Neverland Academy (14 page)

***

Back
inside the walls, Daphne waited for Finn at the bottom of the rickety ladder
that led to the upper level. She wanted to go back down to the cellar, but she
couldn’t bring herself to leave him, no matter how confident he was. When she
heard his laughter carried down the ladder, she felt instant relief. But she
also felt regret. She had been so frightened when she ran out of the room that
she’d left all the bottles behind. She’d put herself and Finn in danger, and it
was all for nothing.

“How
did you do that?” she whispered as he descended the ladder.

“I
told you, Daffy. I never get caught.”

Finn
switched on his flashlight and displayed to Daphne the bottle of whiskey he’d
snagged. His eyes sparkled with pride.

“Oh,
thank god!” she cried. “I totally bailed out up there. I’m so sorry, Finn.”

“No
worries. This should be enough for all of us. Plus, the bottle will make an
excellent souvenir.”

“Thank
you, Finn. I’d never have pulled this off without you.” Daphne leaned over and
kissed his cheek gently.

Chapter
Fifteen

A
Kiss to Regret

Finn was revved
up. Though Daphne was
ready to go to sleep at this early hour, Finn convinced her to join him out by
the lake. He had some major adrenaline to burn off and didn’t want to be cooped
up underground all night. He wanted to celebrate with the girl who helped him
pull off this grand stunt.

The
sky over the lake was painted in neon oranges and pinks with the setting sun.
The mirror image reflected in the water intensified the magnificent sunset.
Daphne could hardly take her eyes off it. It was the most beautiful thing she’d
seen in a long time. While the air was cool, it was still somewhat humid and
mosquitoes were making a meal out of Daphne’s arms and legs. Her slaps almost
sounded melodic.

“Here,”
Finn said, as he pulled a can of OFF from the hole in the ground.

“You
really are prepared out here,” Daphne commented. “Sure you don’t mind me
smelling like eucalyptus and DEET?”

“I
can live with it.”

Finn
plopped down on the ground next to Daphne and pulled the cork from the bottle.
He offered it to Daphne first and she took a long swig, the liquid burning as
it descended her throat. As she handed the bottle back, she noticed Finn’s leg
brushed against hers and she felt that warmth zip up her body again. She embraced
it. The two seemed almost inseparable now. Not just physically, but
emotionally. Daphne was growing more comfortable with his closeness now. She
tried to fight her feelings but every day chipped away a little bit of the wall
she’d built around herself. She knew it would end in disaster. She couldn’t
help it. She was falling for Finn.

Daphne
knew Finn had some secrets. He hadn’t told her very much about his past, and
until now, that was okay. But she wanted him to open up. She wanted him to
trust her. Even though she knew he might distance himself, she finally worked
up the nerve to ask him about his name—his
real
name.

“Hey
Finn,” she said shakily. “I heard the headmaster call you Preston. Is that your
real name?”

Finn
remained silent. A wave of tension splashed between them, but Daphne wouldn’t
back down this time.

“Finn?”
Daphne prodded.

He
sighed. “Yes. Preston used to be my name. But I haven’t used it in almost five
years. As far as I’m concerned my parents killed Preston Price. He doesn’t
exist anymore.”

“Do
you ever miss them? Your parents?”

“No,”
he replied tersely. After a short pause he asked, “Do you?”

Daphne
thought for a moment. She liked being here. The freedom. The unfettered fun.
The sheer excitement you only get when you break the rules and escape
discipline. But sometimes, when she was alone, she’d think about the parts of
life she was missing. Going out to the movies with friends. A hot, home cooked
meal made by her mother. Driving around town with the windows down and the wind
gusting through her hair. The musical interlude of city traffic. The way her
father would sing to her, out of tune, on her birthday.

“A
little,” Daphne admitted.

“You’re
not thinking of leaving, are you?”

Finn’s
lime eyes sank into hers and any thought she might have had of leaving melted
away.

