Chapter 13 — Nicholas

Josiah slung an arm across Ace’s shoulders and steered him away. I watched them leave before pulling out my phone to call Tom.

“Bad news,” I said. “The assassin wouldn’t agree to meet you. He’s afraid it’ll be a trap.”

Tom sighed. “I expected as much. The Underground didn’t survive for as long as it did without a healthy amount of suspicion.”

“Then what was the point of having me ask him?”

“It never hurts to try,” he said. “Do you know if the assassin would answer questions if it didn’t involve meeting face to face?”

“How should I know? I’m no mind reader.”

“Give it a guess.”

I thought for a moment. “I think he might if he got something in return.”

“What does he want? Money? Jewels? A chest of gold?”

“He’s an assassin, not a pirate. I’d have to ask him.”

“Then what are you waiting for? Go find him. Put me on speaker while you’re at it.”

“He’s in detention, and I can’t just barge into the classroom to ask him what he wants.”

“Detention?” Tom said. “Did I hear that right? He’s in detention?”

“Congratulations, you don’t need a hearing aid yet.”

“I miss the times when you were too scared of me to talk back,” he sighed. “What’s the assassin’s code name?”

“No clue, but his real name is Jacen.”

No sound came from the other end.

“Hello?” I said. “Are you still there?”

“Yes, but I’ve got to go. Talk to the assassin when he comes out. Promise him whatever you need, as long as it’s within reason. I’ll let you make your own judgment on that.”

Tom hung up.

I played games on my phone for over an hour before the door to Ms. Goldenstein’s class opened and a stream of students poured out. Ace was the last one to leave the room, dragging his feet as if he didn’t want to go.

His eyes narrowed when he saw me standing by the lockers. “What are you doing here? School let out at four o’clock.”

“Waiting for you,” I said.

“I told you, I’m not meeting with anyone from EAGLE. It’s too risky.”

“You don’t have to see him in person. But if you’re willing to—”

Ace pushed past me. “I’m not.”

I grabbed his arm. “We’re trying to figure out what their motivation is, and if we can do that, we can predict what they’ll do next.”

“I don’t care. It’s a surefire way of getting killed.”

“Seems like the leader of the Underground wants you dead either way. Why else would he have sent you to the antique shop?”

Ace paused. “The Underground can be complicated.”

“Then help me understand. It’s not like I’m asking you to walk up to the Underground leader with a grenade in your pocket. I just want answers.”

“And I want a million dollars but that’s not going to happen either.”

“I could make it happen,” I offered.

Ace raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, not a million dollars,” I amended. “But I could give you money for—”

Ace shook his head. “If I answer your questions, I want you to promise to leave me out of whatever it is you’re planning to do.”

“Fair enough.”

I sent a quick text to Tom. He replied with a long list of questions he had been saving up for a while.

“Let’s go somewhere else,” Ace said. “It’s strange being alone in an empty school. Sooner or later, a teacher will come and kick us out.”

“They won’t do that until football practice is over.”

“All the more reason to go now.”

I followed him as he headed out the door. “First question. How does the Underground hierarchy work? I know that it’s headed by a sole leader but EAGLE has never figured out the specifics.”

The Underground, on the other hand, knew exactly how EAGLE functioned because it was all laid out online.

“The job you have determines how much information you’re privy to,” Ace explained. “But it’s not a direct hierarchy. The Underground leader is the only one who knows everything. He tells a group of elites underneath him who pass on the information to those of us that do the actual work. We’re given enough to get the job done, nothing more, nothing less.”

“That’s why interrogations are so ineffective,” I realized.

“And how our leader avoids being caught.”

“Do you know who the Underground leader is?”

“I’m just an assassin. We can take out our targets without knowing his identity.”

“You’re lying,” I said. “You recognized his name from the note.”

“It’s a code name, not his real one.”

“But you got Nathan Harker from the note, the director’s real name, and forms of address are usually consistent.”

Ace grew still. I waited for him to speak.

