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Chapter 26 Several days passed and Katrina heard nothing of the other girl’s promise. She was growing so restless and impatient that even Tabi noticed the change in her. When asked Katrina claimed to not be feeling well, but she knew that her friend saw through the lie. A few days past what Katrina would have thought was her breaking point a folded note awaited her at her table in the eating hall. It was unsigned but she was sure that she knew the sender even if she didn’t know the girl’s name. The note directed her to find a way to block the locking mechanicism on her bedroom door before the alarm rang that night. Katrina wondered how to accomplish that but quickly remembered that Tabi had done it. Katrina knew that Tabi would not approve of her sneaking out of the school so simply claimed curiosity when she asked her friend about it later that day. Tabi hadn’t wanted to tell her, but Katrina had begged and whined until the Weequay gave in and explained the simple process. All Tabi had done was shove a hard object against the latch used to keep the doors closed and hammer it against the thin, cheap metal until the latch snapped in two. Because the censors of the mechanicism were in the upper part of the latch and controlled the raising and lowering of it, it did not register that the lower part was missing. Katrina laughed at the simplicity of it and wondered by Madame Zinkrey had not found a way to stop it from happening. She hugged her new knowledge to herself and slipped several pieces of silverware into her sleeve at the evening meal, chuckling silently at how brilliant she was. Inside her bedchamber she threaded a dull-tipped knife into the opening of her door and began doing what Tabi had instructed. She used a shallow-bottomed spoon to knock the knife deeper in then break off the arm of the lock. It fell with a soft thunk that made Katrina grin to herself. She looked up and down the hall afterwards, seeing that all was clear, then closed her door and waited. The sound of the alarm split the ear as always and Katrina heard the usual shuffle of hurrying feet trying to beat it before the lockdown actually happened. After the final alarm ended there was only silence. Katrina’s room was nearly completely dark. Clouds covered the moon that night and little starlight made its way through the window. Katrina sat at the foot of her bed, legs dangling and feet moving restlessly, waiting. Time passed but Katrina had no way of knowing how slowly. Just as she was ready to begin pacing she heard the soft click of the door opening. A deeper blackness filled the door area and the padding sound of feet hitting the floor stopped. “Are you ready?” The voice from nights back asked without materializing into any kind of shape. “Yes,” Katrina whispered back, sliding off the bed and onto her feet. She heard feet touching down on the floor again and followed the sound into the nearly absolute darkness of the hall. Many halls of the school were lit dimly even during lockdown, but for whatever reason Katrina’s was not one of them. “This way,” the voice whispered before the footsteps turned in a different direction. Katrina followed obediently but wondered if she was going mad. She was following a girl she did not know and had never seen. She was sneaking through the dark hallways by listening to the sound of nearly silent footsteps. “From here it’s going to get dark,” the girl whispered as she stopped. Katrina’s hands touched a smooth woven object and closed around it. “Tie it around your waist so we don’t get separated.” Again Katrina did as she was told. Before her something rumbled then scrapped against the floor. Another deep blackness filled the area before her. A dark shape moved within the perfect black before being swallowed up by it. The rope tugged on her and she followed. As she passed through what she believed to be a secret opening the air became cooler and water dripped against her bare hand. In the distance she could hear more water dripping and echoing. Behind her the heavy door rumbled and scrapped the floor once more before shutting with a heavy thud. “We’re almost there,” the girl’s voice echoed even though she now stood so close that her uniform brushed against Katrina’s. “This cavern has been here for millions of years. The natives of this planet believed it was a sacred place and preformed all kinds of rituals here. The founders of the school snuck into one of the rituals and killed all that were present. The natives saw it as an bad omen and refuse to come back.” “How do you know all that?” “My father told me. His father was one of the founders,” Katrina felt her shrug. “Nasty.” A few steps farther the cavern opened up and the echoes increased. She could hear every step several times over and wondered at it. On occasion water splashed on or near her but it was warm and almost pleasant. “From what I was told, the opening should be over there, to the right.” A few meters away was another opening. It was dimly lit but that was more than most of the little adventure had had. She could smell freshly cut grass and wildflowers as a stray wind swept past her. “They say there’s a town and spaceport off that way,” the girl’s dark shape pointed towards the distance and down a hill. Katrina could just make out a few flickering lights and smiled. |
