Ghost Bird: The Academy Omnibus Part 1: Books One - Four

by C. L. Stone

  I was surprised, too, to find Micah and Tom, a couple of twelve-year-old boys, in the backyard, bouncing on top of a large trampoline. The trampoline had been something like a consolation prize from my father before he last left. He never even finished building it, but North fixed it up. I hadn’t been on it yet, mostly because I didn’t want to enjoy it. I didn’t like the meaning of it. I didn’t mind the others using it. In fact, I was glad. At least someone liked it.

  My stepmom would have had a fit seeing all these boys running around the yard, through the house, and playing with me.

  I ran for the screen door in the porch that led out into the yard. I flung open the door, stepping out into the grass, feeling the heat heavy around me, the water swishing in the gun in my hands.

  North stopped in mid-step, glancing over at me, temporarily distracted from his basketball game. He smiled at me, his black hair hanging in his eyes. I gave him a small wave and a wink before dashing off in the opposite direction, heading around the back of the house toward the side yard, taking the longer way around to the front.

  I crouched by the bushes surrounding the front porch, glancing over them for Nathan and Gabriel.

  Luke was dashing around the front yard. Nathan was on his heels after him. They aimed their water guns at each other, spraying the other one down with a fresh blast every few seconds. The front yard was large and bare, with plenty of space for running around. I didn’t have much to block me if I just ran out there. And where was ...

  A spritz of cold water caught me in the back. I squealed and without thinking, started to run. I found out where Gabriel was. So much for the surprise attack.

  “Oy, Trouble,” Gabriel called after me, laughing.

  I flew across the yard. My cover was blown. Time for rushing in head first.

  I pumped my water gun and aimed for Nathan as he dashed after Luke. I caught him in the back with the spray of my gun. He turned, spotted me and started running.

  I cut across the yard; Gabriel was after me, too, taking a different angle. I ran as hard as I could toward the porch but there wasn’t much point. Both of them were much faster than I was.

  Gabriel managed to cut me off before I made it to the steps. I aimed my gun at him as he started to squirt at my chest and stomach. I caught him in the face as I turned again, intending to run back around the house.

  No use. Nathan caught up with me, scooping me up by hooking his arm around my waist and softly tackling me to the ground. I landed on my back. He sat square on my hips. I aimed my pink gun at his face as he aimed his orange one at mine.

  “Say ‘mercy’,” he warned, his eyebrows shifting above his blue eyes, a wide grin splashed on his face. Droplets of water sashayed down the ripples of his abs.

  “No,” I called out. I pulled the trigger to squirt water at him.

  Only I’d forgotten to pump my gun and I got the last of a trickle before the pressure ended.

  Nathan made an evil-sounding cackle. “Brave words from a dead girl who forgot to load her gun.”

  He fired. Icy liquid shot at my face. I dropped the gun to hold both hands up at the muzzle of his, blocking the spray. The water still caught me against the neck and around the top of my shirt.

  “No,” I squealed, laughing. “Stop.”

  Gabriel came over, standing over my head, his camo shorts dripping on my face. He aimed his gun at me. “You should know better than to put your gun down.” He squirted me in the face point-blank.

  I blocked my head with my arms. The water bit into my skin with a sharp chill. “Holy crow, how is the water so cold?”

  “We put ice in it,” Gabriel said, pumping his gun.

  Luke flew over me, jumping over my body and aiming his gun at Gabriel, catching him in the side of his head. Gabriel shot off after him. Luke flew over the rail of the front porch, using it as a bunker as he aimed over it at Gabriel and fired. Gabriel crept around the bushes, slinking up the steps. They both shot streams of water at each other before Luke flew back over the rail, landing in the yard to fly across the grass toward the side of the house. Gabriel went after him.

  Nathan laughed, aiming the gun back at my face. “Come on. Say mercy and I’ll let you up.”

  “No,” I squealed, giggling and pushing his gun away, reaching for mine.

  Nathan let go of his gun, holding it in one hand while with his free hand, he snatched up mine and chucked it a few feet away, out of my reach. “Say it,” he grumbled at me, a playful growl emanating from him.

