Compulsion - The Greenhouse Academy

27: "T h e y' r e W o r k i n g f o r J u d y"

Jackie shook her head. "No, no I won't let you. If you're in trouble, Ad, let me help."

"I think we need to involve an adult," Max spoke up. "You - you can show this video to Louis, Ad! Surely he'll believe you if he sees this."

Adalynn shook her head. "I still don't have enough proof. I could be expelled for accusing Judy of something so drastic."

"Isn't the fact that the satellite is offline and now unreachable proof enough?" Ethan questioned.

"Louis adores Judy," Adalynn told him. "He'll never believe us. He'll think we set this up as a joke. I can't risk exposing that I know all of this information. Not yet. We don't know how far this could go. I - I might be killed or worse."

Ethan pursed his lips together. His face had gone deathly white. "Adi ..." he began softly. "How - how did you get this video?"

Adalynn froze. "I - I ..."

"You're the one who attached that pocket cam to my jacket, didn't you?"

She gazed at him for a minute before breaking it and glancing towards the ground. She swallowed hard. "Y-yeahh ..."

"You never needed that cam for a school project!" Max exclaimed, horrified. "You - you still think Ethan's involved in this somehow, don't you?"

"NO!" Adalynn was quick to reply. "No, I don't ... I - I just needed more information; this was the only way to get it."

"Yeah, but now you know that you're in big trouble, Adalynn," Ethan gritted his teeth. "You won't stop with this, will you? You could get yourself blooming killed! That wasn't the plan!"

"Jackie, c'mon!" Max urged her. "Say something. Tell Adalynn she's wrong and that she needs to drop this."

Jackie paused before looking up at Adalynn. "No. I won't. Because she's right. We need more proof and that's exactly what we're gonna get."

"Look, I'm sorry but I refuse to involve myself in this anymore!" Ethan lifted his hands in the air. "If something sinister is really going on, I, for one, am NOT going to be caught in the middle of it. Suit yourselves but Max and I are officially withdrawing from the ROP."

Jackie stiffened up. "Whatever. Just go."

Adalynn's eyes narrowed dangerously as she watched Ethan and Max scramble back down the ladder. She heard their footsteps plodding across the wooden floorboards below. A door opened and closed and the two girls were left alone in a deathly silence.

"Thanks for sticking up for me, Jackie," Adalynn spoke up softly.

"It's fine. I - I'm sorry for being such an asshole. I - I didn't realise that you were actually trying to help."

"Don't mention it, Jackie. We - we'd better go though before someone realises we're missing."

"Agreed."

"So, now what?" Adalynn asked.

"Now, we go to the cliffs."

"Are you ready?" Jackie's urgent whisper cut through the darkness of the Academy as she leaned over Adalynn's still form and shook her awake. "C'mon, Ad, you weren't supposed to fall asleep!"