When classes resumed on Monday, Allie had the discomforting sense that none of the weekend’s events had actually occurred. Everyone took their normal seats in class at the normal time. And Jerry and Zelazny treated her exactly as if they’d never seen her wrap a bandage in the pouring rain.
Sylvain wasn’t in English class, but Carter arrived late as usual and just smirked when Isabelle gave him an exasperated look. If he hadn’t still been wearing a bandage on his forehead she might have thought she imagined the entire thing.
Between classes, she met Jo in the library and they talked in whispers about what had happened after they’d parted. Jo told her Gabe hadn’t even needed stitches in the end, and that the nurse had commented approvingly on Allie’s bandaging technique.
‘Now Gabe really wants to know how we ended up at the summerhouse, but … since you told me not to say anything about Ruth, I haven’t. Why don’t you want me to tell him?’
Allie leaned closer. ‘I can’t … It’s just … important that you don’t.’
In fact, she’d been up half the night trying to decide what to tell Jo. She would not lie to her only real friend at Cimmeria, but she’d promised Carter not to tell.
‘I don’t know how to explain it. I just heard that Ruth could get into trouble or something.’
She watched Jo’s face as she considered this explanation.
‘OK, but if I don’t tell him the truth, what reason do I give him for us being there?’
Allie twirled a pen anxiously between her fingers so that it spun without stopping between every finger on her right hand until it reached the pinkie.
‘We could say that we were playing Truth or Dare, and kind of spying on them. Or that I wanted to go for a run in the rain and you tried to stop me.’
Jo tilted her head to one side. ‘Of those two very poor options, the first one is slightly less crap.’
Allie smiled. ‘Thanks Jo.’
Over the next few days, rumours were rife about what had occurred down in the woods that night. Everybody knew that several people had been hurt, but there was widespread confusion over just what had happened. Students were forbidden from going out onto the grounds, and that only made the gossip worse. Nobody seemed to know that Allie and Jo had been there, and the most common rumour was that the boys had run afoul of the same fox Jo and Allie had encountered, although everybody seemed to think it very unlikely.
Phil didn’t return to class that week, but Ruth said he was feeling better and would be back soon.
Given the fact that they were all, as Allie saw it, under house arrest, at least the weather was terrible. Throughout the week the rain was unrelenting. It was not as heavy as it had been on Sunday, but it was steady and the days were grey.
The teachers seemed to be amped up on educational adrenalin and that soon became the main topic of conversation at meals and breaks. The students discussed with increasing dismay the amount of work being assigned. Allie and Jo were in the library every evening until curfew, trying to keep up.
By the time Allie ran into Sylvain on Thursday evening as she came out of the library in search of a cup of tea, she was exhausted. He fell into step with her as she headed towards the dining room.
‘Well, well. Hello, ma belle Allie. How are you? I haven’t seen you since the weekend.’
Allie felt her heart beat faster but she tried to sound like seeing him was no big deal. She hoped he wouldn’t ask where she’d disappeared to when she ran away from him. ‘I’m good. Just trying to keep from being so buried in homework that I’m never seen again.’
He nodded. ‘I know. The teachers are suddenly very busy making work for us.’
She turned to him. ‘And what’s up with that? Are they always this evil?’
He smiled and his eyes sparkled. ‘No, this is unusual even for Cimmeria. I think it’s possible they are keeping everybody too busy to try to sneak outside.’
Allie tried to hide her surprise.
‘Because of the other night?’ she asked.
‘Perhaps.’
She looked longingly towards the front door. ‘I’d love to go outside …’
‘Are you bored, ma belle?’ Moving so quickly she didn’t have time to react he took her hand and pulled her closer to him. ‘I could read your palm. Perhaps that would amuse you. And I would see into your soul.’
‘You can read palms?’ Her voice was doubtful but she liked the feeling of her hand in his.
‘Of course,’ he smiled. ‘Can’t you? It’s easy.’
Turning her hand over, he ran his finger along the shallow lines of her hand with a touch as light as a cat’s whisker.
‘You have a very long life line,’ he murmured tracing a line from her wrist to the middle of her palm. ‘And your heart line is strong. See this line here?’ He ran his fingertips along a line that ended between her thumb and index finger. She shivered at the delicacy of his touch. ‘Do you know what that tells me?’
Mute, Allie shook her head.
‘It tells me you are in love with someone. Or maybe that you will be soon.’
Her body tingling from his touch, Allie tried to think of a witty reply but before she could speak the library door swung open.
Jo said, ‘Hey Allie, don’t forget the …’ When she saw Sylvain her voice trailed off. ‘Oops, oh dear, I think I forgot my …’
Improvising badly Jo ducked back inside. A moment later the door opened again and a group of students walked out chatting. Allie could hear Jo whispering at them ‘No, wait a second …’
Sylvain dropped Allie’s hand with a regretful smile. ‘I should like to explore that topic further with you sometime,’ he said.