  “No,” I wailed again, now trying to twist my body around, gripping at the ground to claw my way out from under him. He sank his full weight onto my body, pinning me to the ground. A free hand found my face, and he squeezed my cheeks until I made a fish face.

  “Sang,” he said, “you’ve got to learn how to admit when you’re outgunned. Now say it.”

  “No!” My squeaking mumbled through fish lips. I pushed his gun away, poking him in the ribs, trying to tickle my way out.

  He laughed, patting my hands away as if he were swatting away flies. “Doesn’t work on me, sweetheart.”

  “Luke!” I cried out.

  “Kinda busy,” Luke called back, running past my head. Gabriel jumped over me on his heels. Luke was out in the open, crossing the large front yard when he made a U-turn back around, running for a tree in the far corner to hide behind.

  “Say mercy and I’ll let you up,” Nathan said to me. He hooked fingers onto the hem of my shirt, lifting slightly to expose my belly. He aimed the end of the gun there. “Do it.”

  “Don’t you dare,” I called out. I had one more plan left, and it was dirty. “Don’t or I’ll do it.”

  Nathan’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What?”

  “Let me go or I’ll do it.”

  Nathan smirked at me, curiosity in his eyes. He pulled the trigger. A stream of ice water caught me square in the stomach.

  I wriggled under him, trying to block the spray against my bare skin. “You asked for it,” I said. “Silas!” I squealed out through my laughing. Part of my shout cut off midway and trailed off and I blamed it on my giddiness, but it was enough to draw the attention of who I wanted.

  “You did not,” Nathan said, his hand shot out to cover my mouth, his head jerking up to scan the perimeter.

  It was too late. Silas was on the warpath, barreling down after us, aiming right for Nathan. Nathan scrambled to get off me, aiming his gun at Silas’s broad chest and firing. It didn’t deter Silas as he caught Nathan in a full frontal tackle. Suddenly, Nathan was on his back on the ground, Silas sitting on his hips, his wrists pinned to the ground by Silas’s knees.

  I scrambled to get my gun, stepping up behind Silas, my stomach to his back, as I aimed over his shoulder at Nathan’s face.

  “Fucking shit,” Nathan said breathlessly. “She even cheats at water guns.”

  “Yup,” Silas called out proudly. “Get him, aggele mou.”

  I pumped my gun and sprayed down Nathan with a long stream, starting from his stomach and ending at his face.

  Nathan laughed, stretching to try to pull his arms out from under Silas.

  “Thank you, Silas,” I said to him, touching lightly at the back of his neck.

  “Oy, Trouble!”

  It was the only warning I got before Gabriel shot across the yard, aiming his water gun at me. Luke was running behind him, firing, but his gun was out of water.

  I laughed, running away from Silas as he was letting Nathan up off the ground.

  “Meanie!” I called after Gabriel as I dashed across the yard, heading toward the driveway, thinking I might be able to cut through the basketball game. Maybe I could use Kota as a shield. Gabriel wouldn’t dare shoot Kota.

  I turned around as a gray BMW pulled into the driveway, parking in the middle of it to give room to those playing basketball. A thrill swept over me. Victor had left early to go to do some work for the Academy. I’d thought he was going to be gone all day but was glad that he was back early
.

  His car also gave me perfect cover.

  I ran right for the car, the plan formulating in my mind. Gabriel hollered after me, but I was flying ahead of him. I had a clean head start.

  Prompted by a deep instinct telling me that I could, I ran for the front of the car. I jumped, pushing my body up to vault myself over the front, my butt heating against the hood as I slid across. I landed like a cat on my feet on the other side. I crouched, pressing my back against the wheel as I pumped the pink water gun.

  The Terminator couldn’t have done it any better.

  The car door opened, followed by footsteps coming around the car. I waited only a moment. Not that I would squirt Victor too much. Just a small spritz to welcome him back.

  I caught the shadow coming around the edge of the car, I turned, propping myself up a little as I aimed at a red tie and fired.

  And fell back on my butt, when my gaze met with cool, steel-gray eyes.

  I dropped my gun to catch myself with my hands before I fell back too far. The gun clattered to the ground.

