“I gave Jodie a portal-key in case Chaos ever managed to capture me. It’s still in your office, isn’t it?” She raises an eyebrow at her.
“Yes, which presents a problem since I no longer have access to it.”
“I guess you’ll just have to find a way to retrieve it, then.” Eris shrugs.
“But the school has been overrun by the Neo Gods,” Renata chimes in.
“I can get you inside the campus, but I’m sure Chaos has his sight trained on it. I won’t be able to linger.”
“That’s fine,” Xavier says. “How many can you tele-transport to Gifted Academy?”
Her eyes flash with amusement. “All of you.”
One moment we’re in the warehouse, and in the next we’re standing right in front of Gifted Academy’s main building. Eris is nowhere to be seen.
“Fuck! A little warning would have been nice,” Phoenix complains.
“Shit. We’re out in the open. Let’s look for cover,” Xavier commands.
We scramble, splitting into two groups. I head for the right with Bryce, Phoenix, Rufio, Toby, Rosie, and Renata. Soren, the rest of the Knights, Jodie, Mrs. Malek, and Xavier veer for the left.
“Man, it would be nice to have Morpheus’s concealing powers right about now.” Phoenix tries to become smaller by hiding behind the shrubbery next to the building.
A moment later, a group of students exits the building. They’re relaxed and chatting animatedly, which means they don’t know we’re out here. Maybe the security cameras didn’t catch us after all. They stop suddenly when Jonathan Kent turns a corner. I tense for a split second before my brain grasps that he’s wearing the same clothes Xavier was.
“Damn. Your uncle is good, Daisy,” Phoenix whispers.
“Mr. Kent. How did you get here so fast?” one of the guys asks.
Crap. So Bryce and Rufio’s father is around. That’s not good for us at all. Bryce’s anger flares like fireworks. He wants to make his father pay for what he did to Rufio, but we can’t deviate from the plan, which is to get to Jodie’s old office and retrieve the portal-key. Too bad we don’t know what it looks like. Damn, Eris didn’t give us a second to get organized.
“Where are you going?” Xavier asks instead of replying.
“We were headed to the gym.”
“Fine. Get going, then.”
The guys look at each other and then shrug. Phew, those aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed. We got lucky.
Bryce steps out of his hiding spot and aims his index fingers at the two security cameras mounted near the entrance. A current of electricity whooshes from them, and I want to tell him not to fry them, only it’s too late.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” Rufio tells him.
Bryce glances at his brother with a frown. “I shouldn’t have done what? Change the feed to run in a loop?”
“Oh, I thought you had destroyed the feed altogether.” Rufio shrugs, earning an eye roll from Bryce.
“Please. This is not my first rodeo.”
“Come on, guys. Let’s go before we bump into anyone else.” Xavier waves us over.
“Do you think school is still in session, considering the current events?” Toby asks.
“It’s hard to tell,” I say, trying to suppress a yawn.
“Shit, you didn’t sleep at all last night, did you, honey?” Phoenix glances at me.
“No. But it’s okay. I’ll rest when this is over.”
If the school is operating as if nothing is amiss, then the students should be in class at this hour. Bryce takes the lead, tampering with the security feed of every camera along the way. My heart is beating savagely in my chest, and if this were a movie, there would be an ominous soundtrack in the background. The tension is high in our group, and in hindsight, maybe we shouldn’t have come all together. It’s easier to be inconspicuous in a smaller party. Too late now.
We’re moving as fast as we can, but not at Idol speed because of Rosie and Rufio. Suggesting they be carried wouldn’t fly with either of them, plus it would hinder whoever had the load. Bryce flattens his back against the wall when we reach the final corner that leads to Jodie’s former office.
Toby pushes forward until he’s right next to Bryce. “What are you doing? We can’t go that way.”
“Why not?”
“Are you seriously not registering all the Idols that are standing in front of the principal’s office?”
“No.”
“They must be masking their signatures,” Jodie chimes in.
“I’ll draw them from there,” Xavier says.
“No.” I grab his arm. “What if one of those Idols is the real Jonathan Kent?”
