Disclaimer: I don't own the 'Private' series, Kate Brian does.
Headmaster Hathaway had me locked up inside his office for what felt like hours, but he didn't get the information that he needed/wanted from me.
"Ms. Brennan," he said tiredly, "We are just trying to figure out what could have happened to Ms. Lange. As you know, her parents are very concerned about her disappearance and we just need to make sure she is okay. Easton does not need a repeat of what happened last year when we thought that one of our students disappeared."
He was referring to Thomas Pearson's, my ex, disappearance. When he left the day before parent's weekend, everyone thought that he was just fooling around; when really, he had been killed by the psycho Ariana Osgood.
"The reason one of our students 'disappeared' last year, was because we had an unstable student attending Easton Academy," I responded.
Headmaster Hathaway knitted his eyebrows together and looked down at the file of papers that was on his desk.
"That is true," he said, lifting his chin so that our eyes were on the same level, "and it has come to my attention that Mr. Hollis is also, how you say 'unstable'."
My blood started boiling when he said that, and I could feel my skin getting hotter.
"Yes," I said, gritting my teeth so that my words came out carefully, "but, Jo… I mean Mr. Hollis, is very much stable when he is under the affects of his medication."
"Ms. Brennan," he said, "I do not want to cause any more tension than already present. I would just like to know if you can give me any information on the relationship that Mr. Hollis and Ms. Lange share."
"No, I can't"
He picked up a pair of reading glasses that were right beside his files on the desk, and bit the very tip of it. After going through some of the papers on his desk, he reached out and started scribbling something on a piece of sticky note. He then folded it up and held for me to take it.
"Well, I believe that we are done for the day. Please give this to Mrs. Gilmore"
I took the note from him and headed out his office, I then knocked on the door that was to the right of his.
"Come in" a peppy voice said.
I opened the door, only to be greeted by the rich, sweet, creamy aroma of a French Vanilla scented Yankee Candle.
"Oh," said the petite woman sitting in front of the office desk, "hello Ms. Brennan. How has your day been?"
"Fine." I said, and handed her the note that the headmaster gave me.
Her small lengthy fingers reached out and took the note.
"Thank you." She said.
I gave her a smile in return, and then walked out of the room and headed towards the quad.
The sky was orange with red horizontal stripes running across it, and the sun was peaking out behind one of the far off buildings.
"Reed!" voice shouted in the distance. I turned around to see a concerned Josh running my way. His curly blonde hair was bouncing up and down with each step he took, and his usually playful eyes had a unusual look in them.
"Are you okay?" he asked when he reached me, and without my response his arms were instantly holding me.
See? How could someone this sweet and this loving be capable of kidnapping?
"I just really need to go lay down." I said, not wanting to talk to Josh. If I stayed around him any longer, it might slip that the headmaster thinks that he took Noelle, and that would be a problem all on its own.
"I'll walk you back to Pemberly." he said, taking my hand and intertwining it with his. On my way back, the only thing I could think about was Noelle. Who would want to take her from us… from me? Yeah, she's not the nicest one in the bunch, but hurting her, really?
Josh took me all the way upstairs, and then stopped when we reached my door.
"You sure you don't need me?" he asked.
"I'm sure." I smiled.
He leaned over and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek.
"I love you." he whispered as he started to leave.
"I love you, too." I said. And when Josh was out of sight, I entered my room and flopped myself onto the bed.
Just as my eyes were about to close, I received a text message.
You really don't listen, do you Reed. We told you not to go to the headmaster, and yet you seemed to spend the entire day in his office. But, lucky for you, we heard that you didn't want to go, but you were requested. However, no one knows what you two have talked about. And for that, your tasks have just gotten much harder. As of right now, no one is to know what you are doing. Just to show you that we're not that bad, you can get help, but from one person only. You choose, but she can't be a former Billings. First instruction? You and your 'friend' must be at Gwendolyn Hall exactly 20minutes after curfew. If one of you fails to show, the game is over… and so is Noelle's life. Don't forget your sweaters, I hear tonight is a cold one.
I suddenly wished that Josh would have stayed with me. I looked at the watch on my phone. I had two hours to find someone to go with me, and head towards Gwendolyn Hall.
"You better be happy, Noelle."
The entire quad looked as if a huge white blanket from the sky had just fallen perfectly on top of it, giving it the soft and comfortable look.
