For most of the students and teachers at Westview Secondary School for Boys, the trilling bell at the end of the day had the same effect as a fanfare of trumpets, announcing the arrival of the six weeks holiday. An electric current of excitement had jumped from one student to another, and soon the hallways were surging with life as hundreds of eager students rapidly headed for the exit. However, for Elijah, Mason, Jacob, and Ethan, the happy tune of the bell made their stomachs soar with nervous anticipation, like a bugle sounding for war.

As the rush of human bodies flowed rapidly towards their freedom, the four boys had slipped away to the bathrooms, silently waiting for the corridors to quieten. They sat in their stalls like horses waiting to be released for the race.

Ethan was a chubby boy with doughy arms and a protruding belly. A bee-sting mouth, puffy cheeks, and large, blinking eyes gave him a sweetly cherubic appearance. He drew his knees to his chest in an 'X' shape, balancing the best he could on the seat.

The next stall along held Elijah. Elijah had more defined features on his face, with a strong aquiline nose and bulging cheekbones. Intelligent eyes surveyed his surroundings constantly like he was continuously making complex calculations.

Seated to Elijah's right in the next stall along was Mason. A mop of brown hair flopped in a dramatic sweep across his forehead. His skin glowed with an oily sheen, dramatically reflecting the light from the bulb hanging from the white plaster ceiling. The angle of the light beamed down in an unfortunate way and accentuated the darker shadows of Mason's hollowed cheeks and the long sweep of black underneath his eyes. If he was prone to jealousy, Mason may have been so about Jacob.

Jacob's build gave away the fact he'd been physically trained from a young age. Years of fighting instruction had given him a strength that likely surpassed the combined might of his three other comrades put together. The standard size shirt of the school uniform seemed too small for Jacob, not fitting him properly, and so often, he would be seen wearing oversized shirts that unflatteringly hid a lean figure. From a distance, the creased fabric hanging off him ironically gave the visual impression he was overweight. Despite his twisted nose, which appeared to have been broken and set in three different places, he was not overly concerned with appearance. All that mattered to him was the task ahead and the trust placed upon him to carry around Elijah's backpack.

As they continued to sit there, Jacob carefully placed the backpack down by his feet.

"A-aren't p-people still going to be h-hanging aro-around? W-what if the c-c-,' Ethan swallowed and took a moment to still his stutter, which always grew worse in times of stress, 'cleaner finds us? O-or teachers? Or even s-students. If w-we're still here, and if Mrs. Day is still h-here, then o-other p-people could be t-too. What if we get c-caught?" Ethan's voice rose in unmistakable panic. The silence stretched out.

"I'll admit, it may be an issue.' Elijah said disinterestedly, 'But we've minimised the risk of potential contact. Calm yourself, Ethan. We still have another hour and a half till the clock strikes five o'clock. With any luck, there'll only be a handful of people milling about. Mrs. Day used to stay until the last possible second before the gates were closed officially for the night, so unless she's decided to break the habit of a lifetime, I'm sure we'll find her in her usual spot. Still, when we strike, we must be quick." Elijah talked as casually about the abduction of Mrs. Day as if Ethan had just asked him about the weather. The others in the adjoining stalls could almost imagine Elijah lounging on his toilet seat like it was a luxury armchair while he talked. His bored tone seemed to set others at ease, however. It appeared as if the whole operation were as significant as making toast, implying that whatever occurred would have little impact on their lives.

The boys still froze automatically when they heard someone moving about, but they relaxed as Jacob's stall door opened and his shoes, polished to a high sheen, crossed the tiled floor in front of them. From the gap under their stall door, they watched as he stopped by the bathroom entrance and swung it open, disappearing outside.

"What the hell is he doing?" Mason said in disbelief.

"Drinking fountain, maybe?" Elijah's tone was unconcerned. His trust in Jacob's loyalty was so absolute that the risk of Jacob compromising them in some way was so minimal the thought was barely worth entertaining.

