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Revealed
Julia Fellner
Excerpt Heat Level: 1
Book Heat Level: 1
"Miss
Watson, either you are going to be famous or you are about to die."
I
blinked at the secretary of the chief editor of the Tea Party News.
"I
didn't mean you were literary going to die, just your career," she amended
in a perky morning person voice.
She
was wrong though. My career as a journalist was my life. I didn't care for an
elaboration on how my career, and thus my life, would end so I interrupted her
mercilessly. "Miss Higgins, what are you talking about?"
"Oh,
you know." She leaned forward as she said this in a stage whisper. She was
old enough to be my mother and dressed as if she was the same age as me, namely
eighteen, which didn't help to improve her credibility.
"No,
I don't," I deadpanned.
"Of
course, you know what I'm talking
about." She winked at me conspiratorially.
"No,
I honestly don't."
To
my surprise Miss Higgins started to laugh. "You are such a good actress,
Anne. I told Theodore you were perfect for the job."
I
sighed. "Look, I really have no idea…"
My
doomed objection was interrupted as the door next to Miss Higgins's desk was
opened by our boss who strolled in.
"Anne,
how good to see you. I've been dying to tell you some news. We are after all
working for a newspaper." He
laughed at his joke, while I smiled uncertainly back at him.
"So,
you really don't know?" Miss Higgins looked at me in shock, before her expression
changed back to the one of a meddlesome conspirator. "Soon you will know."
"Thank
you, Miss Higgins." I said with a tight smile, before I followed my boss
into his office.
He
beckoned me to take a seat across from him, as I waited patiently for the big
solution of this morning's mystery.
Today
had started out normally enough. I got up, had breakfast and left for work.
But
once I entered the editorial department of the Tea Party News, I knew something
was up.
People
were giving me strange glances; people, to whom I usually was invisible,
started noticing me.
As
if this weren't enough of a shock, after I had turned on my computer I realised
I had received a mail from Miss Higgins informing me about my boss wanting to
see me. It was the last proof I needed to know something was afoot.
I
looked expectantly across the desk at my boss, a rather chubby and balding but
caring, man who looked around fifty but was probably younger.
"Anne,
the decision you make today will decide whether you are going to be one of the
big, famous ones and will be admitted into the Olympus of journalists or,"
I wanted to roll my eyes, as he made a dramatic pause, "whether you are
not meant to be a journalist."
I
wanted to groan. Why was everyone making such a big deal about this…this…well,
whatever it is this mystery thing was?
But
since my boss was the one to sign my paychecks, I kept a big, fat and friendly
smile pasted on my face.
"Today,
Anne, I'm going to offer you a job of life-changing potential."
Hold
on, was I going to be promoted and get a raise?
With
much more enthusiasm I started to fire questions in true reporter fashion at
him. "Are you serious? What kind of job? Will me being still on probation
be a problem? When can I start? W-"
My
boss chuckled. "Give me a second to answer, will you?"
I
smiled sheepishly at him and kept my mouth shut firmly, waiting for him to
explain.
"I
have an amazing and yet risky job offer for you." I could see he was
working himself up into another dramatic tirade. In an attempt to avoid being
subjected to such a fate, I interjected with a polite smile. "Why don't
you tell me what this job offer is about, sir?"
"Of
course." His good mood seemed to falter for a moment before it changed
back to excitement. "I need a kind of foreign correspondent." When my
boss noticed I was about to interrupt him again, he forgot about his need for
dramatic pauses and quickly continued. "I need someone to report from a
boarding school in Ireland."
"Where's
the catch?" I asked suspiciously, remembering the weird looks I had been
getting all day.
"The
whole reporting thing has to happen undercover. Nobody can know about you being
a journalist, if you accept the job which I am sure you will."
"But
how do you expect me to investigate then?" This morning was so confusing,
and I hadn't even had my daily dose of coffee yet.
"It's
very simple. You will go there as a student, a senior to be exact." My
boss's glinted mischievously.
