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Chapter 4: "Interrogation"

Emma 

The next day was just as dull and repetitive as all the ones before it. At lunch, I finished the book I had started just the day before; which was the third book in a series I had only begun over the weekend. They weren't even that good; I was just trying to find something to keep myself entertained as the school-year dragged by.

The bell rang as I was packing up my things, signaling the end of lunch. I tried to take my time so the hallways could clear as much as possible before I made my way to class, but I still had to dodge and weave my way through the crowds. It's something you get fairly good at when it seems you're invisible to people, and they just keep walking like you're not standing right in front of them.

The thirty second warning sounded as I ducked into my Advanced Physics class. I had already completed the course my sophomore year, but due to my love of science (and the school's lack of class variety) I was retaking it. The teacher was nice enough to instruct me separately with subject matter of higher difficulty, however Mrs. Droe's definition of "instruct" was just to throw a bunch of worksheets and tests at me that she found on some college website. She didn't seem to like me very much.

I made my way over to my desk in the middle of the classroom. I tried to get a seat there in every class; it was perfectly situated so that you could do whatever you wanted during the lesson and the teacher wouldn't notice, but you were far enough away from the annoying kids in the back. And I was even luckier in this class not to have a table partner to deal with. Honestly, it was probably just because Mrs. Droe didn't want anyone cheating off of me, but I chose to look at it optimistically.

The final bell rang, and the students lingering around the classroom began to migrate to their seats. I pulled out my tablet to start reading as Mrs. Droe made her way to the front of the classroom to begin her lecture. I had already finished the packet of problems she dumped on me every week, so it was sort of a free period for me.

Mrs. Droe was hardly two sentences into her speech when a knock sounded on the door. She answered it, then slipped out into the hallway to have a hushed meeting with whoever had come. The second the door closed, the class erupted into a roar of conversation. I tried to tune them out the best I could, slumping in my chair and focusing on my book. The class suddenly grew silent again as the door opened.

"Ms. Scott!"

My head snapped up. I thought Mrs. Droe was yelling at me for reading and not paying attention, and a slight pink rose in my cheeks. But she looked as if she couldn't care less.

"You are needed in the office. Take your things." She huffed uninterestingly and walked back to the front of the classroom.

I scrambled to grab my bag and exit the classroom. The other students eyed me enviously, but I had no clue why I was leaving. Mum never said anything about picking me up early, and she would have messaged me if she was. I hadn't done anything that could possibly get me in trouble (unless you count that experiment in the chem lab, but that was a few weeks ago). My mind flashed to Austin. If he had gotten in another fight, suspension would be a likely possibility. And if that happened, he would be sent home immediately, along with my ride.

I pushed through the glass doors of the main office, and found Austin sitting in one of the chairs against the wall. Of course. I began to walk towards him, but a figure stepped in front of me.

"Emma Scott?”

I looked up at the man. He wore a dark suit, and his steely eyes looked down on me. The stark features of his face gave him an air of authority.

“Y—yes?" I swallowed. What did Austin get himself into? What did he get us into?

The man pulled out a small holographic card with credentials on it, a badge logo in the middle that I was familiar with; my dad had the same one. He was a government official.