“I can’t tell you who the leader is.” Ace glanced over his shoulder. “He’d kill me.”

“I thought he already wanted you gone.”

“Yes, but he’s not actively hunting me down at the moment. If I told you who he was, it would be a different story.”

I shook my head. “We’re at a severe disadvantage if we don’t know one of the two people working against the organizations, and you’re too much of a coward to tell me. You’d stab a person in the back, but you won’t confront them face to face?”

Ace held up his hands. “Cowards live longer than heroes. I never said I was a good person.”

“There are moments in life where you have the chance to do the right thing. This is one of those times, Ace. You could really help us.”

Ace smiled. “Oh, I love those moments. I like to wave at them as they pass by.”

I punched him in the face.

He cursed and cradled the side of his jaw, glaring at me with murder in his eyes. But instead of attacking, he turned away and walked down the street.

“Don’t forget your promise,” he called over his shoulder.

The sun was setting, creating long, dark shadows that swallowed him up. I called for a taxi home.

Seth’s car was parked outside the house when I arrived. Mom had a huge smile on her face when she answered the door. She questioned me about where I had been but didn’t seem mad about me coming home late.

I walked into the living room.

“Hey, Nicholas.” Seth winked at me. “Have you been hanging out with cute girls? That’s what kept me out late during high school.”

I blushed. “Nothing like that. I was working on a project.”

“With cute girls?”

Mom laughed and put her arm around him. “Not everyone’s a womanizer like you. I raised Nicholas to be a sweet boy, sensitive to the feelings of others.”

“Mom,” I complained.

She probably meant it as a compliment, but it made me sound lame.

“There’s nothing wrong with being a nice guy, sweetheart.” Mom ruffled my hair. “You should have invited your friends to dinner.”

Seth grinned. “Diana, did you cook too much again?”

“Yes,” she sighed. “Nicholas, why don’t you call them back to help us eat it all.”

“Sorry, I think Ace wants to eat on his own.”

Seth’s head shot up. “Ace? He was at school today?”

“Yeah. Why?” I said.

“He skipped last week, and his mother is looking for him right now. She filed a police report.”

Mom looked worried. “Is there anything we can do?”

“He can’t have left the city,” I reassured her. “It’s only a matter of time before the police find him.”

“Ace lives where the Underground is the most active,” Seth said. “If he’s out there alone, I hate to think of what could happen to him. Nicholas, do you know where he could be staying?”

I shook my head. “I’m sure Ace can look out for himself though. He’ll show up tomorrow without a scratch.”

“It’s dangerous at night. The streets are crawling with drug dealers who would gladly take advantage of a teenager.”

“Hey, I think you found someone to worry with you, Mom,” I teased.

She sighed. “Someday, when you’re a parent yourself Nicholas, you’ll understand how many gray hairs you give us. I look forward to that day.”

A timer dinged in the kitchen.

Mom sprang to her feet. “Come on, the food is ready.”

Seth chatted with us throughout dinner, talking about work troubles and how he felt bad about having to let go of a bunch of employees who had become a liability. Afterwards, he stayed to help Mom with the dishes before heading out the door.

The next week, Ace showed up to school early and left late, barely saying a word to anyone except Josiah. He had also developed a habit of looking over his shoulder as he walked. Paranoia made him twitchier than a squirrel.

But his fear wasn’t unfounded. I had noticed suspicious figures hanging around the school. They dressed in jeans and jackets that did little to draw attention away from their bulging muscles.

“What are the odds that Josiah Sargon is gay?” Lexi asked during lunch one day.

Elliot looked at her like she had grown a third eye. “Where did that come from?”

“He’s the football captain, and that’s as masculine as you can get,” Delaney said. “Plus, he’s dating Cheryl.”

“That proves nothing,” Alex pointed out. “It could be a coverup, or he could be bisexual. And queer guys don’t always dress in drag or act girly. Maybe they’re so masculine that they date other guys because girls can’t match their manliness.”

