Chapter 4

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Across the room, sitting down, was the man who kidnapped me. He was wearing a uniform just like Dane's and had a tray full of food in front of him. I watched him intently as he laughed, talking to the students next to him. He was just a normal student, having lunch in a cafeteria.

But he also killed my mother.

I felt rage boil in my chest. Dane looked at me, clearly confused.

"Rhiannon?..."

I grabbed the knife I had used to cut my food. He was going to pay. He was going to pay for taking me, for killing my mother, and for leaving my brother all alone. I stood up, anger spilling out of me.

"Rhia--"

"Shut up." I interrupted Dane aggressively. Before I knew it, I was charging toward the man, screaming, knife in my hand. As I ran toward him, I saw his expression. It went from laughing and having a great time to immediate shock. I sensed that he recognized me, and was terrified of me. He should have been; I was about to stab him after all. A couple of girls screamed as this all happened.

I reached him and grabbed his shirt as tight as I could. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"You're gonna die," I growled at him, my teeth bared, and I raised my arm high. I lowered the knife down to stab him...

But before it made contact with his skin, I felt a sharp pain in my side. I looked down. The sharp nose of a purple dart had made its way through my skirt and into the soft flesh of my thigh. Looking up from the direction it came, I saw one of the guards, his gun pointed at me. I looked around the cafeteria, which was so silent, no one dared cough. All the eyes of the students were trained on me, judgmental and fearful. I must have looked like a mad-woman, attacking a student, screaming, running around. I considered stepping away and laughing, explaining that this was all a joke, an inside joke that me and the man had planned, and we took it too far. But I had to stab this man, I had to rid the world of his evil.

Again, I raised my hand in the air, getting ready to jam its blade into his skin, but my eyes started to droop, my vision turning spotty and black. I realized that the dart in my side was responsible for this. I collapsed on the ground, my arms suddenly feeling like noodles, numb and light.

Tranquilizer, I thought to myself as I drifted to sleep on the floor of the cafeteria.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

I woke up in an office. It was grand and ornate, books and trophies filling the shelves. Sitting in a chair next to me was Him. He was so evil, and I didn't even know his name. Sitting behind the desk in a large red chair was a tall woman in her 50's. Her hair was shock-grey and shiny, pulled back into a tight bun. A plaque on her desk read, ALLEGRA FOX. She smiled.

"You're awake," Allegra Fox said.

"Yeah, I guess so," I returned groggily.

She entwined her slender fingers. "It's nice to meet you, Rhiannon. I run the Ivy Academy. I understand Dane Martin took you on the pre-lunch tour already?"

I nodded. So this was the woman who brought me here. Though she seemed nice enough, she was behind this all. I couldn't trust her.

"He's such a sweetheart. All the girls are crazy for him. And boys, too." She grinned again, showing her wide set of pearly whites. "I don't think you've had a proper introduction to Beck over here."

I was confused for a second. I didn't know a 'Beck'. I realized that the man who kidnapped me must be named Beck. It never dawned on me that he had a name in the first place. I felt foolish.

"Come on, introduce yourself, Beck. Don't be scared." She looked at the both of us.

Beck held out his hand. I shook it.

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," I returned, just as reluctant.

"Beck Alexander is a student here. I believe he's in the grade above you, is that correct?" Beck nodded. I couldn't believe he was only a year older than me. He looked like a man, and was built like one too. I wasn't small for my age, but I wasn't tall either. I remember when "Beck Alexander" was in my living room, holding us hostage, he towered over me; he could have been 6'2".

"While I love playing the good cop, I also run a school. Rhiannon, I understand that you attacked Beck during lunch in the cafeteria?" She asked the question, even though she knew the answer. I didn't respond.

"Rhiannon," she started again in a stern tone. "Someone could have gotten seriously injured."

"Someone did get seriously injured. Someone was killed." I glared at both of them.

Allegra raised her eyebrows. "Oh?"

"My mom. She was savagely murdered in her own home, in front of her children. By him." I pointed my finger at Beck.

Allegra looked at Beck, surprised, even a little angry. Finally, maybe he was going to be punished for what he did.

"Beck, if you have to kill someone, make sure you tell me that you did, OK?" She looked at me, a smile on her face. "Can you believe him? He's in Grade 12 and he's still making silly mistakes like this."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This school was dangerous.

"Rhiannon, I understand your shock and confusion. It always takes new students a little while to get used to their surroundings, to get used to being taken like they were, but you have to promise me: No attacking the other students. Alright?" She looked at me expectantly. I nodded, simply too angry to do anything else.

"That's the most important thing here at Ivy Academy. You're going to be here for some time, I think it would be better for everyone if you played by the rules. OK?" She waited for a response again. What was she doing? I already answered her stupid question.

"Yup," I smiled half-heartedly. "Got it."

"Great!" she shrieked in an overwhelmingly girlish voice, which was strange to hear coming out of this 50-year-old woman. "You're already doing so much better."