  Mr. Blackbourne finished stepping around the corner of the car, a brown eyebrow shooting up over the rim of his glasses. The dark suit coat he wore was open, revealing the white shirt, probably Armani or Gucci. A wet splotch of water spread across his chest, center mass. “You should know who you’re aiming at before you fire, Miss Sorenson,” he said, as calmly as if he were explaining a math problem to me.

  My heart raced. I’d just iced down the only person I knew who, with just a look, could send me to my knees.

  “S–s-sorry,” I said, not feeling so confident now.

  Mr. Blackbourne stretched out a hand to me, which surprised me enough to make me hesitate; he’d never done that before. I lifted mine, dropping it in his. His smooth, perfect fingers wrapped around mine as he pulled me to standing, inches away from him.

  “Remind me to have you trained in gunmanship,” he said, the tight corners of his mouth moving up a millimeter.

  I released the breath I’d been holding that whole time. I didn’t want to make him angry.

  From behind him, the other members of the Academy collected: Silas, Luke, North, Nathan, Kota and Gabriel. North held the basketball to his hip. The others stood by, waiting. Derrick had fallen back, standing under the basket, his arms crossed over his chest.

  Mr. Blackbourne’s eyes remained on me as he spoke. “I came over because I tried to reach certain members of my team by phone. Apparently, they’re all ... distracted.” The millimeter smile disappeared as he turned toward the guys. “And I can see why.”

  “Sorry,” Kota said. He flicked the sweat from his brow. “I didn’t realize.”

  The others murmured similar apologies.

  “We don’t have time for that,” Mr. Blackbourne said, turning toward his car. “Kota, Luke, Nathan, in the car with me. North, Silas, Gabriel, follow. We’ve got work to do.”

  “What about Sang?” Gabriel asked, dropping his water gun to the ground. Playtime was over.

  “She doesn’t work for me. Let’s go,” Mr. Blackbourne moved around the car again, heading toward the driver’s seat. Was this Mr. Blackbourne’s car that looked identical to Victor’s? Or was he driving Victor’s car? Where was Victor? And why were they all leaving now?

  I bit back the questions. I knew better. Academy business was secret. I wasn’t a part of it.

  Kota, Luke and Nathan found their shoes and shirts quickly and raced toward the car. Mr. Blackbourne pulled the car out of the drive as soon as the doors closed and was down the road again.

  I collected the dropped water guns and headed toward the garage. Silas and Gabriel each grabbed the phones they had left on the ground.

  North was shuffling a shirt the right way to drop it over his head when he said, “Derrick, do me a favor?”

  Derrick had collected the basketball and was taking random shots alone at the goal. “What?”

  “Stay with Sang? Until one of us can get back?”

  “I’m fine,” I said. I thought I was. My mother wasn’t there with any more crazy punishments for me. My father wasn’t there. There was no one left to do any harm.

  “Humor me, Sang Baby.” North eyeballed Derrick. “Please?”

  “I guess so. Whatever,” Derrick said, shrugging and looking at me.

  North frowned but nodded. He waved to me as he stalked off, following Gabriel and Silas to North’s black Jeep that was parked at Kota’s house. They rushed over to it, getting in. The Jeep started up and disappeared down the road, too.

  THE OTHER FRIENDS

  And that was it. They were gone. I stared down the road where I last saw the Jeep disappear around the bend. It was like I was waiting for one for one of them to come back. Just kidding, Sang. Of course, I can stay with you and not leave you alone. One of them. Any of them.

  But no. They were really gone. Academy business.

  Derrick bounced the ball around himself, taking a shot at the basket. “They’re always so weird.”

  I turned on him, my mouth opened, ready to fly to their defense. My tongue stilled as I got caught up watching as Derrick chased the ball and brought it back, lifting it over his head backward as he ran out of the garage and it swished into the basket overhead.

  “How long have you known them?” It wasn’t a challenge, but genuine curiosity. Derrick lived on this street longer than me, and he’d known Kota and Nathan at least for a few years. He didn’t flinch when Mr. Blackbourne showed up.

