The Kingdom Journals Complete Series Box Set

by Tricia Copeland

  “So, are you going to the party tonight?” he asked in the hall.

  “Yeah, Sophie and I are going.”

  “Cool, hey, are we okay after yesterday? My brain was off.” He pointed to his head.

  “Course.” I smiled at him as we entered the gym. Seeing Hannah setting up, I joined her.

  Our squad warmed up as students started pouring into the bleachers. At Cal High our pep rallies had been outside, so the noise didn’t reach such a deafening level. With the concrete walls and hardwood floor, my head pounded from the echoes of multiple conversations.

  “You okay?” Sophie asked.

  “Yeah, I’ll be right back.”

  I slipped through the crowd to the locker room. Finding a set of ear plugs in my bag, I hurried back to the gym.

  “Where were you? We’re about to start,” Hannah said as I took my place beside her.

  “I forgot something.” I waved at Sophie across from me.

  “What are you wearing?” She grabbed my shoulders and looked in each ear.

  Heart rate rising, I forced cool breaths in and out of my lungs. “They’re ear plugs. They’re white. You can barely notice them.”

  “Can you get any weirder?” She released me.

  I put my wrist to my nose, sucking in the calming oil’s scent. A whistle blew, and the football players started running between our lines.

  “Ready?” Hannah called and laced her fingers together at about my knee level.

  “Ready,” I called and heard in unison from the flyers. Fitting a foot in Hannah’s and Melody’s cupped hands, I balanced my rigid body as they lifted me to their shoulders. The smell of fear reached my nose two seconds later, and I scanned the area, searching for the source. Seeing Sophie falling, I tugged my feet from Hannah’s and Melody’s fingers and flipped up over the incoming players. Squatting on the floor, I caught Sophie seconds before she hit.

  I lifted Sophie to her feet, praying a video camera hadn’t been recording us.

  “Are you okay?” I asked as she steadied herself.

  “Yeah. How did you get here?” Her eyes darted to me, then to Katie and Micaela, and finally across to Hannah and Melody. The football player who bumped into them stood wide-eyed, staring at me.

  “I don’t know. I saw you going down, and I reacted.”

  Hannah and Melody surrounded me. “What the heck was that?” Hannah demanded.

  “Sophie was going to get really hurt if she fell on this floor.”

  “But you flipped up over those guys.” Melody’s eyes traced up and back to me.

  “Yeah, I guess. You guys had a rigid stance, so I was able to get a good jump.”

  One of the coaches approached us. “Everything okay, girls?”

  “Sure, it was a close one. But you’re good, right Sophie?” I pulled her to her feet.

  “Yeah.” Blinking, she focused on me.

  I spun to Hannah and Melody. “Come on guys. We’ve got a show.” I retrieved my pom poms and jogged after the players, jumping and performing an aerial. Having been frozen in their spots for a second, the squad followed me to the center of the gym.

  Sophie’s face had taken on an ashen hue, and I squeezed her hand. “You’re okay, right? Here, take a whiff of the oils on your wrist.”

  She nodded and took a few deep breaths. I rubbed my palms up and down her arms, and her color returned.

  “I still don’t—”

  I whispered in her ear. “We’ve got to nail this cheer.”

  She faced the crowd and raised her chin. After the opening cheer, the squad huddled beside the wall, listening to the coach introduce the football players.

  “Hey, we’re doing the dance instead of the stunt,” Hannah whispered in my ear. “Pass it down.”

  I gave Sophie the instructions and we ran to the middle of the gym. With a clear space for our routines, the rest of our performance proceeded without any more glitches. When the students were excused to return to class, I walked as fast as I could to retrieve my bag before the others caught up with me. I couldn’t be sure how high I’d jumped to get to Sophie, or how the others perceived it, but the longer amount of time that passed, the hazier their memory would be. By lunch I might be able to use my vampire suggestion powers to re-create what they recalled. Perhaps I could make them think I’d jumped from my position and run to catch Sophie.

