Page 54 of Jinxed

‘Come on, you’ve had a rough day. You don’t want to walkhome in this freezing rain. You’ll slide everywhere in those shoes.’

I look down at my feet. Yeah, wearing ballet flats wasn’t the smartest idea. I really should be wearing my boots at all times, but I was so absent-minded, I forgot them in my locker.

The idea of a drive home in a warm car does sound nice. Mr Baird’s owl baku flies over to a nearby vehicle, and there’s a clicking noise as thedoors unlock. The freezing cold water seeping through the soles of my shoes makes the decision for me. I hop in the car.

Mr Baird slides on to the seat next to me, and the car drives away.

‘Um, do you need my address?’

‘You did a dangerous thing, sending that baku in. I thought I could trust that you would stay under the radar.’

My eyes open wide.

‘Tell me honestly, where did you get thatbaku?’ he gestures at Jinx.

I purse my lips. I’ve just told him this story. ‘From the Moncha Store,’ I repeat.

He sighs. ‘I double-checked your background. All your school codes have been tampered with. Carter was right. You weren’t supposed to be at Profectus at all.’

Suddenly the inside of the car feels like it’s closing in on me, my vision narrowing. My worst fears are coming to life: peopleare realizing that I don’t belong at Profectus. I’m a fraud. An imposter.

They’re going to kick me out. They’re going to take Jinx away and I’m going to be left with nothing. Maybe they won’t even let me have a baku at all. I’ll be one of those people that’s banned from having one – a criminal. It’s the worst possible punishment I can think of, and it’s now just one step from being inevitable.

I can’t even imagine what my face looks like to someone outside of all this. Mr Baird frowns. ‘I thought we could at least get away with it until the end of the school year, but now that Eric Smith’s son is suspicious and you’re set to visit Moncha headquarters...’

My fingers twitch against Jinx’s body. ‘I don’t understand. Get away with what?’ I catch a glimpse of the view outside the windowand see that we’re crossing over the bridge and into the city – the opposite direction to my home. ‘Wait, where are we going?’

Mr Baird’s fingers tighten on the seat as we cross the domineering viaduct that separates Monchaville from the rest of the city.

‘It’s not safe to talk yet.’

‘Not safe to talk? I don’t understand.’ I shift in my seat, uncomfortably aware that there’s no way for me toescape the confines of the car. ‘Mr Baird, this is all very cold war spy thriller, but where exactly are we going?’ I try and keep the tone light, even though fear is settling in the pit of my stomach. ‘Where are you taking me? I think I have a right to know.’

‘You’ll know soon enough.’

The car drives straight down Queen Street West, past the trendy shops and towards the big converted warehousebuildings that pepper the West End. My mind takes me back fleetingly to the time when Zora and I had just bought my beetle baku. Before Profectus, before Team Tobias, before Jinx. It feels like a lifetime ago.

The car slows in front of one of the nondescript warehouses, constructed out of pale yellow brick, with huge glass windows that appear to be either blackened out, not revealing anythinginside. There’s no advertising on the building whatsoever, no signage, nothing to indicate who owns it. I guess the mystery is going to continue for a few moments longer. Anxiety and curiosity mingle in my stomach in equal dosages.

‘Follow me,’ he says, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening the door in one swift motion.

‘As if I have a choice,’ I mumble. We take a set of stairs up to the lobby,which is dominated by a single security desk and an old-fashioned body scanner. Most of the time, a police-regulated baku does security checks, but there isn’t one of those in here.

‘You’ll have to check those in,’ says the guard, who stands up from his desk as we enter.

‘Um, what?’ It looks to me as if he’s pointing at Jinx, and then at the owl. ‘There’s no way I’m leaving Jinx here.’

‘I promiseyou, he will be perfectly safe. I have to leave my owl here too.’ Mr Baird puts his hand on my shoulder. ‘You’ve trusted me this far. Just a little bit further and then I promise you can go back home and to your normal life.’

‘No way,’ I say. ‘He has a black mark on him still – he can’t communicate or anything. Let me keep him, or I’m leaving now.’

Mr Baird hesitates and exchanges a look withthe guard. Eventually, he nods. ‘Fine. Let’s go.’

My hand clings to Jinx’s body, a thin layer of sweat building on my palms. I wipe them on my jeans surreptitiously. I don’t like this one bit.

‘Come on, this way.’ We pass through the security gate and into an elevator. Now I see the first sign. BRIGHTSPRK is written in discreet lettering at the top of the elevator buttons.

‘Oh hell, no,’ Isay, but the doors shut before I can step back through.

---