Chapter 6
Killian walked out into the hot Florida air, letting the door slam shut behind him. The small bell on the handle jiggled like a bad omen and some paint chips fell off the door frame. He didn't stop to say anything to Hayden as the jinn watched him from where Nora tapped away on her laptop.
"Killian," Hayden called out.
"Not now," Killian didn't turn.
"Killian, listen to -"
"What Hayden?" Killian snapped. "What is it? What are you going to say? We'll find her soon? Everything will be okay?"
Nora's hands paused over her keyboard. She looked up and used her palm to push her glasses back in their place. Her eyes moved to Hayden as he lowered his hand and let out a small sigh.
"It's been two days," Killian said. "She's been gone for two days and we....."
Killian's throat began to tighten. He couldn't speak as breathing became impossible. Every time he blinked, Kiara's face flashed before his eyes. His hands balled into fists, causing sharp pain to shoot up through the cuts on his knuckles.
He was terrified....terrified he would never find her again. His north star had disappeared from the sky and he was lost in the dark woods.
"We're close," Hayden said slowly. "Nora will find something."
"We're running out of time," Killian shook his head. "Every second she spends with them is too long."
"We really are close," Nora sat up. "I actually do have something."
The boys turned towards her as she rotated her laptop to show them a map of the gulf of Mexico. Killian walked up to her and peered at the screen.
"Reports of ships and sailboats disappearing in the past few years," Nora explained. "They all seem to accumulate here, here and here."
As she spoke, she used her stylus to circle three different coordinates.
"Some of the reports of ships that have found their way back speak of sudden storms," Nora pulled up the records. "This could be it. These could be the islands."
"Three of them?" Hayden asked.
"Yes," Nora nodded. "And! You'll never believe this."
Killian wished the girl would hurry it up and not drag out the information. But he knew she was doing the best she could and that was plenty.
"Just two years ago there was a huge military parade a few towns over," Nora tapped on the mouse pad and a news clipping popped up. "New naval ships were being deployed from here."
"So?" Killian asked.
"So?" Nora's eyes widened. "Look at these ships! They're not US naval ships. They have no markings. No logos. Nothing."
"You think they're from Project Skyfall," Hayden looked at the girl.
"They have to be," Nora looked down at the pictures. "This is news from a high school newspaper. No major network covered this. Something this big should have gotten more coverage."
"Unless the government is running a top secret operation," Killian said. "They wouldn't show these ships off."
"I agree," Nora nodded.
"Okay," Hayden took in a deep breath. "I'll go tell Ares and Clare. We can split up and go look at the locations."
"That's a good plan," Nora said.