"You
want me to go back to school?" Now, I was truly horrified.
"Yeah,
is there something wrong with it?" It seemed ironic, since it was his time
to be confused now. "You graduated at the top of your class. If you were
valedictorian, why wouldn't you want to go back to school?"
Why?
Did he just ask why I did not want to go back to a place, which was to me
nothing more than a disguise for hell?
"I
thought I was finally out of school." I answered diplomatically. It wasn't
a lie. My last day of school was the happiest one in my entire high school
career.
I
didn't like school per se. I enjoyed the learning part enough. Actually, I
loved it. The problem, however, were my fellow students. Being ignored and
bullied were the main reasons why I loathed my high school time. Although there
were also other things I loathed, like not being taken seriously because I was
still a student.
All
in all, I was glad it was over.
So
the thought of graduating again,
after I had barely survived the first time, made me want to throw up.
Nevertheless
I didn't say no just yet. "How long would this take? You know I was
planning on going part-time to college this fall?"
My
boss shuffled through his papers, deliberately not meeting my eyes. "Well,
I don't know how many days exactly…"
"Sir?"
"An
entire academic year." He looked up from his files, looking guilty.
"Look, it's one of the hardest assignments I have ever given out. You will
have to leave everything behind you for a whole school year. But if you make
it, this could be your breakthrough."
"Why
did you choose me for this job?"
"You
see, since such young journalists like you don't really make much money, we can
spare you for a year." He said nonchalantly before he started grinning.
"I am kidding. I chose you because I have faith in you. You are the
perfect journalist for this job."
"You
think?" I queried unconvinced.
"I
know." He beamed at me. "Listen, I am going to finance you for a year
in one of Ireland's finest boarding schools. This is an opportunity some people
would kill for."
But
I wasn't some people. I was me.
Okay,
maybe at some point when I still had been in the hellhole called high school, I
would have jumped at the opportunity and would have packed my suitcases without
any questions asked. But now I had finally survived high school and was
reluctant to go back.
"All
right, let's go so far as to say I would accept this job offer. What would I be
writing about?"
My
boss looked happy, as if I had already accepted his offer for real. "This
private boarding school I am talking about is called Panthera Academy. I have
received hints from anonymous sources something big is going on there."
Oh,
no. He had gone back to being mysterious and beating around the bush. "And
what is this big thing?"
"It
is exactly what I want you to find out." He winked at me cheerily.
"But…
how am I supposed to know what I am looking for?"
He
shrugged. "This is all I know. There is a secret society in the school
which is sponsored by the alumni."
I
frowned. "A school club which is financed by alumni doesn't sound
suspicious to me."
"It
is not an ordinary school club; it is a secret society." My boss's voice
dropped to a stage whisper. "And the really important thing is what this
secret society is doing."
"What
is it this secret society is doing then?" It was unfathomable to me why I
automatically lowered my voice as well.
My
boss suddenly smirked as he leaned back in his chair. "My point exactly, I
want you to find out the answer to this question."
This
still sounded all rather mysterious so I tried gathering information from
another angle. "What has a boarding school in Ireland to do with our
newspaper here in Boston?"
"It
is a great chance for our Tea Party News to improve our reputation and sell
more issues. I am certainly the only one with this information thus making us
the only newspaper, which will be able to publish anything about it. Uncovering
scandals always brings in a lot of money. We will even be able to sell copies
in Ireland."
If
you asked me, we had reached the point where my boss had finally lost his mind.
The newspaper was doing fine, although I didn't trust him to always make the
best business decisions for the paper.
So,
I asked. "Are you sure about this?"
"I
am sure about this." He nodded encouragingly. "This is going to be
your breakthrough, trust me."
I
guessed he wouldn't give me any other details, no matter how long I continued
asking. "Can I at least sleep on it?"
"Sure."
He looked disappointed for a moment since I wasn't as happy to throw my life
away for a year as he was. "But if you do not take the offer soon, I will
have to give it to someone else. There is not much time until term
starts."
