‘Is there some sort of problem, Miss Kattflapp?’ Roderick Millais asked in his most sarcastic tone.
Alkemy sat bolt upright. ‘No, sir.’
‘It’s just that you seem to find more interest in the contents of your backpack than you do in this lesson,’ he replied in a thin nasal whine. ‘I do hope I’m not boring our Norwegian visitor.’
Alkemy gulped and shook her head.
‘Then perhaps you’ll explain the fascination with your bag? Hmm? Come on, stand up. Tell the class.’
Alkemy scrambled to her feet.
‘Well?’ he growled.
‘I worry I forget some sports gear for the phys-ed,’ she muttered. ‘But is all jumbled so I cannot tell.’
‘And you thought you’d sort out your laundry in class, did you?’
Alkemy muttered an apology.
‘Sit down and pay attention!’ he barked.
She did so and he returned to the board.
‘Since you bring up the subject, Miss Kattflapp, I have to tell you that today’s physical education class has been cancelled. As we have a holiday weekend ahead of us, the principal and I have decided that the school will close a little early this afternoon.’ A few quiet cheers erupted round the room. ‘Mr Fitchett has been informed. Country pupils will find their bus here at two o’clock.’
‘In place of physical education,’ he continued, ‘we will be joining with the junior and senior classes for a nature hike to Quail Creek after morning break.’ The cheers now became groans. ‘On the way you will identify and collect samples of native plants. Is that clear?’
He turned back to the board and Alkemy gave her bag another anxious glance.
Ten minutes later Mrs Millais appeared and had a few quiet words with her husband, then gestured for Alkemy to join her.
‘Don’t forget your laundry,’ Snotty said coldly.
* * *
‘What’s going on?’ Coral demanded at morning break, seizing Tim’s elbow and steering him to a quiet corner of the playground. ‘Cakeface pulled Ludokrus from class.’
‘Alkemy too.’
‘So where are they?’
‘They must have been taken to her office.’
‘Let’s take a look.’
The principal’s office was at the end of the administration block and had a clear view of the road leading from town. In front of it was a raised garden, dense with the heavy heads of blue hydrangeas.
‘Keep going, ’ Coral whispered as they strolled past. ‘I’ve got an idea.’
Further on they found some juniors playing with a tennis ball. Coral confiscated it. ‘You can have it back in a minute,’ she called, throwing it to Tim.
‘Chuck it back and forth as we go, then when we get near the office throw it in the garden.’
Tim did as he was told and they drifted further and further apart, throwing the ball back and forth. Once they were near the window he threw it low and hard, aiming for the shrubs. Coral dived for it, missed deliberately, and watched the ball sail into the undergrowth right on target.
As she was retrieving it a silhouette appeared behind the net curtains, glaring down at her.
Coral threw it back. ‘Not here, Tim,’ she called loudly. ‘Take it round the back before you break a window or something.’
‘Well?’ he asked once they were out of sight.
‘They’re in there all right.’
‘Maybe Albert’s had an accident or someone’s broken into the caravan or something,’ Tim suggested.
‘I dunno,’ Coral said. ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Why did she make them take their belongings? It’s like they’re leaving.’
‘But ... they wouldn’t do that without telling us.’
‘No,’ Coral said slowly.
‘And even if Cakeface is controlled by Sentinels, what can she do? They can’t make her murder them or anything. Not from what Ludokrus was saying.’
Coral rubbed her chin.
‘It’s almost over. They said so on the bus. Now they can relax.’
‘Yeah,’ Coral said quietly, ‘but that’s the time they get you. Right when you least expect it ...’
* * *
Quail Creek ran through a dense stand of bush and a leafy picnic area at the bottom of School Road (No Exit). Three distinct groups made their way along the grassy margin of the gravel road. The juniors, under the guidance of Miss Doodle, played about with unrestrained glee. The intermediates, under the watchful eye of Mr Millais, glanced at them enviously, while the seniors, unchaperoned, kept themselves aloof.
The nature hike was a NO event. Mr Millais spelled out the details before they left. There was to be NO SWIMMING because there were insufficient staff to supervise such an activity. NO FOOD was to be taken as they’d just had morning break and lunch was little more than an hour away, and NO SPORTS EQUIPMENT was needed as this was an Educational outing (with a capital ‘E’). There was to be NO RUNNING en route, NO DAWDLING, NO SKYLARKING, NO FIGHTING and NO UNNECESSARY CHATTER.
‘Breathing all right, sir?’ Marty Martin muttered.
Lost in thought, Tim slumped in a patch of shade beside a bushy shrub, plucking listlessly at its large soft leaves. He had a view of the road and kept glancing up it, expecting to see Alkemy and Ludokrus trotting down to meet them. But no one showed.
‘That’s Rangiora,’ a small voice said, and Tim turned to find Norman standing behind him. ‘They call it Bushman’s Friend ‘cos its soft underneath and you can use it if you run out of toilet paper.’
‘Really?’
Norman looked about warily. ‘Hey, thanks for this morning, eh? I looked for you at break but you were with ...’ his voice trailed off.
‘That’s OK,’ Tim said.
Norman bit his lip. ‘Listen,’ he said, dropping his voice, ‘Can I ... um ... ask you something ...?’
At that moment Tim spied Coral approaching his teacher with a purposeful look on her face. ‘Hold on a sec,’ he said, dropping the leaf in his haste to edge closer.
‘Where’s Mrs Millais?’ she asked nonchalantly.
‘She may join us later. She’s waiting for a parent.’
‘You mean Mr Kattflapp?’
Millais glanced at her. ‘Yes.’
‘What’s he done?’
‘Done? Who?’
‘Ludokrus Kattflapp. He’s always larking about and stuff.’
‘That’s really none of your ...’
‘Only he borrowed a bunch of my felt pens and hasn’t given them back yet.’
Millais laughed. ‘I think you may be out of luck there, young lady.’
‘What?’
‘I don’t believe the Kattflapps will be returning to this school.’
‘I told you there was something going on,’ Coral hissed at Tim as she raced past him, heading for her classmates.
Dumbfounded, Tim stared after her. They were waiting for a parent, Snotty said. A Mr Kattflapp. But that couldn’t be right. Albert was on his way to Queenstown. Or was he?
Perhaps he wasn’t. Perhaps Albert hadn’t gone to Queenstown at all and really had phoned the school. After all, they had the plans to the Temporal Accumulator now. With Sentinels spying and Thanatos on the way, why hang about?
But they wouldn’t go without saying goodbye. They were friends. Friends didn’t do that to each other. Did they ...?
He caught sight of Norman approaching and felt a pang of guilt. Perhaps they did.
‘Tim, I ... What’s the matter?’ Norman rejoined him, offering a freshly picked Rangiora leaf. Tim stared at it blankly. Norman lowered his arm. ‘Are you all right?’
Coral raced back carrying her backpack. ‘Beat it,’ she snapped at Norman.
‘I ...’
‘I said beat it.’
‘Leave him alone!’ Tim snapped back.
Coral stared at him in surprise.
‘He’s my friend,’ he added.
Coral shrugged then thrust her backpack at her brother. ‘Look after that. I’m going to find out what’s going on. ’
‘But ...’
Without another word she slipped into the undergrowth and vanished.