‘Yes,’ she said, flustered. ‘Let’s … do.’
‘Perhaps we could meet after dinner on Saturday to … talk?’ he said.
‘Sure,’ she said, trying not to sound breathless.
He smiled. ‘Good. I’ll find you in the dining hall. See you then.’
‘See you then,’ she parroted back inanely.
Throughout the week the pace of schoolwork never let up. To make things worse, on Friday all students were given research papers to complete over the weekend. When assignment slips were handed out in history class, Zelazny’s neat handwriting glared at Allie from the page:
3000 words on the socio-economic impact of the English civil war on the agrarian society of the day.
Due Monday. No exceptions. No excuses.
The library was so crowded on Friday afternoon that, once every seat was taken, students spilled out into the hallway where they sat on the floor in small clusters, their books and papers spread out around them.
‘We look like refugees,’ Jo muttered, as she and Allie carried armloads of books out to a free spot near the school’s front door.
‘It’s mad. How long can they keep this up?’ As she spoke, Allie was balancing a china cup of tea on a century-old history book and lowering herself to the floor.
‘Good question,’ Jo said, snatching the cup from its precarious perch before it could crash to the stone floor.
‘Thanks.’ Allie settled down with her back against the wall.
Jo took a sip of Allie’s tea. ‘I should have got one of those. Now I’ll just end up drinking yours.’
‘And we definitely should have got biscuits.’
‘We’re idiots.’
Allie shuffled her books, a frown of concentration creasing her forehead. ‘Where’s Gabe today? I’ve hardly seen him or Sylvain all week.’
Jo was choosing a notebook. ‘Dunno. He said he had something to do and would do his paper later.’
‘Weird,’ Allie said. ‘The teachers are being so tough but Sylvain and Gabe don’t seem to mind.’
Jo shrugged. ‘Nobody’s telling me much about what’s going on. Gabe and I had a row about it and we never row.’
‘Boys are rubbish,’ Allie said, opening her book.
Having finally found the right notebook, Jo was now focused on finding something it contained, and she rustled through its pages as she spoke absently. ‘All I know is all the Night School guys are out every single night, and I’m sure it has something to do with the other night. But it’s top secret.’
Allie stopped and stared at her, a brittle, yellowing book page still gripped between her fingers.
‘Wait. You know who’s in Night School?’
Jo froze, guilt spreading across her expression. ‘No. Not really. I mean, I kind of … guessed. Anyway, a few are pretty obvious about it.’
‘Like who?’
‘I don’t know, really,’ Jo said carefully. ‘I mean, just guessing, it could be Sylvain, and Phil, maybe Lucas, and, possibly Gabe and Carter, I mean, but who knows?’
She was lying so badly Allie would have laughed if she hadn’t been so surprised.
‘You mean, you think your own boyfriend is in it, but you’re not sure?’ she said.
Jo looked around to make sure nobody was paying attention to them, then leaned towards Allie and lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘Look, it’s really super-secret, you know? You get in a lot of trouble if anybody finds out you’ve said anything about it. I mean, a lot of trouble.’
‘So, we really shouldn’t be talking about it now?’ Allie whispered.
‘No,’ Jo hissed.
Allie returned to her book, turning one slow page after another, but her mind was still whirling around what Jo had told her.
She leaned forward again. ‘No girls?’
Jo gave her a significant look.
‘Maybe Jules,’ she mouthed. ‘And Ruth.’
Allie’s eyes widened. ‘No way,’ she said, disbelieving.
Jo raised her right hand. ‘Swear to God.’
For half an hour after that they worked in silence, save for the sound of notes being scribbled and pages turned. Then, without warning Allie’s head popped up.
‘That explains the way Carter reacted last Saturday,’ she said, as if their conversation had never paused.
Jo looked intrigued. ‘Why? What? And … when?’
Allie explained about Carter chasing her away from the second floor.
‘Interesting,’ Jo said when she finished. ‘I didn’t know they actually ever met in the building, though. And during the day? That’s kind of weird.’
Allie twirled her pen again, getting ink on the side of her hand. She rubbed at it futilely. ‘What exactly is it that they do anyway?’
Jo didn’t look up from her book. ‘No idea.’
Allie was still rubbing at the ink on her hand. ‘I’ve always had the feeling that Carter knew what was really going on. So this would explain why.’
Jo gave her a look.
‘What?’ Allie asked, cocking her head.
‘Nothing.’
Allie picked up her pen, but Jo was still looking at her.
‘What?’ Allie said again, giving her a light shove. They both giggled.
‘Well, it’s just … You know. You and Carter.’
Allie stopped laughing. ‘What about me and Carter?’
‘I don’t know. He just sort of always picks on you.’
‘Yeah, I’ve noticed,’ Allie said dryly. ‘That would be because he’s a psycho.’
‘No. I mean … I don’t know. Something about how he picks on you interests me.’
