Star Pupil

Chapter seventeen

Friday 5 November 2010

7:32am

The phone alarm woke me up. Thank god, neither one of us got brutally butchered! Here's what happened last night:

We got into my room and played back the voice recording of the Star Pupil's story from Mr. Keith and my video clip of the Star Pupil's hideout - with the caretaker's heads above his fireplace!

Skipping our late-night plans involving sex, cider and Netflix, we decided to call it a night. I lifted out a winter's blanket out of the hot press and sat it on top of my big duvet since it's gotten much colder.

Then we wished each other good night and jumped into bed, not before we switched off the lights and barricaded my bedroom door with as much stuff as possible!

Now it's the morning time, we had a good night's rest and the door hasn't been opened. Funny thing is, I was still in my clothes from last night as I couldn't be bothered getting jammies on me. Well I took off my belt and trainers and jumped into bed.

As I drank my glass of water, I heard the front door open.  Zara and I are properly woken up. "Jake, what time is it?" Zara asked me, I picked up my iPhone and told her what time it was.

"We've gotta get to the school!" Zara exclaimed, realizing the time. "You get dressed, I'll go see who it is." I said to Zara, pulling the chair out of my door so I can open it. "Be careful, Jake." She replied, as I gave her a thumb up. "Hello?"

Is that Mum? It's her! Where's my phone? Oh, it's on the PC desk! I picked it up, slipped my belt on my shorts and the black Cons on my feet so that I can give the hottie redhead privacy to get dressed. "Hello, Jake?" Mum called.

Walking down the stairs, I called out "Hey, mum!" "Good morning, son, how are you?" she asked me, where is she? She must be in the kitchen or something. I think she's whipping up an end-of-trip snack/meal. "Good thanks. What about yourself?" I said, walking in the kitchen. "Never better, except I feel tired, I'm dying to get a good night's sleep."

Better let Zara know who's here or she'll act suspicious. "Zara, it's only mum here, everything's cool!" I called out to Zara, who had just finished getting her shit on. "OK, I'll be right down! Hi, Lydia!" she replied, before walking downstairs.

"Hello, Zara." said Mum, who just saw Zara walking in to join us. Right, Jake, tell mum the truth now or she'll think you're acting crazy. "Mum...I know you've been very busy with your flights and you're tired. I don't wanna pretend that I don't care."

"What are you talking about? Is everything alright?" Mum is wondering why the look on my face changed. Come on, Jake, speak up to her.

"Have you heard about a missing boy named Charles Irvine? He wasn't missing; he came back from the dead. And Mr. Gallagher has something to do with it. I got the story on voice-record from one of the old Boothwood School caretakers who saw it happen. Listen."

I opened up the audio recording of Mr. Keith's story on my phone and handed it over to Mum, who begins listening to it.

Later...

"I don't...I don't understand it...Mr. Gallagher was a nice man...how could he do such a thing like this?!" Those were Mum's very first words upon finding out what kind of sick bastard Mr. Gallagher is. "And this Mr. Keith, I'm glad he didn't kill him. I can hardly imagine how hard it must be for him to go through all of that."

"I didn't know about this too, mum." I said. "Here, I've got footage of Charlie's hideout that Zara and I found just above the school grounds in the woods last night." Mum then watched the entire videotape showing the Star Pupil's hideout.

"God, Jake, turn it off!" Seeing Mum retching over the heads of the five caretakers - four of them being sadistic killers - pinned on the wall above the fireplace, I turned off the video clip. "So what's been going on? When did all of this began?" Mum asked me, as I slipped the phone in my right short pocket.

"It started last Tuesday. Charlie came outta nowhere and killed Mr. Harris in front of me. I was detention round that time. I told Mr. Gallagher about it and called the police but his body was gone before the police showed up. Yesterday, Charlie chased me and Zara into the woods...but...Mr Gallagher...He thinks I'm crazy....Everyone thinks I'm crazy...because of that he suspended me."

"God, Jake, I'm so sorry. Were you and Zara hurt?" Mum said, giving me a hug. "No, Lydia, we're fine. Jake, look at the time!" said Zara, who showed me the time on her phone. It reads 7:59AM.

"Oh God, we've gotta get there now! Come on!" I said, running out to the front door, with Zara following me. Mum, wondering why we're in a hurry, picked up her keys and slipped her handbag on before she walked outside the house to open the Alfa Romeo for us to jump into.

"Why do you have to go there, if you're suspended? What's gonna happen?" Mum asked me. "Today is 5 November: Guy Fawkes Day, 18 years since Charlie was killed. He's going in the Guy Fawkes assembly today to kill everyone there: students, teachers...everyone!"

I jumped into the front passenger's seat while Zara gets into the back seat behind me. "Oh, God, I'm taking you there, son!" Mum said, jumping in the car. "You serious?" I asked her. "Of course! You got a school to save!" Mum replied, turning on the ignition before reversing us out of the driveway.

I'd never knew Mum would allow two 16-year-olds like Zara and me to do something heroic. I was worried that Mum would think that I'm gonna do something crazy like that and that I'll get into trouble for it.

Like Mad Max, Mum speeds us down to the end of the street before making one of those drift racer turns to head down to Worsley! Man, she's even crazier than I am!

While we're trying to get past the busy traffic in Worsley - that's why it's around this time people are heading to work and shit - Zara and I are just blown away by the fact Mum can speed in these roads.

I don't think I remember this but I think mum used to be a wee rebel when she was at my age and one of her rebellion antics involve illegally driving without a license. The same rebellious act passed onto me!

We pulled over outside the main gates to find everybody already in school. The assembly must have begun a little early. "So what are you going to do?" Mum asked me. OK, Jake, no time to think about plan A or plan B or C, let's get it over with.

"Zara and I are going to get inside the school's art class - that's where the assembly's being held - and get everybody out before Charlie gets there. I want you to keep an eye out to see him approaching, if so text me first know BEFORE you call the police.

"When they arrive, you have to show the police the evidence linking to Mr. Gallagher on my phone. That way he'll take responsibility for what he and his scum friends did to little Charlie. You trust me on this?"

There, that's the entire plan thought of and arranged in only just a few seconds! "I trust you, son. Please both of you be careful!" she said, giving me a hug, before Zara and I got out of the car.