I was simply his daughter’s teacher. I didn’t care about how his powerful jaw flexed every time he glanced at me or how those blue eyes seemed to hold judgment. Instead, I was happyhe smiled genuinely at his daughter every single day and said in a clipped tone, “Always a pleasure, Ms. Darling.”
Truly, I didn’t believe it was a pleasure for him to see me at all. And from those chilling glances, I would guess he’d hate any sort of game.
“He also doesn’t like bad guys,” Franny continued. She was right about that. With the love he showed his daughter, he’d despise any bad guys coming her way.
“It’s just a game we planned, Franny.”
“He didn’t tell me about it. I would have brought my binoculars,” she pouted. It was the one game Franny really enjoyed like a kid. She’d pretend to be a spy, observing things in the distance with her binoculars some days.
“Well, today, he’s the spy. He knows to find you right away, okay?” Archer said in a soft voice he used only for the kids.
I’d gotten to know the guards this summer, saw how they played with the children and how they talked with the parents. They were sweet and trustworthy, but when I glanced behind me one last time, I saw Xavier pulling an enormous gun from behind his back. I knew they always carried them but didn’t pay much attention after the first day because things didn’t go wrong here. This couldn’t really be happening.
The first bullet whizzed by, precise and powerful in the air, like a knife cutting through the wind. One of the arched windows shattered just a room over as my heart rate skyrocketed.
Darting into the great hall, Archer slammed the door behind us right as Franny cried out, “What was that?”
He was speaking in his comms while pointing across the room. I felt my breath coming faster and my body starting to shake. But Franny’s hand squeezed mine tighter. I knew she’d see panic if I didn’t contain myself. I took a breath again and said, “Part of the bad guys coming in the game. They’re just trying to scare us. Ready to hide? There will be a prize later if you win!”
“This way. Let’s hustle. Your dad is almost here, Franny,” Archer said, giving me a small nod as I glanced back at him. He motioned us to the right, where we ended up in the formal living room that boasted wood floors, cathedral ceilings, and paintings over the fireplace that I knew were expensive. With the vast amount of space, I’d always felt overwhelmed with how to utilize it. Now, all I could do was seek out where to hide.
Every day, I’d bring students in here to read to them while they sat on the ornate Persian rug, drinking homemade lemonade. There was a grand piano and a fireplace, but nowhere to hide. Not until Archer rushed forward and yanked the rug back. He knelt and dragged his hand across the wood, where he found a groove. When he pulled at it, the boards swung up together like a small door, but the underside of them had a lining of pure, thick metal. It was a sort of small panic room.
Never had they shown me this feature of the academy. Shouldn’t I have been trained for this, given a warning about the likelihood of it happening while I was teaching, or maybe tipped off that my children’s lives were at stake? I would have prepared. Or at least tried to.
When I took the job, they had glossed over emergency procedures. I was only told that there would always be guards as a precaution and that they would be up to date on all mandatory protocols. I could rely on them in case of an emergency. With a substantial salary and their protection, I didn’t ask questions and reassured myself that we were safe, that nothing life-threatening would actually happen, even when the children made comments about their parents doing extremely secretive things.
He waved us in. “Fun, right, Franny?”
The small room was lined with metal, and nice oak chairs along with a table were set up a ways in. Six chairs, like they’d planned for me and five children specifically. There were alsotablets with headphones and snacks. He pointed. “Want to watch your favorite show while you wait for your dad?”
She hesitated and looked to me. “Heart-in-pinkie promise it’s all okay?”
There are pivotal moments where a person has to make life-altering decisions. They’re made after analyzing every single aspect or in a split second, based solely on a gut reaction. Right then and there, I knew Franny was a kid who could read a situation better than most, and she didn’t trust easily.
Throughout this month, we’d built a bond deeper than I had with the other students. It may have been partly because she stuck by my side most of the day, but also, she’d told me once that promises were easily broken, so she didn’t believe in them. When I told her I put my whole heart into promises when I kissed my pinkie and she could count on that, she didn’t seem to believe at first.
Yet, trust is built one promise at a time. And every heart-in-pinkie promise I made her, I kept.
Promise by promise, our bond was formed, and I wouldn’t break it now.
My gut made the decision for me then. “Heart-in-pinkie promise, Franny. It’s all okay.” I would have to make sure of it, even if it literally killed me.
My little student was all smiles as Archer put her headphones on and pressed a few buttons. Once she was situated, he pointed to the wall of monitors. “Watch these. There’s a lock on the door. When I swing it shut, turn it and don’t move it for anyone but Jameson. You understand?”
“Should we call the police or …? What if Jameson doesn’t make it?” It was the only thing I could think of.
The popping of bullets flying sounded nearby. Not just one, but so many this time. Hundreds over and over so fast, like mybeating heart. “He’ll make it. Just stay here.” He was backing away.
“But you’re leaving? You can’t stay in here with us?” I said fast, sounding pathetic as I glanced between him and Franny. How could I protect her by myself? I didn’t have a weapon or even know how to use one. I was a teacher, not a trained assassin.
“I have to get outside to hold them off. Jameson and his crew are five minutes out.” He was looking at Franny and then I was looking at her, too. She was smiling at the show, completely unfazed.
“Five minutes?” I squeaked. That felt like a lifetime. But I could do it. Would have to do it.
His face was grim. “You’ll be okay. Reinforcements are coming.”
I cleared my throat and tried to take one breath slowly so that I didn’t scream accusations at him. I smoothed the worn fabric of my dress and nodded. “Right. We’ll be fine. Just hurry.”