“No,
of course not. Not yet anyway. I just miss them a little, that’s all. Besides,
if I went back now I’d probably be grounded for the next year and a half!”

“Good,”
Finn said, placing his hand over hers, “I don’t want you to leave.” Electric
shocks raced up Daphne’s arm and into her chest. There was a fire in his touch
that seemed to ignite something deep inside her. The cooled embers of her heart
were being rekindled. It wasn’t just the excitement of new romance—she’d
never really felt this with Rocks. Not the same way. The feeling excited her,
but frightened her at the same time. She didn’t want to feel this way. She just
wanted to enjoy the last of her teenage years being a kid before she was forced
to grow up. That’s why she came to Neverland Academy. She didn’t need a
relationship. The look in Finn’s eyes deepened, and she knew she must change
the subject quickly. She thrust her face away, staring into the muddy lake
water.

“Did
you decide what to do about Trappe?” she asked.

“Trappe?”

“Yeah,
you know, when you went away this morning? To be alone? I know the bourbon on
the mattress wasn’t the best you could come up with.”

“Oh!”
Finn smacked his head and leaned back on his arms. Daphne was almost sorry that
his hand left hers, but it was for the best. “Yeah, I know exactly what I’m
going to do. I’m going to poison the faculty’s lunch tomorrow.”

“What?
Finn, you can’t do that!”

“Don’t
worry, it won’t kill them. It’ll just make them so sick they’ll be on the
toilet for two days. And the students will be reprieved of going to classes.
Hell, I’ll be a hero to them! Besides, I need to send Trappe a real message.
Something that I know he’ll take seriously.”

“Maybe
you should just let it go, Finn.” Daphne’s mind was back in Trappe’s bedroom.
She remembered how scared she was, not for herself but for Finn. She worried
about what consequence might be in store for both of them if this battle
escalated too quickly.

“Let
it go? Are you crazy?”

“Whatever
you do to them, he’s going to try to do one worse to you and the outcasts. And
me. Finn this is going to get out of control, I can feel it.”

Finn
grabbed Daphne by the shoulders and turned her to face him. He looked hard into
her eyes. “It won’t get out of control. Everything here is always under
my
control, not his. Besides, once you break into his
account and get the evidence we need, it’ll all be over, Daffy.”

Daphne
panicked. How could she get him to stop this insane plan? “What if I’m not here
to do it?”

“What
are you saying? You’ll leave if I don’t give this up? You just told me you
weren’t going to leave.”

“I’m
saying that if I think my brothers or I will be in danger, yes I will leave.”

“Daffy
I would never intentionally put you in danger.”

“What
about tonight, Finn?” Daphne broke out of his grip and stood up. “I understand
the thrill you get out of this. But we’re not all invincible. Trappe had me by
the throat. I couldn’t breathe! Is that not dangerous enough for you?”

Finn’s
expression sank. For once, he could see that Daphne was right. She was in
serious danger tonight. And it was because of him, because he’d let his guard
down.

“I’m
sorry Daffy. That shouldn’t have happened. I was careless.” Finn paused to look
at the rippling water on the lake, streaked with orange and red. He seemed to
be reflecting inward, making a decision. “Look, I won’t let it go. But I can do
something else. Something that won’t hurt any innocents.”

“Like
what?” Daphne asked. Finn stood up, meeting her face to face.

“Shag
has a stash of pot he regularly steals from students. I could plant it in one
of the professors’ rooms and anonymously report it.”

“That
would be hurting the professor,” Daphne chided.

“I
said I wouldn’t hurt
innocents
.
Professor Vermin—he’s a perv. Once, Lily said she caught him peeping into
her room from that big pecan tree outside the house. And when I was a student
here, a lot of the boys in my class were really uncomfortable around him. They
never said anything, but I’m sure he touched them or something. Daffy, he
deserves this. We’ll get rid of him and, as a bonus, the police sirens will
freak out Trappe, sending him the message he needs.”