"Did he take his bag?' Elijah wondered aloud, 'Ethan, be a dear and reach under the stall. See if you can feel the backpack." There was a silence as Ethan's hand pattered around the tiled floor.

"Oh. T-that is very disgusting." Ethan's voice rose in distress.

"What was it?"

"A hair. A-a-and it w-was c-c-,' Ethan swallowed and took a breath in, 'curly."

"I'd consider yourself lucky, Ethan. Worse has been found on this floor."

"O-oh my." Ethan's door creaked open. A second later, the taps could be heard fully gushing.

"I apologise for making you go through that, Ethan, but was the backpack there?" Elijah asked in a deliberately sweet voice.

"N-no. H-he must have taken it w-with him." Ethan called back over the noise of rushing water.

"Fantastic." Mason said, sighing, as Ethan finished up and returned to his stall.

"I am happier with the backpack in sight,' Elijah admitted. 'But I would entrust Jacob with my life if the need ever arose. The only way that bag would be more protected would be if we locked it in the top vault of London bank itself."

Still, as the silence stretched on and Jacob still hadn't returned, Ethan grew restless.

"Hmm-hmm-" Ethan hummed agitatedly.

"Jesus Christ, shut up!' Mason hissed. 'Your noise isn't helping!"

"C-can't h-help it,' Ethan said, his hands fluttering. 'Really, really nervous."

Mason clenched his jaw and leaned back, rubbing the corners of his temples.

"Ethan, I understand you're nervous. Waiting can play awful tricks on the psyche. In a way, it's touching. It shows how passionate you are about the success of this endeavour. And yet, I'm completely calm. Do you know why, Ethan? It's because I know that every single detail of this plan has been constructed meticulously. My only worry is that your concern suggests that you need reminding of a few details, so why don't we both put our minds at ease by quietly re-visiting the plan? In the meantime, perhaps Mason can bring our wandering Jacob and his backpack back home?" Elijah said soothingly. Mason sighed, visibly irritated.

"All I've heard is noise. I thought we were meant to be keeping a low profile. Elijah, mate, you're the one who wants this to happen. I thought you would have been a bit quieter about it."

"I am merely putting our dear teammates' minds at rest. Besides, I'd rather we air out our worries now, together, rather than later. I dare say we won't have much time to chat once everything's in full swing."

"B-but we're n-not together. Jacob isn't here t-to share." Ethan pointed out.

"Jacob doesn't have a brain to worry with." Mason scoffed.

"Now, now, Mason. He has many other redeeming qualities that make him a valued member of the group." Elijah paused. His voice lowered almost imperceptibly.

"You don't have a problem with any of this, do you Mason?" Mason could almost feel Elijah's gaze through the sickly green walls of the bathroom stall. As if sensing a creeping danger, he was suddenly aware of the air around him. The thought was uncomfortable, and he shifted his position.

"No, no.' He paused. Contrary to his previous point, he was suddenly anxious to fill the silence that followed. 'But I guess since this has turned into an AA meeting, my main worry is what if someone overhears, comes in, and finds us nattering like a bunch of fishwives about pranking Mrs. Day?"

"Simple.' Elijah immediately replied. 'We say we bumped into each other after school and chatted about nonsense, lost track of time, and that we'll go home. We haven't actually done anything yet. We'd just carry out the plan tomorrow."

That didn't sound too terrible to Mason right about now. He was becoming irritated as the time stretched on. Ethan moaned, apparently thinking the same thing.

"I-I don't think I can do this a-again."

"And you won't have to! It's nearly time we headed off anyway. Another half-hour or so.' Elijah was immediately there to console. 'But, I see your excellent point, Mason. If Ethan would be so kind as to open his bathroom door, I'll come in. That way, we can talk quietly without unwanted ears."

There was the sound of two bolts being drawn, and Elijah left his stall to go next door. Even his determined footsteps made him sound as confident as he wanted to appear. The murmurs that followed were barely audible, like the buzzing of a fly.

