Read Online Storm and Stone by Joss Stirling - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Joss Stirling
Ads: Link
volatile footballer, Mohammed Khan, went from police caution for violent disorder to school team captain. Anger issues solved, he was headhunted by Chelsea to play for their junior team. Jenny-May Parker caught in possession of Class A drugs, came back with a squeaky clean attitude and is now at Harvard studying Law.’ Kieran called their profiles up in rapid succession, jabbing the keyboard with restless fingers. ‘They are the most obvious examples but all of the students show some level of improvement in one or more areas of their school record. All their parents are down on our list.’
‘That’s interesting.’ Joe was looking at him strangely, like Kieran was an unexploded bomb he was working out how to defuse.
‘Cross referenced to our mission data, you’ll find that all of them connect to some recent corrupt behaviour from their parents—a contract granted when others in the field had the edge, a political decision that swayed against expectations, a promotion that seemed out of context.’
‘So the students start acting normally and their parents are the ones freaking out?’
‘I’ll have to keep digging but I don’t think anyone is acting within usual parameters.’
‘Agreed.’ Joe hovered beside him, trying to see his face. ‘Key, what’s up?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Now that’s just not true, bro.’
‘I walked out of Dance, OK? I wasn’t ill.’
‘Walked out? But you never give up on anything!’
‘Then your joke misfired.’ Kieran erased his search history and closed down the computer. ‘I’m not some dancing bear to be tormented for your kicks and giggles.’
‘Key, we never meant it like that. It was supposed to be … well, funny. You’re so perfect all the time, so sure of yourself, that we thought you’d stumble along and look … ’ Joe shrugged. ‘You know.’
‘Like a total prat. I do, so “ha-ha”. You guys just crease me up with your sense of humour.’ He’d been made to look an idiot—and in front of Raven. The corrosive power of his rage ate at his usual control. ‘I’m going out. Don’t follow me.’
Joe held up his hands. ‘OK, OK. Where are you going?’
‘That is none of your business.’
‘When will you be back?’
‘Who says I’m coming back?’
Kieran felt good slamming the door on Joe. It wasn’t rational but he enjoyed the vicious drama of the moment. He turned into the school gardens, taking rapid, even strides down the yew hedge walk. OK, OK, enough. He needed his control or he couldn’t think straight. He had to regain his grip, deny that Raven had got under his skin. He reached for his mental retreat to calm down, thinking through the collection of newly discovered mathematical equations he had read on the University of Cambridge website. He immediately felt much better. Once calm, he would work out how he had come to fail at something for the first time in his life.
Raven tapped on the door of Kieran’s room. Rules stated that she wasn’t supposed to be in the boys’ wing this late but, feeling a complete heel for chewing him out over dancing, she didn’t want to leave matters where they were till morning. She knew too well what it felt like to be picked on and made to feel a failure—that’s how she felt most of the time outside of dance classes. She knocked again and this time the door opened.
‘Raven? Something the matter?’ Joe stood in the entrance, blocking a clear view of the room beyond.
‘Is Kieran in?’
Joe stepped back to show her the empty chamber. ‘No. He went out and hasn’t come back yet.’
A screen saver whirled on a computer screen, strands of DNA linking and unlinking. She guessed that was Kieran’s from the piles of worthy tomes and paperclip tower surrounding it. Was that a dance movie DVD on the top of the books? The desk next to it had Mickey Mouse ears on the monitor which suggested Joe was the owner. Every spare ledge was crammed with plants; each pot had squared sheet stuck to it,
‘That’s interesting.’ Joe was looking at him strangely, like Kieran was an unexploded bomb he was working out how to defuse.
‘Cross referenced to our mission data, you’ll find that all of them connect to some recent corrupt behaviour from their parents—a contract granted when others in the field had the edge, a political decision that swayed against expectations, a promotion that seemed out of context.’
‘So the students start acting normally and their parents are the ones freaking out?’
‘I’ll have to keep digging but I don’t think anyone is acting within usual parameters.’
‘Agreed.’ Joe hovered beside him, trying to see his face. ‘Key, what’s up?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Now that’s just not true, bro.’
‘I walked out of Dance, OK? I wasn’t ill.’
‘Walked out? But you never give up on anything!’
‘Then your joke misfired.’ Kieran erased his search history and closed down the computer. ‘I’m not some dancing bear to be tormented for your kicks and giggles.’
‘Key, we never meant it like that. It was supposed to be … well, funny. You’re so perfect all the time, so sure of yourself, that we thought you’d stumble along and look … ’ Joe shrugged. ‘You know.’
‘Like a total prat. I do, so “ha-ha”. You guys just crease me up with your sense of humour.’ He’d been made to look an idiot—and in front of Raven. The corrosive power of his rage ate at his usual control. ‘I’m going out. Don’t follow me.’
Joe held up his hands. ‘OK, OK. Where are you going?’
‘That is none of your business.’
‘When will you be back?’
‘Who says I’m coming back?’
Kieran felt good slamming the door on Joe. It wasn’t rational but he enjoyed the vicious drama of the moment. He turned into the school gardens, taking rapid, even strides down the yew hedge walk. OK, OK, enough. He needed his control or he couldn’t think straight. He had to regain his grip, deny that Raven had got under his skin. He reached for his mental retreat to calm down, thinking through the collection of newly discovered mathematical equations he had read on the University of Cambridge website. He immediately felt much better. Once calm, he would work out how he had come to fail at something for the first time in his life.
Raven tapped on the door of Kieran’s room. Rules stated that she wasn’t supposed to be in the boys’ wing this late but, feeling a complete heel for chewing him out over dancing, she didn’t want to leave matters where they were till morning. She knew too well what it felt like to be picked on and made to feel a failure—that’s how she felt most of the time outside of dance classes. She knocked again and this time the door opened.
‘Raven? Something the matter?’ Joe stood in the entrance, blocking a clear view of the room beyond.
‘Is Kieran in?’
Joe stepped back to show her the empty chamber. ‘No. He went out and hasn’t come back yet.’
A screen saver whirled on a computer screen, strands of DNA linking and unlinking. She guessed that was Kieran’s from the piles of worthy tomes and paperclip tower surrounding it. Was that a dance movie DVD on the top of the books? The desk next to it had Mickey Mouse ears on the monitor which suggested Joe was the owner. Every spare ledge was crammed with plants; each pot had squared sheet stuck to it,
Similar Books
