Union Jack

~Abscond~

Ten
Abscond// To sneak away and hide

     The dining hall was a lot darker than I expected when we stepped inside. It was not shining with its usual brilliance nor was it filled with its familiar roaring chatter. It was strange. It had the same feel as an empty museum, and the only utterance was the sound of mine and Jack's footsteps along the floor. I had managed to notice that Jack was still holding my hand as we walked between the empty tables, but I did not mention that to him.

Jack unceremoniously tugged off his suit jacket, releasing my hand for only a moment, and draped it across the back of a chair. "Jack! What are you doing?" I whisper-yelled when he looked around before dragging me into the kitchen.  

"Relax Yankee," he soothed, "I'm just putting a kettle on."

There was a lull as we waited for the water to boil.

"We're going to be in so much trouble if someone finds us." I said.

"The staff is fine," he replied, "as long  as you're with me you have nothing to worry about."

"Is that so, Your Grace?" I asked with a pointed look as the pot began to screech; quite possibly giving us away.

     He moved the vessel off the stove so quickly that if I had blinked, I would have missed it. I watched as his steady hands poured the water over the teabags in the cups on the counter. When the tea, cream, and sugar were prepared to his liking he tilted his head in a silent, "follow me" gesture; causing his top hat to shift slightly. I grabbed my cup and saucer and followed wordlessly behind him deeper into the kitchen.

     As we moved among the pots and pans I suddenly became very nervous. What was I doing sneaking off and having tea with a boy I practically hated, at an hour that was supposed to be reserved for getting out of costume and getting ready for bed? The notion was crazy. Was I really willing to risk academic probation or expulsion for him? Jack pulled me out of my thoughts when he whirled around very quickly, causing a little bit of tea to slosh out of his cup.
"You must be as silent as the grave and promise not to tell anyone where we are going."

"What is this, Black Ops three?" I asked, "Besides, I don't know where we're going and I'm not sure that I would want anyone to know I was alone at one-thirty in the morning with you." A devilish grin appeared on his face at my comment before he turned to lead us through a narrow door at the back of the extensive kitchen.

     The room was pitch-black when we entered and I could've swore that it was a breeding ground for bats. We walked up a few short flights of stairs before coming to a halt. "It's going to be a little tricky with these tea cups," Jack started, "but I think we can manage." He fumbled around in the darkness for a minute before he found what he was looking for. The latch on the door above our heads groaned in protest when Jack pushed it open. "You're lighter than I am," He observed. "I can give you a boost and you can hold the teacups while I crawl through."

"What?" I said very confused as Jack wordlessly took the object out of my hands and placed it on a nearby shelf before wrapping his arms around my corset-clad waist and lifting me off the ground.

"What the actual hell Wellesley?!" I exclaimed when hands slid lower and his right arm wrapped just below my butt.

"Don't flatter yourself too much, love." He smirked. "I'm just giving you a lift." His impish grin reached his emerald eyes and he took on a boyish look not dissimilar to how I would imagine a real-life version of Peter Pan. That is, if Peter Pan ever strategically placed his hands on a slightly embarrassed American in order to lift her through an opening in the ceiling of an ancient mansion. "Find the frame of the door and push yourself onto the roof." He said softly to me.