October Academy

Chapter 53

shout out to @advika_h and @lady_readalot ... thankyou for voting! i hope you enjoy the rest of the story xxx

Gladys is fuming as she drags me out of the janitors closet, not speaking a word to Darcy, not even acknowledging his existence.

"This is how you spend your time when your scholarship is suspended? When your very being here is hanging by a thin thread? You're dancing with the enemy!" she says as if Darcy has anything to do with his step-sister. "Is that your plan? Sell yourself to drop the charges?"

My eyes buldge. "No! He has nothing to do with her," I spit out.

I waltz away. I don't need to explain myself to her, especially when she doesn't believe me when I tell her Alyssa's lying.

I angrily pace back to Perry and put her kiss with Ben on the backburner. Now, it's time to get even. Now, it's time to take down Alyssa. Now, it's time to think of a plan.

.

.

.

I spend the afternoon in my room, procrastinating doing my History essay and spinning my pen in my fingers. I pick up my phone, ready to scroll aimlessly through tik tok, when I remember the creepy message I got this morning.

Have you ever wondered about your real parents?

The perfect solution bubbles in my brain. Why don't I just call the foster centre that Gladys fostered me from? They should know about my real parents.

I google up the centre and within seconds have a number.

I dial it.

It rings.

Wait... what am I doing? I have no interest in whoever my real parents are. I don't care what their excuse was for abandoning me. I don't blame them, I just don't care to meet them, or know about them, or hear from them. They're dead to me.

Just before I can hang up, a young man answers the phone. "St Bernards Adoption and Foster Centre, this is Kevin speaking, how can I help you?"

"Uh, hi," I say, "My name is Gladys Stock and I'm trying to find some records of my foster child, Jade Fernwood. She's had an accident and we need some medical records," I lie and hope he doesn't see right through me.

"Alright there, let me look her up in my system. F-E-R-N-W-O-O-D? Like the town?"

"Yep," I nod then realise I sound so young.

"J-A-D-E?" he says.

"Yessir," I say.

"Sorry ma'am, we don't seem to have any record of a Jade Fernwood in our system. Do you have her unique identification code?"

"Oh," I fumble for an excuse, "I'll have to call you back when I find it, it should be in my desk somewhere. Thanks for your help."

I hang up abruptly. No Jade Fernwood in their system? What does that mean? Do I really care? I probably just called up the wrong centre.

Besides, right now, I have bigger fish to fry.

The plan is in motion. Alyssa agreed to meet me alone in the glasshouse tonight after curfew. No one will be around to hear her when she admits to lying.

But lucky my phone will be listening.

I play with the settings on my phone, making sure that it won't turn off in my pocket and will keep recording until I tell it to stop.

I tip toe through the courtyard. The moon shines brightly above me – full and wise. It illuminates the path in front of me enough to sneak behind the gardens, to where the sparkling glass house is hidden.