The Nightingale Files : The Rook and Queen Read online

  “No,” I insisted. “I don’t do revenge stories. I do truth.”

  He pretended to drop the mic, and I shook my head.

  We tried to stay longer, but the rain kept falling harder, and my jeans were sticking to me, they were so wet. And with one large strike of lightening that lit up the entire sky, they called off the game.

  We took Felix home, and, as we drove back to our house, my parents asked me about Nate, my safety, Felix, and the mystery I was trying to solve. I talked to them transparently, all the while feeling like my phone was burning a hole in my back pocket. I wanted to see what was on the list, but I hadn’t looked yet for fear that someone else would see it.

  I excused myself to go change while Mom said she was going to get snacks ready for the movie we were going to watch. I raced upstairs to my room and closed the door. I stripped out of my wet clothes and hung them to dry in the bathroom. Wrapped in my robe and wadding my hair up on top of my head in a messy, curly bun, I ran over to my bed where my phone was vibrating. It was Nate.

  I NEED TO SEE YOU

  My stomach did a somersault, and I felt like I needed to sit down. Don’t read anything into it, Avery Brave, I reprimanded myself.

  NOW?

  CAN YOU?

  I’M SUPPOSED TO WATCH A MOVIE WITH MY PARENTS.

  CAN YOU TELL THEM YOU’RE GOING TO BED? THEN COME MEET ME?

  THAT SOUNDS SKETCH. AND I DON’T LIE TO MY PARENTS. OR SNEAK OUT. I’LL GO ASK THEM AND SEE IF IT’S OKAY FOR YOU TO COME OVER. I WAS JUST ABOUT TO TEXT YOU THE PICTURES OF THE LIST.

  NO! DON’T. I DON’T WANT THEM ON MY PHONE. TOO RISKY. I WANT TO SEE IT PERSON.

  OK. HOLD ON.

  I ran down the steps to find my dad already half asleep in his recliner. “Dad?”

  “Yeah?” he said, sitting up at the sight of me next to him. “What’s up, Avery?”

  “Since the game got cancelled, Nate wants to work on the article we have due for Monday. Is that okay?”

  “Sure, sweetie. Do you want to invite him over here?”

  “Would you like me to?”

  “Would you like me to like you to? You seem hesitant.”

  “I am hesitant, though I don’t know why. So maybe it would feel safer to have him come here. If that’s okay with you and Mom. We can just work in the kitchen?”

  “Wise choice, hon. Thanks for being honest and safe.”

  I kissed the top of his head and jogged back upstairs to my phone. I decided to call instead of texting, because my stomach continued to do flops at the words “I need to see you” on my phone.

  “Hey. They said it’s fine. But…” I paused, suddenly realizing he might not want to come here. What if he really did want to rendezvous? But the thought of Felix saying that repeatedly made my smile and forget that thought altogether. “They would prefer it if you’d come here? Is that okay?”

  “Oh. Um—” He paused, and I worried again that he had another agenda. “That’s cool.” He finished rather cryptically, “I was going to say the village inn has free pie after 10 p.m. But it’s fine. I can come there.”

  “I do love pie…,” I joked, “but we can just work in the kitchen here if that’s okay.”

  “Sure. Give me twenty.”

  “Okay.”

  I decided that, since this was not a rendezvous, I didn’t need to look good. And, also if I didn’t, maybe it would deter any ulterior motives.

  Throwing on some sweatpants and a t-shirt, I jogged downstairs to make some coffee. The doorbell rang just as the coffee finished brewing. My parents had already started watching their movie, so I called out toward the theater room, “I’ll get it.”

  I opened the door to Nate, who had a hat on, no doubt to shield himself from the still-blooming thunderstorm. He looks good in a hat, I thought. He also held a to-go box.

  “Did you bring leftovers?” I teased as I opened the door wider to let him in.

  “No. I brought pie.”

  I felt in my brow lift my mouth into a smile, must have been infectious, because he smiled too.

  “You said you loved pie.”

  “I did. I mean, I do.”

  “Okay.” He shrugged and set the pie down on the table, sliding down in a chair.

  I suddenly felt ridiculous for my sweatpants and wet hair, but the way he was looking at me led me to believe that he hadn’t even noticed them yet. Feeling my face grow pink from his stare, I turned and walked toward the coffee station. “Want some coffee to go with the pie?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Please.”

  I poured two cups, taking as long as I could so that I could leave my back to him as long as possible. When I couldn’t stir the coffee any more, I returned to the table.

  “So…did you look at the list yet?” he asked, and I shushed him. “Sorry. I thought your parents knew already. You said you—”

  “I do. I just haven’t told them this yet.”

  “They didn’t know you went to the field house tonight?”

  I shook my head as I took a sip of coffee. “Felix either,” I added.

  I dished out the two slices of chocolate pie and then opened my laptop and set my phone between us. I opened the photo of the list. It included practically half the football team and most of the cheer squad along with several student government leaders. Nate leaned back in his chair as if what he’d just seen was heavy. He sighed and rubbed his face.

  I stated the obvious. “You’re not on there.”

  “No. I’m not. Did you think I would be?”

  “No, but if you were, it might give us a clue as to what it’s for.”

  “True. Let’s look at who is on there and see if there are any common factors.”

  I began typing as we both threw out hypothetical scenarios that might cause Hickham to make a list of students. They ranged from simple to deranged, but even still, they all seem implausible.

  By the time we wound down, we’d drained the entire pot of coffee and ate all the pie, and my parents had retired to bed. The storm still rumbled outside, and the sound of the rain on the windows and the roof was lulling me into exhaustion. I spread out my arm on the table and laid my head on it.

  “You’re tired. I should go. My mom has been texting me about where I am for about thirty minutes,” Nate said, checking his phone again. And then, his face lit up like he’d gotten shocked. He reached across the table and touched my arm; it felt like the lightening had come through the house. “That’s it.”

  “What is?” I said, sitting up so fast I got dizzy. “What is it?”

  “The phones.”

  “What phones?”

  “Sylvie lost her phone at the end of last year. About a month later, so did Ace. I’ve seen several players get their phones confiscated while we watched film a class, but I always just assumed it was because they got caught texting instead of watching.”

  He stood up and started to pace as best he could on crutches around the kitchen.

  “It’s not a complete theory, but what if these are all the phones that Mr. Hickham has, and they all have something in common? What if Hickham is blackmailing these students somehow with their phones?”

  I typed it all out on the screen and read it back to myself. Nate leaned over me and read my screen. He was right above me, leaning on the table with one hand. I could smell the rain on him mixed with his cologne. I felt like, if I moved at all, we’d touch faces. I flashed back to the dance, and my face grew red—I hoped he couldn’t see.

  “Well, aside from the idea that it’s just a list of confiscated phones, and in light of what I’ve heard Sylvie say and the fact that it was taped underneath his desk…it’s the most plausible thing we’ve come up with so far. How can we figure out if the rest of the people on the list ‘lost’ their phones or got them taken away?”

  “Maybe one of them will talk?”

  “I doubt it if they’re being blackmailed by Hickham.”

  “What do you think he’s making them do?”

  “I’m
too tired to go there. It’s probably the stuff of nightmares.”

  “Yeah, better not. Sorry I stayed so late.”

  I yawned while trying to say, “No, it’s fine.”

  “Well, thanks. Tell your parents I said thanks.”

  “I will. Thanks for the pie.”

  He shrugged again just like he had when he’d brought it in. “You said you loved pie.”

  “I know, but I also love daises and horses. Are you going to buy me those too?” I said sarcastically.

  “Maybe,” he answered teasingly.

  “Well, not tonight,” I said, opening the door and walking out onto the front porch with him. It was still storming, and I jumped a little when the thunder crashed right above us. As he walked past me, Nate brushed my hand with his, and I could have sworn he did it on purpose.

