Author note: I know the other chapter was short but I didn't want to say too much in that chapter.
The boys followed after me as I zoomed out the door to my friends. I dropped to my knees instantly as Stephen opened his eyes, coughing slightly.
"If I'm not mistaken," I began, "I'm pretty sure this isn't part of the plan!"
Stephen shook his head and looked up. "Test, dogs, wouldn't make it, jumped the fence," he said, his body coated with dirt and blood.
"Come on," I said, throwing his arm around my shoulder, "get up."
I looked back at the three boys staring down at us confusedly. "Help!" I demanded.
They sprung into action as Spot bent down to help me with Stephen and Jack and Blade tended to Erica.
"Are we alive?" she asked, opening her eyes.
"For now," I said once we got Stephen standing again.
"What happened?" Spot demanded to know.
I narrowed my eyes in anger. "Ned; that's what happened. That sorry ass bastard thinks he can get away with anything!"
"Who's Ned?" asked Jack, looking over at me.
"I bet I can answer that," came a cold voice I grew to hate with a passion.
"You guys, what happened?" Cadince asked, running from her post.
"The plan is ruined," Stephen choked out, ashamed of himself.
"Can somebody explain dis to us," Blade said, keeping a good grip on Erica.
"Go ahead, Parker," Ned said, his arms behind his back firmly. "Go ahead and tell them everything. Tell them of the deadly tests you go through everyday, and the rules you must obey to live. Tell them of your pride and leadership to my students, I mean, since you are the only one who can survive. Tell them…"
The pedestrians walking by kept their eyes ahead and their noses out of this. I was quite thankful for that, but I wasn't going to let this plan fail.
"How about I just tell the world?" I said, letting go of Stephen, keeping him in Spot's care.
Ned leaned his head back slightly, raising his eyebrows. "You dare to expose me when I can do the same to you? Oh dear Anomie, who do you think they'll listen to? Me, a man of my word, or you, a former murderer by the name of-"
"Stop it!" I demanded, clutching my fists. "I'm sick and tired of your stupid schemes to ruin my life! I'm tired of going through tests each and every day, thinking of ways to get my brother back! I'm tired of living in the shadows of the person I once was…"
Ned chuckled, taking one step closer. "Anything else?" he asked.
I stepped closer as well, testing him. "Yeah," I said angrily. "I'm tired of wearing these damn bandages to cover up the numbers you had carved in us!"
I pulled the bandage off of my wrist, exposing the number to the world, although the world wasn't even paying attention.
"Anomie, that's enough," Cadince hissed sharply. "Everything is ruined, just stop while you're still alive."
"No," I said, looking back at her. "I'm not giving up!"
"Speaking of being alive," Ned spoke up, "those needles last night… You may want to check your arm."
I looked down at my arm. Nothing was wrong… that was, until I turned it over. The bottom of my arm seemed to be a bluish color, almost engulfing my whole arm.
"What the hell?" I whispered.
"What is that?" Jack asked, examining Stephen and Cadince's arm.
"All of you have it," Ned said. "My students that is. It's a poison I injected in you last night. The other needle was merely to put you to sleep. Very creative, no?"
"What in da hell is wrong with you?" Blade yelled, obviously not catching on to the mad-man aroma around Ned.
"He's a mastermind," I said in almost a whisper, looking at my arm in astonishment. "Everything we planned out…you was a step further."
Ned shrugged, "Of course. Speaking of which, you have two hours to find the antidote before you are gone for good. And then, Miss. Parker, your test is done. But the real question is…can you do it?"
"You sick son of a-" Spot jumped forward to attack Ned, but I stood in the way.
"Stop it, Spot!" I demanded, trying my best to keep him from Neeley.
"The riddle to the antidote is: I am within the earth, but easy to get to, I am used for good, by lie with the bad, I am encased in wood, but I am locked for eternity," said Ned.
My eyes wondered to the ground, my mind spinning from exhaustion.
"What is goin on over here?" a cop yelled, walking closer.
"You better hurry," Ned said.
"Come on!" I said, taking off in a run.
The others, confused as ever, chased after me, leaving Ned and the cop behind.
"Where are we going?" Cadince called after me.
I stopped outside of the school, and looked back at everyone. "Remember your aunt?"
Cadince nodded.
"We're paying her a visit."
Cadince furrowed her eyebrows as we entered the school, the confused newsboys following as well.
"Care to explain?" Spot asked as he caught up with me as the lot of us stepped quickly through the halls.
"Care for a long story?" I asked, giving him a glance.
He shrugged, ready for anything.
"Well," I began…
As I talked to Spot, and the other boys – explaining the school and everything – we walked through the halls as if we were ghosts, nobody daring to stop us.
As we made it to the back of the school I grabbed one of the many shovels that stood by the back door, and ushered the others to do the same.
"And that's why everything was so complicated," I finished, turning towards Spot as we stood by the grave.
Spot stared at me oddly, taking in everything I just blurted out.
"So yer tellin me-"
"That you guys hafta go through hell everyday jus' to survive 'cause yer headmaster is an insane freak?" Blade interrupted.
"Yeah pretty much," I shrugged.
"That isn't what I was gonna say," Spot said through gritted teeth.
Blade shrugged as everyone looked at me for instructions.
"What are we doing, chief?" Cadince asked, gripping her shovel.
"This'll probably tear your nerves – Cadince, Stephen – but we gotta dig up Josephine…"
Cadince closed her eyes and looked away. "I can't dig up my aunt, Nomes," she said.
"The box, remember the box we buried with her? It has the antidotes! Ned knew what would happen all along!"
I jammed my shovel into the dirt and began to dig at a fast pace. The others reluctantly joined, not exactly fond of the dirty deed.
"So you guys had to bury someone?" Jack asked, throwing dirt over his shoulder.
"Yeah," I said, doing the same.
"I'm so confused," Blade confessed.
Spot was silent as he shoveled as well, a look I couldn't read on his face.
"Are you going to die?" Blade asked as he stopped shoveling.
"We will if you don't help!" I exclaimed.
"So you were right all along," Spot suddenly said, not even looking up.
"Right about what?" I asked, sending him a glance.
He stopped to wipe at the sweat dripping from his forehead. "I don't know you at all."
I furrowed my eyebrows and stared at him shortly. "What?"
He looked up, that same expressionless look upon his face. "I jumped to conclusions, Anomie-"
"Don't," I said, giving him a stern look. "We've made it this far, Conlon, don't ruin it."
He merely sighed and continued to shovel, all of us as anxious as the other to uncover the antidote.
Author note: Haha! I am leaving you here, for now, and hopefully I'll finish this story before vacation this Saturday. Love and Peace!
