Point Blank
That wasn’t possible. But there was someone in his room.
Alex looked inside. The light went on.
It was James. He was sitting up in bed, bleary-eyed, as if he had just woken up. Alex stared at him. He was wearing the same pajamas as the boy he had just seen dragged into the library
… but that couldn’t have been him. It must have been someone else.
‚What are you doing?‛ James asked.
‚I thought I heard something,‛ Alex said.
‚But you’re dressed. And you’re soaking wet!‛ James looked at his watch. ‚It’s almost three.‛
Alex was surprised that so much time had passed. It had been only a quarter past two when he had woken up. ‚Are you all right?‛ he asked.
‚Yeah…‛
‚You haven’t …?‛
‚What?‛
‚Nothing. I’ll see you tomorrow.‛
Alex crept back to his own room. He closed the door then stripped off his wet clothes, dried himself with a towel, and got back into bed. If it hadn’t been James he had seen being taken into the library, who was it? And yet it had been James; he was sure of it. He had heard the shout, seen the limp form on the stairs. So why was James lying now?
Alex closed his eyes and tried to get back to sleep. The movements of the night had created more puzzles and had solved nothing. But at least he’d gotten something out of it all.
He now knew how to get up to the third floor.
SEEING DOUBLE
JAMES WAS ALREADY EATING his breakfast when Alex came down: eggs, bacon, toast, and tea. He had the same breakfast every day. He raised a hand in greeting as Alex came in. But the moment he saw him, Alex got the feeling that something was wrong. James was smiling, but he seemed somehow distant, as if his thoughts were on other things.
‚So what was all that about last night?‛ James asked.
‚I don’t know.‛ Alex was tempted to tell James everything—even the fact that he was here under a false name and that he had been sent to spy on the school. But he couldn’t do it. Not here, so close to the other boys. ‚I think I had some sort of bad dream.‛
‚Did you go sleepwalking in the snow?‛
‚No. I thought I saw something, but I couldn’t have. I just had a weird night.‛ He changed the subject, lowering his voice. ‚Have you thought any more about your plan?‛ he asked.
‚What plan?‛
‚skiing.‛
‚We’re not allowed to ski.‛
‚I mean … escaping.‛
James smiled as if he’d only just remembered what Alex was talking about. ‚Oh—I’ve changed my mind,‛ he said.
‚What do you mean?‛
‚If I ran away, my dad would only send me back again. There’s no point. I might as well grin and bear it. Anyway, I’d never get all the way down the mountain. The snow’s too thin.‛
Alex stared at James. Everything he was saying was the exact opposite of what he had said the day before. He almost wondered if this was the same boy. But of course it was. He was as untidy as ever. The bruises—fading now—were still there on his face. Dark hair, dark blue eyes, pale skin—it was James. And yet, something had happened. He was sure of it.
Then James twisted around, and Alex saw that Mrs. Stellenbosch had come into the room, wearing a particularly nasty lime green dress that came down just to her knees. ‚Good morning, boys!‛ she announced. ‚We’re starting today’s lessons in ten minutes. The first lesson is history in the tower room.‛ She walked over to Alex’s table. ‚James, I hope you’re going to join us today.‛
James shrugged. ‚All right, Mrs. Stellenbosch.‛
‚Excellent. We’re looking at the life of Adolf Hitter. Such an interesting man. I’m sure you’ll find it most valuable.‛ She walked away.
Alex turned to James. ‚You’re going to class?‛
‚Why not?‛ James had finished eating. ‚I’m stuck here and there isn’t much else to do.
Maybe I should have gone to class before. You shouldn’t be so negative, Alex.‛ He waved a finger to underline what he was saying. ‚You’re wasting your time.‛
Alex froze. He had seen that movement before, the way he had waved his finger. Joe Canterbury, the American boy, had done exactly the same thing yesterday.
Puppets dancing on the same string .
What had happened last night?
Alex watched James leave with the others. He felt he had lost his only friend at Point Blanc, and suddenly he wanted to be away from this place, off the mountain and back in the safe world of Brookland Comprehensive. There might have been a time when he had
Weitere Kostenlose Bücher