Fortnight Field Academy

Chapter 35

"Well that was terribly convenient," I breathed.

"No," Daria gasped, full of astonishment. "You had a vision, didn't you?"

Mrs. Ciever invited the boys in, shrinking the living room even more. "Kind of. I bumped into Nix earlier and had this... feeling. I didn't- still don't- know why, but I just knew that I had to get him," he nodded towards Mason, "and be here at this exact time."

"Amazing. I bet the dragon aura induced it. I wonder if it works on strangers. Or if you could learn to control it?"

Mrs. Ciever cut Daria's oracle rumblings short. "I really hate to do this, but we don't have time for speculations. Nix, why don't you fill these boys in on what's going on?"

She gave them the short- hand version, skimming over the Recreare ceremony, explaining the whole Arthur Pierce/ Nathan Amherst situation, and retelling our plans to gather the materials for the reversal process.

The boy, Jake, stared at her in consternation. His eyes grew impossibly wider with each word. Mason, on the other hand, was devoid of expression. I suppose that after a man forces you to change into a half- breed way before you're ready, not much he does can surprise you.

Once everybody was on the same page, we spent the next hour or so polishing our scheme. Mrs. Ciever only let us leave when each route was perfectly mapped and all of our flight times were memorized. She made sure that at every chance she got to stress the importance of making it back by next Saturday, as if we didn't already know. "No later than Saturday afternoon," she reiterated. "It has to be done before the full moon."

"And make sure you all get plenty of rest," Daria yelled on the way out. "You've got a long day ahead of you tomorrow."

The next day before our departure was one of the longest in my life. The anticipation deepened as the seconds ticked by. I tried to distract myself by meticulously packing and repacking and going over my role in the plan in my head. I also took more naps in those few hours than I had in the past year.

Finally, a beep in the intercom introduced the announcement we've been waiting for. "Attention all students: please head to the main courtyard for Headmistress Lilith Goodman's farewell ceremony. We will begin in fifteen minutes."

"Alright guys that's our queue," I said. "Everybody to your post."

Maggie went to the living room window to watch the kids disperse and let us know when the coast was clear. Nix's job was to watch the door, let the boys in, and make sure nobody came. I got the daunting task of gathering all the bags- no more than two each, per Daria's instruction- and piling them in the living room floor. Maggie made me pay special attention to her pot of grass seeds, which was just dirt at this point in time.

"Attention all students: please head to the main courtyard for Headmistress Lilith Goodman's farewell party. We will begin in ten minutes."

Aaron, Mason, and Jake came in, loaded with their luggage. Nix shot Mason an annoyed look that I'd have to ask her about later. Now that everyone was here, I distributed the credit cards. "They all have a ten thousand dollar limit, but please don't do too crazy. I told my parents we were going on a little trip and I don't want them to get too suspicious."

They all gave a mumbled "okay" then left the room silent.

"Attention all students: please head to the main courtyard for Headmistress Lilith Goodman's farewell party. We will begin in five minutes."

"Alright guys, the coast is clear," Maggie said from the window. "Let's get this show on the road. Literally."

Six kids sneaking across campus carrying twelve bags and a potted plant wasn't exactly inconspicuous, but we'd already plotted an obscure path. Jake took the lead because apparently he hiked that was every Sunday. I don't know how he ever found his way out; we were blocked by trees so thick I could barely see the moon light. For a minute, I was convinced that he'd gotten us completely lost, but then I spotted the student parking lot.

"There it is," Aaron pointed to a shiny blood red, four doored truck.

"Wow," Mason gasped. I rolled my eyes. Boys and their cars.

We threw everything into the trunk, and piled inside. I ended up in the passenger seat with
Aaron driving and Maggie in the middle.

"Alright, here we go," Aaron said more to himself than to us. He let Maggie control the radio, so we were stuck listening to a 90's pop station.

I didn't know how this adventure would pan out or if we would even be successful, but that didn't stop the fluttering of excitement in my stomach as I watched the school disappear into the night.

"Attention all students: Headmistress Lilith Goodman's farewell party will now begin."