Abigail

Chapter Nineteen

Immediately after Millie was rushed to the hospital, the dance ended and everyone was sent home. On her way out of the auditorium, Kendra was stopped by one of the teachers who had been on stage along with their principal and Mr. Smith.

"Are you Kendra Blair?" he asked in a booming voice.

Kendra waited a few seconds to respond, taken back from his tone. He seemed angry with her, and she had no idea why. "Y-yes," she said, her voice wavering a bit.

The teacher narrowed his eyes into a glare. "You are going to need to come with me to Mrs. Clearwater's office. Now."

Kendra blinked in confusion, but followed the teacher back into the auditorium and out one of the stage doors. He hurried up the staircase, moving so fast Kendra had to break into a jog to keep up. Her shoes were rubbing on the backs of her ankles which were already tender from dancing. She resisted the urge to stop and fix them.

They finally reached Mrs. Clearwater's office on the second floor and Kendra slowed her pace, her ankles throbbing worse than ever. The teacher knocked on the door which was opened immediately by an anxious-looking Mrs. Clearwater. She hurried Kendra inside, leaving the other teacher behind. Mrs. Clearwater sat down at her desk and folder her hands. Kendra sat down in the chair opposite her.

"Can you tell me why you were called to my office Miss. Blair?" she asked, speaking through clenched teeth.

Kendra shook her head. "No."

Mrs. Clearwater forced a stricken smile. "Very well then. I see you are wearing a pirate costume. May I ask you what happened to your sword?"

"I-I lost it. Earlier when I was in the haunted house," Kendra said, frowning. She clearly had no idea where any of this was going or why she was being interrogated by the principal. All she wanted to do was go home.

Mrs. Clearwater frowned. "Kendra, why are you lying to me?"

Kendra's eyes widened in surprise. "I-I'm not lying. Please, I have no idea what's going on."

Her principal reached into her desk drawer and removed a plastic pirate sword. It was not the one that came with her costume, so Kendra felt a short period of relief that was then replaced with more curiosity and confusion. Why would her principal go to all this trouble just to give her back a sword that wasn't even hers?

"Th-that's not my sword. Mine is probably still in the haunted house." Kendra tried not to let her voice waver.

"Take a look at the handle," she murmured, turning the sword over so Kendra could see something written in neat handwriting along the base of the handle.

Kendra Blair.

"I think this is as good of proof as any that this is, indeed, your sword," Mrs. Clearwater said, sounding more agitated by the minute. "Can you tell me how this came into my possession?"

Kendra was about to speak when a moment of realization hit her. The prop room. She and Abigail had written their names on the sword handles. Is that what this was about? Did Mrs. Clearwater know that they'd been in the prop room? If so, why wasn't Abigail's sword here too? And what did it matter if Kendra had a sword with her costume or not?

"N-no ma'am," Kendra lied.

Mrs. Clearwater looked down the bridge of her oversized glasses at Kendra. "This sword was found on stage right after the stage light fell. Can you tell me why?"

She shook her head. Kendra wished Mrs. Clearwater would stop asking her if she could tell her the answers to the questions she already knew. Besides, she had no idea how her sword got onto the stage if it was in the prop room or why it mattered. Unless...