Allie frowned. ‘Jo, what the hell are you talking about?’
‘Oh it’s nothing. It’s just that I thought for a little while there he liked you, and I know you liked him, and now it’s like you two hate each other.’
Allie shrugged. ‘It happens.’
‘Hmm …’ Jo’s voice was doubtful.
‘There’s no hmm about it,’ Allie said. ‘All he does is order me around and tell me what to do and not do. He’s good looking and everything, but I don’t like him.’
Jo drew a squiggly line on her notepad and then drew over it again until it was bold. She gave it a forked tongue.
‘You know, all that stuff Gabe and I said about Carter?’
Allie nodded.
‘Well it was true. But he’s been different since you came here. I haven’t seen him with any girl since then.’
Allie smiled broadly. ‘What? In two whole weeks? I mean, seriously. What restraint! He must be totally in love with me.’
They dissolved into a fit of giggles.
‘Anyway, in more sane news, Sylvain asked me to meet him tomorrow night after dinner,’ Allie said. ‘I think it’s kind of a date.’
‘Ooh, a real date,’ Jo smiled. ‘Seriously, forget everything I said about Carter. I’m just being silly. I’m so excited that you’re the one who’s going to bagsy Sylvain. All the girls will be so jealous of you.’
‘I’m sure that will make them all be very nice to me.’ Allie’s tone was sarcastic but Jo arched an eyebrow knowingly.
‘If Sylvain’s your boyfriend they won’t dare be anything but nice.’
Before Allie could ask what she meant she said, ‘Right, enough frolicking. We need fifteen hundred words before dinner, which is in …’ she checked the delicate gold watch on her wrist, ‘just over three hours.’
‘Fascist,’ Allie said.
But she was already writing.
At dinner that night all discussion centred on rumours that the school grounds were now opened to students ‘within reason’. The problem was, nobody knew what that meant.
‘Does it mean we can go outside again without dying?’ Lisa asked, flipping her long hair over one shoulder.
‘Nobody died, Lisa.’
Allie thought Gabe’s tone was unnecessarily sharp.
Lisa just shrugged and nibbled her salad.
‘I’ll bet it’s perfectly safe,’ Phil said, his voice deliberately measured, ‘but I was just thinking of going to the common room.’
‘Same here,’ Gabe said quickly.
‘Not me. I’m going out. I’ve had just about enough of inside.’
Jo’s voice was emphatic but she didn’t meet Gabe’s eyes. He was staring at her intently, but she just looked around the table pretending not to notice.
‘Jo …’ His tone was ominous, but she just shot him a warning look.
‘What?’
Throwing his napkin down, Gabe shoved his chair back and stood up, muttering, ‘I’m not hungry any more.’
He stormed out without looking back.
There was a brief awkward silence while everybody pretended not to notice what had happened right in front of them. Allie saw Phil and Lucas exchange a look.
Ruth tried to distract everyone by launching into a story about a science experiment, but her voice gradually trailed off.
‘Right, well, I’m pretty much done. Jo?’ Allie said loyally.
Jo gave her a grateful smile and followed her out. Allie waited until they were far enough away from the table to be certain they wouldn’t be overheard.
‘What was that about?’
Jo was hurrying down the hall, and for a second she didn’t answer; when she did, her tone was bitter. ‘Well, obviously Gabe doesn’t want me to go outside because it’s not safe. And obviously Gabe wants to act like I’m a child and he’s the parent and can tell me what to do. Which I hate. I’ve already got two useless parents, thanks. I don’t need another.’
She moved through the ornate entrance hall so quickly that Allie was nearly running to keep up by the time they reached the front door. Jo shoved it open impatiently and they both stopped, side by side at the top of the stairs.
‘Well,’ Allie said, looking up at the innocent blue evening sky. ‘It looks perfectly safe to me.’
‘I hope it isn’t,’ Jo said. ‘Last one to die loses.’
Laughing, she dashed down the stairs with Allie right behind, and they hurtled onto the empty grass. For a few minutes they danced on the lawn, twirling circles in the freedom of the fresh air.
‘Wait,’ Allie said breathlessly, reaching for Jo’s arm. ‘Where are we going?’
They slowed to a more leisurely pace.
‘Good question. Some place where Gabe won’t find me and drag me back inside like a caveman.’ She thought for a moment. ‘Have you ever been in the chapel?’
Allie made a face. ‘No, but I’ve raked its grass.’
‘Oh yeah. I forgot that detention thing. It’s actually pretty cool. There’s some ancient poetry on the walls in, like, a million languages. It’s super-old.’
The chapel was out in the woods, and Allie glanced in that direction uncertainly – Jo’s manic behaviour was starting to worry her.
‘Is it safe to go right now?’ she asked. ‘I mean with all that’s been happening?’
‘Probably not,’ Jo said, smiling wickedly. ‘Are you coming or what?’
Without looking back, she headed off across the grass towards the trees.