Authors: Daelynn Quinn
“I
always know when you’re around Belle. Plus, I could hear your breathing earlier
while we were passing by the fork.”
“I
wanted to talk to you.”
“So,
talk,” Finn said indifferently. He walked past Belle and she followed him like
a lost puppy dog.
“I
said I was sorry, Finn!” Her voice shook, trying to hold back the sobbing she
felt breaking through.
“They
could’ve killed her.” Finn knew he was being overly dramatic. The boys didn’t
have it in them to actually
kill
somebody, but Belle needed to know how serious he was. “And they would’ve too,
if I hadn’t shown up in time. I can’t believe you Belle. You
wanted
them to kill her!”
“I
was wrong Finn.” Belle touched his shoulder, but he jerked away. “Please don’t
be mad at me.”
Finn
turned so abruptly that Belle nearly ran into him. She stumbled back.
“Tell
me why,” Finn demanded. “And don’t lie this time.”
Belle
took a deep breath. Finn was furious. This wasn’t what she’d had in mind when
she’d imagined telling Finn the truth about her feelings. It was supposed to be
a happy occasion, maybe even romantic if he’d returned the affection. But his
anger pushed her down. She felt like a tiny violet about to be stepped on by
someone’s hard-soled shoe. More like hard-
souled
. This was wrong, so wrong. If she told him now, while Finn was clouded
with anger, the outcome could be disastrous. On the other hand, every day he
spent with Daphne was one more brick in the growing barrier between them.
“I
did it . . . for us,” she murmured.
“What
the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“I
mean, I-I didn’t want anyone to come between us. Our friendship, that is.”
Belle turned on her doe eyes and gazed up through her lashes. She hoped that
she’d evoke some sympathy from Finn. It worked.
“Oh,
Belle. You know we’ll always be friends. Unless you pull a prank like that
again.” Finn reached out and gave her a one-armed hug. “That wasn’t cool.”
Belle’s
excitement grew. Maybe this was a good time to tell him, after all. Her skin
tingled from her shoulders downward, like a rain shower of fairy dust.
“So
what’s up with your clothes?” Finn asked, scrunching up his nose.
“Don’t
you like them?” Belle did a quick ballerina twirl trying to put on her
irresistibly cute face. Her lips curved up in a sensuous tease.
“Nah.
It’s too girlie for you. You should just stick with the jeans and old tee
shirts. You’re one of the guys, remember?”
Belle’s
excitement had diminished. Maybe there really was no hope for Finn and her.
***
“I’ll
be back in two hours to help you sneak out. If you get caught, don’t let on how
you got here, okay?” Lily said through the cracked door at the back end of the
boys’ dormitory.
“I
won’t,” Daphne replied. “And I won’t get caught.” Daphne hadn’t perfected her
ninja moves yet, but she was pretty sure she’d be able to sneak in and out of
the dorm undetected. She’d done it so many times in Atlanta she was almost a
pro.
Daphne
remembered the layout of the dormitory from her tour here. Even though she was
bored and not really paying much attention, it would be easy to find her way to
the room that Josh and Max shared. Thankfully they’d been bunked together. Had
they been in separate rooms, with separate roommates, she wasn’t sure how she’d
reach them to talk. Josh and Max lived on the upper floor, in a room that faced
the garden. She wasn’t quite sure the number, but she was confident she’d know
which one it was once she saw it.
Lily
was right, the dorm was empty, but it wouldn’t be long before the boys showed
up after lunch. Daphne dashed to the center of the long hall lined with
numbered doors to the staircase. As she placed her foot on the first step a
gust of wind filled her hair. Voices carried down the hallway. The boys were
back. Daphne zipped up the first set of steps and turned to leap up the rest.
Grateful that the steps had been carpeted and solidly quiet, she lightly jogged
down the corridor. The industrial carpet in shades of burgundy and navy blue
muffled her footsteps further.
Was
it 236 or 238?
Daphne asked herself. Down
the hallway, she could hear voices rising up through the stairwell. She closed
her eyes, trying to think back to the tour, anything that could jog her memory.
She’d remembered trailing behind her brothers, who were following her parents,
who were following the headmaster and the professor. She had been staring at
the cane that Trappe walked with, admiring the crocodile-carved handle and
engravings that stretched all the way down the rod. Then her eyes fixed on a
stain in the floor in the shape of a crescent moon.
