I froze. Was he the one that called me down?
“You’re next,” Mr. McCoy stared after me as a boy got up to meet with him. Mr. McCoy stepped aside so the boy could walk down the hallway. He glanced once more my way before following.
I whipped my phone out, ready to text Mr. Blackbourne about what to do. If McCoy came back before I had an answer, I’d march down the opposite hallway and hide out in Mr. Blackbourne’s office.
Before I could finish the text, Mr. Hendricks peeked his head in from the same hallway. He scanned, zeroed in on me and curled his fingers at me.
I hesitated but stood, slipping the phone into my bra out of habit while he wasn’t looking. I really hoped Mr. Blackbourne was watching. What could he do if Mr. McCoy trapped me in the hallway again after I left the Principal’s office?
Hendricks held the door open for me and I fell into the burnt orange chair and dropped my things at my feet. I clasped my hands in my lap, waiting for the questions and trying to look as contrite as possible. I was ready to talk about Nathan.
Mr. Hendricks shut the door. “How are you doing today?” he asked, his tone lighter than I remembered.
“I’m fine.” My tongue started to glue itself to my mouth out of nervousness, but I remembered I was supposed to focus on what Mr. Blackbourne taught me and try to get on Mr. Hendricks’s good side. “How are you, sir?”
He paused in mid-step, evaluating me from across his desk, before completing his progress, sitting down into his chair. “We’re busy,” he commented, “but it has been quiet.”
Probably because the Academy has been policing the hallways. I bit my tongue and summoned a warm smile, trying to think of Nathan or Victor or Silas, like Mr. Blackbourne told me to do when I needed to appear at ease and more confident.
Hendricks sat back, heaving his shoulders in a sigh. “Have anything interesting to tell me?”
Without a direct question, I wasn’t sure what to say. “Um, what do you want to know? About Nathan being out of school?”
His eyebrow arched. “Okay, let’s hear what Mr. Blackbourne told you to tell me.”
Maybe that was too obvious but I didn’t have anything else to report and it felt like if I didn’t say anything that I would be in trouble. “Nathan ...Mr. Blackbourne said Nathan was at a first aid and CPR training class that day.”
“Yes, I know.”
How did he know? The only one who talked about it to me was Mr. Blackbourne. That was it. It was all I had. No one else had been out of school. “I’m not sure what else to say. I don’t know what you’re interested in.” Honesty, let’s go with that.
“Nathan told me where he was yesterday.” He dropped his elbows on the armrests, folding his hands over his stomach as he sat back. “What I want to know is everything they’re not telling you to say to me.”
My lips started to glue themselves together. I was unsure of how to proceed. Now what?
“I understand you’re hesitant to talk to me. The Academy probably still sounds like a good opportunity. You don’t want to betray them with revealing their secrets, but I assure you, this is for their good and yours. However, it isn’t useful to me for you to repeat like a mindless parrot what Mr. Blackbourne wants you to tell me. I’m not an idiot. I know he’s told you whatever lie he wanted you to believe.”
“No,” I said quickly.
“Did you actually see Nathan taking a CPR class?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know for sure he was there, or that Mr. Blackbourne or Nathan wasn’t lying about where he was?”
I didn’t have an answer. What could I say? “I just don’t really know how I could find out ...”
“Have you been to the Academy yet?”
I shook my head. “I’ve never seen it.”
“Have you heard them talk about it?”
“No. Well, they talk about some things, but not where it’s at.”
“Have they ever told you they were on their way to the Academy?”
I stiffened. They have done this. They do it all the time. I couldn’t lie, so I hesitated before responding. “Yes.”
“At what time?”
I flinched. “What time?”
“When they tell you they are going to the Academy to do something, what time do they usually say this?”
How was this helpful? “All hours,” I said. I thought being vague was good. It was still true. “Morning, late evening, afternoon ... nothing stands out in particular as a specific time.”
“Middle of the night?” he asked. “Two o’clock in the morning?”
I tried to recall this happening. They’d gone out early but not that early that I could remember. “Not that I’ve noticed.”