“Why can’t he simply change into someone else?” Renata suggests. “Maybe a teacher?”
“I’d have to know what the person looks like, and besides Jonathan, there’s no one else I know.”
“I have a better idea,” Soren pipes up. “We’ll split into two groups. My team will drive those people away from the principal’s office.”
An evil laugh echoes behind us, raising the small hair on the back of my neck. “Oh, that would have been genius if only you had the foresight to watch your backs,” Cherise says, standing only a few feet away from us flanked by four guys. Those numbers wouldn’t be bad if the bitch didn’t have a gun in her hand aimed at my head.
Rufio and Phoenix step in front of me, creating a proactive shield. Damn it. Why do they think their lives are worth less than mine?
“Oh, isn’t that nice? Daisy has gotten herself a human shield. You know what I love about guns? There are six bullets in it. One for each—”
Before she can finish her tirade, Soren charges her, sending her careening down the corridor and taking two of her goons in the process. She fires the gun, missing Soren by a mile, but it alerts the other Neo Gods to our presence. Shouts of alarm echo in the hallway, and I foresee the situation getting much worse in the next few seconds. Rosie’s eyes have a wild glint in them as she holds her dagger up with trembling hands. Shit. I knew it was mistake letting her come.
The other Neo Gods join the fray, and then it’s a matter of avoiding getting hit by their powers and their lightning-glass weapons. There are too many people fighting in this confined space. Freezing time without affecting everyone is impossible. But when one of the Neo Gods tosses a throwing star in Phoenix’s direction, I freeze the weapon mid-trajectory, stopping its motion completely. Phoenix turns around, plucks the star from the air, and shoves into the Neo God’s eyes.
Someone grabs my jacket from behind, immediately turning it into ice. The cold blast continues on. If I don’t break free, I’ll become an ice statue. With a grunt, I twist my arm back and yank the person off me. It’s a short brunette not much older than Rosie. Her age and innocent-looking face don’t give me pause. Her eyes are filled with hatred and rage. It’s me or her.
I reach for her head, digging my fingers into her temple. She grabs my wrists, trying to freeze them, but my powers are engaged. I feel nothing besides a lick of frost against my skin. She screams when I begin to unmake her, too caught up in her pain to fight my hold. Her legs give out from under her, but I keep my grip despite her fall. The sound of fighting fades to the background. My ears are buzzing with euphoria. Only when the girl’s eyes roll back in their sockets do I let go. She’s empty. My work is done.
It takes me a moment to regain my focus, and when I do, I can’t find Rosie and panic. Soren yells “Duck!” and since I don’t know who he was talking to, I bend forward. The explosion happens across from me near where Rufio was standing. Dark smoke fills the hallway, only to be dissipated a second later by Jodie. I finally get a visual of Rosie fighting side by side with Renata and Toby farther down the corridor. I don’t miss the fact that her “nemesis” is trying her best to protect my sister. Maybe Rosie will finally get over her hatred.
Everyone is giving their all, but the longer we stay here, the higher the chances we’ll be overwhelmed. I’m su
re Neo God reinforcements are coming.
No sooner does the thought enter my mind than I sense evil approaching. I turn toward the menacing presence while my entire body locks into aggressive mode. Jonathan Kent is here, looking smug as shit with a victorious grin on his odious face. He thinks he has us pinned down. Well, he can underestimate us all he wants.
I take a step forward only to be blocked by Bryce and Rufio. Anger quickly bubbles up my throat, but then reason prevails. This is not my fight. It’s theirs. I stand back and let them deal with their father.
“I knew brains weren’t your forte, but I confess you coming to Gifted Academy shows a new level of stupidity from you two.”
Bryce lets out a battle cry and attacks. His energy blast hits Jonathan’s chest and fizzles into nothing. The son of a bitch is wearing a protective vest.
“Nice try.” He smiles.
The awful screech of metal bending catches my attention. The lockers lining the hallway are twisting out of shape, turning into clumps of distorted steel. Rosie and Renata scream as they’re trapped by the deadly shapes.
