Hello Hello, I'm sure we all know the drill by now, so let's get right along. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'll see you at the end - J.
Chapter 17: School girls and Pirates
Tired though she may be, Sophie still dragged herself out of bed and pulled on her uniform with a slight buzz of excitement in her gut. Really, she'd never looked forward to a new term, so it was kind of nice to have a spring in her step as she made her way down to the driveway. Annabelle would be busy with Camilla for a lot of the morning, so while the new head girl was being given a rundown of her duties, Sophie had volunteered to take attendance at check in. Only partially to keep her from dwelling on the oh-so-absent woman that she was definitely not going to think about all day.
The school bus rocked up within moments, and as if that unlocked the flood gates, a horde of cars swarmed the place. It was chaos. Parents were hurrying to unload their children, hearses were sliding in laden with emo girls, Chavs and Flammables arrived by the tens and started up a sound system from somewhere. Sophie could name most of them by sight, though there was a small struggle when the three Winehouse Clones rocked up and she knew better than to ask their real names. Fortunately, their parents managed to hang around long enough to fill her in before they fled the area. Three identical fiats pulled into a line and Soph shared a grin with Chelsea as she and the two new Totties emerged. Peaches and Chloe had graduated with everyone else, leaving their younger leader to find replacements over the summer. The pair looked the part, Soph was sure Chelsea would be able to lead them as effectively as she had last year.
That was something she wasn't looking forward to; with Andrea and Taylor gone, Zoe and Bianca would step up to take their places at the heads of Emo and Chav. It would be hell, as while the previous leaders had been friends behind the scenes, Zoe and Bianca believed wholeheartedly in the rivalry between their gangs; she was glad she wouldn't be the one to have to handle them. The rest of the groups wouldn't be so bad, Polly's protégé, Lucy, seemed a little shy, but certainly as smart as the redhead had been; a little confidence and she'd do fine. Celia had rolled in with the Ecos, so she'd probably keep them out of too much trouble, and the terrible twins were still only second years, keeping them firmly at the head of the war band.
Speaking of…
A bright red mini-cooper came hurtling up the drive, skidding to a halt and sending stones scattering everywhere. Sophie couldn't help but grin at the two familiar blonde heads that appeared from within. Sure enough, within moments they'd spotted her and she was tackled, barely keeping her feet as she wrapped an arm around each of them.
"Welcome back, girls." She chuckled as they pulled back, the all-too-familiar mischievous grins bringing a fond smile to her face.
"Good holiday?" She tipped her head, checking them off on the list as they beamed.
"We went to Skegness." They spoke in unison, their tone suggesting chaos that caused Sophie to feel a swell of pity for the location. However, as she made to ask, a loud horn sounded and she spun to find a very large, very sleek, bus pulling up. That thing was not one of theirs.
"Tell me about it later." She spoke without taking her eyes off of the behemoth as she moved around the girls. A crowd was gathering to get a glimpse of the new arrival and Soph arched a brow as she finally caught sight.
She was definitely new, but not a first year. She looked to be around her age, the year below if you really pushed it, but she doubted it. She watched as the girl ignored the man staring mooney-eyed after her and tipped her head. The girl was tall, her blonde hair arranged into a punk style to rival Sophie's own at her attitude toward the uniform was to do the bare minimum; the school tie looped around her neck over a white tank top and a skirt that was somewhere around the right colour. All in all, she looked like she was already done with the place. Sophie snorted to herself and stepped forward, slipping past the totties to address her.
"Name?" She didn't really have to feign her disinterest as the taller girl turned her attention to her.
"Roxy." She spoke concisely and Soph nodded, glancing down her list until she found her. She was in her final year, a weird time to be joining a school but who was she to judge?
"Alright, head through weapons check at the door, follow the crowds to the dorm." She spoke without looking, already casting her eyes over the swarms of second years to check them off of her list. She'd need to keep an eye on this girl, but for now, it was pretty obvious everyone else would be doing that for her, so she could afford to ignore her.
Once she had everyone ticked off, she meandered up to the dorms to check on set up; Annabelle apparently still in with Camilla. Of course, everyone was bickering over who got to claim the new girl, so, naturally, she took a moment to watch, leaning against a wall at the back.
Honestly, it was almost funny, listening to the girl snark at everyone and make her claims that she'd be leaving soon. It all gave Sophie a resounding feeling of de ja vu, and she couldn't help but look forward to the girl finding out just how different St. Trinian's was. Maybe she was going soft, maybe she just felt a little empathy toward the girl, but once everyone cleared off, Soph made her way over, propping herself against a support beam to smirk down at the blonde.
"What?" It didn't take long for her to scowl back and Sophie grinned.
"You may as well give up, you know." She folded her arms across her chest, unable to contain her amusement as confusion and annoyance filled the girl's face.
"Give up what?" She maintained her scowl.
"You think you're going to leave soon, that St. Trinian's is just another school you'll get bored of. It isn't, and you won't." She gestured idly and the blonde scoffed.
"Yeah? How do you know?" She sneered but her obvious disdain only made Sophie nostalgic, shaking her head with a chuckle.
"Call it the voice of experience. Don't say I didn't warn you." She shrugged away from the beam then, turning heel and moving off to catch Zoe, her girls were setting up their candle circle way too close to the flammables for comfort.
