12. Encre
Ink
August came with cold winds and light rain.
This was especially frustrating when Alice and the rest of the Year Twelve students were forced to wait outside of the Great Hall, fifteen minutes early for every trial paper. Alice shivered, pulling her scarf tighter around her neck. Her hair was getting wet, and she knew it would frizz up if they didn't go inside soon.
Week one had come and gone, and with English, chemistry, and maths out of the way, she was beginning to feel a lot less stressed. The start of week two brought her business exam, which Alice found easier than the practice papers she'd completed anyway, and then a religion test full of all the content she'd found most confusing.
All she had left was a legal studies test, and then she could relax.
Heather stood beside her, tapping on her phone as the rest of the students crammed in the last of their notes. They'd attempted to tuck themselves as close to the doors as possible, hoping for some shelter from the rain and to be the first ones in when they opened.
Around them, the remainder of the class began to join the crowd. She spotted a white-blond head of hair bobbing at the back of the crowd and knew it was Finn.
"Is he still bothering you?"
Alice started, having momentarily forgotten that Heather was there. They hadn't spoken a word other than greeting each other ten minutes ago.
Alice turned to her. "What? Who?"
"Finn Cauley, of course," Heather replied. She met Alice's eye. "Who did you think I was talking about?"
"No one," Alice said quickly. She hadn't spoken to him in weeks. "I mean, no. No. He's been quite distant lately, hasn't he?"
Heather shrugged, turning back to her phone as Alice continued to watch Cauley from afar. Trials were always a hectic time. Students were preoccupied with studying and preparing for exams, and if it wasn't that, then they were busy thinking about the Debutante coming up, or graduation.
These were their final months together as a grade—as high school students. The air buzzed in the hallways, an equal mixture of excitement and anxiety.
Finn had faded into the bustle of the student population. He hadn't attempted to talk to her since their run in at her house, and she had stopped noticing him in the hallways.
Things were returning to normal.
Suddenly, Finn's head turned, and his eyes landed on Alice. She warmed, quickly looking back down at her notes. Things were just starting to go back to normal. She needed to forget about Cauley.
She turned to Heather, attempting to focus on the brown-haired girl beside her.
"Not nervous?" Alice asked. Heather blinked, turning to meet her eye.
"Nervous? What would I be nervous about?"
Alice paused, as if waiting for the punchline of a joke. When it didn't come, she nodded towards the school building. "For the legal exam?"
"Oh," she said. She shrugged, pocketing her phone and brushing drops of rain from her plaid skirt. "Not really. I was raised on this crap. It's just another day for me, really."
Alice had forgotten her parents were lawyers. She sighed, folding her papers, and shoving them into her backpack, officially giving up on cramming.
"I'm jealous," Alice teased. "I don't know why, but memorising quotes for English or religion is so much easier than memorising cases for legal."
Heather shrugged again. "I thought you were good at everything."
Alice snorted. "Good at everything? Why would you think that?"
"Why?" she echoed, chuckling. "Well, because you're a Travers, obviously. It's in your genes."
Alice's smile slipped and she glanced away. "Right. Obviously. I guess I just missed out on the 'good at legal studies' gene."
Heather laughed nasally and nudged Alice with her elbow. "Come on, Alice. You'll do great. Nothing to worry about."
Alice met her eyes and felt a smile pull at her lips. "Thanks. You will too. It's just these stupid case studies."
Heather paused, then swung her backpack over her shoulder. She grabbed a booklet, stapled in the corner, and pressed it into Alice's hands.
"Here," she said.
Alice blinked, looking down at the pages. They were printed notes filled with case studies, written in brief dot points—much better organised than Alice's were.
"We've still got ten minutes before the actual start time," Heather said.
Alice stared speechlessly at her. She wished she'd asked Heather for these notes weeks ago, but she was right. They had ten minutes left, and she wouldn't waste them.
"Thanks, Heather," she said, and then filled the booklet open, beginning to read through the pages. Heather turned back to her phone, and ten minutes later, right on cue, she heard the voices of teachers approaching through the thick wooden doors.
Alice's heart leapt into her throat and she turned to Heather with a panicked look.
Beside them, the door creaked open, and Alice could hear the shuffling shoes of their Headmaster. She quickly took Heather's hand into hers and squeezed it.
"Good luck," she whispered. "Let's get this over and done with, shall we?"
Heather nodded, squeezing back. "Good luck."
The pair turned to the entrance where their Headmaster was grumbling about the rain. He paused, papers clutched in his hands, and looked about at the students watching him. He cleared his throat, nodding.
"Alright," he said, stepping aside. "Everyone inside now."
***
Alice sighed, stretching her arms high above her head. Beside her, Emily was giggling, sipping from a steaming takeaway cup of hot chocolate.
