There was a long pause from Ms. Wright. “I’m pretty sure this is where I talk to a lawyer. I’m not answering any more questions.”
“You aren’t in trouble,” she said but she sighed. “But you’ve the right to one. Probably best you make your call and get one out here.”
Nathan remained where he was after they had walked on. He breathed in, held his breath for a few seconds before letting it out between his lips.
It’s all going down. There was too much happening for the Academy to contain. Too many people. Extended too far.
Maybe they shouldn’t be here. They should get Sang away from here. There was a risk her name could be brought up.
Nathan brushed his palm against his mouth and chin, wiping at his lips with his fingers. When he was pretty sure the area was clear, he left the restroom and returned to the music room.
They had a few minutes left of homeroom still. Sang was by the piano, hovering over a phone with Dr. Green.
The phone was on. A voice was coming from it. Nathan crossed the room quietly until he was close enough to hear what was being said.
Kota was speaking. “Police are at Mr. Hendricks’s house, too, but it looks like he hasn’t been here. Neighbors don’t recall seeing him.”
“Is there one of us in the squad?” Dr. Green asked. By us, he meant someone in the Academy.
“Yeah,” Kota said. “It’s where I’m getting the information. After all this, Hendricks might have flown the coop.”
“You don’t think he’s going to bother showing back up?” Dr. Green asked.
“Would you?”
Sang picked up her head, looking to Dr. Green. “Maybe it’s good he doesn’t.”
Dr. Green blinked a few times and shrugged. “It’ll keep the police here longer to wait for him, but it does buy us time to figure out what to do.”
“We need time,” Kota said. “We’ll stay here just in case, but we should open the search net. We need to find out what happened to him.”
“Do it,” Dr. Green said. “Get word out. We’ll be here.” He hung up.
“Ms. Wright is being questioned,” Nathan said as soon as Kota was off the phone. He explained what he overheard quickly.
Dr. Green inhaled sharply and then let it out slow. “This is getting nuts. Okay.” He clapped his hands together and then brought his fingers to his lips, pressing against his mouth quickly. When he released it, he spoke. “Okay, Nathan. Stay here with Sang. Get Danielle on that test. You don’t leave, don’t let them leave with anyone but us. I’m going to the main office. My turn to butt in with Mr. Blackbourne.” He shook his hands off and then picked up his phone. “I’m calling in...hmm...Let me think.” He rambled off a few more incoherent syllables as he crossed to the music room door. He pressed it with his back to open it, completely involved in whatever he was thinking, and disappeared.
Nathan turned to Sang, his shoulders dropping. “Crazy day, huh?”
Sang nodded. She had an arm crossed over her body, her hand holding to her elbow. “I wish I could do more.”
“Maybe it’s good timing,” he said. “We’ve got Marie and Danielle here with us and out of the way?”
She nodded again, although slowly.
Nathan moved to her, close. He cupped her face in his hands and urged her to look at him. “Are you scared?”
“Yes,” she said, and her voice shook as she spoke. She swallowed quickly. “I’m worried about North. About Mr. Blackbourne... About us...”
Nathan leaned in, and he kissed her forehead gently. He left his lips there, brushing against her skin as he whispered, “Would it make it better if I said don’t? We’re not the ones in trouble. Mr. Hendricks is.”
Sang’s arms moved up around his neck. He dropped his hands to her waist and looked down at her.
Her smile was strained. “I’m worried about North being framed for something. I’m trying to figure out how we won’t be involved.”
“Is it about your ghost bird status? Are you worried about that?”
She blinked rapidly and shook her head. “No, but...I mean, that’s not the first priority...” She drifted.
“You’re not being questioned. Not if we can help it. Don’t worry.”
“What about all that money?” she asked. “Your whole purpose for being here?”
He looked into those lovely green eyes for a moment, digging deep to find the right words that would help her understand. Instead of answering directly, he pulled her in, hugging her and holding her close.
She leaned into him, breathed against him. She felt stiff still, but she buried her face in his shoulder.
“Us first,” he said quietly. “Family...”
“I know,” she said.
He pressed his lips to the side of her head, kissing for a long moment. Her hair smelled like that god-awful shampoo Gabriel had given her.
The bell rang, and before he could lose the opportunity, he nudged her until her head tilted up.
He kissed her. Hard and deep, trying to give her some confidence in a single, risky kiss.
She responded, her mouth moving against his. Even her tongue licked at his lips once before retreating.
He missed this. Kissing her in the morning. The times he would wake her up before school to get ready. He missed hearing her in the house, tinkering around with clothes and brushing her hair.
He missed everything about her when she wasn’t around.
He broke the kiss off but continued to hold her close, kissing at her face a couple of times before pulling back. “Don’t worry,” he said. His voice was deeper and raspier than before. “You wait. In a couple of days, we’ll have this all sorted. One way or another. Either we’re still here and we’ll still be on our mission, or it’s over and we leave. Either direction isn’t terrible.”
She breathed in hard enough that her shoulders rolled back and her chest pressed against him. She deflated as she breathed out again. “I need to remind myself of that.”
He pulled away when the door opened. Danielle was walking in with Marie.
He tried to look casual after being close to Sang. He went to the table, overlooking the folders sitting there with their names on them. Sang went to her spot, picking up a pencil.
“Where’s the doc?” Danielle asked. “You know, it’s so hard to take him seriously as a doctor when he used to play football with the rest of you on my front lawn when we were younger.”
Nathan smirked. Lots had changed since then. “He’s in the main office. I’m not sure when he can get back. In the meantime, do the test.”
Danielle rolled her eyes. “Tell me it’s not timed.”
“It’s not,” Sang said. “All he said was follow the instructions.” She opened her folder, but something in her had changed. She was more perked up, her eyes brighter. Maybe she was showing a bit more confidence than before.
If only Nathan felt the same. He wasn’t sure they’d get out of this one completely unscathed.
Individual Feelings
Sang
Nathan was swapped out for Kota close to lunch, but the test took ages to complete.
The questions weren’t difficult, but there were long passages to read, instructions on how to complete it. I wasn’t sure of the purpose since it wasn’t about history or math or even science. Maybe knowing I didn’t really have to take it made me antsier. That, or I wanted to be out helping North or the others.