Page 57 - The Muse 2021

Max said rather urgently, “Hey why are you so sad? It’s not like anything is going to change Adeline. We are just going to keep on living our lives as we always have.”
Suddenly, the storage closet whipped open, and a man aggressively pulled us into the closet. When I looked up to see who it was, I was shocked to see Mr. Oswald, Headmistress Mongomery’s right hand man.
“Adeline. That is your name, right?” Mr. Oswald asked.
“Yes.”
He continued, “Adeline, I know you have been selected to receive the vaccine. I need to get you out before
tomorrow morning.”
Me and Max just stared at each other, dumbfounded. Max asked me what he was talking about, and I told him
about everything that happened during my testing session earlier.
Mr. Oswald continued, “Now that you are all caught up Max, allow me to continue. I am an undercover member
of the Lighthouse. It has taken me years to get to this ranking, and now that I have it, I have the ability to help someone escape, and save someone’s life. Now you listen very carefully. This is the map of how to get to the safehouse. You must follow the directions exactly. Understood?”
“Yes, but-”
“I need to get back to Headmistress Montgomery now,” he interrupted. “I know you must have so many questions, but I must be going now before she gets suspicious. Goodbye and good luck.”
Mr. Oswald closed the door of the storage closet behind him. Max and I were slightly overwhelmed by the fact that we had such little information on such a risky idea. Before we could discuss anything, Laurel barged into the storage closet ranting about how one of the guards had taken away her lip gloss.
“I knew I saw you two go in here.” she said.
As usual, Max was a kiss up, and listened to every word she said as if she was some kind of goddess. It feels weird when I see him look at Laurel that way, as if my insides were all tangled up. Even after them being together for this long, it still makes me uncomfortable.
Out of nowhere, Max started to tell Laurel about what was going on. He ripped the map out of my hand and told her everything that happened. I was so infuriated to see her face light up with so much curiosity and excitement.
I thought to myself, “She doesn’t deserve to get to leave, all she is a stuck-up little brat.”
Despite this, Max insisted if we were to try to escape, that she came with us.
The map that Mr. Oswald gave us much less of a map and more of a list of directions. It stated that there was a
lever located directly outside of Headmistress Montgomery’s office, which was strictly forbidden, and heavily guarded twenty-four seven. The lever was designed for emergency situations and unlocked all doors in the building for a period of five minutes. Max and I formulated a plan where at nine o’clock that night, we would carefully sneak up to Headmistress Mongomery’s office, and Laurel would distract the guards by using her skills of manipulation. While doing that, Max and I would locate and pull the lever. This plan had almost no chance of working, but despite the odds, I didn’t want to die the next day.
I couldn’t help feeling guilty for risking their lives, I didn’t know what I would do with myself if one of them was hurt because of me. Even if something happened to Laurel, no matter how much I despise her, I knew I would never be able to forgive myself. As we prepared to escape, I made sure that both of them knew what they were getting themselves into.
I said, “Hey guys, are you sure you want to do this? The guards have guns and if you were shot-”
Max interrupted, “Adeline listen to me. If you die with me knowing I could have done something about it, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. So please, stop worrying about me because there isn’t a way to change my mind ok?’
“Fine.”
Laurel stared at me and said, “Look Adeline, I know you don’t like me very much, but I like you enough that I don’t want you to die, ok?”
I nodded, slightly flustered by the fact that she didn’t say something completely narcissistic. When it was 8:30 pm, the three of us slowly and quietly creeped up the stairs onto the second floor, where her office was located. We observed two guards, on either side of the doorway. On the left side of the door, I spotted the lever. Max and I signaled to Laurel to go distract the guards.
A guard yelled, “Hey! What are you doing up here?!”
Laurel calmly replied, “Oh, I just saw someone throw up all over the place, and I was looking for someone to help them.”
Laurel’s lie wasn’t the best possible option, but her manipulative skills were on point, and the guards bought her story. As Laurel led them away from the door, Max and I steadily walked towards the lever. As soon as I got my hand on
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