By the time Annabelle finally appeared, everyone had pretty much moved in. The first years had arrived and been recruited into the hoard and the twins were already collecting 'insurance' money for the term. The moment she entered, Sophie took a step back, taking herself out of direct sight and leaning back against a wall out of the way, the girl needed to handle this on her own.
For a while, she seemed to struggle to catch their attention, and when she finally did, it wasn't great. Everyone laughed at the idea of her being head girl, and when it was confirmed, sure enough, the immediate mutterings spoke of Annabelle's relation to their aunt. Sadly, her helping at this point would only solidify that idea, so she kept back, wincing as her dear cousin struggled.
Fortunately, a distraction took the heat from her as one of the geeks caught suspicious movement on the CCTV.
Since when had this place even had a library, and who the hell was going into it?
All the big names and ring leaders (apparently including Roxy) amassed and hurried down to investigate, so Sophie followed, curious to see the place more than anything else.
She almost wished she hadn't come along as she dropped to sit on a table in a nearby classroom, propping her legs up on a chair with a heavy sigh. It was the first day of school, for god's sake; lessons hadn't even begun yet and already they had intrigue and infiltration going on. As it turned out, the intruder had been Celia, sneaking in on orders from some unnamed man willing to pay a whole lot of money for one tiny ring (currently being helpfully identified as such by one of Bianca's 'experts'). Ugh, she was already getting a headache and it wasn't even noon.
"…it's about what it's worth to the individual." The chav remarked and strangely, the first to pipe up with the arrogant blonde in the corner.
"She's right, the way I see it, twenty's just his opening bid. I reckon we should squeeze him for doubt that. Forty… maybe fifty grand." Everyone nodded along and Annabelle seemed to pale slightly, understandable, it was her first day as head girl and the newbie was getting more approval than her. Sophie bit her tongue to repress the urge to frown.
As if on cue, a dolphin ring tone sounded through the room and Celia informed them that it was her buyer calling. Annabelle leapt to take the call herself and Sophie struggled against the sinking feeling in her gut that this was all about to go terribly wrong.
It didn't fade as she listened. The man sounded like a pompous prat and his obvious disdain for the name Fritton set her teeth on edge. The combination of that, and her inevitable nerves from the first day on the job, was probably what caused Annabelle to act, well… not like Annabelle.
"One hundred, thousand pounds."
Oh goddamn it, Annabelle. She couldn't help the wince that passed over her face as soon as the words left her dear cousin's lips. The offer of money was immediately swept away and the mood in the room turned painfully sour. Their new head girl would really have to step up her game after this…
Back at the dorms, she saw Annabelle slip into the head girl's room and struggled against the urge to catch her by the collar. It wasn't her room any more, it wasn't Kelly's… She shoved that thought away and pushed on into the dorms, heading over to have a quick chat with Lucy. Before she left, Polly had gifted Sophie with a PC wired into the Geek's network, she'd set it up in her new room, but she needed the new head geek to sort out the permissions so she could actually view half the content. Lucy knew her well enough to know she wouldn't be playing around with anything, she just wanted to keep her ear to the ground on the goings on of the school… She wouldn't have much else to do now she wasn't helping out a head girl…
Some time later, she left to go unpack the rest of her room, almost running into a slightly shaky Annabelle on her way to the stairs.
"Oh Sophie... Kelly said to tell you she'd talk to you later." She gave a weak smile and Soph arched a brow.
"You spoke to her?" She realised her tone was a little sharp and winced, offering an apologetic smile. Fortunately, her cousin seemed to understand.
"Um yes, she told me to call her if I got stuck… Listen, could I talk to you a minute?" She gestured to her room and Soph repressed the urge to decline and nodded, following her in. She made an effort not to look around, refusing to pay too much attention to the room that still showed signs of their habitation.
"So, Aunty's made me head girl…" She trailed off, dropping down to sit on her bed while Sophie remained stood, leaning against the wardrobe.
"Kelly chose you, not her." Soph reminded and the girl gave a sigh.
"I know… I wish I knew why." Self-deprecation was thick in her tone and Sophie fought with the urge to roll her eyes.
"She doesn't make bad choices, kid. Aside from dating me." She snarked in hopes of raising the mood and it seemed to work a little as Annabelle gave a weak chuckle.
"That wasn't a bad choice." She scolded but only paused a moment before continuing.
"When she was Head girl, you… helped her out sometimes, didn't you?" She tipped her head and Sophie almost laughed at the 'sometimes', instead she gave a shrug, knowing where this was going.
"I know the situation is different, obviously, but you're good at this stuff, and I'm…" She heaved another sigh.
"I could use a hand…" Her voice trailed off, her gaze turning almost pleading as the obvious question hung in the air between them. Sophie tipped her head, allowing herself a sympathetic smile as she moved to sit beside the girl, dropping an arm about her shoulders.
"It was never going to be easy. Any head girl has to earn the respect she's given, but at St. Trinian's… Well, you know." She gave her shoulders a squeeze and they shared a chuckle.
"Kelly wouldn't have picked you if she didn't think you couldn't do it, so take your time, and just be yourself. You are a Fritton after all." Her impression of their aunt was dead on, if she did say so herself, and it pulled a laugh from the distressed girl so she considered it a win.
"Sadly though, you are going to have to do it on your own. I'll be around, but only as much as any other student. Call me retired." She smirked but managed to keep an apologetic edge to her tone as she got to her feet. The new head girl needed to learn to ride her bike without the training wheels, and she couldn't do that if Sophie did her job for her.