“Police
sirens?”

Finn
nodded. “Ever since I reported Trappe five years ago he’s had this paranoia
about police. Whenever he hears sirens he clams up and hides, like they are
coming to get him. It’s hilarious, actually, watching him cower in his room. So
what do you think? Will you stay?”

“Okay,”
Daphne conceded. “That seems fair enough.”

Daphne
started to sit back down, but Finn grabbed her hand and yanked her back up. His
other hand cradled the small of her back and tugged her closer.

“Thank
you,” he whispered. Once again, Daphne was mesmerized by his eyes, which seemed
to be glowing with the remnants of the fading sunlight. His onyx hair hung down
in scraps over his forehead and as he closed in on her she could feel them
tickle her own forehead. Despite her attempted resistance, she leaned into him.
She was trapped. There was no escape this time. That fullness in the pit of her
stomach made sure of it. Softly, he brushed his lips against hers, teasing
rather than moving too swiftly. Daphne ached for a kiss more intense, more
passionate. But he held back, savoring the moment with breath-like movements.

Daphne
couldn’t take it any longer. She
needed
him to kiss her. She reached up around the back of Finn’s head and grasped his
hair, pulling him sharply toward her. He did not resist. They fell to the
ground, bits of wild grass scratching their exposed arms. Daphne’s back fell on
top of the bug spray can and she rolled over on top of Finn.  Finn’s hand
slipped under her shirt and traced her spine. She longed to feel this way for
so long. But they were moving too fast. Her back arched up when he reached her
bra strap.

“We
shouldn’t,” Daphne said, once she’d come to grips with herself. Her breath came
in gasps.

“Why
not?” Finn asked. He kissed her neck. “We’re human. It’s natural. And who’s to
stop us? Why should society dictate what we do and what we don’t do?”

“That’s
not what I mean, Finn.” Daphne slid off of him and sat, hugging her knees to
her chest. She wanted this just as badly as he did. But she still had some
rational thought left over from her life before Neverland Academy.

“Then
what?” Finn asked, sitting up and slinging his arm over his knee. Daphne could
feel his stare weighing on her, but she was afraid to look at him. Afraid he
would see what she was really feeling, that she longed for him just as he did
her.

“You
don’t want a relationship. You made that clear when I came here.”

“That’s
right. So what’s the problem?”

“The
problem is, I don’t want to get hurt.”

“Daffy,
I wouldn’t . . . oh. I get it.” Immediately Finn grew distant, like his
consciousness had teleported to another dimension. The air turned instantly
frigid and Finn picked up a rock, hurling it at the lake. They both watched in
awkward silence as the ripples floated out.

“Maybe
we should go,” Daphne murmured. Her emotions had taken a sharp turn and all she
wanted was to be alone.

“You
think you can get back on your own?” Finn asked coldly. “I’m not ready to go
back yet.”

“Yeah,”
Daphne whispered. She climbed to her feet and began to leave. Stopping at the
entrance, she glanced back at Finn. He was still sitting on the grass staring
at the lake as if she weren’t even there. She wondered if she would regret this
night. In a way, she already did. The sun had disappeared now, and the sky
behind Finn’s silhouette was pale with twilight. Even without the light shining
on his face, Daphne could tell he was having some serious cogitation. She wished
she knew what he was really feeling. Did he really have no interest in a
committed relationship? Or had he built his own protective wall, as Daphne had?
One thing she knew for sure, she had to harden her heart if she intended to
remain at the academy any longer.

With
a small flashlight in hand, Daphne looked down at her palm, where she had
retraced Finn’s map every morning, and entered the tunnel.

Chapter
Sixteen

So
Right

When Daphne awoke
the following
morning, Finn was still asleep. A plate with sausage, hash browns, and
scrambled eggs sat on a shelf against the wall next to wadded up tin foil that
held biscuits. Most of the boys had already eaten and there was plenty left for
Finn and Daphne. But she didn’t have much of an appetite.

