going.’
But Jerry’s reply startled them both. ‘Do it quicker.’
The science teacher stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching as they walked up side by side.
‘What’s wrong with him?’ Allie whispered without looking at Sylvain.
His reply was equally stealthy. ‘Not sure.’ At the landing they glanced back – Jerry was still there.
As they separated to head to their respective dorms, Sylvain caught her eye, arching one expressive eyebrow; she responded with a tiny bewildered shrug.
They both nearly smiled.
Amid all that was happening, Allie still worried about Jo. Two weeks after Truth or Dare she was keeping Allie at arm’s length, and the schism left Allie feeling lonelier than ever. She was determined to fix it – not just for herself but for Jo.
Much as the idea of the ball frightened Allie, she imagined it must be worse for Jo.
So she decided to do something about it. After supper the next day, she tracked Jo down in the library where she studied alone at a table, her short blonde hair backlit into a halo by the glow from the brass desk lamp.
‘Hey,’ Allie whispered to a student nearby, ‘can I borrow a piece of paper?’
Looking thrilled that she’d spoken to him, he handed her a sheet.
‘And a pen.’ Allie gestured impatiently.
Without a hint of hesitation he handed her the one he was using and waited as she scrawled out a quick note.
J
Come and talk to me outside. PLEASE. I miss you.
I’m sorry.
Ax
‘Thanks,’ she told the star-struck student, handing him back his pen. ‘Do me a favour. Go and hand this note to that girl.’
As she pointed at Jo he leapt to his feet so quickly he nearly knocked his chair over.
‘Steady.’ Allie arched one eyebrow. ‘Nobody needs to get hurt here.’
Then she hurried out of the room and waited in the hallway, chewing on her thumbnail.
But when Jo still hadn’t appeared ten minutes later, Allie’s heart sank.
She’s not going to do it. She’ll never forgive me.
Her head dropped to her chest, and she leaned back against the wall, propping one foot up behind her.
‘Posture fail.’ Jo’s cut glass accent was so familiar, Allie smiled at her shoes. This sounded like old Jo. Sane Jo.
‘You came.’
Crossing her arms across her chest, Jo scowled at her, but for the first time in weeks Allie saw a glimmer of amusement in her eyes.
‘I wanted to hear your grovelling apology.’
‘It was all my fault,’ Allie said. ‘I’m an idiot. You should refuse to be my friend and become very good friends with evil Katie instead. She deserves you more than I do.’
Jo fought to keep a straight face. ‘That’s an excellent start. Please continue.’
‘If I told anybody, I should have told you. It was insane of me not to, and I promise,’ Allie held up her right hand as if she were swearing in court, ‘that I will never keep an important secret from you again.’
Jo dimpled at her. ‘Now we’re getting somewhere.’
‘Will you please, please, please forgive me?’
‘Of course I will,’ Jo said. ‘I’m not a monster.’
‘Thank God.’ Allie launched herself at her, pulling her into a hug. ‘I couldn’t have taken it much longer.’
‘It is hard to live without me,’ Jo agreed. ‘I missed you, too. But no more secrets, OK? Tell me things. I’m not going to, you know, go mad up on the roof with a bottle of vodka or anything.’
‘Like that’d ever happen,’ Allie agreed.
*
In Training Room One, a rota for student patrols had been posted on the wall. They were working in shifts, alongside Raj’s hired security guards. When they weren’t out on patrol, they were trained relentlessly. The lessons were intense but practical: how to escape; how to raise an alarm; when to stay together and when to divide; how to fight someone with knife; or a gun.
Allie was asked to demonstrate the move she’d used to stab Gabe with a stake. One night all the Night School students dispersed in the woods trying to find a sharp stick like the one she’d described, which they could use as a weapon.
Even with all of that, her sense of unease hadn’t lessened, and each night she focused intently on the training – she knew better than almost anyone how important these skills could be.
The night of Allie and Zoe’s first patrolling shift, they were so nervous they both showed up early for their nine o’clock shift, arriving at the changing room to find their patrolling gear hanging from hooks on one wall. It was bitterly cold out, so the clothes left for them were black thermal leggings and tunics, black silk long underwear for additional warmth. Black hats and gloves. Black running shoes.
As she changed into the unfamiliar clothes in front of a full-length mirror, Allie studied the changes all the exercise had made to her body. The muscles in her upper arms and shoulders were defined. Her stomach was taut and flat. Her leg muscles had always been long and lean from running, now her upper body matched it.
I don’t even look like me any more.
Ten minutes before their shift was due to begin, angry voices rang out from a room across the hall. She leaned closer to the door until she could make them out.