her.
Unless not even she was allowed to know what they were up to. If the information he was giving them was so sensitive that he needed to contact them directly.
I watched Cathryn frowning into her compact, brushing at her cheek with the back of her nail.
Not that I had any idea what she was supposed to be doing for Shackleton â but was she really the best he could come up with?
The room eventually began to empty. I finished getting changed and sat down on the bench, pretending to untangle a knot in my shoelaces.
Finally, the last two girls zipped up their bags and headed for the door. I stood in the doorway, watching until theyâd left the room completely, then started tip-toeing across to the guysâ change room.
I paused at the door, listening for any signs of life.
Empty.
I slipped inside, steadying myself against the nauseating cocktail of spray deodorants, and scanned the room for Mikeâs bag.
Most of us just used the standard Phoenix High backpack that they gave us when we got here, but Mike had a hessian satchel thing covered in badges and patches. It should have been easy enough to find, but at first I couldnât see any sign of it. I circuited the room. Mikeâs bag would be somewhere near Tankâs. If I could find that â
Ah.
Over in the far corner of the change room, I spotted a strap of brown fabric poking out from under a pile of discarded clothes and shoes.
Typical, I thought, sliding the bag out from under the mess and shaking off a pair of underpants. I checked the door again and snapped the satchel open.
The notebook was right at the bottom, wedged down underneath all Mikeâs schoolbooks. I pulled it out and reburied the bag.
I could hear Ms Jeffery on the other side of the wall, picking teams for whatever we were playing today. It wouldnât be long before someone noticed I was â
Footsteps.
Somebody was coming.
I crept to the door and peered outside.
No-one there.
I dashed back out across the gym, figuring it was better to get caught out here than to explain why I was rifling through the guysâ bags. Straight through the door to the girlsâ change room.
I was halfway to my bag before I saw Cathryn.
I staggered to a stop, almost tripping over myself. She was standing with her back to me, taking off a pair of earrings. I shoved the notebook down the back of my gym shorts.
Cathryn turned around.
She pulled another face, like sheâd just stepped in something, then looked away again.
I sidestepped across the room, keeping my back away from her, and sat down, pretending to search for something in my bag.
Cathryn stuck the earrings in her purse and dropped it into her bag. Then she wheeled around and stormed over to face me.
âJust canât keep your hands to yourself, can you?â
Uh-oh.
âSorry?â I said, sitting up straighter against the wall.
She stepped closer. âOh, right. Like you donât know what Iâm talking about.â
I played dumb. âCathryn, seriously, what are you trying to â?â
âHeâs freaking wasted on you,â she spat.
And she turned and walked out of the room.
Chapter 9
T UESDAY , J UNE 16
58 DAYS
I was the first one out of the gym at the end of the lesson, more than happy to get clear of Cathrynâs continued face-pulling.
It was insane. The two of us were on opposite sides of a plot to kill seven billion people, and the biggest drama she had with me was that I was hanging out with Peter?
How could she even think there was a problem there? It was one thing for Peter to keep convincing himself that something was going to happen between us, but I wouldâve thought it was pretty clear from the outside that â
Of course.
She was getting all this from him. The way he told it, it was probably only a matter of days before the two of us ran away together.
Like any of us had time to worry about that now.
I leant back against a wall, waiting for
Unless not even she was allowed to know what they were up to. If the information he was giving them was so sensitive that he needed to contact them directly.
I watched Cathryn frowning into her compact, brushing at her cheek with the back of her nail.
Not that I had any idea what she was supposed to be doing for Shackleton â but was she really the best he could come up with?
The room eventually began to empty. I finished getting changed and sat down on the bench, pretending to untangle a knot in my shoelaces.
Finally, the last two girls zipped up their bags and headed for the door. I stood in the doorway, watching until theyâd left the room completely, then started tip-toeing across to the guysâ change room.
I paused at the door, listening for any signs of life.
Empty.
I slipped inside, steadying myself against the nauseating cocktail of spray deodorants, and scanned the room for Mikeâs bag.
Most of us just used the standard Phoenix High backpack that they gave us when we got here, but Mike had a hessian satchel thing covered in badges and patches. It should have been easy enough to find, but at first I couldnât see any sign of it. I circuited the room. Mikeâs bag would be somewhere near Tankâs. If I could find that â
Ah.
Over in the far corner of the change room, I spotted a strap of brown fabric poking out from under a pile of discarded clothes and shoes.
Typical, I thought, sliding the bag out from under the mess and shaking off a pair of underpants. I checked the door again and snapped the satchel open.
The notebook was right at the bottom, wedged down underneath all Mikeâs schoolbooks. I pulled it out and reburied the bag.
I could hear Ms Jeffery on the other side of the wall, picking teams for whatever we were playing today. It wouldnât be long before someone noticed I was â
Footsteps.
Somebody was coming.
I crept to the door and peered outside.
No-one there.
I dashed back out across the gym, figuring it was better to get caught out here than to explain why I was rifling through the guysâ bags. Straight through the door to the girlsâ change room.
I was halfway to my bag before I saw Cathryn.
I staggered to a stop, almost tripping over myself. She was standing with her back to me, taking off a pair of earrings. I shoved the notebook down the back of my gym shorts.
Cathryn turned around.
She pulled another face, like sheâd just stepped in something, then looked away again.
I sidestepped across the room, keeping my back away from her, and sat down, pretending to search for something in my bag.
Cathryn stuck the earrings in her purse and dropped it into her bag. Then she wheeled around and stormed over to face me.
âJust canât keep your hands to yourself, can you?â
Uh-oh.
âSorry?â I said, sitting up straighter against the wall.
She stepped closer. âOh, right. Like you donât know what Iâm talking about.â
I played dumb. âCathryn, seriously, what are you trying to â?â
âHeâs freaking wasted on you,â she spat.
And she turned and walked out of the room.
Chapter 9
T UESDAY , J UNE 16
58 DAYS
I was the first one out of the gym at the end of the lesson, more than happy to get clear of Cathrynâs continued face-pulling.
It was insane. The two of us were on opposite sides of a plot to kill seven billion people, and the biggest drama she had with me was that I was hanging out with Peter?
How could she even think there was a problem there? It was one thing for Peter to keep convincing himself that something was going to happen between us, but I wouldâve thought it was pretty clear from the outside that â
Of course.
She was getting all this from him. The way he told it, it was probably only a matter of days before the two of us ran away together.
Like any of us had time to worry about that now.
I leant back against a wall, waiting for
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