Prepsworth Academy

Chapter 83 - "I have company."

LilyI waswandering back to the common room after grabbing a couple of marshmallows whenthere was a knock on the door that echoed through the foyer."There'sa knock on the door!" I called out, and almost instantly everyone had stood upand was walking down the stairs. Rose rushed past me, and pulled open thegiant, wooden doors, exposing the foyer to a glimpse of rain and mist. "No oneshould be here. I thought you said this area was deserted." I blurted out."Maybesomeone's in trouble?" Suggested Tom, frowning slightly. Someone walked intothe hallway, closing an umbrella."It'sMary Poppins!" Lukas whispered, smirking. I looked back and saw Millie staringat me, hanging up a discarded umbrella."Notquite. Sorry to be such a disappointment." She said, raising an eyebrow andwalking over to my side. I turned to her in disbelief. "Ithought you stayed back at Prepsworth for your suspension!" I exclaimed,shocked. Millie glanced at Rose, and then shrugged."Planschange. Besides, it would be rude to turn down such a generous invitation." Millie murmured, slightly sarcastically. Ifollowed Millie's gaze to Rose, and wondered if Millie had ever forgiven Rosefor everything she'd done."And – Ihave company." Millie added as Natasha stepped into the foyer, tucking her hairbehind her ears. The girl I thought was called Rae followed her, joiningNatasha in leaning against the wall. I grinned and elbowed a shocked Tom."Someone's in trouble." I whispered, andTom rolled his eyes, his gaze still fixed Rae and Natasha. Rae, stepped intothe middle of the foyer, and spread out her arms."Hey. I'mRae, I know Tom, and Rose, I guess, so Rose invited me here. I'll be stayingwith Natasha and Millie in a little house along the beach. And that's all youneed to know about me, so..." Rae saidawkwardly, her tone sharp and sarcastic, throwing everyone a wary glance beforereturning to Natasha's side and looking at the door as if she wished she couldbe on the other side of it. Harry gave Rae what I estimated to be a reassuringsmile, but she barely glanced at him, at anyone, just looking over our facesquickly, as though she was trying to be polite, to know our faces, but shecouldn't bear to look at us for more than a second. I wondered what she foundso despicable about us, if Tom knew, and why Rose had even invited her here,but I was cut off by Millie walking to join Rae and Natasha, and them walkingout the door, all together. Everyone started to murmur to each other, and ourmurmurs grew, creating an incoherent mess of noise. The soundwas broken by Lukas, who'd stepped forward as he stared incredulously afterthem."Hey! Youthree – what the hell is wrong with you?" He called after them, in disbeliefand shock. Rae stopped and turned back, Natasha and Millie, turning around,worry clear on their faces. Rae walked in quickly, and suddenly she wasdirectly near Lukas."Lukas, stay out of this." Millie said sharply."Seriously,shut up." Natasha snapped, but Rae had already turned her burning glare onLukas."Idiot."She said quietly. There was a moment of amused, questioning silence: would thatbe it? Lukas took a step back, holding up his hands."I'msorry. I didn't mean it. You just walked in here and –" Lukas began to protestbut Rae stalked closer."What doyou know?" Asked Rae venomously."What doyou know about me, about Natasha, about Millie, about anyone other thanyourself and your precious girlfriend, or should I say ex-girlfriend?" Rae continued, Lukas suddenly stopping backing upand staying still."A yearago – nothing. But now, I know that Elle has an older sister called Adelaide, Iknow Emma wants be a lawyer, I know that Jake's secret talent is painting andthat Harry is the fourth kid out of seven. I know that Amy's first lead role ina dance concert was when she was only six years old. I know that Dylan has twosiblings, and older sister and a younger brother. I know that Tom was alreadyplaying five sports by the age of five, and that Lily has won over one hundredtrophies for a whole lot of different sports. I know that Millie's favouritecolour is grey, and that Natasha wants nothing more than to be a journalist."Lukas said, to the surprise of everyone. Rae took a step."Now towhat I know about you." Lukas continued, and Rae stiffened."I knownothing about you. I don't know why you hate every single one of us, eventhough you don't know us. I don't know what makes even the kindest of us sodespicable to you. I don't know what made you give up on people in general. Butwhat I do know is that if you give any of us a chance, we will be the worst andbest people you've ever met." Lukassaid, his voice ringing out across the foyer. Rae regarded him coldly, a slightsmirk on her lips."I knowsomeone very similar to you." Was all Rae remarked. Lukas nodded."Are theygood?" He asked, as Rae began to turn to the exit."They were." Rae turned on her heel and slowlywalked towards the exit. It was a few heartbeats