"Holy crap, its cold." Ivy said, shaking under her black double-breasted winter coat. Ivy was really the only person who I could think of to help me with something this big, even with her previous detest of Noelle, "must we be outside?"
"Yes." I said, it was exactly twenty minutes after curfew, and still no sign of this mysterious person. My phone beeped.
Glad to see you know how to follow directions. Now, inside the Ficus bushes next to you. There you will find a key, and you'll know what to do. Good Luck, you'll need it.
"What does it say?" Ivy asked, her teeth grinding louder by the minute.
I placed my phone in my jeans pocket and looked for the bush the person said. Right inside the bush, there was a golden key, with a sapphire-blue 'B' pendant hanging from it. The 'B' was the same one that Cheyenne made all the girls of Billings wear, back when she was still president.
"Look" Ivy said, reaching down and picking up the note that had fallen on the floor.
This key opens up the deepest secrets that Billings has kept hidden. Find what this key opens, and inside, you will find something that you will need when we meet. You have until same time tomorrow to figure this out.
"I'm not in the mood for a scavenger hunt" Ivy blurted. I looked up at her, wondering if she was the wrong choice to help me. But I couldn't do anything about it now, I had already chosen her, and I doubt I was allowed an exchange.
"I don't want to do this anymore than you don't, but we have to held Noelle." I said, grasping the key and holding it tight.
"Well," Ivy said, "obviously the 'thing' they are talking about has to do with Billings. I mean, they have the Billings 'B', and they said it would open Billings' deepest secrets."
"I can't think half asleep" I joked.
"We can figure this out later" Ivy said, "When we're fully awake and filled with breakfast."
I smiled at her as we headed back to the Pemberly. I might have been seeing something, but I swore I saw a figure hiding in the bushes as we were walking back. Or, it could have been my mind playing tricks on me.
Josh sat down next to me the next morning at breakfast, and he had a playful grin plastered on his face.
"Morning beautiful." he said, giving me a kiss on the temple before he dove into the mount of doughnuts on his plate.
"Hey." I smiled; glad to see that at least one of us was eating. I, on the other hand, was waiting for Ivy to grace us with her presences.
When Ivy finally sat down, it was nearly time for us to gather in the Chapel.
'We need to talk' she mouthed to me, making sure that Josh or anyone else at the table had no idea what we were talking about.
"Doesn't it seem much more peaceful without Noelle around?" Amberely asked, with a pleased smile on her face.
"Yeah, you must have a lot more room to breathe. Now that your nose isn't stuck up her butt anymore." Lorna smirked.
A soft laughed escaped Josh's lips, and I couldn't help but smile in the recognition of how strong Lorna is without Missy at her side.
After breakfast, Ivy pulled me away from Josh's grasp and pushed me in the other direction. Josh had a confused look playing across his face, but I winked at him for reassurance.
"Where are we going?" I asked Ivy when she had finally loosened her grip on me.
"We need help." Was her answer.
"I know, but where…"
"Will you stop talking already?" she asked. Ivy pushed me all the way to the house I stayed in before the whole Billings thing, Bradwell Hall.
"Why are we here?" I asked.
"Because," she started, walking while she talked to me "back when I was being initiated into Billings, they made me go into the buildings and do things"
"Okay…" I said.
"And one of them had to do with Bradwell Hall," she said.
We stopped at a door and I looked at it.
"You brought me to the building's basement?" I asked, dumfounded.
"Open it."
"I can't, it's looked"
She nodded at me, and I instantly got what she meant.
I pulled the key out of my pocket and the door unlocked.
"Wow" I said.
In the deepest parts of Bradwell Hall, was where many of the Billings things where hid. It seemed like everything important was placed under here.
"I don't get it"
"How dumb would you be, if you put Billings's deepest secrets in Billings?"
Inside were tons of books, and many white clothes and tiki torches. These were the things that the Billings members before us used when initiating new Billings members. This is the place where the memories of all the Billings's legacies were held.
My phone beeped again.
Now, you see that there is more to Billings than you know. Never expected a worthless place such as this to hold Billings secrets did you? Task one, complete. You're that much closer to saving Noelle, but you better pick up the pace. We're getting anxoius, and you dont want that to happen. Meet us tonight for the next task, good luck. You'll need it.