Without Mercy (Mercy 1)

Jules was really getting into it and remembered for the first time in a long while why she took up teaching and how much she loved history. She was all wound up, excited as she walked by the desk in which Maeve had been sitting and saw the letters ES written in pencil on the top. Ethan Slade’s initials.

Jules knew she’d have to reprimand the girl for defacing school property, but for now, she took a tissue from her pocket and wiped away the scribbled initials. As she did, she was aware of Missy watching her every move.

Was she a teacher’s aide or a spy? Who knew? Either way, Jules was going to put Missy to work.

“Let’s set up some kind of guessing game and see what the kids know about sports, fashion, inventions of that era.”

“If you say so.”

“I do.” Jules stuffed the tissue into her pocket and rubbed at the trace of writing with her finger. “And I think we can present the positive side. We should show that even during times as bleak as the Great Depression, some people achieved great things.” She pointed at her new helper. “I assume you can access the Internet?”

“Sure.” Missy lifted a shoulder. “I’m a TA. We can get on anytime we need it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. At the computer lab.” She wrinkled her nose. “I wish we could have our own laptops or cell phones, but you know they’re taboo.”

“Even for the TAs?”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “It’s all a major control issue.”

Jules gambled and pushed her a bit. “I would have thought that there would be a way to get online other than the lab.”

“How?” Missy asked innocently enough, but her easy smile faded a bit, as if she were sizing Jules up.

“Oh, come on. It wasn’t that long ago that I was your age. I’m sure there are plenty of opportunities for kids to smuggle in USB modems, devices that tap into cell towers, or even phones.” When Missy didn’t reply, Jules added, “There has to be a black market for that kind of thing.”

“I don’t know about that,” Missy said tentatively, but the glint in her eye suggested she was lying.

“Well, maybe I’m wrong.” Jules didn’t believe Missy, but she decided not to press the issue. Not right now. “Since you can get access to the Internet through the lab, that’s good enough. For tomorrow, come up with twenty-five items or events that are attributed to the thirties, then add in some other decades, anything from the forties to the nineties, to make it fun. Come up with about fifty or sixty in total. Then print them out and bring the list to me. Do we have an overhead projector? One of those electronic ones, or if not, an older one? Oh, and can you print on clear plastic?”

“I guess …” Missy didn’t seem sure.

“Good. If you can, do it and see that I get a projector or whatever it is you use now. Tomorrow, we’ll play a guessing game. The winner gets … oh, I don’t know. Maybe a can of Spam or a package of Twinkies or a comic book.”

“But you can’t offer anything like that as a prize.” Missy looked at her as if she’d gone nuts.

“Why not?” Jules asked.

“Well, I don’t think Dr. Hammersley will go for it, do you? And no way would Reverend Lynch allow us to have Twinkies here. Uh-uh.”

Jules wasn’t going to be derailed. “I’ll deal with Dr. Hammersley and the director. You just make the list.”

“O-kay.” Missy’s tone indicated that she thought Jules had a screw or two loose and was on the fast track to getting herself fired.

Which was kind of funny, as Jules was certain she’d be fired for other, far darker reasons. “I’m telling you, this assignment is going to be fun. Talk to me before class tomorrow.”

Missy nodded as Jules returned to her desk. From the corner of her eye, she watched the blond fiddle with her oversized bag, zip it shut, then hurry through the open door to the hallway, where the sounds of shuffling feet and young voices were beginning to fade.

Missy seemed to be following instructions, Jules thought, snagging a pen from her drawer and making some quick notes to herself.

So why didn’t Jules trust her new assistant?

Because of Shay.

What was it her sister had said? That the TAs were part of some kind of cult?

How ludicrous was that?