While things have been going better than expected for Billie, he's still planning on running away from this strange new school. Will he escape? How will his new friends react?

Madam Martinique's Finishing School - Part 5
Copyright 2008 by Heather Rose Brown
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Aimlessly poking at the remains of the beef and noodles left on my plastic tray, I scanned the huge dining hall. I had to raise my voice over the noisy chatter so Tod could understand me when I repeated my question. "Who's that?" I asked while pointing to a girl with the long black hair sitting at a table on the other side of the hall.

Tod swallowed the string beans she'd been chewing on before answering. "Oh, that's Jessica. She's the head girl who'd knocked on our door to let us know dinner was ready. Why'd ya ask?"

"She just looked familiar. I think she was there at the end of my interview this morning."

Tracy dropped her fork in her tray and gasped. "Ah, it's all makin' sense. So did she catch ya when you was tryin' to escape?"

"I wasn't trying to escape. I was just ... mad and wanted someplace to think a bit." I took a bite of my cold apple cobbler, trying to hide the guilt I felt at telling a half-truth.

"Well, when ya try again tonight, wear pants. Your dress is pretty, but it ain't too practical when you're on the run."

Tod patted my back as I coughed up the dessert I'd tried to inhale. Over my head she said to the other girl, "Y'know, you really got bad timing. Couldn't you have waited until sh-- ummm ... he had a chance to swallow his food?"

"I'm sorry," Tracy said as she gently touched my elbow. "You gonna be okay?"

I nodded when I was breathing normally again. "Yeah, I'm fine, but what made you think I was gonna try escaping?"

"Oh, most kids who do a runner usually try again pretty soon after."

"Well, I ain't plannin' anything like that." A cold bead of sweat dribbled down my spine when I told such a bold-faced lie, and I tried steering the conversation to something else. "So, how'd you know about Jessica bein' at my interview?"

"Well, when you was talkin' about her bein' familiar, it reminded me of the rumor that'd been goin' around 'bout a new kid who'd given her a solid kick in the ribs before she managed to pull off her ... I mean his ... I mean your shoes."

I thought back to this morning and vaguely remembered my foot slipping out of Madam Martinique's hold and hitting something soft but solid. "Oh god. I hadn't really thought ... I mean ... is she gonna be all right?"

"From what I've heard, she's a bit bruised, but nothing's broken or anything like that."

"Dang, I feel awful." What little dinner I'd managed to get down was starting to feel like a heavy lump in my stomach.

Tod patted my arm. "I'm sure she knows you didn't mean to hurt her. Still, if you're feelin' bad, an apology probably wouldn't hurt."

"That sounds like a good idea." Before I was able to get up the nerve to stand and walk over to Jessica, a pair of hands rested on my shoulders.

When I looked behind me to see who it was, I found the head mistress standing behind me. Although it disappeared too soon to be sure, I would have sworn she had been smiling just a moment ago. "I'm glad to hear your concern for the well-being of another student, but I think it might be better to do it someplace that's a little less noisy."

Feeling a bit overwhelmed with Madam Martinique standing right over me, all I could manage was a nod. While her expression didn't change, something in her eyes looked like approval ... maybe even pride?

Before I could really decide on what it was I'd seen, she looked across the dining hall and shouted over the chaotic din. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?"

When the room had gotten quiet and everyone was looking at her, the head mistress continued in a more normal voice. "Thank you for your attention. As some of you may have noticed, we have a new student today."

She gently squeezed my shoulders and whispered in my ear. "Would you mind standing up for a moment and introducing yourself?"

My insides seemed to be trying to flip over as I shakily stood up. What felt like a million eyes stared at me from all corners of hall. Just as my knees started feeling too wobbly to hold me up, both Tod and Tracy took my hands. While it didn't take away all my fear, it did help. A grin stretch across my face when looked down and saw them smiling up at me.

"Hi everyone." I hated the way nervousness was making my voice squeak, but I'd never been able to do anything about it before, so I just pushed on. "My name's Billie Sundry." Everyone was still staring at me, so I figured they were expecting more. "Ermm ... I know I probably don't look it wearing a dress and all, but I'm really a boy ... I think."

I wasn't exactly sure how to take it when a few of the kids laughed or giggled. I'd expected my last comment to be taken as a joke, but even with the laughter, it felt as if the comment was being taken seriously. I couldn't decide if I felt good about that or not.

"Anyways, I've only been here a day and I ain't had any classes yet, so I don't really know what to think about this school." I glanced down at Tracy and Tod, who were still holding my hands. "But I've met some really nice people here, and I hope I get a chance to meet the rest of ya's too."

This got a pretty good round of applause, during which I flopped back down in my seat before my legs buckled under me.

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With nothing besides the moonlight peeking through the curtains to light my way, I tiptoed from my bed to the wardrobe I shared with Tod. The door groaned as I slowly opened it, but the noise was nothing compared to the loud thump of my shoes when they fell from the top of the wardrobe.

I sighed with relief when I turned and saw my roommate's eyes were still closed and her breathing was slow and steady. Not wanting to press my luck any more, I just took the first heavy coat my hands found, picked up my shoes, and walked as quietly as I could to the bedroom door.

My heartbeat was thumping in my ears as I stepped out into the shadowy hallway. I'd been going back and forth for most of the night trying to decide what I should do. Even though I still hated my mother for leaving me here, she never had lied to me, and I wasn't willing to take a chance that what she'd told me about this place wasn't true.

