Returning to class at Seattle Secondary is like visiting a foreign country I used to live in. For one intense summer, this was my whole world. My world is much bigger now.
Inside the Costumes and Makeup classroom, Lady Cleo is organizing costumes. We agreed to meet here to avoid raising eyebrows. Even though she and a few other teachers are official supporters of my team, they rarely stop by the Bunker like Leo does. Too many Seattle Secondary teachers slipping into the Lab on a regular basis would definitely be noticed by Crew's team.
"As you suggested, I've quietly been speaking to students about where they stand on how to handle the growing unrest in Seattle," Lady Cleo says in a low, dramatic whisper, clearly enjoying the idea of a clandestine meeting to plot the remaking of our world order.
"Any luck?"
She raises her eyebrows. "Luck has nothing to do with it. Every student with an ounce of moral fiber knows what must be done."
"So how many people did you recruit?"
"All of them," Lady Cleo says with a dramatic flourish. "Every last student remaining in your class has expressed a wish to support our cause, Joan."
Groping blindly for a chair, I sit down. It's been a while since news that surprised me was good. My throat is tight with emotion.
"Of course, a few bad eggs have left our esteemed institution to join Crew's band of ruffians. They are no longer welcome in my class or at this school."
"You kicked them out?"
"With Professor Wilde's support, they were expelled," Lady Cleo announces. "This school is now in full support of you and your team."
"Can Professor Wilde do that?"
Lady Cleo releases a loud, rich laugh. "Certainly. It is a private institution, and he purchased it, with some help from his Evolved friends in public office."
My mind reels with the knowledge that Professor Wilde is more than acting headmaster. He's the owner of this institution. He must have pockets far deeper than any Throwback I've ever heard of to be able to afford it.
"Why is he so interested in this place? A training school for Throwbacks can't be that great of an investment," I muse.
"He understands the importance of creating great art. We are in good hands, now. If I were that man's type, I would bring him to my bed."
Ick.
Reeling Lady Cleo back in, I place my hand on her arm. "Thank you, ma'am. Now we can be more than a bunch of kids huddled underground all the time. We can use the school's equipment, connections... We have a platform for our message."
Her eyes shine. "I knew your clone predecessor, Jo Macson. You are her superior in every way."
Students begin trickling into class, and they eye us.
"May I have permission to use your class to speak to everyone?"
Lady Cleo cocks her head. "At the end of this time of crisis, everyone here will still need a skill to fall back on to earn a living. My class remains essential for that purpose, and Professor Wilde agrees. However, I will reserve fifteen minutes at the end of class for you to speak your piece."
It's an effort to contain my frustration. Lady Cleo turns away from me to adjust the lighting in the room, but not before I catch the wry smile on her lips. She's aware that I planned to skip her three-hour lecture after talking to the students. She and Professor Wilde are probably in cahoots to keep me from skipping too many classes.
I take a seat next to Alison and focus on Lady Cleo's lecture. Almost against my will, her lively discussion on how to use color to underscore your message has me taking notes on my tablet. The next time Lexi insists that we speak together, I'll wear pink accents to subtly emphasize my sincerity.
After an in-class exercise putting together outfits for various events, Lady Cleo quiets the room.
"Everyone here knows that I am not one to stand idly by watching the world burn. Which is why I have thrown my support behind Joan and her team. We need brains and integrity to make a positive change in the world, and to rid Seattle of Crew's menace."
"Thank—"
Lady Cleo isn't finished. "It is time to reach within yourselves and bring the best parts of you to the effort to make a change. I believe that you bring more than your beauty and fashion sense. You have courage, brilliance, and stamina. Let's use it!"
Lady Cleo clearly expects applause, and she gets it. Maybe I could learn a thing or two from the way she inspires her students. She gives me a nod, permission to speak.
"At the beginning of last summer, I thought I had you all pegged," I admit. "Beautiful, talented, sure, but helpless. Bubble-headed stars at best, victims at worst. Now I know better. You've stood at my side and faced violence with courage. I understand now how lucky I am that you want to lend your gifts to our fight."
"I hope you aren't about to tell us how we can rally people to your cause using our famous faces," Alison says sternly.
"Shut up and let her finish," Liam says.
I grin at both of them. "That would be a monumental waste. You all know your own skills better than I do, and it's up to you to decide how to use them. I'm here to ask you to visit our headquarters. It's underground, damp, and has housed more than one rat, but the tech we have down there is top-notch, and we desperately need new ideas."
"Show us," Tupac says.
Lady Cleo nods, and I lead the class down into the Lab through the trapdoor in Crew's stage. My classmates are wide-eyed at this mysterious underground world that was under their noses for the past six months.
They bunch together inside the maze of tunnels, and more than one pair of eyes widens at the sight of the door to the Bunker.
