Chapter 43

 

FREI DIVIDED THE students into groups. There were sixteen, not counting Kevin, left in all. Her group of four would help set up a series of booby traps throughout the school that would slow down anyone pursuing us on gala night. They would also create a diversion in case we needed a well-timed distraction. It was a dangerous task but the group was enthusiastic. I admired their bravery.

Jones’s pair had their wires back on but this time Frei could hear everything that was being said. Both were keeping a log of the staff routines and the guard patrol routes ready. Being sneaky was their thing. They were playing to their strengths.

My group had a mixture of things to do. Jed, Sawyer’s kid, and the boys were systematically darting kids with blow pipes. It looked pretty mean but Frei had given the “darts” to them. I didn’t understand the specifics as it was way over my head but somehow the dart injected a GPS chip under their skin. It didn’t hurt apart from the initial impact but it would give our guys at CIG a chance to keep track of all the students.

Of course, every time anyone came and told us that Jed was being a bully, we had to go yell at him like we meant it. Renee was the best at it. If her aura wasn’t in full swing, I would have thought she was mad. Good thing Jed was used to getting hollered at ’cause it went straight over his head.

Ty, Jane, and Leigh-Anne had started packing away the year groups’ belongings and smuggling them out to a school bus that was in the garage. I was sure it hadn’t ever been used and was there for show but Frei seemed pretty confident that it was going to get us out.

Owens had stayed away. It felt like she was keeping her head down after messing up with Kevin and Miranda. I still didn’t trust her and I’d caught her watching from her office window a couple of times when I was in the quadrant. I’d felt her glaring when Renee had stopped me to ask something. 

Jessie had caught Frei’s eye, so she had become mini-Frankenfrei. Jessie had been taught such moral skills as hot-wiring a car, how to remove its battery, and break into just about any space that could fit her. It was funny to watch. Frei looked like she had a soft spot for the kid.

Talking of soft spots, my guy Miroslav was trying to figure out a way to get Miranda to play to a recording during the performance. The problem was, there was no margin for error when she played to the recording. She was having difficulty just moving her wrist to mime it in one section.

Miroslav had thought about me playing and recording it, slowing on that section so she could use that. It was difficult knowing how to work around electrics blowing up near me. The second I got near a microphone, it let off a high-pitched whine.

He was panicking. The performance had to buy time for everyone to escape. No played masterpiece, no convincingly played masterpiece and we were all busted.

Miroslav, Miranda, and I kept it to ourselves. I wanted to give them time to figure something out and Frei had good as said that without that performance, she’d have to leave the other kids behind.

The day before the gala found Miroslav sweating over the electrics, Miranda in tears, and me trying my best not to be affected by them enough to keep them calm.

It wasn’t easy.

I knew I should have told Frei but I couldn’t give up. Even if I was on the verge of panicking myself.

By the time Renee wandered into the little rehearsal room we were camped in, I was close to throwing the borrowed violin through the window.

“What’s wrong?”

Okay, now that was freaky. I was looking out the window not at the door and I could feel her come in. She couldn’t see my face or know what I was thinking so how did she know what I felt?

“Nothin’,” I chimed as cheerily as I could.

“Aeron, I know very well that there is just by looking at you.” I got the flashed image of her putting her hands on her hips. I glanced at Miroslav and Miranda who exchanged a look. Good thing Frei had the whole floor scrambled and had done something with the locks. Only her, Renee, Me, Miranda, and Miroslav could get in.

I sighed and turned around. “Apparently I mess up her ability to hide stuff,” I told them. “But then, I guess you figured that I ain’t really called Samson.”

Renee shut her eyes and mumbled enough cuss words that Miranda giggled.

“It’s not funny,” she muttered, rubbing her hand over her face. “Every time, Lorelei.”

I sighed as they kept on laughing. “You want to give them a zip code too?”

Renee turned and walked to the door. She shut it, held onto the handle, took a deep breath, and turned back.

Miranda giggled again. I was glad she had something to cheer her up.

“Aeron.” Miroslav gazed at me. “From the Celtic or just a derivative of the Hebrew Aaron?”

There was a Celtic version? I thought my folks had just made it up. “Aaron.”

He beamed at me. “Mountain of strength in Hebrew. Wild berry in Celtic.” He cocked his head. “It suits you.”

I folded my arms. “’Cause I look like a hulking great mountain or that I’m a fruit?”

