Chapter Twenty

Delaney

Tristan deposited me in front of the principal's office five minutes later, muttering an uneasy "good luck" as he walked away. That certainly didn't help my nerves. The door was opened momentarily by a red-faced Mr. Kastner, who ushered me into the room with lips so tight that they were white.

Our principal was a short, thin man, about fifty, with dark brown hair peppered with gray and light copper skin. Under normal circumstances, he was chronically irascible; but when he was angry, it was a completely different animal.

And at that moment, he was very angry.

I barely made it through the door before he slammed it behind me, trapping us in his small office. It was on the first floor of the school building, its single large window facing out toward the front parking lot. The décor was simple: an L-shaped metal desk situated against the right wall and jutting out into the center of the room, two file cabinets hulking to my left, and four wooden chairs against the wall beside them.

Occupying one of those chairs and looking extremely volatile was none other than Abigail. She had her bag clutched in one hand and the other shoved into her pocket. Her eyes swept over me balefully, but before I could acknowledge her, Principal Kastner shoved a finger at the seat next to Abby with such force that I knew better than to ignore him.

"What is this all about?" I asked carefully as I sat down, hugging my backpack to my chest. The principal glared at me, his face nearly purple, and pulled his thumb and index finger across his lips stiffly. I took the hint and shut up.

After taking a few deep breaths, Mr. Kastner circled his desk with short, jerky movements and sat down, leaning his head into his hands and rubbing his temples. His eyes were squeezed shut.

I wasn't sure what was going on, but I had an inkling of an idea. It seemed impossible, though; I hoped it was impossible. Chewing on my bottom lip, I glanced at Abby, but she wouldn't look at me. She kept her sight trained on a point high on the wall, her chin lifted and her jaw set firmly. I straightened up and tried to absorb some of her confidence, but raised heads and haughty glares could only do so much to mask the anxiety churning inside of me.

Mr. Kastner still wasn't speaking. In an attempt to distract myself, I stared out the window at the parking lot, with all the sports cars and pick-up trucks sitting sedentary in their places. There didn't seem to be anything interesting, but as I continued to watch, a nondescript gray van swung into view, careening wildly around the corner before slowing up to the curb.

It only had two windows, by the driver's and passenger's seats, and even though they were tinted I could see two hands curled around the steering mechanism. The vehicle had been driven manually; a rarity these days. My eyebrows flew up, but only for an instant. The longer I studied the van, the more I realized that it looked extremely outdated; like, multiple decades ago outdated. It probably didn't even have an autopilot option.

I narrowed my eyes at the van. It was pretty sketchy-looking, what with its tinted windows and plain gray paint job. A van like that should belong to a criminal. That, or it should be used to transport criminals.

As this thought crossed my mind, three things happened at once. First, another van, identical to the other one, pulled up behind its twin. Simultaneously, the door to the first van began to slide open, and I saw two long legs kick out onto the sidewalk. And as these instances transpired before me, Mr. Kastner's office door swung open, revealing a confused looking Trai, followed by Caleb. Avery Brown, another office aide, gently shut the door behind them.

So caught up was I in the latter event that I forgot to watch the vans outside the window. Just as I was about to return my attention to them, however, the principal's voice froze me in place.

"Take a seat, boys," he muttered, not looking up. "We have much to discuss."

"What's going—"

"Sit," Mr. Kastner ordered, cutting Trai off. The boys obliged, Trai moving to sit next to his sister, and Caleb sinking down next to be. Abby glared at the wall.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Kastner?" Caleb asked, once he was seated. He smiled, wide and friendly. I saw the principal hesitate, obviously being swayed by Caleb's charm, but after a moment he shook his head, as if to clear it.

"Yes, Caleb." He paused and pressed his lips together. "It's regarding a certain video that was released onto the Net just last night. Surely you've heard of it, if not seen it yourselves."

If the others felt any shock at the principal's words, they showed none of it on their faces. I, on the other hand, had to bite down on my tongue to keep from gasping. Taking a deep breath that I hoped wasn't too obvious, I pushed up my glasses, then wound my hands through the straps of my backpack.

"The one about the Superiors?" Trai piped up. "Yeah, we saw it. Or at least, I did. Didn't everyone?"

"Yes, well..." Principal Kastner pinches the bridge of his nose. "That is precisely the problem. Everyone saw it."

Caleb frowned, shaking his head. "It's despicable that anyone would go to such lengths to degrade the Superiors. I can't imagine what they would have against our wonderful, honest government."

