To Tell An Altswood Lie (The Altswood Saga #3)

Chapter 8 - Turnover

Chapter 8 - Turnover

"If you climb onto my shoulders, I might be able to throw you over the fence."

I held up a finger to Gabriel, slashing the idea before he could even entertain it. "I'm really not in the mood to end up as a splatter on the sidewalk."

"Do you want to throw me instead?"

We were crouched outside the school, hiding amidst the bushes in case anyone saw us lingering around and called the police on our suspicious asses. We couldn't afford to wait until complete nightfall, because then, our parents would start wondering where we were. We had no choice except to lurk about while the low-slung sun put us in plain view.

Annabelle and Jules were supposed to participate in this heist as well, but upon leaving their respective front doors, both their parents had interrogated them regarding their intended whereabouts. When they couldn't give a non-suspicious answer fast enough, they were urged—for a lack of a better word—to remain at home, where they couldn't be murdered or accused of murder.

It was probably the smarter course of action.

However, that left only me and Gabriel to attempt the impossible mission of getting into the school. We thought it would have been a piece of cake, with no obstacle except the one security camera in the hallway. I clutched a bubble blaster in my hands, a water gun instead filled with foam that we would use to cover the camera. We had even worn gloves on our hands, since we didn't want to be leaving fingerprints everywhere.

I thought we had everything sorted. I didn't expect the front gate to be locked. The gate was never locked—why would they start locking it now of all times, and not earlier when there were two serial killers on the island?

We had checked the five other entrances into the school too, which were all built into the tall fence that circled around the grounds. They were usually open for coming and going, for students to wander into the nice shade of the woodlands behind the school during lunchtimes.

Tonight, they were all padlocked.

The main entrance was, unfortunately, our best bet, since it could still be opened from the inside with a push of a button.

We just needed one person to get in first.

"Okay," I finally sighed, pulling the word out like it physically hurt me, "you're going to have to throw me."

Gabriel smiled smugly, his eyes shining with I told you so. I resisted the urge to fire the bubble blaster at his face.

"Get on my shoulders."

He grabbed onto the gatepost, steadying himself in his crouch. I looked around first, making sure we hadn't yet been noticed in the orange light of the half-set sun. Once I determined that the coast was clear, I dropped the bubble blaster on the ground and climbed onto his shoulders.

"Give me your hands," I said.

Gabriel brought his gloved hands up, holding them out so I could clutch on for balance—and for my dear life.

"I'm about to stand," he warned.

If anyone was watching, they would probably have the fright of their lives thinking they were seeing a ten feet tall humanoid-being emerge from the bushes.

Thankfully, no one was watching.

"Are you able to reach?" Gabriel asked quietly. We needed to hurry, but even with Gabriel's height, my outstretched arms were just short of the top of the gate.