"Shit, I hear footsteps," Tali whispered. "I just finished removing the cameras from the leg brace and put them into my bag. Now will be a good time to think of anything that can get us out of this."

"Rejoin the group for now," Camila replied with a sigh. "Keep your earpiece on just in case we need to speak to you."

   Nobody said a word as shuffling sounds erupted from Tali's end.

   Talise informed us a few seconds later of how she had rejoined the Visitors. She was able to talk to us after using the leg brace as an excuse for being some steps behind the group. As long as her words were limited to short whispers, the rest walking ahead couldn't hear her.

   Rav finally raised his head from his hands to face the laptop and asked Talise. "Zavlon's cameras, where are they?"

"So far I've seen two next to some smoke detectors, one placed on a ceiling light and another at the top of a corner wall." Tali replied in an undertone. "These cameras don't seem like they're going for subtlety."

   Why not though? Subtlety was basically the anthem of the Yunies. Why not use it in relation to something as serious as this?

"Hey, Eugene?" Tali startled us all in the van by suddenly calling out one of the tour guides. "I have a question."

"Yes, Destiny?" His Southern drawl of her fake name, though a little faint, was clear through the laptop speakers.

"How do these cameras around Zavlon ensure the students' safety and well as maintain their right to privacy?" she asked.

"Talise!" I snapped, getting closer to the laptop.

   What was she doing? Attention was the last thing we needed. Especially since our entire plan just went to hell.

   Her reply to me was through gritted teeth, "Beth, I love you, but shut the hell up. I know what I'm doing."

"Now that she mentioned it," An unfamiliar feminine voice, most likely belonging to one of the Visitors, chipped in. "As a Zavlon alumni, I've been around long enough to know that this school has never succumbed to the practice of placing cameras everywhere and invading the privacy of students like public schools do. So why now?"

"Well, currently—" Eugene barely got a word in before being interjected by another Visitor.

"The idea of cameras in schools has always been a controversial matter," A masculine voice wielding a British accent and sightless nasal tone remarked. "What's Zavlon justification for doing so?"

"Sir, it's—"

   A different visitor interrupted Eugene's partner, the other tour guide's answer, with a question that sounded like it was from way too personal perspective.

"And where in the world is Edna?"

"Why was the solo tour cancelled?" Came from another visitor.

   As the feedback we received from Zavlon right here in the van turned to an overflow of questions and murmurs of the Visitors, realisation of what Tali was trying to do hit me.

   My best friend was a genius!

"Talise was trying to ask about the cameras without asking about the cameras," I laughed as I told no one in particular. "She knew doing it directly wouldn't be the smartest thing to do so she made it such that others would do it for her."

"You're forgetting the part where she basically just created chaos with one innocent question," Rav chuckled.

   Talise gave a sheepish apology, stating that that level of intensity was far from her intention. "I just wanted them to fess up about the cameras."

"No! No! This is perfect!" He slapped his forehead.

"What are we talking about?" Camila frowned at Rav.

   Ignoring her, Rav shifted his seat to get closer to the laptop, saying, "Talise, reach into your bag for one camera. If you recall, we agreed one was going to be used as our eyes on the inside."

   The instant sounds of Tali digging through her bag stopped as quickly as it arrived.

"Are you sure it's safe to risk it?" I could hear the frown in her question.

"Then hold it in your hand loosely for now," Rav shrugged as if Talise was watching him. "We won't need a whole 360 degree angle until we figure out how you can sneak from the group anyway."

   That was actually not a bad idea. The transparent colour of the camera was going to make it nearly impossible for anyone to notice it in her hand. And the fact that she was lagging behind the Visitors reduced the chances of the camera's detection even more.

"You need to hurry up," Camila told Tali. "I'm not the only one hearing the noise from the group die down, am I?"

   She wasn't wrong. The complaints from the Visitors were becoming inaudible with each second.

"I'm glad everyone has calmed down now," We eventually heard Eugene say. "Be rest assured that Andrew, my fellow tour guide colleague and I are going to give you all the answers you desire before Visitation Day ends. Until then, why don't we proceed with the tour?"

"The camera's in my hand," Talise was back to muttering.

   After she mentioned the selected number we had written on the camera-all of them, the rest of us waited as Camila began to sync it between her and Rav's laptops.

   Soon enough, the black screens came to life, revealing one of the memorable hallways of Zavlon Academia and nearby surroundings—the ones not covered with Tali's hands at least.

   While the tour continued with the camera in effect, it was hard to describe the burdened weight that sprouted within my gut at the sight of our school. Nothing had changed.

   As draining as it was for me to admit, I missed it all. The hallway and the lockers it housed were spotless as ever, the classrooms and the mini fountain that faced the perfectly manicured lawn on the compound.

   I mean sure, I'd been pushed—oh right, I'd fallen into that very fountain during my first week at Zavlon, and drenched my uniform and other belongings, but memories were just that; memories, right?

   And it wasn't like it was every Zavolonian I missed, just Minji.

   I was always sorry that Tali hadn't accompanied me to my orientation tour so although the circumstances were beyond twisted, I was glad she was getting a glimpse into my world. That feeling came with a pleasant warmth in my chest no one could take away.

"Any ideas yet?" Talise asked as she and the other Visitors headed toward the cafeteria.

"Not yet," Rav mused. "But do you mind shifting the camera in your hand so that we can get better visuals of one of the school's cameras? Not directly of course."

   My eyes switched from the laptop to Rav's face. Judging by the intense staring contest he seemed to be having with the screen, I could have sworn his eyelids would have cracked if he tried to blink. What was he thinking?

   Camila, Dorian and I observed Rav with curiosity when one Zavlon camera came into view on the laptop's screen. He pulled out his phone with sudden swiftness and took several pictures.

"Thank you, Tali," he said.

"What was that for?" Camila asked.

"You'll find out later," was his cryptic reply.

   I felt like time was running out with each facility introduced to the Visitors. Without a self-tour as our way out, we had to figure out how Talise could separate herself from the group and drop the cameras without being caught by the cameras.

"What's the time?" Tali's earpiece captured the question posed by one Visitor.

"Nearly noon," Another responded. "Why?"

"They haven't mentioned anything about lunch." The same voice miffed. "These tour guides don't expect to just walk around the entire day, do they? I'm pretty sure Edna wouldn't have let that happen."

   I never thought I'd ever be this happy to hear those words grumbled by this Edna enthusiast.

   They triggered other memories from my orientation tour I'd previously believed I'd been successful in forcing myself to forget.

"Talise," I leaned over Rav's seat to get nearer to the laptop. "There are two visitors close to you who just spoke about lunch. Do your thing again. The thing that made them question the tour guides."

   I ignored the puzzled gazes thrown my way for making such a request and focused on the screen as Talise worked her magic.

Soon, we were introduced to the sounds of...

"Yeah, you never mentioned lunch."

"When do we get a break?"

"Edna would've known what we wanted before we did."

   The ends of my lips lifted into a broad smile. It was working. Now I just needed to hear the words from Eugene or whatever the other tour guide called himself.

"Zavlon Academia has already prepared ahead for moments like these!" Other tour guide guy (not Eugene) announced over the growing commotion. "In fact, we were just about to mention that there will be a thirty minute lunch break at the school's cafeteria in less than an hour!"

   I joined my hands together in a deafening clap, leaning onto the table just in time to catch myself as I burst into unrestrained laughter. The excitement that flowed within me just couldn't be contained.

   This was almost too good to be true.

   I'd just found Tali's way out.

A/N: That Edna fan though lol.
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