I thought Caleb was laying it on a little thick, but our principal seemed to buy it. He smiled a little bit, hope flitting across his features, before nodding in agreement.

"Despicable indeed."

"Yes—but sir, this really doesn't explain why we're here."

Mr. Kastner was just opening his mouth to respond when a sudden bang made us all jump. The door had been thrown open, hitting the wall and swinging back and forth with the momentum. In the doorway, a tall woman stood. She had a thin face with high cheekbones framed by thick, wavy black hair, and wore a professional-looking pantsuit. With the dark glasses over her eyes and her confident stance, she reminded me right away of a supermodel.

It was obvious who—or should I say what—she was.

"Caleb Payne, Abigail and Trai Kaiser, and Delaney Escott," the Superior recited, tipping down her glasses and watching us dangerously. I shuddered as my name left her lips.

I licked my lips and sank into my seat, trying my best to meld myself with the polished wood. It didn't seem to be working. I couldn't glance around me to see the reactions of the others; the Superior's gaze paralyzed me with the fear of being struck down at a single movement.

She stalked further into the room, allowing the door to swing shut behind her. Her presence made the room seem suffocatingly small; she possessed an unyielding confidence that sucked the air right out of my lungs. I could breathe, but I was gasping for oxygen.

"I suppose I should just 'cut to the chase', as they say," she said, her voice smooth and melodic. Even Principal Kastner was a statue. "Although, I feel that it might be better for your esteemed principal to explain." The Superior glanced at Mr. Kastner, who was simultaneously tugging at his tie and trying to sop up the puddle forming on his forehead.

"Well—I—" He stammered for a moment, and the Superior waited silently until he coughed and composed himself. "The school received a phone call this morning, just after news of the video reached our office. It was from a concerned student who had an idea about who might have made the video. We called the government office immediately, and they connected us with Charisma here, who is a top official in the Capitol."

Charisma, who was now perched provocatively on the edge of Principal Kastner's desk, nodded and smiled again. "I flew out as soon as I could, realizing that this situation would require my...immediate attention."

The two adults were skirting around the point, and it was frustrating. Evidently, I wasn't the only one who felt that way, because a moment later, Abby let out an exaggerated groan.

"Are you going to get to the point, or what?" she demanded. Charisma rolled her eyes, then sneered and leaned toward us.

"Oh, I think you know what the point is," she hissed dangerously. "You made the video, after all."

The room was plunged into silence. Charisma's eyes narrowed to slits behind her tinted glasses as she gazed at us each in turn. Mr. Kastner ran an already damp coat sleeve over his hairline. I didn't look at the others; I didn't dare. Any glance in their direction, and sudden movement, even, would incriminate all of us.

Instead, I raised an eyebrow and stared right back at the Superior. "Excuse me?" I asked slowly, surprisingly myself with the audacity of the words. "How could you say something like that without any evidence?"

She smiled smugly. "Who said I don't have evidence?"

At that moment, the office door swung open, revealing a flustered Lizzy. She stared at me, mouth agape, and shifted her weight nervously from foot to foot.

What the hell is she doing here? I thought, my head spinning.

"Come in, dear," Charisma purred. Lizzy stepped inside hesitantly, and the door was pulled shut behind her by a wide-eyed office aide.

"What is your name, sweetheart?" asked the Superior, in a calm, gentle tone, so different from the one she had used before.

"E-Elizabeth," Lizzy stammered. She pulled at a strand of her long blonde hair.

"You are the one who made the phone call this morning, correct?"

Lizzy didn't answer at first, but her eyes turned to saucers and she whimpered.

"Correct?"

"Yes," Lizzy squeaked, nodding. I gasped without meaning to, and my hand flew to my mouth mouth. I willed myself to calm down, to act natural, but my core burned with fear and confusion and hatred. Charisma, if she noticed, didn't react. She still had her sights fixated on Lizzy's face.

"Who did you say made the video?" she questioned. Lizzy clasped her hands together under her chin and wound them around, but said nothing. "It's alright, darling. No one is going to blame you for telling the truth."

I watched Lizzy's bottom lip quiver with indecision. The world was crashing down inside my head, but the room itself was deadly silent. I willed for something to happen, for everything to disappear or at least for the situation to reach its climax. The suspense was agonizing.

I stared at my ex-best friend, mentally urging her to do something, already. Preferably, to exit the room immediately before she could screw up my life any more.

Please, I begged, hating her more and more with each precious second.

"Elizabeth?" Charisma prodded softly, irritation beginning to lace her words. I held my breath. And slowly, slowly, Lizzy raised her right arm, index finger extended, and pointed straight at me.

Caleb

The silence was deafening. All eyes fell on Delaney as Lizzy's hand shook and fell back to her side. "It was her," she declared icily, "she made the video."

Charisma nodded her approval. "Was it only her?"

I watched Lizzy's eyes flicker over me, hesitating. To my right, Delaney was clutching the arms of her chair like it was a lifeboat. Mr. Kastner had his head in his hands.

"Yes," Lizzy whispered finally. "It was only her."

There was a beat of silence, then Trai leaped to his feet. "You can't pin this all on her!" he shouted. "She did nothing wrong."

Charisma raised an eyebrow. "Does that mean that you'd like to be charged along with her?"

At that, Trai sank back down, but his eyes were still alight with a rebellious fire. "If that's the way it is, then fine," he spat. "I'm confident in our innocence."

No one spoke. I saw Delaney glance at Trai, her eyes thanking him, and Abby squirmed. Then her head shot up, and she was scowling.

"Enough of this bull-crap," she snapped. "You're an idiot if you think you'll be able to arrest them on such slim charges."

"I'm an idiot, am I?" Charisma demanded. Her tone was lethal. "You know what, why don't you come along with Delaney and your brother? I'm sure they won't mind the company."

Trai looked ready to protest, but Abby merely shrugged. "Fine with me," she muttered.

It was quiet in the room once again as Charisma slowly brought her gaze over to me. I held it, willing myself not to let her see my fear.

"Caleb Payne," she uttered. "Rank of 10+, the most Popular boy and school. However did you end up in this predicament?"

Before I could respond, Mr. Kastner jumped out of his seat, slamming his palms against his desk. Even Charisma was startled; she slipped off, but landed gracefully on her sky-high heels.

"If you didn't have anything to do with this, Caleb, you can tell her that," he said seriously. "If you had nothing to do with any of these three, you can tell the truth."

"Yes, of course," Charisma agreed smoothly. "If, by chance, you were brought here by mistake, I'd have to let you go. Elizabeth, after all, said nothing that would incriminate you." In the corner of the room, Lizzy shivered. "All you have to do is convince us of your innocence, and you'll be free to go back to class."

The two adults stared at me imploringly, their gazes fierce and unblinking. I knew what they were doing, of course: they were giving me an out, an excuse to be set free. Because how would it look if the most Popular boy in school was arrested for defying the government?

I glanced over at my friends, my mind racing. Delaney stared at her lap. Trai's eyes roved the ceiling. It was Abby who returned my gaze, who nodded imperceptibly, who parted her lips and mouthed the words do it.

So I did.

"Charisma, Mr. Kastner," I acknowledged, using my best pretentious voice, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but these are my friends. While I still question the validity of your accusations, I'm not going to let them go through this alone."

Charisma's lips smoothed out into a flat white line. "Very well," she murmured. "As you wish."

She cast a glance at the door, and it flew open almost as if on cue. Four tall, burly men in black suits stalked inside. I would have laughed at the absurdity of their appearances if they didn't look so menacing.

The four men advanced on us, so that one of them was standing a few feet in front of each of our chairs. The one closest to me, a surly-looking blonde man, glared down with hate-filled eyes. Ignoring the trepidation churning in my gut, I smirked back at him.

"Leave your belongings," Charisma commanded, striding around the wall of bodyguards to stand next to my chair. "You won't need them where you're going."

"And where are we going?" Abby growled. "What are you going to do to us?"

One of the Superior's sculpted eyebrows arched and raised high above the rim of her shades. "Simple. We're going to take you away."

We didn't get a chance to react before a guard roughly grabbed each of us. Automatically, I began to struggle, only to have the man tighten his iron hold on my forearm.

"What the hell!" Trai shouted, twisting around and trying to knee his captor in the stomach. The man tightened his grip, but didn't even flinch.

"Mr. Kastner, you can't let them do this!" Delaney shrieked, trashing wildly as she tried to break free. Our principal hesitated, and for a moment I thought he was going to side with us. Then his eyes hardened, and any sympathy fled from his eyes.

"I'm sorry, kids," he said, sounding anything but sorry, "but you have to learn to deal with the consequences of your actions."