25. I look for red shoelaces
I burst into our dorm, nearly hitting Mara square in the nose. She stumbles away from the door, face morphing into one of confusion when she sees me panting, with my hands on my knees, after running all the way from the changing rooms.
"Bri? What's wrong?"
I take a moment to catch my breath, closing the door behind me as I sit on our small sofa. Jayson comes out of the boy's room after hearing me come in, and Cassie emerges from our shared one. After spotting me on the sofa, red from running, Jayson turns to Mara questioningly before facing me, eyebrows raised, a slight frown pulling at the corners of his mouth.
"I heard... a girl... in the locker room... she's going to... to help Simon Says escape," I manage to get out between breaths. Cassie and Mara squeeze in next to me on the small sofa, trying to calm me down, while Jayson goes out of the room, presumably to find Kalen. Both boys return a few minutes later, minutes that I have used to successfully catch my breath. Kalen assesses the situation quickly, closing the door behind him and coming to sit in front of me on the floor.
"Are you ok?" he asks. He places his hand on my knee and squeezes, the gesture throwing me off. I'm not used to Kalen touching me, and I've never seen him look at me with such concern. I nod, and he takes his hand off my knee. I worry at the skin around my thumbnails.
"What did you mean, help Simon Says escape?" asks Jayson, who remains standing. "No one has ever gotten out from our holding facilities."
"That's because no one has ever had inside help."
At my words, Mara, who is still sitting to my left, stiffens, and I see the way Kalen and Jayson both seem to stop breathing. I look at my friend's faces, taking in their looks of distress. Simon is a powerful Elite, one we don't want loose on the streets. Who knows what he will do if he manages to get out of the compound?
"Is this just about what you heard? You know, it's highly unlikely whoever it is that's going to try this succeeds." Kalen seems to know that something else is bothering me though, and the longer he watches me the more he seems to reach the conclusion that it wasn't just about the girl I heard. He answers his own question before I have a chance to open my mouth.
"You saw something didn't you?"
I nod. Clever boy.
"Simon Says does manage to get out, at least," I pause, remembering, "that's what it looked like in my vision."
But hadn't Christian told me something about the visions being images of a future that may or may not occur? In the future I saw, no one knew what was coming, that's how Simon managed to get away. No one had been prepared for it. Now we know, which means that hopefully, we can change the outcome. Change my vision.
"We need to warn somebody," I say, getting up from the sofa and facing my friends.
"We need to tell Christian."
One by one they nod their heads. Mara and Cassie follow my lead and get up from the sofa, as Kalen pushes himself up off the floor. The boys lead us out of the room, and as we head down the familiar halls, I keep my eyes peeled for the girl from the locker room. I didn't get a chance to see her, but I had been able to catch a glimpse of her shoes. Boots by the look of them, combat boots. The only problem was that about a third of the girls here wear combat boots, myself included. The only distinguishable thing on hers was the cherry red laces, and even then, someone might have the exact same pair. But I keep my eyes opened nonetheless. If I can find the person wearing those shoes we will be able to stop her before she even gets a chance to put her plan into motion.
"Yo, weirdos! Why in such a hurry?"
I groan, turning to find Jack walking up to us. Not this jerk again. Jayson walks up to meet him halfway, standing a good half a head taller than him.
"None of your business."
The usual spark in Jayson's eyes is gone, replaced by something darker. I've never heard him sound so mad before. Sure, I haven't known him for very long, but I know him enough to know that he's usually a very bright person.
Well his naturally sunny attitude is gone, replaced by a cold scowl as he stares Jack down.
"Aww come on Jay, is that any way to treat your older brother?"
I'm sorry? My eyes widen. Older brother?
I look at the two boys, really look at them, and if Jack hadn't just stated the fact that they were related I don't think I ever would have guessed. The two couldn't be more different. For one, the height difference. If anything, I would have assumed Jayson was the older brother, not the other way around. Jayson had sun-kissed hair that rivals his brother's black curls, and their facial structures are completely different. Not to mention their eyes. Jay's are a stunning ocean blue, while Jacks seem darker than night.
