The School For Gifted Kids

Chapter 19: Arson

"Arson, where were you? We were worried!"

"Good for you."

"Seriously! You can't just run off like that." I rolled my eyes and ended the conversation by lying down and closing my eyes. I was done with arguments. 

The next morning, Caddy called a meeting.

"Alright everyone, gather round. I have an announcement." 

"We're all here. Just get on with it." She scowled at me. I made a face back. She composed herself and spoke with a confidence that could only be brought on by being in complete control of your younger brother.

"I think it's time to break out." At this news, everyone turned to whoever was sitting next to them and started excitedly chatting. Caddy waved her hands around trying to get everyone's attention. It was funny to see it from my perspective. Watching everyone else go crazy.

"Hey! Hey, everyone! Calm down!!" They kept on talking. I punched Ben in the shoulder and said in a reasonably loud voice: 

"Hey, shut up, you guys." Silence. Caddy tried not to look annoyed, but I could tell she was miffed. 

"Thank you, Arson. The plan is to leave tonight, while the guards are changing shifts. Then, we commandeer one of the patrol cars from the parking lot and drive to freedom!" She emphasized freedom with that weird metal hand sign. I slow-clapped. You know, in that sad, sarcastic way. 

"Great plan sis, but flawed. Extremely flawed. First of all, I say we leave now. The guards change shifts in 20. Second, none of us can drive. You're supposed to be able to, but that whole thing about being stuck in a cell for two or three years kinda screwed that up. So we can take the bus, as there is a station exactly 3.2 km down the road and I have money that I pick-pocketed off guards for the past year. Lastly, where are we going to go? We can't just go into town. I think they'll find five kids with no parents rather suspicious. Plus, Anastasia will probably put out a "Missing Persons" report." The other girl (I think her name was Elle?) snapped her fingers.

"I know where we can go!" Willa (ugh) nodded.

"SGK!" Caddy's eyes narrowed.

"The what? That name sounds dangerously close to the KKK." Everyone stared at Caddy. 

"What?! I was just saying the obvious!" Ben quickly changed the subject.

"The SGK stands for the School for Gifted Kids. We go there. Smart thinking Willa."

Caddy's brow furrowed. 

" I still think we should go at night. Their guard will be down." I knew that this would blow into a full sized argument between me and Caddy. And if we wanted to go with my plan, we would have to leave soon. I had to put and end to this.

"Let's vote. We've obviously got one for night, and one for the day. What about you guys?"

Ben went night, and Willa went day. 

"Elle, It's up to you. Night or day?"

"I'm with Arson."

I nodded at her in recognition. She gave me a slight smile, and we crawled on our way. 

We came to the exit of the vents in maybe ten minutes. I estimated we had about five minutes till the guards changed, which meant we'd be out of view for three. I turned around to face the group. 

"Alright, gang. Once the guard's change, we'll have three minutes to get from here, to the fence. Does anyone here have issues with sprinting? Asthma? Allergies?" Everyone shook their head's. I took a deep breath and saw the guard in the south tower look at his watch and head down. 

"Go time."

We spilled out of that vent like clowns from a car. The sun was bright, and I was temporarily blinded. I stumbled around for a few seconds, then came to my senses and started running. The fence was twenty meters away. Fifteen. Ten. Five. Three. Two. One. I started climbing, sticking my sneakers into the holes in the chain mail fence. I heard the telltale clang of metal as the others joined me. A couple more feet, and I was over. I landed hard on the other side, right on my butt. Caddy landed daintily on her toes beside me. 

"Get up, moron. Time to go." I came to my senses and scrambled to my feet. My weird hospital slippers fell off and my bare feet stung on the cold ice. I know I shouldn't have, but I took a second. Looking at the world around me. I'd been inside for a huge chunk of my life, never really knowing what... out here was like. I'd relied on memories most of the time. Foggy, hazy memories that barely brushed the surface of what this was really like. Then, I remembered where I was and started running again. I couldn't help letting a smile slip past my lips. I hit the cover of the trees (first again) and slowed my sprint to a jog. Caddy grabbed my arm and stopped me. 

"Woah. We have a long way to go, so don't waste your energy." The others trickled in behind us, bumping fists and congratulating each other on the escape. Someone threw me a high five and I grinned as people patted me on the back. I was sure that if anyone was at least a mile from us, they would hear us and we'd be caught. But the fates must have been in a good mood today, as we were left alone. Laughter was soon replaced with complaints, though, complaints of sore feet and blisters. That was nothing. I had no shoes. I swear my big toe was turning black. Just when we were about to give up, a safe haven appeared. All complaints were silenced in the sheer beauty of the bus station. It was in a truly odd location, as any city must have been miles away. Thoughts such as those murmured in the back of my mind, but I was too happy to pay attention to them. A mistake on my part. 

"Alright! Arson, bring out the coins!" I chuckled maniacally, drunk on freedom. The bus came quicker than I expected, groaning to a halt. The moment the bus turned the corner, our little huddle had gone silent. It was like being with two different groups. I gave our money to the driver (five dollars too much, it would seem) and we chose a few seats in the back. The bus started up again and we were on our way. An uneasy feeling washed over me. We were heading back to the Institution. I tried to reassure myself that we were just taking a detour, but I felt extremely nauseous. The bus stopped again at a stop I hadn't noticed before, much closer to where we had been. A sleek woman climbed the steps and headed back our way. Immediately, my heart stopped when I saw who it was.