Page 55 of Collin: Episodes 7-9
Mr. Reevesworth rolled his eyes. He turned to Ms. Zhou. “Please excuse us for five minutes. This is Ash, your other student and local techno Tarzan.”
Ms. Zhou blinked and nodded vigorously, clearly missing the reference.
In Ash’s dungeon, most of the computer screens were lit up. The sorting was finished, neat labels on every last bin and shelf. When Ash decided to do something, he really did it.
Collin shook his head. “Ash, for reals, have you slept?”
“Um…no. But I did eat!” He fiddled at a keyboard and then pointed to the second screen on the right. “Right there, look.”
Collin couldn’t see much through the shades wrapped around his eyes. He went to pull them off, but Mr. Reevesworth put a hand on his shoulder.
“How did you get this footage, Ash?”
“It’s not footage.” Ash made fists at his sides. “It’s live. I’m saving it, but it’s live.”
Mr. Reevesworth stood up and rubbed his face.
“What is it?” Collin asked. All he could see was the outline of someone standing in a room that could have been a living room or an office.
“One of the federal investigators that questioned Ash,” Mr. Reevesworth said. “Why she’s in the room with the computer that’s watching your computer, I don’t know. Ash, could it be a trap?”
“It’s not a government location.” Ash sat down and typed some more, then pointed to a screen with a map on it. “And she’s not in there alone. That lawyer guy from yesterday is there too. See?”
The woman moved out of the shot.
“Huh.” Ash leaned forward. “That’s a little girl.”
“You two have class. Ash, I’m calling my private investigator in to look at this. Save everything. Can you step away, or do you have to stay here?”
“I’ll bring my laptop with and keep an eye on it, but I don’t need to DO anything.”
“Then class, both of you. Ms. Zhou is waiting.” Mr. Reevesworth walked out, phone already up to his ear.
Ms. Zhou was charming if a little stiff. She was passionate about language, however. She’d brought an entire presentation to show the history of Mandarin, but since Collin wasn’t supposed to be looking at screens for the day, she’d turned it off and explained the four tones of Mandarin Chinese. For the first thirty minutes, Collin couldn’t hear the difference between shí and shi to save his life. Ash, however, started to pick up on it more quickly.
“Most teachers start with hello and goodbye,” Ms. Zhou explained. “But Mr. Reevesworth said you are serious students and to teach you the best way. So, we will start with vocal drills and some simple writing. But this week, maybe no writing, yes?”
Collin chuckled wryly. “I’ll try to stay out of the hospital next week, I promise. Besides, I still can’t hear the difference between this “sh” sound and this “x” sound.”
“It’s okay. We do again.”
And so went the next hour.
“My brain hurts.” Ash rubbed his head as they emerged from the conference room.
“Mine too.” Collin sighed. “I better get back to Mr. Reevesworth. You need some sleep.”
Ash waved him off.
“At least drink water, Ash. Come on!”
Ash spun around on his toes and stuck out his tongue.
Collin groaned. That kid.
Mr. Reevesworth was not in his office, but Damian was.
Collin grinned to see him, then frowned at the empty chair. “Fuck. I really need him to be here right now.”
