Terror

Chapter Eight

Back at camp, Jade felt her heart racing uncontrollably. That wasn't normal; it stemmed from fear and of someone else.

She crouched down in front of Esme, who lay unconscious on the ground. Her body was heavily covered in bandages. Nearby, Hanna was kneeling, her gaze flickering between the Esme and Angel.

Angel's arm was wrapped in bandages, but they were already soaked through, dark with blood.

"Emma's back!" Talia came rushing over.

Jade turned her head to see Emma approaching with wide eyes as she stared down at the scene in front of her. She crouched down beside Esme, her lips pressed tightly together as if she was suppressing vomit.

Esme's eyes fluttered open."Try not to vomit a lot," she said, sticking up her thumb.

Emma's face had gone pale green as she unsteadily for Esme's cheek, then pulled her hand back.

"Here's a bucket," Hanna said, handing her a bucket.

Jade didn't want to stay, but her eyes kept flickering to Esme anyway.

"Um, can you guys just leave me with them?" Emma murmured, staring down at the grass. It was taking her a lot to not vomit.

Jade glanced at Esme before turning with a nod. Camp was already chaotic, people running in every direction, forming and breaking groups without warning.

Jade walked through camp, her eyes scanning the tents and RVs. People still whispered who it the strange pink sky and the inexplicable cessation of the fire in Simcoe. No one had answers; only vague theories circulated.

Something had changed, and Jade couldn't shake the feeling traced back to Scarlett's mutant kid.

Her job here was considered an outer guard, alongside Oscar and Conner. The boy had returned, but his mood remained grumpy as usual. She didn't have to talk to either of them unless they saw some sign of Ashley or followers.

Conner approached her with his arms folded. "Do we still have to guard around here?" he asked.

Jade shrugged. "Is that all?" she asked, seeing him still standing in front of her.

"I have to ask you something," he started, walking away as she followed him inside a small tent as they stood away from each other. "You like girls, right?"

"If you want dating advice, ask someone else," Jade said dryly.

Her experience with relationships wasn't exactly a shining success. At Uden Academy, her teammates had been supportive, but that didn't change the fact she'd only crushed on three straight girls.

"I can't; that's the thing," Conner spat. "When you figured out you liked girls, did you feel weird?"

"Yes," she replied.

Conner's question at dug Jade had buried.

At twelve, she'd felt that same rush of confusion, liking a girl on her volleyball team and not knowing why. When she told her parents, their shock was sharp and cold. Her mother's voice filled with disbelief and her father shaking his head.

The next day, a brochure for Uden Academy lay on the table, the words fixing problematic children staring back at her.

Jade had lived in Ottawa all her life, but she had heard of Uden Academy from social media. It was a place known for smart kids or to get rid of their children.

Her mother had pestered her, saying, "We can't have you jeopardizing your father's position."

Her father was her volleyball coach and a respected teacher at the University of Ottawa. His reputation was everything to them, and her mother feared that if they found out about Jade's sexuality, they might terminate his position.