Trials in Walls of Ivy (Triskelion Trilogy Book 1) (19 page)

I curled my legs under myself, keeping my hand on his. “Where are you from?”

“Little place in Northumberland,” he smiled, “no place like it.” He shivered and I waited for him to continue. “My brother got a letter from the University of Demetae. My parents had never heard of it, he hadn’t applied there.”

“Sounds familiar. Did he have to complete a task the day before he got the letter too?” I asked.

He nodded. “He had to follow a trail which lead to his girlfriend’s kidnapping.”

I slammed my hand over my mouth. “They took his girlfriend, as a test?”

“He fought through their tests and got her back. The next day he got the letter and left for university. I didn’t hear from him in weeks. Even then it was a quick hello over the phone.”

I bit my lip not wanting to ask the question, but I couldn’t hold back. “Did, did he pass?”

“He did. But, he was never the same. He was at the university for three years, then worked for them for another two.” He paused and closed his eyes. “Then one day, he came home.”

“Did he quit?”

He looked at me with pity. “You can never quit. He came home to say goodbye.” He pulled at the lose threads on the sleeve of his jumper. “I wouldn’t let him leave. He’d just returned, finally. I didn’t understand why he came back just to say goodbye again.”

“He’s your brother; of course you didn’t want him to leave.”

“Well, I should’ve let him.” His voice was sharp.

I tightened my grip on his hand, feeling the muscles tremble.

“That night, before he left, we snuck out into the fields. It was so dark with no moon; I could barely see where I was walking. We hid in the maze field. He told me everything. The university, what happens in the tasks, how they progress.”

“What happens?”

“Nothing good. Roz, this place is training us. But, not for what they’re telling us. The tasks get harder.”

“Well, of course they do.”

“My brother told me, he had to torture someone.” His eyes clenched shut. “Then, he had to learn to withstand it.”

I let go of his hand and stood. “You can’t be serious. I know they want us to be pushed here, but torture? This is a government university. We’re training to be spies.” I shouted the last words, ignoring the ridicule I felt when saying them aloud.

“Says who? Did you get a letter with a government stamp? Everything we do here, does it seem like official training to you? We’re being trained to infiltrate alright, but on whose side?” He was on his feet too, facing me.

I thought for a second. There must be someone we could ask, someone who could be trusted enough to confide in us, someone who knows this university.

“Your brother must know. Can’t you ask him who he worked for?”

He shook his head while I spoke. I knew what he was going to say.

“That night, after he told me everything, he was killed in a car crash.”

“Oh my god, Warwick, I’m so sorry.”

He waved his hand like he was throwing my apology away. “Don’t you see? They got him. He left, and they found him.”

“But, a car crash can happen.”

He cut me off. “He made me hide!”

I held my breath as he continued.

“We were walking back to the house when he saw them. Six guys in the blacked out stealth gear. He shoved me into the shed and told me to stay hidden, no matter what.”

He kicked a pile of papers across the room. We watched as the white sheets fanned out in an arc.

“My hand was on the shed handle when I saw them hit him. One second later and they would have seen me too. They dragged him into his car and simply drove it away. A few hours later, the police turned up telling us he’d been in a car accident. Apparently he’d driven too fast round a bend and gone into a wall. Never had a chance, the police said. They had no idea how right they were.”

“I’m sorry, Warwick.”

“For me? Be sorry for all of us. We’re all in this together. They’ve already got Karissa. We’ve got to stay ahead.”

“You really think they did that to her?” I lowered myself back in the chair, my heart heavy for Warwick.

He shrugged. “She wasn’t doing her work. You know the drill.”

“Don’t get me wrong, Warwick, I’m glad you’re here. But, why did you come, if you knew all this?

He rubbed his face roughly, sitting beside me.

“No choice. Jared told me all about this place. How they looked for the best and brightest. So, I failed all my exams.” He laughed, as he recalled the memory. “My Mum went crazy when she saw my G.C.S.E. results; I’d failed pretty much all of them. I didn’t even bother doing my A levels. As far as official records were concerned, I was as thick as two short planks.”

“But, it didn’t work?”

“No. One morning, I was getting ready for work. Mum brought the post through, and there it was. I knew then, this University acceptance wasn’t an offer, it was a cage. They weren’t fooled by my grades, they wanted to watch me. I knew my only option was to play along, find a way out from the inside.”

“We should report it. If you really think they killed Karissa, we can’t let them get away with it.” The words burned in my mouth.

“Report what? That our friend, who drinks too much and parties every night, didn’t really slip in the shower?”

“We have to do something.”

