Behind the Walls. NOVEL By Claire Darcy.

25. You'll Never Understand It. Final.

ACE.

I clenched my teeth and stared straight ahead. The silence of the Cafeteria was overwhelming. And I could feel them watching me. All of them, watching and waiting. I held my head high and marched my way to the table in the very corner of the room. I sat next to Josh and sighed. Frankie looked the other way. I'd been told that before now, the Elites never sat together because they were scared of unwanted attention. I guess they'd gotten tired of the effort.

"You came to dinner, Ace," Josh said, struggling for conversation. Slowly the cafeteria chatter continued, and the awkward atmosphere left.

"Thanks for pointing that out," I smirked.

"You're welcome," Josh shot back.

I sighed and began my meal. I wasn't particularly hungry, to be honest, but eating gave me an excuse not to make conversation. Frankie and I locked eyes for a moment, and she gave a hateful scowl. I pretended not to notice.

When Tyler came in and took a seat next to her, his twin's attitude changed, and she relaxed more. There was a silent bond between Frankie and Tyler that I couldn't seem to understand. Despite their huge differences (not in looks; they were freakishly similar looking) they were connected somehow, on a deep, unbreakable level. It suddenly occurred to me how distant apart my brother and I were, even more so with my sister.

When the conversation moved along, I found the opportunity to ask.

"So..." I asked casually, "You guys say you'd never heard of the Camps until recently. My question is, where could I find the information on them?"

Josh raised a quizzical eyebrow and shrugged. Tyler chewed thoughtfully for a moment, then said, "Building 1 is what you want. Not that you'd be able to get in there, anyway."

"Why not?" I asked. I was pretty sure I could take on a few guards.

Tyler shook his head, "Ace, there's only one possible route to take to get in there, and even then... it'd still be a long shot. Building 1 is a maze inside. Impossible to get through without getting caught. What do you want to know about the Camps, anyway? You know more than we do."

I conceded, "True, true... but I don't know enough. I want distances. I want size and shape- maps. I want to know how to get from Point A to Point B."

Frankie rolled her eyes, "It's a lost cause, Ace. Just drop it."

Tyler agreed with her, surprisingly enough. "Frankie's right. There's only one person who could get in, navigate the place and get out alive. Only one person knows the floor plan."

Tyler and Frankie both got the same distant, mourning look about them. I glanced at Josh. He shrugged, just as confused as I was.

"Who?" I asked. How sensitive of me, right?

"Sebastian Coby River," Tyler said.

"The Accident," Frankie mused.

"I've heard of him," Josh said, "The would-be Alpha."

"The prisoner in Cell Z. Still alive and brilliant as ever."

We all froze at the last voice, turning around to see who had spoken. I smirked when I saw him.

"Andy, what are you talking about?" Tyler demanded of the blue-haired boy.

Andrew Phillips puffed out his chest and smiled triumphantly, slapping a file down on the table. "I told you that my mum would be useful! Look what I found in the Medical storage room!"

Andy's eyes shone with excitement as Tyler grabbed the file and began flicking through it. Andy buzzed like a small child, hopping up and down. Frankie didn't look impressed.