"This is out of a vid," John whispers.
"The door has been keyed to all of your voices, so you can gain entry whenever you need. If you feel unsafe on the outside, we have bunks in the back where you can sleep."
"Hell, no," Alison whispers to Tupac loud enough for me to hear.
They all get quiet when they step inside. The room is alive with activity, as it usually is at this time of day. Marie raises her head and gives a wave from where she's marking hot spots on a map of the city.
Justus and Kat are deep in their research on the tablets at the back of the room, but Sun steps forward, his keen gaze approving at the sight of our new recruits.
"I'm working with a lawyer on a case that we hope will go to the highest court in the state," Sun says to the group. "I'd love to have someone on the team who can coach our witnesses on how to heighten their appeal when they face the judge."
Sun's words break the tension, as he probably intended. Slowly, the acting students from Seattle Secondary mix with the rest of my team. My shoulders relax.
Harriet appears in one of the doorways to the main room and waves me over.
"Well done," she says, surveying our new recruits. "I could use some help too."
"Of course. With what?"
"Let me show you," Harriet says, pulling me deeper into the Bunker. "And I should warn you, Justus hates my plan."
The newest room hewn into our Bunker is the largest one yet. The construction was supervised by Anna, my Movement teacher at Seattle Secondary. She said we needed to train our bodies while we honed our strategy.
She sweet-talked several local gyms into donating a bunch of retro equipment, like punching bags, mats, and ancient weight-lifting machines, and lined all the walls with mirrors. It's low-tech, but she's right about staying in shape.
Usually her gym is pretty empty, since most of us prioritize our mission above our bodies, but today, it's crawling with Lab rats. Mason has a dozen kids practicing martial arts moves on one side of the room. On the other, six kids, including Mav, listen with rapt attention to a lecture by Nic.
"I've recruited instructors to teach them self-defense," Harriet explains. "These kids are determined to help us, and eventually one of them is going to land in trouble. I want them to have a fighting chance of getting away."
Leave it to Harriet to remember to protect the most innocent among us while the rest of our team is absorbed by our war with Crew.
"Thank you, Harriet."
"I think we should accept their help."
My breath catches at her words.
"Hear me out. If these kids are busy on missions that we send them on, they won't be executing their own dangerous plans. Telling them to go to school is not working. Even when the kids go to class for a few hours a day, they have too much free time on their hands, and no adults to corral them. It's up to us to channel that energy."
"I trust you."
"Good. Because I'm already working on a plan to have them infiltrate some of the government buildings in Seattle to get wind of upcoming laws on the ballot. With advance knowledge, we can campaign hard and early on the issues that are important to us."
It feels so good to be of one mind with Harriet again. "It's about time we started planning for our future. Right now, we're putting out fires, but when Crew is out of the picture, we'll need to be aggressive to achieve real change."
"And hiding in government buildings is safer than trawling the streets," Harriet adds.
My eyes drift back to Nic, who is pointing to a spot on his neck and energetically explaining something to Mav. "What's Nic doing here?"
"He's teaching the kids about pressure points on the body, and how to use them to incapacitate an attacker," Harriet says, fighting a grin when Mav slams his elbow into Nic's neck, and Nic collapses to the ground.
"On a cosmic level, he definitely deserved that," I say with a smile of my own.
The kids Nic was coaching take a water break, and I take pity on him and offer my hand to help him stand up. He takes it.
"So glad you walked in at this moment, when a ten-year-old kicked my ass, instead of the demonstration where I brought Mason to his knees with a well-timed kick to his back."
"I'm glad I walked in now, too," I say, stifling a laugh. "Humility looks good on you."
Nic brightens at my words. "I'll take that as a compliment, then. Moment salvaged."
"Why are you here, Nic?" I ask, my tone turning serious. "I'm grateful, but your skills are best used in strategy. Couldn't someone else teach the kids self-defense?"
Nic looks at his feet. "I'm doing it for Mav."
"Mav?"
"If he gets hurt, or worse, it would kill you," Nic says, watching Mav get in a water fight with Jin. "He's going to fight for you whether you like it or not, and I want him to be able to protect himself. At first, it was so you wouldn't get your heart broken if something happened to him. But now that I've gotten to know him and the other kids a little, it's also because I can't stand the thought of a single one of them being helpless at the hands of someone like Crew or Officer Boer."
There's a long pause, and in that pause, I make a decision. "All right, Nic. Take me out."
His eyes go round as they meet mine. "A date. You're saying yes?"
I kiss his cheek. "On one condition. You teach me some of what you're teaching these kids too. I want to be able to render you helpless with a well-placed elbow to your neck."
Nic grins. "I'll teach you whatever you want to know. But you'll never need self-defense moves to have me at your mercy."