part two of Mathews Academy

by Kianney

this is a book I wrote myself which follows on from the book 'Mathews Academy' in this book Sarah's life begins to take a dangerous turn of events that she must fight to over come the only thing that she fears is how ruthless she might have to be.

PART TWO

CHAPTER ONE

My name is Sarah Hill and I am the first person (that is not a member of the triangle) who has seen the inside of the triangle base and lived to see the next day. I am also the only recorded victim to have survived three attacks from the triangle. I am the daughter of the two of the best spies in the world however I hadn't known this until last year. My father died when I was a little girl on his last mission and I am going to avenge him or die trying.

I stand looking at the large iron gates of my home and school, for the first time since I got out of the tunnels. The security has increased drastically while I was gone, now as I look upon the grounds I can see guards roaming the outer skirts of the forest. The gates are shut after every person enters the school perimeter causing the long line of traffic that has built up behind us. I step forward (away from the slick black sports car) toward the gates and feel the two body guards that have been assigned to me by VPP stay close behind me. "Name?" one of the four guards standing at the gates asks looking down at me. I am not much shorter than him but I smirk as I notice the way he purposefully looks down his long crooked nose at me. "Sarah Hill." I say smiling as I watch my own name make the man's eyebrows rise in surprise. The other three guards stand a little straighter as they look at me.

The first guard nods us forward and opens the gates with a loud groan of iron. I try my best to ignore my body guard's step forward with me as I look around with a little sigh. I start quickly for the dorm house dragging my bags on the path as I go. I climb the steps quickly listening as my school shoes only briefly touch the cement. "Give me your cell-phone, please." A female teacher I have only seen around a few times before says. I hesitate before dropping my phone into the little bag she holds out to me with my name on it. With a shake of my head I continue into the large beautiful building. I look up at the portrait in the dining hall, the one of our founder, I inhale the smell of cooking food from the kitchen that is just behind the dining hall and I walk through the double hard oak wooden doors. The entrance hall, which is surrounded by mostly offices for the staff members, is a lot cooler than the magnificent dining hall.

The soft red carpet beneath my feet muffles my steps, as I walk with determination to my dorm room. I am the last of the four of us to arrive and I come to an abrupt stop when I see Clue, Sasha and Beth standing outside the dorm just staring at the door with their bags piled around them. "What's going on?" I ask, they all turn to look at me in surprise, but I ignore it. The last time they'd all seen me I'd been laying in a hospital bed refusing to talk to a VPP agent. I smile at them and watch as they all look back in concern and shock. "What's going on?" I repeat turning my attention to the dorm door. Sasha shakes her head making her thick newly bob cut black hair move with her as she says "We can't get in." I look at the door thoughtfully but there was no handle and judging by the thick new iron hinges on the side it is impossible to just push it open.

"It's a scanner." Jamie (One of my body guard's) says stepping forward so instead of flanking me he is beside me. Clue, Sasha and Beth look at him blankly "Err…this is Jamie and Darien their um body guards." I say gesturing to them in turn. Beth nods and smiles at Jamie "What did you say it was?" she asks. I watch as Jamie bends over the door and places his hand on the metal part that had been bolted in the same place a door handle should have been. It lights up bathing Jamie's hand in green light as it scans it "Identified." A mechanical voice says "Agent 661." It says and with a clicking sound the door opens. "It will only open for the five of us, the four of you being the ladies who stay in the room and me as Sarah's head body guard." He says stepping back for us to step in. "Before you go in you ought to let it scan your hand." He adds before we all walk in.

Beth closes the door behind her casting a glance at Darien and Jamie who have taken their positions beside the door. Our room looks just as I remember it but with a few alterations, the one little red panic button has multiplied into four others spread around the room. The windows had new bars fitted on that look simple and harmless but I have a little feeling they would become much more than that if someone were to try and trespass. Sasha lets out a soft squeak of surprise and we all turn to look why. Part of the wall has fallen open like a little flap revealing a neat set of guns and knives. Clue gaps "How did you open that?" she asks. Sasha shrugs "I think it opened when I pressed it with my fingers "This is insane." Beth mutters looking at the weapons. "I heard about the upgrades and the new security….but this…this is just...I mean what are we trying to keep out?" Clue says softly. "The only thing that can get in." Beth whispers in response "The triangle."

"We should start unpacking." I say not wanting to talk about the triangle… not yet at least. We are deadly silent as we unpack our bags but I don't do anything to break it. We start for the dining hall, all of us ignoring the way other girls seem to try and walk as far away from us as possible (Though how could we blame them we did have two body guard's trailing behind us.) We take our seats at the usual dining hall and I sigh gratefully when I notice Jamie and Darien stand back at the door way just watching us. "What's the deal about them?" Beth asks leaning in and glancing at Darien and Jamie. I shrug "I donno they have to follow me around like everywhere I go," I say "Though apparently there are ones who will stand outside our dorm in the evenings." I say thoughtfully.

"Omma gosh your Sarah Hill, right?" someone says rushing up to us. I spin in my seat to see two girls probably in seventh grade standing looking at us with excited faces. "Uh…yeah." I say frowning at them "I've heard of you, my dad works at VPP and he says you're the first to have seen the inside of the triangle base." The shorter blonder one says almost jumping with excitement. "Yeah and I heard you dated the brother of the leader?" the other one chimes. A strange pang shoots into my stomach and seems to spread around my entire body as I think of Zach and his sister both standing before me in the cold damp tunnel of the triangle base.

"What did it look like?"
"Yeah and is it true they wanted you to join them?"
"And the boy did he really try and kill you?"
"No Kelly I keep telling you he didn't try and kill her!"

"I think you guys should go and sit down at your own table." Beth says maybe a little too sharply. "But I was just wondering if- "Go!" Clue snaps. The two girls put their heads down and totter off quickly leaving me sitting numbly in the seat. "Sarah, are you- Beth starts but quickly stops when Teresa stands behind the podium and grips it with both hands. "Welcome back!" "I hope you've all had a good holiday and are now ready for hard work. For obvious reasons we have had to put new rules in place and put in new security measures in order to secure your safety." She says making almost the entire room of people turn to look at me. "It is important that you work with us to insure your safety. And finally, you must have noticed that none of our young ladies have gone to join the boys this term and that is for the simple reason that it is no longer for anyone to leave the school perimeter." She says firmly and with that she turns and sits down at the staff table.

There is a moment of deathly silence in the dining hall but finally all at once conversation breaks out at every table. I shovel down the spaghetti on my plate as quickly as possible and jump out of my seat. Beth turns to look at me with one raised eyebrow "You don't want desert?" she asks. "Nah I think I'm gonna just head up to bed." I say quickly. Without waiting for her objection I spin on my heels and march out of the dining hall knowing Jamie and Darien are close behind. The entrance room is far colder than the well heated hall and I shiver slightly as I make my way up the grand stairs. "Night" I say blankly to Jamie and Darien before unlocking the dorm room door and stepping into the silent room.

I lay on my bed facing the ceiling in the darkness. I fear sleep these days because the images I see when my eyes are closed are those that will forever be burnt into my memory. I squeeze my eyes shut thinking of the psychologist at VPP telling me to picture happy things before sleep. However, just as quickly as I start feeling comforted by the image of my friends all around me, it is ripped from my mind and replaced with the horrors I have endured. Rosie is the first thing to pop into my mind (it is strange like a movie being played behind my eyelids). Rosie is first happy and smiling in her naturally beautiful way. Then I watch as she is thrown out the huge chopper that had carried me to the triangles tunnels. Finally the image of when I had seen her last in the hospital bed flies into my head, her hair is a strange dull colour, her skin pail and waxy looking, her lips blue and her entire body so thin it seems to drain every ounce of beauty in her.

I open my eyes abruptly and take a deep shaky breath. Maybe people were right, maybe I was more fortunate than my friend, after all I was lying in my own bed in the home I shared with my sisters but she hadn't woken up in a month. I hadn't thought of myself as fortunate in any way of course despite what people said. I would have rather almost have drowned than have to go through the pain of thinking I was the reason she had died, though perhaps I still was. What if she never woke up? I wonder if Zach felt guilty, he doesn't know she is still alive heck he doesn't even know if I'm still alive. However I keep thinking that maybe he wasn't given the opportunity to feel guilty, after all he did save me, I just wonder is he still alive? The leader of the triangle may have been his sister but I had no doubt in my mind if you were in charge of such a brutal gang, blood wouldn't be thicker than water. In fact when I picture her I keep seeing this cold stone heart held in her sickly pail hands.

I don't know how to feel about the possibility of Zach being dead. A part of me hates him so much that my entire body feels hot with anger when I think of him. But there is this small part (Very small part) of me that knows he is the only reason I got out of those tunnels and would probably feel a little upset if he were dead. Though I'm not too sure I will ever know if he is alive. I try to imagine what I would do if I saw him again. The two sides of my feelings toward him have this mini war inside me, would I throw myself at him and claw his eyes out or would I run from him before I thanked him for saving my life. I lie awake for a few hours trying my best to fight off sleep but when I finally did fall asleep I didn't dream a thing.

I woke slowly and quickly glanced around the room but the others were only waking up now too. We walked silently down the staircase toward the entrance room but we were quickly stopped by a deep man's voice calling up to us. "Miss Hill, Natson, Briedaman and Holtson! Could you come see me?" At once we all turn and look over the banister. Mr Stevens is the deputy headmaster and by far the best teacher we had. After exchanging a few quick glances the four of us make our way down to his level and follow him into his office. It hasn't changed much since the last time I was here, except maybe for the cactus that is placed neatly on his desk. "We have made a schedule for the four of you. Clue and Sasha have the same as they chose the same subjects and Sarah and Beth you have the same because you two chose the same subjects." He says handing them to all of us.

We all bow our heads eager to see how the year would hold "Err… Mr Stevens?" Beth starts looking up from her timetable. "This can't be right." I finish her train of thought. "And why is that?" he asks leaning back in his seat. "Well it says here that we have fielding class at ten, that's when we have first break." I say. "No, that's when the rest of the school has their first break." He says making all four of us stare back dumb founded. "I don't understand?" Beth finally says. Mr Stevens pauses his lips then leans forward on his desk and says "For safety and convenience reasons we have given the four of you different timetables to the rest of the school, I trust you understand why." He says glancing at my arm with bruises all up it, poorly hidden by our uniform.

Beth nods "Yeah we understand." She says looking back down at the schedule. "Well then you may go and enjoy your breakfast, ladies." He says gesturing toward the door. We turn and leave quickly "This won't be so bad, I mean a class of two sounds really appealing." Sasha says in as happy a tone she can force. I smile a little, I appreciate her efforts but I know she loves being able to show off in the subjects she is good at and I can't help but feel a little bad. We sit down at the dining table and start eating the food already set out for us. Food hadn't been this good in the hospital everything seemed soggy and for some reason all just tasted the same, then again I did have a dislocated jaw and could hardly chew. Rosie was still in that hospital except she was completely incapable of eating or talking or doing anything at all, all she could do was lie there. The doctors had told me it was un-lightly she could hear me but I had still sat at her bedside and told her I would make things right and begged for forgiveness.

