Night School - Endgame (9 page)

T
he room erupted
.

Voices tumbled over voices in a chorus of panic.

‘What?’

‘Where?’

‘How did he get in the building?’

Allie found herself standing, although she had no memory of leaving her seat. She felt numb with fear; her hands had turned to ice.

Isabelle and Zelazny huddled with Eloise by the door. Seconds later, Zelazny sprinted from the room, Eloise right on his heels.

‘I need everyone to be calm.’ The headmistress held up her hands for quiet.

Slowly the room fell silent.

‘Nathaniel is outside the gate. He is not on the grounds.’ Isabelle surveyed the room. ‘We have been here before. I need everyone to follow protocol for this. Security team, please report to Raj. Night School students – Zelazny and Eloise will coordinate. For the moment, I need you all to stay inside the building. Nathaniel has asked to speak with me.’ Her eyes searched the group until they found Allie face. ‘And Allie.’

There was a collective intake of breath.

‘Allie… no,’ Rachel whispered.

But Allie didn’t hesitate. She jumped to her feet and crossed the room to join the headmistress.

The headmistress studied her, concern clouding her eyes. ‘I don’t have to tell you how dangerous this situation is.’ She lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘We have no idea what he’s planning. You don’t have to come with me. Nathaniel has no right to ask that of you and neither do I.’

Allie thought of Carter, shoving her into the car. Slamming the door behind her. Knowing he’d be left behind.

He’s not the only one who can be stupidly brave. 

‘I’m going with you.’ Her voice emerged strong and steady. ‘I’m not afraid.’

The look Isabelle gave her then was bittersweet. ‘And to think, I just promised your mother I’d keep you safe.’

They turned towards the door, but then Sylvain stepped between them, his eyes blazing. ‘You can’t do this, Isabelle. You can’t take Allie out there. It’s incredibly dangerous.’

Allie opened her mouth to argue, but Isabelle didn’t give her the chance.

‘Sylvain, Allie is neither your possession nor your responsibility.’ Her words sliced through the air. ‘Nor is she mine. She’s quite capable of making her own decisions. Now, let us get on with what we have to do.’

Allie was astonished. She’d never heard the headmistress speak to Sylvain like that. She’d always treated him like an equal.

Colour rising to his face, Sylvain pivoted towards Allie. ‘Don’t do this,’ he pleaded. ‘Don’t you understand? You can’t trust Nathaniel. He could kill you.’

Allie’s fury flared. There was a time when his protectiveness made her feel safe. Now it seemed insulting. Didn’t he know that she could look out for herself? Didn’t he understand how much she’d learned?

‘I’m not an idiot, Sylvain,’ she snapped. ‘I know how dangerous this is. I don’t need your advice.’

She saw the hurt in his eyes and felt the quick sting of remorse. Then Isabelle pulled her away.

‘We must hurry, Allie.’

Together they ran from the room. Soon Sylvain was forgotten behind them.

Allie kept her focus on Carter. He could be outside right now.

She clung to that hope as Isabelle talked low and fast. ‘There are five vehicles, each holding at least four guards. Eloise believes Nathaniel is among them.’

‘What about Carter?’

‘No one has seen him. But it’s dark.’ Isabelle glanced at her. ‘He could be there.’

They ran down the stairs, their voices echoing. Below, Allie could hear the rapid-fire footsteps of the guards racing into position. Her heart thudded hard in her chest.

She loved this feeling. The adrenaline. The danger.

She felt wide awake for the first time in days.

‘Is there anything else I should know?’

Isabelle’s lips tightened. ‘Nathaniel says he has a message for you. He insists on giving it to you directly. That’s the only reason I’m willing to put you in such danger right now.’ She looked away. ‘He hasn’t left me any choice.’

They reached the foot of the staircase and headed down the hallway at a run. In the shadows around them Allie could hear the sound of activity – people rushing in all directions, urgent voices, doors slamming.

The front door stood open. Dozens of guards were on the lawn, scanning the grounds through night-vision binoculars.

Zelazny intercepted them as they turned into the drive. ‘Everyone’s in place.’ His eyes darted from Isabelle to Allie and back again. Perspiration dotted his high forehead. He lowered his voice, directing his words at Isabelle. ‘I don’t like this. The situation’s too fluid. We don’t know what he’s up to.’

‘I’m aware of all of this, August,’ Isabelle said evenly. ‘Keep the students safe. I’ll look out for Allie.’

Without waiting for his response, she headed down the long, gravel drive. Allie hurried after her.

She kept trying to think of more questions – there had to be more to know. A better way to prepare. They hadn’t even changed into Night School clothes. Isabelle wore black trousers and a white silk blouse. Her office shoes were all wrong for running. Allie was still in her school uniform.

There was no moon tonight. The darkness was so complete, they could barely make out the road ahead.

It was nearly a mile to the front gate. Their steps took on a kind of rhythmic synchronicity. Despite her shoes, Isabelle ran with fluid ease. Her hair had begun to spring loose from the clips that held it back; stray golden-brown strands tumbled into her eyes.

‘Do you think,’ Allie asked after a long time had passed, ‘this is a trap?’

Isabelle didn’t reply immediately. ‘Probably,’ she said after a moment. ‘With Nathaniel, everything’s a trap.’ Unexpectedly, she smiled. ‘In a strange way, he’s predictable.’

It was an odd response. Even after what had happened to Lucinda, Nathaniel didn’t seem to intimidate her. He seemed, more than anything, to disappoint her.

But then Allie thought of Christopher. Her own brother had sided with Nathaniel, but then saved her from his thugs in London. He’d helped her escape. Maybe Isabelle’s relationship with her stepbrother was just as conflicted as Allie’s own.

Suddenly, she saw something in the distance. A faint, sulphurous glow flickered through the trees. Allie squinted at the light, trying to understand what she was looking at. Then it struck her.

Headlights. 

Soon they were close enough to see the source. Several large vehicles, arrayed in a row, faced the school’s intimidating front gate. She recognised the biggest one – the huge tank-like vehicle that had pursued them on the way back from London.

Her stomach flip-flopped. The thing was so big – surely Nathaniel could just bash through the fence with it if he wanted.

The closer she got to the fence line, the less she could see. After the darkness, the light was blinding.

Shading her eyes with one hand, she peered into the glare. She thought she could make out figures facing them but she couldn’t tell if they were men or women, armed or unarmed.

‘Nice trick, Nathaniel.’ Isabelle’s voice rang out in the silence. ‘Turn off the lights.’

For a moment nothing happened. Then all the lights went off at once.

Now Allie was even more blind. She blinked hard but it was as if a curtain had fallen, hiding everything.

She stopped walking. She didn’t dare take a step.

She felt helpless. Exposed.

‘Stay close.’ Isabelle’s whisper came from the darkness right next to her; Allie couldn’t see her at all.

How am I going to stay close if I don’t know where you are?
 
she thought.

‘What do you want Nathaniel?’ Isabelle asked from a few feet away. Allie took a cautious step towards the sound. ‘There’s no need for all this drama.’

‘Aren’t you glad to see me, Isabelle? How disappointing.’ Nathaniel’s familiar voice sent ice into Allie’s veins. ‘I’ve brought you a present.’

‘It’s not my birthday,’ Isabelle said with veiled sarcasm. ‘You didn’t have to bring anything.’

‘Oh, but I did.’

Allie’s vision began to clear. She could make out a hazy image of the scene on the other side of the fence. There were about ten large men. They appeared to be pulling something from a car.

On the other side of the fence from this group, she and Isabelle were alone. Surreptitiously, Allie peered around, looking for any sign of Raj’s guards nearby – but she saw no one.

They had to be there, though. Somewhere.

Nathaniel’s guards shoved two men towards the gate. They were handcuffed and blindfolded. Each wore the distinctive black gear of Raj’s security team.

‘I’ve brought your men back,’ Nathaniel said, a touch of glee in his voice. ‘A peace offering.’

He was as handsome as ever. His dark hair was neatly combed, his expensive tie perfectly straight. He might have been going to a business meeting, instead of a nocturnal prisoner exchange. But Allie knew better than to underestimate him. There was nothing ordinary about Nathaniel.

The guards surrounding him all, like him, wore dark suits and ties. As far as Allie could tell, all were male, with short hair. She scanned their prisoners quickly, searching for Carter.

He wasn’t there.

Isabelle must have been thinking the same thing. ‘What about the boy? Where is Carter West?’

Nathaniel spread his hands. ‘Regrettably, he couldn’t accompany us today. He was… otherwise engaged.’

