Retaliation: the beginning

Chapter 51:"Tick Tock"

The clock ticked above the teacher's head, it was really distracting.

Really distracting.

Timothy called him before to tell him that he was waiting for him at the janitor's room, it was stinky but it was the closest to the teachers' room.

Emily had told them that morning that the security cameras were not all functional and were just there for show, the tapes were moved to the teachers' room every Thursday.

10 a.m, the time Elias was supposed to meet him.

It was 9:56 in the clock hanging above the board and Elias kept glancing at it out of the corner of his eye as class progressed, and kept noticing all these little things that had seemed inconsequential before like how the board is 2 inches lower on the left side and how the pencil holding the teachers hair was going to fall, but now...now he couldn't stop thinking about what Timmy was doing.

The teacher caught him more than once staring at the clock, giving him an absentminded smile when she did, and Ely flushed magnificently before tearing his eyes away, desperately trying to focus on taking notes.

Aaron in the other hand rested the end of his pencil at the corner of his mouth when he stopped writing. He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth, he didn't understand the teacher's point.

He turned to check on Ely who was sweating like hell.

Aaron snorted noticing every minuscule detail in the way the individual nervously waited for the right time.

All of this from furtive glances, less than a minute tops.

10:00 and the blond boy raised his hand taking permission to go to the bathroom, the teacher sighed but let him go anyways.

It only took fifty five seconds to discreetly run into the teacher's room where he stopped, tiptoeing he peeked on the door's small window.

There were two teachers there; the Chemistry teacher Mr. Donahue was pouring himself a cup of coffee and Mr. Coulson the English teacher was talking on the phone.

Elias glanced back over his shoulder and affirmed that nobody was watching than made his way to the janitor's room.

"Somebody made himself comfortable." He said at the sight of the hunter laying on his back with the laptop on his stomach and a large bag of chips on his chest.

"What? I was hungry." He justified "plus this is taking too much time to load."

The blond shifted next to him, the computer screen read 40% "What's taking it so long?" he complained.

Timothy crumbled the bag of hips and threw it behind him as he sat up "Neh some asshole is probably using an electronic devise, it's blocking the signal."

"There's actually a teacher talking on the phone," Elias pushed him aside and started typing on his laptop "I can access his phone and end the conversation."

"Help yourself." The other shrugged watching his swift hand move across the keyboard. "There 0553 28 17 03" he pointed at the screen. "He sure called that number a lot, look at that history."

"Doesn't matter I'm ending it...now." He pushed a button one last time and moved over "It's working, look."

Timothy hummed in contemplation, "58% in a minute, neht bad trainee."

"Okay let's not cheer for victory yet," Elias chuckled "I'm gonna check and see if he tries to call back."

He stepped out of the room closing the door and was greeted with an infectious smile from Mr. Coulson who just happened to exit the teachers' room.

"Mr. Harper, aren't you supposed to be in class?" he asked and the boy started to panic.

"Ah I-I just wanted to use the bathroom." Elia said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

But Coulson grimaced "The bathroom is in the opposite direction Mr. Harper" There was a light laugh "I see what's going on,"

Elias's eyes shot open. "Y-You do?" he said, though he felt like he didn't move his lips to say it.

"Well of course! I was a teenager once, I know how class can be boring sometimes and the only way to kill time is to stroll in the hallways."

Elias breathed, snorted a bit too.

"Now I'm not telling on you but only if you get back to class, okay?" Mr. Coulson warned with a gentle smile.

"Okay." Elias nodded and turned to leave, he thought about turning back as soon as Coulson leaves, however the man was watching him patiently leaving him no choice but to go back to class.

He texted Timothy so he won't get worried.

'Coulson caught me in the hallway,

Going back to class.

laters'

Five minutes later Tim responded: 'KK'

At exactly 12:00 class dismissed and Elias eagerly made his way through the crowd to the janitor's, this time Aaron tagged along "Do you think he's done by now?" he asked.

"Yeah, he's probably checking the footage as we speak." Elias told him, they made it just in time when the hallways were almost empty; all students were having lunch at the cafeteria by now.

He opened the door with anticipation as he said "Hey, how is the operation going?"

Nobody was there, the laptop was lying on the ground though. Where could he go?

"Maybe he went to get some lunch?" Aaron suggested a possibility.

"Maybe," the blond shrugged "Let's see what he found." He said and Aaron nodded as he stepped in first, checking the computer screen.

It was smashed.

"That's not good," He saidturning the laptop for Elias to see "I don't think he went to get lunch."