I shook my head. “That was somehow both logical and confusing.”

Alex bowed. “Thank you. It’s a talent of mine.”

Lexi didn’t take kindly to the change of subject. “I’m serious, guys. Look at them.”

Josiah had his hand on Ace’s cheek, staring at his face like he was trying to commit it to memory.

“Okay,” I admitted. “It’s a possibility.”

“Ethan punched Ace in the face a few days ago,” Delaney said. “Josiah’s probably checking if he still has a black eye.”

Lexi huffed. “Buzzkill.”

“For all we know they hate each other’s guts. Remember their fight on the first day?”

“It was their repressed feelings for each other. They’ll work it out.”

“I didn’t know you were the romantic type, Lexi,” Alex said.

“I’m not. I’m hoping Josiah dumps Cheryl for Ace, so she gets a taste of what the rest of us common folk have been experiencing for years.”

“Heartbreak?” I guessed.

“Rejection.”

“Lexi’s vicious thoughts aside, we still have a problem,” Alex said. “Our project.”

“What’s wrong with it?” I asked. “All we have left to add are tri-board decorations for the aesthetic points. We can do that over the weekend.”

“We don’t have all weekend, genius. Mrs. Hunter moved up the deadline, remember? It’s due next period.”

I dropped my fork. “Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Lexi piped up. “Alex wanted to finish eating before we went to work. Always thinks of his stomach first.”

“Should we get Ace?” I asked Lexi shook her head. “Nah, let the kids have their fun.”

By some miracle, we finished the project in time to turn it in to Mrs. Hunter. It turned out quite well, considering that none of us had read the entire play apart from Ace.

Lexi looked at the project with worry. “I hope Mrs. Hunter doesn’t set off the flamethrowers.”

I stared at her in disbelief.

“F-Flamethrowers?” Alex sputtered. “You added flamethrowers to our project?”

“Not exactly,” she said. “They don’t throw fire. It’ll just consume our project in flame once she’s done grading it.”

He groaned. “Lexi, you idiot!”

“Don’t worry. We can still take it out.” I lunged for the pile of projects by the teacher’s desk.

The bell rang at that precise moment and Mrs. Hunter strode into the classroom, taking up residence next to the projects like a gargoyle, scowling at the empty desks.

Alex raised an eyebrow. “You were saying?”

Students poured through the door, Ace among them.

Lexi pointed to Alex and me as he approached the table. “These knuckleheads are freaking about two little flamethrowers I put in our project.”

“What?” Ace’s brow furrowed.

“You would know if you were here instead of hanging out with Mr. Perfect,” Alex said.

Ace looked even more confused but decided not to press the issue.

“Nicholas, why don’t you and Ace go ask Mrs. Hunter if we can have our project back for a few minutes,” Alex added.

“No way,” I said. “She looks like she’s about to bite someone’s head off. I won’t be the first sacrifice.”

Ace stood up. “I’ll go.”

We were too far away to hear what they were saying, but it didn’t seem like Ace was in danger of losing his life to a grumpy teacher.

“If she lets us have it back, she’ll count off twenty points for late work,” Ace said when he came back to the table.

“So the highest we could get is an eighty,” Alex mused. “Not worth it.”

“You’ll let the school burn down?” I asked.

“Don’t be dramatic, Nicholas. The chances of Mrs. Hunter setting off the flamethrowers should be slim.”

It took less than two hours for the fire alarm to ring. Despite the teachers shouting for everyone to head for the nearest exit, there were students running back in for phones, assignments, and backpacks.

We congregated at the front of the school. The teachers tried to get us lined up according to class, but it was a hopeless endeavor. Students milled about, whispering to their friends and wondering what had set the alarm off. Many speculated that someone had pulled it as a joke since the building didn’t appear to be on fire.

Then Mrs. Hunter tottered outside, her clothes covered in soot. Her hands shook as she straightened her glasses.

I tapped Alex on the shoulder and nodded toward her. “I told you so.”