“Hey,
Daffy,” Hangman called out. Toot, Shag, and Kevin were noticeably missing. Only
Trick and Hangman were in the cellar, lounging on the pillows reading.

“Morning,”
Daphne replied. Her voice sounded like she’d swallowed a spoonful of gravel.

“Late
night, huh?”

“Not
really. At least not for me,” she lied. It took her hours to go to sleep last
night. Her brain just wouldn’t shut up. It worried her that she stayed up so
late, and Finn still hadn’t come back. “Did you talk to Finn?”

“Nope.
I have no idea when he got in, but must have been some time this morning. I
thought you two were together last night.”

“We
were, but I came back early.”

“Did
you get the booze?”

Daphne
froze. She had left Finn with the bottle last night. The way she’d left him,
she didn’t know what state he had been in. She hoped he hadn’t spent all night
drinking it.

“Sort
of. I think Finn has it.” She recounted the details of their heist in Trappe’s
bedroom and how they’d just narrowly escaped him.

“I
guess that explains the marks on your neck,” Hangman remarked. Daphne felt
around her collarbone and winced at the bruise that had developed there. She
hadn’t realized it left a mark. Or maybe Finn had done that. She blushed at the
thought.

“Where’re
the others?” Daphne asked.

“Out
at the lake, taking their weekly bath,” Hangman replied.

“Wanna
join them?” Trick asked with a quiet smirk.

“I’ll
pass. Besides, I need to start decorating for Lily’s party tonight. Any idea
where I can get some crepe paper and balloons?” Daphne asked facetiously.

Hangman
sent a sidelong glance at Trick. “I think we can cook something up. Come with
me.”

***

“Geronimo!”
Toot cried out as he took a long running jump, scooped his knees under his
arms, and plummeted toward the water, his skin as bare as a newborn baby. Three
little piles of clothes gathered in the tall grass at the lake’s edge. As he
surfaced, the two older boys sent wild splashes into his face.

“Stop!”
he yelled, but they wouldn’t let up. They were like the big brothers he
thankfully never had. They didn’t always pick on Toot, though. Sometimes they
really were like family: sticking together when times were rough, helping him
adjust to the outcast boys’ way of life, and letting him participate in pranks.
That was the best part.

Finally,
Toot ducked his head under water. He could see the shadows that were his
friends’ legs faintly through the muddy brown fog. Swimming around behind one
of them—he thought it was Shag, but he wasn’t totally sure because of the
murky water—Toot inserted his foot between the boy’s legs and gave a
quick, upward thrust.

When
he came up for air, Shag was hunched over, listing every swear word Toot had
ever heard, and even a few he hadn’t. Shag lunged at Toot. Toot tried to dodge
him, but the water made his movement too slow, and he was crushed under the
weight of Shag’s hands pressing him down. He struggled, flailing his arms and
legs. The weight lifted off his head and he had just enough time to take a
quick gasp of air before he was shoved under again.

The
next time he came up, Kevin yanked Shag back, throwing him into the water. Toot
fanned his arms back and forth, trying to stay afloat while catching his
breath.

“You
okay, Toot?” Kevin asked. Toot regurgitated some murky water back into the lake
and nodded. “Sorry little man, you know we were just messing with you, right?”

“Yeah,”
Toot said breathlessly. “Whatever.”

“That
teaches you for kicking me in the nads,” Shag said, flipping his hair back.
This was the only time any of the boys would see Shag’s forehead. He almost looked
alien to them.

“Well
you wouldn’t stop splashing me.”

“Yeah?”
Shag said as he bulldozed a wave of water toward Toot. Toot countered the
splash with one of his own. Poor Kevin was stuck in the middle.

“Hey,
you two! Quit it!”

Suddenly
Shag and Toot seemed to forget about their differences and teamed up against
Kevin. Within a minute all three boys were laughing like the best of friends
that they were.

