Neverland Academy (20 page)

“Lily,
that’s awesome!” Finn said, momentarily forgetting her injuries. They shared a
brief hug until Lily flinched in pain.

“If
I tell my mom what happened, she’ll go to the police.”

“Yes!”
Finn cried out. “That’s exactly what she—you—need to do.”

“I
can’t Finn!”

“Why
not?” By now Finn had realized that he was shouting and peered back at the
closed door, expecting Lily’s mother to come storming in. She didn’t. “Why not,
Lily?”

“If
Trappe is arrested, which he will be, and the school is shut down, which will
most likely happen, it’ll make all the news headlines. Finn, you know how
prestigious this school is. Rich boys from all over the country attend here.
You came here all the way from Connecticut!”

“And
your point is?”

“I’ll
be in the headlines too. What if Brown retracts their offer based on this? Or,
even if they don’t, I don’t want this following me around everywhere. Everyone
at that school will know me as the girl who shut down Neverland Academy. Rumors
will spread. My life would be ruined.”

Finn
let this sink in. Part of him knew that she was right. He knew what a
sensational headline it would be. That was always his goal. He was being
selfish. He couldn’t do that to Lily. Anyway, Daphne got what he needed. He
didn’t need to use Lily to get what he wanted.

“I’m
sorry, Lily. You’re right. I’m sorry you got caught in the middle of all this.
But Trappe will get what’s coming to him. And soon.”

“And
you won’t tell anybody?”

“I
won’t tell anybody what happened to you. Speaking of, I kind of promised your
mom I’d tell her. So I’ll need to make use of your window.”

Chapter
Twenty-Two

A
Fatal Ultimatum

Belle had what
could be a life-altering
decision to make. She knew her uncle was up to something devious and it was
more than simply granting a death wish to Finn. The way he walked, it was
almost as if he didn’t need the cane. He stormed out with purpose, with intent.
She had to choose: follow her uncle or deal with the poison.

She
hated to leave the poisoned bottle behind but she had to know what was going
on. She took her chances, hoping that Finn would reject a celebratory drink.
Besides, he’d probably already had some.

After
Trappe left the kitchen, Belle waited a few seconds and then snuck after him,
hooking her flip-flops through her fingers. She had expected, or hoped, to
follow her uncle to his office or even his bedroom, but was troubled to find he
was headed outside toward the church. Hiding in shadows, she pursued his trail,
pausing at the door. She remembered the awful sound it made when it opened. A
countdown started in her head. Once she reached one, she pulled the door open,
just a hairline crack, and winced at the shriek that echoed in the huge open
space. She peeked in, relieved to find the church empty.

Or
at least it appeared that way. Trappe could have been hiding in the pews,
behind the altar, in the wings. It was dark inside, only a few sconces lit the
hall with an orange glow. Belle crouched as she moved toward the front. She
stopped suddenly. The door to the vestry swung open and her uncle stalked out,
followed by Father Warren. They scurried behind the wall toward the basement.

Belle
followed, but stopped at the top of the stairs. This was where she had just
been earlier in the day, helping Lily to escape. Who could have been down here
now?

It
wasn’t Finn—that much she knew. Maybe it was Daphne. If he’d caught her
in his office earlier he would’ve had to put her in the room. The thought made
Belle simper. But she had to find out, to be sure. Holding her back against the
wall as if that would actually keep her from being seen, Belle crept down the
stairs silently. She could hear voices just down the hall, speaking in low
tones.

“Where’s
the girl?” Belle recognized her uncle’s deep, resonant voice and wondered if he
was speaking of Daphne.

“She
is at home now. I s-spoke to her mother. She didn’t tell her what really
happened. Y-you’re in the clear, sir.”

“Still,
she is a threat. I think it’s time we get rid of her.”

“But
s-sir, she’s just a girl. And if we kick her out of here, she no doubt go
straight t-to the police.”

“I
didn’t say kick her out.”

“You
mean—”

“I
mean accidents can be arranged.”

Dead
silence punched through the air. Nausea swept over Belle when she realized that
Trappe was not speaking of Daphne, but he was referring to Lily.  Sure, Belle
and Lily had had their share of problems in the past, but she could not let
something like this happen. Lily needed to leave the academy. Tonight, if
possible.

Just
as Belle turned to go, the men began to speak again.

“The
boys are locked up?”

“Yes,
sir,” Father Warren assured. “All five of them.”