  Mother wouldn’t have wanted me to catch Sophie if it meant risking being exposed as super human. I thought this as I jumped. But the smell of Sophie’s fear overpowered me, and I couldn’t stand by and watch her hit the floor.

  “Oh my goodness, Alena.” Sophie jogged up to me as I approached the exit. “You saved me from hitting the floor.”

  “You’re okay, right? I saw that guy stumble into Katie and knew you were going down.” At least Sophie hadn’t seen me scramble to catch her.

  “Yeah, I’m totally fine. I have no clue how you caught me so fast.”

  Hannah, Melody, Katie, and Micaela came through the door and stopped behind Sophie.

  “What did you do out there?” Hannah insisted.

  “I don’t know. It happened so fast. I didn’t think. You guys are okay, right? I didn’t hurt you, did I?

  “No, it was like one second you were there, and the next you were in the air.”

  “You were like a super acrobat,” Melody said.

  I tugged my ponytail tight. “I’ve taken gymnastics since I was three. It was instinct.”

  “No, you were so fast. One second I saw you above the guys, and then you were under Sophie.”

  I took a couple of sideways steps to the door. “Like I said, I’m in the gym twice a week, so”—I cut my eyes to the exit—“we should probably get to class.”

  “I hope someone got it on video,” Hannah said. “I know what I saw.”

  Of course, Hannah and Melody would be the ones to witness my stunt. It was karma getting back at me for bending fate. I looked to the ground and then back up at them, pretending to be embarrassed. “I’m going to class, guys.” I turned to walk away.

  Someone caught my arm. I almost snatched it away but caught Sophie’s scent behind me. “Thank you for catching me,” she whispered.

  “Of course, come on.” I pushed the door open and proceeded towards the exit.

  “My class is that way.” Sophie took a step in the other direction.

  “Oh, okay, I’ll see you after school.”

  Realizing Hannah and Melody might not be the only people to think I did something out of the ordinary, I ducked in the restroom to message Orm.

  I might have a problem.

  What’s going on?

  May have gone too far in saving Sophie from hitting the gym floor.

  How bad?

  Not sure yet. Hannah and Melody at least, but the whole student body was in the gym.

  I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.

  The other students were already seated when I reached the classroom, and I slid in behind Nick. As soon as the teacher finished the lesson, Nick spun to me. “The guys said you did some kind of super-fast flip to catch Sophie.”

  “Yeah, I don’t know what happened. I saw her going down and acted on instinct. I’ve taken gymnastics since I was two so…” I twirled my finger through my ponytail.

  “I wish I’d seen it.”

  “Do you get this?” I pointed to a math problem, trying to change the topic.

  “Hey.” The guy behind me tapped me on the shoulder. “You’re the cheerleader that did that flip. That was super cool.”

  “Sophie almost got really hurt. It was good that I was able to catch her.”

  Hearing fingers tapping on multiple screens, I scanned the room. A boy near the other wall crossed over to us. “Hey, my friend got a video.” He held his phone out to me.

  Looking at the screen, my stomach turned. Play the part, I reminded myself. “It’s so blurry. You can’t even see me.”

  “That’s what I mean, you were there, and then you weren’t. Everyt
hing else in the image is clear. They’re already calling you Flash.”

  “What is this on?” I asked.

  “What do you mean? It’s been over half an hour. It’s everywhere.”

  I looked to Nick, whose eyes were glued to the screen. Hannah and Melody were the least of my worries. If Mother got a hold of this, she would never let me out of her sight.

  An aide walked into the classroom and handed the teacher a note.

  “Alena. The nurse wants to see you.”

  “Thanks.” I grabbed my bag and made my way to the medical office.

  “Alena, your grandfather is here for you.”

  “Thanks.” I turned to see Orm sitting on the bench.

  I followed him out to the black SUV where Elizabeth sat in the front passenger’s seat. “Well, this is quite a pickle.”

  “You don’t have to tell me that.”

  Orm spun to face me. “How bad is it?”

  “The video is viral. They’re calling me Flash.”

  “Your mother is distracted with the murder case. I think I can get a techie on erasing the video.”

