Chapitre 19: Nineteenth Night
Daniel woke up slowly with heavy eyelids. At first all he could see was dark figures around him and then his vision adjusted. Standing in front of him was Robert May with the four house prefects standing stiffly behind him.
"He's come to. The dosage was perfect," Robert commented with satisfaction.
His smile that had seemed overly friendly earlier in the day, was now one of the scariest things he'd seen.
As he spoke Daniel became aware of several things. Firstly, he was tied to a chair, he was cold and they weren't at Kingston Royal Academy anymore. Instead they were all outside and were by small lake. There were fields in the distance and he swore he could see something that looked like the school. He looked at the prefects again and tried to think of a way out of the precarious situation he was in.
"...Why am I here?" he asked slowly due to his mouth being half paralysed from the drug they had used to knock him out.
"Because you know too much," Robert replied simply. "We can't have anything leaking out to ruin Kingston Royal Academy traditions. Tradition is very important here."
There was the option of playing dumb and pretending to not know anything, but it clearly wouldn't work. He had been caught on his way out of Kingston Royal Academy with the opened box of drugs. He couldn't claim ignorance.
"How much do you think I know?" he asked.
"Enough to be a hazard," was the reply. "We had a little help from one of your supposed friends by the way. He was very willing to help us."
As he spoke Robert produced Daniel's phone. That was when Daniel knew that Alvin had stolen his phone earlier when he had walked into him. To think that he'd never suspected a thing. Alvin's devotion to the prefects had always been something he'd considered annoying rather than a major cause for concern.
"He'll be upset when he finds out what happened to you, however he won't say anything against us. He's very devoted to us," Fenston added in a tone that was probably supposed to be kind.
That line made Daniel realise that they definitely were going to kill him. He was never going to finish the year at Kingston Royal Academy and he was going to die before his 19th birthday again.
"Where are we?" he groaned. "Do I get to know that at least?"
"At the farm next to the school," Liam told him. "It has an interesting history."
"It's been the source of drugs for the inner sect ever since it started," Robert said with a smirk.
"It's been very useful to generations of pupils," David spoke up.
"It exists as permanent drugs supply. Most of the Pudding Club's budget goes towards this. It's been an ongoing tradition like the Drama Club. It's more secret than the dating ring," Robert continued on.
"Is killing pupils also a tradition?" Daniel asked even though he already knew the answer.
Robert faltered slightly and the prefects had the grace to look guilty.
"I thought we could add a little spice to the gatherings and I invited Jack Edwards. It was enjoyable watching him struggle. Most people had been waiting for so long to see him suffer. I was the one that came up with the idea to get him away from Felix. Felix always protected him from the bullying. I did hope it would become a new tradition to invite a scholarship pupil to the club and watch them flounder."
That had not been the answer Daniel had predicted. He had underestimated Robert May's lack of decency and empathy.
"We didn't know he was going to die," David interrupted. "We were told he would get weaned off at the end of the year."
Robert glared at David with a surprising amount of ferocity.
"Shut up. I'm the one who runs the societies. Know your place, you're just the nephew of some nouveau riche."
David took a step back and didn't reply. The Golden Lion prefect looked like he'd rather be anywhere else. Daniel wondered if he could use that.
"I thought it would be amusing to see if he would survive. He didn't last in the end," Robert continued on.
"Was he meant to die?" Daniel asked.
The prefects exchanged glances between the four of them which Daniel couldn't interpret.
"I had the next meeting cancelled to see what would happen. I found him on the ground that night and left him there."
Daniel was left speechless by the admission of guilt. He had known Robert May's treatment of Jack hadn't been exactly angelic, but to hear that he had just left him dying on the ground was a shock. He then noticed that the prefects were whispering between themselves.
"Stop whispering!" Robert ordered. "You all had an idea of what happened that night."
Whilst it was interesting to find out that the prefects hadn't known the full details or been the instigators of Jack's death, Daniel was more focused on surviving. He needed a plan.
He wriggled his wrists that were tied around the back of the chair to test the tightness and was surprised to find the rope was so loose. He could probably slip his hands out without being noticed.
The next question was how to actually get away from them. There was no way he could outrun them and he didn't really know the way back to the school. He didn't have his phone either so he couldn't call anyone for help.
Maybe Sunny and George would realise that Ben hadn't taken him to the town and would raise the alarm. Or perhaps they wouldn't be sure what to do without him there to lead them. He might not have a way out and that seriously alarmed him.
"If you're wondering about Felix's little accident on the roof, I can tell you about that one too," Robert continued.
That was the only real mystery left. Daniel was now aware of the true purpose of the secret society, who was behind the secret society and what had happened to Jack. It was ironic to think that he only obtained all the answers just before he died.
"I called him up there to discuss the Jack Edwards situation. He was rather insistent on knowing what happened for some reason. I had thought he would not care too much and would not bother trying to find out what happened. He didn't seemed pleased that I had done him a favour," Robert shrugged. "He had a lot of questions for me instead. That's when I knew he had to go."