“So
guys, about that party tonight . . .” Shag started, and then twisted his head
from side to side, as if looking for eavesdroppers.

“Yeah?”
Kevin said after a pause. “What about it?”

“I
was thinking about making a move on Daffy.”

“What
kind of move?” Toot asked naively.

Shag
gave him a light shove on the shoulder. “You know, Toot, sometimes I think you really
are too young to be one of us.”

“Shut
up!” Toot shouted.

“But
what about Finn?” Kevin asked, interrupting the little spat.

“What
about Finn?”

“You
know he and Daffy are pretty close. I think there might be something going on
between them already.”

“There’s
nothing
going on between them,” called
out a mousy voice from the tall grass by the tunnel entrance. All three boys
craned to find the source. Belle sauntered out, the skirt of her lemon yellow
sundress ruffling as her hips swayed from side to side, as if trying to seduce
the boys. “Finn doesn’t like Daffy like that.”

“How
do you know?” Shag asked, oblivious to the fact that she was quickly
approaching his pile of crumpled–up clothes.

“Because
he told me. He’s only using her to entrap Uncle Byron. Once he’s done with her,
he’s kicking her out of the club. But hey, if you and Daffy hook up maybe he’ll
let her stay. Who knows?”

“Wait
a minute,” Kevin interrupted. “He told you this? And not us? I don’t know. That
doesn’t sound like Finn.”

“He
only told me because I hate the girl. He knows I wouldn’t tell her. I probably
shouldn’t even be telling you this.”

“So
you think I should go for it?” Shag asked optimistically.

“Absolutely.”
A devilish smile stretched across Belle’s cheeks. She looked down at her feet
where the lump of smelly fabric lay. “Here,” she said as she kicked the clothes
into the lake. They floated on the surface, slowly sucking in the dirty water.
“These need washing.”

***

Trappe
pounded his fist into his desk as if trying to restart a dead heart inside it.
It thundered with each hit and a crack began to form at the corner.

“Smeed!”
he growled, pushing the intercom button. “Get in here!”

He
paced back and forth like a three-legged lion trapped on a zoo island, eying
the spectators with a hungry stare. He had to gain control over the academy. He
wouldn’t let Finn run the show and make him look like a bumbling pigeon who
couldn’t run his own property.

Within
minutes Smeed had stumbled in, nearly tripping over his own feet, which were too
small for his legs anyway.

“Smeed.
We have a problem.”

“I-is
this about the Glenfiddich, sir?”

“The
Glenfiddich,” Trappe closed his eyes and lifted his nose to the ceiling as if
smelling a delicate fine wine. “Did I tell you that was an original 1937 vintage?
Impossible to find anymore. From my own father’s collection. We shared a quaff
while he was on his deathbed. And now it’s gone. Wasted on that damned parasite
and his litter.” Trappe hung his head as he leaned against his desk. “No. It’s
not about the Glenfiddich.”

“Sir?”

“I
need ideas. I need you to brainstorm. There must be a way for us to find him.
Drive him out.”

“Last
night, you said there was a girl with him?” Smeed suggested.

“There
was.”

“And
what was their relationship?”

“How
the hell would I know?”

“Did
they seem close?”

“He
urged her to run away while he remained in the room to distract me. It’s more
than he would do for one of his toadies.”

“Perhaps
she is his weakness.”

“A
girl?” Trappe almost laughed. “Are you suggesting that roach might have
developed some feelings for a
girl
?”

“He
is a teenaged boy, after all. And well past puberty.”

“That
boy’s as obdurate and apathetic as they come. If anything he’s using her for
some purpose. Or was anyway. After last night’s incident she’s bound to be long
gone by now.”

“Is
there anything else you can tell me about last night. Anything he said?
Anything she said? And how did they get away?”

“Come
with me, Smeed.”

