by Y A Marks
“Trivet… well, he’s pretty amazing. I hate to admit it, but if he doesn’t have the thing you’re talking about, I’m sure he can get it.”
My gaze went to Josalyn and Trivet. They stood at the doorway. Both of their bodies were tight and uncomfortable. Josalyn had her arms wrapped around her torso. Trivet fiddled with his shaggy, unkempt hair. It was odd to see them like that. Whatever had happened, both of them were trying to figure out what came next. I understood because it was how I felt with Rylan. It wasn’t like we had any real history and so far our relationship had few kisses and lots of bullets.
I twisted back toward Rylan and gave him a kiss on his unmoving lips. “I’m glad you’re okay.” After tapping his mouth a few times with my fingers, I kissed his lips again. “I guess I’m in control of kissing right now.”
A hint of grin played on his face.
After returning his expression, I pulled away. “I have something really, really important to show you.”
His eyebrows tightened, and his lips thinned. I reached out with my hand and wiggled it. He grasped it. I half-walked, half-hobbled out of the hangar and down two sets of white hallways to the stairs. After going up the stairs, we came to the Medical Bunker. I brought Rylan over to Bay 2 and tugged the curtains back.
Rylan’s gaze fell onto his father’s sleeping face. There were dozens of tubes coming out of Jonas’s body, but the old so-and-so was alive.
Rylan’s face tightened. One hand slid into his pocket. The other fluttered through the air, his fingers grasping at nothing. His eyes tightened and one tear welled in his right eye before sliding down his cheek. Soon both hands were out, motioning from open to closed.
A spring of joy burst open in my chest. They were finally back together after six long years. Rylan had his father. Norwood would return to his daughter. They would all be happy. It wasn’t much, but excitement coursed through me.
He wiped a few more tears away and then he turned back toward me, grabbing my shoulders. A tight smile displayed on his face. “You did a good job.” His thumb tickled my skin before he released me.
Rylan turned back to Jonas and glared at him. I didn’t expect that. I thought Rylan would wrap his arms around his father’s body or at least hold his hand, but he did none of that. Rylan’s eyes cut into Jonas’s skin deeper than Vogel’s knife had.
“Thanks… Paeton,” Rylan said. His voice was muffled by the wires in his mouth, but there was no emotion in his words at all. He was simply going through the motions, saying the polite thing.
Thick rolling clouds of hate spread over the bed and pressed into me. I backed away as my body curled into itself. Stumbling out of MedBunk, I took two steps before I collapsed on the ground. A sharp pain cut across my heart.
Rylan wasn’t happy to see his father at all. Would the same thing happen for Norwood? Piping hot magma coiled around through my veins. What was wrong with Rylan? His father almost died. He hadn’t seen him in years. I didn’t care if I had to wait an eternity. I’d cherish the ability to run into my mother’s arms. I’d never let a prison stand between me and her face, her touch, her anything.
Every thought about my mother worsened the pain intensifying inside of me. It burned and cut into my abdomen and made it hard to stand upright. Of all the pain I had experienced so far, this had to be the worst. I had saved two fathers for children who may not even care about them, but I couldn’t save my own mother or my play mom—Dhyla.
The fury within me vanished and sadness crept in. I hadn’t had time to grieve. Relearning my past and remembering the loss of my mother only intensified the frustration. Dhyla wasn’t going to magically appear in a doorway and hold me in her arms.
“You alright, miss?”
My head spun around to a nurse. She stood in the middle of the doorway, her medical electronic tablet angled between her hip and her hand.
“Oh. Yes, ma’am.” I stood up and wiped my eyes. I had to be strong. This wasn’t the time or place for me to start feeling sorry for myself. “I think I’m a bit tired. Trivet said he has a room for me? I think B-21. Do you know where that is?”
“Down the hall, take the stairs down one level to B-Deck. It should be a few yards on your right.”
“Thank you.” I kept my voice from cracking, but like the rest of me, it was broken and scattered all over the floor. I had to find a way to pick the pieces up, to keep going. I had made a promise to Clarisse, Troy, and Dalton, but more importantly, to Dhyla. If there was a way to take down the Summit, I would find it. This journey wasn’t over, and I couldn’t break down now. Dhyla’s spirit was with me. It had to be.
I continued to the room, fumbling with the electronics until the door spun open like an iris. I stepped inside before my knees gave way. Falling into the middle of the floor, I grabbed at my chest in a futile attempt to stop the blistering pain inside.
Right when I thought I could take no more and that I would die of heartbreak right there in the middle of the room, a warm arm wrapped around my torso.
“You alright?” Rylan whispered.
“Dhyla’s gone, my mom’s gone.” I licked my tears before pressing my palm against my nose. I glanced at him, hoping to see in his expression some sort of remorse from his moment with Jonas. There wasn’t any, and it didn’t matter. I couldn’t fix everything.
Rylan pulled me back and glanced into my face. He thinned his eyes, but his eyebrows danced with curiosity.
“I’m going to kill Dalton,” I said. “I’m going to kill the man who took away my new-mom.”
My whole being was aflame. My muscles exploded in slow motion, scorching every part of me.
He didn’t say anything. His arms tightened as my chest heaved. I was happy to have him, but no amount of attention he could give could remove the fire lit in my heart. There were only two people who could calm those flames and both of them were dead.
I palmed the tears in my eyes. One way or another, I was going to find a way to hurt Dalton as much as he had hurt me. If I had to ram the Summit down on his smug little head to do it, I would.
Finishing Acks
Dear Reader,
Thanks so much for reading INNER CIRCLE, the second book in the CLASS ZERO series. By now, I hope you are enjoying Paeton’s story. If you are, I’d love for you to leave me a review on Amazon. Reviews let other readers know, “Hey, you can take a chance on this one.”
Also, if the stories do excite you, make sure you sign up for my mailing list. I don’t spam you with junk. The mailing list lets me do three primary things: let you know when new books are available (generally at a discount), find readers who enjoy being Beta Readers or Early Reviewers, and let you know about any contests or special events. You can sign up here. (http://www.yamarks.com.)
I’m sure by now some of you have seen the live action trailer for the book series. Yes, live action, with special effects and everything. I know, I know, I’ve seen some of those “book trailers” out there, but we hope the one we created sets a new standard for book trailers.
We had a great cast, including a young lady named Laura Fanelli. She was a Disney princess playing Anna and Merida at Disney World. It’s funny that she went from a Disney princess to acting as a snarky, coffee-drinking heroine in dystopian Atlanta who watches Disney Princesses.
It took over a year to create the trailer and an extra few scenes. A lot of work has gone into this. I hope that you enjoy the trailers and the books. In order to see the full scenes, you’ll need to sign up for the mailing list. I’m working hard to give CLASS ZERO readers the best bonus material ever.
Until next time, ta-ta.
Y.A. Marks
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
Finishing Acks
