The Hollows In Our Freedom | 'Hollows' Book Ⅲ

Chapter Six

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T h e   H o l l o w s   I n
O U R  F R E E D O M
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"What am I looking at, exactly?"

Jace grunted, thrusting the phone closer to my face.

I frowned, too focused on how close Jace was to me to notice anything.

I had left Jameson with the ring—he said he would clean it, and that he wanted to see Sky. One of those was possible to achieve today. The other was uncertain.

Upon reentering the reception, I walked in on Jace and Mrs Beaufort hunched over his phone. I couldn't help but feel a little disconnected.

Jace had beckoned me over, forced his phone in front of my face and waited for me to spot something. My Guardian abilities were apparently out of action for today.

He huffed and reached out, pointing to the letters at the top.

"ZA1.23," I read aloud, then I realised. "That's the Academy code,"

"Finally." I heard the Wicked Witch of the West murmur in the background. I nearly lost my temper, but Jace kept me centred.

"Elle said it's one of the cameras, but that the codes change monthly, do you know what camera this is?" Jace asked. I nearly fainted at the idea of him needing my help. Then I realised.

"'Elle'? You guys are on first.." I trailed off when Jace gave me a pointed look. I sighed. 

I took Jace's phone from his hand and took a seat, where I was sure my brain would work better.

"Well, it's quite simple actually. ZA1.2 is the Academy code, which, yes, also gets changed frequently. We've had near discoveries where we've needed to change codes, using our list of emergency ones. The point two means that this code is permanent until an emergency. An emergency code was used quite recently, when..when Sky was first at the Academy.." I trailed off, growing pensive at all the thoughts of attacks that flooded my mind.

I shook my head. "Which, in that case, the Academy code was 241.256, you might notice that the two-four represents the Z-A in the permanent code, and then the one point two comes after, as usual. The number after the two represents the number of emergency codes there has been. So if there's an emergency code after that, it'll be fifty-seven–"

"–not that this isn't useful information, but I'm not sure that this is what Mr Clarke wanted to know." The bitter taste to her words made me want to throw her a glare. It wasn't me, though, that threw one this time. It was, who looked previously entranced, Jace.

He didn't say anything else. But he didn't need to. Because, in that moment, the universe realised what a true glare is.

"Anyway," I continued, after Jace gestured for me to do so, much to Mrs Beaufort's distaste.

"Since the ZA1.2 is the Academy code, the number after indicates which camera this is. Which would be camera three." Jace listened intently, then frowned down at the screen.

"So which camera is three?" He asked, I followed his gaze, already knowing which camera it was.

"The entrance to the Academy," Jace froze. "Near the garage and the massive factory-like shop, so they can track who is coming in and out of the Academy." I watched as Jace became an actual, rigid, statue.

"Why?" I asked cautiously, "is there something wrong?"

"Are you blind?" Elle lost her temper, throwing words around in a fit of rage. I frowned, glancing down at the phone again, which was shaking in Jace's hand. And there it was.