"I
understand." I agreed and stood up.
"Miss
Higgins is going to give you information on the assignment." My boss rose
and patted me on my shoulder. "I know you are going to make the right
decision, Anne."
"Thank
you, sir." I smiled at him.
When
I opened the door, I almost ran into Miss Higgins, who had obviously been
eavesdropping. She brushed back her long, blonde hair nervously, knowing I had
caught her.
"Miss
Higgins, can you give Anne the file on the top secret assignment? Thank
you." And my boss had already closed the door behind him, leaving me alone
with Miss Crazy Secretary.
"Certainly,"
she piped up. "Let's talk about it over a cup of coffee, okay?"
"Actually,
if you would give me the file, it would be fine." I smiled at her
uncertainly, scared she would attack any moment.
And
attack she did. "Oh, nonsense. We are going to have so much fun together,
looking at this file."
"But
if it's secret, we can't talk about it, while we are out to get coffee and
-" But all my protests were futile and doomed to fail. Once she started,
there was nothing capable of stopping Miss Higgins, short of the news of her
favourite movie star getting a divorce.
"Well,
then we'll stay here and talk about it all alone in my office!" she
announced good-naturedly, as she went off to get two cups of coffee.
I
stayed right where I was, rooted to the spot, still in shock. This assignment
better be good if I was going to spend an undefined amount of time with Miss
Higgins in a confined room. Alone.
"I
am back!" She announced cheerfully, as she shut the door to the office,
cutting me off from my only means of escape apart from the window, which was
out of the question, since we were on the third floor--I might have been
desperate to get out of there, but not suicidal, before she set two cups of
coffee on her desk and beckoned me to take a seat across from her.
"Miss
Higgins, if I could just take a quick look, really only a peek, at those files,
I-"
It
was hopeless, a lost cause. So, I contented myself with drinking my cup of
coffee, while I let her blabber.
"This
is going to be so great. You can enjoy school without having to worry about
your grades because you already have graduated." I almost felt guilty she
was so happy for me. Keyword being almost. "Now, this private boarding
school is called Panthera Academy--a great name for a school, if you ask me. A
great name, for a place in general. Makes it sound so mysterious and romantic
and -"
"Miss
Higgins?"
"What
is it, dear? Oh, right, the school. So, it is located near Galway. It's
supposed to be a really beautiful city. At least considering what I have heard.
I have never been there, although I would love to go to Europe. Have you ever
gone to Europe? I have--"
"Miss
Higgins?" I interrupted her again. "I think your phone is
ringing."
And
I wasn't lying. Miss Higgins pulled out her cell phone, a rather new model,
which was coloured neon pink, and blushed once she had looked at the caller ID.
"Um,
I will be right back," she declared before she jumped up and vanished out
the door.
The
only thing I could hear was something along the lines of "Hello,
Sweetkins. I missed you my Sugar Pie."
Ew…
way too much information. But at least I was rid of her, and it sounded as if
she was going to chat for a while with Sweetkins.
Without
thinking about it for more than a second, I snatched the file from where she
had left it and began leafing through it.
There
were pictures of this Panthera Academy, and I had to admit it did look amazing.
The school building was actually an old castle like Hogwarts in Harry Potter.
The
campus of the school consisted not only of the castle and its respective
gardens, but also of stables and a few hectares of forest where one could go
riding.
Next
there was a sheet with a short description of Panthera Academy. It looked as if
it had been cut out of a brochure.
Panthera Academy--every student and parents` dream
Panthera Academy is a
private boarding school near Galway. It has its origins in the beginning of the
17th century.
The 120 students are
sorted into four houses (Vanora, Vala, Wren and Arwain), which are named after
the two couples who founded Panthera Academy after their lengthy travel to
Italy.
In their free time the
students have the opportunity to enjoy the vast grounds surrounding the
historic castle, which acts as school building and dorm for students and
teachers.
The
next section was obviously meant for the parents, since it was about the good
reputation the school had and how much good manners mattered.