“Because,” he grinned at me, battering his long eyelashes, “it’s beautiful . . . like you.” He blushed.

Miranda nodded as if in agreement and Miroslav went back to fiddling with the crackling equipment.

Renee let out a heavy sigh. “You too?” She rolled her eyes, muttering away to herself. “At this rate we’ll need to start a conference.”

I was too busy blushing myself, I could feel my cheeks roasting. I didn’t quite know how to take Miroslav’s words. I rubbed my hand over the back of my neck and shrugged. “Hey, wait.” I frowned. “Conference?”

Miranda’s giggles turned to tears, which then turned to big howling sobs.

Renee hurried to her. “I’m teasing her, I—”

She yelped, gripped her wrist, and snapped it away from Miranda who yelped too. I winced with my own shot of pain.

“What happened?” Renee shook her wrist and tried to examine Miranda’s but kept shaking hers . . . like she felt it.

I put my hands on my hips. “She can’t play. It’s not healing. We’re trying to figure out how she can mime but the stupid piece of junk ain’t liking my playing.”

Renee bit her lip as she moved the wrist about. “How long has it been like this?”

“Drinkin’ with Jed.” I put down my violin. We were busted now anyhow.

“Can’t you fix it?” Her eyes met mine. I sighed and looked at the two teenagers now staring at me for an explanation.

“Do I look like a doctor?” I shot Renee a frown.

“Forget the stupid cover.” She waved her arm in the air like it still hurt her. “It’s important. We can’t do this without her.”

Because we all needed reminding of that.

“I drove you too hard, I know, I’m sorry. It’s not going to make you suffer like before, is it?” She raised her eyebrows, her clear gray eyes pleading with me. “I’ll help you to—”

“I can’t,” I whispered, hoping she’d quit looking at me that way.

Miroslav and Miranda had hope in their eyes.

“Can’t or won’t?” Her scowl appeared. Here came her temper.

“Can’t. I would if I could but I ain’t got that ability no more.” I was now getting gawked at, something I hated.

“When, why?” Renee’s temper had vanished and her aura did the concern swish and wriggle like always. I loved her aura.

“Don’t matter.” I tried to smile, pretending that it didn’t suck. “Still causing chaos with electrical stuff.”

“Aeron.” She took me by the hand. “When?”

I glanced at Miroslav and Miranda who were trying their best not to look like they were watching. I didn’t know what they were thinking but if I was them, I’d want a pretty good explanation.

“Now’s not the time, okay. We got a per—”

“Tell me. That’s a direct order.” Her aura rumbled like her stormy eyes.

Miroslav shot me an “uh oh” look.

“I fixed you when I shouldn’t have, okay?” I ran my hand through my hair. “You didn’t ask for my help, so I got a load of burdens taken off me till I learn my lesson.”

I waited for the slap or for her to yell but instead she threw herself into my arms. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry you felt you couldn’t tell me.”

I gripped her to me. I’d missed her hugs. Her energy flowed around me, soothing me, sheer comfort in a cwtch. She pulled back and beamed up at me.

I cleared my throat. “You’ll have a lot of explaining if Owens struts in right now.”

Renee shot away from me, her eyes on the door.

I chuckled. “Missed you too.”

Renee straightened up, brushed herself off. She glanced at the teenagers then turned and shot me a scowl. There was the Renee I knew. “Yes, well . . . That leaves us with a situation to fix.” She turned back to Miroslav and Miranda who didn’t know where to look, judging by the way they stared down at the floor.

“Aeron blows electrical things.” Both of them raised their eyes to Renee who was attempting some kind of control. I knew full well she wanted nothing more than to hug me again. “So . . . let’s make it part of the show.”

I cocked my head.

She smiled. “We’ll record you playing it, which Miranda can mime to.” She held up her hand to stop me butting in. “And you’ll be on stage to cover it. They will know it’s coming from you.” She walked over to Miroslav. “A duel sounds like a perfect way to get through Chaconne.”

I looked at Miranda and Miroslav. “But Miroslav will have to get it to play when I stop.”

He grinned. “I can do that.”

Miranda frowned. “But it means you’ll have to be there the whole way through.” She fiddled with her sleeves. “How will you get to the bus in time?”

“He’ll have a mountain to carry him,” I said.

Renee grinned at me and I grinned right back. It was a plan. It could work. It was worth a shot.