Her parents had been so kind to me that it had made me feel guiltier; all I could think was that I would never forgive me if I were in their position. "Sarah?" Clue says snapping me out of my little daze. "Yeah," I say quickly "Let's go we'll be late for class." Beth says pulling me to my feet with one strong hand. I walk beside Beth toward combat class and simply smile when the other two turn down a different path. Combat class isn't very eventful at least not as eventful as last year, though considering I found myself in the hospital building more than once with cuts and bruises, I suppose that isn't a bad thing.

Finally at the end of the day all four of us sit in our bedroom with our heads bowed over our homework. "Why didn't anyone tell me ninth grade was going to have so much homework?" Clue mutters chewing on her pencil in thought.
"Yeah we have seven tests in one week!" Beth says clucking her tong.
"Don't moan so much, there's no point we can't change it." Sasha says.
"I can't do any more," I say getting up "I'm going for a walk." I add drifting across the room and out the door. "Where are we going now?" Jamie asks clutching a disposable cup of coffee. I shrug "Just a walk." I say, he is the only one here I suppose the other body guard went for some personal reasons. "Right, shall we go then." He says starting to walk along side me. I am taken slightly aback, is that how body guards are supposed to behave?

We walk slowly in the shadows of the beautiful building, I would have loved to go outside and just breathe in the fresh air but we had already gone into lock down so there was no way in or out. "So did you go to the boy's school here?" I ask wanting to break the deathly silence. Jamie nods "Yeah the best years of my life," he smiles obviously remembering something. I look down at the ground I wish I could have said the same but I doubt I ever would be able to say it not after the horrors that had occurred since I came here. "So I never asked," Jamie says as we turn a corner "What was the story behind you and that boy, Zach?" I raise my eyebrows and snort, "As if you don't know it already."
"I only know what I have been told but you never told me so how would I know if it were true?" he asks.
I sigh "I donno, we were friends and then he pushed me off a cliff."
"To save your life," Jamie points out. I get a little annoyed by his comment but don't say anything.

"He wouldn't have had to save me if he hadn't put me in that situation." I add sharply.
"You still don't know?" Jamie asks frowning at me.
"Know what?" I narrow my eyes at him in the darkness.
"Zach stopped helping his sister only about a month after it had started, the person who really tried to deliver you to your death bed was your old PE couch." He says.
I raise my eyebrows in surprise. I had been wondering why we had a new couch but I had not thought it had anything to do with what had happened.
"Zach really did try and protect you, he cares about you." Jamie says. We stand in the warm and grand library which books have disappeared into the ground hours ago. I sit down on one of the arm chairs and Jamie sits across from me "How would you know?" I ask in a chilly voice. Jamie smirks a little "Because I'm his brother, Sarah."

The next morning bright sunlight streams in through the window and I lie flat on my back staring at the roof in the same position I had been in since I came back from my walk. Sleep simply couldn't find me and at this point I was exhausted I would almost be grateful if I had a terrible nightmare. I'd chewed my nails to non-existence through the course of the night and in the back of my mind I had the image of three pairs of blue eyes; Zach's, his sister's and finally his sister's twin, Jamie Motet. I had so wanted to tell Beth, Clue or Sasha but by the time I'd gotten back they were fast asleep. I felt like a zombie walking around school with dark rings under my eyes. Beth, Clue and Sasha had asked all sorts of questions but I didn't think telling them was a very good idea, not after a full night to think about it. When I had stepped out of the room this morning Darien had told me that Jamie had taken today off because he felt ill and that I had some other body guard filling in. I obviously knew Jamie had lied about being ill I just didn't know why. I mean if anyone should be hiding shouldn't it be me, I just am not able to escape them wherever I go the triangle always follow.

The days to follow weren't much better. It was three days after Jamie's little confession and he still hadn't returned I was starting to think he never would. I wanted him to come back I needed to talk to him I needed to know things, I had questions that only someone like him could answer. That was the only reason I hadn't gone straight to Mr Stevens telling him that Jamie was not to be trusted. I run a brush through my wet hair so stuck in my thoughts that I don't feel the knots as they are brushed away. I still hadn't told any of my friends that Jamie was Zach's brother I can't be sure why but I just have this feeling that I shouldn't that I need to find out the entire story before I do. I tie up my hair and get up slowly "I think I want to walk around the grounds before lock down." I announce to my roommates. They all look up from their books, thanks to the fact that I could find very little sleep I was now ahead with my work.

However just when I thought I was in the clear and he didn't suspect anything fishy was going and I was trailing behind the rest of the class with Beth by my side he didn't look up from whatever he was reading but he said. "Miss Hill, might you stay a few minutes?" I shot Beth a look but when Mr Stevens said "Close the door behind you please, Miss Holtzen," she turned away and left in silence. I sighed looking a Mr Stevens praying I wasn't about to get another detention or something.

"Why so nervous Sarah?" he asks. I raise one eyebrow he wasn't even looking at me! "Please sit." He says I do as I am told and sit at one of the desks in the very from row. With a little sigh Mr Stevens puts down the paper he'd been reading "Now, what is this sudden interest in our founder?" he asked. I swallowed as my mouth began to feel dry lying to Teresa was one thing but to Mr Stevens…. Well that was a whole different story. However I mustered up all the courage I had and looked him right in his dark eyes as I said "I've just been a little curious lately that's all." Mr Stevens doesn't move he just looks at me probably analysing my face for some kind of clue that I was lying to him. He sighs and leans forward to put his folded hands on his desk top. I look away from his eyes and rather at the scignynt wring he always wore, it was such a simple piece of jewellery but now that I was trained to notice the tiniest of details I could make out the thin engraved patterns on it.

"How's the studying for exams going?" he asked as if just trying to have a casual conversation but I knew better than to trust him. "Oh, it's, swell," I say with the slightest injection of sarcasm, Mr Stevens, smiles (almost laughs) but he shakes his head and continues. "And what about your project, have you found it easy to spy on your combat instructor?" he asked. I stiffen for a moment I had entirely forgotten about what I had seen happen before I'd found out Zach was awake and before I stumbled upon the tunnel. I look back into Mr Stevens eyes, chances were that he already knew about the little love affair going on between the instructor and the twelfth grader, after all he always knew what was going on. But should I not tell him? I sit up a little straight and smile "It hasn't been all that difficult." I assure him slowly.

"Are you managing alright with Darien and not Jamie?" he asked obviously still thinking there is a reason as to why I was so interested in the founder. I shrug "Yeah a body guard's a body guard right?" I say trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. The truth was over the month or so that Jamie had been my body guard we'd really become kind of… I don't know… Friends, he made it less weird to have body guards around cause often I would even forget he is my body guard.

Mr Stevens nods a little "And what about the reason he left?" he asks. I raise one eyebrow and cross my arms over my chest, what did he think: I would have a freak attack if he just said why Jamie had to leave. "What about the reason?" I asked again trying to make it out as though I didn't care all that Zach had woken up. I sigh and lean forward slightly "Well I guess I just thinks it's kind of screwed up that he woke up and Rosie is still stuck in hospital fighting for her life." I say Mr Stevens nods slowly again "And what are your feelings and thoughts around what happened with Rosie?" he asked.

Sheesh why did the school have a freeking therapist if they had a Mr Stevens, I had to reframe from rolling my eyes but I slowly answered, "Well I don't know what I am supposed to think. That it had nothing to do with me and everything is all flowery and perfect." I say Mr Stevens smiles again, not a proper smile but this faint lifting of the corners that touched his mouth only briefly. "You know Sarah things like this are going to happen for the rest of your life," he says and I guess something about my expression revealed that what he had just said kind of hurt deep down in the pips of my stomach. "I know it's the last thing you want to hear and that's why no one has told you but it's the truth and, well every spy has to live with the guilt of being the reason for their friends pain, torture or even death however the best of spies know how to use that to make them better than when they even had that friend."

Oh boy another one of Mr Stevens' spy life quotes, was it just me or did he seem to be full of them. By this rate I had defiantly missed my next two lessons and therefor the next thing was lunch the last thing I needed was to miss that too cause I was starving. "Alright," Mr Stevens says as if picking thoughts out of my mind (Sometimes I wondered if mind reading came with being a great spy) "You should go and join your friends for lunch." He says I nod jumping up maybe a little eager. "Oh, Sarah," Mr Stevens asks making me sigh and turn back to look at him just before the door "Yes Sir?" I asked trying my best to not sound as annoyed as I felt. He smiled that same smile as before and said "I want you to know that I'm very proud of you, and I think your father would be as well." I pause for a moment not having expected him to say such a thing. "Thanks." I muttered yanking the door open and rushing away quickly.

I start out quickly looking over my shoulder as my fingertips brush the door of our dorm room but as soon as I have stepped outside I freeze. "You're back." I say flatly looking right into Jamie's baby blues, once again he is the only one standing out there. "Did you miss me?" he says flashing a smile not unlike his little brothers. I open my mouth and pause not sure what in the world to say so instead I turn toward the grand staircase and head for fresh air. "You never told anyone." Jamie says following me down one of the garden paths with quick easy steps. "No, I figured if you wanted me dead or were going to take me to your sister you wouldn't have told me or you'd have done it already." I say back.
"Clever, Zach said you were." Jamie says, I walk a little faster down the path and make a left.
"Why'd you come back?" I ask
"Well this is my job, isn't it?"
"Then why did you leave?" I ask sitting down on the garden bench I'd been walking toward. Jamie sits next to me and for a minute is silent.
"I went away because…" he stops talking clearly not sure if he can tell me the reason.

"Yes?" I edge on
"Zach… He's in the VPP base."
I look at Jamie blankly as my entire body seems to just go numb.
"He's been in and out of surgery since he got there."
"he hasn't woken up yet and I don't know if he will." Jamie says, he is not looking at me but the sorrow in his eyes is unmistakable.
"What! They found him?" I ask. What I really wanted to say was what! He's alive but to spare Jamie I took the next best thing.
"Not exactly, according to what other agents tell me he came to them." Jamie says.

A raging war begins inside me not only in my head or in my heart but my entire body. Should I feel sorry for Jamie, comfort him and hope that Zach would survive or should I threaten to kill him if he doesn't die in there. I jump up my brow creased in deep thought. I almost forget completely about Jamie and head toward the dorm house with great speed. "Where are you going?" he calls after me but I don't turn back or say a word I just keep my head down and try to listen to the voices in me; try to hear their reason.

The library is warm and occupied by only three small groups of other people. I sit on a bean bag far in the shadowy depths; my arms are wrapped tightly around my knees that are pressed to my chest. The feeling that has spread over my body is so horrible I hadn't moved for twenty minutes; it is worse than wanting to cry, scream or complain it is worse because I want to do all of these things and yet I can't. I have this need to cry but tears will not come sliding down my warm cheeks, I want to scream and hurt someone the way I have been hurt and yet that thought terrifies me. So I just sit, I don't read a book and if it weren't for the shallow movements of my rib cage I doubt anyone would even notice I am a living object.