  “Not tonight,” he echoed, and it sounded like a promise. I was so tired that, as he jogged in the rain to his car, I leaned up against the large white pillar on the edge of the porch and let my head rest against it. I closed my eyes and listened to the rain fall all around the house. His lights flickered at me, and he drove off.

  Nate was quite possibly the most confusing, surprising, and sometimes infuriating boy I knew. But tonight, he’d brought me pie. And that was something. We used to hate each other or, at best, steer clear of each other, but something was definitely changing.

  8.

  “What do you mean, Felix?” I demanded, feeling very defensive.

  “I mean that he’s thinking about sending me away to have tests run,” Felix repeated, folding his arms and leaning against the locker next to mine.

  “You don’t have a disease, Felix.” I said flatly. “What does he expect them to find?”

  He hung his head and studied the red pattern on the floor that we jokingly referred as the red brick road. “I think he just wants to find a reason why I’m not ‘normal’. And possibly a remedy. A medication.”

  I slammed my locker and grabbed both of his arms. “Look at me, Felix.”

  He wouldn’t.

  “Felix! Look at me.”

  Reluctantly, he looked up from the floor to find my eyes filled with tears just like his. “There’s nothing wrong with you. Okay?!”

  His tears spilled over and tripped over his cheeks.

  “Say ‘okay’.”

  He shook his head.

  “Say ‘okay’, Felix.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because, Avery, I have a military father, I go to a private Christian school, and we live in the south. Being Felix isn’t okay.”

  “Even if you’ve started to believe them, even if you don’t feel okay, you’re okay. Do you hear me?”

  He nodded finally and wiped his face with his sleeve. The bell rang, but neither of us moved.

  “Would it help if I pretended to be your girlfriend?”

  A slight smile hooked the corner of Felix’s mouth but quickly disappeared. “No. I’ve always been this way. I’ve never been what they wanted me to be, and not just when it comes to girls. It’s not like I grew up weird. I like the military and guns, football, wrestling, hockey, fast cars…heck, I’d even drink beer if the colonel would let me. I’ve just never cared about dating. But it means a lot to me that you would do that for me.”

  “Felix, I’m pretty sure I would do anything for you. You’re the best friend I have.”

  I wasn’t just saying it to help him feel better. Carol was my longest friend—we’d been friends since grade school—but Felix and I had something different.

  “Thanks, Avery Brave.”

  I took his arms, and we started down the hallway. When we rounded the corner down the east hallway, a determined Mr. Hickham was coming our way. Felix didn’t know what I’d done or discovered, but I squeezed his arm anyway, hoping that he’d know it meant, “Don’t leave me.”

  As Mr. Hickham approached, his face was set in a grimace, and he was coming for me. Felix shot a look down at me that said, “What have you done?”

  “Ms. Nightingale. Might I have a word?” Mr. Hickham said diplomatically but with anger behind it.

  “Sure, Mr. Hickham. What can I do for you?” I said, pretending not to know what this was about.

  “Maybe I speak to you privately in my office, please?”

  “This is Felix. Anything you need to ask, you can ask in front of Felix.”

  “Nice to meet you, Felix. You’re a new student, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, sir.” Felix answered with a nod.

  “Well, as a new student, you may not know that, if an administrator asks to speak with you, then you need to comply.” He spoke to Felix though obviously reprimanding me.

  “Good to know, sir,” Felix said awkwardly.

  “I can always send a written sequester if it needs to come to that, Ms. Nightingale.”

  “Maybe that would be best, sir.” Always leave a paper trail, I thought.

  “As the assistant principal, I’m disappointed in your uncooperativeness and stubbornness. These are definitely not attributes of truly great Saints.”

  “With all due respect, sir, you’re the principal’s assistant, not the assistant principal. And while I don’t enjoy contradicting you, the Saints of old stood for justice, truth, and those who couldn’t speak for themselves. Which often appeared to those in authority as being stubborn and insubordinate. That’s why they were stoned, beheaded, and crucified,” I finished proudly, though I knew that I most likely would get detention for this.

  Mr. Hickham moved to speak but was so flustered that he just huffed loudly and marched up to the front office, no doubt to tell the principal what I’d just said. Felix stared at me, stunned.

  “What?”

  “You’re insane.”

  “Well, someone needed to say it.”

  “Have fun in detention. Want me to tell your parents you’re with me?”

  “No!” I insisted. “I don’t lie to me parents, Felix.”

  “Okay, well, I’ll see you in a few weeks.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “You’ll be grounded for sure! Sometimes, I can’t believe you actually say the things you say out loud.”

  “Whatever. After everything that is about to come out about Hickham…my parents won’t even care about what I said. My dad will probably be proud.”

  Felix stopped mid-stride in the center of the hallway. It was clear we were not going to make it to class, and we’d probably get detention for that as well. Oh well, add it to the tab.

  “What’s about to go down? Is this about what happened at the game?”

  “I don’t want to tell you. I don’t want you to get in trouble because of what you know.”

  “I think I’m glad you’re trying to protect me, but who’s going to protect you? Seems like you’re getting in over your head, Avery.”

  “Everything is fine. We just need a little more proof, and then we can take this upward.”

  “‘We’?!”

  “Nate and I.”

  “Wait. What?”

  “He’s been helping me.”

  “You guys are a rollercoaster.”

  “My dad said it was about squid pro quo.”

  “You definitely didn’t do that right, and I have no idea what you were trying to say.”

  But before I could answer, Sylvie came running toward me in her uniform. They had a pep rally today and an away game tonight. But she didn’t look peppy; she looked distraught.

  “Avery—we need to talk.”

  Felix unhooked our arms and told me he’d see me later. I gave him a pleading look, and he just shrugged with a smirk on his face. Traitor.

  “What do you want, Sylvie?” I asked sternly.

  “Can we go somewhere and talk? Alone.”

  Why does everyone need to talk to me alone today?

  I looked around. Where did she expect us to go? This was a high school. And then I saw it, just down the hall. The supply closet. I laugh
ed.

  “Please, step into my office,” I said, leading the way.

  “Where are we…” She trailed off as I opened the door. “Seriously, Avery?”

  “Seriously. Now get in.”

  I closed the door and locked it behind us.

  “I heard you’ve seen the list.”

  What? My head spun. The only person who knew I’d seen it was Nate. Would he tell Sylvie? Would he betray me? He brought me pie; didn’t that mean something? Or maybe it was a distraction. Maybe it was to gain my trust and then out me. I boiled inside, but I studied Sylvie carefully. What if she’s trying to test me? What if she’s trying to get me to give up the list? What if she doesn’t know anything?

  “What list?” I thought fast. “Oh! You mean the Who’s Who list? Yeah, I’m afraid, Sylvie…you’re not on it this year. So sorry.”

  “Stop it, Avery. You know what I’m talking about. Hickham’s list.”

  Nate had told her. I clenched my fist so that my face wouldn’t react. But something in my chest ached and felt heavy like it was caving in.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sylvie.”

  She stepped closer to me, and I tripped backward over a bucket, landing on the floor. She didn’t even flinch. Her blue eyes narrowed, and her mouth puckered in sour anger. “You listen here, Avery Nightingale. You have no idea what you’re getting into. You could ruin everything if you’re not careful.”

  She looked as though she might hit me, she was so angry. Her lip was quivering, and her hands were shaking as she raised them. I decided in that moment it was worth the risk to level with her.

  “Sylvie—stop.”

  She backed up, and I scrambled to my feet. “What if I knew that it’s not just Hickham who had you under his thumb but Ace too?”

  Her eyes grew wide and confirmed what I’d thought.

  “What if I knew that they both have something on you that could get you kicked out of Saints but also ruin your chance at getting into any of your colleges of choice?”

  Tears started streaming down Sylvie’s cheeks, dragging mascara with them. She hung her head. “Then you know more than I thought you did.”