The Hand on the Wall(34)

“Imagine it,” he said. “All of us, together for the best snowed-in weekend in a mountain hideout. There’s plenty of food, blankets . . . syrup. If nothing else, don’t you want to leave Ellingham in style? What are they going to do? Kick you out for not leaving when the school shuts down? How is it your fault if you were in another building saying good-bye and lost track of the time? Not yours. There is nothing they can do to you.”

“My parents would kill me,” Nate said. “There’s that.”

“Mine too,” Janelle said, but her tone had shifted very slightly.

“Again,” David said, “we, us, right here, right now, have the ability to stop a bad, bad person from becoming president. Think about what you could be stopping—someone who uses racist policies to hurt or kill people. Someone who could do untold damage to the environment. Someone who could start an illegal war to distract from his political problems. You know, Vi, that he’s capable of that.”

Vi inclined their head slightly.

“Stevie,” he said, looking directly at her at last, “your parents help with his campaign. You could undo all they’ve done and more. And I will happily go down in a column of flame for it, except I won’t because I’m his son and I’m a rich, white asshole, so I’ll get a slap on the wrist or sent to school in God knows where, but it will be worth it. Because believe it or not, this is the right thing to do. It’s not easy. But it’s right. So what’s the bigger deal? What’s worth it?”

“How do you even know he’s doing something illegal?” Janelle asked. “Something that would stop him? Because people have tried to block him before.”

“Because he is my dad,” David said. “I know how he lives. And like I said, he likes a quick-and-dirty solution.”

The group was silent for a moment.

“Well, I’m convinced,” Hunter said.

“Can we trust this guy?” David asked.

“Too late on that front,” Hunter replied. “But I hate the dude, and I’m not going anywhere anyway.”

“I’m staying,” Vi said.

“Vi . . .” Janelle went over to her partner.

“David’s right. This is worth it, if he really has something. This is about the greater good. And me. This is the kind of person I am. I want to stay and do this, because it’s right. Stay with me.”

The wind whistled and snapped at the windows.

Janelle let out a long exhale through her nose and looked at Stevie.

“Stevie?” she said, her voice pleading.

Stevie’s body had gone numb from overload. She looked to David, at his peaked brows, the swing of his coat, the curl of his hair. Larry’s words echoed hollowly through her mind—he’s not right; he was in town; be careful . . .

“I . . . yeah. I’ll stay.”

David’s mouth twisted into a smile.

“Nate?” he asked.

Nate waved a dismissive hand. “I got nowhere to be. Might as well. I’m sure it’s only sort of illegal. What’s a few years in federal prison?”

All eyes were on Janelle now. She shifted from foot to foot and rolled her shoulders back, struggling with herself.

“God help me,” she said. “Fine. Okay. Fine. Let’s do this. Because someone with some sense should be here.”

“Right.” David rubbed his hands together and smiled. “Time to go underground.”





11


“OKAY, CAMPERS,” DAVID SAID, PUTTING EVERYTHING BACK IN HIS BAG. “Pix is going to be back any minute, so we need to go. Time to hide.”

“Where?” Vi asked.

“The gym,” he said. “Already scoped it out. It has the least security and it’s probably going to be the first building they lock up and the last place they’d look for anyone. We’ll go around the back way, through the woods. We’ll stay there until everyone’s gone. Let’s go.”

“Now?” Nate said.

“Now,” he said.

“What should I do?” Hunter said, looking around. “I’m allowed to be here.”

“You can do whatever you want. Just don’t narc.”

“Wait,” Janelle said. “If we’re going to strand ourselves here, we’re going to do it safely. Everyone brings a flashlight and an extra layer, water, snack bars . . .”

“We have to go . . . ,” David said.

“Snack bars,” Janelle repeated slowly. “There’s a box in the kitchen. I’ll go and get it.”

“We don’t need those. We’ll be back—”

“We need”—Janelle fixed him with a stare that could have blown a hole in a wall—“food, water, flashlights, and extra layers.”

Everyone was given a few minutes to run to their respective rooms. Stevie hastily shoved stuff into her backpack—her computer, the tin, her medication, and her copy of And Then There Were None. She wasn’t sure why she grabbed the last item, but she knew it had to come along. She pulled on her coat—the heavy one she never really used—and shoved gloves in her pockets. Janelle was gathering things as well but seemed to be moving at a much slower pace, picking through her scarves, putting a sweater into her bag, then her computer, looking at her phone. Vi rocked from their heels to their toes impatiently.