The Secret War - 1st novel in the Shadow Series

Chapter 25 .

Vai

Over the next few weeks, Teacher Miller got some of her vibrancy back. The lilt was in her voice again. She no longer avoided the students' eyes. Except for mine. She wouldn't look at me. She wasn't going to be fired or it would have happened by now. I wasn't sure if she wouldn't look at me because she was angry at my father or afraid of him. I guessed the latter.

Owen was in his usual spot for classes, so I'm not sure any of the other students knew something was wrong. Except, he was never late, never early. Always on time. He couldn't talk to me. And I knew it was because he couldn't and not wouldn't because the first day after he got arrested he did try to talk to me. I saw his mouth move, but I couldn't hear him. Then his image disappeared. He didn't try to talk to me again after that. He was exactly on time for class and as soon as class was over he was signed off.

"How is it having a thief and a smuggler for a friend?" Spencer asked behind me as soon as class ended that day and Owen disappeared. "He's still in jail you know."

Well, if the rest of the class hadn't known, they did now. Usually, people didn't stay after class, but they all were focused on Spencer.

"It's better than being friends with a bleep bleep," I said.

"You can't swear in class," Minmin said. "The program won't allow it."

I sighed. My insult to Spencer wouldn't be known unless I saw him on the ship in real life.

"He's not a thief," I said. "Those charges were dropped."

"Sure," Spencer said. "Thanks to your dad. Making up an imaginary girl that no one has seen to prove him innocent."

"First of all, my father didn't make up the girl. I've seen her."

"Sure," Spencer said. "Security has never caught this mystery girl," he said to the other students as if that alone should prove me wrong.

"Second of all, his volo never recorded him going inside the museum that night. Thirdly, the items were never found in his quarters."

"Still a smuggler," Spencer said. "Still in jail."

"He's not in jail," Shel said. "He's a minor. If anything he would be on house arrest."

"Yes," I said. "He's on house arrest. I tried to visit him, but there was a security guard at his door and they wouldn't let me. He can't get any calls either."

"What did he smuggle?" Minmin asked.

"You hadn't heard?" I asked.

Minmin and Shel shook their heads. I tried to ignore the rest of the class.

"Chocolate," I said.

Minmin and Shel laughed. The rest of the students soon followed.

"It's not funny," Spencer said. "He's stealing business from the legitimate restaurants onboard, including my mother's."

"How is it stealing from your mother's business?" Shel asked.

"Because it cuts into her chocolate sales," Spencer said.

"No it doesn't," Shel said. "She has a limited supply anyway. The people who go to her restaurant are going to buy from her. We are not scheduled to return for a year. Her supplies were bound to run out before then whether someone else sold chocolate or not."

"He overcharged me last time on the Remembrance when I tried to resupply my mom's restaurant and he was only supposed to sell it to my mother's restaurant. He sold it to individuals on the side. Way overpriced I might add."