I stuck my tongue out at him, then settled into a sulk, arms crossed over my chest. "What am I going to do if Higgins pulls me from the contest?"
Lucy's brown eyes blazed with fire. "He wouldn't dare! You've worked too hard for that. And Mr. K won't let him pull you. I think he'd crawl across sharp glass all the way to New York with your painting strapped to his back if he had to, just to make sure you were entered. Honestly, I think the only reason he still teaches here is because of you."
"He does seem really unhappy. Why do you think he hates it here so much?" I looked around at the palatial grounds and happy students strolling the streets. We had everything we could ever need. Sure, it got boring and lonely sometimes, but the occasional assignment to places all over the world kept things interesting and made coming home a nice change of pace. Why would he want to leave?
Our meals arrived, and talking ceased as we all took big bites of our sandwiches.
The warm meatballs and toasted honey and oat bread had never tasted better, and filling my stomach helped settle the shaky energy of too much caffeine the last two days.
Lucy talked through a mouth full of roasted turkey breast. "Who knows, but it's not so crazy, is it? I mean how badly do we want to leave?"
"That's different. We all have para-powers that make us vulnerable in the real world, and make some of us dangerous. We're here to learn to control our powers and to protect us from those who might exploit us. We have no choice, at least until we turn eighteen and are finally free."
Lucy rolled her eyes. "We all know the company line, Sam."
The waitress came and refilled our drinks, and I used the interruption to organize my thoughts and take another bite of my sandwich.
Out of habit, I peeked into the waitress's mind and smirked. 'So sexy... wish I could get him to notice me... wish we were allowed to date the students....'
When she left I kicked Luke under the table. "You're charming the ladies and don't even know it." I nodded toward the waitress.
He puffed up his chest and raised a "how you doin'" eyebrow. "Girls just can't help but appreciate all that I have to offer. And who can blame them, really?"
"Yes, such a ladies' man. Anyways, I know it's not easy for our teachers. It's just... as far as schools go, they've got it pretty good. I mean, we've all had to go to other schools while on assignment, and they suck compared to this. The teachers are miserable, underpaid and overworked, and there are too many students per classroom. Here he gets state-of-the-art equipment, any kind of supplies he wants, and an incredible studio. Why leave?"
Luke paused from inhaling his bacon burger long enough to respond. "True. Some of those schools are scary. Don't know how anyone learns anything. But who knows? Maybe he just doesn't like how secluded we are or that he has to keep secrets about where he works and what he does. I doubt any teacher here has much of a life off campus, ya know?"
I finished my last bite of sandwich and wiped the extra marinara sauce off my lips with a napkin. "I'm going to go talk to Higgins. I can't lose this chance."
Lucy picked a stray piece of turkey from her plate and plopped it into her mouth. "Do you want us to come? Moral support? Back up? Whatever?"
"Nah, you two need showers after all your sparring. I'll be okay. When I'm done I'll find you in your suite."
Luke left money for our dinner and the tip, and they walked back to the dorms while I headed to Higgins's office. Normally he took the weekends off, but I had a suspicion he'd be there today. The main offices took up the northwest corner of campus, shaped like a square, and surrounded by an electrified fence and a brick wall with tall trees cloaking the outside.
We'd gone off school grounds on field trips for survival training, and while I didn't know what state we were in—or even what country—I did know that we were surrounded by woods. Lots of woods. My guess? Our locale felt distinctly North American, though I couldn't pinpoint exactly why. The weather made me think Pacific Northwest, or Midwest, with the seasonal changes and landscape.
I walked past the gate that served as the only entrance or exit on campus and waved at the guard, Old Charlie, a staple at Rent-A-Kid who always treated us well. He smiled and waved back. He looked harmless, but he'd done some demonstrations for us in martial arts. Even Luke and Lucy, who put my sad excuse for combat skills to shame, bowed to his ninja ways. It had always made me feel safe, knowing Old Charlie was standing guard, protecting us from anyone who might discover our secret location and cause us harm.
The shadows of twilight cloaked the offices, and none of the lights inside appeared to be on. I turned the knob, relieved to find it unlocked, and let myself in.
Higgins's voice carried from his office—no responses, so he must have been on the phone.
I opened my mind and pressed into his thoughts.
'Damage control... Must contain this situation before it gets to the top... Damn Krevner, should never have hired him... Always has been a renegade... What to tell Sam?'