before Lukas spoke again."Are theyhappy?" Lukas asked quietly. Rae stopped, a silhouette in the grey. She spokewithout turning back."No."After along time had passed, heard a clap, echoing through the hall. Clap. Silence. Clap. Silence. Clap. Silence.Clap. Silence."Nicespeech." Amy said coldly, glaring at Lukas. "What areyou talking about?" Lukas asked, frowning. Amy walked to the front, stayingaway from Lukas. Amy turned to face us, rolling her eyes."It'sfake. Don't you see? It's all fake." She shouted, flinging a hand out to pointand Lukas."Everythinghe does. It's to get somewhere. To get ahead." Amy screamed."And youall just ate it right up. Because wouldn't it be just great to have someone really do something nice for once, with nostrings attached. But we're from Prepsworth. And this is Lukas."Lukasdropped to his knees, shaking his head."No." Heprotested, but Rose silenced him with a single word:"Liar.""You'reselfish." Amy said sharply, and a wave of understanding went through the crowd."You're hateful.""You'reheartless.""You're atraitor.""You're afool.""You'reweak.""You'rebroken.""You're nothing." Each word was like ajudgement, spoken by a different person. Spoken by every different person thathad been hurt by him. With each word, Lukas's head fell, his shoulders droopingdown, like the weight of an axe, getting heavier every time a judgment waspassed. The heavier the axe was, the sooner someone would take it and swing itat his head. We'd turned into the jury – but not just the jury, we were thejudge and the executioner and everything between. And we'd just condemned Lukasto death.After theslew of angry words, some cold and devoid of feeling, some sharp and red-hot,everyone stepped back, as if to survey their handiwork. I moved with the crowd,as if I were part of one whole being rather than an individual. Rose steppedforward, breaking the spell. I watched as she loomed over him, a tall, imposingfigure in the white marble hall. Her shadow matched her, seeming distorted andmonstrous, over the cowering shadow of Lukas."Remember"Dance Room 1?" Asked Rose, irony and sarcasm drenching her tone. "Turnsout you aren't the only liar. Because I lied. I lied when I said that youweren't cruel. I lied when I said you weren't weak, or stupid, or heartless.You are all of those things and more. And no matter how far you run from it, nomatter how much you despise it – that is what you are. Trying to escape thatwill only bring you more pain." Rose whispered quietly, venmously. Slowly, everyone filtered out of the foyer, walkingback up to the common room with it's crackling fire, and blankets and safe darkness.Leaving Lukas kneeling alone, unwanted in the middle of a vast, white, emptyhall. Harry It wasalmost as if we were cursed. One moment we'd been laughing, drinking hotchocolate and talking. The next? We'd hurt Lukas beyond repair, and annoyedRae. I felt bad, awful even. We had noproof that Lukas was even trying to fool us, to win us over. But he was. Becausehe was Lukas. And if it were one thing I'd learnt over the past term, it'd bethat you don't trust Lukas. But I was also wary of Rose. She'd changed, we allhad, but, there was something she wasn'ttelling us. Something big. And all I needed to make sure of is that I wasn'tthere when the consequences of her secrets hit. Afterwhat had happened with Lukas, I found myself desperately wanting comfort. Iwanted unity, and kindness, all the things I'd once taken for granted. I tappedRose on the shoulder."Hey. Isthere a movie room here?" I asked, slightly awkwardly. Rose nodded."Yeah.There's one with velvet seats and stuff but it's kind of formal. Why?" Roseasked, and I cringed and looked at the ground. "When I was in primary school, whenever myfamily was fighting, or were tense, we'd all sit down on a couch or on thefloor with loads of cushions and blankets and popcorn and stuff, and we'd watcha movie together. It was a way of making everyone feel better and – I know itseems kind of stupid but, at Prepsworth, we are all close, and I though thatmaybe we could do the same thing." I blurted out quickly, readying myself forRose's inevitable laugh of scorn or eye roll Instead, Rose smiled. "Iactually think that's a good idea. There's a rec room with a projector, wecould use that. Besides, there's plenty of blankets and cushions to go around.But – go easy on the hot chocolate, okay?" Rose grinned, and I laughed, surprised."Okay,sure. I'll tell someone to get the girls at the beach house to come over. Bythe way, did you mean to invite all of us to your beach house, or?" I asked."All ofyou. Everyone single person is here for the same reason – the truth." Roseanswered earnestly. I snorted and rolled my eyes."Nicenon-answer. I guess we'll all find out the truth when it's most convenient toyou, right?" I said dismissively, suddenly sick of Rose manipulating everyonefor her own needs. Rose barely blinked and she looked at me and raised aneyebrow."That'sright."