Annabelle seemed a little crestfallen, but didn't argue the point as Sophie left.
She had faith in her cousin, and even more in Kelly's ability to judge people, but she did hope the girl found her feet sooner rather than later. This place needed good leadership, if only to keep it from burning to the ground on a daily basis.
Back in her room, she cranked up her stereo and put her stuff away. The rest of the school had just finished dinner and there was nothing to do until lessons started tomorrow, so she allowed herself to think of Kelly. Mixed in with her things, the woman had left a few bits and pieces; 'essentials' she'd called them, for when she came to visit. It was mostly clothes, though Sophie was almost certain that one specific hoodie had been left behind for her own use, rather than Kelly's; she had adopted it as a dressing gown some time ago. Of course, the woman's 'essentials' also included the box of chokers, now sat neatly on the corner of her vanity with a set of hair straighteners that Sophie herself would never use. Her room had an en suite, much like the room they had previously shared, so in there was a selection of both of their toiletries. Sophie couldn't help but smile to herself as she placed the various bottles onto a shelf.
"You know you use the girliest shampoo I've ever seen?" Kelly was eyeing the bottle in her hand with mild concern and Soph arched a brow as she took it from her, casting a disparaging look over the older girl's far less dramatic choice.
"It smells nice." She grumbled in defence of her delicate pink and white bottle but it only pulled a snort of amusement from the older girl.
"A lot of them do, you don't need to buy the ridiculously expensive ones." She popped open her own bottle and poured some into her hand, setting it down as she smirked. Soph scowled as she did the same. Truthfully, she'd started using this particular brand when she'd stolen a couple of bottles of it, and its accompanying conditioner, from a girl three schools ago; she'd found it made her hair irrationally soft, and did a lot for damage caused by her bleach and dye. The delightful passionfruit and coconut scent was really just a bonus. Apparently her mild embarrassment had made it to her face as she felt her cheeks grow warm beyond the heat of the shower, and clearly Kelly noticed as she chuckled and slipped closer, catching her about the waist with soapy hands.
"I'm just teasing, I like it too." She leaned down and Sophie couldn't help but smile at the press of lips to her hair… Least of all because moments later she spluttered from accidentally inhaling soap bubbles.
Once unpacked, she changed into some shorts and a tank, pulled on Kelly's hoodie, which she now noticed smelt suspiciously strongly of the woman's perfume, considering the girl hadn't actually worn it since Christmas, and dropped down in front of her computer. Lucy had made good on her word, and, following a very long and complicated password, she found she could access anything she wanted. For now she settled on flicking through the cameras, making sure everything was set up for tomorrow.
Maybe an hour later, her phone blared loudly from her pocket, somewhere on the floor. She pretty much always kept it set to do not disturb, preferring to talk to people on her own schedule, but there was one number set to ring regardless. She grinned to herself, fishing the device out and dropping back into her chair, propping her feet up on her bed as she answered.
"Miss me already?" She smirked and couldn't help the wave of warmth in her chest at the familiar chuckle on the other end.
"You have no idea." Her tone was warm, and just a little sad, Sophie repressed a wince but allowed herself a sigh.
"Oh, I do. How're you settling in, Agent Jones?" She opted to change the subject, they couldn't spend every call mooning over each other; that would just be sad.
"Good. This place is pretty incredible, though Polly could run circles around some of the tech teams." Her smirk was audible and Sophie grinned to herself.
"I'll bet. Thank god NASA swept her up before someone offered her a couple billion to start WW3." She chuckled and the older girl joined her.
"They had me disarming bombs today, I was upside-down on a wire when Annabelle rang." She heaved a sigh and Soph couldn't help but snort.
"Only you would take a call while hanging upside-down over a bomb." She shook her head.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Kelly deadpanned back and they both dissolved into laughter once more. When it passed, however, more serious tones prevailed.
"She seems to be struggling, everything alright over there?" Concern layered her voice and Sophie sighed.
"She's still trying to find her feet. It's been a while since the heist, I guess memories are a little short. Don't think we need to worry though, I'll keep an eye on her." She hoped she sounded as reassuring as she meant to. Fortunately, whether she did or not, Kelly seemed to trust her word.
"Alright, but if things get too serious with this creep on the phone let me know?" The concern lingered and she couldn't help but smile.
"I will." She promised and she could almost feel the relief on the other end of the phone. When did Sophie become someone who needed protecting? Better question, when did she become someone who found someone worrying about her sweet?
Answer: When it was Kelly Jones doing the worrying.
If it were anyone else, it would be annoying at best, straight up offensive at worst. Somehow though, the older girl managed to worry about her in a way that didn't imply she couldn't look after herself, just in a way that made it clear she cared.
"Now, onto more important matters." Her thoughts were broken as the woman's voice returned, all business. She arched a brow and gave a questioning hum.
"Do you think she'll be a better head girl than me?" The mischievous grin was audible and Sophie barked out a laugh before she could stop herself.
"Not a chance. But then there never could be two Kelly Jones' in the world… I'm not that lucky." She caught her tongue between her teeth in a wolfish smirk despite knowing it couldn't be seen and it only widened at Kelly's chuckle.
"No-one caught your eye yet then?" It sounded playful, and maybe Soph was imagining it, but she was sure she caught an uncertain edge to the question. Her stomach twisted a little at the thought.