She sorted through her desk, leaving Beck and I to talk, I supposed. We looked at each other uncomfortably. Instead of making awkward conversation, I decided to look around the room from my chair. Maybe I could figure out more about this mysterious school and the woman who ran it.

As my eyes darted from corner to corner, I came to the conclusion that this lady must be a genius. Her walls were covered in different awards and degrees from different colleges and institutions. Harvard Graduate. Yale Post-grad. Teacher's certificate at Oxford. Jesus, this lady was smart. Did she have a certificate from NASA or something? An award on her top shelf confirmed my suspicion.

"Unfortunately, Dane is in his next class," Allegra said, pulling out something from her desk. "So I'm going to ask that Beck finish the tour for you, Rhiannon. OK?" God, this woman needed validation often. We nodded and she handed Beck a couple sheets of paper.

"Thanks," he said to her, and I heard his deep voice for the second time.

"Ok, run along now, kids." She giggled. I followed Beck out of her office, but before I could leave, she called my name. I raised my eyebrows to show I was listening.

She took off her glasses. "I just wanted to tell you that I think you're going to do really well at this school. I can tell, just from speaking with you that you're a special student."

"Thank you," I said. She dropped her glasses into a drawer in her desk and closed it quickly. But I saw something in there, a quick flash of purple and blue.

"You can follow Beck now. He's a little impatient." I nodded and closed her door. I was unsettled. I saw my phone in her drawer. I know it. Right after she dropped her glasses into it and right before she closed it, I saw my phone. I would know my phone case from anywhere, the violet and light blue. Although it wasn't safe to get it now, at least I knew where it was.

Beck took me around the rest of the school. First, he showed me the library, a mahogany room that was nearly the size of a cathedral. I was amazed. There were 3 fireplaces, each one had its own sitting area around it. With one, there was a bean bag area. With the second, a nice assortment of couches, blankets and armchairs on a large carpet. Next to the third fireplace was a large table, probably for homework.

"Let's move on," I shrugged carelessly. I loved reading like no one else did, but I didn't want to show Beck any vulnerability. He had already seen me at my lowest point. I couldn't show any more weakness.

Next, he showed me a large indoor pool. On the West end of the room was a wall made of large windows, an elegant reminder of how grand the school was. About a dozen students swam in organized lines in the clear water.

According to him, every student swam throughout the semester. At the end of the semester, everyone's average time would be collected and the winner would get a trophy. He showed me a picture on the wall of all of the winners throughout the past couple years. Sure enough, there was Beck, shirtless and wearing swim trunks. His biceps were large without him flexing, his chest hard as a rock.

"You're strong," I observed.

"Let's go," he walked away. I felt heat rise to my cheeks.

We went back up to my bedroom, where he closed the door behind him.

"Enjoy your room now." He stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the door. "Every student gets their own room for the first week of their stay and then they have to get a roommate. Space issues."

I ignored him and looked out the window. That annoyed me. The one redeeming thing about being kidnapped and taken here was that I would at least get my own private space, and now I had to share with some preppy student?

"What were those papers that Allegra gave you?" I asked.

He took them out. "I'm supposed the read the rules to you."

"I can read, thank you very much," I scoffed.

"Rule one. No leaving the boundaries," He began.

Faced toward the window, I looked at the vast woods beyond. I couldn't see any guards, but I had a feeling that if I stepped one step into the trees, I would be shot with another one of those tranquilizer darts.

"Rule two. Students must attend every assigned class unless the school nurse has proven it not safe."

"Rule three. No harming the other students."

I scratched my ear, embarrassed. I had already broken that rule.

"Rule four. No romantic or sexual relationships of any kind with any of the other students. Punishments are severe."

I noticed that Beck's eyes kept looking at me when he read this one. Again, I blushed, mad at myself.

"Rule 5. Curfew is at 11 at night. Quiet time is at 10. A teacher will check every room to make sure this rule is followed." Great. More restrictions.

"Rule 6. Students must eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner, provided in the cafeteria."

"Rule 7. Wake up time is at 7:30. Breakfast is at 8, and classes begin at 8:30."

"Rule 8. No touching or talking to the guards. They are here to do their job, and that is to protect you." Yeah, right.

"Rule 9. Students with a Silver Clasp may leave the boundaries for set amounts of time only." Silver Clasp? Why were those students allowed to leave, and where could I get one?

"Rule 10. No draining the pool. It is extremely expensive and difficult to replace." I was baffled at this last rule. Wasn't not draining a pool common knowledge? I suppose it meant that enough kids had pulled the prank before it officially became a rule.

He set down the papers on my desk. "You should keep them. Tomorrow's your first day of classes, make sure you're ready. It can be harsh." He was speaking kind words, but his eyes were still empty, no emotion there.

After he left, I lied down on my bed and thought the day over. How strange the academy was, how strange the principal was, how she had my phone. I would get it back eventually, but I was too tired right now. Slowly, I drifted off to sleep.

Tomorrow was my first day. 


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