Daniel stared at him silently. Robert May was definitely detached from reality.
"You said it was an accident," Liam said accusingly.
Robert smiled awkwardly. "I lied. I distracted him and gave him a shove. He did put up quite a fight in the process. It's kind of lucky he didn't die because he probably had extra injuries from me. It would have looked strange in the autopsy."
Daniel resumed trying to twist his wrists in the right position so he could get his arms out of the rope. Robert May's next words stopped him cold in his tracks.
"There's no use in getting out of that rope. It's loose on purpose, I can't have the police finding rope marks on you. It won't tally with the death we have planned for you."
That was one of the darkest things Daniel had ever heard.
"How am I going to die?" he asked casually.
"Drug overdose or drowning. It depends on which one kills you first."
Daniel's stomach clenched painfully. They really had the intent to kill him. It was looking even more likely that he wouldn't escape.
"It might interest you to know that we're using the drugs that you attempted to take to the police. Very ironic," Robert said.
"That's wonderful," Daniel answered sarcastically. "How are you going to make it look not suspicious?"
Daniel remembered that his fingerprints would be on any drug taking implements and wrappings. That parcel had been a trap in more than one way. It would look like he took the drugs himself. There was certainly brains behind the operation.
"You were a troubled student that took an overdose and accidentally drowned. The prefects were keeping an eye on you and were very distraught to find they hadn't discovered you in time."
"How do you know I haven't told other people about what I've found out?"
At the moment his best lifeline was Sunny and George.
"I will tell your friends that I'll get their family fired from their jobs and unable to get any others if they tell anyone," Robert said nastily. "Yes, I do have an idea what you were up to."
Robert had chosen his method well. That threat would work on those two. The three of them weren't close enough for them to want to risk their families for him. It was also a shock to hear that Robert knew about his rendezvous with them.
That left Christopher as his only lifeline. It wasn't a guaranteed one. Christopher probably wouldn't know he was gone.
"As for Felix, I have suspicions about his convenient amnesia," Robert added much to Daniel's horror.
"He was pushed off a roof and was in a coma, it's likely he really has amnesia," Liam interrupted.
"It's Felix, he's smart enough to fool you," Robert snapped back. "We have to take care of him after Daniel."
"Do we have to kill someone else?" David sighed loudly. "It's getting annoying."
"Felix will be the last person we kill, don't worry," Robert promised them with a tight smile. "I'm taking Fenston to the hospital with me after we've killed Daniel. Felix's too weak to fight back based on what Liam told us about his condition."
"I didn't know you were going to kill him," Liam argued.
Robert glared back. Daniel could feel the anger in the glare even though he wasn't in the firing line. It looked like his hold on the prefects was weakening. The prefects were clearly disgusted with him after hearing the truth. Could he use that to his advantage?
"Your consciences doesn't matter now. Just follow my orders and you won't have to worry about your futures anymore," Robert retorted sharply.
Liam sighed and bent down to open the parcel. He drew out the syringes, a bag of powder and a metal straw. Daniel's heartbeat sped up to an uncomfortable pace and he fought to keep calm. He couldn't die here. Liam pulled on a pair of latex gloves.
"I'll leave once he's nearly dead," Robert said with a shrug. "I don't quite trust you enough to leave you alone with him. Start with the cocaine injection. It's the most dangerous one and takes effect the fastest.
Liam nodded silently approached him and placed the drugs on the ground next to him. He picked up the syringe first. Daniel kicked him in the head in desperation and frantically tried to get the rope off. He had never thought he would end up in a situation like this.
"Can someone hold him still?" Liam asked quietly.
David came over and held his legs down. The Scarlet Wren house prefect took hold of Daniel's arm and swiftly injected the contents of the syringe. Daniel barely had any time to react to the stabbing feeling before his body began to heat up and his heart rate increased even more.
"You feel high in a minute," Robert commented cheerfully. "You're getting a heroin injection next. We've been slightly nice; all the needles are clean and the drugs are pure. Not that you'll live long enough to appreciate that."
Daniel looked over desperately at Raven who averted his eyes guiltily. There wasn't any chance to feel hurt by the avoidance as everything began to feel very far away and he felt uncomfortably hot.
"You'll be off your face whilst you drown so you won't feel anything."
Robert's words sounded soft and pleasant to listen to. He didn't feel the second injection at all. Then he heard a faint noise in the distance that he faintly recognised as being something he wanted to hear.
"It's the police!" Liam exclaimed.
"What shall we do with Daniel?" Fenston asked.
"Throw him in and run. Just do it now!" Robert shouted loudly.
Daniel vaguely felt being picked up and dragged along the ground. Then he was underwater which was cooling and pleasant until he ran out of oxygen.
The end of his second life was very near.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone