difficult and emotional time. I studied up on it, so I’m ready.’
‘That’s great, Zoe,’ Allie said absently. Her mind was on Katie’s words. What had she meant when she said no one was afraid of Lucinda? Was that some sort of message?
Katie’s parents were powerful members of the board. That was all Allie really knew about them.
Zoe, having finished her puberty point, was ready to get on with her day. ‘Anyway, I have to go and study now.’
Her smooth, unworried face showed no signs of concern about the altercation on the stairs.
‘Hey,’ Allie said hesitantly. ‘Thanks for standing up for me.’
Zoe swung her book bag over her shoulder. ‘That’s all right. Katie Gilmore is a bitch.’
When she’d gone, Allie turned towards Isabelle’s door. After a brief hesitation, she knocked on it firmly. When there was no response, she jiggled the door handle – it was locked tight.
‘Isabelle?’ she asked the door tentatively. ‘Are you in there?’
Silence.
‘Balls,’ Allie muttered.
For a few long minutes she waited outside, scuffing the toe of her black Oxford shoe on the polished wood floor. But Isabelle didn’t return.
Allie wasn’t sure what to do. Zelazny had been quite firm that Isabelle would expect her to be here. And the last thing she needed was more trouble.
Biting her lip, she looked around for a place to wait. Across the hall, a heavy ornamental table held a large vase filled with pale pink roses. If she sat on the floor next to it she was out of the way but could still see the headmistress’s door.
Once she was settled, she pulled her history book out of her bag and began looking over her homework. A stream of students and staff ebbed and flowed in the hallway in front of her, but there was no sign of Isabelle.
More than half an hour passed before she heard the faint creak of Isabelle’s office door. When she looked up, someone stood in front of it. Her back was to Allie, but it looked like the headmistress was having trouble with the lock.
‘Isabelle!’ Leaving her books on the floor, Allie ran across the hall. At the sound of her voice, the woman turned. But it wasn’t Isabelle at all.
It was Eloise. And in her hand she held a small silver key.
Eloise’s eyes widened as Allie skidded to a stop a few feet away, and for a moment the two just stared at each other in surprise.
Allie knew she needed to say something but her mind wouldn’t seem to function.
‘I… uh…’ she stuttered, ‘just… I was… looking for Isabelle.’
The librarian’s eyes darted from Allie to the hallway beyond her as if she was concerned about being seen.
Up close, Allie noticed her cheeks were flushed and breathless. Her dark hair had begun escaping from the clips that held it, as if she’d been exercising or running.
Confusion and a dawning sense of suspicion made Allie’s stomach tighten. She wrapped her arms around her torso.
Composing herself, Eloise lifted her chin in an imperious imitation of Isabelle’s natural hauteur. ‘She’s away. Can I help you with something?’
But she didn’t say that.
‘No… no, I just need to talk to her,’ she said instead, trying to sound casual. ‘Do you, like, know when she’ll be back?’
‘She went to London for a meeting after her last class.’ Eloise glanced at her watch. ‘She won’t be back until late tonight.’ She studied Allie narrowly. ‘Are you sure there’s nothing I can help you with?’
‘No thanks.’ Allie took a quick step back, banging her head on the tilted underside of the staircase above them. ‘Ouch.’ Never taking her eyes off Eloise, she rubbed her head with one hand. ‘I uh… guess I’ll just come back. You know. Tomorrow.’
Forcing herself to move with deliberate steadiness, she crossed the hall and gathered her books as if nothing was wrong.
The whole time she was conscious of Eloise watching her every move.
ELEVEN
That night Allie made her way down the basement corridor towards Training Room One with slow, heavy steps. She felt weighed down, as if something tugged at her, holding her back.
All she wanted was to tell someone everything, but when she tried explaining it in her head it sounded crazy.
Nicole and Zoe were already in Training Room One when she arrived, warming up near the back. She hurried over to them but barely had a chance to say hello before Eloise walked up looking perfectly normal.
‘How are you feeling today,’ the instructor asked with solicitous concern. ‘Any soreness in your knee?’
‘A little.’ Allie couldn’t bring herself to meet Eloise’s gaze.
‘We’ll take it easy today. But if it handled yesterday’s workout that’s great news.’ Eloise’s smile appeared genuinely enthusiastic. ‘You’re making progress.’
As she went through her warm-up routine, Allie kept an eye on her but she seemed utterly normal – laughing at Nicole’s jokes and keeping a close eye on Allie.
If she was the spy who thought she’d just been found out, she was hiding it very well.
This all left Allie conflicted. Maybe Eloise had a perfectly good explanation. It could probably all be explained if she could just talk to Isabelle – but the headmistress had still not returned.
After a brief warm-up, Zelazny stepped into the middle of the room. ‘We will begin tonight with a four-mile competitive run.’
Zoe, who loved running, gave a small hop of excitement.
‘About time,’ she chirped to herself.
Allie, who was feeling particularly non-competitive, wasn’t quite sure how this would work. On competitive runs the last student in was punished, usually with short-term detention or additional exercise. The punishment was mild but the humiliation was intense.
As soon as Zelazny stopped talking, though, Eloise pulled the girls aside. ‘I’m sorry, Zoe,’ she said, smiling at the younger girl, ‘but you’re going to have to take it slow. Allie can’t go fast and she certainly can’t run four miles.’
‘Rats,’ Zoe muttered.
As the other students poured out of the room, Eloise gave them strict instructions that Allie could only do a walk-run combination and go no more than two miles.
‘If you want to run further,’ she told Zoe and Nicole, ‘bring Allie back here first. Under no circumstances are you to leave her unprotected outside.’
Her use of the word ‘unprotected’ took Allie aback – it was the first time she’d realised Zoe and Nicole were essentially her bodyguards. But it made sense. She’d been given two partners instead of one, both of them known for their speed. In addition, Nicole – a senior member of Night School – was highly skilled in defence tactics and
