Night of the Alphas

Chapter 15

I screamed and nearly fell off the bench when something shook me awake. When I opened my eyes, however, nothing threatening was standing there. My friends were standing there, along with an unfamiliar man. He was half-lion, and he had fluffy, sandy-blond hair. His tail was the same color as his hair, except for the dark brown tip. His skin was dark, and his face was slightly wrinkled, indicating that he was probably in his forties. His wise, amber eyes looked kind, and I could tell that I could trust him.

"I'm so sorry," Charity said. "You weren't waking up, and I didn't think you would be that startled if I shook you..."

"It's fine," I told her. I turned to the man. "Who are you?"

He cleared his throat. "My name is Nigel Huskin," he said in a British accent. "I was sent here to take you to Illinois."

"Oh." I yawned. Then the realization hit me. "Oh! You are?"

He nodded, keeping a straight face. "If we leave now, we'll be there by lunchtime."

Nigel didn't have to tell me twice. I swung my bag over my shoulder and stood up. "Alright, I'm ready. Let's go!"

He led us over to a shiny, black S.U.V. Charity and Zane were gawking at the vehicle. "Oh my gosh, there must be some mistake," Charity said. "Are you sure you're picking up the right people?"

"Were you with Ryan Mcnairy?" he asked.

"Well, yeah..."

"Then you are the right kids. Come along, we don't have a moment to lose." He opened the door for us. I was a little suspicious. This is going a little too well, I thought. Something's gonna go wrong. I just know it.

Miranda grabbed my arm and pulled me into the car. "Come on, A! We don't want to be late!"

I climbed up and sat down between Miranda and Zaria. "This seems too good to be true," I muttered.

Zaria nudged me. "You don't have to be so serious. Let loose a little. We're in the final stretch! Just relax."

I buckled my seatbelt as the S.U.V. started moving. I put my bag on the floor and listened to my friends playing car games. Music blasted through the speakers. Just relax.

But what if something goes wrong? A voice in my head whispered.

Shut up, I told the voice.

You could get in a car accident. Or Nigel could find out who you really are. Or maybe you won't get home in time, and your mom will be dead already.

SHUT UP!

Or AFM could have hidden a bomb in the car. You never know. Anything could go wrong. Anything at all.

GO AWAY! I said silently to the voice. Go jump in a lake. Just leave me alone.

Zaria touched my arm, making me jump. She looked at me weird. "Gosh, you're so jumpy today. You don't look too good, either."

I gulped and rubbed my cold, clammy hands together. "I'm fine. Just anxious about getting there."

I could tell she didn't believe me. Her electric-blue eyes seemed to reflect exactly what I was feeling. But she just nodded and looked out the window. "I get it."

I picked up my backpack and started fidgeting with the zippers and straps. It made me feel better, but not completely free of fear. I said nothing the rest of the ride. All I could do was listen to my friends chatter on and on about how excited they were about "recruiting more Alphas". I was glad they remembered our cover story, because I didn't. My brain had been pretty foggy ever since my outburst the night before. I was just glad I didn't hurt anyone I loved this time. I glanced at Zane. His black eye was still present, but it had faded into an ugly greenish yellow. Charity said that this was just how bruises healed, so I wasn't concerned at all.