I stifled a scream when someone tapped me on the back. I turned to find Tracy smiling at me. "I'm glad to see you took my advice."

"What advice?" I asked, hoping I sounded calmer than I felt.

"To wear pants when you run away tonight."

"I ain't running away. I was just ... looking for the bathroom."

"Uh huh. You usually carry your shoes and coat to the bathroom?"

"Maybe I do. What difference does it make to you?"

"Well, if you're just going to the bathroom, not a whole lot. On the other hand, if you're running away, I was hoping you wouldn't mind some company."

"Same here." I would have jumped out of my shoes, if I had been wearing them, when I heard Tod's voice behind me. I turned and saw the silhouette of my friend in the doorway. "I thought you were asleep."

"How could I sleep worrying about my friend being out at night all alone?"

"I hadn't thought of that. I'm sorry for worrying you."

"It's okay." Before I had a chance to react, Tod took my shoes and coat, dropped the shoes in front of me, then handed the coat to Tracy.

"What are you doing?" I asked as Tracy pulled my arm through a coat sleeve.

"Just helping ya get ready to go outside," she answered. "Why don't you slip into your shoes? It's too cold out there to be wandering around barefoot."

Once I had the shoes and coat on, Tod handed a backpack to me. "What's this for?" I asked.

Even though her face was in too much shadow to see her expression, I could hear the smile in Tod's voice. "It's a long way to the nearest town, so I figured you might want some food and a change of clothes for the trip."

When she stepped out into the hall, I could see she had a similar backpack strapped to her back. "Were you planning to run away too?"

"Well, maybe not so much run away as keep you company, if ya don't mind."

I saw Tracy was wearing a backpack as well when she came around to stand on the other side of me. "I was kinda hoping I could join ya too."

I sniffled a bit, trying to keep my emotions under control as I looked back and forth between the girls. "I ... I don't think anybody ever went out of their way like this to help me before. If ya's really wanna come, I'd be glad for the company."

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I started shivering as I followed Tod and Tracy through the front doors of the dorm. A chilly breeze blew across the silvery grass on either side of us as we followed the long sidewalk to the parking lot. "I'm so glad I took your advice and wore pants tonight, Tracy"

"So am I." Tracy's grin looked spooky in the pale moonlight. "You woulda froze your legs off in your sister's dress."

"I just wish I didn't leave it behind." Realizing how that may have sounded, I added, " Now I can't give it back to her."

"Don't worry," Tod patted my backpack. "That's the change of clothes I told ya I'd packed for ya."

"Wow, thanks." I didn't expect to feel so relieved to realize I still had the dress. Even though I couldn't imagine wearing it out in public, just having it with me made me feel a little better. I was pretty deep in thought and didn't notice the sound of an extra pair of footsteps until we had reached the parking lot.

I peeked over my shoulder and saw Madam Martinique following close behind. "Oh jeez, it's the head mistress. Run!"

I was nearly halfway through the parking lot before the girls caught up with me. They each grabbed an arm and dragged me to a stop. "What the heck are ya's doing? She's gonna catch us."

"It's okay. She just wants to help," Tod said, still panting.

"Help? How? By keeping us from running away?"

"It's not like that."

"Yeah," Tracy added. "Madam Martinique just wants to help."

"All she wants to do is keep me from running away." Rage started boiling deep in my chest. "And you two weren't trying to help me neither. You were just keeping me busy until she could catch up to us. You ... you traitors!"

"That's not a very nice thing to call your friends." She sounded just a bit out of breath as she stepped around us to face me.

I tried yanking my arms loose, but Tod and Tracy turned out to be a lot stronger than they looked. "Let me go!"

The head mistress folder her arms across her chest. "Where would you like to go?"

It took a few moments before I could think of an answer to her odd question. "Well, home, I guess."

She nodded and pulled a set of keys from her coat pocket, which jangled as she searched through them. "Ah, here we go," she muttered as she unlocked the door to a nearby car and opened the back door. "Why don't the three of you get in the back seat?"

I was almost tempted to try running again when the girls let go of my arms, but I remembered how quickly they'd caught up to me and decided to try playing along for a while until I saw a better chance of escaping.

Tod was on one side of me and Tracy on the other as we buckled ourselves into the back seat. The car rumbled to life and we pulled out onto the narrow driveway. Except for the sound of the engine, the car was very quiet. After a few minutes, I asked, "Where are we going?"

Madam Martinique stopped the car, letting it idle as she twisted around to face me. "We're going to your home."

I could feel my mouth hanging open as I tried to make sense of her answer. "Why?"

The head mistress sighed. "Our first priority here at the school is the health and safety of our students. Running away, especially for someone your age, is very dangerous. While I believe you would gain a great deal by staying at our school, I'd never be able to live with myself if any harm came to you because you felt you had no other choices besides trying to run away.

I studied her face in the harsh glow of the overhead light in the car's roof. No matter how hard I looked, I couldn't see anything resembling even a half-truth. "So, you'll really take me home?"

"Of course." She seemed to be studying me as close as I'd been studying her. "Do you want to go home?"

"I do." I grabbed her arm as she faced forward and reached for the gearshift. "But I think, at least for now, school is my home." Both Tracy and Tod squealed and hugged me. I felt guilty about doubting them earlier, and lucky that they still seemed to want to be friends with me.

Madam Martinique looked at me in the rearview mirror, as if to check to see I was sure about my decision. When I nodded, she nodded back and turned the car around. As the school came back into sight, I realized it was more than a place to learn stuff. It was a place I might actually be able to think of as home.