The man had a familiar face.
‘Allie?’ he said. Then he stepped into a thin beam of moonlight that broke through the branches. It was one of Raj’s guards – the one who had been with them in the SUV on the way back from the jail. ‘What are you doing out here?’
‘Were you just… on the lawn?’ She was breathing heavily. A stitch in her side had suddenly opened up like a knife wound and she dropped the twig to clutch her ribs.
‘Yes – we’re patrolling.’ Puzzled, he moved towards her carefully as if she might bolt or bite him. He spoke with elaborate calm – holding out his hands. ‘Do you remember me? I’m Peter. This is Karen.’
A guard with long blonde hair plaited into a single, shimmering braid stepped out from the trees to join him. Allie had seen her, too, working with Night School students.
‘What’s happened?’ Peter asked. ‘Why are you out here?’
‘I thought I saw –’ Allie said breathlessly – ‘Gabe.’
Karen’s eyebrows winged up. ‘And you thought you’d just run out to catch him? On your own?’
‘Well,’ Allie said, feeling utterly exhausted and stupid, ‘someone had to.’
The two guards took her down to a nondescript office in the basement near Training Room One, where Zelazny was less than pleased by what he described as her ‘attempted vigilantism’.
‘You could have been hurt,’ he said with obvious exasperation. ‘Someone else could have been hurt. Sometimes I think all our training is wasted on you, Sheridan. It doesn’t matter what you’re taught – you do the opposite whenever it suits you.’ He gestured around the bare office where the guards stood in a half circle around them. ‘This isn’t your living room. We are not your servants.’
Heat flooded Allie’s cheeks. ‘I’m really sorry,’ she mumbled, lowering her gaze. ‘I didn’t think.’
‘No. You didn’t.’ He leaned forward until she met his eyes. ‘There is a reason for everything we teach you, Allie. We’re not doing this to amuse ourselves. You need to focus or you’re not going to get through this.’ Then he’d picked up a pen and waved a hand to indicate her dismissal. ‘See Isabelle tomorrow after class for your punishment. Now, for heaven’s sake: go to bed.’
The next day, Allie endured all her classes, knowing she’d have to explain her actions to Isabelle that afternoon. The headmistress would not be happy. She’d broken The Rules – did this violate her agreement with Lucinda?
Had she ruined everything?
When her last class of the day finally ended, she walked down the stairs with heavy feet. Her gaze was lowered when Katie Gilmore stepped into her path with such suddenness Allie nearly ran into her.
‘Bloody hell, Katie…’ Allie grabbed the wide oak banister to keep herself upright. ‘What is your malfunction?’
In the light of the crystal chandelier, Katie’s fair skin was flawless; her clear green eyes sparked with malice. ‘Well, goodness. I don’t know. I was hoping a psycho liar who burgled the village church with some smelly pikey boy might be able to tell me. Do you know anyone who fits that description?’
Anger flared in Allie’s chest, hot enough to singe, but she willed it away. She was in enough trouble already.
‘Oh whatever, Katie.’
She moved to bypass Katie but the girl stepped smoothly in front of her, blue pleated skirt swinging.
‘I don’t know why they brought you back. It was the perfect opportunity to get rid of you. Raise the standards around here.’
‘Katie, seriously. Seek. Professional. Help.’ Allie kept her voice as steady and dismissive as she could but she could hear a slight tremor in her own words. It had been a long couple of days – she wasn’t sure she could handle this right now.
‘Allie’s grades are very good, actually. Well above average.’ At the sound of Zoe’s piping voice, Allie and Katie both spun around in surprise to see her standing behind them. ‘The standards are about the same whether she’s here or not.’
Katie eyed her with malicious contempt. ‘Oh look. It’s Robot Girl. Shouldn’t you be off memorising things? Or going through puberty?’ She turned back to Allie. ‘It’s so appropriate the little weirdo likes you.’
Outraged, Allie opened her mouth to defend Zoe, but the smaller girl beat her to it, stepping closer to Katie until she was standing two steps above her, forcing her to look up at her.
‘I’m already going through puberty,’ Zoe said with typical pedantry. ‘The same as you. You start at eleven and finish when you’re seventeen. On average.’
Katie glared. ‘I don’t care, you creepy little android.’
Allie stepped between them. ‘Leave her alone, Katie.’
A crowd began to gather, watching the skirmish with avid curiosity. This was getting out of hand.
Lowering her voice, Allie tried to speak in the same quiet, threatening way she’d seen Mr Patel do when he wanted to intimidate someone.
‘I don’t know what your problem is with me, and I don’t really care. You know who I am; who my grandmother is. Leave me and my friends alone or I will ruin your life. I will make it my mission to break you.’
Katie stepped closer, until their faces were inches apart. ‘I’m not afraid of you, Allie,’ she hissed. ‘And I’m not afraid of Lucinda Meldrum. No one is. You need to tell her —’
But mention of her grandmother’s name was too much – Allie grabbed Zoe’s arm and pulled her with her.
‘Come on, Zoe,’ she said, lowering a freezing glare at Katie. ‘We’re done here.’
When they reached the ground floor, the younger girl spoke, mostly to herself. ‘Puberty is a notoriously difficult and emotional time. I studied up on it, so I’m ready.’
‘That’s great, Zoe,’ Allie said absently. Her mind was on Katie’s words. What had she meant when she said no one was afraid of Lucinda? Was that some sort of message?
Katie’s parents were powerful members of the board. That was all Allie really knew about them.
Zoe, having finished her puberty point, was ready to get on with her day. ‘Anyway, I have to go and study now.’
Her smooth, unworried face showed no signs of concern about the altercation on the stairs.
‘Hey,’ Allie said hesitantly. ‘Thanks for standing up for me.’
Zoe swung her book bag over her shoulder. ‘That’s all right. Katie Gilmore is a bitch.’
When she’d gone, Allie turned towards Isabelle’s door. After a brief hesitation, she knocked on it firmly. When there was no response, she jiggled the door handle – it was locked tight.
‘Isabelle?’ she asked the door tentatively. ‘Are you in there?’
Silence.
‘Balls,’ Allie muttered.
For a few long minutes she waited outside, scuffing the toe of her black Oxford shoe on the polished wood floor. But Isabelle didn’t return.
Allie wasn’t sure what to do. Zelazny had been quite firm that Isabelle would expect her to be here. And the last thing she needed was more trouble.
Biting her lip, she looked around for a place to wait. Across the hall, a heavy ornamental table held a large vase filled with pale pink roses. If she sat on the floor next to it she was out of the way but could still see the headmistress’s door.
Once she was settled, she pulled her history book out of her bag and began looking over her homework. A stream of students and staff ebbed and flowed in the hallway in front of her, but there was no sign of Isabelle.
More than half an hour passed before she heard the faint creak of Isabelle’s office door. When she looked up, someone stood in front of it. Her back was to Allie, but it looked like the headmistress was having trouble with the lock.
At last.
‘Isabelle!’ Leaving her books on the floor, Allie ran across the hall. At the sound of her voice, the woman turned. But it wasn’t Isabelle at all.