Prank Wars (13 page)

“Just a sec.” I started typing in words. First I tried
Lord Byron
. When that failed, I used his ex-girlfriend’s:
Sandra
. Nope. Apparently he wasn’t that sentimental. I was desperate:
I don’t know
, I wrote. The usual tricks weren’t working. “This is ridiculous,” I shouted.

“Yeah!” Lizzie was trying to pull me from my seat. “Write the stupid note on a napkin or something!”

Tory carried her cell phone like a walkie talkie, barking out orders to the boys downstairs. She dropped the lilac-spring air freshener and it rolled across the ground. She sneezed and readjusted her phone on her chin, still working out negotiations. Lizzie was more of a wreck. “Hurry! Hurry! How are we supposed to get out of here without them seeing us?”

“What’s the magic word?” I asked Byron’s computer. “Please?” I typed it in with a couple of random numbers and waited. To my surprise, a bunch of numbers popped up on the screen like some sort of weird code. My head tilted at it.

“What’s his major—computers?” Tory asked over my shoulder. She plugged the air freshener into the wall like she was casually finishing up morning chores.

“No, it’s…it’s…uh, something to do with geology…I think.” I quickly changed his screensaver to cute little bunnies.

Lizzie glanced out the window at the parking lot. “They’re here. Now what are we supposed to do?”

Thirty seconds until collision.
“Lock the door,” I told Tory. She ran while I wrote a completely stupid and meaningless message into Byron’s computer. She locked the door just as the guys landed against it. It crashed loudly. They fumbled with the doorknob. Tory jerked back, throwing down a welcome mat covered in rainbows. She stepped on it to look through the peephole. “They’re looking for their keys,” she reported.

Lizzie froze next to me. She had never cut things this close before. I was almost done with my message: “
What do you and bunnies have in common?”
I typed.
“Nothing, you’re not cute. You’re not fluffy and no one wants you around at Easter—not you or your peeps.
Good, nice and confusing.

“What’s taking them so long to get in?” Lizzie asked.

“Kali picked their pockets,” I muttered. “They don’t have their keys.” She was the queen of flirtation after all.

I heard fingers running down the same window pane we had used to break inside. Lizzie let out a little shriek. She tugged at my shoulder. “They’ve got us!”

“As if I’d let us get caught.” I grabbed a cushion on my way out of the living room. “Get the other one. Retreat.”

Lizzie’s eyes bugged out. “What? How?”

“Through the back window in the kitchen,” Tory said, cushion in hand. We ran past the fridge and Lizzie followed helplessly. Tory wrestled open the window, still talking through her cell phone to the boys downstairs. “Hands up.” She shoved the cushion through. Lizzie gasped just as I stuffed the other one through. I poked my head after it, seeing that the guys and cushions were nowhere in sight. Perfect. The boys downstairs had nestled comfortably back inside with their video games with the added bonus of a few extra couch cushions to rest under their feet. I made a mental note to bribe them with something more than brownies this time. Lizzie’s cinnamon rolls maybe?

“Okay, it’s our turn,” I told Lizzie. “Through the window.”

She planted her feet, watching me like I was absolutely crazy. “No way. I’m not doing this!”

“There’s another roof to the side. It’s safe. We always get out this way.”

“Sometimes we get in.” Tory informed her with flushed cheeks.

Lizzie shook her head, her long black hair swinging. “I’m sorry. I don’t like heights. Just go without me. I’ll just get caught, okay?” I met Tory’s eyes and our brows furrowed. There was no telling what they would do to her, especially once they saw how beautiful their place looked.

“Go Tory,” I instructed. Tory was already out the window. She landed safely on the neighbor’s roof to the side of us. Lizzie and I listened to the sound of a window scraping open in the guys’ back rooms. They had found their way inside. I tugged Lizzie back into the living room. Her gladiator sandals spanked the back of her heels. The doorknob on the front door turned. I froze. Kali hadn’t stolen all of their keys? Of course not. She had other conquests to make—real ones. Byron pulled through the door just moments before we ducked behind Rock’s drum set. Byron folded a credit card under his fingers, staring at the transformed living room. He knew how to pick a lock? It wasn’t one of those simple ones either. Impressive…but at the same time, disturbing.

