The Protector

Chapter 23

The moment I woke up I knew today was going to be awful.

The loud sirens within the academy blared loudly in my ears, chaos erupted in the halls as I heard the other students shout in panic as I rose from my bed.

What the hell is going on?

I look to Rachel and see her covering her ears as she mouthed 'what's going on?' over the loudness of the emergency siren, which is still blasting loudly in the air, so loud that it hurt my ears.

Then suddenly, it stopped, and all I could hear was the panic of the voices of the other students outside my door.

Opening my front door, I look at everyone else who is wondering what the hell is going on right now, just as I was to ask my neighbor what's going on, a creak in the announcement speakers makes everyone wince as it rings through the air.

"Attention all students." 

"As of now, the academy is closed... you're all going home, stay in your rooms until further notice."

Rhy's voice rings in the air as we all freeze with what we had just heard, and when the line gets cut and the speakers grow silent, angry voices erupt within the halls.

"CLOSED?" An angry shaky voice huffs out. "What does he mean closed?"

"They can't just close the school... right?" A girl I recognize from my sparring class.

"Hayden, what does this mean?" Rachel asks as she puts her hand on my shoulder, worry in her eyes.

I close our bedroom door and rush over to my bedside table and get my phone from where I had hidden it, ignoring Rachels's look of surprise I dial my dad's phone and wait for him to pick up as the students grow louder in the corridor.

The line goes through after the sixth ring, and I then hear my dad's voice.

"Hayden?" 

"Dad, what's going on, we were just told the Academy-"

"Hayden? this fucking phone- wait one moment-" Then the line goes quiet as I stare at my phone.

The next thing I know, I hear my mother's voice.

"Hayden, protection is on the way, you need to come home this instant, we'll explain everything once you're here, don't leave your room, promise me." She said, her voice wavy but never faltering from her strong confident tone.

"Leave- what, what's going on, tell me now." I tried to ask, but the line goes dead just as the door to my room bangs open.

I end the call and stare at Nohr, breathing heavily with wild eyes, with a bloodied weapon held in his hands and blood stains on his armored shirt, looking like a man who had just fought his way out of hell.

"Nohr? What-"

He walked over to me and grabbed my hand, his eyes trained on the door as he stands protectively over me, he looked silently calm despite the fire in his eyes, like any moment something was going to pop out and attack us.

"Get your shoes on, we're under attack." That is all he said before he closed the door to mine and Rachels's room as he stood guard.