Atlantis Academy: The First Element

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

"She could have died," a man says in a low voice.

"But she didn't," a woman replies.

"I would have stopped her."

The woman sniffs. "I highly doubt that."

Is my clock radio going off? I hate radio hosts. They all have the same exact annoying personality type.

Shut up and play a damn song already.

"Guess you screwed up the binding spell." The man's goading the woman now.

"Ugh. Bite me, Ethan. She broke through the Cerberus cuffs too. Don't blame this on my impeccable spellwork."

"I'm just saying, Chloe, if I was there—"

"But you weren't," she snaps. "You were too busy being oblivious."

"I didn't know Dubois was going to show up again!"

"You were parked behind the buses! How could you miss a team of agents storming the school?"

"I was... Well, I was busy."

"Oh, yeah, real busy. I saw you get on your tablet when I left. How was the latest episode of Werewolf Chronicles, by the way?"

"It's a great show." Ethan's voice rises defensively. "If I didn't know better, I'd swear they had Shifters in the writing room."

"Whatever."

"All I'm saying is, if your binding sigil had been better, she wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Hmm." Chloe says. "You know, you're starting to sound like you actually care about Lyric."

"No." Ethan scoffs. "I... Well. Maybe. She's our responsibility. That's all."

"Riiiight."

I'm smiling into my pillow now, listening to Chloe and Ethan argue like an old married couple.

Yeah, they're annoying. But their voices are the best sound I've ever heard.

Because it means I'm still alive somehow.

And they are too, which proves maybe I didn't Aether-bomb everyone.

Unless we're all in the afterlife.

I roll over, cracking my eyes open.

Bright fluorescent lights blind me.

"She's awake!" Chloe says. "Hit the button."

"What button?"

"That one! God, Ethan, they said to hit that button when she wakes up. Don't you ever listen?"

My eyes adjust to the light, and I sit up, blinking and looking around.

I'm in a bed with white sheets, wearing a hospital gown, and there's an IV stuck in the crook of my elbow. Ick.