The Class Reject: A Damsel in Disguise (Featured Story)

Chapter 29

Jeno parked the getaway car several yards away from the entrance of St. Rosemunde. He turned over his shoulder, studying the group.

"Ready?" Miren wrinkled her nose. He was driving the Mercedes again. The one that apparently didn't belong to him. She shook her head, pushing the thought away. There were more important things at stake than Jeno's desire to recreate Grand Theft Auto.

She studied the regal white gates of the school, which looked even more eerie in the moonlight. This is it. She took a deep breath before nodding in confirmation, tapping her sneakers anxiously against the floor. It was an outfit-happy day for Miren, as she found herself in yet another disguise, a black cat suit. Well, it wasn't really a cat suit, but the black, skin-hugging attire might as well been one. She didn't know where the others got it, but they were definitely taking this spy theme way too seriously.

"Okay," Wallace said, handing Miren a card. "This is a basic access card. It's calibrated to allow you to enter virtually any entrance with a sensor pad. But you can only use it once. After one use, the door will encrypt a code to the card and render it obsolete. So don't forget anything."

Miren nodded. She hated this school too much to need a reason to go back.

"You have your St. Rosemunde I.D right?" he asked. Unfortunately, Miren thought, waving her shame card in the air. She was surprised she still kept the thing. "I deactivated St. Rosemunde's security cameras through their computer server, but you will need it for the gates."

"Theodora informed me that the voting ballot is kept in the headmistress' office, and they count them on homecoming," Jeno then said. "Get in there, fill the ballot with these, and get out." He handed her a stack of official-looking voting slips.

"Your second objective is to obtain Penelope's academic and disciplinary records, which should also be in the headmaster's office," Wallace informed her. "That way we can plan an appropriate punishment for her."

Miren exhaled, trying to make sense of all this information. Fill the ballot. Get Penelope's record. Don't get caught. Seemed simple enough. But simple goals were usually just difficult ones in disguise.

She slid open the SUV door, letting the cold October air assault her body and neutralize her toxic thoughts. "See you on the other side," she said. It was cliché, but she couldn't think of anything better to leave off with. If this didn't work out, it would surely result in her destruction, if not death.

"Good luck," Jeno said, nodding. "I hope you won't need it."

She offered them a small salute. Then she sped off, merging into the darkness.

As she approached the front gates of Rosemunde, she brought out her former school I.D card from her pocket. Unlike Rinzen, the school didn't have an active security officer on gate duty. Or maybe they did. She never made late night crusades. Either way, there was no one to spot her. She wobbled the gate door with her hand, only partly surprised that it didn't open. She glided her card on the access port, and watched the door swing ajar. She smiled. Success. Now if only getting to the headmaster's office would be this easy.

And it appeared to be. The scene was dark and vacant. Normally the sight would have creeped her out a little, but tonight it produced a slight level of comfort. She pressed on quickly, staying along the bushes that lined the gates, and away from the streetlights. Her footsteps were soft against the pavement, and her breathing was shallow and soundless.

The main office was still about twenty yards away, but she felt better with every step she took. The further she got, the less likely she would be caught. The cameras were disabled. Students had to be in their dorms by ten. Right now, in the cover of night, she was probably the safest she had ever been at Rosemunde.