I
skipped down the page. My eyes almost bugged out as I read how much a term
would cost at this fancy school, let alone a whole year.
Oh
boy, this story really had to be big if the newspaper was willing to spend so
much money on a reporter who would spend their year doing no work except
investigate this mysterious, secret society.
I
leafed through the documents until I came across a list with subjects. Of
course there were the normal ones like science and art. Having to relive trig
class was only one reason speaking against going back to high school.
But
there were also interesting subjects like Ancient History, Computer Design,
Politics and Theatre Studies. What caught my eyes however, were the many
languages being offered. I had always had a thing for literature and exotic
cultures. The chance to learn Greek, German, Latin, French or Spanish was
tempting.
On
the next page there was a calendar of the school. The first day of school was
on the third of September, not even a whole week away.
After
a Christmas vacation, Easter holidays and a few other minor breaks, the
academic year would end in June.
The
rest of the file appeared uninteresting. I quickly sorted the documents and put
them back into the folder, which I put onto the exact spot where I had found
it. My secret manoeuvre was finished just in time. When Miss Higgins returned
again, she put away her cell phone, before she took the file from her desk and
opened it. "Where was I? Oh, right, the super-secret assignment. This is
all so exciting, don't you think? I think so. Now, what have we got in this file?
Ah, there it--"
"Miss
Higgins, thank you for your time, but I think I have heard enough about
it." She looked as if I had just kicked her puppy. "I need to think
about this now. Alone."
She
seemed disappointed but nodded and I left the office.
Back
at my desk I decided to look up Panthera Academy on the Internet. But to my
surprise I didn't find anything, no homepage or newspaper articles. Nothing.
This only seemed to add to the mysterious reputation of this school.
The
rest of the day I threw myself into my work. Only, when I was home, I started
thinking about this extraordinary offer I had received.
Why
in the world should I do this?
I
didn't know anything about the school or this mysterious secret society and
what it was about.
I
couldn't just pack my things at a moment's notice and leave the country for a
year.
This
was madness, nothing but utter madness, even if the challenge and mystery were
calling to me.
So,
the next day I decided to phone my boss and refuse the job offer.
"Office
of the chief editor of the Tea Party News, Miss Higgins speaking, how may I be
of assistance on this exceptionally lovely day?"
"Hi,
this is Anne Watson. Is the boss in?"
"Hello,
Anne," she lilted. "Have you decided yet? If I were you, I would of
course take this incredible chance at starting my career. This is all
theoretically speaking of course. I am quite happy being a secretary, but if
I--"
I
took the first pause she made to breathe as an opportunity to interject.
"I am kind of in a hurry."
"Oh,
sure." Her disappointed voice almost made me allow her to continue her
tirade, but I really was in a hurry. "I understand. I'll put you
through."
"Yes?"
a bored voice answered.
"This
is Anne Watson, sir. I am calling about the assignment."
"Ah,
Anne." His mood instantly improved. "I knew you would be brave enough
to take this challenge."
"Well,
actually--" Actually all I wanted to say was. I don't want the assignment, but he wouldn't let me.
"It
is a hard assignment, but I know you are going to do a great job. This is going
to be your breakthrough, trust me. Before you know it, you will be editor
yourself."
"Sir,
I..."
"You
are not going to regret this. Panthera Academy is a fine school. You will get
to take courses you couldn't take before. You will be able to enjoy all the fun
things about school without ever having to worry about your grades. It's every
young person's dream. Heck, I would do this assignment myself if I was young
enough."
"Sir?"
I tried again.
"I
am sorry, Anne, you wanted to tell me something?"
"Yeah,
I did." I was about to open my mouth and tell him I didn't want to have
anything to do with Panthera Academy when all of a sudden my mind shut itself
off. Was it really so bad not to at least give it a try?
Sure,
I had hated high school, but wasn't this the perfect possibility to have a
wonderful high school experience for a change?
I
was young. What was there to lose? I could always give up and start college
next semester if Panthera Academy turned out to be as bad as my old high
school.