That afternoon, Tom’s Ford Mustang pulled up in the parent loop. Alex had to grab my arm to keep me from stumbling over the sidewalk.

Tom came to a stop next to us and rolled down the window. “Get in, Nicholas.”

“Dude, your dad is so cool,” Alex whispered.

I shook my head. “He’s not my—”

“Nicholas,” Tom repeated.

I waved goodbye to Alex and hopped in the passenger seat. Frank Sinistra crooned over the radio with Tom mouthing along to the song.

I turned the volume down. “What happened? You wouldn’t show up to my school for no reason.”

“We have a lot to discuss,” he said. “First, did you establish contact with the assassin like I asked you to?”

“Um…”

It was frightening how good of a disapproving look Tom could give, almost enough to rival my mom’s.

“He seemed willing to answer questions at first,” I said. “But he clammed up when I asked him for the name of the Underground leader.”

Tom sighed. “You should have started with basic questions then worked up to more sensitive information.”

“I did! I asked him to explain the hierarchy of the Underground before asking who its leader was.”

“That’s not a gradual buildup, Nicholas. That’s trying to make it up a cliff in one step.”

“If it’s a short cliff—”

“We are not here to discuss the accuracy of my analogies. I was hoping the assassin could provide more information, but I suppose we have to go off of what we have.”

“All we have is the note.”

Tom smiled. “Exactly. Could you pull it out from the glove compartment for me?”

I did as he said. “All it has is the location of the antique shop.”

“We also have the name of the Underground leader if we’re smart enough to solve the code.”

I tore out a page from my math notebook and jotted down the two names. My hand wobbled as the car bounced along a gravel road.

“Atenia and Nathan have the same number of letters,” I said. “Each letter of the original name has to match up with a letter in the encryption. It isn’t a scrambled word though because Atenia has letters that Nathan doesn’t.”

“That doesn’t narrow it much. Try a few common encryptions that fit the bill.”

“I doubt they’ll work.”

“Me too, but it doesn’t hurt to try.”

Jefferson High flashed by the window.

“Have we been driving in circles?” I asked.

“The car is the most secure place for us to talk. I’ve combed every inch for bugs and it’s hard for others to listen in. I’ll drop you off at your house. Work on the code and let me know immediately if you figure it out.”

I fired off a salute. “Will do, sir. Let me off a block away though. My mom’s not your biggest fan.”

Tom muttered about grudge holding women as he made a U-turn.

Mom had gone on a date with Seth, leaving a note in the kitchen next to a grilled cheese and a salad.

My phone buzzed with a call from Alex.

“Hey, Nicholas,” he said. “You wanna come to my house? Lexi’s heading over, and she’s bringing the rest of the gang.”

“Right now?” I said. “I don’t have a ride.”

“She can come pick you up.”

I looked at the forlorn sandwich on the table next to the crumpled piece of paper I had to decode. “Sure, sounds fun.”

“A word of warning: Lexi hasn’t let go of the Josiah-Ace thing, so if you could avoid offending her on the topic, that would be awesome. I’d like all the guests to arrive intact.”

Alex had neglected to mention that Lexi was the one driving the car, and that the car was a giant pickup truck on the verge of breaking down. Elliot and Delaney perched in the back, holding onto the railings for dear life. As Lexi started up the engine, the truck bucked like a wild horse. I almost fell off.

“You get used to her driving after a while,” Delaney said. “It’s like going on a rollercoaster.”

Elliot blanched as we hit a pothole. “Except rollercoasters have a much lower mortality rate.”

“Hey,” Lexi yelled through her open window. “No one’s died yet.”

She turned around to talk to us.

“Eyes on the road, Lex!” Elliot screamed.

We swerved to avoid a girl walking her dog.

As we pulled up by Alex’s house, Elliot leaped out the back with the air of a sailor setting foot on land after months at sea. I thought he would drop to his knees and kiss the ground.

Alex was waiting for us outside, rocking back and forth on his porch swing. “I see we made it here in one piece.”

