Chapter 10: Planning
The next few days followed as planned. "Are you coming to the match tomorrow" Finn asked me after his football practice. I shrugged, not wanting to say no in case he was actually asking me out and I hurt his feelings. I always get the signals messed up. "Okay" he grinned, sliding out of the hall "see you around". After he had left, I walked up to my dorm and took my coat off. Then I bent down to get something from under my bed. Suddenly I screamed. My hand had touched something rough. I pulled it out, and realised that it was my clothes from the 'meteorite day', as everyone calls it. The nurse must have given them to Morgan, I thought, eyeing the ever growing pile of clothes under her bed. Just as I was taking them over to the laundry room, something fell out of the pocket. I bent over and picked it up.
It was a strange gold sphere that shone as I lifted it. It feels like silk, I thought. But when I pressed it, I was surprised to find it was as hard as steel. Then I remembered. It was that thing that fell beside me before I blacked out, after The Orb had taken Jess. Just then Morgan came in, and spotted the gold sphere. "What's that" she asked, kneeling down beside me. I shrugged. "Just something Owen gave to me" I lied, guilt seething through me. I wanted to tell Morgan, but somehow I knew I should keep it a secret for a while, just until I worked out what it was. Morgan gave a low whistle.
"Owen gave you that" she gaped, "the only thing he ever gave me was a C- on my woodwork test". I laughed, quickly slipping the sphere into my bedside drawer. "Let's get down to lunch, it's the Tuesday roast and I'm starving" I suggested, dumping the clothes into the laundry basket.
After the roast Me, Autumn, Michael, Finn and Morgan all went down to the Library. "Is it true" Michael asked me, "are you really going to get Jess back"? I nodded, rummaging around a bookcase, and trying to find the book on castles for my history homework. "Well, then me and Finn are coming too" Michael announced, "we've already agreed".
I spun around, and fixed the two boys with the most menacing stare I could. "You" I stated, "are not coming. It's far too dangerous". Finn snorted. "Oh whatever" he scoffed, "I've survived a meteorite". I rolled my eyes at him. "Yeah, but you fainted during the process" I replied. Then, just before Finn could say something back, Morgan and Autumn appeared. "Hey, what are you guys arguing about" Morgan asked. Before I could reply, Michael told her. "Finn and I are helping her save Jess". I scowled at him for lying.
Morgan gaped at me. "Well, if they're going, we are too" she announced. I groaned, banging my head against the bookcase. "No, no, no" I growled, "can't you see this isn't a holiday? This is real danger, and I won't ever forgive myself if any of you die". Autumn stepped towards me and gave me a warm hug. "Well, it's our choice" she reminded me, "and if we do die, you just keep telling yourself that there was nothing you could do". I froze. Autumn. Little Autumn, going AWOL and facing unknown danger. I couldn't breathe. But when I saw her face, I knew she wouldn't give in.
"Fair enough" I finally said, "but you have to promise that if you see any danger, you will go back home" then I paused, and stared at Morgan, "all of you". Then they bowed their heads and reluctantly agreed. "Right" I began, handing out some leftover sweets from my pocket, "let's have a look at the plan". Then I told them we had to get out of the country. "Why do we have to go out of the country" asked Finn. I sighed. "Look" I began, "I had a dream last night that told me that we had to go to the arctic, well actually to the North of Canada". Morgan coughed, choking on one of her sweets.
"Canada" she exclaimed, "How the hell are we going to get there? We will have enough trouble getting out of the lodge, let alone getting on an aeroplane, which reminds me, THE GOVERMENT HAS OUR PASSPORTS". I looked calmly at her, and then replied, "I will think of something". Before Morgan could say anything back Autumn spoke up. "Well, Dean could help". Now it was my time to protest. "What" I cried, "Dean hates me -though the feeling is mutual- and anyway, how could he help". Autumn smiled. "He's a hypnotist; he could easily make the guards give us our passports". I looked up and stopped my muttering. "COLA'S don't have that power" I stated.