Trappe
led Smeed down the hall to his own bedchamber. Trappe usually allowed nobody in
his bedroom. Not even his closest companions. As Smeed gazed in awe at the
grand four poster bed centered in the huge bedroom, Trappe stomped over to the
bureau and shoved it aside, revealing the massive opening Finn had left behind.

“My
word,” Smeed gasped. He hustled over to the gaping hole and peered into the
darkness.

“Don’t
even try to enter,” Trappe warned. “It’s much too narrow.”

“How
far does it go?”

“I
don’t know. As it is, my only option seems to be to knock out all the walls
until I reach him. Unless you can come up with a better plan. I sure would hate
to destroy this antebellum era wallpaper.”

“Perhaps
there are more of these, uh, doors. There must be! We know he has accessed
different places in the facility. He couldn’t have possibly come through here
every time.”

“Yes,
but where?” Before Smeed could respond, Trappe answered his own question. “The
library.”

***

The
grid of bookcases towered over the men like an enormous tic-tac-toe board.
Morning sunlight poured in through the east windows, highlighting the dust
motes stirred up from Trappe’s hands brushing across the shelves. He was like a
kid on an Easter egg hunt. Only his treasure was much more valuable to him than
a chocolate bunny.

He
wondered if there was some specific book that, if pulled, would reveal a hidden
door behind a bookcase, just as he’d seen in many movies. He really never spent
much time in the library, even when he was a boy. If he wanted a book, he’d
have Smeed or some other assistant fetch it for him so he didn’t have to be
near those irritating students.

Trappe’s
hands glided along every crease and crevice of the bookshelves. Every time he
thought he’d found something it turned out to be no more than a narrow space
between the boards.

“Find
anything yet?” Trappe asked.

Smeed
worked along another side of the room, where bookcases stood perpendicular to
the wall. He, too, searched thoroughly, but found nothing.

“No,
sir. Perhaps there’s not an entrance in here.”

“There
is,” Trappe declared. “The way he appeared in here all those years ago. And
then simply vanished.”

“He
could have closed it up, for fear that you may have spotted it.”

Trappe’s
lips pressed together in a hard line as he contemplated Smeed’s idea.

“No.
That boy likes taking risks. He lives for it. Keep searching.”

An
odd sound began to ring in Trappe’s ears. It was just his nerves, he told
himself. He was on edge from his recent transgressions with Finn. The sound
couldn’t possibly be real. He was just imagining it. But it seemed to intensify
as if somebody was slowly turning the volume up. The variation of low to high
pitch caused his heart to panic every time it reached the climax of its song.
His arms began to prickle as his hair stood on end.

“Sir?”
Smeed called out.

Trappe
sucked in his breath and bounced back in alarm.

“Please
tell me I’m hearing things,” Trappe muttered.

“Sir,
there’re two police cars in the driveway.”

***

“Toilet
paper? Seriously?”

Daphne
crinkled her nose and pinched a strip from the roll as if it had already been
used.

“Sure,”
Hangman said, beaming. “It’s really not all that different from crepe paper.
And it’s free and easily accessible.”

“But
it’s white. Who has white decorations at a birthday party?”

“Don’t
worry about that. Kevin’s working on something to spice up the color in here.”
Hangman reached into the box he had brought to the cellar and pulled out a roll
of brown paper towels, also presumably stolen from one of the boy’s restrooms.

“And
what are we going to do with that?” Daphne asked, looking more frustrated than
ever.

“Maybe
you can make a banner? I don’t know. You’re a girl. You’re supposed to be
creative and crafty, right?”

“Seriously?”
Daphne narrowed her eyes at him.

“Uh,
we’ll figure something out.” Hangman set the roll to the side of the box and
reached back in. This time his hands came out grasping some scissors, tape, and
a roll of twine.

Daphne
smiled. “I think I have an idea. Can you get some paint?”

“No
problem,” Hangman replied as a sly grin spread over his face.

***