“Mr. Lee has done it twice this week, during a school week.”
My mouth fell open. He has? He hadn’t spent the night all week, so he could have. Then I remembered a time when I’d been at Nathan’s close to midnight, and getting a call from Kota, who was still doing Academy work. “How would you know?”
“Like I said, I’m not an idiot.” His eyes narrowed on me. “I know they’ve got me trying to chase my tail. Kota left his home yesterday near one in the morning, drove downtown to Mr. Morgan’s home, stayed for barely ten minutes before he was out the door again and drove home.”
Victor lived at least thirty minutes away. Kota didn’t appear tired. Why would he go all that way so late at night? Was Victor in trouble? One thing was clear, Hendricks had more than me keeping an eye on the boys. Did he hire a private investigator? Or was he watching them himself? He didn’t appear particularly tired so it must be someone else. He had someone watching Kota’s house? Could he have me watched, too? “I don’t ... I’m sorry, I didn’t see that.”
Mr. Hendricks heaved another sigh, waving a hand in the air. “If you want to do well this semester, you’ll have to do better. But maybe now you know what I’m looking for. You can tell me their lies if you’d like, but you should also watch what they’re doing.”
If he had a private investigator, why did he want me? Maybe he couldn’t keep an eye on all of them at once. I wanted to test this. “Anyone in particular? If you don’t mind me asking, there’s a few of them so it’s hard to keep up.”
“Any one of them you’re with, but now that you say that, try to get closer to Mr. Blackbourne.”
“Not Kota?” I asked, trying to appear surprised.
“Don’t worry about him.”
Dismissive about Kota. He had him watched. How was he keeping tabs on the others? “I’ll do my best,” I said, ready for this to be over.
Mr. Hendricks tapped his finger on his chair. “One more thing,” he said, but paused, as if weighing whether or not to bring this up. “Where’s your sister?”
Did he expect me to spy on her, too? “In class, I’d guess.”
His eyebrow lifted. “She hasn’t been to school since Monday of last week.”
I couldn’t contain my surprise now. I ran through my head if this was true. She had to be going to school. I saw her the other morning with Nathan and the coffee. I heard her getting up in the morning.
I always left before she did, though. I smothered a groan. Marie was taking advantage of the situation and not showing up to school. I knew it probably wasn’t her favorite thing to do, but didn’t she know they’d come after us?
“I ...” I started, unsure of how to relay how I didn’t know without revealing any more details. “I’ve been leaving before her in the morning and I’ve been so busy. I must not have noticed ...” I was hesitant to suggest she might be sick because I knew that was a lie.
“She’s not involved with the Academy, too, is she?”
“No, sir. She doesn’t like any of them.” When the words slipped from my mouth, I realized my mistake instantly. I just admitted a potential conspirator who would be happy to get passing grades in exchange for anything she could find out about the Academy, not just what I was willing to share.
Mr. Hendricks grinned. “Would you t
ell her I’d like to see her in my office tomorrow morning? Or should I call your parents?”
“I’ll tell her,” I said quietly.
He nodded. “I’ll talk to you again soon. Our deal is still very much in place.”
He got up, crossing the room. When he opened the door, Mr. Blackbourne was in the hallway with Mr. McCoy.
“This isn’t yours?” Mr. Blackbourne held up a set of keys, letting them dangle from his forefinger toward Mr. McCoy’s face.
“I said no,” Mr. McCoy grumbled. “I think I know my own keys.”
“Hm,” Mr.Blackbourne’s tone suggested that was obvious. His eyes flitted to Mr. Hendricks and then to me. He narrowed his eyes at me as if disappointed. “Miss Sorenson,” he said, dripping with unhappy surprise.
Mr. McCoy turned to us, locking eyes with me with the tiniest hint of a dour frown before he stiffened and addressed Mr. Hendricks. “A problem?”
“Not at all,” Mr. Hendricks flashed a smile at them. “She stopped by to say hello.” He nudged me forward. “Have a nice day, Miss Sorenson.” He mimicked the tone Mr. Blackbourne used to say my name.