"Well actually, a couple COLA'S from 'our batch' have the power to hypnotise but no-one at all from the older COLA'S has it" Michael interrupted. I shook my head, clearing it from these confusing thoughts. "Okay" began Morgan, "well let's assume that Dean did help us -without you murdering him first- then what would happen? How would we get out of Fenton Lodge". I showed them a map. "You see here" I said, pointing to the lake, "there is going to be a BBQ this Saturday held there, and all the guards are invited" I ended this comment by giving everyone a smug stare. "And what does that mean" Finn interrupted. I sighed loudly.
"It means" I explained, "that there won't be anyone to stop us sneaking out". A mask of realisation washed over Finns face. "Okay" I began, "so during the BBQ we'll all say that we need to 'go', but at separate times so we don't arouse any suspicion". Everyone nodded, taking it in so far. "Then we all use the mini phones- that Michael made in science- and meet up at the gate, where we all sneak away" I ended. "Well, when you put it like that it all sounds so simple" Michael said, "but your forgetting one thing. I'm pretty sure that we won't have enough money to even get one of us there, let alone all of us, and what about food, hotels, and other important stuff".
I paused. Maybe we could travel there on our own; we could catch our own food, make our own boat and buy a little tent to sleep in. Or we could stowaway on a ship. In fact, the more I thought of it, I realised that this was probably the safest and quickest way of getting there. I told them my idea.
"Stowaways" Finn gaped, his eyes gleaming, "this is starting to sound a lot like a Hollywood movie". We all laughed, and the serious mood was broken. "So" I concluded, "We have four days to stock up, panic like hell and relax until we leave for Canada". Suddenly we saw Owen Hind come into the library. "Quick" Autumn said franticly, "act normal". I was in such an adrenaline rush that I tripped over the side of the bookcase, and landed on top of Finn, knocking us both onto the couch. Then I heard Owen politely cough behind me. "Well, I don't mean to interrupt...err...whatever you're doing, but it's time for tea". I could feel my ears turning bright red as I climbed of poor Finn. As soon as Owen went, Morgan burst out laughing.
"Not funny" I muttered darkly, watching Morgan roll about on the other couch, laughing so hard she was crying. I glanced over at Finn. His face was so red that you could have mistaken it for a tomato. "I'm sorry" I whispered to him. He just waved his hand dismissively. "It wasn't your fault" he said, and then one of his usual mischievous twinkles appeared in his eye, "it was the bookcase's fault. Burn the bookcase!" He ran over to the bookcase and pretended to burn it. I laughed, my embarrassment starting to fade. Morgan stopped laughing, and started wiping the tears from her eyes.
"You should have seen Owen's face" she shrieked, "It was a mixture of embarrassment, disbelief and mirth". I glared at her. "Hardly helping, Morgan" I warned. She let out another shriek. "He seriously thought you guys were snogging" then she went into hysterics again. Autumn went over to me, "It doesn't matter" she soothed, "anyway, we should be making our way over to the dining hall, and I hear that the main course is macaroni cheese". Michael made a disgusted noise. "Suit yourself" muttered Autumn.
We very rarely thought about anything else except the 'Great Escape' for the next four days. Unfortunately, asking Dean to help resulted in a lot of sacrifices. "Now" he smirked, "before I even consider it, you must bow down and tell me how I am -and always will be- right" I managed to resist the urge to stuff Dean's stupid face down the toilet, and grudgingly did as he said. "Also" he continued, "you have to give me all your COLA money for the next five months". This almost made me explode with anger, but I muttered my agreement. Dean looked down at me. "See, it wasn't so hard" he scolded, "and you're lucky I'm so kind to you". I stood up, ignoring the comments he had just made. "So, meet us in the library at 3:25 after school today, and we'll give you our instructions" I told him. He just nodded, quite unfazed. I have to give it to him, he may have been stuck up and just plain nasty, but he was pretty brave. Just a little. Not much.
He had the passports just within half an hour, and I gave him his first payment, trying to avoid his smug grin. Then I went upstairs, and started to plan what I should bring. For some reason, I knew I had to bring the orb.
It felt like it was telling me to.