The Gate

22. Caught

Jane-Anne Pearce

"What did you get for number five?" I asked.

"2, but that feels wrong," said Taylor. "I haven't gotten a single whole number this entire packet."

"Well, that's what I got." I said, feeling a bit more confident in my answer.

"Yeah... 2... totally." said Kiara, erasing her paper furiously. "Math sucks." she added offhandedly. Her fedora was starting to slip, but Taylor caught it without even looking up.

"I need to use the restroom." I announced suddenly. "Taylor, can you ask my mom for some snacks? She's probably downstairs."

Inside, I was celebrating like crazy. I had practiced saying those words casually in front of the mirror fifty times. Now here I was, lying successfully.

Me.

Lying.

As I walked to the bathroom, I tried not to skip with absolute glee. I shut the door and listened for Taylor's footsteps as she made her way downstairs. When I was sure that she had made it to the kitchen, I crept after her.

As I had guessed, Taylor was locked in a conversation with my mother. The plan was in place. I held out my phone and pressed record, listening to the conversation intently.

"How is she?" Mom asked.

"She seems fine, but I'm still worried. I know that everyone's on edge with the Ivy situation, but we can't let Jane-Anne slip by too. I feel like she doesn't trust us like she should." Taylor explained.

I stopped just short of the doorway and placed my back against the wall, taking slow, quiet breaths.

"Have you been doing everything you can?" Mom asked.

"Of course I have!" said Taylor. "It's not like I have much of a choice."

"Watch the way you speak to me," said Mom. Her words were calm, but they still had a terrifying chill to them.

"Sorry," said Taylor. "It's just that she and Carter seem to have made up after the funeral." Taylor explained.

"What?" Mom asked.

"Surprised me too. I thought using Asher was overkill, but now I get it. The flyers last year should have broken them permanently, but now Rowan is overriding everything." Taylor explained.

"What about the Scotts?" Mom asked.

"Well, after the Asher thing, she's stayed away from him. For Ivy, we got Kiara to spread some rumors. We even showed Ivy that Jane-Anne had a motive with Jacob. The thing is, Ivy's gotten past it." said Taylor. She almost sounded scared.

"Great," said Mom, sounding irritated. "Keep Jane-Anne close. When she's out of my sight, she should be in yours."

"I know." Taylor huffed."It's just... would it really be that bad if Jane-Anne expanded her circle a bit?"

"Do you think you know better than me?" Mom asked.

"Of course not." said Taylor, with a tinge of sarcasm. "Gomenasai." She was probably rolling her eyes right now.

"I will wish you out of existence." Mom threatened, displeased with Taylor's attitude. 

"No you won't." said Taylor assuredly. At this point, I actually dared to peek my head into the kitchen to watch this strange exchange take place in real time.

It looked like Taylor was by herself, looking around impatiently. Suddenly, she ducked from an invisible force and skillfully leapt away. Concentration took over her face as she scanned the empty kitchen and grabbed hold of an invisible opponent. My mom suddenly appeared out of nothingness, Taylor's hands wrapped firmly around her wrists. Taylor quickly let go and my mom nodded at her in approval.