“And
the girl has been taken to my quarters. Tonight’s the night my good friend.”
Belle could hear the delight take over her uncle’s vocal chords. “We’ve finally
got him baited, back up plan in place, and no straggling disciples to aid him
in his fearless conquest. Either he’ll become ensnared in our little trap or
he’ll succumb to the poison I left him.”

It
had all finally added up. Belle held her breath and cupped her sweat-laced palm
to her lips. Something was going to go down tonight and for once, she was not
confident the outcome would be good. Not at all. She had to warn Finn. Now.

***

The
cellar felt so cold and empty without Daphne or the outcasts. Finn sat in the
center of the floor, crossing his legs and weaving the flash drive between his
fingers. For the first time since he’d been kicked out of Neverland Academy, he
truly felt alone. All those years ago he’d worked so hard to build a group of
friends that would be his family, only to have it crushingly taken away. And
he’d done it himself. He wanted to blame Daphne, but he still couldn’t. She was
right and he was wrong. But he couldn’t take on all that blame himself. He
wasn’t ready to face it. He was still a kid and so he would do what a kid would
do. He had to blame someone else for now. Someone who truly deserved it. He
would blame Trappe. And now Finn held in his fingers the one thing that would
destroy his nemesis.

Finn
glanced up at the shelf that held random electronic equipment. Hangman’s laptop
was still there. He stared at it intensely as if he could will it to turn
itself on just by his own mental stimulation.
It’s almost over
, he thought. All of the years he spent torturing the
headmaster and wretched professors were about to come to an end. For some
reason, Finn couldn’t bring himself to finish the job. All he had to do was
turn on the computer, plug in the flash drive, find the incriminating files,
and send it all to the proper authorities. But something was stopping him.

Finn
felt a great sadness wash over him. He didn’t want his way of life to end. He
loved all the pranks and hiding out underground with his gang. He’d imagined
this day for years, always picturing this grand celebration with all his
friends, his self-made family. But they would not be here to celebrate. Daffy
would not be here to celebrate. He was so alone and would have to celebrate
that way. Alone.

Finn
had never known depression, never allowed the sensation to enter his mind. But
now he knew what it felt like. And he didn’t like it. It was like falling into
an endless abyss with nothing to grab hold of to pull himself out. Just
continuous falling, with no end in sight.  He knew what would make him
feel better instantly. Finn stood up and pocketed the flash drive. Then he
started off to get a drink.

***

Finn
had been indifferent when he strolled casually into the kitchen, not really
caring if anyone was around or saw him. Lucky for him the room was empty. He
wasted no time picking out the bottles one at a time to find his favorite blue
bottle of vodka at the back, the only one that could take away his miseries in
no time at all. He pulled out the bottle and held it, stroking its glass side
as if it were a kitten. He unscrewed the cap, brought it to his lips,
and—

“Stop!”

Finn
jerked the bottle back and found Belle leaning over the metallic counter,
panting like she’d just finished a two-hour marathon. A pair of flip-flops
scattered on the floor beside her.

“Finn
. . . don’t . . . drink that!”

“Belle?
What are you . . .” Finn shook his head to clear his rambling thoughts. “Why?”

“Trappe
poisoned it.”

Finn
looked at the bottle, and then sniffed the contents. It smelled normal to him,
but when he sniffed again he thought he smelled something bitter, like an old
tire or rusted metal.

“He’s
got them,” Belle panted.

“He’s
got who?” Finn dropped the bottle into a nearby sink, allowing the liquid to
drizzle out, and approached Belle. “Who does he have?”

“The
boys. Daphne. All of them.”

“Where?”

“In
the church, I think. But I heard my uncle say that Daphne was in his bedroom.
He’s trying to trap you, Finn.”

Finn’s
eyebrows furrowed and a spark in his eyes glared both intense anger and
adventurous anticipation. This was the climax he was waiting for. This would be
his celebration. He flung the flash drive into Belle’s hand.

“Take
this to Lily right now. Tell her to use the anonymous account to send the info
to the chief of police and the editor at the
Herald
. And Belle—this is important—she has to
do it tonight. Like,
right now
.”

Belle
nodded.

“Finn,
what are you going to do?”

“I’m
going to rescue our friends, of course.”

***

Daphne
had resigned to sitting helplessly on the edge of the bed. She didn’t want
to—the thought of touching the place where Trappe sleeps disgusted
her—but her feet were feeling sore, and she was tired. She was trying
relentlessly to stay awake, though her body was fighting her. Outside, the
grounds were quiet as the new-moon darkness, well past midnight, blanketed the
earth. Daphne’s captor remained in the room, leaning against the wall next to
the door. Daphne barely even noticed him any more. Her head rested against the
hardwood headboard and her eyelids were weighted with lead. She’d nearly closed
them when she heard the door shut. Daphne jerked herself up to her feet.