"I'm serious Jack, we don't have time for your games, we need to find Christian."
"Oh! And whatever for little bro? Already decided to kick these two out?" he says, waving a hand in Cassie's and my direction. My friend stiffens, and looks about ready to spit her own nasty remark at Jack, but he continues before she has the chance.
"They didn't last long did they? But then again, Leila didn't last long either."
I don't know who this Leila person is, but at the mention of her name Kalen, Mara and Jay seem to turn to stone. Kalen is the first one to recover, and if it weren't for Jayson keeping a hand on his chest there is no doubt in my mind that he would have punched Jack square in the face.
"And whose fault was that?" He snarls, hands clenched into fists at his sides. "If it weren't for you and your mind games she would have never left."
Jack shrugs mockingly.
"I just showed her what she needed to see."
I step between the two boys before things turn heated, grabbing hold of Kalen and pushing him towards Cassie and Mara. I turn to Jack, who stares at me with fake innocence in his smile.
"Listen, I don't know you, but I'm starting to get a feel for the kind of person you are, and frankly I don't want to have anything to do with you. So why don't you just get back to worrying about your own team and leave us alone?"
I turn around, not letting him answer, and urge my friends back down the hall.
"It seems you've got a fighter!" I hear him call out behind us. "Make sure to hold on to her this time!"
I ignore his words and follow my friends away from Jack and the curious onlookers that are starting to crowd the hall. If he wanted a fight then he would get one, but right now we have more pressing matters to attend to.
Half walking, half running, we make it to Christian's office, and Cassie knocks on the door. We hear a muffled "come in" and shuffle into the room one after the other. Christian seems surprised to find the five of us standing in his office, but he puts down the files he had been flipping through and directs his attention to us.
"Well this is quite the surprise, to what do I owe such a visit?"
Mara looks at me and nudges me encouragingly. I guess they want me to speak first. I clear my throat.
"I had another vision sir."
His expression turns serious, and he gestures for Jayson to close the door. Once it's shut he tells me to continue.
"Someone is going to help Simon Says escape."
I was expecting some level of shock, or at least a slight raise of his eyebrows, but he just stares at me with a blank expression on his face.
"Escape?" he says slowly, like he didn't hear me right. "And how on earth would he do that?"
"Ummm, I'm not sure, but--"
"Sir, if she saw it in a vision, then it must be true," Kalen cuts in, just as puzzled as I am by Christian's reaction. Our director almost looks offended that I would suggest that anyone could escape the compound.
"It's impossible for anyone to get in or out without my consent," he states matter-of-factly, leaning back in his large leather chair.
"That may be true if they were working alone. But what if it were an inside job?" Says Mara, whose statement finally seems to tickle Christian's curiosity.
"What do you mean, someone on the inside? Are you suggesting one of my agents will be responsible for this?"
I shake my head. "Not an agent sir, a trainee."
Christians gaze turns skeptical, not believing that one of us would be able to pull off something so crazy.
"Suppose you're right," he says slowly. "Who would want to help a criminal escape?"
My thoughts exactly. But we didn't have time to wonder why, we needed to find out when.
"I don't know sir, but do we really want to find out?"
Christian sighs, getting up from his chair and coming around to the front of the table. He leans against it, thinking, silently contemplating what the best course of action is. Or maybe he is just wondering whether to believe us or not. He looks at me then, a stern expression on his face.
"You are certain of this?"
I swallow past the lump in my throat.
Am I? Can my visions really be trusted yet?
But it doesn't matter if my vision was wrong, because I had heard the girl in the locker room. I heard the man who was speaking with her. It had to be true. My gut is telling me something is going to happen, so I take a deep breath and nod.
"Positive sir."
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