The Ripmender

Chapter 8

The bathroom was the best place to examine the phone. I locked the door, turned the water on, and sat on the side of the bath, holding it gingerly.

It looked just like an ordinary latest-technology-touchscreen phone. It obviously had a password lock, because I couldn't get it to do anything.

I could understand why a famous rock star with millions to his name could, and would, have a taser function added to his phone, but how had he materialised in front of me like that, twice, and the second time through walls?

I didn't know anything about illusionists, so I supposed there was a whole host of things I wouldn't be aware of. I mean, if a man could make a jet disappear, and get people from one box to another without an audience seeing how he did it, then maybe what Nathan had done was something similar, right?

"Cathy, what the hell are you doing?"

I gasped and the phone fell to the floor. Zama's voice sounded extremely loud from behind the door. She followed up her question with a few heavy thumps.

"Are you still alive?" she asked. "The varsity security guys are here to ask you some questions."

I picked up the phone and slid it into the waistband of my sleeping shorts again. I pulled the plug out, and left the bathroom to the sound of several litres of water gurgling down the drain.

"Did you even bath?" Zama asked, looking me over. "You look exactly the same as you did when you left the room."

"I - er ... " I paused to think of some excuse.

"Don't worry, I know," Zama said, putting an arm around me. "You have Nathanamania."

"What?" I asked blankly.

"What you get when you're near that damn fine piece of man-steak called Nathan Jake," Zama said, rolling her eyes. "I can't believe that he actually came and helped us. And the way he leaned over you, and said he'd see you soon ... No wonder your brain is all scrambled to hell."

It was a relief to finally tell the truth about something.

"Yes, it's because of Nathan," I said. "I ran my bath water and forgot to get in."

Zama laughed and opened the door to her room.

After the security representatives had asked us questions about the night before, I decided that I had better hide the phone somewhere that Nathan wouldn't think of looking, if he broke into our room later.

The kitchen cupboard had several boxes of biscuits in it, and I slipped the phone into the one nearest the back. It was filled with terrible-looking whole wheat crackers, which looked less appetising than the box they were in.

No one would be opening those in a hurry.

"Wear your best outfit," Tenley giggled as we got ready for breakfast. "Nathan is sure to come and see you."

Aldytha laughed. "Nathan Jake won't come within a mile of us," she said. "He exists on an entirely different planet."

I chose a brown dress from among my other brown dresses, and decided to ignore her comment.

If it were up to me, I would have spent the day in the room. The others decided that they hadn't quite had enough pancakes the day before, and that pancakes were the perfect breakfast to have after the rough night.

There was no way I was staying in the room alone, after having witnessed just how easy it was for Nathan Jake to get into the res without a key card.

We took the pancakes down to the park, and found a patch of shade to relax in. Even though it was only nine a.m., the sun was already trying to boil everyone in sight.