"Anne?"
My boss asked. "What did you mean to tell me?"
"I…"
I took a deep breath and decided to go for my spur of the moment decision.
"I wanted to tell you I am going to take the assignment."
"Of
course you are!" My boss chuckled. "You would have to be stupid not
to."
I
had been about to be so stupid. Whether my current decision was the smart one,
I would only know if I went through with it.
"I
am glad you agreed to do this assignment." I could hear the smile in his
voice. "However, I have to warn you. You shouldn't underestimate this. It
could turn out to be rather dangerous, especially, when you don't know what to
expect. Are you still willing to do it?"
I
thought for a short moment. "Yes. Tell me everything you have heard about
this secret society."
"Certainly,
you will need all the information you can get, although I am afraid it isn't
much." It sounded as if he was shoving around stacks of paper on his desk,
rummaging around in them until he found the desired sheet. "Supposedly
this secret society is almost as old as the school itself. It is big on cloak
and dagger operations and meetings in the middle of the night to do god knows
what."
This
didn't sound as interesting as I had expected. "So what? A bunch of kids
partying secretly doesn't seem like such a big deal."
"Where
it gets interesting is the number of unexplained deaths and people who died in
mysterious accidents has been uncommonly high ever since the school
opened."
A
shiver ran down my spine. "Are you saying there is someone at the school
killing students?"
"In
a way--yes." He hesitated for a moment. "It doesn't happen often and
obvious enough to raise suspicion. There is always an explanation for the
deaths. Whether said explanation is true is another question."
"These
deaths are what you want me to investigate?"
I
heard him shuffling around. "They are to be the main focus of your
research."
He
wouldn't have had to use a word like mission to make it sound dramatic. It was
scary and exhilarating on its own.
This
feeling of an adrenaline rush was why I had become a journalist in the first
place. Sure, I could have also become an extreme athlete, but I also loved
uncovering the truth.
This
did indeed sound like the perfect breakthrough, a memorable start for a great
career.
"Anne,
are you still there?" My boss interrupted my thoughts.
"I'll
do it." I repeated with more self-confidence than I thought I had.
"Glad
to hear you are so enthusiastic." He chuckled again before he sobered a
little. "I have faith in you, just be careful."
"Of
course." I nodded eagerly even though he couldn't see me.
"Since
you will still be a minor officially you will need a guardian," he began
to explain.
"My
parents..."
"Don't
worry about them." He cut in quickly. "A good friend of mine lives
not too far away from Panthera Academy. His name is Colonel George O'Callaghan.
He is going to act as your guardian."
"He
is going to act as my father?"
For
some reason the idea made my boss laugh. "Not at all. He is rather old, so
he is going to play the role of your grandfather."
"Okay,"
I said, unsure of what to say.
"Don't
worry. George is really nice. You will get along brilliantly."
"If
you say so." It was strange how the possibility of a murderer at this
school didn't scare me as much as having to pretend someone whom I had never
met before was my grandfather.
"Go
to Miss Higgins. She will give your visa information, plane tickets and
everything else you will need."
This
is how the phone call to my boss, in which I meant to tell him I wasn't going
to take the assignment, ended with me going to Miss Higgins's office to
retrieve the ticket and all other documents.
The
idea of me having gone mad only occurred to me when I was already at the
airport a few days later and had passed all the security checks.
When
I was actually boarding the plane to Dublin, I started thinking about whether I
had made the right decision.
Because
of my doubts I was beginning to feel so nervous I wanted to jump up and leave.
But I couldn't. It was too late. We were already soaring over the Atlantic.
By
the time mainland was in sight again, I had calmed down and convinced myself. I
had made up my mind and there was no turning back.
This
decision was final.
As
I stepped off the plane, I thought to myself, Panthera Academy, here I come.
And
so the biggest adventure of my life began.
Courtney for Rogue's Angles says: "I enjoyed this book very much. An
undercover mission with a secret to discover, first love, and murder on top,
yes it was worth the read."
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