Chapter Eighteen:
Erek looked up, saw something behind us, and made his holographic face smile blandly. He stood, picking up his tray. "I've never seen such a sweet mid-court shot before," he said. "Anyway, it was a great game. I'll get the tape to you soon."
I turned slightly. Our vice principal, Chapman, was walking past. Vice principal is bad enough, but add to that the fact that he's one of the higher-ranking Controllers in our area, and you'll begin to understand why Erek was suddenly talking about basketball.
Jake had glanced behind him as well. "Sure, Erek, thanks." We bused our trays, then shouldered out through the cafeteria doors. Most of the students were still eating, so we had a few seconds of privacy.
"Meeting," Jake announced.
"Of course," I said. "When? Whenever we have it, two people will be missing. Unless we hold it up at the shack."
He paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Ax can miss it. Tobias has plenty of time to fill him in. Call it 10:30, at Cassie's barn."
"Yeah, yeah," I said. "Be there or be square."
"And make sure Rachel knows."
"Will do." I paused, confused. "Jake, I thought your parents got that fancy new security system. Thought you couldn't sneak out at night any more."
"Oh," he chuckled, "that."
"Yes, hah-hah, that. What gives?"
"I had Ax take a look at it last Wednesday. He said it had already been sabotaged. Turns out that it was interfering with the social life of Tom's Yeerk."
"Well," I said. "I guess the irony gods were on our side this time."
The lunch bell rang, and kids started swarming out of the cafeteria. "You and your irony gods," Jake muttered, then stalked off down the hall. Off to watch Cassie for a couple hours. Off to skip algebra.
Leader's prerogative, my foot.
I spent the next two periods mulling over what I knew. Two things, at least, were comforting. One, I was convinced Cassie was not a Controller. Two, Jake probably would not try anything insane while Cassie and her guard- dog were still out of commission. I mean, we did have a week.
Probably.
That's a terrible word.
I caught up with Rachel after science. We "accidentally" happened to be going down the same hall at the same time. Officially, we barely know each other, and it wouldn't help Rachel's image to be seen talking much with me. That's her story, anyway. I think she's just scared all her jealous little friends will try to kill her when they decide she's going out with me. I mean, who wouldn't?
Oh, but, back to reality.
"Meeting," I muttered to her.
"When?" she coughed, brushing her hair back.
"10:30."
"Tonight?"
I nodded.
"Why?"
I shrugged. "Complicated."
She swerved into her classroom, and I headed for mine. I didn't know what it was, but something was bothering me.
I grabbed my usual seat, in the back corner. Somebody went past me to the bookshelf. Lethargically, I glanced up and saw Cassie flipping through a textbook.
Wait. Cassie?
I started violently, nearly tipping my chair over. "Cassie?" I yipped. A few of my classmates glanced towards us.
"Linda," she hissed. Then, louder, "Oh, hi, Marco."
How dumb could I be? This was the second time I'd forgotten that Cassie could be replaced by a Chee.
"I thought you were on vacation," I announced, for the benefit of the staring class. Well, I had to come up with something fast.
"Me?" she asked, feigning surprise. "Nope."
The class bought it, and cranked the volume on their insults and gossip again, so Linda and I could talk.
"How does Cassie do in this class?" she asked.
"She's good with movements, and understanding motivations," I murmured, "but bad with names and dates. Whatever you do, *don't* know when the French Revolution was. She can never get that down."
"I was beheaded in the French Revolution," she muttered. "It's kind of a vivid memory." She shelved the book, and went back to her seat.
I felt it again. A vague uneasiness. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about. You probably won't until you've been in more than one battle for your life. I've had it over and over.
Typically, I get it when life is flowing pretty smoothly. Typically, it comes before a lot of screaming and bleeding.
It's the unsettling feeling you get when something is about to go terribly, horribly wrong.
Erek looked up, saw something behind us, and made his holographic face smile blandly. He stood, picking up his tray. "I've never seen such a sweet mid-court shot before," he said. "Anyway, it was a great game. I'll get the tape to you soon."
I turned slightly. Our vice principal, Chapman, was walking past. Vice principal is bad enough, but add to that the fact that he's one of the higher-ranking Controllers in our area, and you'll begin to understand why Erek was suddenly talking about basketball.
Jake had glanced behind him as well. "Sure, Erek, thanks." We bused our trays, then shouldered out through the cafeteria doors. Most of the students were still eating, so we had a few seconds of privacy.
"Meeting," Jake announced.
"Of course," I said. "When? Whenever we have it, two people will be missing. Unless we hold it up at the shack."
He paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Ax can miss it. Tobias has plenty of time to fill him in. Call it 10:30, at Cassie's barn."
"Yeah, yeah," I said. "Be there or be square."
"And make sure Rachel knows."
"Will do." I paused, confused. "Jake, I thought your parents got that fancy new security system. Thought you couldn't sneak out at night any more."
"Oh," he chuckled, "that."
"Yes, hah-hah, that. What gives?"
"I had Ax take a look at it last Wednesday. He said it had already been sabotaged. Turns out that it was interfering with the social life of Tom's Yeerk."
"Well," I said. "I guess the irony gods were on our side this time."
The lunch bell rang, and kids started swarming out of the cafeteria. "You and your irony gods," Jake muttered, then stalked off down the hall. Off to watch Cassie for a couple hours. Off to skip algebra.
Leader's prerogative, my foot.
I spent the next two periods mulling over what I knew. Two things, at least, were comforting. One, I was convinced Cassie was not a Controller. Two, Jake probably would not try anything insane while Cassie and her guard- dog were still out of commission. I mean, we did have a week.
Probably.
That's a terrible word.
I caught up with Rachel after science. We "accidentally" happened to be going down the same hall at the same time. Officially, we barely know each other, and it wouldn't help Rachel's image to be seen talking much with me. That's her story, anyway. I think she's just scared all her jealous little friends will try to kill her when they decide she's going out with me. I mean, who wouldn't?
Oh, but, back to reality.
"Meeting," I muttered to her.
"When?" she coughed, brushing her hair back.
"10:30."
"Tonight?"
I nodded.
"Why?"
I shrugged. "Complicated."
She swerved into her classroom, and I headed for mine. I didn't know what it was, but something was bothering me.
I grabbed my usual seat, in the back corner. Somebody went past me to the bookshelf. Lethargically, I glanced up and saw Cassie flipping through a textbook.
Wait. Cassie?
I started violently, nearly tipping my chair over. "Cassie?" I yipped. A few of my classmates glanced towards us.
"Linda," she hissed. Then, louder, "Oh, hi, Marco."
How dumb could I be? This was the second time I'd forgotten that Cassie could be replaced by a Chee.
"I thought you were on vacation," I announced, for the benefit of the staring class. Well, I had to come up with something fast.
"Me?" she asked, feigning surprise. "Nope."
The class bought it, and cranked the volume on their insults and gossip again, so Linda and I could talk.
"How does Cassie do in this class?" she asked.
"She's good with movements, and understanding motivations," I murmured, "but bad with names and dates. Whatever you do, *don't* know when the French Revolution was. She can never get that down."
"I was beheaded in the French Revolution," she muttered. "It's kind of a vivid memory." She shelved the book, and went back to her seat.
I felt it again. A vague uneasiness. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about. You probably won't until you've been in more than one battle for your life. I've had it over and over.
Typically, I get it when life is flowing pretty smoothly. Typically, it comes before a lot of screaming and bleeding.
It's the unsettling feeling you get when something is about to go terribly, horribly wrong.