The heavy wooden doors open and I almost know exactly who it is but I do not move, still I am paralyzed. It is not until Mr Stevens is standing right in front of me with his hands on his hips and his dark, kind eyes on me that I look up. "May I sit?" he asks gesturing toward a green bean bag much like my blue one. I don't really react but he sinks into the softness of the bag with a sigh. "My, I don't know the last time I sat in one of these." I had been wondering how long it would take for Jamie to tell Mr Stevens what had happened but still I do not react or move. "I heard about Zach." Mr Stevens says slowly. "Yeah, so did I," I answer blankly. I see Mr Stevens smile out the corner of my eye at my little remark.

"So you're upset because he is still alive?" he asks but I shake my head. "Okay, then you're upset because nobody told you?" I shake my head again. "Well then why are you just sitting here?" he asks. I shrug "I don't know." I say with defeat finally bowing my head into my arms. "I feel like crying but like screaming and yet like doing neither at the same time." I say Mr Stevens is silent for a moment. "I don't know if I would kill Zach the next time I saw him or if I'd thank him for saving my life." I shake my head. "Sometimes it is best to just live in each moment." He says. I am silent trying to let what he said sink in but I lift my head and frown at him.

"Perhaps it's best not to think about seeing him again. Perhaps it is best you just focus on you for a little while." He says my frown increases as I look at him now. "Your, safe here your with your friends. You need to take your mind off what happened in those tunnels and focus on what is happening right now." He says slowly. I look at him with surprise and watch as he rises slowly and gives me a little smile "Oh, why not ask the librarian if she has the book sleeping with angels it's rather a good read." He says I watch him leave still stunned and amazed but the terrible feeling inside me seems to leave and I am warmer. Not entirely sure what I want to do but I defiantly feel better.

Chapter two

I wipe away the beads of sweat forming on my forehead. I stand beside Beth in combat class watching the second match of the lesson with great interest. The girls are very well matched, they're both small and thin with little body strength but both are fast on their feet and in their thought. They easily dodge each other and try to counter but as far as I could tell if someone was going to win this fight it would be the person who tired the other out first. Just at that moment the born doors open and a thickset woman walks in followed by a group of what appears to be tenth to eleventh grade boys. Our combat instructor blows the whistle on the two girls bringing them to a stop and turns to look at the group standing in the doorway.

"How can I help you?" he asks looking at them. The woman teacher looks at the boys standing around her and says "These boys have a little false thought in their mind that they are better than all your young ladies." She says shooting her own students dirty looks. "I thought you'd be kind enough to lend us one of your better fighters to just help me get them back into place." The woman says. Some of the girls try to hide their laughter in their palms, others laugh straight out and I look one of the boys dead in the eyes wanting to slap the arrogance right out of them. "Well, ladies who of you feels like an easy match?" our instructor asks looking at the whole group of us. There are about five of the boys but only three girls step forward Beth nudges me in the ribs and smiles "You wanna take him on?" she asks gesturing to the arrogant boy I had looked at.

I shrug "I'm afraid if he were to take me on he might not survive." I say with as sweet a smile I can muster. "What? Is the great Sarah Hill afraid to take on a boy?" the same boy asks loudly from across the barn. I look up at him with fury "Mr Freidan." Our instructor warns. I grab Beth's wrist and force her to step forward with me evening the amount of boys and girls. "Well then should we start with you two?" the female teacher asks gesturing to a slightly older girl called Cameron who I hardly knew and a strong looking boy. Their fight hardly lasts long Cameron rather easily beats him by just sweeping him to the floor and not getting off of him. The next two to go the boy did beat the girl but in all fairness it was a very dirty fight on his part. Beth goes before me she only takes about fifteen minutes to get a submission out of her component.

Finally I step forward and stand across the mat from the boy. He smirks at me he is more than half a head taller than me and no doubt much stronger than I am. "Name's Ryder by the way." He says cockily. I look at him and smile "well Ryder, I'm not sorry for what I am about to do." I say firmly. I wrap the white tape around my hands, as ninth graders we are no longer allowed to use mites when fighting and I don't think I have ever appreciated the mitts more in my life since this year. The instructor steps forward and looks at both of us "Rules are simple, no face contact." He says I look at Ryder and smirk one last time before the whistle is blown and we are off.

I had been right Ryder is much stronger than me but I am quicker and for at least the first ten seconds of the fight I manage to dodge all his attacks. "Come on Sarah, stop playing games." Ryder says I smirk but he doesn't hold back he just aims a kick square for my ribs I grab his ankle and pull on it firmly, watching as he hits the matt. Ryder sweeps his other legs and I too go flying to the ground. Ryder is standing over me before I can get up but I roll out of the reach of his first punch. He follows me over and throws another punch but I grab his fist and flip him over me in one quick motion. This time we're both one our feet and looking at each other. I watch as Ryder moves slowly thinking he must be waiting for me to attack I come closer a little just testing the waters but he tries to punch me and I only just miss it. I counter with a kick and hear it smack into his ribs, it must have hurt but still he lets a fist fly and I let out a yelp as it connects with my chin.

"No face contact!" my instructor yells but already I have sent my own fist into Ryder's face. His nose isn't broken although with the amount of blood that comes out I feel almost mistaken. "Miss Hill, Mr Freidan, I want to see you in my office in five minutes!" Mr Stevens yells from across the barn. I wheel around and look at Mr Stevens; he stands in the door way with his arms folded and his eyes on us with slight blazes of fury. Everyone stays silent as we watch him leave and I stand dead still for a minute. "Come on; let's get you cleaned up before you get a talking to." Beth says standing by my side now. I follow her into the locker room and have a quick shower before I make my way to Mr Stevens' office with my eyes on the floor.

Mr Stevens isn't there yet but Ryder sits on the small bench that is placed against the side of the grand stairway. I refuse to sit next to him so instead I lean back against the wooden stairs and wait for him in silence. "Right into my office," Mr Stevens says coming around the corner and opening the office door for us to step in first. Almost as soon as the door is closed Ryder and I launch into explanations but Mr Stevens sits down at his desk slowly and just watches us for a few minutes. "I don't want explanations I saw the whole fight." He says I raise one eyebrow "So what did we actually do wrong?" I ask "We got a little carried away so?" I say. Ryder is silent as he looks from me to Mr Stevens and back like he is trying to figure out who he should be supporting in this case. "That is exactly what you did wrong." Mr Stevens says leaning forward "You need to learn that out in the field you are going to be working with people you do not like you need to learn how to keep yourself under control." He sat firmly.

"So to teach you two a lesson you will be spending a detention on Friday afternoon in my class room." He says pulling out two detention slips and signing them before handing them to us. "What?" Ryder asks "I'm not even supposed to be on this property and now I have to give my Friday afternoon in detention?" he snaps. Mr Stevens raises and eyebrow at him "Be careful, if you have something better to do on Friday afternoon I could make it the hold day on Saturday?" he offers. Ryder is silent and Mr Stevens nods getting up slowly "Well then I will see you two on Friday." He says and with that Ryder and I leave his office before he can say another word. "Well, thanks." Ryder snaps when the door has clicked shut behind us. I shoot him and annoyed look but before I can start another fight I just stalk off to my dorm room.

Friday afternoon is hot and I am exhausted after a long day but still after having a dip in the pool I make my way down to Mr Stevens' classroom. Ryder sits at one of the desks with his feet propped up onto the desk top. "Right you are free to leave as soon as you've smoothed things out with each other." Mr Stevens says and before we can argue he has closed the door and locked us in together. I groan turning and looking at Ryder. He looks relaxed and much too comfortable. He is wearing a leather jacket over a black shirt and denim jeans. "How is he supposed to know if we smooth things over?" Ryder asks looking at the looked door behind me. I shrug "He probably bugged the place or something." I say Ryder sighs. "Well it looks like we have along afternoon ahead of us because I'm not apologising." He says I roll my eyes and sit down at another desk propping my feet up just like him.

For the first thirty minutes we sit at the desks in silence but after a while I get to board and start moving around the room. "Will you sit down and relax your making me feel all jumpy," Ryder snaps watching me circle the room for the fifth time. I shoot him a look but stop moving and instead stand looking out the window with my palms pressed to the sile. "What is wrong with you?" Ryder asks "Sit down relax you're in here for a while." He says "That's the problem." I answer sharply "I'm stuck in here with you." I mutter more softly. "Shit, no wonder your last boyfriend threw you off a cliff." My entire body tenses with fury at his words and I become so still I could be a statue. "What did you say?" I ask through gritted teeth. Ryder sighs, "Lighten up a little Sarah," Ryder says. I breathe out slowly trying to convince myself that another week's detention is not worth hurting Ryder again.

I hear Ryder get up too but I don't move an inch until he is standing next to me and I look at him. "What are you doing!" I demand watching as he flips the lid of a cigarette box open "Passing the time." He says reaching for a lighter too. "Are you insane!" I snap Ryder smirks "I guess you won't have one then?" he says and I watch in disbelief as he lights the cigarette. "That's disgusting." I say turning away from the smoke he blows right at my face. "Mr Stevens is going to kill you." I add Ryder shrugs "Then I guess I'm gonna die." I look at him in both disgust and amazement. "Do you care about anything?" I ask watching him press the cigarette to his lips for yet another puff. Ryder thinks for a minute then shrugs "Nah, not really," he says. I shake my head "What about you?" he asks I narrow my eyes "What about me." I say. "Why do you care so much?" he asks. I raise one eyebrow at him and say nothing "I mean I'm just wondering after all that's happened to you what's the point of carrying on?" he asks.

"If you were me you would just… Give up?" I ask
"I have it better than you and I've given up, all I'm saying is does any of it really matter I mean we're all gonna die one day." I look at him blankly not sure at all what to say but something in my brain changes, the way I look at him, I had been glaring at him with pure hatred but now I could only feel pity. "If that's how you think, then why…" but I trail off unable to finish my train of thought but he still seems to understand. "I don't know." He shrugs "Guess there must still be something for me to live for." He says "Just haven't found it yet." He adds finishing off his cigarette "So are we gonna apologize and get this done with cause I have shit to do." I shake my head "Sure go ahead and apologize then." I say putting my hands on my hips. "No way." He says "Fine" I say "I can stay here all day." I mutter folding my arms now. "Fine," He shrugs lying down on the cold floor and looking up at the ceiling.

The next thirty minutes were even worse than the first. I was starting to die of thirst and all I could do was sit curled up in one of the corner and play with the buckle on my shoe. Ryder by now had actually fallen asleep on the floor with his hands folded behind his head but slowly he wakes and sits up. "Man, I thought being stuck in here was just a bad dream." He mutters. "How long I been out?" he asks getting up I shrug "I donno thirty minutes that I will miss." I say leaning my head back against the wall. "When can we get out of here." He says in frustration. "We both know the answer to that." I say Ryder sighs "You know what?" he says I raise an eyebrow at him "Tell me." I say "Let's make a deal," he says I nod "I'm listening." I say "Let's both apologize on three." He says I frown at him "But we both know we totally do not mean it." He adds quickly.