One of the twins rushed behind Byron into the kitchen. It was the sweet one, Blake. The other twin came from the back rooms, shaking his head. “What did they do in here?” He didn’t sound pleased. It meant we got the better of them this time. It wasn’t the fact that we trashed the place; it was the fact that we got in and out, undetected.

“They got our cushions!” the other twin shouted, staring out the window. “Hey, there’s that evil redhead!” Tory never allowed herself to be seen. She was using herself as bait to give us a chance to escape. The twins charged outside after her, their arms pumping simultaneously.

Byron was looking at his laptop. It was on the bunny screensaver. “How did she…?” he whispered so softly that I had to strain to hear. But instead of reading the message, he tugged out his iPhone. I saw a bright screensaver over the front. It was a
Ski Utah
one. “Hey, Holly.”

Holly must have picked it up mid-ring. Wait a second, Holly? I didn’t recognize that name. Byron leaned against the door frame next to his newly furnished kitchen, inches from where we hid. I met Lizzie’s eyes, willing her not to make any fast moves. “No, nothing’s wrong.” He chuckled low in his throat. It sounded ominous, well, okay, if I were being objective, it actually sounded mildly attractive…in an ominous way. “Sorry for checking in so late,” he said. Why was he
checking in
with Holly anyway? Unless? Did Byron have a girlfriend? Before I could digest this, he snickered. “Yeah, the usual. It gets pretty hazardous around here.” He ran a shaky hand through his already disheveled dark hair. “No, that’s the problem. I didn’t see her tonight. Something’s wrong.” There was that accent again. I was having trouble identifying it. He listened to whoever was on his line. “You got my message then? Yeah, well, it got into the wrong hands.” He pulled a paper from a pocket and studied it; I recognized it immediately. The threatening note—the s one Kali was supposed to have hidden away. How did he get it?

“I need you to check something for me, will you? Yeah. Tonight if you can.” He kneaded his forehead with his fingertips. “Sure. What do you want me to do?” He sounded whipped, but not exactly lovey-dovey. Maybe he was talking to his mom? Wait. He had called her Holly.
Not his mom.
Byron flipped his phone shut and stared over it at the bunnies prancing across his computer screen. A brief smile flickered over his lips. “Unbelievable.” He stretched like a dangerous cat and headed into the hall for the back rooms. As soon as he turned the corner, Lizzie and I were out the door. The front step creaked loudly under our shoes. Lizzie slammed the door behind us and I shot her a look of disbelief.

“I’m sorry!” she shouted. “Their air conditioning was on! Their bill’s gonna be huge!”

Trust Lizzie to care about those kinds of things. We wove around the dead love tree and dashed into the parking lot. The door scraped open behind us, and I wondered how fast Byron could go when we ran straight into Eric. I stumbled backwards at the impact. “Whoa!” Eric stopped me from falling again. His hands clenched tightly over my arms. “I got you.” He grinned at me and gave me a quick hug, shocking me from the tip of my toes to the ends of my hair. His arms were just as warm and strong as I remembered them. He smelled good too, which was lucky because my nose was smashed against him. “You okay?” he asked.
A little embarrassed maybe.

“Save us!” Lizzie clutched at him. “He’s after us!” I wriggled free from Eric, trying to ignore his amused look.

Eric peered over our heads. “You mean that guy?”

Lizzie and I turned. Byron rested one palm against his front door. His lean silhouette looked dark and forbidding. He treated Eric to a fierce glare, almost as if he had completely forgotten about us, but it didn’t take long for Byron’s gaze to find me. He lifted a brow, not moving from the door. Now that there was someone sane in the picture, there was nothing he could do to us. Those were the rules.

Eric squinted at him. “So, that’s the famous Lord Byron?”

I nodded. “You must be new to the ward, Eric.”

“You could say that.”

“Really? You are?” Lizzie was already recovering from her scare and her politeness had returned. “Where are you living?”

