Cecelia Ahern - Perfect

Mona looks disgusted. “Your ass is safe, Eddie, don’t worry, now come on—help us save ours.”

Cordelia clings to Evelyn, the terror clear on her face. If the Whistleblowers find us, not only will they take us away, but they’ll also separate Evelyn from Cordelia because she’s F.A.B.

“What’s the routine? What’s the drill? For these types of situations?” I ask, hearing the shake in my voice.

Eddie won’t meet my eye; he paces the room.

“Surely you have some sort of emergency plan?” I look around at everybody.

“We never needed one,” Bahee says anxiously. “They’ve come here twice in all the years I’ve been here, and each time we were warned.”

“Well, they knew exactly when to come tonight. Somebody told them,” Carrick says accusingly.

I look at Carrick in panic: His face is clouded over.

“Which one of you told them?” he shouts.

“Carrick!” Kelly says gently. “Nobody here would do that.” She reaches out for him and he pulls back from her, an insult of the worst kind. It’s not just a rejection of his mother, it’s almost an accusation, a show of distrust.

“Where’s Rogan?” Carrick asks.

We look around for his brother, but there’s no sign of him, even in the darkened corners.

“How convenient,” Carrick says angrily. “Someone alerts the Whistleblowers and Rogan disappears.”

“How dare you.” His mom slaps him across the face, then pulls her hand away in surprise, as if the slap hurt her more.

I gasp as Adam jumps in between them. “Carrick, you need to check yourself now, and calm down. We’re all under pressure. I’m sure Rogan is hiding somewhere safely. He wouldn’t do this.”

“No?” Carrick challenges him. “I guess I don’t know him as well as you do.”

Uncomfortable, Bahee tries to calm everyone down. “I have my passes to the lab. The Whistleblowers won’t be allowed access without the correct paperwork. They’ll have to wait until morning to get it, and the bureaucracy will kill them. Everyone will be safe with me.”

Carrick eyes him suspiciously. “Okay, you all go with Bahee. Lennox, Fergus, Lorcan, and I will break away. Celestine, you stay with me.”

I can tell that Carrick has a plan, so I don’t bother asking him what it is. I trust him.

“Celestine can stay with us,” Bahee says, placing a protective arm around me. “It’s too risky out there. I’ll keep her safe in the lab. You have my word.”

Carrick shakes his head. “We’ve got a route out of here. We can get straight to the Jeep. If anyone wants to come, come, but we have to go now.” He grabs my hand and leads me out of the cabin.

“And lead her straight out to them ?” Bahee pipes up. “Whistleblowers will be blocking every street leading from here. Think , Carrick.”

Carrick looks doubtful.

“You have to trust us,” Kelly says tearfully.

I can see Carrick’s guilt, for how he made his mother feel. He looks at me. Bahee’s plan sounds better than Carrick’s. Hiding gives me more of a chance than running straight into their arms.

“Maybe we should stay,” I whisper to him.

“We shouldn’t all stay together,” he says. “I’m going to take my chances this way. You hide with the others. I’ll get the Jeep ready. I’ll make a plan; I’ll come back and get you when the time is right. Trust me.”

“I do.” I smile.

He kisses me quickly.

Bahee pats Carrick on his back. “She’s in safe hands. Follow me, everyone,” Bahee says urgently, hand on my arm.

We follow Bahee. Through the east wing, down the steps, and outside to the night air. The sun is about to rise, I can see light on the horizon. I wonder what state we’ll all be in when the sun is up. We run at high speed, keeping low, following Bahee across the compound, avoiding the main routes. Though he said otherwise, I’m betting Bahee has this escape route mapped out in his head and takes it every night just in case.

There’s still no sign of Rogan, and I wonder about Carrick’s accusation. Rogan clearly had dark thoughts about his brother joining their lives, but I’m not sure if he would orchestrate all this and risk being found and having his family broken up. But perhaps Carrick is right about it being someone within these walls. I fear that it was Leonard, that this is all my fault. If I’d told Carrick about him coming to see me in my cabin, asking about Lizzie, then maybe we would have had time to plan an escape just in case.

Who was listening to Carrick and me outside the cabin door tonight?

We run up six flights of stairs, trying to be quiet as our shoes hit the metal, and reach the rooftop. Bahee is ahead of us all, standing at the high-security door entrance, holding it open. Everyone runs inside and down a corridor. I start to relax at seeing the size of the door, a big steel shield from the Whistleblowers, and the wall beside it covered with all kinds of security keypads and locks. Safety is in sight.

Evelyn runs in ahead of me. When it’s my turn, Bahee blocks the entrance.

His smile has vanished, his eyes are cold behind the tinted glasses. He holds on to the door handle tightly.

“Bahee?” I say, a nervous tremor in my voice.

“Remember, you brought this on us. You should never have come here.” And he slams the door in my face.

TWENTY-FIVE

I’M LEFT STANDING on the rooftop in absolute shock, while an army of Whistleblowers streams into the compound below. Their red suits are gaudy and warn of danger; it’s like they bleed into the courtyard. They’re dressed in their riot gear, with their black helmets and shields. What do they think is going to happen? A shoot-out? And then I realize it’s all for the media. To show the public just how dangerous Celestine North is.

It’s too late for me to hide anywhere now; I’m completely exposed on the rooftop, all they need to do is look up. I’m surrounded. There’s no way of getting down off this roof, not alive anyway.

The Whistleblowers climb the metal fire escape, and the first feeling of panic consumes me. It’s over. After all this, it’s over. But then a hatch opens in the ground beside me and a head pops up. I leap away and retreat to the corner, thinking it’s a Whistleblower.

“Come on!” Leonard says impatiently, nervously.

I have one second to judge his honesty. I curse myself for not going with Carrick when I had the chance. He’s the only person I trust. I hear the Whistleblowers’ boots on the metal stairs. Leonard’s face is open and honest; Carrick said I could trust Leonard. I trust Carrick. Granddad said don’t trust anybody. I trust Granddad. My head spins.

With no other options open to me, I take a leap of faith and hurry toward him. He’s standing on a ladder and offers me his hand. I take it and lower myself inside while Leonard shuts the hatch quickly and silently above us. We are in a narrow passage, I’m not sure if it’s for ventilation or heating, but the air is tight and it’s close. We’re crouched down, hunched over.

Leonard holds his fingers to his lips to keep me quiet, but he doesn’t need to tell me that—I’m terrified, and I know he is, too, from the sound of our short breaths in the tight space. We hear the Whistleblowers’ boots clambering around above us trying to figure out the magic act: How did Celestine North disappear?

My heart pounds, and sweat glistens on Leonard’s brow; I can smell the fear emanating from him. People I love have surprised me by hurting me, and it’s been the people I’ve least expected who have redeemed and restored my faith. It never ceases to both break my heart and amaze me. Juniper could probably have predicted this, she always understood people and situations so much better than I did. If she was watching me from anywhere she’d probably be saying, “ Now you’re getting it, Celestine!”