Three Blind Mice

Chapter Nine: Kilian

"How's it going with the crazies?" River asked as I sat down at our normal table for three in the cafeteria.

Her roommate, Katerina, sat beside her. Katerina raised her eyebrows at River, clearly wondering what the crap was going on. River responded by dropping an Oreo onto Kat's tray, a distraction disguised as a treat.

"I'll tell you later," she promised.

Kat attacked the Oreo like a feral, starving lion.

River turned back to me and said, "So?"

"First off," I began, "don't call them that. Second off, keep it down this is supposed to be secret. And Third off, fine, actually."

"I have no clue what you guys are talking about," Kat sighed.

River pulled out her wallet and passed a 10 dollar bill to Kat.

"Want an ice cream?"

"Yes, please!" Kat exclaimed, jumping out of her seat and rushing to the front of the cafeteria.

Accepting the money, she made a run for the front of the cafeteria.

"So, what are you guys planning to do?" River asked once Kat was out of earshot.

"It's a surpri-i-ise," I sang.

River pouted, leaning forward and making the best puppy dog face she cou;d possibly manage. I have to admit, it was highly tempting. But it would've worked better on someone who hadn't been around her for the last fourteen years.

"Not even your best friend can know?" She cooed.

"Well, Amani already knows so..."

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny," River grumbled.

She could sense that arguing would get her nowhere. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest just as Kat came back. Kat plopped down beside her, an ice cream sandwich in hand.

"What's wrong?" She asked as she munched happily on her treat.

"Kilian's a git," River replied.

"Well we knew that already," Kat mused, winking at me, "but what'd you do?"

River decided to change the subject, "so, you've been talking about Amani a lot here lately?"

I wished she had chosen any other subject. Kat's eyes lit up. My face felt like it was on fire.

"You like Amani Hakim!" Kat squealed.

I shrugged, causing River to groan again. Kat sighed and collapsed forward on the table. She was clearly unimpressed by today's table conversations. But their pout fests were interrupted when a loud BANG! Exploded from the corner that housed the trash cans. Kat and River spun around in their chairs to see what had happened. I fought back a wave of laughter as the dust cleared. Trash was littered all over the floor, mashed potatoes decorated the walls. And in the center of it all stood a stunned looking Hannah White with beef stew smeared across the front of her white shirt. China and Renee immediately hopped up to help her. But before they could do anything, the intercom crackled to life and China's unmistakable voice filled the lunch room. All three girls froze.

"...And have you ever seen Mrs. Briggs when she's trying to stand up?" China asked, giggling.

I glanced around the room and found Mrs. Briggs over in the corner of the teacher's area. Her face was bright red with embarrassment. I felt bad that we'd had to take her down as well. But according to Margaux, it was for the "greater good". Renee's bubbly laughter exploded from the speaker.

"Yeah," Hannah replied, "she looks like a circus seal!"

The three girls giggled hysterically and then the speaker cut off, shrieking shrilly and causing everyone to jump and cover their ears. The cafeteria sat in stunned silence for a moment before it exploded into a chaos of rumors and chattering. China, Renee, and Hannah remained where they were. Renee's face was as red as her hair. They all three stared at each other in utter shock as everyone freaked out around them. I chuckled. They were done for. I looked back over at Mrs. Briggs. Her face was still bright red and her bottom lip was trembling ever so slightly. She stood up and hurried out of the lunchroom. Guilt threatened to return until I was distracted by Mr. Campbell approaching the three girls.

"Girls," he said, "come with me please."

Those words brought China back to life. She looked absolutely furious.

"This is ridiculous!" She exclaimed, standing up and stamping her foot.

Beside her, Renee jumped up as well. Looking just as angry. Everyone watched with bated breath.

"Someone recorded-" Renee began.

Mr. Campbell interrupted her, "now, girls. I won't ask again."

They sighed and followed him out.

"You too, Hannah," he called over his shoulder as he exited the room.

Hannah scurried after them like a lost puppy. Her eyes were wide with worry and anxiety. She clearly hadn't yet recovered from the shock of the exploding trash cans. Everyone quickly returned to gossiping once they were gone. In my excitement, I hadn't noticed that something was wrong. But it was. River spun back around to look at me, shock and wild amusement on her face, Kat followed suit.

"Did you do that?" She hissed.

Kat's shock doubled. The cafeteria was loud enough that no one heard her (minus Kat, of course).

"I may have had something to do with it," I admitted distractedly.

River noticed and frowned.

"Something's wrong," she stated.

"Yes."

"What?"

"Amani should be back already," I said, frowning, "she promised to text if she was running late. But no texts."

"Oh," River said, "crap."

Just then, my phone vibrated. I grabbed it hurriedly, nearly knocking it off the table in the process. My heart dropped when I saw the text. Margaux came hurrying over, Meri right behind her. Meri might not have been a part of any of the planning, but she definitely stayed with Margaux all the time.

"Have you seen the group chat?" She asked.

"Yeah," I replied, "I just did."

I groaned and put my head in my hands. This wasn't good.

"What is it?" River asked.

"Amani is stuck in the closet in Headmaster Arford's office," I explained.

Margaux plopped down in the seat beside me and Meri shifted to stand behind her, watching us warily, the excitement and anxiety getting to her even, "now what?"

"I- I don't know...." I admitted, "hold on..."

I closed my eyes, trying to collect my thoughts. Our table sat in silence, waiting for me. At last, an idea smacked me upside the head. It would be incredibly risky. But it was our only option at this point. I turned to look at Margaux.

"How do you feel about lying?"

"I don't like it," she answered, cracking her knuckles, "but I'm very good at it."

"Good to know."

I yanked my phone over to me and quickly texted two words into the group chat: stay put.

"Really?" Amani texted back. "I figured I'd just waddle right on out and visit with the executioners."

I ignored her sarcasm and texted again: tell us when the cast of Hocus Pocus leaves. I received a thumbs up emoji.

"Now what do we do?" Margaux asked, looking up from her phone.

She'd been watching the entire conversation on her own phone to see what was happening.

"Now we save Hakim."

River rolled her eyes and tossed Kat another cookie, "idiots."