Jake Barry
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Chapter 53
🕑 Added 2023-10-04 14:00:03 +0000 UTCMy eyes slowly scan the answer sheet in search of mistakes. I had not found any on the first pass, but a second never hurts. The way I see it, better to be sure now than regret the grade later. The exam was relatively easy, but so was the class, so I am not surprised. I kept up with my studies, did all the work, and attended office hours whenever I felt I could benefit from it. As my eyes reach the final answer, I smile. I am confident this will be a perfect score, if not one off. There is always that one question that gets you.
"I know what you're thinking. Number twenty seven in the MCQ was C. I just studied it last night." Nick's voice whispers to me through my earpiece, carefully hidden behind my hair. It's a smaller model that we recently had made. Harder to see unless you are looking for it. "I'm only telling you now since you're about to turn it in. I'm not gonna help you cheat or anything, not even for you."
A slight smirk appears on my face as I stand up and walk to the front of the exam hall. On my way, I spot Sara who is still hard at work completing her paper. I only manage to glance at hers, but she seems to be more than half done. For once, she does not look miserable. Ori must have done a good job! She looks up as I pass her, silently communicating with me. She seems to be asking, 'How'd you do?', to which I respond by raising my brows to say, 'Pretty good, I think'. We do not 'converse' any more, else the invigilators might think we are cheating.
At the front of the hall there is a table set up where the head invigilator, an unfamiliar professor from another department, is sitting. I hand him my paper, to which he nods and gestures for me to leave quietly. I head to the left side of the room where my bag is, collect it, and exit. There are some students around, right outside the hall. Others who finished early and are discussing answers, or are cramming before their next exam. Best of luck to them, I hope they pass. I walk farther away so that I am out of earshot, so that I can speak with Nick.
"That went well, I think. Only a couple more tomorrow and I will be done." I sigh. "What did you think? Exams are stressful, huh?"
"Not really. I mean, I studied almost as hard as you. Nothing to be afraid of if you know your stuff." He says, the sound of paper rustling in the background. "I have my own sheet here. I ended up finishing a little earlier than you, probably because I skipped what I didn't know."
"Oh? In that case, how do you think you would have done if you had turned it in?"
"Hmm... Maybe an eighty-something?" He says, more confidently than I expected.
"Wow, impressive." I nod, agreeing with his self assessment. He is really smart, even if he does not believe it. My guess is that he probably scored closer to the nineties. "Let's hope Sara does well too."
I turn and begin to walk out of the building, when I suddenly feel a tapping on my shoulder. I stop and turn, finding myself face to face with someone I seriously did not expect to see again.
"Luca." I say, my smile fading. The tall, handsome guy looks at me with the same, kind eyes from before. But I know better. I will not be fooled twice.
"Jeannine." He responds, the expression on his face very serious. "Can we talk? Somewhere private, preferably." His head turns left and right, nervously.
"Sure, I guess..."
Without a word, he walks out of the building, leading me across campus to an area with far less people. He stops in an area that is far away from any students or staff, a building that is being renovated. It is out in the open, and I take note of a camera nearby, in case he tries to pull anything. All the while, Nick remains silent. He is on edge. As am I, but I am being careful for the both of us. Luca then turns to me, less tense than before, and gives me a warm smile.
"How was your exam? Hopefully good?"
I stare at him, curiously. My arms are folded over my chest and I shift my weight onto one leg. I cannot tell what kind of mood he is in. Is he angry? Is he upset? Obviously he would not be talking to me unless it is about the Lilli club, but that is old news. What could he want with me? More importantly, what would warrant him approaching me now, of all times? It has been months since they disbanded, and I was hardly even a member. I keep my disdain for him in check and act friendly for the time being. "It was fine. How are yours going?"
"Ah, you know how it is. Some good, some bad." He shrugs, his smile never fading. "Anyway, I just thought I'd check in with you after the whole...you know. How are you holding up?"
I open my mouth to speak, but Nick voices a warning before I can. "Don't lie. He'll verify what you say."
I realize that he is right. In fact, I was about to make something up about the police questioning me, and having my place at the university threatened. Instead, I decide to tell the truth, while keeping the details as vague as possible.
"I ended up being called into Dr. Lam's office. She...was in a bad mood that day, which only made things worse."
"She's a bitch on any given day." He shakes his head in frustration. Clearly my words resonate with him. "All of us got called in at some point. She's the one who broke up the club in the end."
