Page 23 of Prickly as a Porcupine

Joline chuckled.“Amphiptere.”

“Right.Whatever.”Ariel smiled.“Then we should find Huggie to ask for the party supplies.Do you think she will give them to us on such short notice?”She asked, not keeping her voice down.They wanted nay potential baddies to find their party.She just didn’t want them to know about the trap they were setting.

Joline nodded.“She seemed thrilled when I asked for the plates and cups for our meeting.I bet she wouldn’t mind supplying our party.”

“We need to get balloon string.”Ariel leaned forward to whisper, “I bet that would work better than extension cords for snares, but I still want to root around the hospital to see if I can get something else of use.”

They were about to head off when Jennifer jogged up to them.She put her hands on her knees, catching her breath.She looked around to make sure no one was near before quietly saying, “I have a ton of rags but can’t get to the chloroform.They have it locked up tight.”

“Do you know where it is?”Ariel asked.She was planning on posing as a doctor anyway to look for more supplies to make snares out of.

“It’s in the hospital wing next to the nurses’ station.You need a key to get in.”Jennfer’s brow creased in worry.

“I can get it.Can you help Joline track down an agent?We need her help finding the ears Grimm has around,” Ariel explained, keeping her voice low.This probably wasn’t the best conversation to have in a hallway, but they were short on time.They couldn’t run back to the classroom to talk every time they needed privacy.Besides, if some of their conversation was overheard, it wouldn’t be the worst thing.They needed to lure Grimm and his men out.

“So we can crack skulls early?”Jennifer asked, punching a fist into her opposite hand.She seemed excited to get back at Grimm and his goons.

Ariel shook her head.“So we can let information slide in front of them.”

Jennifer’s eyes lit up.“Breadcrumbs to our trap.”

“Exactly!”Ariel turned to Joline and smiled.She picked up one of her hands and squeezed it.“Be careful.”She knew the porcupine shifter could handle herself, but she still didn’t want anything to happen to her.

“You, too.”Joline squeezed her hand back.“We’ll meet you back in the meeting room in two hours.”Her brown eyes were set with determination.The look left Ariel’s heart fluttering.

12

Joline led Jennifer to the professors’ offices.She hoped to find Agent Quakenbush there.Though, with it being Saturday, the agent may not have been on campus.From what Joline heard about Quakenbush, she was originally a member of the Q-T Team, working as a strategist.While now, the platypus shifter mainly taught at FUCN’A, Joline figured she’d be a valuable asset to their plan.Quackenbush would be of more use than just sniffing out potential spies in the airducts.

“So.You and Ariel have a thing going?”Jennifer asked, giving her a side eye glance.Joline didn’t like her tone.It was flat and clipped, as if she were trying to start an argument.

“Not that it’s your business, but yes.We’ve been hanging out.”While it was more than that, Joline wasn’t about to get into the details of their romantic evening watching the sunset.

Jennifer barked a sharp laugh that showed anything but amusement.“I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.That woman is more guarded than Fort Knox.”

While Joline knew Ariel had been tight-lipped about what brought her to WANC in the beginning, she felt Ariel had been opening up more about her past.And it wasn’t like she was keeping secrets out of malice.It was because Ariel felt shame over her role with Grimm.Joline could tell she was healing.While her motive for revenge wasn’t the best one in Joline’s opinion, Ariel was giving the others in her support group a cause.And they were safe on campus.Joline doubted anything would come of their plan.Grimm was setting a trap on Pine Ave.They would all be safe at WANC, focusing on a plan that would never come to fruition.But it gave them something to bond over.Ariel needed that more than anything in Joline’s opinion.

“I know she wasn’t very forthcoming in the past.”While Ariel could be prickly at times, Joline knew she had a soft underbelly.

“Forthcoming?”Jennifer snorted.“She thought we were all idiots who couldn’t see the genius of her precious evil scientist.Instead of listening to what we were saying, she put her own spin on it to keep Grimm in a good light.She can’t be trusted.”The words stung.

“You don’t think she’s turned over a new leaf?”Joline felt that while Ariel had been secretive, she never gave Joline a reason not to trust her.

Jennifer shook her head.“It looks like she trying, but I don’t know.I can’t believe it.”She chuckled darkly.“Although, I was traumatized by said evil scientist, so maybe I have trust issues, too.Perhaps she is different, and I can’t see it.”She combed her fingers through her dark hair.

“She is trying.”Joline felt obligated to defend Ariel.“It she was manipulating us, I don’t think she’d be open about wanting revenge.”Joline was shocked when Ariel had blurted it out.She was under the impression this was a support group to work through problems, not start a plot against one of FUC’s most wanted.

“Maybe she thinks that’s what we want to hear,” Jennifer mused aloud before chewing on a fingernail.

“It’s not what I want to hear.I want to do things by the book.”

“And here we are tracking down agents to do just that.”Jennifer gave a knowing smile as if to say there was more going on.

Joline found herself shaking the mental image of Ariel still being a bad guy from her mind.“No.This is about being smart and using all the assets we have.”

“Do you really think Ariel told the agents she thinks this is a trap to get them off campus so Grimm can strike here?”

Joline nodded.“I do.I trust her.She has no reason to lie.”Not about that anyway, but Joline decided to keep that to herself.She knew Jennifer had a point about Ariel keeping secrets, but they were about her past and not the present—Joline hoped, anyway.She hated to admit it, but Jennifer had planted a small seed of doubt in her.