The Class Reject: A Damsel in Disguise (Featured Story)

Chapter 35

An ambulance came and whisked Artemis away. If only it could do the same for Miren's problems...

She had resumed her appearance as Miles, and with Jeno and Chara, she met up with a thin crowd of students outside the mess hall. The teacher chaperones, including Ms. Cowdry and Sister Francesca, had done a decent job of reducing student outcry, as most of them were still in the dance hall, trying to salvage the rest of the night. But with only half an hour left of the dance, and their Homecoming Queen practically lifeless, it was easy to declare that the night was over.

Miren's eyes skimmed over to the two headmasters talking to some emergency medical workers. In the faint lighting it was hard to make out what they were talking about. She could only hope that it would be good news on Artemis' side. But when they shook their heads, she knew that wasn't even sort of a possibility.

She clenched her fists, not wanting to play the blame game, but realizing blames were in order. She did what she was supposed to. But for some reason everything just had to blow up in her face.

"Jemma just texted me that she's at the hospital with Klondike and Parker," Jeno said, tucking his phone back into his pocket. "So far no sight of Penelope."

Miren nodded to that. Expected. The girl had a way of appearing and disappearing when the opportunity suited her.

A stray hand found Chara's shoulder. "What did I miss?" Wallace said in a pant. The brains of this failed operation certainly wasn't a gym class hero.

"Me fucking up everything." Chara's head was to the ground. Wallace rubbed her shoulder, shaking his head.

"I don't know what happened," he offered, his lips puckering as he got a taste of the sour air. "I texted her to go upstairs to Miren. She should have been there. Where did she go off to?"

"I don't know. Maybe she became a ghost," Jeno offered, turning to Miren. She wrinkled her nose at his attempt at a joke.

"That's not funny," she snapped. "Artemis' hurt, we can't find Penelope, and we have nothing."

Jeno shrugged. "Standing around like we don't know what happened isn't going to help anything either."

He was right about that. The dance wasn't over, but they didn't come here to get their groove on.

"Alright then, let's leave," Miren said.

And they left.

***

Chara was dropped off at Rosemunde. She would have objected to being prematurely dismissed from the group, but she had caused enough trouble for one night. Her usual smile was tainted by tragedy, fading as she waved goodbye.

The rest of them rode in a defeated silence as they approached Rinzen. When they made it to Woodley Hall, they were welcomed by some of the more introverted students who had skipped out on the night's festivities.

In the elevator, Wallace was the first to interrupt the uneasy stillness in the air. "I'll try to figure out what went wrong. I guess I'll talk to you guys later tonight or in the morning."

Jeno offered a single nod. With a slight wave, Wallace disappeared into the hallway that led to his room. And then there were two. They made it to the third floor, and Jeno pulled out his key. But once they were alone in the dorm room, tension spiked out of control.

"Is it so hard for something to go right?" Miren asked outright, trying to control the volume of her voice. Unlike the way everything else in her life was out of control. And naturally Penelope was unscathed. How fitting.