I tilt my head, to seem surprised by the news. "I figured you did?"
"No, of course not. I could've handled things without disbanding. Things only got as bad as they did because she knew details she shouldn't have." He explains, his eyes narrowing. "Like, why would that specific professor come and investigate that specific room? None of our members have any association with her. None, except you."
I narrow my eyes at him as well, practicaly glaring. "Yes. And?"
"I specificly remember you voicing your concerns about what we were doing. You seemed pretty bothered by it. Am I wrong?" He says, stepping closer.
"I was." I say, remaining in place. All the while, I hold his gaze.
"Enough to rat us out?" He asks, gradually becoming angry. Then, seemingly without a reason, he calms down. "You see, Jeannine, the rest of us are in a pretty shitty position because of what happened. Normally, it could have been overlooked. You know how the authorities are in this city. Instead, because of the number, we were all going to be charged as traffickers. Something like that goes on record." He says, letting his words sink in. I never followed up on the situation, so it is news to me. The university was told that they Remnants were being taken care of until they could be relocated, only for them to go missing. Something like that certainly cannot be swept under the rug. "Myra and the others got suspended. John got expelled. I'm still under investigation, and it's not looking good."
"Sorry to hear that." I sigh, growing tired of the conversation. Inwardly, I'm extremely pleased that they faced consequences. They should have been worse, considering the crime, but the university probably smoothed things over. Outwardly, I try to look sympathetic. "Did you come to me for help? Unfortunately, I do not have any connections."
"Not exactly. I'll get straight to the point." He says, closing the distance between us. He is a bit taller than me, so I am forced to look up. He looks me dead in the eyes as he speaks his next words. "I did a little digging and found that you never got into any trouble. So, I'll ask again. Did you, or did you not, rat us out, Jeannine?"
I remain quiet, holding his gaze. It is intense. I consider what to say, unsure of how to get myself out of this situation. In hindsight, I should have avoided him altogether. Nothing good was going to come of following him, but I wanted to avoid suspicion. Clearly, I was already the prime suspect. Thankfully, that means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. There were no cameras in that room, thanks to his own rules. The Remnants disappeared for all he knows. Best of all, Dr. Lam would never expose this secret. I never thought I would say this, but she had my back. I can maintain my position, and there is nothing he can do to disprove what I say.
"I did not." I lie, without an ounce of hesitation in my voice. I am not accustomed to lying, but I had been preparing for this one for a while. Otherwise, my voice might have cracked. To add to the effect, I roll my eyes at him and scoff. "Is that all? I have more exams to study for. You should probably do the same."
He glares at me, but ultimately relents. The large guy steps back and that perfect smile reappears on his face, as if nothing had happened.
"Alright, I just wanted to be sure. Sorry for grilling you like that. Take care of yourself, and if you need anything, don't hesitate to call. I've got your back." He tells me, before walking away.
"What a piece of work!" I grumble to Nick, my arms dropping to my sides. "Whatever. Hopefully that is the end of it."
"I wouldn't be so sure, dude." Nick says, nervously. "Jeannine, don't speak until I tell you to."
I tense up, heeding his words. His tone tells me something is very wrong. I know better than to question him. Once I am silent, he goes on to explain the reason.
"When he got close like that, he slipped something into your pocket. Didn't you feel it?" I shake my head for 'no', glancing down at my pockets. I run my fingers over them, feeling a small bump in the left one. "Seems like you found it. Take it out and destroy it, quick!"
I pinch the thing between my fingers and lift it to my eye. It is a small device, kind of like a watch battery. I roll it around, checking for a camera or other recording device. It does not have one, as far as I can see, but I could be wrong. In response to Nick, I shake my head again and slip it into my pocket.
"What are you doing? What if that thing has GPS or something? He could find out where you--we all live!"
I quickly take out my phone and begin to type out a note. I then raise it to my earring for him to read.
"Okay, got it." His tone returns to normal. Calm takes over the both of us as we work together to tackle this. "You call Sara and I'll call Icarus."
Before I know it, he is already briefing him on the situation. I do the same, casually walking across campus, as I would any other day. I call Sara over, who was just leaving the exam hall, inviting her to one of the private study rooms in the library. When I mention how I 'need her to tutor me', she figures out that something is up. A few minutes later, I find her running up to me, panting and out of breath.