That’s it!
Daphne thought. She searched the floor carefully
until her sight found the crescent moon stain just in front of room 236.
Daphne
pulled a pin from her hair and inserted it into the lock. The voices were
nearly at the top of the stairs now. She turned the pin and . . . it bent.
Pulling it out, Daphne twisted it back into shape, reinforcing it for strength.
Then she reinserted it, turned and heard a quiet
click
.
Daphne
slipped inside the room and gently shut it behind her, letting out a gusty sigh
of relief. She noticed the muscles around her shoulders ached, probably from
all the high intensity moments she’d experienced over the past few days. She’d
probably have the shoulders of an Olympic swimmer by the time she’d left the
academy.
If
she’d left.
As
voices passed by outside, Daphne thought she’d better hide, just in case Josh
or Max had met any friends they might bring into their room. She spun slowly in
a circle. On either side of the single window straight ahead were two
twin-sized beds, between them a single nightstand. At the foot of each of their
beds stood a low dresser and, just beyond that, a small desk. On the other side
of the walls flanking Daphne, were two cramped closets. Daphne climbed into one
and waited, accompanied by Josh’s white school shirts and the stench of
unlaundered socks.
The
door clicked open and then shut. Daphne watched through the cracked closet door
as Josh dropped his books on his desk, opened his laptop, and began typing.
“Josh?”
Daphne uttered. Josh swung around so sharply his glasses flew off and nearly
hit Daphne in the nose.
“Daph?
What are you doing here? Are mom and dad—?”
“No!
They don’t know I’m here. And you can’t tell them if they ask.”
Behind
her, the door flung open and Max shuffled in, staring at the floor. When he
finally looked up, a smile grew widely on his face.
“Daphne!”
he shouted. “I’m so glad you came to visit us! This place sucks.”
“Actually,
I’m not visiting. I’m staying for a while.”
“What
do you mean?” Josh demanded. “How? Where?”
“Um
. . .” Daphne contemplated how much she could tell her brothers. She didn’t
want to mention Finn specifically by name, nor the tunnels underground. Even
though she trusted Max not to betray her confidence she was having second
thoughts about Josh. “I’m staying with some friends.”
“Friends?
Who could you possibly know here?”
“Well,
I just met them when we came for the tour. But they’re not exactly students
here.”
Max
gasped. Josh and Daphne both looked at him curiously. It was as if he knew some
deep, dark secret. Like he knew about Finn.
“You
mean the outcasts?”
“You’ve
heard of them?” Daphne asked.
“Yeah.
They’re legends here. They’re like the gremlins of the school: going around and
pulling tricks on the teachers, shutting off the power and driving the
headmaster insane. I heard they’re the real reason he walks with that cane.
Something they did messed up his foot pretty bad. Sounds cool to me.”
“How
come I’ve never heard of them?” Josh wondered aloud.
“Because
you’re a book nerd and haven’t made any friends,” Max teased.
“Neither
have you,” Josh rebounded.
“Yeah,
but at least I hang close enough to the social circles to actually hear the
important stuff.” Max threw his pillow to the foot of his bed and flopped down
on top of it, his chin cupped in his palms. “So what are they like?” Max asked
Daphne.
“They’re
a lot of fun. I haven’t really gotten to know all of them that well yet. Funny
thing is, when I first got here they tried to kill me.”
“What?!”
Josh cried.
“It
was a mistake,” Daphne shot back. “Just a misunderstanding. It all worked out
okay.”
“Daphne,
don’t you realize that’s why we’re here in the first place. Because of the
people you were hanging out with back home? How could you be so stupid? What
would mom and dad think—?”
“They
won’t think anything because you won’t tell them.” Daphne moved her face only
inches from Josh’s, glaring hard at him. “I ran away Josh. And when mom and dad
ask you guys if you’ve seen me you are going to say no. Do you understand?”
Josh
blinked. He turned away and paced toward the window.
“Josh.
Please. I’ll go home eventually. I promise. I just needed to get away for a
while and think things through without them in my face all the time.”
“What
about school?” Josh asked. He continued to stare out at the gardens, refusing
to even look at Daphne.
“It’s
my last year, Josh. Plus, I’m in a school. What better place to run away too,
right? I’ll study on my own and by the time I leave here, I’ll be ready to get
my GED. Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.” Daphne took a step
closer to her brother. “Please, don’t tell.”
