Shielded: A Valkyrie Saga Book 1

Wave of Drama - Chapter 21

I did not see this coming. 

On one side it would be great for Oakland. We would get resources, attention, and political standing. 

On the other side, this was the beginning of the end of our time with Ray.

--Elijah

The next morning I presented Amy with the white paper pastry bag containing the cinnamon roll I had made sure to grab before we left Polly's last night. She jumped up and down and let out her signature squeal and Jack looked me over with a worried look. 

"You just disappeared yesterday. I couldn't find you at lunch or after school," Jack accused and I felt like shit for not remembering to at least text him. I was still not used to having a phone and it had completely slipped my mind.

"Shit, Jack. I am so sorry. Something came up in the middle of the day that I had to deal with and then I got a ride from Max over to Polly's after school," I told him.

"What came up?" Jack asked with a hard edge to his voice and I hesitated. I couldn't tell him that I stepped between two partially shifted wolves and stopped a major fight that ended up in a tribunal. But I didn't want to lie to him either. I always knew when people lied to me. Because of that, I felt like I had a responsibility to always tell people the truth. Especially people that mattered, and Jack mattered.

"I can't tell you," I finally said in a small voice. Jack clenched his jaw and looked over my head for a moment before responding.

"Max and the Berg Twins disappeared too. Were you with them?"

"Yes," I told him truthfully.

"But you can't tell me what you were doing or what was so important that you ditched half of your classes?" Jack said and I could hear the hurt in his voice. I couldn't find it in me to deny him out loud again, so I just shook my head. "Fuck, Ray. I know I told you to make new friends, but I am worried about you. Is it drugs?"

I frowned and reached out to touch his arm so that he would look at me. "Do you really think that I would get involved with something like that?" I asked because I was kind of hurt that he would even consider such a thing. I had slept out on the streets. I knew what drugs could do to a person.

"The Ray I know wouldn't. But the Ray I know doesn't ditch classes or keep secrets from me either," Jack said and then pulled away from my touch. He stood stiffly waiting for the bus and I had no idea how to fix this. My life was spinning out of control and I didn't know how to make it stop. How to get back to the simple days where the only person I talked to was Jack. I couldn't just walk away from the Three Musketeers, because no matter how much I wanted to be normal, I was a Valkyrie. I couldn't change that fact and I was done trying to ignore it. 

But I didn't think I could give up Jack and Amy either.

Jack continued to ignore me on the bus and I cloaked myself so that no one tried to talk to me. If my best friend wouldn't talk to me then I didn't want to talk to anyone else. When we arrived at the school Jack jumped up and hurried off the bus, obviously implying that he didn't want to eat breakfast with me this morning. I let everyone else get off the bus, before I walked down the aisle and into the bustling crowd of students lingering outside. I spotted both twins waiting for me and even though I was in a rotten mood, I couldn't just blow them off too.

I kept myself cloaked as I walked through the throngs of people and was surprised to see one of the most beautiful men I have ever laid eyes on, walk up behind the twins and sling an arm over each of their shoulders. He was tall with flawless golden tan skin and hair the color of yellow straw. He was toned but not overtly bulky and was wearing some very expensive brand name clothes.