WANT TO KNOW A SECRET?

(32)

"Miss Martins..." Somebody was shaking me. "Miss Martins!" I opened my eyes and frowned at the sight in front of me. I was in a minibus with Nathan asleep against my shoulder and a woman I didn't know was looking at me expectantly as if I was supposed to know exactly who she was.

"Hmm... What's going on?" My voice sounded croaked.

"Welcome to Saint Anne's High School!" She said with a strong British accent and a huge smile.

"Hmm... Thanks but what are we doing there?" I asked her, feeling totally confused.

"Your parents have decided to send you and your brother here until your brother's done with his A-Levels..." She answered as if she thought I was silly for asking.

I must be dreaming, I thought.

"And would you mind telling me where Saint Anne's High is located exactly?" I tried to keep as calm as I could considering the circumstances but found it hard when she looked obfuscated.

She furrowed her eyebrows when I narrowed my eyes at her.

"You mean they sent you without telling you?" she exclaimed in disbelief. I clenched my teeth angrily.

"We're supposed to surprise friends by joining them for a long weekend in Greece..." I stated blankly.

"Oh my Goodness!" She exclaimed in a high-pitched voice with her hand on her chest. "Have the two of you really been in and out of juvie for the last two years?" She asked in a lower voice as if to make sure nobody could hear her.

I huffed.

"No, Miss, Nathan and I have never been to juvie..." I was literally seething now.

"I see..." She muttered, looking downright sad now. "Just to make sure, Bianca Martins is your mother, right?"

"That, she is..." I mumbled seconds away from breaking down in front of her.

How on earth was I going to explain our Mother's latest stunt to Nathan? He'd been so excited to surprise Leo in Greece and now I had to tell him that not only we weren't in Greece at all but that he'd probably never see Leo again or at least not before the end of the school year in...

Wait a minute!

"Where did you say Saint Anne's High School was?" I asked her again, feeling even more stupid this time.

"It's an hour away from Newcastle-Upon-Thyne in the North East of England..."She replied apologetically.

At least, she seems nice... I thought after nodding.

There wasn't much to say. Our mother was our legal tutor so if she'd decided to send us all the way to England, then there was nothing we could do about it.

My heart sank when I realized why she had taken our smartphones. She knew we'd try to contact Tyler, Owen or Leo - even Bryan, maybe - and she'd made sure we wouldn't be able to do so.

A thought occurred to me. Maybe we'd be able to find the Van Houten's landline number on the internet.

No way would they have their number available for anyone to contact them, I realized the minute after.

"Poppy?" The red-headed woman's voice brought me back to the present.

"I...I was just trying to find a way to contact some people back in the US..." I admitted, too exhausted to hide how desperate I was. "Maybe they'd talk some sense into her..." I added more to myself than to her.

"The thing is, Poppy, your mother's chosen our school because we're specialized in reforming delinquents. She's registered the two of you as red codes..." She paused. "Which means that you're not allowed to use any means of communication outside class..."