Black Rose

Chapter 10

Escape. That one word kept running through Kate's mind over and over again. The chance to finally break free from Westhill High School sent a shiver of happiness down her spine.

Not only was she breaking free of the school itself, but also the dangerous individuals who roamed the campus looking for them: Valerie, Harry, and Ms. Martinez.

"The back exit is only six classrooms down to the right. We will escape from there," Caitlin explained, glancing at Kate and Bethany behind her for confirmation.

All three girls tiptoed out of the teacher's lounge, making sure that no one was in the vicinity. Kate inwardly sighed with relief upon noticing the empty hallway.

They raced to the back exit stealthily. Caitlin tried the door. "It's locked from the outside," she whispered, frustration evident in her voice.

"Go back to the teacher's lounge," Bethany directed. They retreated to the room and ducked inside.

Caitlin turned on the light of a nearby lamp and the room was cast in an eerie glow. Bethany and Caitlin walked to one of the couches and sat down to ponder their next move. Kate joined them.

Before she knew what was happening, someone tackled Kate to the ground. She let out an ear-piercing scream that could have shattered the plexiglass windows.

Bethany and Caitlin scrambled up from the couch and ran to Kate's assistance, but not before they were tackled too.

For someone so petite, Caitlin managed to break free from her attacker. She kicked the person in the face. A moan escaped them as they fell to the floor.

Bethany elbowed her attacker in the stomach. They doubled over, gasping for breath. She punched the person in the face and they fell over as well.

Kate, however, was struggling. She could not see anything because the attacker was covering her eyes. The person tried to hoist her onto her feet after she had fallen. She flailed her arms and legs blindly and randomly, hoping to come into contact with something.

Suddenly, her attacker lost their footing and hit the floor. They loosened their grip and Kate managed to wiggle free. She ran to where Caitlin and Bethany were standing.

Caitlin flipped on the main light switch and the room was flooded with light. Valerie, Harry, and Ms. Martinez were lying still on the floor. Kate noticed that the attacker closest to her was Valerie.

"Run!" Bethany yelled.

The girls dashed out of the room and sprinted to the front of the school. There was no use going through the back exit when it was locked.

They ran out the front entrance of the school and stopped short at the curb. A car was idling on the street. Slowly, the window of the car rolled down.

Susan and Garret were sitting in the front seat. "Get in quickly!" Susan said hurriedly.

The girls rushed into the car, eager to get away from the attackers who were now unconscious on the floor of the teacher's lounge.

"What happened back there?" Garret asked as they were nearing the headquarters. The sight of the magnificent castle towering over them made Kate sigh with relief.

"We all got attacked by Valerie, Harry, and Ms. Martinez," Caitlin recounted.

"What do you mean you got attacked by Harry? I sent him over to the school to check up on you and Valerie. He was not supposed to hurt you," Susan explained.

"Well, we managed to get away. And besides, he seems to be planning to overthrow Black Rose along with Valerie and Ms. Martinez," Kate said.

Susan gasped but did not say anything more. The news was shocking, no doubt about it. Garret also had a look of surprise written all over his features.

"Do you know their plan?" Garret asked.

All three girls shook their head. "We have no idea. Is there some way we can figure it out?" Kate questioned.

Garret nodded. "I will hack into Black Rose's computer system and try to find anything. Susan, I need you to call the police and arrest these criminals. Kate, Bethany, and Caitlin, I need you girls to search Valerie and Harry's room. Got it?"

Everyone nodded. "Let's do this thing!" Bethany cried out triumphantly.

Kate realized the importance of having a driven, motivated spy on their team. This mission was getting tougher by the minute but Bethany's positive outlook made everything just a little bit easier.

The car pulled into the headquarters and stopped to let the girls out. "Are you guys ready?" Kate asked nervously.

Caitlin smiled. "I was born ready."