Heathen Chronicles - Changed

Chapter 24 - The Base of Red Tape

Ntsakela's POV

We—mostly I—sat nervously, waiting to hear news of our trip's progress from Dr. Harper. Our bags were packed and lying patiently by the door as we waited for the call to head down to the buses. Suddenly, the computer screen lit up. An email popped up from the headmaster; he had a personal notification sound set just in case. We scrambled to the screen to print it. Usually, we receive trip tickets for any excursion—even personal weekend trips. We have to use them as bus passes, as it's the only way to prove to the drivers that the headmaster has granted permission.

But instead of a bus ticket, it was a summons stating that Dr. Harper wished to speak with us immediately.

What the hell was going on?

We exchanged worried glances and sped off toward the headmaster's office. Just as we arrived, we were stopped by the "Dragon Lady." I was in no mood for this bitch.

After a brief explanation of why we were there, she showed us to his door—as if we didn't already know the way—then strutted back to her desk, where a long line of Grade Eights waited impatiently. Forgetting to knock, we walked in, ignoring the Dragon Lady's glare; we could feel her burning a hole through the wood from the other side of the door. We filled the room, crowding around Dr. Harper's desk.

Dr. Harper sat with his hands clasped on his desk, a very worried expression plastered across his face. He looked at each of us in turn and gave a sad smile. He seemed to struggle to get the words out. That was definitely out of the norm for him, which meant this was beyond serious.

"So, I've spoken to the secretaries at the... base. They said the only time we can visit would be in two months. The General refused to permit a visit right now because of a breach of contract that apparently involves lawyers. I am so sorry."

"That's a bit suspicious, isn't it, Sir?"

I was infuriated. All this planning and organization, only to be stopped by some stupid contract.

"Yes, it is, but there is nothing we can do right now. I will personally email him to organize our trip. You will get to visit your friend, and I will get an explanation for all this secrecy regarding my student."

"Thank you, Sir," Xelia replied, sounding disappointed but respectful before anyone else could speak.

We shuffled out of the office, feeling hopeless and discouraged, and returned to the dorm in silence. We knew there were eyes and ears everywhere except for our room of solitude—which is exactly why we are always huddled together there instead of being out and about. We walked into the dorm, locked the door, and slumped down wherever we could find a comfortable spot. The few who had waited behind could tell by the looks on our faces that the news was bad.

Soon, the venting started. We went through every way our plan could have failed, except for this one. Now, all we could do was wait—wait a couple of weeks or more until we finally got to see our friend.

"I know this isn't why we planned the trip, but I was really hoping to get out of school for a while," Carter announced into the silent room, trying to lighten the mood.

That managed to coax out a few small smiles and softened the atmosphere, eventually calming everyone down.

"I think we all need a strong drink," Dwayne stated.

We all nodded in agreement and began unpacking our bags while we waited for the drinks to be poured.