“No!” I leap in their direction, ready to pry them loose with my bare hands, but Renata breaks free first and is already helping Rosie.
My ears pick up the sound of a blade cutting through air. I turn just in time to freeze a piece of sharp metal that Jonathan sent my way. More shouts echo in the hallway, coming from behind the man. We’re seriously outnumbered here, so the only way out is to find the portal-key to Starlight Island.
Jodie pushes Bryce and Rufio out of her way, bracing to deal with her husband herself. “Go! I’ve got this.”
The man laughs. “Really, Jodie. You’re going to play the martyr now? Do you think that will buy your sons’ love and respect?”
Without breaking eye contact with Jonathan, she yells again. “I said go, damn it!”
It’s clear that neither Bryce nor Rufio intend to obey, but when my gaze drops to her hand, I understand then what Jodie plans to do. Phoenix, who is now next to me, has his eyes trained exactly where mine were a second ago. We look at each other, and then, without words, we know what to do.
Using telekinesis, he sends Bryce and Rufio back all the way to the principal’s office corridor. I urge everyone on our team to follow them, freezing our opponents to the best of my ability. My trick only works on those who aren’t wearing protective vests. Unfortunately, the Neo God presently fighting with Xavier is a massive albino who is unaffected. Xavier has a lightning-glass dagger in his hand, but the man is able to easily avoid his attacks.
I spare one fleeting glance in Rosie’s direction to make sure she’s out of the fray before I zoom around the man and fling two throwing stars at his ankles. He lets out a roar, arching his back. Instead of using the moment of distraction to stab his opponent, Xavier kicks him in the nuts, bringing him to his knees. Then, with chilling precision, he slashes the man’s throat. I guess that’s his MO.
Wordlessly, he grabs my arm, and together we run to where our group has gathered. I notice Soren is the only one left on his team. Damn it.
“Everyone to the office!” I yell.
Rosie, Toby, and Renata run ahead with me close behind. Toby skids to a halt as we near the office’s door, holding his arms wide. “Wait!”
His warning is too late for Renata, who, thanks to the momentum, crosses through the threshold without pause. A loud gasp follows, which twists my stomach into knots. Something awful has happened. I mince forward slowly, letting my awareness expand. Renata is on the floor, clutching her middle. Standing before her with a bloodied lightning-glass knife in her hand is Bethany Walkers, Jodie’s former assistant.
“No!” I kick the woman in the stomach, sending her sprawling across the reception area.
She releases her weapon, but the deranged smile doesn’t disappear from her face. “If I had known you would become the Unmaker, I’d have killed you the moment you stepped foot in here.”
Bryce walks in, his body crackling with barely contained rage. “You’d have been struck down if you had tried. But don’t worry, I can take care of that now.”
A bolt of white energy whooshes from Bryce’s outstretched hand, hitting Bethany in the middle of her chest. She cries out for a moment, but her agonized moans fade into nothing as her body fries to a crisp. I’ve never seen Bryce unleash that kind of deadly power before.
The entire building shakes on its foundation when the grenade in Jodie’s hand detonates. Bryce looks over his shoulder, shock etched on his face.
“Mom,” he murmurs.
I step closer and touch his cheek. “I’m sorry, babe.”
He peers into my eyes. “I can’t believe she did that.”
“Come on, kids. Don’t let her sacrifice be in vain,” Xavier urges us.
I lace my hand with Bryce’s and steer us into the principal’s office. Immediately, I seek out Rufio. His gaze is downcast, and his shoulders are hunched forward. I can’t begin to imagine what he must be feeling right now.
“Does anyone know what the portal-key looks like?” Phoenix asks, drawing my attention to him.
“No,” Rufio replies.
“It must give off some kind of energy,” Soren replies.
“What about Renata? She’s been stabbed by lightning-glass,” Rosie says.
“Don’t worry about me,” the girl replies weakly.
Bryce starts to go to her, but Phoenix stops him. “You can’t do it, Bryce. We need you on the island.”
“I can’t simply let her die,” he argues.