"Oh yeah, you've been gone a whole day, I'm actually getting married next week." She resorted to sarcasm in place of an emotional response, fortunately Jones knew how to speak idiot.
"Ah damn, I better get your fiancé a gift… Will a bullet do?" She snarked back and they shared a laugh. Loosely translated, she'd guess that worked out as:
"No I'm not interested in anyone else, you absolute melon."
"Thank fuck."
Who needed direct communication when they had terrible jokes and sarcasm?
Sophie let her mind trail over the events of the day, and as she did, a thought occurred to her.
"We do have an interesting new girl though, my year." She tucked her free hand behind her head, leaning back in her chair.
"Oh?" Curiosity, devoid of jealousy, Soph repressed a sigh of relief that they'd sorted out that little worry.
"Imagine if I was tall and blonde, and just a little less fucked up." She frowned into space as she tried to imagine it herself. Kelly made an unsettled noise.
"That sounds terrible." Genuine discomfort rang through in her tone and Sophie laughed.
"Okay, maybe not quite that bad, but she thinks she'll be leaving soon." She smirked.
"Ah, poor girl." Kelly gave a falsely sympathetic sigh and they shared a chuckle.
"Well, I'm sure the girls will set her straight. We managed it with you." The older girl continued and Sophie gave a snort.
"Excuse me Jones, you did anything but set me straight." She grinned at Kelly's answering groan.
"Oh, you did not. Why do I put up with you?" She grumbled and Sophie cackled.
They talked for another hour or so before Kelly sighed.
"I suppose I'd better go, early start tomorrow, for both of us. We should get some sleep." She sounded a little more than reluctant and Soph empathised. Still, she knew the girl was right so she relented.
"Okay. Do you know when you'll be able to call next?" She tried not to sound too needy, though she was unsure how successful it would be.
"Afraid not love, I'll make it as soon as I can but it could be a day or two." Her tone was apologetic and Soph winced at the sad look she knew would be on the woman's face. Forcing a smile, despite knowing it wouldn't be seen, she kept her tone light.
"That's okay, don't worry. Look after yourself, yeah?" It was okay, she could handle being a little sad between calls, as long as Kelly was doing what made her happy. She just needed her emotions to accept that too.
"I will. Sleep well love, I miss you." Her soft tone knocked all other thoughts from Sophie's mind and she heaved a heavy sigh.
"I miss you too." She muttered back and for a moment they were quiet, sharing a silence full of everything they wanted to say.
Eventually though, it had to come to an end and Kelly sighed once more.
"Bye."
"See you."
A second or two after she spoke, the line went dead. Sophie tossed her phone onto the bed and dragged her hands over her face, allowing herself a moment to wallow. God she missed her already…
Moment over, she pushed it all back once more and got to her feet, busying herself with getting ready for bed before finally climbing in. As with the night before, she kept to her side, curled away from the empty space behind her as she sought out her sleep, busying her mind with plans for tomorrow to keep it from dwelling on the lack of warmth against her back.
As predicted, she woke early the next morning. Normally, she'd keep her phone in her room, but she was half sure she'd spend the day wondering if Kelly had called, so it seemed sensible to keep it on her. Though she refused to take it off of do not disturb; she was in a group chat with half the school and the notifications were non-stop.
Her loop around the school revealed everything was setting up as it should. The geeks were already in full action, Lucy was doing well, taking over Polly's stock activities with apparent ease. Soph was glad to see it, to be honest, they really didn't want to end up in another mess like last year and have to 'borrow' another Vermeer; two would look suspicious.
On her way to her first class of the day, she passed by physics… and immediately backtracked to confirm that, yes, she had just seen Zoe next to a very real-looking electric chair. Her first question was when exactly the girl had found time to build the damn thing? Still, she wasn't about to interrupt, so she lingered by the door, watching with mild curiosity as a girl was strapped in. She seriously doubted it would actually kill anyone but she was interested in Zoe's electronics skills. She just liked to know who had usable talents. Sadly, she didn't get to see the full extent of its capabilities, as just as it was building power, it cut out, along with the lights… And everything else.
Annoyed groans from other classrooms around her confirmed her theory that it was the whole building and she frowned to herself. That chair shouldn't have done this to the whole school…
"Soph? What's going on?" A familiar voice caught her attention and she turned to find Chelsea leaning out of a doorway, confusion on her face.
"I don't know. Stay in your classrooms for now, I'll go find Annabelle…" She turned on her heel and strode off. She had a bad feeling about this, something wasn't right.
Annabelle seemed to be just as confused, which wasn't surprising, but it was certainly concerning. Worry bubbling in her gut, she decided she had no time for mincing words.
"Okay, time to make decisions." She gave her a stern look, a warning to keep her mind on track. The girl seemed taken aback, but nodded, biting her lip in thought. Sophie waited with questionable patience… Maybe she was a little tense today.
"Lessons can't keep going without the power, pretty much everything around here is done with electricity... Lessons are cancelled for today." She spoke slowly, as if still thinking. Soph nodded encouragingly.
"We need to send a team down to check out the fuse box and the power lines, and we need to make sure everyone is in, and the building is secure." She finished, picking up speed, and confidence, with every word. Sophie straightened with a grin.
"Hop to it, head girl." With a firm pat on the shoulder, she nudged Annabelle forward. The girl grinned as she strode off with purpose. That was more like it.
