Bond - Lois Lane: fallout

CHAPTER 1

Remember the plan, I muttered.

I sped up as the school came into view, a telltale yellow bus lumbering away from the curb. The soles of my knee-high boots clicked against the concrete sidewalk.

Fit in. Dont make waves.

A small herd of stragglers were still dragging their feet toward the three-story, pristine brick structure of East Metropolis High. Id made it before first bell, thenbarely. A slouchy boy in a baggy T-shirt held the door for me. That must mean my carefully selected ensemble of a plaid mini, black tights, and sweater with a small, cute skull-and-crossbones motif was okay. Id been to enough new schools to know that people didnt hold doors if they thought you were dressed too weirdly.

Wheres the office? I asked the first studious-looking girl I saw.

She shyly pointed up the hall, and I set off as the bell rang.

This was a bigger school than I was used to, more people roaming the halls, the classrooms fuller and in greater number. The school colors were blue and red, and walking down the hall felt a little like being inside an American flag. My Army general dad would love it.

I spotted a sign hanging up ahead that read Principal and Administrative Office. But when I got closer to the glassed-in area, I hesitated. There was a line.

Six boysno, wait, a couple of them were girlsstood in silence a few feet away from the door. They were dressed in all black, and obviously together, facing each other in rows of three. How they stared at each other tempted me to joke, Get a classroom. Except on second look, it wasnt moony-eyed-in-love staring. It was more intense than that.

So I said when they didnt budge. Or speak. Are you waiting?

Yes, a boy with brown hair said.

But not for you, another added, in a flat tone creepily similar to the first.

The second bell rang. We became the only people left in the hallway.

I didnt think you were, I said, in a nice way. Its my first day here.

None of them spoke.

Oh-kay.

Thanks for the warm welcome. I went wide around them to the door. Ill just cut the line now.

Inside, the layout was simple: a reception area with a few chairs and a desk positioned to serve as gatekeeper. Behind it, the first few feet of a carpeted beige hallway were visible, leading, no doubt, back to the principals office.

No one was at the desk, so I sat down to wait. Patiently. As patiently as possible when I was already late on my first day at a brand-new school, anyway.

I hoped they hadnt pulled up my transcripts, seen my dreaded permanent record, and decided not to admit me. If permanent records even existed, which I wasnt sure about.

Then again, nothing in my life had ever been permanent. I might be biased.

I took a deep breath, crossing my fingers that the rude group in the hallway wasnt an omen. Things had to be different here. I had to be different here.

Dont screw this up, Lane, I whispered.

Then I heard voices. Overheard, actually. They were coming from up that bland beige hall. And they were arguing.

No one had showed up to help me, and the creepy group outside wasnt loitering where they could see in the windows. So it wasnt like there was anyone to notice when I got up and moved a little closer to the gatekeepers desk to better hear what the argument was about And a little closer And right on past the desk There.

I stopped at the edge of the hall, still technically in the front office. But now I could hear what they were saying.

Principal Butler, please. The girl speaking had a quiet voice, but it was raised and wavering. You know I would never inconvenience you without justification. I know how it sounds, but the Warheads are annihilating my sanity. Or endeavoring to. I swear to you, theyre doing something to me. To my mind. Cognitive assault. Psychological coercion. Those are the closest terms I can find, though they are not precisely correct.

That was some SAT-worthy vocabulary. Impressive.

I started to edge closer, into the hallway, but I forced myself to stop. I needed to stay out of view, under the radar. I did not need to be caught trespassing in admin offices.

That didnt stop me from listening hard.

Anavi, a smooth, older mans voice said, I can see something is bothering you, but now isnt the best time. Dont you play some computer game together? Is this a crush gone bad on one of them, maybe?

No. The girl held firm. They wouldnt permit me to complete my computer science homework this morning. I kept transcribing incorrect answers. It was almost like they were forcing me to write the mistakes. Please, Principal Butler, if youll just make them stop

Im busy with the schools guest speaker this morning, the older manPrincipal Butlersaid. But Anavi, I want you to think about what youre saying. Im tempted to send you for a psych eval, questioning your own sanity like this, but I know how your parents would react. You and your gaming group need to work this out.

But Im not part of their group. I have not a single iota of interest in it. I just want to be left alone.

The girl sounded like she was out of options. But the smooth-tongued principal wasnt completely wrong. What she was saying did sound crazy.

Which was what interested me.

Without meaning to, I was walking up the hallway, just to get a look at the people in the conversation. I peered around a corner.

If thats true, the principal said, then making wild accusations is probably not the best way to keep a low profile. Im confident you can work this out on your own.

There were three of them, standing outside a closed office door. A man in his mid-thirties in a hip, knock-off suit was staying quiet, but watching the exchange. The girl was medium height, wearing glasses and an expression closing in on panic. No doubt her reaction to being dismissed by the third, a slickly dressed man who must be the principal.

He started, Now, I need to escort Mr.

The quiet man gave a slight shake of his head as if to say Dont mind me. No rush.

Please, you have to listen, the girl said. I dont want to get anyone in trouble. But you know that in order to claim my scholarship winnings I must maintain a spotless academic record. Theyre disrupting my mental capacity, inside the game and outside it. You have to stop them.

Calm down, or the psych eval is a possibility, the principal said, as if it pained him.

I recognized his type. The veneer of niceness didnt fool me. His gray suit and silver hair made me think of a shark. Only he wasnt predator king of the sea, but entitled emperor of this school. He didnt seem to want to help the girl with her problem. Instead he seemed inclined to protect the gamers who were bullying her.

I cleared my throat and took a few more steps toward them, joining the conversation. Excuse me, I said. I couldnt help overhearing. I have to agree withAnavi, right?that an administrator should take a bullying complaint seriously and do what he can to stop it. Im assuming the school does have a policy? I waited for a response.

The slick principal blinked at me. The other man tried to hide his amusement. Meek Anavi braced as if for an explosion.

Who are you? the principal asked with a note of disbelief.

Id forgotten about the plan. Stay quiet. Keep my head down.