“And what do we need from him?”
“To repay the favor in kind. Auditions for the spring musical are in a week, and we have a request to help a certain someone get a role.
“All we need is for Alec to make a phone call to Mrs. Conrad, his old teacher. Ask her to look out for a new talent. Fortunately for you and me, a lot of work has already been completed. This should seal the deal.”
I flipped through the rest of the dossier. A printed photo of Alec meeting with my sister was the final page. They were sitting across from one another, hands linked over a table. Because I knew April, I could see the tension in her expression, but I doubted anyone else would notice it. The jump from friends to something more would be an easy assumption to make based on the photo.
“What is this?” I looked to Haley, whose face was carefully blank.
“The only leverage the other team was able to get on Alec to use against him.”
This must have been the thing Gretchen had to deliver her partner. The missing piece for her job.
“But that’s my sister. And this picture is recent.” April was using her new lighter-weight manual wheelchair, which she’d gotten only a month ago. Haley had to know who was in this picture with Alec.
“I know who it is, but we have a job to do.” Haley was all business.
“So, what’s your plan?”
“Deliver this to him in person along with a note telling him he has twelve hours to call Mrs. Conrad or this picture will be delivered to the future Mrs. Alec.”
I nodded.
“Remember, he owes us, and either he pays up or he pays for it.”
“Right, no one stops owing us.”
Haley stood up and dusted off her standard all-black outfit. There seemed to be patches of plaster dust clinging to her.
“Sculpture unit,” she said by way of explanation.
Before she left, I asked, “Why didn’t the Red Court collect from Alec while he was here?”
Haley lifted a shoulder. “Sometimes there isn’t anything we need.”
I twisted my mouth. Alec was decently popular and had some influence in the performing arts department, obviously, since we were cashing in on his equity two years after he graduated.
“Also, I think he was pretty broken up about what happened to your sister. He was kind of out of it for a long time.”
“And the Red Court showed him some mercy? That sounds like something we’d do. Right after our annual charity project.”
“Or he was useless because he was so upset after everything that happened.”
“Last I saw, he was doing just fine.”
I refused to give an ounce of sympathy to Alec. He made a bargain and it was time for him to hold up his end of the deal. “What goes around,” I said quietly.
“What was that?” Haley asked sharply.
“Umm...nothing. Just thinking out loud. Alec’s getting what’s coming, you know?”
Haley nodded and left the theater room without another word.
Whether she knew it or not, April was about to be an accomplice in a Red Court job.
* * *
I left the theater room and headed to debate practice, my head swimming. The day was far from over, and now I had an unscheduled trip to Alec’s. The timeline for musical auditions didn’t broker any room for a night off, even though the stack of homework in my bag was literally weighing me down.
“Hey, Ember,” a bright voice called from the main office as I passed.
“Hi, Gigi. How are you?”
“Good, good. I’m excited for the next meet.” She bounded up next to me, buzzing with energy, and looked back to her mom. “Bye.”
“I’ll come by the debate room in an hour,” Mrs. Martin said. “It’s good to see you, Ember.”
I gave her a friendly wave. Martin was my assigned guidance counselor. I hadn’t had much cause to occupy the couch in her office. Direction was the only thing I didn’t need. I knew what I needed to do.
“I’m excited for the next meet, too. Only a few more practices left. Saturday will be here before we know it.” I gave her as bright a smile as I could muster, which I think was about half its normal wattage.
The anticipation of an upcoming debate meet used to get my blood thrumming, but I’d moved on to harder stuff.
“I’ve been reading through your notes, and I can’t thank you enough. I think I’ll place this time.”
A softer smile formed on my lips. “I bet you will, too. You work harder than anyone else.” Gigi’s commitment reminded me of myself.
“Thanks. I’m really trying. I want debate to be my thing. The thing that I’m good at, you know?” She peeked up at me with a shy grin. Gigi wasn’t typically bashful; she must not share how much her success on the debate team meant to her very often.
A strange impulse struck me. I wanted to guide Gigi, be the person who gave the advice that got her where she needed to go. Just like my work with the Red Court, I was in a position to help someone else. And help I would.
“You know what? I’m feeling pretty prepared for the next meet. How about you and I work together today?”
A high, girlish giggle sounded from farther down the hall. I turned to see Shauna, Chase, and a few of their friends on their way out to the parking lot.
Chase looked in my direction and gave me a sly grin. He’d managed to stay clear of me since his little stunt with the heart note.
Wise choice, Merriman.
Little did he know that Carson approved a special extra credit project for me to do independently. When I would be finding time to do it was a problem for Future Ember.
I shook my head at him, my own sly grin snaking its way across my lips. He was going to be eating his words. Topped with whipped cream and sprinkles. An eat-my-dust sundae.
Shauna gave Chase a playful shove and continued laughing on her way out the door. I almost didn’t catch the glare she shot my way. She had to know it was Gideon and me spying on her the other day, and it seemed like we were caught in a bizarre game of “I know that you know that I know.” My only hope was that I’d end the Red Court before she decided to act on what she knew.
“What was that about?” Gigi was staring at me.
“What was what?”
“That smile that Chase Merriman just gave you.” A slight teasing edge tickled her words.
“We’re pretty competitive, and he was just reminding me that he set the curve on our last Lit exam.”