"Yeah."
Realizing that the moment was over, I, too, got up and left. I was sure that Jada hadn't really been aware of how she was sitting, but that hadn't stopped me from enjoying it.
Knowing full well that I was enjoying her company way too much, I reminded myself of why I had started keeping my distance in the first place: I didn't know what her motives were.
Even still, I couldn't help but like her.
∆∆∆
As soon as I entered my dorm, the interface started talking. In the past few months, her voice had become familiar.
"Mr. Miles, you received a message while you were out. Would you like me to read it to you?"
"Yes, please. Thanks."
The natural inflection in her digital voice astounded me. I couldn’t wait to learn how to build tech like that.
"Mr. Miles, your presence is requested in the headmaster's office. Please comply at your earliest convenience. Directions are enclosed. Sincerely, Station Alpha Administrative Offices."
I paused for a few seconds after the interface finished reading. When I finally processed the message, I realized my hands were shaking, my heart beating like a drummer who'd had way too much coffee.
What had I done?
That question plagued me as the interface sent the directions to my prism, as I started to walk, and as I began to climb the steps to the headmaster's office. Was this because I wore a red shirt on my first day? Had I done something I didn't even know was wrong?
I swallowed. Was this happening because I was looking for Amber?
The headmaster's office was located in the center of Alpha's classroom section, high above the sixth-grade wing. It was a fitting place for him to spend his time, I figured, but I couldn't help but wonder why it was so far away from the other workspaces.
His office was even far away from the kids, I realized. I'd already walked up four flights of stairs, and my prism was still urging me onward and upward.
The location of his office, plus the fact that I was already freaking out, left my legs feeling so weak I wondered whether continuing up the stairs was a good idea.
Maybe this is the punishment for whatever I did. I'll just die on the way up.
What could I possibly have done that was bad enough to attract personal attention from the headmaster?
Finally, at the top of the twelfth flight of stairs, I saw a silver, metallic door with the word Headmaster carved into it, labeled just like the other offices on Alpha.
With a shaking hand, I reached out and knocked.
"Come in," called a friendly-sounding, deep male voice.
The door slid open quietly and I entered the room, mindful of my soft steps on the floor.
What I saw surprised me.
A well-built man with greying blond hair was positioned at a large desk, rummaging through some papers. Looking up with kind blue eyes, he put the papers down and gestured towards a chair across from him, leaning forward as I sat. His grey suit and tie matched the shade of his hair, and a nameplate on the desk read Mr. Reed. He looked to be in his mid-forties.
"Hello, Mr. Miles!"
"Hello, sir," I said, trying to project confidence into my voice. My hands shook.
"It's nice to finally meet you," he told me, shaking my hand firmly. "I've heard a lot about you, young man."
I must have seemed concerned, because he immediately followed that sentence with a hearty laugh. "All good things, all good things. How are you enjoying Alpha?"
"I really like it here," I replied with a stiff spine.
"Glad to hear it. Best to get you out of Manhattan, eh?"
Chuckling mechanically, I nodded. "That's for sure."
"Do you miss it?"
Surprised at his question, I paused for a moment before answering. "A little, yes. I miss the city, and I miss a few people."
"Your parents?"
"My sister," I said. "And a good friend or two."
"Well, you seem to be adjusting to Alpha nicely. You'll do very well this year, I think!"
"I certainly hope so."
His voice pulled me from my thoughts. "At any rate, that's not why I called you in, and I'm sure you're wondering why you’re here."
I nodded. "Yes, sir, very much."
Smiling, he rested his elbows and forearms on his desk, leaning in even farther, like he was going to tell me a secret.
"I need your help with something, Rowan."
Eyebrows furrowing, I contemplated that for a moment. What could he possibly need my help with? The headmaster of Alpha was more powerful than the president back in America. What did he need me for?
He answered the unspoken question in the wake of my silence.
"There's been some strange happenings lately, and I thought you may be able to tell me what's been going on."
Though I’d relaxed a little when he was making small talk, my stomach turned when he mentioned the "strange happenings". I knew what was coming.
"The file repository had an unauthorized visitor last week. Do you have any idea who it could have been?"
Jada. My chest tightened.
I had two options. I could sell Jada out and win points with the headmaster, and she’d be disciplined or worse. Without her help, finding Amber would be close to impossible, and revealing her secret would break the trust between us forever.
The possibility crossed my mind that she knew I'd be questioned, and that she was trying to get me deported.
Was I being played?
Then, I thought back to the fitness complex. I thought about the way she looked at me after I helped her, and I thought about how she told me everyone hated her, and I thought about how she risked spending time in the file repository to help me find Amber.
As all of those thoughts piled up, I realized I had a lot of reasons to trust her.
"I'm sorry," I told Mr. Reed. "I hadn't heard about that, and I have no idea what happened."
Doing my best to maintain even eye contact, breathe normally, and not fidget, I smiled a little, hoping that my pretend ignorance would be convincing enough for him.
Sweat broke out across the back of my neck. I hate lying.
Momentarily sizing me up under a critical eye, I was terrified that he'd see right through me.
But then the headmaster relaxed, returning my smile. "Alright, then. Thank you for coming in, Mr. Miles! That's all I needed you for. I'm sure we'll be crossing paths again."
I couldn't help but think that his last words were a little ominous as I stood up and shook his hand again. "Okay, Mr. Reed. Thank you."
Leaving the room, hearing the door slide closed behind me, I flew down five flights of stairs before pausing to catch my breath.
I'd just lied to the headmaster, the single most powerful person on Alpha, which was the most influential place in the universe, to protect a girl whose motives I didn't even fully understand.
And I was smiling about it.
Chapter 16
My bow glided quickly and easily over the strings of my violin, the instrument practically singing. In fact, I would have been congratulating myself on my recently-achieved level of proficiency if I weren't so concentrated on the piece I was practicing. I was so lost in thought and in the music that I jumped when the interface started talking to me.