With Annabelle confidently securing the school, Soph ducked off up to the roof with a book. She hadn't had a lot of time to do much reading over the previous year what with dramatically adjusting her entire world view and getting into the most serious relationship she'd ever been in... Also assisting in a heist to steal a priceless work of art… That really should be higher on the list.
As the sun was setting, she found she had an intruder.
"Celia said you'd be here." Roxy grumbled and Soph kept her eyes on her page.
"What can I do for you?" She continued reading, nearly at the end of the chapter.
"The headmistress called a load of us to tell her what's going on, Annabelle said to get you." Obviously she resented being sent on an errand… Which led Soph to wonder why she'd accepted the task in the first place. Smirking to herself, she left the girl waiting while she finished the last few lines, then snapped her book shut, finally looking up. She'd taken up a comfortable spot on the low wall with her back against the chimney bricks, one leg hanging off the edge. Roxy seemed content to keep well back from the wall, arms folded tight across her chest. Sheepish?
"Fair enough." She swung her leg back over and stretched her arms above her head.
"Let's get a move on then." She led the way, aware of the heavy footfalls behind her as Roxy followed.
"So, how're you liking the place?" She had to admit she was curious; it had only been a couple of days, but she knew well enough that two days at St. Trinian's could do a lot to a person.
"It's different, I'll give you that, but it's not all that." She huffed and Soph snorted.
"Give it time." She glanced over her shoulder at the stubborn look on the taller girl's face, an oddly genuine smile finding her own. Roxy wasn't anywhere near as fucked up as she was (is?), she actually had a good shot of settling down here without causing irreparable damage to her hand (her own ached in cold weather now, thanks to her liberal use of aggression toward stone and brick in her early days at the school). It was good to see… But maybe she was just getting sentimental.
They reached Miss Fritton's office and her attention was called to seeing who else was there. There weren't many of them, mostly clique leaders, plus the head girl, obviously. The twins were kicking around by the fireplace, but the only two outside of the big names were herself and Roxy. That… Was interesting. She knew why she was here; that was pretty damn obvious, but why was the uppity new girl taking up a watchful place off to Annabelle's left?
The whole thing gave her de ja vu and she was thrown into a memory of last year. She was stood in this office, in that very spot, watching Kelly and the others plot to save the school. She found herself wondering if everyone else was as confused by her presence back then as she was by Roxy now. Of course, she'd had a nefarious reason to be stalking the head girl… Roxy better not. She decided that keeping an eye on her cousin's apparent new friend would not come into 'interfering with the new head girl' and made a mental note to look up her file later.
She was yanked back into the room as the girls finished explaining what had happened over the last couple of days and Camilla asked to see the ring. Annabelle brought it forward and Soph rolled her eyes when the chav spoke.
"I mean, what we don't get Miss, yeah? Is why anyone would shell out big benjies, for some budget bling." Everyone agreed and Soph sighed, if she ever started talking like that she would have to ask the emos to bury her alive. Miss Fritton stood up and walked around her desk.
"Anyone wouldn't, Bianca. Unless of course, the legend were true." She walked around the room and Annabelle asked the question that had instantly sprung to everyone's mind, including Sophie's.
"What legend?" Camilla chuckled in response and took a long drag from her cigarette.
"The legend of the Fritton gold." She grinned and Soph couldn't contain her scepticism. Legends? Someone was willing to pay twenty grand for a legend?
Only at St. Trinian's.
The headmistress decreed that she didn't want to repeat herself later, so they adjourned the meeting and took everyone up to the dorms, where waited the rest of the school. Annabelle's teams had unfortunately not been able to reconnect the power, so everyone had plundered the emo's candle supply. The room was aglow, everyone bundled close together with blankets and pillows. It was oddly cosy.
All in all, it was a pretty fun story; apparently they were descended from a legendary pirate. Even she had to admit that was pretty cool, but the ring they'd found was supposedly part of some trail that would lead them to said pirate's secret treasure. It was the kind of stuff you encountered in kids films, not something that happened in every-day life. Then again, stealing priceless art didn't happen in most people's every-day life, but even St. Trinian's had to have limits on the ridiculous.
Right?
By the sound of it, everyone else wasn't quite so sceptical; they all seemed about ready to go out digging first thing in the morning. Well, if it was going to happen anyway, Sophie wasn't exactly about to sit it out… A wild goose chase or not, it sounded like it could be pretty fun. Camilla warned them that anyone who went after the treasure had lost their minds and Sophie couldn't help but lean over to her cousin.
"Well, that explains the entire Fritton family." She grinned as Annabelle had to cover her mouth to stifle a laugh.
Story time over, Soph left the dorms to head back to her room. No phone call today, but she hadn't really expected one. Fortunately, she didn't use the thing much, so the battery was only a little depleted, she should be okay until they got the power back.
Just as she was about to change, and thundering of fists beat against her door. Confused, and more than a little startled, Soph ran to it, yanking it open.
"Girls?!" She yelped in surprise at the exhausted and urgent faces of the twins staring up at her; they looked like they'd just sprinted across the school.
"In...Intruders." They gasped for breath and Soph's heart jolted in her chest.
Shit.
Immediately kicking her head into action, she grabbed her hockey stick from behind the door and threw it up onto her shoulder.