  “Wow, Orm, I’m proud of you.”

  “Are there any real witnesses?” he asked.

  “Yes, Hannah and Melody. They’re going to need more than my vampire-suggestion powers.”

  “Okay, crash course in memory editing it is then.”

  “I get to learn thought control?” I scooted forward in my seat.

  “Think of it as a memory enhancer.”

  “Don’t sugarcoat it,” Elizabeth said to him. “I’m only here as a test subject, and I know it.”

  Orm instructed me to think of something Elizabeth didn’t like and reasons she should. My cheer uniform came to mind, and I focused on Elizabeth and thought of all the ways the costume served its purpose: I couldn’t kick high or do splits without a short skirt, the tight shorts underneath were less revealing than a leotard, if it were a one piece I couldn’t do my flips.

  Her eyes scanned from my legs to my shoulders. “I really see how the cheer uniform serves its purpose. I wouldn’t want you out there in a leotard.”

  “I did it.” I squealed.

  “Okay, what was your thought process?” Orm asked.

  I explained my reasoning, and he asked how I might convince Hannah and Melody my stunt was just that, not super speedy or super high, merely a flip in the air.

  “They have to believe it was their thought process that brought them to those conclusions,” Orm said.

  “Can someone undo my positive opinion on Alena’s cheer outfit?”

  “Woman.” Orm scolded Elizabeth.

  “I’m trying to make light of a tense situation.” She defended her comment.

  “Practice on her again. Something harder.”

  Thinking of her style of dress, I forced pictures of fashion-forward women into her mind.

  “Now, Alena, I like my clothes. They’re who I am. Please don’t take them from me.”

  “Fine.” I slouched back in the seat.

  “I think you’ll do fine with Hannah and Melody. Do you see them soon?” Orm asked.

  “At lunch.”

  “Okay, well, good luck.”

  I reached for the door handle. “And you’ll get a techie you can trust?”

  “I’ll erase his memory once he does the work.”

  “Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it. Mother would—”

  “It’s okay dear.” Elizabeth cupped her hand to my cheek. “Sophie is okay?”

  “Yeah, she was a little shaken up, but there’s not a scratch on her.”

  I walked back into school and signed in. The bell for third period rang, so I made my way to European literature.

  Pretending to be absorbed in my book, I listened to all the conversations. The video seemed to be the hot topic, and I felt eyes aimed at me as the students talked in hushed tones. Ganby’s scent hit my nose before his act started.

  Clap, clap, clap. The sound echoed through the room. “Well, if it isn’t the hero cheerleader.” He stopped in front of me. “Where did that come from? So, you’re potentially smart, you can do stunts like a mad woman, you are hot, obviously…”

  My face flushed, and I gripped my desk, fighting the urge to deck him and run.

  “What else you got?” He squatted down so we were eye to eye.

  Thoughts barraged my brain. Did I mind-control him to be nice? Even with my crash course, I knew it would be against protocol. Like all my powers, the tool should be saved for extenuating circumstances.

  “Are you frozen?” he asked.

  “Yeah, that was crazy, wasn’t it?” I looped a finger through my ponytail.

  “So you got nothing else? I mean, that unicorn shirt you wore yesterday may have said it all. Maybe you’re a vampire or a witch.” He leaned into me so our eyes were inches apart.

  His stench had my nose crinkling up, but I steeled my gaze on his. “Wow, Ganby, you figured me out. Witches are real, and I have a pet unicorn at home.”

  Chuckling sounds came from various places around the room, and I mentally added a point to my board.

  “Fine.” He stood and walked away.

  My eyes scanned the room, and each student diverted their gaze as mine landed on them.

  Annabelle appeared beside me. “What’s going on?” She spun in a circle.

  “Ganby accused me of being a witch.”

  “I would say a super hero is more like it.” She took her seat in front of me. “That was some move in the gym.”

  “Yeah, thanks, I’m glad Sophie is okay.”

  “Okay students, it’s been a bit of crazy day, even for a Friday.” The teacher’s eyes locked on mine for a second. “I know we have this amazing viral video, but let’s focus on literature, shall we?”