"You think he'll go for that." I ask jerking my thumb to the door. Ryder shrugs "Donno but it's worth a try." He says I nod slowly "On three?" I ask "Right." He says "One, Two…Three."
"Sarah I am so very sorry" "Ryder….."
I shoot Ryder a smirk as he slowly realizes I tricked. I watch as a grin spreads across his face, the door opens slowly and we both scramble toward it but I stop and step back. "Ladies first." I say gesturing for Ryder to go out first "Why thank you love." He says mockingly as he leaves the classroom with a fake smile at me. I laugh and follow him outside. Mr Stevens smiles at both of us "What you so happy about?" Ryder asks bluntly "We didn't actually mean that." He says pointing behind us at the classroom. "Oh I know but when you are out of school you will have to work with people you might not get along with, however you have to learn to be able to make allegiance with these spies despite that and today you learnt a very valuable lesson." Ryder bursts out laughing "Yeah whatever." He says "See ya detention buddy." He says shooting me a grin before walking away from us and toward his own school. I smile as I watch him leave. Perhaps Mr Stevens had been right I wasn't sure I really like Ryder on any level but I was certain if I had to work with him it wouldn't be too bad, now.

The next day was a long hard one, after staying up almost all night trying to do homework I was now exhausted. School had ended already and I was sitting on the bench that is positioned on the out skirts of the forest, Jamie was sitting beside me in silence. I think he has gotten used to me wanting to be alone sometimes. I sigh a little and close my eyes letting the warm sun bath my face. It feels nice but I know I cannot sit here for much longer; soon I will have to head back in and do some homework before dinner. I was about to get up and go and do just that when a voice behind me stopped me "What are you doing here?" I jump in surprise and turn slowly around to look at Ryder. "No, I believe the question is what are you doing here?" I ask back looking at him up and down.

His black hair is flicked out of his face with one little strand hanging over his forehead and his brown eyes look back at me with a blank expression. He is a good looking boy and his very slight Indian decent is hardly even noticeable and if I hadn't gone and done my research on him after our first fight I wouldn't have even noticed it myself. He smirks a little, reaches into his pocket pull out his cigarette box and puts one in his mouth. "Grows." I say shaking my head as he lights it. "What are you doing here?" Jamie asks him watching his fingers as they hold the cigarette rather carefully. "Having a smoke," Ryder says casually I roll my eyes "Don't mess us around Ryder." I snap. He sighs "Alright, alright." He says slowly sitting down on the bench "I came here, because I am part of the triangle and I want to kidnap Sarah." He says mockingly as he looks at Jamie.

Jamie doesn't move but he says "Be careful, I could take you in and use that as a statement." Jamie warns but Ryder rolls his eyes. He clearly couldn't care "Whatever, I have homework to do." I say turning on my heel and walking away quickly. Of course I was dying to know what he really was doing there but there was no way I was about to show that I was interested in his activities in any way. "Do you think I should warn Mr Stevens?" Jamie asks. I shake my head "Nah, the boy doesn't care about anything he doesn't have the drive to do anything." I say shaking my head. Jamie nods but I have a small feeling he might still slip away and tell someone just in case. I don't really care but I just wish Ryder wouldn't be so stupid.

Back in the dorm room it's warm and Beth, Clue and Sasha are all hunched over their books as the work in silence. They don't look up as I open the door but Sasha says "You ought to get going with the work it is non-less than absolutely ghastly." I raise my eyebrows in surprise I think it is the first time had ever heard Sasha complain about work and it certainly didn't fail to terrify me. So I sat down and started with the essay for MAC. We had to write on a spy that we think is great and speak about their greatest achievements and what have you. It was only three pages and I had already done the first to so that only took me about half an hour. However our fielding assignment was much, much worse, it was only due in two months but we had to draw a name out of a hat and I drew Mr Longdrift our combat instructor. We were going to have to find out information on them and we needed things to prove it.

I read through the instructions again and again and finally I sigh in frustration and throw it aside. "Let's go down for dinner." Beth suggests looking up at me, he thick wild locks tumbling around her face. "Yeah good idea, I'm starving," Clue says slipping her books under her bed and jumping up "You coming Sasha?" Beth adds turning to look at her. "Mm" Sasha nods chewing on her pencil with great intensity. "What are you busy with?" I ask frowning. "Equipment," Sasha mutters. Equipment has become much harder this year instead of needing to know how to use weapons we actually need to know how they work and how to make our own. Sasha was busy with the latest project in which we had to design our own weapon and label it and say why we'd chosen to do things.

Dinner that evening was as usual brilliant. Fish and sushi was laid out with spring rolls and prawns and lobster and bread and for pudding custard and toffee pudding. By the time we dragged ourselves up stairs we were stuffed and more satisfied than ever. I was more exhausted to and as soon as I lay down I fell fast asleep and didn't wake until the next morning.

After school I lie on my stomach in one of the top class rooms with one of the cameras from the equipment class that I leant to do my fielding project. Through the camera I was looking at my combat instructor doing laps around the grounds. I took a few pictures and then groaned as I put down the camera again to write a few notes. "This is insane," Jamie says looking at me from where he sits at one of the desks. "He'll be furious if he finds out." He says I gnaw on my lip "I know." I shake my head "So I best not get caught." I add. "Hold up hold up, what is going on?" Jamie asks leaning forward and looking out the window. I jump to attention and look through the camera "Holy…" I trail off as I watch him hug one of the older students. I squint into the leans and keep watching as he proceeds to kiss her…. and just keep kissing her.

"Okay time to go." I say firmly getting up. "He could get fired for that." Jamie says shaking his head as I put the camera back in its back. "And that is why I am not including his little love affair in my project." I say getting this weird feeling in my stomach "Besides next year it will be legal." I add firmly. I glance back once more as the couple disappear into one of the barns. "Though you'd think they'd be a little more discreet." I add. Jamie nods agreeing with me as we leave the class room. I didn't know the girl personally but I knew her to be a grade twelve called Sofia Lilliani. Together we start back toward the dorm house but less than half way there Jamie stops dead in his tracks and I turn to look at him questioningly. He holds his phone in hand and his mouth hangs open as he looks at it with nothing less than deep worry.

"What?" I ask frowning "Is everything alright." I ask. "I'm calling Darien." He says hurriedly pressing the phone to his ear. I raise my eyebrow "Why?" I ask Jamie pauses his lips "I have to go." He says. I stand in silence as I listen to him tell Darien the same thing. Jamie stays there for a few minutes pacing back and forth on the path "Jamie," I say "What's the matter. What's going on." I ask but he stays silent. When Darien comes striding into view Jamie brakes out into a run toward the dorm house "Hey! Why do you have to go!" I yell after him. He turns back and shouts "Because Zach has woken up!" and that is when I freeze. I don't know what to do I just stand rooted to the spot staring at the dorm house doors which Jamie disappeared into.

I have this sudden sickening feeling like I'm going to throw up or faint but I clench my fists take a deep breath and start walking. I cast a glance at Darien who is calmly trailing behind me, I have no reason to hide but I just have this feeling that I should ditch him. Deciding to go with my gut I quickly dodge into the dining hall bathrooms. Nobody uses these bathrooms, I am not sure why but they are really kind of creepy. They have a random wall in the centre that separates the toilets from the change room and showers. It is the only common shower room the dorm house has, I suppose when the house started out everyone had to share these bathrooms. Now they were never used and the pipes of the showers had begun to rust making it smell disgusting.

Still I grabbed the edge of a stained basin and stared into the blotchy mirror. The girl that looks back at me is…. Well not me. Of course it is me but it just, I look, terrible. My face has gone whiter than the sheets on my bed and my eyes have become greyish which they had never been before. I take a deep breath and push away from the basin again but feeling a little queasy I press my hand to the tiled wall. It is cold beneath my hand but the strange sound that it made when I touched it makes me frown at my hand. I pull my hand away again and look at the tile it had been on, like plenty of the tiles in this particular bathroom it was loose. I didn't hesitate another second before trying to get my fingers under it. The tile isn't easy to lift but eventually it comes free. I look into the black hole left behind but frown as I see the extremely rusted leaver. It is covered in cobwebs, a sign telling me no one in the school knows of the secret leaver.

I hesitate a second but slowly reach up and pull hard on the leaver but it doesn't budge the first time, it takes about five tries before I bring it down. It is surprisingly quiet but there is a slight shake and I spin around to look at the cubical right across from me. I gape as the toilet spun out the way into the wall to reveal an old tunnel covered with dust and cobwebs. I look behind me at the door worried Darien would have heard but he does not come in. As I look at the tunnel again a little shock runs through me of nerves or of excitement I cannot be sure. I edge a little closer but it is no use, the end of the tunnel is impossible to see.

As I gaze into the darkness with my heart pounding in my chest, I remind myself I should go straight to Teresa. The school was built during the time when girls were not allowed to learn and for that reason our founder created many different tunnels that were hidden far too well in the walls of the magnificent building. However the school was found out only after twenty years of operation and when Olivia Mulligan reopened the school when education for woman was legal the tunnels were left to be discovered. For that reason Teresa put many rules in place to insure if someone were not to tell her about finding a tunnel or secret hiding place they could be expelled immediately. There are many theories that there are still hundreds of undiscovered tunnels but now the girls fear finding them after what happened to Alisa March. The only girl brave enough to venture into a tunnel that she had accidently stumbled across. The story goes that Alisa found the tunnel and had rushed off to tell her friend, the other girl had told her off and warned her to go right to the headmistress. Of course Alisa didn't listen and instead went right ahead into the tunnel.

After exactly three months of people searching for poor Alisa, her body was found under a tree in the forest by one of the boys. She had a broken neck and her eyes were still open but other than that, she looked as though she had been asleep for far too long. They'd found the tunnel she'd come out of just beneath a fake rock not far from her body but nobody managed to find the end of the tunnel. Then of course the story ends by the person saying 'and so the tunnel stays hidden waiting for another unsuspecting foolish girl to find it.' The first time Beth, Sash and Clue had told me the story I had been ready to call bull shit on it but they assured me they'd been to see her grave and everything.

I look at the tunnel slowly and thoughtfully. Was I going to be foolish? Or should I take the warning to heart and not end up like poor little Alisa March. I narrow my eyes at the tunnel and shrug a little to myself (The triangle are going to kill you any way, may as well make the short time worth it) I slowly lift myself into the hole and crouch in the small space. I would have to crawl and if it was a long tunnel I might suffocate before I find the ending but still I crawl forward. However I whip around in shock as the entrance slowly closed behind me. I feel a pang of fear but shake my head (What else did I expect was going to happen) so I put my hand down the front of my blouse and pull out my locker key. On the key chain is a pretty little torch that Sasha gave me in her little bag of goodies that I got when I got out the tunnels. I click it on surprised at its brightness.