"Let's go." She gave a decisive nod and the girls offered grim determination in return. The twins had to be exhausted, but to their credit they kept pace with her all the way back to the dorms.
They were a little late to the party, Annabelle was issuing orders left right and centre and Roxy was leading a group down the fire pole at the back. 'Leaving soon', huh?
Still, she jumped down before the twins, catching them at the bottom to make sure they landed safely. She stuck with them, hauling crates of Trinski was easier at seventeen than it was for eleven year olds, but as she dropped the last ones by the kids, she turned and spotted Roxy and The Banned (the new Banned this was, the previous members having graduated last year) carrying amps and ran over to lend a hand.
"Helping to defend your school?" She smirked over at the blonde, who scowled back.
"I guess…" Every word Soph had ever had from her was a grumble, but even in the low light of the black out, Soph could see the mild embarrassment on her face. Letting out a quiet sigh, Soph clapped a hand to her shoulder.
"Glad to have you. Talk to the eco's about the generator over in woodshop, it should still work enough to power those amps." She wasn't sure what the girl planned to do with them, but it would be loud. Roxy offered a small, incredibly reluctant, smile, and ran off, leaving Soph to turn and almost walk head first into Annabelle.
"I need you at the top of the stairs, if things get nasty, get the younger kids out of there." It wasn't a question, her hands were on her hips and her head raised high, calm and collected but sharp and direct. Soph resisted the urge to smile. Instead she gave a solemn nod.
"On it." She confirmed and for half a beat, her cousin's expression softened. Neither of them said a word, but the message was clear as it passed between them.
Be careful.
It wasn't long before the intruder's reached the building. They weren't fooling around, stealth gear and night vision decorated each one as they crept through the building.
The first few went down via Trinski darts. Chelsea distracted those who made it half way up the stairs, leaving them open to attack. It was hard to feel sorry for those idiots, grown men who could be pulled off task by something so simple… Well, frankly, it if were Kelly she'd be right there with them. She gave a silent sigh and shook her head, keeping her head in the game was probably a priority right now. The first wave had been taken care of with surprising ease, but elsewhere in the school, a heavy guitar riff sounded. Roxy. They were circling around, looking for a way through. Silence follows and the girls began to hum, the oh-so-familiar tune of the anthem floating creepily through the air. She had to give the girl's one thing, they certainly knew how to fuck with their enemy.
She glanced across at Annabelle, her cousin was stood still and alert, eyes on the stairs below them. She was tense, but doing a good job at hiding it. It was entirely valid, they were under attack in the middle of the night. Who knew how many, potentially armed, men were currently working their way through the school, and they were carrying hockey sticks and blow darts. It was pretty much just a matter of time before they'd have to turn tail and run, St. Trinian's or not, there were just some things you couldn't fight with pure attitude. Idly, she wondered if she should have texted Kelly… An MI7 agent, even in training, would probably come in handy right about now.
No, Kelly had been gone for less than three days, she couldn't drag her back every time there was a problem.
Quiet singing replaced the humming for the full chant before Annabelle waved them to silence, the intruders were about to come within range. Tension practically crackled in the air, the slow creeping of the men below them the only movement in the entrance hall.
Whispered instructions and muttered confirmations floated up around her and Sophie steeled herself. She could do some damage if she wanted to… She'd proven many times that she was not above grievous bodily harm when it was required. If push came to shove, she could at least get the first and second years out of here. Everyone else... Well, she just hoped this would be one of those times she'd drastically underestimated the girls of St. Trinian's.
To her surprise and delight, when Annabelle yelled 'fire' the guys coming up the stairs didn't seem to stand a chance. Apparently sheer numbers and the element of surprise were enough to startle a pack of infiltrators. Who knew? By the time they switched to 'fire at will' their guests were scrambling over each other in their haste to retreat. Sophie frowned; either she'd underestimated the effect of paint bombs and flour, or these guys were the lowest budget red shirts anyone had ever hired. Still, who was she to complain? Instead, she took up a few balloons and caught some idiot right in the face.
Skirmish apparently over for the night, everyone returned to the dorms. There were a few injuries here and there, minor burns from toxic sludge and such, but no-one was in need of a hospital. All in all, their defence of the school bad been a success… So why did she still feel uneasy?
She hated being right.
Less than a minute after she stepped into the dorms, the room was flooded with light, and before anyone had a chance to recoil, the skylights shattered with a deafening crash. Guns. Armed men dropped through the now open ceiling and waved semi-automatic firearms around like toys. Reflexively, Soph yanked the twins behind her, swallowing hard as they not only let her, but actually stayed put. The fearless girls were scared. Fucking hell.
There was nothing she could do but glare daggers across the room as slowly, and with as much arrogance as could possibly be contained within a single human being, a prat in a grey suit joined the party.
Peirs Pomfrey; what a shit name.
Camilla stepped up to him and Soph grit her teeth so hard it was a wonder they didn't crack as he had two goons seize the older woman. This was all for that fucking ring.
A few more minutes of bragging and pontificating and the asshole left, taking his small army of bastards with him. Silence reigned in the dorms as they all listened to the slow departure of the helicopters, and only when they were out of earshot, true silence falling around them in the still night, did anyone move.
