A Million Whys For You

Chapter 6

Rosalind and Isabelle glanced at each other before shrugging and hugging. Rosalind rolled up the map, and glanced outside, before walking out, and gestured for us to follow. Clutching my phone tightly, I stepped outside. Wasn't going to get in trouble without a threat, I thought, finger hovering over the emergency call button.

Jace was the last one out, making sure that the universe jumping machine was covered in the gray cloth labeled Graygate High supplies and opened the door for us.

Isabelle looked at the clock above our heads, and checked her schedule. "If this universe is anything like our universe, it should be second period right now. That means that Rosalind has Calculus, while Summer and I have Chemistry together.

"You don't mean for Rosa to go alone?" I asked, cautious. "What if-"

Jace pulled me into a corner, and dragged Isabelle and Rosalind in too. A teacher strolled by, nursing a Starbucks coffee.

Pulling her hair out of Jace's grip, Rosalind brushed through it, and bent on the ground, trying to see if any of her hair had fallen out. "You little-next time, pull anywhere but the hair you bozo."

Isabelle calmed her curls as well, and I brushed myself off from a spectacular fall on the ground when taken by surprise. "And next time, a warning?"

Jace ran a hand through his silver-blond hair. "I won't get into trouble, I'm still in janitors' clothes, but you three would immediately be spotted and the real yous in this universe would be all 'oh who's that getting in trouble? My evil counterpart?" and then the mission might as well be dead."

Sighing, Rosalind replaced her hair back into a high ponytail, which had gotten messed up during the close calls with the teacher. "I have calculus, while these two have chem. I'm not about to go alone so..."

Jace cut her off. "At this time, I'm usually in the spare room next to the Calculus classes, so Isabelle and Summer can go off to Chemistry while we go off in that direction. Communicate if anything goes wrong through the radios."

Nodding, Isabelle gave me the radio, and I placed my phone back into the satchel. This phone isn't going to crack on me just yet. I've already broken two of them.

Rosalind flinched a little when Isabelle pulled her and I into a hug, but hugged back immediately. Jace stood off to the side, cautious as always.

"Stay safe."

"You too."

Just as I was about to respond, Jace cut in. "Would you guys cut it? It's only the first part of this mission and all of you are acting like we're going into a war."

Rolling her eyes, Rosalind kneaded her shoulder. "Then get going Boss J!"

Isabelle flipped her hair over a shoulder, hitched her burlap bag higher up, looked around, and darted into another shadowy corner. Gesturing for me to follow, I did the same thing as she did, without the hair flipping, and darted in next to her. Placing the map out, Isabelle pointed her finger at where we were.

"We're going to need to pick the route with the most cover. This way is mostly lockers, and a few bathrooms along th-"

"Izzy? Summer? What are you guys doing out of class?" a curious voice sounded.

We turned around, faces in shock.