Eric hesitated, digging his hands deep in his pockets and tipping back on his sandals. It was the look of a guy not ready to commit to certain girl visitors. Why? Who was he afraid we’d meet, other girls? He had something to hide and I had somewhere to go. Besides, who knew what sort of trouble Tory had gotten herself into? I turned from Eric and saw a shadow gliding through the alleyway behind the guy’s apartments. I backed into Eric and he let out a pained oof.

“Someone’s over there,” I whispered hoarsely.

He tried to look concerned. “You think it’s one of your friends?”

“Oh yeah.” I felt stupid. The shadow slipped further back into the alleyway. Only one person I knew would be back there. “I guess it’s only Tory.”

“Who?”

“She likes to spring out at us and scare us, but she’s harmless.” I grabbed Lizzie’s arm. We had to catch up to Tory before she caused further mischief. “Well, it was nice seeing you again, Eric. Hopefully we won’t do it again. I mean…hopefully we won’t run into you again…uh...hard.” I left him and sprinted for the alleyway, but jerked to a stop. Lizzie fell back too.

Eric’s fingers were wrapped around my hand. “Hey. Where are you going?”

Why did he care? He was the one who wouldn’t tell me where he lived. “Home,” I said. “You know, a place where people can actually come and pay their respects?” I hesitated, realizing what that sounded like. “That’s not an invitation!”

Judging by his pleased expression, he wasn’t taking me seriously at all. “Why? What did I do?”

I jerked away from him. “I don’t know. You could try telling us where you live for starters.”

“I’m looking into a place right now, so…”

Lizzie directed her huge smile at him. Her face was flushed with adrenaline which made her look even more beautiful, especially since in no way was she dressed in the appropriate prank war attire like I was. I tried not to be jealous. “And we haven’t scared you away yet?” she asked with a giggle.

Eric gave an appreciative laugh. His eyes caught mine. “No, no, I kind of like it.” There was a wicked glint to his expression, and if he had said it any differently, I would’ve called him a creep.

“Well, don’t move into the bunkhouse,” I warned him. “They’re trouble.” And the last thing I needed was for Eric to join the troop. He was much too charming. Even now, I wasn’t sure why he was still talking to us, unless… “Eric, you aren’t a wing man, are you? Uh, right now, I mean?”

He went silent, trying to figure out what I was saying. “No, I’m more of a drumstick man.”

“Me too.” I was glad that he wasn’t mixed up in this. Then I realized what I had told him. “I mean, I’m a drumstick girl…uh, not a man.”

“Got ya.”

I looked behind me. Byron was still watching from the door. I couldn’t see him clearly from here, but I knew he wasn’t pleased. Strangely, the thought made my stomach turn. The twins tromped up the steps to stand beside him. Tory had evaded them again, except—they had their cushions under their arms. I turned on my heel to stare at them in disbelief. Were they magic or had they sold their souls to the devil?

Tory dashed out from the bush to our side, her face red with fury. How had she escaped the alleyway behind us so fast? That girl had wings on her shoes. One look at her and I knew the boys downstairs were gonna get it—and it wouldn’t be Lizzie’s cinnamon rolls…or maybe it would, but it would be smeared all over their gamer faces. Those traitors!

Day 106

2156 hours

“
We had been outwitted by those devils again. I tried to think through the arguing voices and accusing shrieks. There were so many questions left unanswered. So many answers left unquestioned.”

—Madeleine’s War Journal Entry (Tuesday, May 29th).

“There’s an information leak,” Tory cried. She paced the perimeters of the empty apartment next to ours. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they had the place bugged. It was like the twins walked straight downstairs to those gamers like they knew exactly where we stashed the cushions. We have a spy in the ranks!”

Sandra? Kali? She thought the twins were cute, plus she was just in it for the dates, but Kali looked too distraught after her tangle with the boys at ward prayer. Her mouth wasn’t full of chocolate…and she wasn’t taking any pictures. She moved her hands wildly. “Byron knew what we were doing!” she yelled. “I don’t know how he knew. His roommates didn’t know. He just sat on the couch, looking at me like I was an idiot.”