“Okay,”
Josh sighed, defeated. “But I want to meet these guys. You know, make sure
you’re safe.” Daphne smiled at her little brother’s attempt at heroism.
“Me
too!” Max exclaimed.
“Okay.”
Daphne laughed. “I’ll let the guys know and we’ll come get you. When’s your
next class?” Daphne saw a small digital clock on the nightstand.
“Afternoon
classes start in about an hour,” Max said.
Daphne
spent the next hour telling her brothers about her adventures so far at the
academy, intentionally leaving out some details that could get her new friends
caught should her brothers decide to share the information. They were
entranced. Even Josh’s insecurities about Daphne’s presence seemed to vanish
and be replaced by wonder and curiosity. Soon, it was time for the boys to
return to class, and Daphne stayed behind to wait for Lily’s return.
Chapter
Eleven
The
Graveyard
When Daphne arrived
back in the cellar
with Lily, Finn was nowhere to be found. Most of the boys were watching the
movie again. Daphne was surprised they hadn’t
borrowed
a larger selection of DVDs. Hangman sat in the back
corner of the cellar, drawing on a notepad. Daphne wasn’t really sure what to
do without Finn around, but she knew she had to get to know the boys a little
better if she was to stay at the academy.
“I’ll
see you later, Daphne,” Lily said.
“You’re
not staying?” Daphne was glad to have another girl to talk to. And she was a
little apprehensive about being with the boys alone, even though she knew they
weren’t going to kill her this time. It was just so weird being in a room with
them when Finn wasn’t around to the break the tension.
“I’ve
got some applications to fill out and essays to write. But maybe we can hang on
the weekend.”
“Sure,”
Daphne sighed.
“Hey
Lily,” Hangman called from behind his notepad.
“Hey
Hang, I’ll catch you guys later.” With that, Lily disappeared, leaving Daphne
to swallow her pride and attempt to socialize with a group of immature teenage
boys.
Of
all the guys here, Daphne thought that Hangman seemed the most open and
harmless. Since he was alone, she decided to go talk to him for a while. She’d
break the ice with the others when she felt more at ease.
“Can
I ask you something?”
Hangman
looked up from his paper and patted the floor beside him. Daphne sat down,
crossing her legs. She noticed the intricate details of his sketch. He had
drawn a hand, complete with wrinkled knuckles and protruding veins.
“Wow,
you drew that?” Daphne asked.
“That’s
what you wanted to ask me?” He looked incredulous, eyebrows angled, he stared
down at her. Even sitting, he towered over Daphne.
Daphne
blushed. “No, sorry. I wanted to ask about your name. Why are you called
Hangman?” She thought it may have been his lanky, stick-figure build, but she
didn’t want to make assumptions.
The
blond-headed boy wedged his pencil behind his ear, closed the pad and set it
down beside him.
“When
I was a student here, a few years ago, I was a teacher’s aide in one of the
lower grade English classes. They were doing some spelling practice exercises
on the board. One of them was Hangman—you know, the game?”
Daphne
nodded.
“So,
my job was to write in the letters on the board if the students got them right,
or to draw the hangman if they got it wrong. Well, as you can see,” he gestured
at his sketchpad, “I don’t do stick figures. I drew a very realistic portrayal
of a man. It took quite a few tries before the class finally got enough letters
wrong to get the full hangman. By the time I got to the arm holding the cane,
there was no mistaking who I’d drawn. If Trappe had been there he’d probably
have expelled me. Instead, I got toilet duty for the week.”
“You
drew Trappe as the hanging man?” Daphne laughed.
Hangman
nodded.
“What
about the other guys? How did they get their nicknames?”
“Trick
was really into magic when he started school here as a kid.”
“Magic?”
Daphne raised her brow in disbelief.
“The
theatrical kind. His parents sent him a magician’s kit for his birthday when he
was eight or nine. He actually got really good at it. His incredible slight of
hand earned him his nickname. Toot’s name comes from an embarrassing night he’d
rather forget. Lily gave us chili for dinner. I shouldn’t have to elaborate on
that one.”
Though
she covered her mouth and tried to keep it in, Daphne laughed so loud that the
boys turned to see what the commotion was. Hangman waved them on and they
returned to the movie. Shag hesitated before joining the others, watching
Daphne and Hangman intently.