“Go,”
he said to the leaning man, who swiftly exited the room. Trappe stood there,
eying her lecherously. She felt a worm of discomfort wriggle up her spine. What
was he meaning to do with her here? She’d hoped what Finn said about him was
untrue, but her instincts told her different.

Trappe
shrugged his suit jacket off, loosened his tie, and opened the buttons on his
wrists and neck. He rolled up his sleeves meticulously, as if trying to avoid
wrinkles on the cuffs. Daphne wondered how he planned to torture her, because
there was no doubt in her mind that’s what he intended to do.

“Good
evening, my dear.” Daphne remained silent. She wanted to appear defiant, and
hide the fact that she was so scared she had no words. As he crossed the room,
Daphne tensed, only to relax slightly when he stopped at his mini bar to pour
himself a drink.

“Cat
got your tongue?” Trappe chuckled, and laughter spread throughout his entire
body. “Perhaps a stiff drink would loosen you up. What’s your poison, my dear?”

Daphne
turned her head in defiance once again, refusing to even make eye contact.

“Oh,
don’t pretend to be so sweet and innocent. We both know you are nothing of the
sort. Surely, you and Preston enjoyed my rare bottle of Glenfiddich. I was
quite miffed at that, but I’m over it. I even left your boyfriend a little gift
inside his favorite bottle from the kitchen.”

Daphne
was furious. The last thing she wanted to talk about was Finn.

“He’s
not my boyfr—wait. What did you say?”

“Oh,
the little gift? Yes. I must let you in on this, my proudest moment. You know
there is much history to this manor,” Trappe continued as he sat at the foot of
the bed. “My ancestors have owned this plantation for generations and
everything they owned has been passed down to me. Last week I happened upon a
very, very old bottle of cyanide while I was cleaning out my grandfather’s
trunk. It was empty and dry, unfortunately. However it gave me a brilliant idea
in my efforts to rid myself of that annoying pest. Why hadn’t I thought of it
sooner? How else does one rid himself of a pest? Oh, I would have preferred a
slow acting poison to make him suffer for all these years of insubordination,
but the pesticide I slipped into the bottle will do just fine. He’ll still suffer,
but it won’t take much more than a day to finish him off.”

Daphne
gasped. A lump formed in her throat. She tried to swallow it down, but it just
wouldn’t budge.

“Don’t
worry, my dear. Once his heart finally stops beating I’ll alert the police.
Your kidnapper will be dead and you’ll be free to go home.”

“He
didn’t kidnap me!” Daphne cried.

“Of
course he did,” Trappe said. “Surely you aren’t going to tell them that you
simply ran away. What would parents say? What would society say? People do
talk, especially the elites your parents surround themselves with. What shame
you would bring upon your family and their legacy if such a scandal were to
occur.”

“I
can tell them you kidnapped me. And the other boys.” Daphne stood up, proud to
have found her voice again. “I know about you and the horrible things you’ve
done here.”

“Exaggerations,
my dear. Nothing more than the bitterness of a young man who was just never
quite good enough.”

“I
hacked into your computer. I have evidence. I’ll tell them everything.” Daphne
raised her chin, refusing to acknowledge that she didn’t have the evidence, nor
did she even know what the evidence was.

Trappe’s
glum demeanor suddenly changed. He slammed his glass onto the table, waves of
bourbon splashing over the rim. Now he seemed more vicious and primed to
attack.

“No,
I don’t think you will,” Trappe hissed. Daphne dropped back down to the bed,
her confidence perished. Trappe took a deep breath to redeem his composure.
“Otherwise, those poor boys might end up meeting the same fate as your late
kidnapper, also administered by he, of course. Are you getting the drift, my
dear?”

Daphne
gulped. She hadn’t considered what had happened to the other boys after they’d
been captured. She just assumed that they would have found a way to escape. Or
that Finn had helped them. Suddenly she felt the enormous weight of their fates
bearing down on her shoulders. She couldn’t do that to them.

“What
will you do with the boys if I cooperate?” she asked, barely a whisper.

“They
will be returned to their families in due time.”

“What
does that mean?”

“They
will need some—how shall I put this—schooling on what they have
been doing here all these years. It will take some time and resources, but I’m
confident in the abilities of my professors.”