Listen Between the Lines - A Gallagher Girls Story

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

“It’s called Newbie Night,” Matt explained to the group of us who had found a table.  Somehow, he was smiling again, but I was still on the emotional thrill ride of the decade.  “Every year the sophomores from Gallagher are tailed through Roseville by some of us at Blackthorne.”

“But you’re a senior,” Alice pointed out.  “What are you doing tailing a bunch of sophomores?”

"It's a pretty exclusive program.  You have to apply to be a part of the exchange.  They'll only let the best of the best in--best grades, best fighters--you have to have all of it.  Most people don't make it in until they're at least juniors."  Then he smiled and turned towards the boy sitting next to him.  "Of course, Scout and I made it in as sophomores, isn't that right Scout?"

"Sure is," Scout said.  "This is our third Newbie Night, but I have to admit.  Not the easiest.  You"--he pointed at me--"are not an easy target."

"Of course not.  Mag's is the best we've got," Alice bragged for me, slapping me on the shoulder.

I should've thanked her.  Should've told the boys how great a fighter she was, but I was really only half listening.  I was so lost in my head, the voice of Charlotte Woods playing over and over again in my mind.  This is what it means to be serious.  

But the people around me talked on, Faith asking about Blackthorne's technology and Blair asking about their labs.  Alice and Matt had known each other for ages, so they had no problems keeping a conversation going.  The boys were giving us answers.  They were filling us in.  An hour ago I might've been hanging on every word, but now none of it seemed all that important. I was only partially listening to the conversations until I heard Scout say "Once Woods left the Clandestinve Fieldwork position, Solomon decided to fill in."

"Clandestine Fieldwork?" Faith asked.  I was suprised to see that she had actually ditched her tablet for the evening.  "Is that your CoveOps?"

"Correct," the boy on the other side of Scout confirmed.  Matt had introduced him as Jacob Tobel and though he was technically a junior, he took senior level classes.  "Except ours is more field-based.  We get all of our lectures through our communications units as we run an operation."

"Whoa," Alice and Faith said at the same time, except Alice sounded like it was the best thing she'd ever heard of and Faith sounded like it was the worst.

"It's tough stuff," Scout said.  "Even worse now that Solomon's teaching it.  It's his first time back in the classroom since he founded the place, but I gotta say, he's kicking our butts.  Not that Woods was easy, but still."

"Joe Solomon founded a school?" Blair said, her jaw sliding open.  She looked down at her breasts.  "Man, did my chromosomes screw me over."  As she said it, it sounded as if she had been truly cursed by the gender gods.

"Did you say Woods?" I asked Scout.  I hadn't meant to say the words out loud.  Really it was just one of many questions that were floating around in my head, except this one had managed to fall out of my mouth.

Scout looked at me like I was losing it.  "What?"

"Before.  Did you say that Professor Woods taught at Blackthorne?"

But still, Scout seemed to have no idea what I was saying and glanced at Alice like she could somehow translate.

Alice only shrugged.  "Yeah, she does that."  Then she turned to me and said, "Homeboy over here doesn't speak Latin, Mags."

"You were speaking Latin at me?"  Scout whispered, as if it were some big secret.  "That's a dead language.  Why do you even know how to speak Latin?"