I clutched my things close to my body, stumbling forward as Mr. Hendricks shut his door again behind me.
When Hendricks was out of sight, Mr. Blackbourne turned to me. “I believe you were heading to class,” he said. He placed himself with his back toward Mr. McCoy so I wouldn’t have to pass between them, and instead walk in front of the wall.
I scooted past. McCoy’s watery eyes tracked me.
Mr. Blackbourne tailed me. When we were out in the waiting room, he walked around me, but nudged my arm so I’d follow down the hallway to his unmarked door.
Inside his office, he shut the door behind us. I dropped my things onto the floor. I pressed my palms to the top of Dr. Green’s desk and leaned against it. My body rattled. The performance was over. I was done.
“You’re fine, Miss Sorenson,” Mr. Blackbourne said in a calm tone behind me.
“He still thought I was lying about Nathan. He thinks you fed me lines,” I started. “He follows Kota. He asked about my sister. She hasn’t been to school. He wants me to ...”
“Slow down,” he said. He touched my arm at the elbow, jolting me into standing up and turning around. He moved around me to access Dr. Green’s desk drawer. He located a bottle of water, opened the top and passed it to me.
I took the bottle, our hands brushing, causing another jolt through me. I was used to the others touching me but not him. Part of it might have been the brisk change from recoiling from Mr. Hendricks and Mr. McCoy, to wanting to being accepting of his touch. I sipped at the water, regaining some composure.
“Sit,” he motioned to the top of Dr. Green’s desk.
I perched on top of it.
Mr. Blackbourne pushed Dr. Green’s chair back so he could stand in front of me. He glanced down at my face. “Start at the beginning.”
I relayed everything I could think of, from how Hendricks was sitting to the unspoken suggestion that he had the boys followed. “And I messed up,” I said. “I didn’t know my sister was skipping school. He wants to see her. I let it slip she didn’t like any of you. I didn’t think about that. It’s my fault. He might get her to ...”
“Calm down,” he commanded. He stood back, a forefinger pressing the bridge of his glasses, his other hand on his hip. “Nothing is your fault. You did fine.”
“And McCoy? He wanted me to see him. He was outside the door waiting for me?”
“Your orders still stand. Avoid him, even if he commands you to stay or follow. Find me or one of the boys if he tries. If you’re not sure where to go, come to this office and lock yourself in.” He sighed. “But yes, he’s certainly after you. I’ve been watching him all week. He’s curt with other girls, but he’s not touched them. He has a particular interest in you. He must think he can take advantage of you and is abusing that.”
“Hendricks has someone following Kota,” I said. “But he wants me to get close to you.”
The perfect brows lifted, pursing his lips as if curious but unconcerned.
The conclusion dangled in front of me. I put words to define it. “He wants me to get close to you because he’s tried to have you followed but couldn’t.”
“He’s chasing shadows,” he said. “It’s what we want. That’s the important part.”
I tilted my head at him. “You knew he was having you followed.”
“Since the first week,” he said, nodding.
I sat back, pressing a palm to my forehead. This was too much for my brain to take in and there was so much else to worry about. “I can’t believe I forgot my sister. She skipped school for this long and I didn’t notice.”
“When you go home today, you can ask her about it,” he said.
“They’re going to find out,” I said. “Hendricks has already threatened to call my parents. McCoy might know already. At some point he might ...”
“Stop,” Mr. Blackbourne barked at me. “You’re worrying. It’s a waste of time.”
My cheeks heated. I swallowed, shoving a finger toward my mouth. “What do we do?”
His face softened. He drew the chair closer to the desk, sitting, gazing up at my face. Looking down at him, he appeared the younger version of Mr. Blackbourne I sometimes forgot he was. He couldn’t be more than nineteen, twenty maybe. The perfect angles of his face seemed to soften, and his gray eyes opened up. “You, Miss Sorenson, are going to stop worrying about things you can’t control. What Hendricks might do isn’t something you should be concerned about.”