All the breath seemed to leave Allie’s lungs. She stared at Nathaniel in stunned disbelief. She’d been so certain he’d be here. That she’d see him now.

His amused gaze swept across her face. ‘Oh dear,’ he said. ‘You did expect him, didn’t you? How upsetting for you.’

He was mocking her. Enjoying her pain.

Allie’s hands curled into fists at her sides, nails digging into her palms. She wanted to punch Nathaniel’s smug face. To claw her nails across his smooth skin.

Isabelle, too, seemed to have lost her patience.

‘What is the point of this, Nathaniel?’ The headmistress stepped closer to the fence. All the humour was gone from her voice. ‘Lucinda is dead because of your endless vendetta. Isn’t that enough for you? Haven’t you done enough damage? Can’t we stop now?’

‘Lucinda is dead,’ Nathaniel said coldly, ‘because she couldn’t accept the truth. That her time in charge of Orion was over. The future has arrived.’ He held out his arms. ‘I am the future.’

Isabelle fairly crackled with fury.

‘Maybe you are. But Lucinda loathed the future you represented.’ She moved closer to the fence until they were staring at each other. ‘It’s not a future. It’s the past. You would take the power much greater men gave to all people, and keep it for yourself.’ She was within his reach now, but Nathaniel didn’t move. He was watching her, expressionless. ‘She was right to fight you. And now that she’s gone… I’m going to fight you in her place.’

Allie thought of their plan to leave the school – to give up and start over somewhere else – and lowered her gaze. Isabelle didn’t want Nathaniel to know anything until Carter was returned to them – just in case.

Nathaniel’s eyes glittered like broken glass. ‘It’s nice to know where we stand, sister.’

His gaze shifted to Allie. ‘What about you, little one? Will you fight me, too?’

She raised her eyes to meet his, forcing herself not to flinch. ‘To the death.’

She meant it, too. Maybe they would leave. But she would come back some day. And make him pay.

He arched one eyebrow. ‘Well, let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.’ He glanced around, looking into the darkness behind them. ‘By the way, where is that brother of yours, Allie?’

She frowned. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Don’t play games, little girl.’ Nathaniel tapped his heel against the ground impatiently. ‘Christopher has been missing since the parley in London. I presumed he came running to you. Is he here?’

So Chris hadn’t been caught. He’d run away.

This was stunning news. Allie fought to keep her expression neutral.

Maybe he was telling the truth
 
– he really did defy Nathaniel. 

‘Christopher is none of your business,’ she said.

He ran a hand across the smooth line of his jaw. His gaze was piercing. ‘You have a smart mouth.’

‘So do you.’

For a second he stared at her. Then he threw back his head and laughed. ‘Oh Allie. If you’d chosen the right side, I think I might actually like you.’

‘I did choose the right side,’ she fired back.

His smile faded. ‘You’re wrong about that.’

He rocked back on his heels. In the dark, on a dirt road, surrounded by his guards, he still managed to appear relaxed, in his element. He seemed to enjoy sparring with them.

‘You made a promise to me, in London, Allie. Do you remember?’

At first, she had no idea what he was talking about. Nothing seemed important about that night except Carter and Lucinda.

Then it came to her in a flash of images. Nathaniel and Lucinda, standing together – the lights of London spreading out behind them like a glittering carpet.

‘I will need you to promise, Allie, that you will never seek to take control of the Orion Group while I am still alive.’ 

Lucinda had tried to stop her from agreeing. But Allie had insisted. She never wanted anything like that anyway.

‘I remember.’

‘Good.’ He made a quick gesture.

She watched with narrow suspicion as one of the guards produced a stack of papers, which he pushed through the bars of the fence.

Allie took a step forward, but Isabelle gestured for her to remain where she was. She took the papers.

As she scanned the first page, her lip curled in disgust.

Nathaniel was still talking. ‘These papers bind you to that promise. I’ll need you to sign them.’

‘Allie will never sign this,’ Isabelle said, contempt in her voice. ‘How dare you even ask her?’

‘Come on Izzy, she’s a big girl,’ Nathaniel replied. ‘Surely she can decide for herself.’

‘She’s a minor,’ Isabelle snapped. ‘No, she can’t.’

Nathaniel waved his hand. ‘There are ways around that and you know it.’

As they argued, Allie tried to decide what to do. In the end, it didn’t matter what they said. The decision was hers.