Annabelle ran to Camilla, and as if that sparked everyone else off, girls began turning to each other, checking for any wounded. Soph spun on her heel, checking over the twins and pulling them to her. They were okay, that was good. Swallowing hard around her suddenly thundering heart, Soph directed the girls to sit down while she checked around the room. There was glass everywhere, it crunched underfoot as Soph looped through the room but luckily, no-one was hurt. She scrubbed her hands through her hair, relief not quite enough to sweep away her anger, or her concern, but it was a start.
She found her cousin still sat with their aunt, Roxy slumped against the wall behind her looking tired and thoroughly startled by the events. Poor girl, two days at school and they were being held at gunpoint.
It was all too much to deal with tonight, so Annabelle dismissed everyone to find alternative sleeping arrangements for the evening. Sophie stuck around long enough to give the girl an awkward pat on the back and a reassuring smile, before she returned to Tania and Tara, taking a hand each and leading them off toward the staff wing. They could have her bed tonight, she wasn't exactly going to be doing much sleeping.
So this was how she ended up sat on her windowsill at three in the morning, the twins curled securely in her bed snoring quietly, staring out over the darkened fields, half expecting dark figures to creep out of the shadows. They did not.
She considered calling Kelly; she had said she would, after all. Things definitely had gotten into the realms of 'serious' with this Pomfrey asshole. That was the problem though, if she called, Kelly wouldn't hesitate, she'd be back here before the sun rose. That wasn't right. She'd done her time looking after this old place, it was their job now.
Dawn came and the true extent of the damage was revealed. The entire dorm was littered with glass, several windows on the ground floor had been smashed to gain entry, along with a few doors. Floors, walls, even some ceilings were coated in sludge and slime from their attacks, and boot prints in paint, mud and various other substances tracked through the school and across the lawn. All in all, there was a lot of clean-up to do.
Still, that would have to wait, as Camila called them all for a meeting.
Sophie kept to the back as she listened to her aunt rallying the troops. The attack on the school had made this personal; it was no longer about getting rich, it was about paying back the bastards who'd dared to damage their home. As she rounded off her speech a cheer rang through the stairway, applause and bellows of approval ringing out so loud you'd hear them on the other end of the school. Soph found herself smiling as she watched them all, listened to the girl's of St. Trinian's and their fearsome battle cry.
This was war, and damn if these girls were going to go down easy. In the din, she managed to catch sight of her cousin, cheering along with everyone else, and looming in her shadow, a grin on her face and looking surprisingly well rested, given the shortage of beds, stood Roxy. Curious indeed.
Repairs went underway and Sophie followed the blonde up to the roof. She noted the girl still kept back from the edge, but decided now was not the time to discuss potential phobias. Instead, she opted for the gentle approach.
"Good work last night." She tucked her hands into her pockets, leaning back against the chimney.
"Thanks." Roxy glanced toward her but didn't linger, redirecting her attention to the horizon.
"Manage to find somewhere good to crash?" Soph resisted the urge to smirk as Roxy immediately ducked her head, as if it would somehow hide how fast her ears turned pink.
"Er… Yeah. I did." She stammered and Sophie tipped her head, wondering idly if the girl had even considered lying to her. Maybe she just assumed that Soph knew anyway. It did sound like something she would know.
"Oh really?" She encouraged, keeping her tone light.
"Yeah… Annabelle let me crash with her." She spoke so quietly it was barely audible, and Sophie couldn't help but grin.
"Oh, it's like that then?" She arched a brow but the blonde's head snapped up, embarrassment and shock clear on her face.
"What? No! It's not-!" She seemed to catch herself and took a breath, forcing the tension from her shoulders.
"It's not like that… She was just being nice." The second part was grumbled, Soph's grin receded to a gentle smile. Oh, this girl had it bad. She wondered idly if her cousin knew, or would be interested… She made a point of not thinking of the romantic lives of her family members, but she and Annabelle had shared a few discussions in their younger days. Sophie was fairly confident that the girl did have an interest in this sort of thing, and if she remembered right, leaned more toward a preference for women.
Her thoughts were disrupted as the girl beside her heaved a heavy sigh.
"This place is weird." She muttered and Soph chuckled.
"Yeah, gets under your skin, doesn't it?"A thought occurred to her and she moved to the chimney, fishing out the bottle at always seemed to be there. She cracked it open and took the first drink as she kicked some chairs around, arranging two so they sat facing the edge. When she dropped into one, throwing her feet up onto the wall, she didn't speak, but held out the bottle, a silent invitation for the blonde to join her. There was a moment of silence, but eventually the weight was taken from her hand and the taller girl dropped into the other chair, keeping a little further back from the edge.
"Just a bit." Roxy scoffed and took a drink, Soph smirked.
"I never meant to end up here, but things happen, and frankly it could have been worse." She sighed but the other girl gave a questioning hum.
"When did you get here?" She passed the bottle back, Soph thought for a moment.
"Last year, a couple weeks into term." She shrugged and glanced over, she seemed surprised.
"Figured you for a lifer." She explained and Soph considered this for a minute. Taking a drink, she returned her attention to the horizon.
"Like I said, it gets under your skin… Though it helps if you're already a little weird." She passed the bottle back and repressed a grin at her own phrasing. A little weird, yeah, she had that covered.
"Yeah… Seems that way. How'd you get here then?" She gestured with the bottle and Soph debated whether or not to tell the truth… She supposed she could, albeit mildly abridged.
"I got kicked out of a lot of schools… mostly for the hell of it." She kept her eyes fixed on the treeline ahead.
