Chapter Nine – Pencils Down

Emily put the pencil down, leaned back, closed her eyes, and let out a long sigh. Hopefully one quiet enough that the other students in the room wouldn’t hear it.

The test today didn’t count for too much. It would be graded, and the grades would be counted for their final mark. Midterms.

She’d spent the last couple of weeks cramming to study and getting ahead, to the point where some nights her head felt too full. It was almost enough that now that the test was done, she was tempted to stand up and slap it down onto the TA’s desk at the front of the room.

It was the same teacher’s assistant that she’d once threatened, even. The man hadn’t met her eyes since, and she… had kind of forgotten his name, actually.

In any case, being the first to stand up was out of the question, so she reread some of the earlier questions, erased a random spelling mistake she noticed and fixed it, then looked over her work a third time, just in case.

After the first two students rose to deliver their work, Emily made sure she’d written her name on the front, then she stood up and did the quick, somehow shameful walk to the front to deliver her test into the waiting tray.

She picked up her bags next, then zipped out of the room that was still only filled with sniffles and the occasional cough.

The moment she was through the door and into the corridor beyond, she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Freedom! At least… for a little while.

Because of the Endgame, for the next week and a half, the school would be closed. They’d actually pulled the midterms back a whole week earlier, with promises that they’d grade accordingly.

It was a strange situation, but Emily couldn’t say she was upset. She’d already been doing her usual over-prep for the test, so it wasn’t like she didn’t have time to prepare at all, and some time off would be welcome. Her sisters still needed someone to watch over them, and while they had been surprisingly well behaved lately, having her around would be nice.

Maybe they could do some fun activities? There were some shops she wanted to visit to buy clothes, and she was thinking of going camping?

Her dad had roped her and her mom along for a few camping trips over the years, and while she wasn’t fond of bugs and critters, reading by a campfire after a day of setting up tents and roasting marshmallows was still very nice.

They still had a couple of tents tucked away somewhere at home, and the nearest campsite to Eauclaire was only an hour’s drive away.

She was still thinking about what she’d have to pack, and how she’d have to explain the rules of camping to the girls, when she ran into Sam. “Hey!” the taller girl said with an easy wave. “Sup roomie?”

“Roomie?” Emily asked.

“Well, it’s less awkward than ‘front door neighbour-y, isn’t it?” Sam asked with a laugh.

“I suppose,” Emily said. She smiled back and made a huge effort not to curl in on herself and make actual eye contact. Sam often made an effort to meet up with her, even if she had a heap of other friends and acquaintances. It was… nice. It made Emily feel like she fit into the school a lot more, as if she too, had friends.

The other girls, and some boys, that Sam hung out with weren’t Emily’s friends, but she remembered some of their names and what they looked like, and she’d nod politely to those she shared a class with.

It was progress! She should be proud of herself, and she was.

“Did you have a test today too?” Emily asked.

“Yup! Aced that one. Could have done it with one eye closed,” Sam said.

Emily cracked a smile. “I don’t think that’s very hard to do,” she said.

“Eh, you know what I meant,” Sam said with a dismissive wave. “Besides, I don’t care much for my grade as long as it’s passing. I’m here to learn, not to get nice numbers slapped onto a report about me. When I’m a future celebrity psychologist, no one is going to ask to see my report card.”

“Uh-huh,” Emily said. “But being something like a Valedictorian would look good on your Ikipedia page.”

“Oh… crap, you’re right, that would look smart,” Sam said. “I’m thinking I’ll use the time off to switch out my wardrobe, actually, to look more professional. People take chicks in pantsuits way more seriously, and I’ve got this feeling like it’s going to be in vogue soon.”

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Emily eyed her. Her ‘Boss’ costume was a suit. She didn’t think she was about to affect local fashion though. She was about to retort when she noticed someone walked up to them. There was a certain way that people moved when they had purpose, and this woman was definitely moving that way. There were two others a little bit behind her, holding back.

Emily glanced them all up and down in a moment. They were in suits, all three of them, with the sort of poofy overcoat that was typical of federal agents. The HRF on the arms of the men was telling as well. The woman was in plainer clothes. Clean, but functional, the sort of thing a professor or staff member might wear.

“Miss Wright,” she said before smiling a smile that even Emily could tell was fake. “I was wondering if you could spare a moment of your time?”

“What’s up?” Sam asked.

The woman blinked, and didn’t seem to know what to do at the moment. “Sam, give us a minute?” Emily asked. “Don’t go too far, I’ll catch up.”

“Huh… yeah, sure,” Sam said. She smiled, guileless and a little stupid looking, which meant that she was playing up the role of clueless friend. Sam was far from an idiot, she’s probably put more together than Emily had.

Emily sometimes wondered why someone like Sam didn’t get the powers, but then… the thought of Sam as a villain made her shudder. But that was a thought for later. Right now, she had to get her head in the game.

The woman turned, obviously intending to return to her partners, but they were down a small dead-end corridor, next to an opened door leading into what Emily suspected was an unused office space.

“This way,” Emily said instead.

Just saying that much was more than she would have ever been able to do six months ago. She walked off down the corridor she and Sam had come from, then, with a check to see if the woman was following her, she opened a pair of double doors out into one of the school’s courtyards.

It was one of the quieter ones, but there was still some traffic. Still, it was outdoors, and while it was a bit chilly out, it was still not so cold that they couldn’t stand there and talk.

If this woman tried something, Emily now had three other doors to run towards, and a few windows that looked into the space where others would be witness.

“Sorry, but this is a better place to talk,” Emily said. “So, wh-what’s all this about?” She cleared her throat, trying to play off the stutter as a cough.

The woman licked her lips before starting, a strange nervous tic. Was it because she was socially anxious, or was it because she knew that Emily had powers? Her powers weren’t useful here and now… though she could borrow some of her Sisters’ for a few seconds.

“Miss Wright, as you’re no doubt aware, as of early last week, an Endgame event has been occurring relatively close by.”

“Yes,” Emily said. So this wasn’t some sort of accusation, or a trap?

“At the moment, the HRF has been working hard to cordon off the area surrounding the event, and efforts have been.. .satisfactory so far. Unfortunately, as it stands, this particular Endgame is proving to be somewhat more difficult than previously expected.”

“No,” Emily said.

The woman continued, ploughing forwards anyway. “We have begun reaching out to affiliates and allies, especially those in the region, for assistance. If the Endgame continues to spread, Eauclaire is well within its grasp, and we need all the help we can get, even in supportive roles, to combat it.”

“I’m not going,” Emily said. She swallowed. “And I don’t think I should… uh, bring my team either. They’re all children.”

“We understand, but please, the HRF would ensure your security and can provide incredible benefits.”

“Benefits?” she asked, mostly to gain time to collect herself to finally put her foot down and give a firm no.

“For example… we can assist you and those in your team who have a non-heroic inclination to achieve the rank of hero,” she said.

Emily felt her stomach drop.

They knew?!

***

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep