Joan the Made (Throwbacks Series, Book 1)

Chapter 33

Crew takes me to his office in the Chrysalis, where we begin developing the logistics of my plan for Circe Night. We work together with an easy camaraderie. Was this why he and Jo were such a good team?

Three hours later, I'm stuffing mediocre food from a dispenser into my mouth while scrolling through a news article about the headmaster when Marie knocks timidly on Crew's open door.

"Come in," Crew says, without looking up from the 3-D holographic map of Seattle that is open on his desk.

"Thank you," Marie whispers as she sits next to me.

"Shouldn't I be thanking you for getting Crew to help me out with the headmaster last night?"

"You protected me when I slipped up. It should have been me covering for you last night after I gave away our position to the headmaster, but I froze. I couldn't think. It turns out that in a real emergency, I'm a coward," she says.

"You're a thinker, and I move on impulse. We work well together because we balance each other. I need someone to rein me in. If I'd listened to you last night, we would never have been caught by the headmaster."

"We also wouldn't have a plan to take him down," Marie argues, the worry in her voice now gone.

"Maybe," I agree. "But now I need you because I want to plan the takedown of the headmaster to the tiniest detail. Everything has to go exactly right, and I need someone who can make sure that it does."

Marie smiles then, and we begin debating where I should hide the camera on my body so that I can video the headmaster and his clients. Harriet and Sun also show up at Crew's office as the day progresses, and Crew puts us all to work developing a working draft of our slice of the plan for Circe Night for him to review.

We gravitate down to the science floor to consider our options for the technology we'll need to make our plan work. Other students from both Nic's class and mine join the discussion. Even Elizabeth participates, arguing that I should make a point to capture the headmaster's clients on video, so they can be prosecuted for their crimes as well.

The only person who doesn't show up is Nic, and by nighttime, my sixth sense is tingling. Something is wrong.

A message from Justus distracts me from my worry. Got time for me tonight?

My response is instant. Hell yes.

Meet me in our spot.

We have a spot. My grin grows even bigger.

"I need some fresh air," I tell Harriet.

"Make sure you don't cross the headmaster's path," she warns. "Sun wants to make sure that your pitch to sell your virginity on Circe Night is perfect, and you need to rehearse the speech."

"I'll stick to the Lab."

Harriet gives me a knowing grin. "Say hi to Justus for me."

I go to the basement level of the Chrysalis to enter the Lab, almost whistling in anticipation of seeing Justus. I hope that he brings his turntables again. The thought of his arms around me, the music pounding in my bones, makes me run faster.

I'm not thinking about Nic when I trip over him not far from the entrance to the Little Theater. He's passed out, leaning against the wall with his legs sprawled out in front of him.

I turn on the light on my phone and force his eyelids up. He flinches away from me, but not before I see the gold in his eyes.

"Joan, Joanie, Joan," he sings, his words slurred.

"This isn't cute."

"Lemme guess. This is disappointing," he says with mock seriousness.

"This isn't disappointing. It's expected," I reply, though it's unlikely he's hearing anything I'm saying from inside his personal Amp bubble.