Nina, Fabian, Patricia, Eddie, Joy, and Jerome had gone back to the school for their mentoring jobs on Monday morning. They talked low voices to eachother, not knowing if Mr. Perry replaced the cameras that Eddie had shut down.
"We should go to the warehouse today," Joy suggested. "And I know that we planned on spying over the course of a few days, but if we get a free opportunity today, we should take it."
"But-" Fabian tried to retaliate.
"-Joy's right," Nina agreed. "We don't have time to waste so-"
She stopped in the middle of her sentence as the six of them rounded the corner and saw a ladder, a technician, and the camera being removed entirely. Mr. Perry was watching, standing right beside the ladder.
"What's going on?" Patricia asked.
"All the cameras are being removed," Mr. Perry explained with a piercing stare. "Since some...prankster shut them down, there's no use re-installing everything."
"Kids, right?" Eddie smirked.
Mr. Perry loosened his tie and cleared his throat. As the others looked at him for a while, they noticed he looked as though he'd been losing sleep. His demeanor was very exhausted as well as his features.
"Get to work!" he snarled at them.
Eddie, Patricia, Fabian, Nina, Joy, and Jerome made their way past him and the ladder, keeping their thoughts in their heads instead of verbally expressing them. But they all knew they were thinking the same things.
They all split up eventually, Joy and Jerome staying together and just walking around. Jerome took a deep breath before he began talking.
"So, those secrets we both have," he began, "in the case that I actually were to tell you what I was hiding, would you judge me? Like, would you think I'm a bad person if I did a bad thing? I mean, it's not really me whose done it, but still I feel guilty for taking part in it. Though I'm not allowed to tell anyone, and still...I should. I really should."
"Jerome, are you being threatened?" Joy asked.
Jerome remained silent.
"Who's threatening you?!" Joy yell-whispered, instinctively placing her hand on Jerome's arm.
Jerome swallowed.
"Jerome, if you're in danger, you need to get help. Like, the police or something."
"The police can't help," Jerome refused. "He has information against me too. I'd just be setting myself up for arrest too."
"Why would you go to jail?"
"The kind of place I'm talking about is not jail. But I've said too much anyway." Jerome sped away from Joy, regretful he even put himself into that situation.
Joy stopped walking and just tilted her head, questioning Jerome in her mind. What he just told her made her even more curious to discover everything. And she knew she'd find out somehow...
Meanwhile, from inside a classroom that was absent of an actual class, Vera stood to the side of the door, listening outside to Jerome and Joy's conversation. She knew the secrets of Jerome already. It'd be a shame if she used it to her advantage.
~~~~~
After the school day ended, the six gathered up and hurried straight towards Alfie's location, following Joy the entire way. They were eager to get him back before anything bad happened to him. They ran through the woods until they made it to the clearing and followed Joy straight to the boarded up hole.
Joy peered inside to see if anyone was there, but it was only Alfie, tied up and asleep.
"Alfie!" Joy whispered frantically. "Alfie!"
"Why are you whispering?" Patricia asked. "No one else is here. Alfie, wake the heck up!"
Alfie let out a final snore and looked up and around himself. He happened to be really confused about the sound that sounded oddly similar to Patricia's voice.
"We're out here doofus!" Patricia exclaimed, catching Alfie's attention.
She pulled out a hammer from her purse and proceeded to break the boards.
"You actually brought a hammer?" Nina asked.
"Well how else will we break through?" Patricia defended. "Be glad we aren't going with my first idea."
"Which was?..." Fabian trailed, eager for a response.
"All of us picking up Eddie and using his head to bust through."
Eddie gripped his head as Joy muttered, "How nice."
"You could've at least chosen Jerome!" Eddie yelled. "He has enough poofy hair to protect his head."
"Poofy hair means nothing when you're getting your head jammed into wood!" Jerome defended.
Patricia just rolled her eyes and actually began breaking through. It took her no time as the others cheered her on, including Alfie. Eddie and Jerome helped Joy up to climb through and she got in. Before untying Alfie, she went to the door and unlocked it for the others who came in as well.
Patricia pulled out a knife for her purse.
"Patricia, you do know these things aren't even legal to take in a school, right?" Jerome ensured.
"Oh, shut up." She went over and cut Alfie out of all the ropes.
"I'm free! I'm free!" Alfie stood up and lifted his arms but immediately fell down onto his face after getting up.
"Are you ok?" Nina asked.
Alfie slowly lifted himself back up. "Yeah. Just haven't used my legs in a long time. I'm good."
They saw how Alfie wobbled a bit back up on his feet.
"Here, just lean on me," Fabian offered. Alfie gladly accept Fabian's shoulder to balance with.
They were about to head out, but Victor showed up in the doorway. Eddie was confused because that text he received before, he was sure it was from Daniel, but what if it had been from Victor? What would Victor want?
Eddie tensed up, anticipating what would actually happen, but he wasn't the only one who did. Jerome was tensed up as well, remembering his last meeting with Victor and how he advised Victor to tell his friends what he knew. Whatever would happen in this moment though, was unclear to anyone.
"I have something to tell you all, and Jerome, you might want to help me explain," Victor told them.
Jerome felt eyes on him as well and was embarrassed Victor had blown the cover he was trying to keep about his innocence.
~~~~~
When was the last time I uploaded a chapter? Feels like forever, and I apologize. I've still been really busy with exams, and life, and stressful crap that I just don't want to deal with, but I have to. Why does life have to be so hard?
But anyway...
When Jerome was talking about being locked up, what could he mean other than jail?
Do you think Jerome will help Victor explain everything, whatever that may be?
Until next time, Aristocrats!