“Shag’s
name is pretty obvious. In all the time I’ve known him, I’ve never seen his
hair any shorter than that. To be honest I don’t think I’ve seen it any longer
either. Either he cuts it in secret every other day, or he’s got some weird
genetic condition. I don’t know.”
“What
about Kevin? That doesn’t really sound like a cool nickname.”
“That’s
because it’s not. He’s the only one of us who had the balls to stand up to
Finn.”
“And
Finn let him keep his name?”
“It
was either that, or he’d leave. And Finn knew we needed his electrical genius
down here.”
“Leave?
As in just go home?”
“To
be honest I don’t know. None of us really have homes to go to. That’s why we’re
here.”
“What
do you mean you don’t have homes to go to? Your parents wouldn’t just abandon
you here, right?”
Hangman
stared hard at Daphne. “Daffy, I’ve been living underground with Finn for the
past three and a half years. Do you think your parents would go that long
without coming to visit? Or at least calling?”
Daphne
shook her head. Her parents probably wouldn’t go more than a week without
checking in on her, making sure she stayed in line.
“My
parents don’t even know I’m not in school anymore. None of ours do.” He
gestured to the other boys. “They just keep paying our rent to keep us out of
their lives.”
“I’m
so sorry,” Daphne murmured.
“Don’t
be. We like it here. I wouldn’t change it for the most doting family in the
world. Those guys right there are my family now. And Finn—he’s like the
head of household.”
Daphne
was about to ask about Finn’s name when he strolled in and stood before her and
Hangman with his fists planted on his hips. His hair was wet and messy.
“Feel
better after that shower?”
“Yes,”
Daphne replied. She felt so small under his shadow. He offered his hand to help
her up.
“Come
with me. I want to show you something.”
Finn
led Daphne through another new route in the tunnels, one almost double the
length to Lily’s house. This time, there was no ladder at the end of the tunnel.
Instead, there was an old, rickety wooden door. One of the planks had been so
rotted that it had broken in half. White light streamed in through the wide
spaces in and around the plank door. Finn swung the door inward and they were
greeted with daylight and a wall of weeds and tall grass, which hid the door
well from the outside.
“Now
where are we?” Daphne asked, as she puddled through the grass. Some of the
weeds scratched her legs. She took each step mindfully, hoping that there
weren’t any snakes nearby.
“Come
here,” Finn said, ignoring her question. “I want to show you something.”
Daphne
could see they’d left the tunnel in a small valley. Straight ahead of her was a
lake, tainted rusty brown with Georgia clay, and glittering like a sea of
citrine gemstones in the sunlight. She turned to find Finn, motioning her into
a wooded area just left of the tunnel opening. She followed.
Daphne
didn’t know why, but she felt much more comfortable walking through the woods
this time. Maybe it was the broad daylight. Or perhaps she’d just adjusted to
the danger factor since her nighttime escapade with Finn. Or it could have just
been that her grumbling stomach had distracted her. She didn’t even realize she
was hungry.
Daphne’s
pace matched Finn’s and soon they arrived at a small clearing, surrounded by a
low, rusty wrought iron picket fence. One side of it was leaning outward and a
space laid empty where a gate had once been. Scattered over the ground were
stone monuments, etched with the fading memories of lives long gone. Vegetation
grew rampant here. It was obvious this cemetery was forgotten years, probably
decades, ago.
“A
graveyard?” Daphne sauntered between the stones, squinting to make out the worn
letters and numbers. There were a few stones waist high where the text was
still readable, and many smaller stones, slowing disappearing into the earth
around them.
“This
is the old Tanner cemetery. It hasn’t been used in almost a century.”
“Does
the headmaster come here?”
“Does
it look like it?”
“I
guess not.” Daphne laughed. “So why did you bring me here?”
“I
thought you might like to get out, see the sun, you know? It sucks being stuck
underground all the time.”
“Yeah,
it does. But, a cemetery? You have to admit, that’s kind of morbid. But I guess
it’s cool.”
“This
is where I like to hang out when I go outside. It’s far enough from the academy
that we won’t get caught. And even if we do, we’ve got the hidden tunnel just
down the hill.”
“What
about the other outcasts? Do they come here too?”
“Nah,
not really. They know this is my place. Anyway, they’d rather go swimming in
the lake.”