I hang it back around my neck but keep it on top of my blouse so I can see the floor than I am now crawling on. It is cold and moist but the floor is cement covered with a thick layer of mud and dust. I crawl for about half an hour before coming to a stop. The tunnel open up and I stand relieved as I dust myself off. I look straight ahead at the rusted metal ladder that leads up wards. I shine the little torch up but the ladder seems to disappear into non-existence. I sigh and start climbing the filthy ladder slowly. By the time I reach the top my watch has beeped for dinner and was soon going to go for curfew. I sigh looking around me and squinting into the beam of my little torch. What I say only makes me freeze. A maze of tunnels is spread out before me many tunnels branch of left right and straight ahead there are so many I can't count them. I look all around me and stop when I notice a tiny volt looking object.

I edge closer, the volt must be ancient it is so rusted and the wheel on its door looks as though it would be impossible to turn. I crouch down slowly before it, I am about to try a code but I see a little slip of paper. It appears to have nothing written on it but as I pick it up I realize it is water paper which is a kind of paper that spies use to communicate. In order to read the writing on it you would have to put it in water. I sigh and look back the way I came and at the branches of tunnels ahead of me. I shake my head I have to go I know I do. I so wanted to know what was at the end of the tunnels. I slowly stand shoving the piece of paper in my pocket and heading with speed back to the bathroom.

When I come out of the tunnel I freeze gazing at the cause. The school has gone into its usual lock down but staff roams the halls and look into offices and the front doors are unlocked evidence that many of them are outside on the grounds. I look around but see no one I can ask what is happening. I flatten against the wall and as silently as possible I try to make my way back to my dorm room. However I am brought to a stop and the sound of a thick voice telling someone they have no idea where she went. I narrow my eyes as I realize it is Sasha, she sounds so defeated sad and exhausted. I step slowly out of the shadows towards the three dark figures. "What's wrong?" I ask slowly coming closer to my roommates. At once they all spin to look at me. "Sarah!" Beth half yells as she and the other two come closer and hug me. "We were worried sick." Clue says emphasizing it by the sound of her voice.

"Where have you been, you're filthy." Sasha says. I blink back at them and watch as they wait for my reply. But I get more time to make up a story because Mr Stevens and Teresa come into view and come to a halt as they see me. "Sarah." Teresa gasps she rushes over and hugs me "What happened, was it the triangle what did they do are you okay?" she asks quickly pulling back again. I freeze not sure what to tell them but slowly I shake my head "No it wasn't the triangle and yeah I'm fine." I say. "Well where did you disappear too?" She says. I stay silent needing more time to make up a story. "You three should go upstairs." She says turning to Sasha and the others. "It appears Sarah has something she needs to tell me," She nods and Mr Stevens turns slowly probably to spread the word that I have been found.

Teresa's office is warm and bright and I can make out just how dirty the tunnels were and I look at my muddy hands and knees and my filthy uniform. "What happened," Teresa asks sitting down slowly. I swallow and think as quickly as I possibly can. "I… er after… er Jamie um left because of uh….. You know" I say almost unable to say Zach's name. "You mean, Zach?" she asks and I simply nod. "Um yes I went to the bathroom down here in the dorm house." I say "And then um I well I went out the back door." I say relieved that, that bathroom actually had a back door. That was after all the reason I had gone in there, so I could ditch Darien. "I then went for a walk." I say letting my voice flow "Without Darien?" Teresa demands. I nod slowly "I just needed to be alone, any way I found myself in the forest soon after and then I didn't know the right way out and I got all dizzy and stressed and I passed out." I say.

"I only woke up like ten minutes ago." I say shakily honestly feeling like crying for being foolish enough to forget about Zach. "Oh Sarah," Teresa shakes her head at me. Obviously she believes it I think sighing slightly. "I'm so sorry." I say looking at the floor as tears filled my eyes. "It's okay," she says slowly getting up and coming around her desk. "Never do that again you scared us all half to death." She says hugging me gently. It is a strange feeling never once before can I remember my aunt hugging me though I suppose it is simply because she is also my principle and that is really to appropriate. However at this moment I hugged her back and didn't move until she let go. She gives me a soft smile and says "Now, you go on upstairs and get some rest." I nod eager to wash up in a nice hot shower.

When I reach my dorm Darien is standing outside looking more than grim. "You ran away!?" he snaps at me, I guess he found the door that leads outside the bathroom. "I'm so sorry Darien." I say "I had one job and you ran away from me," I look at him slowly and he sighs. "Here." He says handing me the camera I had left next to the sink. "Oh thanks." I nod taking it quickly and slipping into my room before I can have more of a quiz. However of course inside the room my three friends were all sitting cross legged on their beds in silence waiting for me to return. I put the camera down and look at them. Plenty things fly into my mind, I so badly want to tell them about the tunnel I'd just found but I know far better than that. The times had changed and I knew that much, perhaps if I'd told them about it last year the might've been in a rush for me to show them. However now that the triangle were in everyone's thoughts every second of the day, they certainly would run and tell Teresa 'for my own good' they would say. So I start getting out my pyjamas and start getting ready for bed as I tell them the same story I let everyone else believe.

Of course they buy the story but I was just dying to share it with them. I disappear into the bathroom quickly and as I let the shower water heat up for a bit I pull out the water paper I'd found. I fill our sink with warm water put the paper on it slowly, watching it float for a little while before words begin to spread out across it.

A girl is only as good as her first victim.

She is elegance, she is grace but don't be misled by her pretty face because she is a Mathews girl and will be till the end of her days therefor might be the reason for the end of yours.

CHAPTER THREE

I sit in the library cowering over the fifth book I've read in the past two hours. It was dinner time but Darien hadn't started asking me why I wasn't going down. Although he was buried in his own book sitting on one of the arm chairs next to the fire place. I glanced at him but he wasn't worried about what I was doing so I put the book back. Was I looking at this all wrong I had just been through books on quotes from famous spies but not one of them said anything about a Mathews' girl or her qualities? I get up slowly and put the pile of books away, sighing I head toward the librarian figuring it was my last resort. "Miss Tilly?" I ask, the new librarian is thin with dark hair that is constantly fastened in a bun. She is hardly ever seen around the school except for in here but she was young and seemed to know everything about the books in this room so I leaned a little closer and said "I was wondering if you've heard of this quote I once read somewhere?" I ask saying the little rhyme all over again.

Miss Tilly frowns deeply. "You know I did hear that once." She says thoughtfully. "I just cannot remember where." She says. I watch as she gets out of her seat quickly and moves around the desk, she is tiny, only comes up to my shoulders but she walks quickly in and out of the shelves. "Hmmm…"I hear her mutter as I try and keep up with her. "Yes…." She mutters "This might have something…." She says "I do wonder?" her voice fades for a moment but she returns with only three books. I look at them and quickly cradle them in my own arms. "Now you should go get some food miss Hill." Miss Tilly says as she swipes my library card and nods me off. I don't say anything to Darien as I leave but he quickly gets up and follows. I am not sure when Jamie will be coming back and to be perfectly honest I fear the day he does. Perhaps that is why I am so determined to find out where all the tunnels lead, just to keep myself distracted.

It was working none the less I barely had time to think about Zach while I was trying to hide my findings from everyone and yet still try and crack the code to that volt. "Well, well." Beth says as I step into the dorm room. Dinner had already ended so I didn't bother going down. "Sorry." I say quickly, they had come to drag me to dinner earlier but I had told them I would come down in a little while…. Of course we can see how a little while became never. "What in the world have you been doing this whole time?" she asked I shake my head "Nothing, just getting some books." I say tipping them out onto my bed. Sasha leans closer and plucks one up "The history of our founder?" she asks with one raised eyebrow "Don't you get enough of that in history?" Clue asks suspiciously. "And what in the world would you be doing with a book of coded meanings?" Beth fishes the book off my bed. "I am just intrusted." I Say firmly snatching the two books back and putting all three of them in my little plastic drawer that I keep under my bed.

That night I had a dreadful dream. I was in the middle of one of the tunnels that branched off into about a gazillion others and out of nowhere Zach appeared with a knife sticking out of his chest and looking like some kind of Zombie thing. It had freaked me out so much that when I had jumped awake at eleven I didn't manage to go back to sleep. Though instead of wasting my time lying awake I grabbed my torch and reached under my bed for one of the books. I lay reading like that until the sun rose and yet still nothing about and the little rhyme. "You look absolutely dreadful." Beth says as she watches me stalk off to the bathroom early in the morning. "I didn't sleep well." I mutter brushing my teeth silently. Before leaving for the day I shove all three of the books in my bag not caring that it makes it about ten times heavier.

I didn't get an opportunity to read the books the entire morning. However as Beth and I sit down in fielding class Mr Stevens stands before us and says "Seen as the coach is now using the facilities I was going too. Today I will give you this time to work on you projects and start studying for exams coming up in two months." He says firmly. I watch as girls eagerly pull out books to study from. If we had been in a normal school I wouldn't have started studying so early but since last year I almost killed myself with the amount of work, I had already began. Of course however I had no desire to study at this moment so I pulled out the same book I'd been reading all night. It was the one about our founders history and I had been making a few notes that might help me find where the saying came from.

"What are you reading Miss Hill?" Mr Stevens asks as he comes up my row with his hands clasped behind his back. Before I can answer he tugs the book out from under my hand and looks at the cover. With a frown he hands it back and continues up the aisle. I sigh a little relieved he didn't confiscate it but I suppose since they are history books he kind of can't.

However just when I thought I was in the clear and he didn't suspect anything fishy was going and I was trailing behind the rest of the class with Beth by my side he didn't look up from whatever he was reading but he said. "Miss Hill, might you stay a few minutes?" I shot Beth a look but when Mr Stevens said "Close the door behind you please, Miss Holtzen," she turned away and left in silence. I sighed looking a Mr Stevens praying I wasn't about to get another detention or something.

"Why so nervous Sarah?" he asks. I raise one eyebrow he wasn't even looking at me! "Please sit." He says I do as I am told and sit at one of the desks in the very from row. With a little sigh Mr Stevens puts down the paper he'd been reading "Now, what is this sudden interest in our founder?" he asked. I swallowed as my mouth began to feel dry lying to Teresa was one thing but to Mr Stevens…. Well that was a whole different story. However I mustered up all the courage I had and looked him right in his dark eyes as I said "I've just been a little curious lately that's all." Mr Stevens doesn't move he just looks at me probably analysing my face for some kind of clue that I was lying to me. He sighs and leans forward to put his folded hands on his desk top. I look away from his eyes and rather at the golden wring he always wore, it was such a simple piece of jewellery but now that I was trained to notice the tiniest of details I could make out the thin engraved patterns on it.

"How's the studying for exams going?" he asked as if just trying to have a casual conversation but I knew better than to trust it. "Oh, it's, swell," I say with the slightest injection of sarcasm, Mr Stevens, smiles (almost laughs) but he shakes his head and continues. "And what about your project, have you found it easy to spy on your combat instructor?" he asked. I stiffen for a moment I had entirely forgotten about what I had seen happen before I'd found out Zach was awake and before I stumbled upon the tunnel. I look back into Mr Stevens eyes, chances were that he already knew about the little love affair going on between the instructor and the twelfth grader, after he always knew what was going on but should I not tell him? I sit up a little straight and smile "It hasn't been all that difficult." I assure him slowly.