The best part about trials was having no classes for the rest of the day when your exams were finished. It had become a sort of tradition at Sierra Grammar for students to hang out in the newer library on the edge of campus during this time.
Unlike the old library, this one had been decked out with beanbags and a hot chocolate machine. And since every other student was in class, the remaining Year Twelves were able to be as loud and disruptive as possible.
"I'm just so glad it's all over," Alice said, grinning, sinking deeper into her beanbag.
"Right?" Emily agreed. "Good riddance, trials! Now all we have left are the actual HSC exams. But before that..."
"Oh, don't get me started," Alice teased, rolling her eyes. Emily leaned forward to slap Alice's knee.
"Shut up, Alice! The Debutante will be fun!" she exclaimed. "I mean, think about it. Cute boys? Cakes? Champagne? It's going to be great."
Alice smiled politely and nodded, although she felt tired just thinking about it. She'd rather curl up on her bed the entire night. Maybe sleep in past sunrise for once.
"And then we graduate," Emily continued, grinning. "I'm so excited. I can't believe high school went by so quickly."
Alice nodded again. She didn't know how to reply to that. High school had not gone quickly for Alice. It had droned on for as long as humanly possible, filled with more classes and activities than she could have imagined.
And yet, she didn't want to graduate.
Graduating meant beginning her future. The future that had been laid out for her by her parents before she was even born. It felt like after she graduated, the little life she'd had left for herself would be gone, owned by her parents, and then eventually, her husband. A puppet on strings.
"So, how are we celebrating?" Emily asked. Alice looked up to see her best friend grinning at her, a glimmer in her eye. "Should we go clubbing?"
Alice laughed. "Oh, for sure. Clubbing. Getting drunk. All of the above."
"It's a date!"
The pair burst into laughter. As much as they joked about it, it would never be possible. Not even Emily's parents would allow her to step foot into a place as disagreeable as a club, much less Alice's parents. And getting drunk, especially in public, would probably lead to Alice either being disowned or shipped off to Paris. She didn't want to find out which.
A buzzing sound made Alice jump and she turned to find Emily's phone suddenly buzzing like crazy. Her heart slowed. She'd thought for a second that it was her own phone—that the messages...
Emily grabbed her phone, unlocking the screen. She paused, her eyes drifting from end to end. And then she smiled, her teeth biting down onto her lower lip.
"Who is it?" Alice asked.
Emily blinked, looking up. "Huh?"
"Who's texting you like that? Is it an emergency?"
Emily blinked again. Then, snapping out of her daze, she shook her head, quickly throwing back the last of her hot chocolate and standing.
"Nothing important," she said, heaving her backpack onto her shoulder. "Just my mum. She wants me to get home now."
"Oh," Alice said. She stood to meet Emily. "Okay."
"Yeah. I might be in trouble again, who knows," Emily continued. She bustled about, pocketing her phone, and picking up her pens from the floor. "I'll call you later though. Are you doing anything tonight?"
Alice shook her head. "Theo still has exams left and I have French tutoring in a few hours. I'll probably just work on my chem project with Julia over call or something."
"Alright, well. I'll see you later?"
Alice nodded, smiling at her friend. "See you later."
With that, Emily turned, making her way out of the library. Alice watched her for a moment. Then, she turned to make her own way towards the North Block.
She'd dumped her bag into her locker after their exam, not wanting to even think about the notes that were stuffed inside, waiting for her. She wished she could throw them out and never look at them again, but they still had the HSC exams coming up soon and she'd need them then.
The air was cold when she stepped out of the library and goosebumps raised across her arms. She pulled on her scarf and sped across campus, ducking through buildings where she could to avoid the harsh wind.
It was a relief when she stepped foot inside the North Block, sheltered from the cold air and light rain. She brushed the drops of water off her clothes and tugged on her hair, hoping it hadn't started to frizz up too much.
Luckily, the hallways were empty, so she didn't have to pull on a smile and socialise with other students. Her last exam had drained her, and she wished she could go home and have a long nap—except she had French tutoring, and then her parents had scheduled for her to play some light tennis with their colleague's children. To Alice, it felt more like babysitting. To her parents, it was networking.
Despite her exhaustion, her back remained straight as she walked down the hall, her shoes squeaking on the stone floor until she reached her locker. She entered the combination and ripped it open, immediately grabbing her bag and slinging it onto her shoulder.
If she left now, maybe she'd have time to fit in a quick nap before her evening began.
As she closed her locker, her hopes were crushed. Finn Cauley was walking towards her, his eyes narrowed and sharp, trained on her as he blocked her only escape.
She huffed, swinging her backpack to her chest, and beginning to dig through it. Maybe if she seemed busy enough, he'd ignore her. She was wrong.
He came to a stop beside her, leaning onto the lockers next to hers. She didn't look up.
"What do you want, Cauley?" she asked, continuing to rifle through the papers in her bag.