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is we pass and stay under the radar. If we want to help, we have to pass, stay alive. The only way to avoid notice is to blend in plain sight.”

“How? How do we get free if this place is really so corrupt? Who do we trust? What do we focus on?”

“We pass. We fool them into thinking they’ve got us sucked in. We make them trust
us
.” He handed me a file from the floor. “Roz, all we have to do, right now, is pass.”

“But if the police aren’t involved, how do we get a report of this latest bombing? If they really are watching us, then how do we fool them?”

He smirked at me and folded his arms. “The only way around it is to set up more snoops, here in the university. We need to know what they know. We need to know when they’re going to move, and how.”

“You mean, we need to get into Llamp’s office to bug her computer?”

“Not just Llamp’s. We started with the labs, now we need to finish the job. We need to cover every inch of this place, every computer belonging to a tutor, every phone line. Jay already has the cameras set up, we just need to finish the job.”

I paced the room. My mind was buzzing with information. How had I gone from grieving for my friend to surveilling the university in one morning?

“You really think we need to go that far?”

“Roz, we have to pass. If we don’t, we end up like my brother. But, even then, we aren’t safe. We need to stay one step ahead of them. Always.”

“Then we need to tell the others.”

He shook his head. “How do we know we can trust them? I’m risking everything by telling you, now you want me to trust everyone?”

“How did you know you could trust me?”

“I’ve been watching you.” He grinned at me knowingly.

“You better not mean when I’ve been changing,” I growled.

“Not quite. But, I did like your honesty when you checked my room. You didn’t even look inside.”

My cheeks flooded red. “Jay found a bug, we were just checking rooms to make sure it was safe.”

“I know.”

“Wait, did you set them up?”

“No, but I do have a camera in my room. For just such occasions.”

“Is that why you don’t take women to your bedroom?” I shuddered at the memory of him thrusting on the settee.

He laughed. “No, that’s what you call cover.”

“I saw you, and I can assure you, you weren’t covered.”

“But, you told others what I did?”

I nodded.

“Which is exactly what I wanted you to do.”

“Why?”

“Because, any university official watching us would from that moment see me as some carless student living life through his pants.”

I stared at him, mouth hanging open. “You slept with that woman to build a cover story?”

“She was cute. She was happy to come back with me, I was happy to build my cover story. Everyone’s a winner.” He grinned like he was the cat that got the cream.

“You’re unbelievable.”

It was late evening before Warwick and I had managed to fill the team in on Warwick’s story. None of them wanted to believe it.

“Why now?” Ash shouted. “Why tell us this now? All this time we’ve been working here, together. Any of us could have ended up like Karissa.”

I flinched at the sound of her name.

“What made you suddenly want to share?” Ash stood at the back of the room. It was clear he was trying to control his fury.

The tension in the room was like ice. Spikes of nerves threatened to lash out in every direction. Owen hadn’t sat down since Warwick began talking. He paced the room biting his nails. Bree sat on the edge of the coffee table, arms folded. She was so coiled up she looked like she was ready to spring at anyone who came close to her. Fern sat curled in the corner of a chair, silently listening to the argument raging around her. Jay sat on the floor in the centre of the chaos with a wide grin. He looked to be the only one finding this entertaining.

“Because,” Warwick shouted, “I had to see who I could trust. It’s not like I could just go around revealing what I know to anyone.” He was standing with his arms folded, facing the room.

Fern raised her hand. She ducked her head like she was afraid to be noticed. “Warwick, why do you trust us now? What’s changed?”

Warwick relaxed his posture and perched on the settee arm next to me. “Because, Roz vouched for you all. I told her all this this morning. She wanted me to tell all of you guys. And, frankly, if we’re going to work together, eventually, you all had to know. I just needed time to know I could trust you.”

The room fell quiet. Ash backed up and sat beside Bree. Owen quietly paced, seemingly in his own world. Realisation set in around us. We knew we were trapped. We had to pass the tests, or we would be noticed. But, we also had to find a way to get free.

Warwick’s soft voice broke the silence. “We have to pass the tests. To do that, we have to find the truth about these bombings.” We all nodded in agreement. “But, we also have to blend.”

“I thought we were blending,” Fern said.

Warwick laughed. “When was the last time any of us went on a night out?”

“We’ve been too busy with this task,” I said, defensively.

“Exactly. We’re tied up with this task because we know the consequences if we fail. But other students don’t. The others are going out and getting drunk, shagging around and basically acting like students. We need to fit in.”

Bree erupted in laughter. “You’re telling us, to solve the bombing mystery, to fit in with the deadly university which is training us for a life of covert danger, we need to get blottoed and shag random strangers?”

“Pretty much. They have to think we don’t suspect anything. We have to solve this, while acting like students.

“Right then. I’m off to the social bar. Who’s with me?” Bree said.

She ran into the hall and grabbed her coat. Her grin was frozen in place. She hadn’t been back to the social bar since that night and I could see the terror in her eyes.

“I’ll go,” Owen shouted. He looked at me and grimaced. I knew he was just going so she wouldn’t be alone.

“I can come too,” I shouted, jumping forward to show my enthusiasm.

Bree folded her arms and glared at me. “I don’t need a baby sitter.”

“I know you don’t. I’m coming for a drink.” My lying voice was too high.

“You? Drinking at the social bar?” She smirked at me, crooking her eyebrow.

“What? I’m serious.”

“Roz, you hate the social bar.” She yanked her boots from behind the chair and began shrugging them on. “And, you almost never drink.”

“So? We’re supposed to be fitting in. I’ll come and fit in with you.”

I grabbed my coat and she took it off me, throwing it back to the chair.

“Roz,” her smile softened, “I’ll be fine. Nobody will manage to drug me again. I’ve got to face this enemy head on. Owen is chaperone enough. You have fun doing your thing, I will do mine.”

I began to protest.

“You’re one of my best friends, Roz. But, I have to face this without you holding my hand. Okay?”

The protests and arguments fell from my lips, soundlessly. She’d pulled the best friend card, I was powerless. I watched helplessly as she yanked the front door open.

Owen pulled me into a one arm hug as he passed. “She’ll be fine. I’ll watch her,” he whispered in my ear.

“I’m actually worried about her recognising whoever did it. If she sees them, she’ll kill them.”

He chuckled, gently. “If we see them, I might help her.” He turned to the room. “Meet here first thing,” he shouted. “If we need to bug the entire university, it’s going to take planning.”

“Ten in the morning?” I looked around. “Everyone okay with that?”

They all nodded.

Bree and Owen left the house, clicking the door gently behind them.

Jay grabbed his coat. “Hey Warwick, you up for a bit of snooping?”

“Aren’t we supposed to be acting natural, having fun?”

“Setting up the snoops isn’t fun?”

Warwick grinned and ran up the stairs. Within a minute he was back with a bag slung over his shoulder. “Let’s snoop.” He threw the bag to Jay as he shrugged his coat on.

“Hang on,” I called, “what about acting normal? You just told us all to get drunk and stuff.”

Warwick already had the door open. “What’s not normal than a couple of students sneaking into locked rooms in the dead of night?”

“But, you just said…”

“I think I’ve done enough
stuff
to keep my cover safe. Don’t worry. By morning we’ll have the entre university snooped and no-one will suspect a thing.” He closed the door behind them, leaving me lost for words.

I stood, lost in the doorway. They were right. We did need the campus bugged, and they were the best guys for the job. But what was I supposed to do now? What was my thing? What did I do when I wasn’t working? The answer came to me easily: nothing. Here I worked on my assignments, at home I worked in June’s beach bar. No deviation.

I couldn’t stand being in the house any longer. I sat on the steps and pulled on my boots, then left with no idea where I was going. The evening was cool, but dry. I walked along the grass, drifting away from the path. The green blades glistened with dew, reflecting the distant lamp-post light. I walked until I found a wide space of grass. It was hidden by the backs of the many houses, far from the watchful eye of the campus centre. I sat clumsily, ignoring the cold moisture.

In the distance, I could see the check point. Mark had no trouble getting in and out of there. I wondered if it would be so easy for me. Now that I knew the true nature of this place, the sight of the check point looked more like a guard tower. My eyes followed the line of ivy walls which spread out in both directions, enclosing the campus. It had been designed attractively, giving the illusion of a walled garden. But, I now saw it for what it was and what it meant. It was a barricade; keeping prying eyes out, and students in. The only access and exit was the guarded checkpoint.

We were penned in like animals.

Muffled footsteps behind snapped me back to attention. I turned just as Ash came to sit beside me.

“Nice night,” He said, simply. He laid his hands behind him and looked up at the stars.

I gritted my teeth against the sudden tensing in my body and forced it to relax. “Bit cold,” I shrugged.

“I always thought the sky looked warm.”

I looked up. The sky was black, dotted with countless silver stars. “Isn’t space freezing?”

“Extremely. But, on a night like this? It looks like a velvet blanket, dotted with lights.”

“I suppose so.” I chided myself for my grumpy response.

“You see that star there?” He pointed toward the sky.

I followed the line of his finger to one of many stars in the sky.

