Page 351 of Knox Academy Omnibus
I get up from my chair and walk to the front of the class.
“Is everything okay?” I ask her.
“Are you serious about this?” She looks down at the small card, and I nod.
“Why wouldn’t I be? You have an amazing skillset which will blow your sons’ minds when they find out, and you don’t deserve to be stuck here all because your ex has control over your life.”
A tear runs down her cheek. The door opens and she quickly wipes it away and shoves the card in her pocket. We both look at Monty who has just entered the room.
“Headmaster Knox, what can we do for you?” she says to him.
“I actually need to steal Amelie away today.”
I look at Maggie and she gives me a nod, and I smile. I return to my desk and collect my things, then head out with Monty. We walk in silence down the corridor and he opens the door for us. I walk through.
“It’s nice to see you two getting along,” he states.
“I figured I should make an effort, she is the guys’ mother and they love her. So we’ve put our differences aside, and since our differences are actually a common enemy, it’s really not a hard task.”
He clears his throat. “Yes, well, I bet you’re wondering where we’re off to,” he says, changing the subject.
“The thought did cross my mind, but any excuse to skip class is welcome.”
“I wanted to bring you with me. As you know, I got your message about some of your potential recruits, and one of them is actually in jail. We’ve had to use a lot of resources to persuade the judge to allow me to enroll her at the academy, but we still have to show up at the court hearing.”
“I can’t go to a court hearing in my uniform.”
“It’s all taken care of. Sawyer sent over a suit. It’s in the car. We’ll stop along the way and you can freshen up and get changed.”
“Thank you.”
Just as promised, Monty stops off at a petrol station and I get changed in the bathroom and tame my hair. Frost has been given today’s duty of following us around and driving us where we need to go.
Frost is a good man; he managed to stock up on snacks before we got back into the car. Monty sips on his coffee and I pick at a bag of chips. This is my first official duty in charge, not some menial task Monty has set out.
Once we arrive at the courthouse, Frost parks the car and escorts us to the courtroom where the proceedings are about to get started. Frost takes a seat at the back, and I follow Monty to the front of the room. Monty nods at the judge and he nods back.
“Monty, thank you for joining us.”
“Thank you for having us, your honour.”
The girl who isn’t any older than I am makes eye contact with me, obviously wondering who the hell we are interrupting her hearing.
“And you must be Amelie. I’ve heard a lot about you,” the judge says. I look at Monty and he smiles at me.
“All good things I hope.” Damn it, now isn’t a time for jokes but I’m nervous and my pits are sweating profusely.
The judge opens a folder as we take our seats beside Mackenzie’s lawyer.
“Miss Kennedy, your charges are of a very serious matter and come with a lengthy jail sentence. You have been deemed a danger to society and you must have someone watching over you. Mr Knox has sent in a request on your behalf, and I have taken into consideration your motives. You have two options. I can send you to trial with a jury, or you can accept Mr Knox’s offer. He runs a school for young adults like yourself where you serve four years in their rehabilitation program and you get a full education by the end of it. When your time is completed, your case will be revisited and on the advice of the headmaster – Mr Knox – we will decide if you will be free to go. It’s an amazing offer. My only request is that you will have no access to technology.”
Mackenzie scoffs, leaning back into her chair and crossing her arms. I raise my hand like I’m in damn high school and the judge nods.
“With all due respect, your honour, I’ve read Mackenzie's file and while her crimes are very serious, her motive came from a good place. What if we have our best cyber experts monitor her online activity? All Knox Academy devices are set up by the best.” My heart beats a million miles an hour. I need her to feel like someone is on her side. Once she is in The Order she is protected and can do what we ask her, but until then I have to get her on my side.
“Request granted. One other rule that is non-negotiable is that Mackenzie has to wear an ankle bracelet, because she is a flight risk.”
We both nod, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
