The Final Six (The Final Six #1) - Alexandra Monir Page 0,57
opportunity.
“Remember how I asked you to trust me?” I whisper to Leo, pulling him aside on our way there. “I’m going to do something, and I need just a tiny bit of your help. It’s for Callum and Suki.”
“What is it?” He gives me a wary look. “Don’t forget that I also asked you not to get us in trouble.”
“This is nothing,” I assure him, though I have a feeling he might disagree. “So as soon as I get in the chair, but before the nurse takes out the needle, I need you to just . . . cause a distraction. Something that’ll make her turn away from me and keep the focus on you for the quick minute it’ll take me to grab a vial. Once I turn around and give you the signal, you can go back to normal. Cool?”
“Um. What kind of distraction? And you do know there are security cameras in the building, right?”
“Yes, but even if there’s a camera right there in the medical office, which I doubt, I’ll be so quick that you wouldn’t see anything. And the distraction can be anything—I don’t know, pretend to trip and twist your ankle or something.” I shrug. “Don’t worry about having an audience, either. We can be near the end of the line, so most of the others will be in the cafeteria by the time I go up.”
Leo groans. “I’m not going to be able to talk you out of this, am I?”
“Nope. And compared to other plans I’ve come up with, this one is pretty tame.”
“Fine.” He sighs, and I give his arm a grateful squeeze.
“Thank you. I know you won’t regret it.”
We join the rest of our teammates and cofinalists outside the medical office, waiting silently as the line trickles down to the last few. As each finalist goes up, wincing at the prick of the needle, my palms sweat with the realization that any one of us could be the next Suki—the next Callum. And then it’s my turn.
I give Leo an encouraging nod before I step forward, into the office. One . . . two . . . The nurse motions me toward the chair and I take my seat, swiveling it just slightly so that I am within arm’s length of the wall of vials. Three.
The sound of coughing comes right on cue, weak at first, and then growing louder, more urgent. I try not to smile.
The nurse pauses in front of her instruments as the coughing escalates, and Leo yells in a choked voice, “Water!”
“One second,” she tells me, before hurrying to tend to him. And then, adrenaline surging, I turn in my seat to face the vials. The glowing pale liquid beckons me, and in one quick motion, I snatch a vial from the back of the shelf, stuffing it in the zippered pocket of my hoodie. I release my breath and turn back to face Leo, who is getting thumped between the shoulder blades by the nurse. He meets my eyes, and I scratch my ear, giving him our signal.
“That’s better!” Leo blurts out, pretending to take a gulp of air. “Something must have gone down the wrong pipe, but I can breathe now.”
And as the nurse returns to me, I give Leo a grateful smile, mouthing the words thank you.
Back in my dorm for the first time since morning, I stare at Suki’s now-empty side of the room. The bed is stripped, her desk bare, our shared closet purged of her clothes and shoes. Even the scent in the room is different and chemical-tinged, as though someone scrubbed the place clean while trying to remove every trace of her. It’s like she was never here at all.
“But I won’t forget you, Suki,” I whisper to the empty bed. “I promise I’ll find out what happened—to you and Callum.”
It hits me with a jolt that whoever came in to clear out her things might have taken the opportunity to snoop through mine, and I race over to the closet, grabbing my backpack. My fingers tremble as I unzip the hidden compartment. Please, please, please still be there . . .
I let out a long exhale at the sight of the flash drive with my hacking software, still nestled safely in the zippered compartment. I run my fingers over the drive in relief before setting it aside and rifling through the bag until I find just what I need.
Some girls stock their carry-ons with extra SPF or clothes