“That’s the North star.”

“I thought the North star would be the brightest,” I said, as I kept my eyes to the heavens. It looked insignificant to me, a dim blob in comparison to some of the others.

“Not visually, but it is one of the most important.” He nudged up closer to me so his arm leaned against mine.

I held my breath and willed my heart to stop pounding.

“Important?” I croaked.

He looked down at me, half smiling. “I think the star is quite like us.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. The laughter erupted from my lips like I was a steam valve which had been building in pressure, waiting to explode.

“Are you trying to tell me we’re
star stuff
? Because, I’ve heard that one before.” My laughter echoed through the deserted filed.

He shoved me playfully and I fell to my side on the grass. “No, smart arse. I meant the actual star is like us. But, if you’re going to laugh at me, I’m not going to tell you how.” He put his hands behind his head and laid back again, smirking.

I watched him for a moment, heart still pounding. I ran the same three words over and over in my mind: he’s Bree’s boyfriend. He’s Bree’s boyfriend. Slowly, my blood pressure calmed. I took my jacket off and laid it on the grass before mimicking his position.

“We’re like the North star? Okay, tell me how.” I peered to the side to see him already looking at me.

“From first glance it looks insignificant. It doesn’t shine as bright as other stars.” He held his arm up and pointed to its position. “It’s hanging on the edge of one of the most famous and easily recognised consolations, but even then, it isn’t seen as a key star in the sequence.”

He grinned, waiting for me to respond. I didn’t.

“
We
don’t shine as bright as others. We’re sitting on the edge of something big and not seen to be a major part of it.”

I turned away from him and looked back at the star. He was right in that it didn’t stand out. But it did have its place. It lined up with the others, helped make the edge of a constellation.

“I suppose your right. We are sitting on the edge of a pretty big secret here. I think it’s much bigger than we realise.”

“That’s not what I mean.” He twisted onto his side, facing me. “You know what that star is famous for?”

I held back the flip in my stomach. He was leaning close, eyes burning into mine. His breath was warm in the cool air.

“For pointing North?” I said, my voice shaking.

He nodded. “For guiding lost travellers. Throughout history that star has guided people on their path. It has watched us from light years away, while we make our mistakes.”

He reached forward and tucked my hair behind my ear, his cool fingers featherlike on my skin.

“You know, if we were in orbit around that star right now, right at this moment, we would be watching Shakespeare write his sonnets.”

“What? That makes no sense,” I laughed, more from nerves than the conversation. My trembling hands dug into the grass, grasping hold for control. It wasn’t working.

“It makes complete sense. That star is four hundred and thirty light years away. So, anyone orbiting that star today and looking at us will be seeing our planet during the sixteenth century.”

I stared at him, then up to the star. “How is that like us?”

“We’re small insignificant people, on the edge of discovering something big. Just like Shakespeare was an unknown playwright, in a city filled with power hungry puritans and politicians. When he wrote those plays and those poems, he didn’t know how much of an effect they would have on people centuries later. He had no idea that his name would be remembered. He, like all the other little people of the time, just did what he was tasked to do by the bigger people. He stood on the edge of greatness and didn’t know it.”

“You can’t possibly compare us to Shakespeare.”

“But we
are
on the verge of uncovering something big. These bombings? The shady secrets of this place?” He waved his hand around in the direction of campus. “We’re dim stars in a galaxy of power hungry people. We’re on the edge looking in, not knowing if our actions will be remembered in ten years time, never mind centuries.” He winked with a smile. “We’re exactly like Shakespeare.”

“But, we’re not writing poetry. We’re uncovering what can only be described as a terrorist. We’ve been recruited by a university which seems less like a university every day. I feel like we’re trapped in a maze. If we talk to the wrong person, or in the wrong area, we’ll be overheard and executed. If we fail the task and can’t find the cheese, we get executed. And, to top it off, we could get blown up at any minute.” Tears began to well and I brushed them away angrily. “Ash, I don’t know if I can solve this.” My voice had retreated to a quivering whisper.

He slid his arm under my head and pulled me close. “We can solve it. We just need to work together. And, if not, we get out together.”

I twisted suddenly to look in his eyes. “We can’t. You heard what they did to Warwick’s brother.”

I gripped his shirt, my body almost on top of his. He reached forward and cupped my face, his eyes locked with mine as he leaned in toward me. Electricity erupted through my body as his lips found mine. He was warm, moist with a taste of longing. I blinked, and sucked in a breath, realising what I had done. I shoved myself away, scooting from his embrace. I scrubbed my mouth with my sleeve, rubbing the soft feel of his lips from mine.