"Are you managing alright with Darien and not Jamie?" he asked obviously still thinking there is a reason as to why I was so interested in the founder. I shrug "Yeah a body guard's a body guard right?" I say trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. The truth was over the month or so that Jamie had been my body guard we'd really become kind of… I don't know… Friends, he made it less weird to have body guards around cause often I would even forget he is my body guard.

Mr Stevens nods a little "And what about the reason he left?" he asks. I raise one eyebrow and cross my arms over my chest, what did he think I would have a freak attack if he just said why Jamie had to leave. "What about the reason?" I asked again trying to make it out as though I didn't care all that much that Zach had woken up. I sigh and lean forward slightly "Well I guess I just thinks it's kind of screwed up that he woke up and Rosie is still stuck in hospital fighting for her life." I say Mr Stevens nods slowly again "And what are your feelings and thoughts around what happened with Rosie?" he asked.

Sheesh why did the school have a freeking therapist if they had a Mr Stevens, I had to reframe from rolling my eyes but I slowly answered, "Well I don't know what I am supposed to think. That it had nothing to do with me and everything is all flowery and perfect." I say Mr Stevens smiles again, not a proper smile but this faint lifting of the corners that touched his mouth only briefly. "You know Sarah things like this are going to happen for the rest of your life," he says and I guess something about my expression revealed that what he had just said kind of hurt deep down in the pips of my stomach. "I know it's the last thing you want to hear and that's why no one has told you but it's the truth and, well every spy has to live with the guilt of being the reason for their friends pain, torture or even death however the best of spies now how to use that to make them better than when they even had that friend."

Oh boy another one of Mr Stevens' spy life quotes, was it just me or did he seem to be full of them. By this rate I had defiantly missed my next two lessons and therefor the next thing was lunch the last thing I needed was to miss that too cause I was starving. "Alright," Mr Stevens says as if picking thoughts out of my mind (Sometimes I wondered if mind reading came with being a great spy) "You should go and join your friends for lunch." He says I nod jumping up maybe a little eager. "Oh, Sarah," Mr Stevens asks making me sigh and turn back to look at him just before the door "Yes Sir?" I asked trying my best to not sound as annoyed as I felt. He smiled that smile as before and said "I want you to know that I'm very proud of you, and I think your father would be as well." I pause for a moment not having expected him to say such a thing. "Thanks." I muttered yanking the door open and rushing away quickly.

My hands slide along the metal door until they fumble on something in the shape of a little flower. I look down at the chain clasped to my neck in realization "It's a key" I mutter to myself pulling the charm up to the key hole. It fits perfectly but I clutch the wall as the floor shakes and it slides open. Praying that I'm far enough underground for no one to feel it from above I lean closer to get a better look. The sliver of light that slips into the dark tunnel makes my eyes sting momentarily but I step forward and switch my torch off. Almost as soon as I am standing on wooden panelled floors the metal closes with a little snap. From this side it looks like a regular wall and I stand gapping at it in surprise, I would never have thought it could open. I straighten and glance around, the sound of deep voices fills my ears and the soft carpet much like my own schools is soft under my shoes. So this was a tunnel right to the boys' school! I have never been in there before but as far as I can tell it is much like my own school and I stand in a little dark nook just under the stairs.

"Sarah?" someone asks and I spin quickly as a reaction. I glance around at the group of boys that have now stepped to the side of the stairway. Obviously this is where Ryder's little gang have gatherings, probably in order to smoke in peace or something. All the boys have black leather jackets on; making every one of them look like bikers. I raise one eyebrow at Ryder who seems to be the leader of the small gang. "Okay beat it." Ryder says snapping his fingers and gesturing harshly at the others who without much hesitation all turn and leave the same way they'd come "Go sit outside, I'll meet you in a minute." He adds as they slowly start to file passed him "And not a word of this." He warns not looking away from me. "How sweet." I say folding my arms "You have your own little gang." I say he smirks "Yeah nothing compared to your ex-boyfriend's but unlike him I had to form it myself," he says with a cocky smile. "Now tell me what in the world are you doing in here." He asks gesturing around us at his school.

I folded my arms over my chest thoughtfully. "How did you get in here anyway?" he frowns. I narrow my eyes at him "Through the door." I say as casually as I can but not even I would have believed it if I were in his position. "Right." He says sarcastically "And where's your puppy?" he asks obviously referring to Darien or Jamie because they follow me around, I shrug "Having a break." I say. Ryder sighs and sits down on the bench that stands under the stairs he places his arms out over the back as he pulls out a cigarette. "Ugh." I say trying not to breath in the smoke that he blows out at me. "Couldn't you be in huge trouble if you're caught?" I ask he shrugs "Nah, they don't really care and frankly neither do I," I glance up at the camera he had been looking at and feel a little shiver run down my spine as the back of my neck prickles. "Don't worry I cut the wires almost as soon as I started coming here." He says casually I snap my eyes back to him but say nothing.

"They won't know that you're in here," he says "If, of course, you tell me how you found your way here." I gnaw on the inside of my cheek I doubt Ryder would tell anyone even if I were to show him the tunnels but still was I going to take that risk? I sigh and glance down at my watch. Oh fantastic not only was Ryder going to try and force me to tell him about the tunnels but he might actually have to witness me opening them because I only had like an hour to get back to our dorm room before Darien woke up. I smile a little "I suggest you get up and join your friends outside." I say trying to think of a plan on the spot. "Not a chance," he says tacking the smoke away from his lips and causing me to look at it in disgust. "I'd love to see how you got in here." He says gesturing to the wall behind me and I raise my eyebrow there was no way he already knew where tunnel was, was there?

I give him as sweet a smile as I can manage and say "Get up and leave or I'll go to your headmaster and tell him that I was kidnapped from my dorm room, by non-other than Ryder Friedan." I threaten "Nice try but I was with my friends." He says my smile widens as I try hide how nervous I feel "And how many times have your friends lied about your whereabouts when you've been accused of something?" I ask his own smile widens. "Besides will they believe trouble making Ryder Freidan leader of the troublesome gang or innocent little Sarah who has had such a traumatic experience." I say knowing I've won this one. Ryder stands up dropping his now almost non excitant cigarette on the floor so he could crush it with his foot. He comes closer to me and leans in so his lips are right next to my ear and I can smell the smoke that has seeped into his clothing. "You may be a lot of things Sarah Hill, but I don't believe innocent is one of them." He mutters "But that was very well played." He adds before turning and leaving me. I don't hesitate for a minute knowing that the time was ticking away I turn and open the tunnels eager to slip into their darkness and safety.

"What happened to you!?" Sasha snaps alarmed as I come into the room with only five minutes to spear. I quickly click my watch not wanting it to start beeping after the five hours are over. "Have you been smoking?" Beth asks crinkling her nose as I look down at Darien who slowly starts to rouse after the third bottle of water has been poured on him. I smell my shirt and sigh as I realize it stinks of smoke "Mr Stevens and Miss Bearn is on their way so you might want to change." Clue says taking a whiff of my hair too now. I look at her with a mixture of disbelief and relief "Don't look at me like that." Clue orders making it clear that even though she is going to cover for me she is not happy "Yeah We're not going to sell you out but if you keep disappearing then coming back looking like… well this, we're going to have to have a serious talk." Beth warns and I feel a sharp pang of guilt as I look at her chocolate brown eyes.

By the time Mr Stevens and Theresa make their way up to the dorm room Darien is sitting up and trying to remember what happened in the few moments before he went under. I sat silently trying to get my story straight and my friends didn't seem to really want to know what happened because they too sat in silence. "What happened?" Mr Stevens asks taking in the scene before him as Theresa straightens a lock of hair back into a bun. Beth, Clue and Sasha all look at each other not sure what to say obviously. However Mr Stevens makes it clear he doesn't need to hear anything from them because he looks directly in my eyes as Theresa says "Girls take Darien down stairs to get checked by the nurse we called and preferably a chocolate bar to get his sugar back up." I sit silently and wait for them to tell me what to do "Sarah, office, now." Theresa says through gritted teeth. I risk a glance at her but regret it immediately because I don't think I'd ever seen her eyes change from being twinkly to being a blaze so fast. I don't wait a second I just dash quickly down stairs and toward her office.

Mr Stevens stands in the corner of the room with his arms folded over his chest and Theresa sits across from me at her mahogany desk and the entire room is silent. If I hadn't felt so afraid of what they might do I would have been reminded of the first time I'd sat in that office not even knowing what kind of school this was yet. In that moment I wonder what life would be like if I had just turned away and never come back, if I had just gone home and pretended like nothing had happened would I be stealing away into secret tunnels and putting myself into danger? Or would my mother have her wish, would I be a perfect girl that got married and had children? If that were the life I'd chosen would the triangle have attacked. My entire life had come crashing down on me the day I stepped foot onto this property, the day I'd climbed onto the back of Shadow and let Zach talk his way smoothly into my life. I look up at my aunt with a new thought in mind, she might as well have put me on a silver platter and handed me over to the triangle.

"Well, start talking." Mr Stevens says gesturing to me. I stay silent for a moment just looking at them "Well?" Theresa asks "What happened?" he asks I am still silent and the only thing that can be heard is the ticking of the small clock on Theresa's desk. "We don't have time to try and get you to talk." Mr Stevens says "I don't know why you bother." I mutter making both of them narrow their eyes at me "They're gonna get me one way or another." I say blankly Theresa looks back at me hiding the flash of terror as soon as it appeared in her eyes. Mr Stevens sighs pushing away from the wall and standing behind Theresa "Miss Hill, the triangle are very, very powerful…. But I refuse to believe they are unbeatable." He says slowly as his eyes seem to scan my face probably hoping to pick up some sign of what happened.

"And yet they haven't been beaten yet?" I answer questioningly. Mr Stevens shrugs "No, not yet" he answers. "But in all fairness you'd have to be crazy to take on such a gang." He nods I sit silently looking into the dark eyes of Mr Stevens and trying my best not to pay attention to the clenching and unclenching of my aunts shacking fist. "Jamie will be back tomorrow," Mr Stevens says "And you may be able to trick Darien but…" Theresa says slowly "But there is a reason, Jamie was chosen to be your head body guard." Mr Stevens finishes for her. I stand so quickly it's like a lightning bolt ran through me, but I couldn't help it, at the thought of Jamie coming back from visiting his brother, I felt all jumpy.

I sit on the garden bench, the one I now like to consider my garden bench I am the only one who uses it after all. I sit silently not paying attention to Darien as he hovers behind me. "What is the matter with you?" he asks for the third time since we got there "I'm waiting." I snap back just like I had twice before, "Why? He's not going to be here until before dinner." Darien groans "Well then I suppose we'll be here until before dinner." I say slowly staring at the huge iron gates with concentration. "What about lunch?" he moans I look down at my watch, its lunch time now, that would explain everyone heading toward the building. "You go fetch us some." I suggest wanting to be left in peace for at least five minutes. Darien looks around at the forest nervously but I roll my eyes and point at the guards who constantly circle our grounds "I'll be fine." I say Darien frowns "Oh I'm sure you'll be fine but if you go missing again it will be my head hanging from your aunt's flag pole."