"I'm here for a polite chat, Travers. Got time?"
"Actually, no," she said. She grabbed Heather's legal notes that she'd lent to her. The perfect opportunity to leave. She waved the booklet in front of Finn. "I've got to return these notes to Heather before she leaves. Have you seen her anywhere? She told me she was going to talk to Mrs B about something..."
Alice turned to leave before he could speak, but Finn was too fast. He reached out, grabbing her wrist. Alice sighed, reluctantly turning back to him. He refused to let go.
"Trials are over, Travers. We need to talk."
"About what?" she asked innocently.
He rolled his eyes. "You know what."
"Oh, that. Well, I thought that was all settled. So, if you'll excuse me—"
"I've figured it out," Finn said. Alice's voice died in her throat. His eyes seemed to zone in on her, realising he'd finally caught her attention. "To use the old library's printers, you need to swipe your library card to log in."
Her lips pressed into a thin line and she looked at him with a kind of annoyed boredom. "I know how the printers work, Cauley."
"Just, listen!" he said, shaking his head. "I tried to find mine after that day but couldn't. I mean, I never used it, so it didn't really worry me. I thought I lost it. I'd forgotten about it until I saw the printer that day. Then, I thought, maybe I lost it, and someone picked it up. A crime of opportunity, if you will. But then I realised."
"Where is this going, Cauley?"
"Don't you get it?" He was beginning to grow excited, like a detective who had cracked a decades old case. "It was stolen, Travers."
"Stolen?" she repeated, incredulously. "Right. And who exactly stole this card of yours?"
"One of your friends, obviously."
Alice groaned. She attempted to turn again but Finn held her wrist tight.
"Not this again," she said, frowning. "Finn, you have to move on. You were caught. You failed. Get over it."
"I'm not lying!" he exclaimed, stepping closer.
"What evidence do you have that one of my friends stole your library card just to frame you, on the off chance that I might possibly check the library printers that day, huh?"
"Look, all I know is that I used to keep my library card in the front zipper of my backpack. Think about it. What classes do we leave our bags in a separate room, unattended?"
Alice frowned. "I don't know. Like, every lab?"
"Exactly! And who are in the same labs as us?"
"Half of our grade, Cauley," she replied. She sighed, rolling her eyes. "This is starting to get annoying. Let me go, Finn. This isn't really evidence. You're beginning to sound crazy."
"I just know it, Travers. You don't see it. You're in too deep. But I can just tell. The way they look at me—"
"You're so egocentric, Cauley!" Alice exclaimed. She shook her head, tugging her arm away from him but he refused to release her. "Really! Not everything is about you!"
"I'm not kidding! You think I would lie about something like this? About—About something about you?"
"It never stopped you in the past," she seethed. She pulled her arm back before whacking it against his chest, his fingers still around her wrist, Heather's legal notes wrinkling with the movement.
"Why won't you just think for one stupid second, Travers—" he released her wrist with a heavy push, forcing her a step back. "Use your brain! Why would I suggest you to check the printer? Why would I find you in the library after all that? Why would I—"
He paused.
Alice stared at him, indignant. He had officially lost it. Except. His eyes were no longer on her. He was looking at the papers in her hands.
"What are those?" he asked. Something in his voice sent a chill down Alice's spine.
"This?" She lifted the booklet, glancing between it and him. "I told you. They're Heather's notes. She lent them to me just before our legal exam."
He ripped them out of her hands. Alice jumped, watching as he flicked through the pages.
"What the hell?" she sputtered. "Be careful! I was only borrowing them."
"Heather gave you these?" he asked, looking back at her.
Alice rolled her eyes. "Are you deaf?"
"Yes or no?" He barely let her finish her question. He was closer to her now, staring at her wide wide eyes, searching her face. Alice frowned, scanning the hallways. No one was around. She wondered if she was dreaming.
"Travers," Finn said, his voice low. Alice huffed, facing him.
"God, Cauley. Yes. Heather gave them to me. What's your problem?"
"Look," he said. He held the booklet out, pointing to the bottom of the page. Alice squinted at it. On the bottom left corner, a string of number had been printed.
"What?" Alice asked. "The numbers?"
"Not just any numbers. This is my student number. This is from my library card," he said. He began flicking through the pages again. "Look. It's on every page. And if I'm right..."
He reached the end of the booklet. The final page, which Alice hadn't reached within the ten minutes before the exam. The final page where the footer contained the printer information.
The date. The time. The printer name. And—
"Finn Cauley," Alice whispered, running a finger over the printed ink. She looked up to meet Finn's eyes. "But—Why would it have your name?"
"Don't ask stupid questions, Travers," Finn drawled. His lips twitched at her, the threat of a condescending smirk. "You know why."
She looked back down at the paper. She did know. Alice had been fooled all over again. Except this time, Finn wasn't the culprit.
It was Heather DeSilva.