  After the class, I made my way to physics, listening to all the chatter in the hall. I doubted Orm could get it off the original phone that recorded it, but I prayed he could get it off the internet.

  “Hey, where’d it go?” I looked up to see a student tapping his screen. “I was just looking at it.”

  A smile spread across my face. Thank you, Orm, I thought. In class, I took my seat behind Nick who spun to face me. “So, you’re the hot topic.”

  “Yeah, I guess. It scares me to think how close Sophie came to really getting hurt. We’ll have to rethink what stunts we’re doing when you guys are running into the gym.”

  “Agreed on that.” His eyes cut to the instructor as she came into class.

  After class, Nick and I walked to the tables the cheer squad and football team had claimed. Seeing Melody and Hannah, I slid myself onto the bench beside Melody.

  “Still hanging out with Nick, I see.” Melody popped a carrot into her mouth.

  “What do you want me to do? We have three classes together.”

  “She’s just jealous,” Hannah said over her friend.

  I would have encouraged Melody to go sit with him, but I needed both her and Hannah near me.

  “Hey, did you hear your video like magically disappeared?” Hannah asked.

  “Really? I barely got a chance to look at it.”

  “That Ganby kid is spreading rumors that you’re a witch or something. Idiot craves attention.” She rolled her eyes. “I still don’t see how you pulled it off. I mean, you were moving through the air so fast.”

  “Really, I don’t know. It’s all a blur to me.”

  “Yeah, it was way faster than I’ve ever seen you do a flip.” Melody dipped a carrot in her ranch dressing.

  I pulled out my nuts, pretending to eat them while focusing on Melody. Alena is a gymnast. She’s been taking gymnastics since age three. She’s so strong and good at flips she could jump over heads like jumping off a high podium, sort of like diving. Maybe she’s a diver too. The thoughts came to me as a string of consciousness, but they made sense in the end.

  “Have you ever taken diving?” Melody asked, setting down the carrot almost at her lips.

  �
�Some, in elementary school.” It wasn’t a complete lie. I had taken swimming lessons, and we’d learned some basic dives.

  “Your flip looked sort of like a dive.”

  “That’s cool,” I said, thinking score one for Alena and thought control.

  “I guess it was sort of like that. She did push off my hand when she took off.” Hannah put in.

  I breathed a sigh of relief, grateful the two were so close. Hannah needed to stay on board with the story, so I concentrated on her face. I repeated the same thoughts as with Melody.

  “Well, it was lucky for Sophie, I guess,” Hannah said. “But, I don’t want to see those freaky white ear plugs again. If you have to wear them, find some that match your skin color. You’re so white that I’m surprised the white ones didn’t match. How a person is out in the sun all summer and doesn’t tan, I have no clue.”

  “My mom is really picky about sunscreen.” I slathered the stuff on four times a day all summer to keep up the ruse. To the touch, my skin felt soft and supple, but it was more like that of a snake than human. Full vampires had an even tougher outer covering, with soft leathery skin, perfect for protection from environmental elements like the sun.

  “Yeah, you said that before.”

  “Hey, Melody, you should go talk to Nick. He said he’s coming to the party tonight.” I distracted them with the change in conversation.

  “You’re right.” She stood up. “He’s cute. I’m cute.”

  “You’re more than cute, Melody.” I meant to compliment her on some other feature, but as all they talked about was fashion and boys, I came up empty.

  “Thanks.” She stood up and crossed to the other table and tapped Nick on the shoulder.

  “I hope you’re not trying to wriggle your way into our circle further, whitey.” Hannah looked down her nose at me. “This”—she spun her finger between herself, Kate, Micaela, and Melody—“is six years in the making. Just because Sophie accepted you, doesn’t mean you’re in.”

  “I just want to cheer, Hannah.” I stuffed my nuts in my backpack and walked away. Like I wanted to be in her circle anyway. How immature!

  Making my way into the stairwell, I slipped Orm’s book from my bag. Focusing on him, I saw his body seated beside one of Mother’s tech guys.