5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

We hastily searched the common areas then split up. Danny went to look in Jones’s room, I took the classrooms, Sidnee took the gym and the mat room, and Jones scoured the break room. Nothing.

When we reconvened outside, Jones looked more downhearted than usual. It seemed increasingly likely that someone had deliberately taken the notebook to mess with him.

We had a few minutes left on the clock so we agreed to do a quick search outside. My money was on the obstacle course because we’d had a session out there during the morning’s physical training session. Jones had sworn he’d had the notebook the previous night although he had denied taking it to the obstacle course.

‘Sidnee, if you’ll take my books to the next class, I’ll do a quick run around the obstacle course,’ I said.

‘Are you sure?’ She looked doubtfully at the clock. ‘It’ll be tight. You don’t want to be late.’

‘I’ll be fast – vamp speed, if no one is looking.’ I winked.

She took my books. ‘Good luck!’

Sidnee and the guys had a quick look outside whilst I raced off. I sprinted to the back of the academy and scanned around each obstacle where the recruits had waited their turn. I was so engrossed that I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings.

Triumph filled me as I spied a blue notebook partially hidden under a bush. Yahtzee! As I leaned over to snag it, a foot hit me in the side and sent me flying to the ground.

I landed on the hard, cold earth with a groan, but adrenaline was pumping through me and my earlier blood boost was kicking in and I surged to my feet with inhuman speed. Before my attacker could get in another kick, I brought up my fists to protect my face like the academy had taught me. When Thorsen tried to kick me again, I blocked him easily.

Thorsen wasn’t alone: three of his cronies spread out around me, faces twisted with similar expressions of hatred. Charming.

‘Not so smug now, are you?’ he sneered.

‘I’m still a little smug,’ I retorted.

He threw another punch and I blocked it again, using a little more of my vamp strength and speed. Thorsen flinched; my speed had made it a very non-human move and he’d picked up on it. At least on some level his lizard brain knew I was something to fear and that riled him to no end.

I sidestepped as he tried to grab the notebook out of my hand. Rather than engage, I spun around, ripped it from his grip and took off in the opposite direction. It meant I’d have to take the long way around the building to get to class, but I didn’t want to deal with the bully and his minions.

His time was coming and I’d make sure it came like a freight train when I was well-supervised so I’d have zero black marks on my record. Thorsen’s anger was easy to play with, and angry people made mistakes. As Blake loved to say, you gotta keep a level head; well, mine was as straight as a spirit level and Thorsen’s was as empty as the bubble inside it. I knew I’d get another shot at him – and soon.

I slid into my seat a beat before the lecture started. The instructor was Sergeant Marks. He was average height, medium build and rather unremarkable to look at, with nondescript short brown hair and brown eyes. He knew what I was. He slid me a curious expression as he took in the notebook in my hand and the mud on my clothes, but he said nothing and got on with teaching us the ins and outs of mirandizing.

Happily, Thorsen and the others rushed in a full two minutes late, huffing, puffing and red faced. I didn’t even try to stifle my smug smile. Assholes.

The academy didn’t dole out punishments as such but you were expected to toe the line, so the men received a hard frown from the instructor and were given the first questions. Since they’d missed the beginning of class, they got two of them wrong and Thorsen threw me a hate-filled look that was getting old. He needed a hobby: he’d be a much nicer person if he took up crocheting and then he could get incandescent with rage every time someone mistook his work for knitting.

When Sergeant Marks' back was turned to write on the board, I slipped Jones his notebook. He gave me a bright smile and looked at me like I was the second coming. ‘Thank you,’ he mouthed and handed back my notebook. I’d have to photocopy the notes he’d made in it for him. I gave him a warm smile and a thumbs-up.

A sudden bang made me jump out of my seat. Annoyingly Thorsen witnessed my surprise and started hopping mockingly in his seat like he was a bunny rabbit. He was such a wanker. I ignored him and looked around to see what had caused the ruckus.

The right-hand podium next to the flags had fallen over. I frowned as I scanned the corner and looked for the culprit who had pushed it over but there was nobody there.

‘Sit down. It’s either a small earthquake or Petty Peril the Poltergeist is acting up.’ Teasing us with a wink, Sergeant Marks waggled his fingers as he spoke. He walked over, picked up the podium and righted it.

Titters broke out, but a chill ran down my spine. Nothing else had moved – not so much as a pencil had rolled off one of the tables – and my recent experience with various earthquakes on the Richter scale, or whatever it was called now, told me that this wasn’t one. Had the podium been rigged to fall over? But why on earth would anyone do that? Besides, it hadn’t looked rigged.

Marks knew about all things supernat so I could only assume that the poltergeist comment wasn’t a joke. Many a true word spoken in jest, indeed. I caught Sidnee’s eye; she’d obviously reached the same conclusion because she also looked grim. Maybe Jones had dropped his notebook when we were doing the obstacle course, although he said he hadn’t. Or maybe…

An uneasy shiver ran down my spine. Maybe his notebook had been misplaced by a malevolent spirit. We’d had some experience with those at Portlock; even when they were ensnared in ancient jewels, the trapped banshee spirits had wreaked havoc. The experience was all too fresh and I shuddered at the thought of confronting more spirits. I didn’t mind a foe I could face, whom I could reason with or punch in the face, but ghostly apparitions weren’t really my jam.

I looked around, watching for any other weird movements, but nothing else happened and slowly my focus shifted back to the lesson. We practised mirandizing and moved on to the next topic but I couldn’t stay focused; I kept wondering about that damned poltergeist. It seemed like I had another mystery after all.

Annoyingly, the day was packed and I didn’t get the chance to pick any of the other supernats’ brains. We were busy until supper; after that, when everyone else had a study period, we had our secret supernat class. It was my favourite session of the day.

Sidnee and I arrived three minutes early. Luckily the sergeant was already in the classroom so we rushed in to ask some questions. ‘Sergeant, is the poltergeist real?’ I demanded.

‘Or an ongoing joke?’ Sidnee interjected, a shade desperately. She looked more than a little nervous and alarm bells started ringing as I studied her. What experience did she have with poltergeists?

Marks looked at me first. ‘Poltergeists do exist, but before today I put the occasional rumours about Petty down to some good-natured teasing.’

Sidnee and I looked at each other. ‘So it wasn’t a prank?’ I pressed. ‘The podium definitely wasn’t rigged?’

He frowned and shook his head. ‘No, I checked it after class. There weren’t any wires or anything underneath it that could have made it fall. In fact, it’s very heavy and sturdy and I struggled to push it over in the same way.’ Since he was a bear shifter, that was saying something.

‘Have you heard of any other strange incidents lately?’ I asked.

The sergeant looked at me, amused. ‘Are you missing having cases to solve?’ he teased. He pressed on without waiting for a response. ‘Don’t worry about it, ladies. From the stories I’ve heard, the poltergeist is playful but not dangerous. He’s nothing to worry about. Go on now, sit down. The others will be here in a moment.’

We sat down reluctantly. Clearly Marks considered the matter closed.

I slid Sidnee a look and her eyes said the same as mine: he might consider it closed but we both knew it was still as open as a frame without a door.