It All Started With The Butterflies

Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The Troublesome Two

I reached school two hours earlier than usual expecting to have some time to myself to think through things, but Caspian had already arrived. The library was still closed. Caspian looked like he had been waiting for a long time, having made himself comfortable leaning against the library door. His hair was wet, and it stuck to his forehead. He was dressed in red, a colour that contrasted nicely with his blue eyes, and his yellow hoodie was slung over his arm.

The second he saw me he headed over to greet me.

"What time did you get here?" I asked, out of curiosity.

"I wanted to get here before you, so you wouldn't have to wait." He didn't answer my question. Now I was confused: was he a gentleman, bad boy or a disciplined schoolboy?

"We still have just under two hours before school starts," he added, looking at his watch.

Now that we were here, I had no clue what we were supposed to do. If I wanted to solve Principal Hugh's murder, I had one day to do so. After that I had to concentrate on Asher's murder.

"We need to figure out who killed Principal Hugh," I confidently stated.

"Do you think everyone that committed suicide was killed?" Caspian laughed, but his expression was without amusement.

He had a point. Everyone who did commit suicide was probably killed, since who would want to take their own life?

I was still trying to come up with a good enough answer, when Caspian spoke again. "We can use the school archives to figure out where he lived, and then we can speak to his family."

"Are the archives in the library?" I asked, highly doubting they were.

"They keep classified information in the office," Caspian stated. "The school doesn't have a principal, which means it'll be easy to get to the archives," he finished seeming quite pleased with himself.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but what about Ms. Poppy?" I asked. Alice Poppy was the school receptionist. A sweet old lady who handled all the paperwork. She probably thought we were all kindergarteners, because she gave sweets to each student who came to the front desk on an errand. I always wondered what would happen if someone told her high schoolers didn't really care about sweets; the poor lady would probably have a heart attack. At least everyone who went to the office was polite. Maybe that's why the Stingers were never sent on errands, they would make Ms. Poppy question her very existence.

"I have a plan," Caspian grinned. "I never thought I'd enjoy playing Secret Seven with you, Maddie."

I was just relieved he didn't call me 'Mads', because this time I would have to call him out on it. "You need to ask for a refund on your school fees," I teased.

'Huh?"

"You can't count, there's only two of us," I stated.

"True," he put a hand on his chin, pretending to think. "We can be the troublesome two."

I laughed. "What's the plan?"

Instead of replying, Caspian picked me up. "How good are you at acting?"

"Good enough," I replied, wondering what he was getting at. His hands were under my knees and I was forced to loop my hands around his neck, bringing my face closer to him. This was the second time in the same week he had acted like I weighed absolutely nothing.

"Act faint," he ordered, carrying me bridal style to reception.

Lucky for us, Ms. Poppy always arrived at school very early. The early receptionist always gets the first email. I couldn't help thinking of these strange sayings when I was nervous. Thank goodness I had managed not to say it out loud to Caspian. H would think I was really crazy.

"Ms. Poppy," Caspian called out.

"Oh, my dear lord." The worry was evident in Ms. Poppy's voice, as she clasped her hands together. I felt bad for fooling her. I closed my eyes and lay back into Caspian's chest, ignoring the intimacy of the situation.

"She isn't feeling very well," Caspian said urgently.

Poor Ms. Poppy was probably getting greyer by the second.

"I always knew this school needed a nurse," Ms. Poppy replied, shaking. "Should I call an ambulance?"

"No," Caspian said, a little too quickly. "I think she just needs to rest."

"Ok." Ms. Poppy accepted Caspian's suggestion, since it didn't look like she was capable of taking control of the situation and making big decisions. "Take her to the sick room."

She was having a bit of trouble getting her words out. She should have gone ahead and called the ambulance, in case she had a seizure.

Caspian carried me to the sick room and gently laid me on the bed. "Ask her to stay with you?" he whispered in my ear.

He walked towards the door.

Ms. Poppy held my hand firmly in hers. Her hand was coarse and wrinkly, and she peered at me from behind her thick glasses.

"Stay," I rasped, trying to sound sick.

"Of course, dear." Ms. Poppy stroked my hair. She was willing to put her work on hold for me. I gulped heavily as guilt forced its way up my throat and into my mouth.

I closed my eyes and tried to make my face paler. The sick room was painted a pale grey with lots of caged beds laying side by side. There was one bathroom that smelt strongly of puke. If I stayed long enough in this 'Concentration Camp', I might actually fall ill.

"How's she feeling?" Caspian asked, making us both jump. I looked at Caspian who was hovering by the door, and he subtly nodded at me. His eyes looked like they were laughing at my pathetic performance.

"Much better," I declared as I jumped out of bed.

"Are you sure? Maybe you should go home?" Ms. Poppy suggested, her wrinkled hand caressing my cheek.

"Good idea," Caspian agreed, with a quick nod of his head.

What was he planning?

"I'll phone your parents," Ms. Poppy told me.

"No," Caspian and I said at the same time.

"I mean, my parents are busy," I tried to convince her. "They wouldn't appreciate the disturbance. Plus, I feel better already; a day of rest is all I need."

She seemed to accept this. "I'll excuse you from the day's classes, sweetie." She looked at her watch. "Can you get home by yourself?" She sounded genuinely worried.

I nodded my head. Either I was an extremely good actor or Ms. Poppy was an extremely gullible person.