"At the start of last year I was set up at some shit hole, but I heard my cousin was struggling at her new place, so I got myself expelled and hopped over to check on her." She sighed, it seemed like a million years ago now…
"Who's your cousin?" Obviously curious, Roxy quickly prompted, Soph repressed a smirk and waited until the girl was taking a drink.
"Annabelle." She turned to watch as the girl choked on her drink. Giving her a minute to cough and clear her lungs, Sophie snagged to bottle and chuckled to herself. When she was done, the other girl turned to her.
"You're a Fritton?" Disbelief rang in her tone, Sophie grinned.
"Yeah. Camillia, Miss Fritton, is one of three. Her twin, Carnaby, is Annabelle's dad, and their younger sister, Claire, is my mum." She explained and Roxy nodded slowly.
"A lot of C names." She shrugged and Soph chuckled.
"Yeah, weird family, as you can imagine." She gestured to nothing in particular than they sat in silence for a moment to reflect on exactly how true that was.
"But anyway, I pitched up here expecting to be in and out by Christmas. Didn't quite work out that way." She smirked and took a long pull from the bottle. Don't get her wrong, she was glad it had worked out as they had, but it was still a little harrowing to recall drastically her plans had gone awry.
"So Annabelle wasn't here before last year either?" Unsurprisingly, Roxy caught on to that part with great interest, Soph hummed.
"You'd have to ask her about that, it's her business." She offered a joking scowl and Roxy held up her hands in surrender, a grin on her face. Maybe they were a little drunk.
"Okay, okay… What made you stay?" She sighed, settling more comfortably into her chair, Soph took one more drink and passed the bottle back.
"Well, the head girl back then was… Hard to handle-" Putting it mildly.
"But while I was trying to figure that shit out, the school fell into a crisis. We were in a whole lot of debt, some education minister was trying to shut us down… It was chaos." She smirked to herself.
"At the time, I convinced myself I was only helping to fix it because I was having too much fun going toe to toe with the head girl. Denial's fun." She held out her hand and sighed as the bottle was pressed into it.
"But really, other reasons aside-" Falling head over heels for Kelly Jones.
"This place is just good, I guess. Everyone here is here because they have no-where else to go, which would normally be depressing as hell, but here is just kind of… works. Everyone here is proud of who they are, and ready to face down anyone who tells them they shouldn't be." A grin pulled at her lips, god she was getting sentimental. If she turned into a weepy drunk, she might have to ask someone to shoot her. Still, it seemed to get through to Roxy, she was staring thoughtfully at the horizon. Deciding she was drunk enough, Soph set the bottle down and stood, rolling her shoulders.
"Think about it. It's only one more year, why not stick around here for it?" She glanced over her shoulder to the girl, who nodded slowly.
"Could be worse." Soph offered with one last smirk before heading off back to the door. She wanted to check on the dorm repairs.
It was an easy enough fix. Following the chavs rather ill-fated attempts at turning the skylight into a rooftop dance floor the previous year, Kelly had ordered several replacements to be stored in the garage. She was sensible like that. As such, the first and second years were having no problem cleaning up the shards and fitting the new glass with minimal need for supervision. Annabelle had sent Lucy and her girls down to fix the severed power lines and everyone else was cleaning up downstairs… Ultimately, she had nothing to do. Classes weren't back up until tomorrow, though the fact she was considering attending class as a viable activity was a warning sign that she was seriously out of shit to do.
Somehow, she found herself at Camilla's office.
"Ah, Sophie! Come in girlie, what can I do for you?" As she stuck her head around the door, her aunt beamed. Soph smiled and did just that, forgoing the usual armchair across the desk and instead dropping down onto the sofa with a tired huff.
"I'm bored." She clasped her hands behind her head and scowled up at the ceiling, Camilla chuckled and stood, inevitably moving to the drinks cabinets. It was only midday and Soph was already toeing the line of quite drunk… Maybe she needed to watch the day-drinking.
"Our dear ex-head girl told you not to make life too easy for Annabelle, hm?" Her amusement was obvious as she poured their drinks. Soph hummed her confirmation.
"You need a hobby." The woman appeared beside her and held out a glass, which Sophie took, but sipped, turning to watch her sit down.
"I had one, she's training to be a spy." She scowled at her glass and Camilla laughed.
"Sadly my dear, you can't organise your life around a single person, it's bad for you." She shook her head and Soph considered this for a moment. It was a fair point, in absence of her old hobbies of disorder and chaos, she had kind of structured her life around Kelly… That wasn't healthy…
Apparently taking her silence for the moment of introspection it was, Camilla sighed.
"Just take your time and figure out what you like to do, girlie. Then when you do, try and do it without blowing up too much of my school." Her stern expression was obviously only half joking and they shared a grin.
"I'll do my best." Soph chuckled.
Following her drink with her aunt, she wandered over to the library. In absence of a suitable hobby, she figured some minor assistance in the Pomfrey situation would do for now.
Damn, she missed Kelly.
Mostly just Sophie sulking, this chapter, but she does that. Also, Roxy was a complete accident. I didn't realise how alike she and Sophie were until I started writing this the first time around. Punky 'I hate this place' types are apparently everywhere, who knew? I've tried to make their personalities a little different, and I sincerely hope their backstories are (for Roxy's sake), but mostly I'm going to leave it as is, the weird parallels make me laugh. Okiedokie, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope to see you all again next week - J