  “I don’t know,” Derrick said. “I went to elementary school with half of them until they started going to that private school.” He pushed some of the lower locks of his bowl haircut away from his forehead, stopping the sweat from dripping into his eyes.

  “They’re pretty nice,” I said

  “Uh huh. Nice. Too nice. That’s how they get you. They want you to hang out. They ask you to come over and help with a small favor. The next thing you know it’s a big favor.”

  Kota had told me once they’d tried to bring in another member into the team. “Did they try to ... to ...?”

  “To recruit me?” Derrick smirked, holding the ball at his hip. “Yes.”

  “And you didn’t want to join,” I said.

  “No,” he said. “I didn’t want to work that hard. That’s all they do. You’ve just seen it. It’s an early Saturday morning. They’re off to do something. They’re always working. It’s been like that since we were little. Maybe it’s swiping Gabriel’s dad’s booze so he wouldn’t drink that night. Or taking the grade book from the teacher’s desk to change up the numbers when a teacher was unforgiving to some poor kid who was out sick the week before. Maybe it’s stealing apples from the school cafeteria for the diabetic twins who were starving. They were always doing something then, and they’re always up to something now.”

  “They did that? They stole?” I stepped a little closer to him, wanting to make sure I caught every word.

  “Luke did,” he said. “Luke could steal the pencil from your closed hand and be out the door before you knew it was gone. The others helped him. They started that in kindergarten. Only back then, Victor gave them the plan, and Kota was the lookout. Gabriel distracted the teachers while Luke swooped in and stole. Nathan covered their tracks.”

  “That was before they went to the private school?”

  “The Academy? Yeah. That was before. Just the five of them. Then that Mr. Blackbourne caught them breaking into the principal’s office one day and that was it. The next week they were all out of public school.” He dropped the basketball, letting it roll toward the garage. “Want to go jump on the trampoline?”

  I didn’t really. I wanted to ask more about the boys. Could they be thieves? Is that what they were now? Mr. Blackbourne, who couldn’t have been much older than them at the time, swooped in and took them out of school. The Academy got kids to steal for them? It didn’t seem likely, but Derrick appeared to be convinced.

  Prodding him for more information felt rude. I n
odded slowly, following him around the corner of the back of the house, beyond the screened in porch. Micah and Tom sat together on the trampoline talking to each other.

  Micah turned his head to us, his blond hair cut evenly around his head at his shoulders. “What?”

  “What do you mean, what?” Derrick said. “We want a turn.”

  “I’m tired. I don’t want to move,” Micah complained, lying back on the black mat of the trampoline.

  “Then get off and let us go.” Derrick climbed up on the metal bar frame, hoisting himself up until he stumbled out onto the mat. He tested the springs, bouncing low and moving across to where Micah lay. He curled up, protecting himself by covering his head with his arms as Derrick jumped, bouncing hard next to him.

  “Stop,” Micah grumbled.

  “You getting on?” Tom asked me. His thin, deeply tanned body shone with sweat. Short, curly locks of hair stuck against his head. He was small for his age, like Micah. I could have mistaken them for being eight or nine instead of twelve if I didn’t know better.

  “I guess so,” I said, eyeballing the metal. I was wondering if it was hot to the touch.

  “Come on,” Derrick said. He bounce-walked back in my direction, holding a hand out. I reached out to him. Derrick used both hands to grip mine. I put a foot on the bar and he hoisted me up.

  I hovered on the black mat, warmed by the morning sun. I walked unstably toward the middle, keeping my distance from the others so I wouldn’t hurt them if I fell.

  Tom got up, launching his body into the air and slamming down against the mat. It was a chain reaction. I started bouncing, slowly, unstable enough that I thought I would fall. I thought the only way to stay upright was to keep bouncing on my feet. Derrick started bouncing harder.

  Micah groaned, picking himself up. Soon we were moving in a circle, facing off. Bouncing around.

  “Back up for a minute,” Derrick said, holding his hand up toward me but talking to all of us. “I want to try something.”

  I moved to the edge of the mat, falling to my knees, putting my hands down to hold myself up. Tom fell next to me, grinning, his breath heavy. I smiled; I liked Tom.