Chapter 7

The next strike came sooner then I expected. When the girls of Regina house got up one morning they couldn't open their doors, I couldn't either.

Panicked voices yelled across the hall to each other, it seemed they'd locked everyone on. The only way out for me was the window. Luckily over the years I had mastered a way of climbing down my window which wasn't an easy feat from the third storey. I opened the window swing on to the drain pipe shimmering my way to the ground. I jumped back in the house through the kitchen window and ran up to the second floor. I stopped staring at the hall. They had strings running this way and that, crisscrossing. They were spun tightly around every doorknob. As one girl tugged on her door it pulled someone else across the hall tighter shut. I found a pair of scissors working my way down the hall and up to the top floor until we were all freed.

"Tegan!" Screamed Audrey running up to me. "Quick Martha found a note."

The whole house was standing around the front door as I pushed my way forward. There on the door was a note held up with on off our kitchen knifes.

That was nothing to what is to come

The girls flew into pandemonium. I knew the letter was just a scar tactic but those boys were going to regret threatening us. Audrey was running around saying they were going to murder us in our sleep making two girls burst into tears.

"Kat can yon handle this? I am going to check over at Cook house." She nodded pulling Daphne to her side.

Over at Cook house things had ended very differently. They unlike us hadn't slept through the whole thing.

"I heard something so I came out and found a dozen of them in the hall. Johnstan ran after them but the lights weren't on so he didn't see the ropes." Alex sighed, running hid fingers through his hair. "He hit the ground like a tonne of bricks." I saw the concern in his eyes.

"Is he ok?"

"They think he may of broken his nose and rolled an ankle. His at the medic wing now."

"Cover story?"

"Showing off and fell down the stairs." I nodded it was a good believable story. The teachers couldn't learn of the war and what went on around here after dark. Occasionally they'll run into a punch up but they put it down to competitive tension or sporting rivalry.

"I have an idea, you up for it?" I grinned. " But first we have to do the impossible." I paused building the tension and intrigue. "Break into our own property, the gardener's shed."

There was six of us lying tunny down in the grass books in front of our faces pretending to be reading.

"He is going in." Bernie reported and we all raised our eyes over the top of the pages then bobbed back down as the gardener looked our way.

"Is he still looking?" Whispered Alex down at her. Next to me Bernie pulled up Johnstan's binoculars to the two wholes in her book.

"No he is in the shed." She handed the binoculars back to Johnstan who was lying next to her with a bandage on his nose. Kat let out a large sigh of relief and Amber started whining about getting dirty.

"Please tell me Tegan you do not believe in that crap about the gardener being a serial killer." We flung ourselves around to see Caleb standing behind where we were lying.

"And if we do? What's it to do with you Woods?" I challenged him.

"Nothing I just thought by now you would be above that crap."

"What crap?" I snapped. " You don't even know me Kale so don't pretend you do."

"Your right, I don't." He turned walking off but inside I felt guilty, because I could tell he sounded hurt.

"What was that about?" For someone who thinks she know everything, Amber didn't have a clue about squat.

"Nothing." I snapped heading back to the house.

"Tegan can I talk to you?" Kat peered around the door.

"As long as it doesn't involve the Burns trio." She came in sitting on my bed. I moved over to the seat at my desk opposite her.

"Actually it's about you." I rolled my eyes turning back to the roaster I was re-checking for the tenth time.

"You seemed awfully angry at the moment, I mean like today with Caleb."

"He is the enemy, you know one of the ones that locked us in our own rooms." I pointed out.

"I may not know you very well but I can tell when your lying Tegan." She was off course right, but Caleb Woods was like my mother, something I don't discuss over coffee and a biscuit. Talking off discussions, I was going to be late.

"Damn." I stood up cursing openly. "I am late, I have to check in with the nutcracker." Kat gave me a disapproving look.

"You shouldn't say that about Karen, she's really nice when you get to know her." I gave Kat a dirty look. Maybe she was right but the problem with Karen is she wanted to know you back.