“If he finds out ...”
He tilted his head at me. “Do you remember being locked in the closet and Kota told Gabriel to pick you up and walk you out before you convinced them you should stay?”
He was talking about this now? “Yes.”
“And you stopped us.”
“Because she was going to call the cops. She would have if I opened the door or spotted Gabriel.”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “Did you think we didn’t know that part?”
I hesitated, my finger pinching my lip to my teeth. “I ... I don’t know.”
“We were ready for it,” he said. “Like we’re ready now if someone discovers what happened with your family. If Hendricks, or anyone else, starts to cause problems, we’re ready.”
“How?” I asked. It was the puzzle that evaded conclusion when I went to bed at night. Even with the boys next to me, I listened to police sirens in the distance and wondered if they were on their way to my door. This couldn't last forever. Someone would find out. “What would happen?”
Mr. Blackbourne sighed, sitting back and pressing his fingers to his forehead. “Maybe Kota didn’t make this clear. Your only job is to keep your nose clean. If something happens, whether your mom returns and kicks you out of the house, or your classmates threaten you, or Mr. McCoy comes after you again, all you have to do is call. One of a dozen scenarios could happen, true, but as long as you remain safe and keep out of trouble, we can help.” His steel gaze glinted at me. “And I swear, Miss Sorenson, we will. We will come for you every time, for any reason. Until the day you tell us to stop, we will always be right behind you.”
My breath stilled as I regarded him. “I can tell you to stop?”
He nodded. “Family is a choice,” he reminded me.
I sighed. Could it only be so simple? They said I had to trust them. I tried. I wanted to. My mind wouldn’t relent wondering what I should do if this or that happened. My life was out of control, and the thin thread that kept me from crumbling was the Academy—the new family that I didn’t yet feel fully a part of.
“What do I do now?” I asked.
He sat forward again. “You are going to wait here until school is over. Kota will collect you after class. When you go home today, find out why your sister is staying out of school. Get her to come back if you can.”
“What if she doesn’t want to?"
“She can eit
her come willingly, or the police will eventually look for her. Social services will inspect the house if she abuses your new independence,” he said. “You might want to remind her of that.”
“I should try to make her?”
He shook his head. “Remind her that she can’t expect to hide forever. The longer she stays away, the harder it will be to go back. If she continues to refuse to come to school, if she fights it, back off. She’s making her own choices. As long as she doesn’t impede upon your wellbeing, let her do what she thinks she has to do.”
I twisted my lips. I felt partially responsible for Marie. Family was supposed to help each other, weren’t they?
Mr. Blackbourne seemed to read my mind. “Family is a choice. We help those who want our help. Don’t make yourself responsible for someone who won’t do the same for you. Blood can make a bond stronger, but it doesn’t make the bond.”
I relented. I wasn’t sure how I could do that, but maybe he was right. It still seemed impossible to let go of every worry. Nothing I could do about it now. “What about Mr. Hendricks?”
“You should probably do what he says,” Mr. Blackbourne offered. His eyes met mine again, the millimeter smile collecting in the corner of his mouth. “Keep your eyes open. Stay close.”
“He said stay close to you.”
He nodded, as if it were obvious. “And you should.”
I blushed, but pushed my hand from my face and into my lap. Words escaped me. They were already so close. They invaded nearly every part of my life now. So close and yet I wasn’t really part of them. I didn’t feel it. I felt I hardly knew any of them.
Would I ever feel like I knew them fully?
GROWING UP
I could have gone to gym class, but Mr. Blackbourne allowed me to sit it out. He left to take care of other things, but had me lock the door behind him.
I was still sitting on the desk when the door handle rattled. I stilled, my heart in my throat, worried it might be another teacher or even Mr. McCoy. The door unlocked and Dr. Green walked in. He was wearing a dark blue shirt, a yellow tie, and tan slacks. His sandy-colored hair hung down about mid ear. There was a soft scrap of facial hair along his jaw, as if he left it unshaven on purpose. It looked incredible.