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I read the notes on the way, knowing I wouldn’t get a chance to read them with Mr. Blackbourne.
Nathan’s note was complaining how bored he was in geometry and that I should come over that weekend. He wanted a promise that I would call him later.
North’s had just one word:
Yes.
T rouble
Mr. Blackbourne was standing near the piano again when I entered. I stood quietly on the other side of the room, holding the violin case in my hands.
“Miss Sorenson.”
“Mr. Blackbourne.”
He nodded at me. “I trust everything is working out?”
“It’s been a mostly quiet morning.” I stepped forward, putting my things down in a chair nearby.
The slight lift in the corner of his mouth softened his stern face. “Maybe for once we can actually have a normal violin lesson.”
I bent over to the violin case. I’d barely touched the thing since I’d gotten it. I’d looked at it, appreciative of the beauty and thinking of Victor having bought it for me. I barely knew how to hold it and didn’t know what to do with it. It’d been a trinket I’d carried around.
A knock sounded at the door before I could lift the straps holding the violin in place. I paused, turning toward the entryway.
Principal Hendricks stuck his head in and looked at us. “Mr. Blackbourne,” he called. “Could I borrow Sang Sorenson for a moment, please?”
The air seemed to shift as the steel glare of Mr. Blackbourne landed on Mr. Hendricks. “Is this important?”
“I’ve got a reporter here who wants to talk to one of our special students,” he said. His gaze slipped to me and he frowned. “Why isn’t she in a uniform like the others?”
Mr. Blackbourne shook his head. He stepped forward, standing as a barrier between me and Mr. Hendricks. “This is inappropriate. Miss Sorenson declines being interviewed.”
From around Mr. Blackbourne’s shoulder, I could see Mr. Hendricks stepping further into the room and frowning. His bald head shimmered under the lights. His eyes narrowed at us. “We made an agreement.”
“I agreed that the boys will do many things for this school,” Mr. Blackbourne said sharply. “The boys only. Not her.”
Mr. Hendricks jerked his head back, as if struck in the face. “You’ve slipped in one of your little minions into my school without my approval and now when I’ve been gracious enough not to call it out, you’re denying my request for something as insignificant as an interview?”
“You might isolate the boys by pointing them out as part of your special program,” Mr. Blackbourne fired back. “You can ask them to wear uniforms even at the risk of their safety. Miss Sorenson will not be part of it.”
My heart thundered in my chest. Mr. Blackbourne’s words were awkward. He wasn’t flat out denying that I was one of his students. The way he was wording it made it sound like I was of the Academy but just under different circumstances. Why would he let Mr. Hendricks continue to assume I was a part of their team? I thought the whole point of separating myself was so someone like Mr. Hendricks would know I wasn’t part of them. There must be something to this. Maybe they didn’t really want to qualify their assumptions, but they didn’t want to stop them entirely. What was the point?
Mr. Hendricks squared off his shoulders. “Should I call the school board?”
“You should,” Mr. Blackbourne barked back. “And it won’t change the situation. Miss Sorenson will not be giving interviews.” He took in a deep breath and then spoke in a cold tone. “You might consider one of the others for this interview. Dakota Lee, perhaps. He should be in his physics class. Room 245.”
Mr. Hendricks shot accusing glares at Mr. Blackbourne but pursed his lips and walked out.
I let out the breath I had been holding. My palm fluttered up, touching Mr. Blackbourne lightly on the shoulder. I don’t know what made me do it. It was too much time with the other boys and I simply associated him as one of them.
When my palm pressed to his shoulder, Mr. Blackbourne spun around on me as if I had scaled him. His eyes were fierce, as steel and as sharp as a knife.
I cringed, drawing my hand back to flutter my fingers at the base of my throat. I’d gone too far.
When he saw my face, his eyes softened and he frowned. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. He swallowed and his shoulders dropped a fraction. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“If you need me to be interviewed,” I said softly, “I’ll do it. I don’t want you to get into trouble with the school board.”
The corner of his mouth lifted a millimeter. “No, my dear Miss Sorenson. Mr. Hendricks assumes I would be in trouble with the school board. The only person he can damage here is himself. I have no problem with taking my boys right out of this school if it comes down to it. He can fight us if he wants, but we aren’t here for him.”
They’d leave any time they wanted? That alone put me on edge. What would it take for them to leave? I knew they were only there for a year but I didn’t realize it could be infinitely shorter. He could remove them now if he wanted. Could one day Mr. Blackbourne change his mind? “Who are you here for?”
His steel eyes found mine, his gaze glistening. “For students like you.”
To calm my nerves, Mr. Blackbourne played a melody on his violin for the rest of class time. It was a Norwegian tune, he told me, and he promised one day he’d teach me how to play it, too. He also made me promise to use my phone in case Mr. Hendricks showed up in any other classes. I was to deny any questions and any demands for an interview and to notify Mr. Blackbourne at once if I were asked.
History class: Three unwanted notes from random students, one shared smile with North, four times caught staring at Victor. He looked so quiet and solemn from the other side of the room and his fire eyes lit up each time I looked over.
One whisper overheard about Friday Fall.
“Upstairs. Sometime after lunch. Friday Fall. Stay out of the hallways,” warned a girl to the boy in front of me.
Something was happening in the school. The rumors were crawling with Friday Fall updates. I couldn’t get a clear picture of what anyone was talking about. All I knew was the whispers were warnings. Whatever it was, it was hap
pening today, and it was going to happen in the upstairs hallway. Were the boys hearing the same thing? I wondered how many students they wired and if they were listening to them now. Or were they too busy watching over me?
Lunch was complicated. I brought nothing with me to eat as I knew I would be too nervous to attempt it. I did one circle around campus, cutting through the cafeteria alone and around through the main hallway before changing direction into the courtyard. I knew North and Victor were tailing me since our last class. I tried to make it quick so they could relax and eat without worrying about me.
There was an empty bench across the courtyard. I wondered where the little thin boy with the book had gone off to. I sat down on the edge of the bench, hoping I wasn’t going to distance him if he wanted a quiet space to read. I opened my book, intending to get through a couple of chapters.
About halfway through lunch time, a voice called out. “Hey there, sexy.”
I couldn’t help but smile. Mike might have been a flirt, but he seemed harmless.
I stood up as Mike came across the courtyard in my direction. I was ready to get this part out of the way. This time he had three friends with him tagging along. Mike waited until he was close to me before he got on his knees. “Hi,” he said, a wide grin on his face.
“Hello Mike,” I said softly.
His eyebrows shot up. I supposed he didn’t think I knew his name. “Hi,” he repeated. His freckled hands reached for mine and he held them together, close to his lips. “Will you marry me?”
I smiled apologetically and shook my head. “I can’t marry someone I don’t know.”
“I’m Mike,” he said, his chubby cheeks pushed out as he smiled. He jumped up from the ground.
“I know,” I said.
The three friends behind him were giggling but came forward. One of them, a tall boy with curly black hair and at least three days unshaven spoke, “Mike, you’ve asked her already.”