"I just ran straight from-" She begins, only for me to silence her with a finger to my lips. I hand her my phone, which has a note written on it. She looks at me skeptically, then at the note, then at me again. She nods, extending her hand toward me. I unlatch my earring and she puts it on in exchange. "Got it. See ya soon."
We agree to meet up in an hour. In that time, I book us a private room and pretend to study for an exam. I wish these rooms did not have glass walls, but it cannot be helped. People can look in, meaning the only privacy I have in here is from sound. Shutting the door behind me, I glance outside, to see if anyone is looking my way. Thankfully, no one seems to be. I know that I am likely going overboard, but the entire situation has me a little paranoid. Is Luca watching me? I do not see him, but who is to say that he is working alone? The possibility that someone I have not met before is helping him is very real. I cannot be too careful.
Sara arrives back sooner than expected. She enters and seats herself beside me at the table. I have conveniently places a number of textbooks around, forming a 'wall' that we can use to hide what we are doing. She places the earring down, and soon after, two tiny dots step out. I take out the bug and place it close to them, all without any of us saying a word. Sara and I exchange a nervous glance, then turn our attention back to our smaller friends. I expected Icarus' assessment to take longer, but he ends up finishing in less than two minutes.
My phone rings, displaying a video call request from Nick. I answer it, the faces of the two Lillis appearing on my screen for Sara and I to see.
"You can relax. Nick briefed me on the way over. This thing can't do anything except track your location." He says, giving me a reassuring smile. "It is pretty advanced for something so small. Must have cost your stalker a pretty penny!"
"Oh, thank goodness!" I gasp suddenly, releasing most of my tension all at once. "Good to know that we can talk freely."
"Even better that you didn't go home!" Nick reminds me. "We just avoided a potential disaster."
"I ran so fast, Jeannine! You don't even know. Sorry if the ride was bumpy, little dudes." Sara laughs awkwardly.
"It was fine. Trust me, I've endured so much worse..." Nick laughs.
"Ahem." I clear my throat loudly, grabbing their attention. "Icarus, is there any way to reverse the signal? What I mean to ask is, can we pinpoint who is using it?"
"Easily. I can have it done within the hour!" He tells me, confidently. "It would have been within ten minutes, but I'm lacking the proper resources for the job. Hope you don't mind waiting."
"Thank you. Take as long as you need." I extend my pinky toward him, which he fist-bumps in return. It only registers as a very tiny tap, but the gesture is what matters.
"So, are you really going to do this?" Sara asks me, hesitantly. "Like, I don't know the guy, but if he went this far to get to you, he might be dangerous."
"I saw the look on your face when you picked out the bug." Nick's voice draws my attention down to the table. "You were pissed. No offense, but maybe you're a little too agitated and you're acting rash?"
My eyes look back and forth at both of them, the expression on my face unchanging. "If this was just about me, I would have destoryed that thing without a second thought. Sadly, it is far from it. Luca knows I had something to do with exposing the club, and now he wants revenge. I assumed this problem would go away on its own, but clearly I was being naive. If he was willing to plant one bug, what will stop him from doing it again? He is a smart guy. Even though I will soon be leaving this campus, he can probably find me in town. I cannot live my life looking over my shoulder, least of all when the lives of thousands are at risk." I take a breath, stopping before my answer can devolve into rambling. "So, you guessed right. I am pissed! I don't care if he is dangerous. He is a threat to myself and Magna Gratia, so I will stop him."
The others stare at me with wide eyes. They are stunned. It takes them a few seconds before they can muster a response.
"D-Damn. That was kinda badass!" Sara laughs, patting me on the back.
"Yeah, holy shit..." Nick gasps softly. "Remind me not to mess with her."
"You have my full support." Icarus tell me, still working hard on tracking Luca back. "Let's get this creep!"
Suddenly, my anger begins to fade. No, that is not quite accurate. It is still there, but it is being overshadowed by the warmth I feel in the room. Too often I would handle problems alone, struggling without any help. Brobs and Lillis working together, trusting one another unconditionally, it is like dreaming while awake. To know that others have my back is a really, really nice feeling. Between the four of us, we are a very capable bunch. I have no doubt we can pull it off. Speaking of which, it may be a good time to explain my plan in more detail...
"Thanks, guys. Now listen up. I have a plan that should get Luca off our backs once and for all..."
Comments
Jake Barry
Thanks! Glad you liked it G
Jake Barry
Seems I posted the chapter twice! My bad, guys. Please ignore ^^'
G
Amazing chapter Jake I canβt wait to see what happens next π
