Prince of Darkness ~ Gotham

~ Chapter Forty Three: Not the Same ~

Waiting for the final bell to ring was like watching a freshly painted wall dry. Holly couldn't stop staring at the clock as she was in her final class. Ten more minutes... then nine, then eight. Her eyes were glued to that second arm as it slowly swung around. She tried to think about something else, anything else. Earlier at the stables, Cara had joined them after serving her detention, and while Cara was a bit skeptical to go along with the plan, she agreed to keep an eye out while Natasha and Holly got the footage.

Finally, after what felt like forever, the bell rang, and Holly quickly gathered her things and shot out of that classroom like a bullet and down the hall to the usually quiet girl's bathroom. Holly set down her bag and joined Cara and Natasha on the floor, waiting for the office to clear for the meeting. "Hey, shouldn't Florence be here to pick you up soon?" Holly couldn't help but ask as she turned to Cara. "Nah, I lied and told her they wanted me to serve an after-school detention as well," She explained. "But isn't that strange? Two detentions in one day?" Holly squinted in confusion.

"I'll come up with an excuse later. Probably something about reducing my punishment early," Cara shrugged. "Can we focus, please? The sooner we get the footage, the better," Natasha looked very anxious. "You okay, Nat?" Holly asked, noticing the beads of sweat running down her forehead. "I just... I'm scared," Natasha admitted. "What if this whole plan backfires? What if you get in more trouble because of me?" Her eyes widened, her delicate breathing grew heavier, and she started panting like an out-of-breath dog.

Holly and Cara looked at each other with widened eyes. Natasha's panic attack was growing more and more severe by the millisecond. "Hey, it's going to be okay," Holly placed a hand on one of Natasha's shoulders while Cara placed a hand on the other. "I'll admit, we're playing a dangerous game doing this, but if we want to set the record straight, we have to get that footage," Holly's voice grew gentle. "B-but if we don't? I mess up everything I touch! I got you disqualified, I got Cara put in detention, and-and," Natasha buried her head in her hands. 

"You didn't do any of that, Nat. That's your anxiety talking, not you. The Nat I know doesn't cause trouble. She helps people when they need her the most," Cara comforted her. "You're our only hope, Nat. We can't do this without you," With a shaking breath, Natasha slowly looked up at her two friends, seeing the genuine friendship and care in their eyes. Cara was right. She was their key to getting into the announcement room. This was a team effort, and they all had a part to play. Natasha wiped her tears with her blazer sleeve, and with a smile she looked at her watch. The staff meeting was about to begin. 

"Let's get that footage,"

The girls followed each other closely as they slowly walked towards the office. Natasha slowly peeked through the glass, and sure enough, the office was dead silent. "They're gone," She nodded as she tried the office door, and to their relief, someone forgot to lock it. "Remember, stay quiet," Natasha reminded. As the office door quietly shut behind them, they could hear the staff talking in the conference room. What they were talking about, none of the girls knew nor had the time to linger and find out. Probably their weekly curriculum or something. Holly thought to herself.

Natasha reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out a single gold key. "How do you still have the key?" Cara whispered. "They never asked for it back," Natasha answered, quietly pushing the door open. As Cara kept a lookout from the door's window, Natasha and Holly hurried to the monitor. Who doesn't have a password on their computer? That's just irresponsible. Holly shook her head. Clearly, some of the office staff were not the brightest. The security files were endless, hundreds, maybe even thousands of folders from the school years prior. Holly pressed the search bar and typed in the date of the fateful lunch, and just as they were about to lose hope, they finally found it.