“What’s
up with that one over there,” Daphne pointed to a small gravestone in the
corner that was obviously separate from the others. It reminded her of being
the last kid picked for the basketball team in P.E.
“Remember
how I said Trappe’s great grandfather was a sick and deranged man? He was
rumored to ‘have relations’ with the help. I say it was rape. That, right
there, is one of Lily’s ancestors.”
Daphne’s
eyes widened. “You mean she and the headmaster are—”
“Yep.
They’re related. But he’d deny it. Wouldn’t want to tarnish his perfect
southern gentleman reputation.”
“Does
she know?”
“She
wished she didn’t.”
Daphne’s
stomach growled again; this time the sound seemed to bounce off the trees
around her. Finn laughed.
“Sounds
like you’re ready for lunch,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.
Let’s go.”
Finn
led Daphne back to the lake where the tunnel entrance was. He pushed aside a
small boulder and underneath was a narrow hole. Reaching in, Finn pulled out a
white plastic garbage bag, untied it, and dumped its contents onto the ground.
Individual-sized bags of chips fell out along with a tube of crackers, packets
of Oreos, and several candy bars. “Help yourself,” he said.
Daphne
picked up the crackers and a chocolate bar. Finn grabbed three bags of barbecue
potato chips and the two sat, watching the lake while eating their picnic
lunch.
“So,
what’s your story Finn?”
“My
story?” Finn laughed.
“Yeah,
your story. Hangman was telling me a little bit about the guys—how they
got their nicknames and all that. How did you come to be here?”
“My
parents sent me here when I was eight. They didn’t even come with me. Sent me
off on a plane and that was it. They just wanted to get rid of me.”
“Oh,
I’m sure that’s not true.”
“You
didn’t know me when I was young. I was a rebel. A troublemaker.”
“Now
I have a hard time believing that.” Daphne snorted. Finn playfully threw an
empty potato chip bag at her.
“I
can’t remember what I did exactly that made them send me away, but I remember
my dad’s face used to turn a shade of red so dark it was almost purple.
“I
wasn’t so obedient here either. But Neverland Academy has ways of getting kids
like me in line. Ways that most parents, most of society, would no doubt
disapprove of.”
“Like
what?” Daphne asked. A nervous twitch stuck in her voice.
“They
start with mild things, like making you do extra work, or the more undesirable
work. That’s what most kids get. But the real hard-asses—the chronic
troublemakers like me—they had to get their hands dirty. You know that
sinister looking church?” Daphne nodded, unsure of where Finn was going with
this. “That’s really just a cover up for what really goes on in there. I’m sure
the priest is in on it too, but I haven’t actually witnessed him. Anyway,
there’s this room on the lower level—double insulated and padded on the
inside to make it soundproof. It’s pretty much a torture chamber. Less serious
offenders might just get a few hours or a day in the room by themselves. The
boredom of solitary confinement is bad enough for some to swear off bad
behavior forever. But me? Nah. It’s nothing. I was a special circumstance.
Trappe actually got physical with me. Used a cane—not the walking
kind—to hit me. I fought him back, but at the time I was so much smaller.
I didn’t stand a chance.”
Daphne
imagined Finn a younger boy, scared and helpless against the headmaster. She
imagined the same thing happening to Max. The thought made her cringe. “So, how
did you get expelled?”
“I
snuck into the admin offices while they were in a meeting and called the cops.
I was going to rat him out and have him arrested for child abuse. Another kid I
knew who was also struck by Trappe agreed to stand by me. But when the cops got
there, he chickened out. I didn’t have any bruises at the time, and Trappe had
told the cops that the torture room was a practice studio for music classes, so
it was basically his word against mine. A respectable school headmaster against
a kid who's infamous for causing trouble. Who do you think they believed?”
“So
he kicked you out because you called the cops on him?”
“Pretty
much. He knew I wasn’t going to let up. He knew I’d be his downfall. I’d made
it my life’s mission to give him hell.”
“But
you stayed anyway.”
“No,
not exactly. I went home to Connecticut. But my parents wanted nothing to do
with me after I was expelled. They kicked me out.”
“Your
parents? How old were you?”
“I
was thirteen. They didn’t care anymore. By then they’d had another kid to mold
and shackle and raise to be the perfect rich kid they always wanted, rather
than a freak with ADHD. So I came back to finish the mission. I won’t leave the
academy until Trappe gets exactly what he deserves.”
“And
what is that?”