Lexi jangled her keys. “Did you ever doubt me?”

“Yes,” I said.

“Absolutely.”

“Every second I was on that death trap.”

She rolled her eyes. “You guys are no fun.”

Lexi breezed past Alex and opened the door. The aroma of pumpkin pie wafted out of the house. I followed it inside.

The living room looked like it belonged on the cover of an interior designing magazine. The wine-red couches surrounded a fireplace with a gold mantelpiece above it, the colors a perfect match for the mahogany tables. The walls were as pristine as freshly fallen snow. Upon closer inspection, the pumpkin pie scent came from a diffuser plugged into the wall.

Delaney tapped Alex on the shoulder. “Get the lightsabers. I owe Lexi a rematch from last time.”

“I beat you fair and square,” Lexi said.

“You made me trip over the coffee table!”

“It’s called using the environment to your advantage. You should try it sometime.”

“My mom’s sleeping upstairs,” Alex said. “You know how loud lightsaber battles can get. Besides, we’re in high school now. Shouldn’t we be doing activities that are more mature?”

Lexi snorted. “Like what? Drugs? We’re allowed to have our own safe fun.”

“Safe?” Elliot said. “I ended up with a black eye and bruises down my back from the lightsabers. I’m with Alex on this one.”

“Two against two.” Delaney looked at me. “It’s up to you.”

I sighed. “Alex is the host of the—”

“Let me rephrase that,” Lexi interrupted. “What do you want to do?”

Everyone turned to look at me.

“Well, a lightsaber fight sounds like fun,” I admitted. “I always wanted to recreate the scene at the end of Revenge of the Sith.”

Lexi and Delaney cheered.

Alex hushed them. “My mom’s asleep, remember? We have to go to the backyard.”

“What about the swimming pool?” Delaney asked.

“Try your best not to fall in.”

Far easier said than done. Not even ten minutes later, Delaney stumbled over the stone ledge and plunged in head first. She surfaced, sputtering and cursing the day Lexi was born.

Lexi leaned on her lightsaber like a cane. “Sorry, I didn’t think that last blow would make you fall backwards.”

“What else would it result in?” she said. “Puppies falling from the sky? Now help me out.”

Lexi stretched out her hand, and Delaney yanked her forward.

She fell into the water with a scream. “What the heck, Delaney!”

Delaney raised her lightsaber from the water and tapped her on the chest. “It’s called using the environment to your advantage. I believe this means I win.”

Lexi protested as we pulled them out of the pool, though Alex and Elliot agreed that Delaney had won since no one had specified that falling into the water meant a loss.

Lexi crossed her arms. “From now on, the water is lava and falling in means instant death.”

No one dared to disagree. Both the girls were shivering.

“Should we end early?” I said.

“Not until the free for all,” Alex corrected. “It’s tradition.”

“We know you’ll win.” Elliot clapped him on the shoulder. “You took the lightsaber fighting class at the last fan convention. Can’t we just say it’s done and get inside where it’s warm?”

Lexi rubbed her chin. “Care about the warmth, you do not. Care about your precious face, you do. Even defeat a puppy, you cannot.”

Her chattering teeth hindered her attempt at imitating Yoda.

Elliot flushed and grabbed the purple lightsaber leaning against the house. “You are so going down.”

He charged at her with a battle cry. The rest of us took it as a cue to join in. I scooped up a fallen lightsaber and blocked a slash from Delaney.

Lexi let out a maniacal laugh as she jumped onto the hot tub ledge. Elliot followed suit without a second thought. The two of them traded blows, struggling to keep their balance on the slippery stone. If the lightsabers were real, sparks would have been flying.

I ducked as Delaney swung her lightsaber over my head and whacked one of her legs. Alex snuck up behind her as she was distracted and tapped her on the back with his own lightsaber.

Delaney jumped, clutching the nonexistent wound on her stomach. “I’ve been stabbed. I’ve been stabbed!” She melted to the ground. “Help me, Nicholas! I’m too young to die.”

She wailed in fake pain, flopping around like a fish.

Alex nudged her with his toe. “Only ten seconds for death scenes, remember?”

Delaney went limp. Alex pried the lightsaber out of her hand and shot me a wicked grin.

I took a step back. “Are double lightsabers allowed?”

Alex lunged at me, blades slicing through the air. My question went unanswered as I dodged his attack.

Fighting with plastic lightsabers was far more satisfying than swinging a staff, but maybe that was just the Star Wars geek in me. I might have also let loose a few maniacal laughs like Lexi.

Alex backed me against the edge of the pool. Without thinking, I did a backflip to land on the hot tub ledge, sending Lexi and Elliot tumbling into the pool.

“It’s over, Nicholas,” Alex called. “I have the solid ground.”

As if to prove his point, my left foot slipped off the edge. I bent my legs to keep my balance.

“It’s ‘high ground’ Alex,” I said. “And you underestimate my power.”

I launched myself into the air and hit the ground rolling. Alex walked toward me, lightsaber raised. I pushed off the wall into a flip over his head and tapped him on the back. Alex slumped to the ground but was back on his feet a moment later.

“Dude, that was awesome,” he said. “How did you learn that flip?”

“It was the Fooooorce.” Lexi waved her hands around like a ghost.

Alex batted her away. “As much as I wish otherwise, the Force only exists in a galaxy far, far away. So how did you do it?”

I racked my brains for an excuse. “It’s not something I like to talk about.”

“Why not?” Delaney pressed.

“I took gymnastics when I was little,” I said. “Do you think I want to admit that I pranced around in a leotard?”

Lexi shrugged. “Fair enough. Now let’s go inside before we lose feeling in our arms.”

Elliot breathed into his hands and rubbed them together. “Too late for that.”

Alex poured us mugs of hot chocolate with pumpkin spice when we were back in the house. It was a strange combination but not unpleasant.

Lexi clapped her hands together. “It’s puzzle time, guys.”

Alex nodded. “Did you bring it?”

“I thought you had a book full of brain teasers.”

“We finished that last time, remember?”

I snagged a sheet of paper. “I’ve got one. My uncle gave it to me a few days ago and I still haven’t figured it out. Think you can help?”

I wrote the names “Atenia” and “Nathan” before sliding the sheet to the center of the table. “How do you turn the first name into the second name?”

Delaney looked at it. “There are multiple ways to do that.”

“But there’s only one correct answer,” I said. “I think we’ll know it once we find it.”

Alex scratched his head. “It could be a substitution cipher. We replace one letter with another to get the second name.”

An hour of trying different combinations left us no closer to the answer than I had been before. Delaney raided the pantry and brought out giant bags of chips. As we worked, we chatted about everything from the recent biology test to the cute girl in Elliot’s engineering class.

When I got out my phone to check the time, I almost dropped it in shock. The screen lit up with about twenty notifications, all of them missed calls or texts from my mother. The last one was ten minutes ago.

I dialed her number, preparing for a scolding of epic proportions.

“You’re Nicholas, correct?” said an unfamiliar voice.

“Who is this?” I demanded. “Where’s my mom? Have you done something with her?”

“I’m Dr. Morris Greene,” the man replied. “Your mother was taken to the Urgent Care on Legacy.”

I clapped a hand over my mouth. “Is she okay?”

“She has carbon monoxide poisoning. There must have been a leak. Find a classmate to stay with. We’re not sure if your house is safe yet.”

I grabbed my jacket. “I’ll come to the ER. She shouldn’t be alone.”

“Don’t worry about her, son.” The doctor’s voice was warm. “She’s with her friend.”

“What’s the friend’s name?” I asked.

“Andrea. You would know her as Ms. Griffin though.”

My blood ran cold. Griffin was Ace’s last name. The woman had to be his mother, and if she was anything like her son, it didn’t bode well for my mom.

I took a deep breath. “Lexi, how fast do you think you can drive?”