I laugh, glancing at the two flag poles that poke out at the entrance. "Don't worry I don't plan to disappear not if I could miss Jamie arriving early." I mutter looking at the iron gates again "Alright but if you're gone, when I find you the triangle won't be your only worry," he threatens making me laugh again before he turns and walks toward the dorm house. He hadn't been gone for two minutes when I heard another voice behind me "Wow how'd you get rid of him so easily," I don't have to turn to know who it is but I do it any way. Ryder stands with a recently lit cigarette pressed to his lips. "Ugh." I mutter, getting a whiff of the smoke; Ryder smirks and slowly sits down on the garden bench beside me. "What are you doing?" I snap sharply Ryder shrugs "Having a smoke in my usual spot." He says casually "What do you mean?" I ask he sighs "I come here to smoke a lot lately, figures it's quite a good spot." He nods, I watch as he pulls another cigarette out of its box. "Here," he says holding it out for me.

"Sis," I say wrinkling my nose Ryder rolls his eyes putting the cigarette in his leather jacket's pocket. "So, you waiting for Jamie to come home with news about your boy?" he asks. I shoot him a glance "He is not my boy." I hiss. Ryder laughs "You know you are so much fun to annoy." He smirks "Any way," he adds pulling his cigarette out of his mouth "You'll want one and when you do, I gotcha back." He pats his pocket, I shoot him a disgusted look but he just gets up and slowly walks back into the forest; leaving me to sit in silence and wait again.

It takes Jamie forever to arrive, by the time he is walking through the large iron gates, we have finished lunch and Darien is just about ready to drag me to dinner. I jump off the bench and move quickly over the grounds to where he slowly starts up the main path. "Hey." He says with a warm smile, I force myself to smile back as I slow to a walk now. "Oh thank god," Darien says looking at Jamie "She's your problem," he snaps pushing me toward him "I am going to eat dinner now." He says shooting me a meaningful glance before turning and storming away "Sheesh, what a drama queen." I mutter rolling my eyes as I watch Darien walk away. "Have you been giving him trouble?" Jamie asks raising an eyebrow at me. I look into his blue eyes carefully as though I am afraid I might see just what they are trying to hide.

I shrug "Not more than usual." I say casually, Jamie smirks "So tons then?" he asks a little crooked smile creeps across my face but I say nothing about my latest habit of disappear. "So what happened?" I ask walking along side Jamie toward the building and the smell of food. Jamie sighs "You get right to the point don't you." He mutters running his hand through his military short hair. "I'll tell you later alright?" he asks speeding up a little "Uh, uh." I snap grabbing his elbow and tugging him back "I didn't sit on that bench all day to be told I would find out later." I point to the bench without looking away from his lighter blue eyes. Jamie sighs again and pinches the brim of his nose trying his best to hide a little smile "Zach knows you so well." He mutters but I choose to just ignore that comment. "What. Happened?" I ask again. Jamie looks back at me as if deciding what to tell me but I don't drop his gaze for a moment. "Zach woke up." He finally whispers I grind my teeth in frustration "Yeah, I knew that already." I say firmly "What else happened when you saw him?" I ask.

Jamie looks so sad it could have pierced my soul (if I had one). "He only said one thing you know," Jamie nods "Do you know what that was?" he asks I narrow my eyes but stay silent "All he said was that he wanted to talk to you." Jamie finishes finally. I let go of his arm so quickly it's as if I was burnt. What had I expected anyway? That he'd wake up and just forget everything, that maybe he would just leave me in peace. No of course Zach wouldn't just leave me alone, that would be too much for me to ask. I turn on my heels sharply and for the first time since I got back I ran toward the horse's barn. I kept my head down not turning back to look at Jamie though I suspected he was following me. I hurled myself into the barn and didn't even have to look at the other horses before moving quickly toward Shadow's stall.

Shadow was as strong as I had remembered and even faster; after all he did know where we were going far too well. I had reacted so quickly and had taken such a fast horse that it took Jamie fifteen minutes to finally sit down next to me and look at the trickling stream. "So this is the place Zach took you?" Jamie asks looking around him in surprise. I take a deep breath, fighting to keep the tears from flowing down my cheeks. "You know," Jamie says slowly "I told him that I doubted you ever wanted to see him again," he says "But you know what he answered?" Jamie asks but I stay silent "He said; Sarah isn't afraid of much, and if she is afraid of me then I must truly, truly be a dreadful creature." I frown and finally turn to look at Jamie with one silent tear finding its way down my cheek. "That doesn't sound like something he'd say." I mumble but Jamie shrugs "I think he's a little different since the last time you saw him." Jamie says and I can see I'm not the only one who wants to cry. "I'm not ready." I say slowly Jamie nods "He knows." Jamie whispers back.

I sit there silently looking into Jamie's light blue eyes as they slowly fill with tears. The two of us couldn't have been crying for more different reasons; he was feeling his brother's pain and trying to do what big brothers should. I was wishing I had never got myself involved with any of this in fact I was wishing that either Zach or I had just died in those tunnels. Life would be much easier.

CHAPTER FOUR

The tunnels are freezing and muddy but still the two of us head down them with excitement and determination. It was hard to convince Jamie not to tell Mr Stevens about my findings but in the end he had said he would keep quiet if he could come with me. I had figured it would be easier to tell him than to have him find out on his own so here we were taking a left toward another tunnel that according to the ancient map would take us to some place in the forest. It was one of the shorter tunnels and therefor our first option when deciding where to go. Jamie stayed slightly ahead of me I wasn't sure why but since the triangle have their own make shift tunnel I suppose it wouldn't be so weird for them to be lurking in the depths of our school.

We stop at the dead end and follow the ladder with our eyes until we see the trap door above. "I'll go first." Jamie whispers pushing the trap door open after using the necklace to release it and crawling up. I hesitate a moment before following, Jamie halls me out the rest of the way and soon I kneel in bright sunlight right in front of the tree stump. "That's bloody brilliant." Jamie says looking at the stump in amazement "What, the f***" someone says. I hurl myself around so quickly I feel rather dizzy after wards "Oh, Ryder." I say relaxing a little as I attempt to hide the tree stump. "You just pop out of nowhere don't you?" he asks coming closer "I see this time you have your little puppy with you." He nods at Jamie as though he had just noticed his existence. "So are you going to come clean and tell me where the heck you just appeared from or are you going to leave me to figure it all out?" he asks. My hand instinctively curls around the necklace that is used as a key in the tunnels. Jamie casts a wary glance at me but Ryder clearly notices it. "Oh, we haven't had the pleasure." He says sarcastically coming closer again "You must be her ex's brother." He smirks "Nice Sarah, can't get the one so just go for the brother," he nods. Jamie shoots him a dirty glance.

"Oh, wait," Ryder says holding up his hand as he leans against a tree with his other shoulder. "I heard he woke up." Ryder smiles at me as his green eyes slowly look at me taking in every detail on my face. "Yes." I say bluntly folding my arms tightly "And where's your little gang?" I ask quickly trying to move away from the topic "I find I rather enjoy going for a stroll in silence." He says slowly moving away from the tree so his white t-shirt under his leather jacket shifts slightly and I catch the glint of his gold chain. "Tell me how you got here so quickly?" Ryder says coming closer, so close he stands right in front of me. I stand up a little straighter and fold my arms, Ryder sighs and slowly begins to turn around but he stops half way and snaps right back around. "Where did you get this?" he asks his usual casual, cool expression disappearing as he lifts the necklace emblem out from under my shirt using the chain.

"Where have I seen this before…" he mutters to himself examining it with great interest. "You've seen it before?" I ask in surprise "Like someone else wearing one?" I ask Ryder drops it back down and looks into my eyes now. "It's not a gang insignia is it?" he asks taking me aback by his worried look "No…. Why'd you care?" I ask. Ryder sighs and straightens up slowly "Because, Sarah, you might find the world is filled with better things than what you have been exposed too" He says glancing up at Jamie "You just have to look in the right places." He says it like a warning before turning and disappearing quickly and silently. "What was that?" Jamie asks bringing me out of my little daze "I honestly have no idea, he's probably high or something." I say trying to shrug it off but his green eyes had been much too focused for that to be the case. "You do attract odd attention." Jamie says as we crawl back into the tunnel using my necklace to open the trap door.

Beth looks up at me with one raised eyebrow. We've all been a little distant since the Darien passing out incident obviously I didn't tell them the truth and they know it. Jamie and I had got back in time for dinner but that certainly didn't mean we'd gone unnoticed because just as I open my mouth to say something to Beth Mr Stevens voice is right behind me as he says "You know the routine, Miss Hill, office, now." He orders. I sigh standing up and following him to his office with Jamie on my heels. "Where's my aunt?" I ask as he closes the door and sits down. "If you hadn't been disappearing every two minutes you'd know exactly where she is." He says, he doesn't sound angry not even frustrated just kind of bored to be honest. "Now, are you ready to tell me where you steal away too all the time?" he asks. I sit up a little straighter "Nope, not yet." I answer trying to sound as casual as possible.

Mr Stevens nods "Didn't think you would be." He mutters. "And I suppose you're going to tell me you're not technically breaking any rules because he is with you now?" he gestures toward Jamie. I shrug a little "Nah, I'm still breaking a fair share of rules." I say, Mr Stevens nods "Right, well then I suppose you ought to know that your aunt has gone to the hospital." I lean a little closer because he speaks so softly and gently that I could hardly hear him. "Rosie, is awake." He says slowly watching as my face changes from happy, excited, sad and scared. "Oh," is all I can manage so Zach was awake and so was she, don't get me wrong I was so relieved that Rosie had survived but still I felt a little (no a lot) over whelmed. I run my hand through my hair nervously and try to ignore how fast my heart had started beating. "Now, Sarah-Mr Stevens starts but I have already leapt of the chair and headed straight for the door.

It was cold in the storeroom on the second floor but it was quiet and I was alone so therefor it was the perfect place for me to hide. I had pushed the cabinet against the door so no matter how much Jamie pushed, he just couldn't get in. Though after a while he stopped at Mr Stevens' orders. I was sitting in the corner with my knees against my chest. It's a mystery as to how I managed to get here without knocking anything down but I sit so silently and so still that I was as lifeless as the old furniture crammed in here. After a while I could hear Beth, Clue and Sasha on the other side of the door trying to talk to me, saying something about how everything would be perfect now that Rosie was alive. I wasn't angry she'd survived obviously not, I was worried she'd never forgive me for what I let happen. That was if she could even remember because as far as my research had said, there was little chance for her not to be even a little brain damaged. I watch as a rat scurries across the floor, up onto an old sofa and out the open window with speed.

Who would I visit first? The girl I had almost killed or the boy I want to kill. The tears that silently slip down my cheeks didn't stop once that night, I didn't move and as far as I could hear Clue, Beth and Sasha had to be forced to get up and go to the room though Jamie probably still stood out there. I didn't move an inch, not when I heard everyone moving down for breakfast, not when Jamie tried to bribe me with a waffle not even when Beth told me she had packed all my books and was leaving my bag outside the door just encase I'd like to join her later.

However there was a soft knock at the door about a half hour after that. I looked at the door unsure I had really heard anything at all but there was a slight knock and I got up slowly, intrigued. I bent down and peeped through the old rusted key hole, nun-other than Ryder stood on the other side. "How'd you get inside?" I ask still watching him through the key hole "Long story, I'll tell you if you open up." He says quietly. I smile a little but slowly push the cabinet away and open the door a crack. He was the only one standing out in the silent hall so I slowly open the door and let him into my little storeroom. "God, you look a mess." He says looking at my face with a shake of the head. "Here," he says trying to clear a spot on the floor for us to sit "I brought food and cool drinks," he says "I heard you hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday." He nods tugging a few snacks and sandwiches out of his back pack. I sit down slowly across from him and just look at the food "I'm not hungry." I say finally. Ryder smirks "No kidding I'd also lose my appetite." He says biting into a sandwich.

I watch as he slowly tugs out his cigarette box and lays it down with care. "You can have one but I should warn you they don't taste good on an empty tummy." He nods at them. I look down at the box and for the first time in my life I have this desperate need to know what their like, why people smoke them all the time. It is silent for a while but I look at him and ask "How did you get in?" for the second time. Ryder shrugs "News travels quickly, I figured it was a good reason to ditch school, Mr Stevens let me in when I convinced him I knew how to get you out, and bam, here we are." He says "I'm not leaving." I say stubbornly, Ryder shrugs "That's cool, I always thought rotting in and old storeroom with rats was a suitable death." He says I frown and look away. "Eat for crying out loud," he snaps "Or if you don't you might not even have time to rot with the rats." He says sarcastically. I roll my eyes taking a sandwich and biting into it.

Turns out I was starving I guess thinking about your probably brain dead friend really takes it out of you cause I didn't even give Ryder a chance to have more food. "Geez, okay, okay slow down." He says grabbing my ninth cookie away from me. I sigh a little deciding to take a break from the food, but soon I realize why I hadn't eaten, because that gives you more energy, more energy to think about all the terrible things in life, and for me that tends to be an endless list of things. "Here," Ryder says sliding the box of cigarettes to me after taking one out for himself. I hesitate thoughtfully but figuring I have little to lose I snatch one out and lean in for Ryder to light it. He'd been right it took only one puff for me to begin relaxing. I sigh leaning against a piece of furniture and blowing the smoke up toward the open window.

"See I told you." He says waving his own cigarette in the air "They make my mouth taste like shit." I answer bluntly "Okay well then…" he says trying to take it from me, "Uh, uh" I say moving it out of his reach "it's relaxing." I admit with a shrug making him smirk. "So, why did you come and hide in here anyway?" he asks looking around at the musty room "Well it's quiet and my school was already in lock down so…." Ryder waves his hand. "No, no I mean isn't it a good thing that Rose's alive and well and all?" he asks raising an eyebrow at me.

"Rosie." I correct "Yeah it's good, I guess, but she's probably brain damaged and she will never forgive me."
"For what, what did you do to her?"
"Don't play dumb Ryder."
"Yeah, I know what happened but how could she blame you for it?"
"I don't know." I sigh
"I wouldn't forgive you if I were her."
"You, are terrible at this."
"Hey, I told Mr Stevens I could get you out not that I could make you feel better."
"So what're you gonna do?"
"Don't know yet."
"What the hell have you been doing for over ten hours and don't tell me sleeping cause you look like the apocalypse in world war Z."
"What the hell is world war Z?"
"A movie," I look at him blankly
"You know, Zombies?" "Brad Pitt?" "Really? Nothing?" he waves it away. "Anyway aren't Roses' parents-
"Rosie."
"Yeah, aren't her parents Fredrick and Elisa March?" he asks and I simply nod. "SO then their spies."
"Yeah, so?"
"Very wealthy spies."
"Okay…?"
"God, Sarah do I have to spell it out for you. The operation, they have enough to pay for the operation."
"I have no idea what you're talking about Ryder, please do spell it out for me." He rolls his eyes in exasperation.
"There's this operation that can like I donno fix brain dead people."
"What? I have never heard of that."
"Yeah because spies keep this kind of technology a secret." He snaps "Now shut up and let me talk. Any way this operation, well actually series of operations, is extremely expensive and even more dangerous and chances are that she can't even have it because of the certain parts of the brain that have been damaged." He adds thoughtfully looking away from me
"But it is possible?" I ask not sure how I should be reacting
"Sure, with lots of money I should think so." He nods slowly. "Are you alright?" he asks giving me a strange look. I sure as heck didn't feel alright, a little like vomiting, numb from head to toe and I couldn't breathe properly.

"Jesus, Sarah that was supposed to be comforting. You look like I just told you I'd murdered your mother or something." He says watching as I tried to gulp some air down. "Okay, okay… Relax, shit." He mutters "Look, at me, okay and in… and out… and in…and- "Okay, alright, I'm fine." I snap finally bringing my breathing back to normal. "Why the hell did you freak like that I mean you just found out there was a chance your friend might not actually be brain damaged?" he asks relaxing a little. I shrug "I donno it's all just really… a lot at the moment, you know?" I ask with narrowed eyes. "Yeah, I guess." He shrugs "Lately I've found it really easy to just cry, I have this need to just be alone sometimes and most of all I have this terrible habit of just like not caring." I say shaking my head. Ryder gnaws on the inside of his cheek for a while "Your life isn't that bad you know?" he finally asks "What do you mean." I frown running my hand through my knotted hair.

"I know lately things have been really…. Shit for you but the truth is, your life is kinda well good." He shrugs slowly. "You know like you have reasons for actually…. Being here." He says slowly "You have your friends, your aunt and your mother and step father, and Mr Stevens who is weirdly protective of you." He finishes and I raise my eyes "Are you trying to tell me you're unfortunate because you don't have friends who you keep secrets from, an aunt that you hardly know and a mother and step father who probably wouldn't care if you fell off the face of the earth?" I ask. Ryder rolls his eyes "You are such a drama queen, and yes I am saying your luckier than me in that way." I look at him with one arched eyebrow in disbelief. "The last time I saw my parents was…" he trails off thoughtfully "in person, probably three years ago." He nods I gape and he looks away embarrassed. "They're too busy earning money or whatever and during the holidays that I can't stay at school I stay with someone they've asked to baby sit me from work."

I watch as he runs a hand through his thick dark hair slowly. "I don't have much reason to live, no one would care if I did just fall off the edge of the earth." He mutters softly. "Your friends?" I whisper in response Ryder shrugs "They don't care about me their all pretty much high twenty for seven in any case." he says my eyes widen "You do drugs!" I ask alarmed. Ryder laughs at the expression on my face and shakes his head "Nah, tried to smoke weed ones and had such a crap headache the next day that I just never tried again. My friends only made me the leader because I am the only one who is sober enough to actually figure what is going on." He shakes his head in disgust. I watch as he lies down slowly and closes his eyes. "I'm sorry." I finally whisper still gazing at him with shock. Ryder doesn't open his eyes he just shrugs "Don't be," he says "I'd take my life over yours any day." He says with a little grin in my direction.

I shake my head "So you'd rather just feel like there's no reason for you to be alive?" I ask. Ryder shrugs again "Sure, I can do what I want can't I, I don't worry about disappointing anyone I just go with a flow." He smiles but it's sad and a small part of my heart aches for him. "I haven't spoken to my mother since I got here." I say after a long moment of time. He looks at me with raised eyebrows "Why not?" he asks, I shrug with a little sigh. "I donno but the last time I saw her, I told her that… things would probably have been a lot better for everyone if I had just died in those tunnels." I say look down at my hands "Is that what you really believe?" he asks trying to get me to look into his brilliant green eyes. "Sometimes." I say honestly. "You shouldn't think that you know, your mother loves you and you should defiantly call her." He says. I nod "Yeah maybe I will." I say slowly. "Now do you need to pee yet, I didn't bring all those cool drinks for nothing you know." He says. I laugh a little and slowly stand up waiting for him to get up too before opening the door and stepping out into the quiet hall.

Jamie stands immediately from a chair positioned a little away from the door. "Oh thank goodness." He says coming toward us. "How're you feeling?" he asks I just shrug in silence and turn to Ryder "Thanks for that." I say slowly. Ryder smirks and lifts his pack of cigarettes slowly out of his pocket to slip them into my hand. I shake my head "I don't want- but Ryder has already started away from us and toward the exit with his hands in his pockets. I shove the smokes into my pocket to hide them from Mr Stevens who comes striding toward us with a relaxed look on his face. "I see you're feeling better miss Hill," he says once he stands next to Jamie look down at me. I nod a little looking away from his dark eyes. "Though I owe that young man for getting you out I ought to warn you against keeping him as company." He says following my gaze to where he'd just left. "My aunt once warned me about Zach." I say slowly, I didn't say it loudly in fact it was really just me thinking aloud but Mr Stevens still says. "I believe for very different reasons." I look up at him "Then thanks for the warning but I think I'll judge for myself." I say.

Jamie looks at me once Mr Stevens had said "You come talk to me when you're ready Sarah, for now just have a rest." And left, "Do you want to go up to your room?" he asks. I look down over the banister, my hands brushing the cold wood of the beautiful building. "I have to do something first." I say slowly sounding so distant and far away that Jamie didn't even bother asking what as I quickly dashed down stairs. To the left behind a separating wall in the dining hall there's an old sofa with two old telephones on either side of it. I sit down slowly on one side and pulled the phone off its hook and dialled the number.
"Hello?" my mother asked her voice a little raspy but sweet sounding.

CHAPTER FIVE

The air is rather nippy as it brushes against my bear arms. It's been a while since I've warn such a pretty sundress but Beth insisted I wear it. We stand outside in the bright sunlight with every other girl in the school, we weren't exactly sure what we were doing only that Mr Stevens had told us at breakfast to all prepare for a lovely sunny day outside. I wasn't the only one wearing a dress but I still I felt a little uncomfortable. It was two days since I'd locked myself in the storeroom so instead of attending classes on this bright sunny Thursday we all stood outside in casual clothes waiting to be told what we were supposed to be doing. "Hold on ladies, we're just waiting for your dates." Mr Stevens calls to us. I look at Beth with one raised eyebrow. She had reacted exactly how I'd expected when I'd told her about the tunnel only hours after I'd come out of the storeroom, she'd jumped up eager to storm off to Mr Stevens' office but with Jamie's help we managed to calm all three of my roommates down and they agreed to stay quiet if they could come down with us.

They were all happier now that they knew what I'd been hiding and we'd been getting on a lot better. "Oh." Clue says understandingly making all of us turn to look what she'd seen. If I hadn't been standing with m entire school, Jamie and Mr Stevens I probably would have turned and run away from the large swarm of boys crossing the grounds toward us.