“It wouldn’t work, son,” Xavier interrupts. “Only the antidote against its poison will help Renata now.”
I doubt there’s any at Starlight Island, which means the girl is doomed. It’s clearly the conclusion everyone in the room has come to judging by their grim expressions.
“We need to find the portal-key.” Mrs. Malek veers for the big desk and begins to look inside drawers. But an object on it catches my attention. It’s the pyramid-shaped paperweight I threw at Phoenix on the day he cornered me here. It drew blood.
Son of a bitch.
No ordinary object would have been able to hurt him like that unless it was made out of lightning-glass… or something else god-made.
I run to the desk and take the object in my hand. A small light flickers inside as a low vibration sends tingles up my arm.
“I think I found it,” I say.
41
Daisy
The portal-key took us to the idyllic beach of Starlight Island in the blink of an eye. When I touched the object, I knew exactly what I had to do to open the portal. Maybe it unlocked a memory from Magia. Anyone connected to the portal-key—even indirectly—would be transported to the island.
The place looks exactly as it did in my dream. This is where Morpheus was as well, when I invaded his memories by accident. Warm waves lap at my ankles, and a soft summer breeze caresses my skin. Despite the picturesque beauty, there’s something awfully wrong in the atmosphere. A wicked presence humming underneath the white sand.
I take stock of our group, noticing with relief that everyone made the trip. Renata doesn’t look great though. Mrs. Malek is offering her support since the girl can’t even stand upright on her own anymore. The bloodstain on her shirt has already changed to dark brown, almost black. I’m not sure if at this point the antidote can help her.
I catch Bryce looking in her direction too, which makes my anguish grow. I wonder if what Xavier said about the antidote being the only thing that could help Renata is true. If Bryce can bring me back from certain death, then surely he could heal Renata. But if he does that, he’ll be too weak to fight against Chaos.
I bite my lower lip, deciding to keep my suspicions to myself. The guilt over Renata’s death—if that comes to pass—I’ll carry alone.
“What now?” Soren asks.
“We look for Morpheus,” I say.
Phoenix stares hard in the direction of the jungle. It looks unwelcoming even under
the bright sunlight. Ironic that Chaos’s prison would be in such a beautiful place.
Rosie ambles forward. “Oh my God. This is just like the legends said. This is indeed paradise.”
“What are you talking about?” Toby glances at the wall of verdant but oppressive trees and then back at her. “You think an ominous jungle is paradise?”
“What jungle?” Her forehead crinkles.
Apprehension runs down my spine. I trade a worried glance with the guys and then move next to Rosie. “What can you see?”
“She must be looking at the village. When Erebus brought me here, that was the view from the beach,” Mrs. Malek explains.
“But why is Rosie seeing the village whereas we’re all seeing the jungle?” Rufio asks.
“Wait. Something is happening.” Toby points at the distance.
Like magic, the jungle shimmers and then fades away, allowing me to see the village too. “What in the world?”
“We should go there. Maybe they’ll have an antidote for Renata.” Rosie walks ahead without pause.
“No! Nobody move,” Bryce interjects. “It’s probably a trap.”
“I’ve been to the village. It does exist,” Mrs. Malek tells us.
“Well, the jungle is gone. We only have two options. Stay here and wait for Chaos to find us, or head to the village and try to find Morpheus,” I say.
Rufio shakes his head. “Morpheus won’t be in the village, Daisy.”
“Well, he has to be somewhere!” I snap.
In my distraction, I can’t stop Rosie from sprinting ahead. She’s almost at the edge of the village. How the fuck did she get there so fast?
“Rosie! Wait up.” Toby scrambles to follow her.
I try to follow too, but it feels like I’m walking through quicksand in slow motion. I can’t get traction. Everyone else seems to be suffering from the same problem.
The village vanishes again, and the jungle takes its place. The tops of the trees begin to sway as if something large is making its way through. Rosie is on a collision path with it.
Raising my arm, I try to freeze her, but she keeps running without pause.
Broken Knights: A Paranormal High School Bully Romance (Gifted Academy Book 4) Page 27
