When Lightning Strikes (Alien Academy Book 1)
Page 27
The world goes black, then comes back into focus for a few seconds, and Nix is there yelling at me, his beautiful sweat-covered face the only thing I can see. He’s telling me to get up, cursing me for whatever I did, but when I try to speak, the wave of exhaustion pulling me under is too great.
Rather than fight the urge, I give in, ready to escape the craptastic events of the day. The last thing I hear are people yelling for a medic, and Ki’Lin’s friends screaming her name.
Epilogue
My body aches. Every joint screams as I shift in bed. Faint beeps register, and I’m hit with a major wave of déjà vu. I’m in the hospital wing…again.
I open my eyes with a groan, looking around. Sure enough, this is the same room as last time. Tia’s asleep in the chair beside my bed, and Huey’s passed out on the floor. Neither of them woke when I did…and my favorite book is sitting there on the bedside table, some kind of polished gem marking the spot the reader last read.
Shaking under my weight, the muscles in my arms protest as I try to sit up, but I can’t because my right arm is tangled up in something. Too lazy to move more than I have to, I pull on it decently hard, trying to free it without doing too much, when the sounds of metal on metal leave me frozen.
I yank my arm again. Same clinking sound. Rushing to pull the covers back, a strangled gasp escapes at the metal cuff securing my wrist to the bed. Huey stirs, hopping up, and Tia jerks awake.
“Cherise. Thank God,” Tia cries, launching herself at me. Huey starts licking my face, but doesn’t immediately start peppering me with questions like he usually does.
Nausea turns my stomach and my heart’s threatening to explode in my chest. “What’s going on? Why am I handcuffed?”
“I told them it was not necessary, Beloved Xebulin. But I was overruled.”
“What do you mean you were overruled?”
Tia scoffs, “There was no talking involved. He refused to let them near you, and after the sixth tranquilizer, he finally dropped, and they slipped them on.”
“Why? What happened? I don’t understand.” My words tumble out in a rush and Tia hugs me tighter.
“I’m so sorry. They weren’t sure what else to do. Once the ambulance left, and you wouldn’t wake up, they took you here. It wasn’t until Ki’Lin started to talk that the humans put the cuffs on you. The Xebulin Assembly spoke out against it, but until you could wake up and tell your story, they had to be sure.”
“Sure of what? What did I do?”
“They wanted to be sure you couldn’t and wouldn’t do it again. You wiped Ki’Lin’s memories, Cherise. She doesn’t even know who she is.”
“How? I don’t even know how to do that! Are they sure? I was just trying to get away from her.”
“They know. War Commander Ty’Furi was there. Everyone saw what she did to you. The problem is, so did the humans present to observe the games. They don’t want to wait for you to graduate. They want to procure you now and use your ability for…other things. The Assembly has been fighting them for two days, but they won’t back down. They’re determined to take you. ”
Panic tightens my throat and I grip the sheets. Huey bows up, lifting the blades on his spine, and growls. Shouting erupts behind the door, and there’s a struggle. The door smacks against the counter as it flings open and the War Commander stands there, a limp human soldier at her feet.
“Get up girl, they’ve come to take you. We need to leave, now.”
Find out what happens next in When Truth is Revealed: Alien Academy Book 2. Preorder now!
About the Author
Pixie James should have been born a unicorn, or fairy princess at the very least, but since she wasn't she spends her days dreaming about other worlds and all the exciting people in them.
When she's not writing, Pixie spends her time with her dog Sir Walter Wiggles and lives off caffeine and biscotti.
You can find Pixie on Facebook or email her.