Arrival by Chris Morphew Page B

that the two of us were going to be best friends. But clearly it was all a joke. Deep down we both knew she was getting paid to serve someone else’s agenda.
    And right now I was getting exactly the same vibe from Ms Pryor.
    â€˜My apologies for not being very visible at school lately,’ she went on. ‘I’ve been incredibly snowed under with one thing and another.’
    â€˜Oh,’ I said, aware that she was looking right at me. ‘Right. No worries.’
    â€˜I trust you’ve had no trouble settling in?’
    â€˜No, Ms Pryor,’ said Jordan, shifting slightly in her seat. ‘Everyone’s been really helpful.’
    â€˜Excellent. Yes, I’ve been told that Mr Weir in particular has taken it upon himself to show the two of you around.’
    â€˜Just doing my job, miss,’ Peter grinned.
    Pryor’s expression didn’t budge, and I had to wonder whether Peter’s usual talking-to-teachers charm had met its match.
    â€˜Indeed,’ she said. ‘However, Mr Weir, while I’m pleased that you’re displaying such a selfless attitude, I must say that I’m disappointed with some of the locations you’ve elected to explore.’
    â€˜Sorry?’ said Peter, his grin faltering.
    â€˜I have become aware, for instance, of the excursion the three of you took to Phoenix Airport last night.’
    Surprise flashed across Peter’s face.
    Ms Pryor smiled back at him. ‘There are no secrets in Phoenix, Mr Weir.’
    Her eyes shifted across to her computer screen, and then back onto us. ‘I must admit,’ she said, her voice suddenly cooler, ‘that I am more than a little concerned by this behaviour.’
    â€˜Concerned, miss?’ said Peter innocently.
    â€˜Yes, Mr Weir,’ Ms Pryor said firmly. ‘I am concerned that three otherwise intelligent members of the Phoenix High School community allowed themselves to be lured away by a man who, quite honestly, should never have been permitted to set foot in this town in the first place. Have you any explanation for this extremely foolhardy behaviour?’
    â€˜No, Ms Pryor,’ Peter mumbled, staring at the floor. He’d clearly had a lot of practice acting remorseful in front of teachers.
    â€˜None of you?’ Ms Pryor pressed.
    Jordan and I shook our heads. Pryor’s eyes bore into us. How much had she actually been told about last night?
    â€˜This man – whom I believe you have been calling Crazy Bill – is a disturbed and dangerous individual.’ She gave a little shudder, like she was thinking of something horrible. ‘Thank goodness Officer Calvin found you out there,’ she added heavily. ‘I hate to think what might’ve happened to you if he hadn’t come through to check on the refurbishments to the airport!’
    â€˜Refurbishments, Ms Pryor?’ said Jordan earnestly, almost matching Peter for acting ability.
    â€˜Surely you must have wondered why the whole area had been vacated?’ she said, raising an eyebrow. ‘Phoenix Airport’s facilities have never been quite on par with the rest of the town, and Mr Shackleton has just commissioned a building project to bring them up to scratch.’
    â€˜Oh,’ said Jordan, nodding thoughtfully. ‘That makes sense.’
    Of course, it didn’t really make any sense at all. I fought to keep my face expressionless, but my mind was rushing to poke holes through her story. So Calvin just happened to be wandering through at the same time we were meeting with Crazy Bill? Backed up by three armed guards? In the middle of the night? To check on refurbishments to an airport that was already brand new?
    It was ridiculous. But right now, I knew the smartest thing to do was pretend to swallow whatever Ms Pryor wanted to feed us.
    She stared at each of us in turn, like she was trying to figure out whether we’d bought her story. Then she leant forward in her