"Right. Suppose I better go find him then." Mason sighed. The steady hum of Elijah speaking to Ethan didn't falter. Mason hefted himself up with effort. The prospect of trawling the whole school for the meathead didn't appeal to him in the least. He opened his stall door and blinked for a moment. He felt as if he had been in the bathroom stall for so long that the outside world had grown distorted and forgotten, though it could only have been an hour at most. The feeling only lasted a second, and he attributed it to overexcited nerves.

As Mason walked to the entrance of the boy's bathroom, he tried to formulate a quick route of the school to take. Yet, his mind was unfocused, his head feeling like it was being squeezed in a vice-like grip. He had automatically assumed the hardest part of the job was the kidnapping itself, but something about the hour-long seconds was proving difficult to manage. Maybe sitting in silence for an hour or two was a normal feat for people to accomplish, Mason thought. After all, Elijah seemed to manage the wait eerily well.

To Mason, the absence of noise was impossible in a flat packed with four younger children and a disabled relative. Sudden silence from one of the frantic crew was suspicious. Sudden silence from all of them would only have been the result of something ominous. He could not help but carry that association over to his current situation, and he became unnerved and jittery.

The thought of the unsupervised carnage that awaited him when he returned home tonight seemed to fuel his nerves to breaking point. Despairingly, Mason toyed with the idea of cutting it short and heading home. Except that thought left as soon as it entered his mind. He knew what was keeping him here, and it would take more than a few doubts to leave a prize so grand.

He swung the bathroom door open with the intent to search for Jacob at the water fountain, as Elijah had suggested. As he stepped outside and looked up, he just about stopped himself from punching Jacob in the face.

"Jesus Christ, you stupid git!' Mason hissed at him. 'What'd you want to go and appear like that for?"

"Appear?' Jason's brow creased in confusion. 'You're the one that appeared. Just now." He added as a way of explanation. He leaned against the wall, with the backpack squeezed between his tightly folded arms.

"Well, time to go?"

"No! Keep your voice down. We've got a while yet. Get in here, for God's sake!' Mason grabbed him by the arm and hauled him back into the bathroom. As the door closed shut, Mason turned to him. 'What were you doing out there? We've been wondering where you were."

"I was keeping a lookout. Didn't want people knowing where we were or what we were planning, so I stood guard in case someone came near." Jacob looked proud of himself and glanced towards Elijah, who had just emerged from Ethan's stall. Mason pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Jacob, mate. The whole point of us being in here is to hide. You advertising the fact we're trying to hide by being a bloody bouncer defeats the purpose, get it?' Mason sounded weary, as if he thought there was little point in explaining. 'What would you even have done if someone came near? Asked for their ID?"

"Nah, I'd just tell 'em to get lost." Jacob said, sounding wounded.

"Oh…right, yeah, that's not too bad, I suppose-" Mason sounded surprised.

"I was thinking about it, though. I reckon I could have proper lobbed someone if I had to. And I would as well. Didn't see no one, though." Jacob rolled his shoulders as if getting ready to fight.

"You meant well, Jacob." Elijah praised, placing a hand on his tensed arm. Jacob relaxed immediately.

"Well, so much for keeping a low profile. With Ethan singing entire bloody musicals and Jacob growling like a tied-up guard dog, I'm surprised more people haven't come to see the circus. Must be a sign, hey?" Mason said with a humourless laugh.

"What's the matter with you, Mason? This was meant to be a laugh." Jacob said, crossing his arms across his chest once again.

"Alright, sorry.' Mason submitted, rubbing the middle of his forehead, 'I'm just not used to sitting still." He looked up with a resigned smile.

Elijah, who had before seemed deep in thought, broke out of it to clap his hands together and beam.

"Brilliant, Mason! It is a sign indeed."

"I never had you pegged for the religious type." Mason said, raising his eyebrows.

"No, no, my dear Mason. The complete lack of interest in our hustling and bustling is a sign that there is no one around to care." Elijah explained. He glanced at his watch. His eyes lit up strangely as if there was a black fire behind them. His nostrils flared, and his lips pressed into a tight line before curling slightly at the edges.

"A sign indeed, Mason. It's just gone five."