It's near noon by the time I arrive at the school; 12:35 p.m. to be exact, and it's Thursday, the day that should be the day of the attack. I'm early. It's still standing and relief spreads through me in thinking that I still have a chance, a chance to save Henri's life.
There're students outside the main entrance, chatting, eating, gossiping, watching, and hitting on—if I had to guess—their crushes. It's not so different than my high school so far. They're all like me: human and normal. Immature, goofy, nerdy, or an odd combination of all three. Except that none of them know the reality of what's about to happen.
I don't see any Mogadorians. Not yet anyway. But I know based on Marina's story: Just because I don't see them doesn't mean they aren't there. They could be lurking around now. I head to an oak tree to sit down. Pixie circles around me before curling up at my feet.
If I can find John Smith before the school hours are over, I might be able to warn them about tonight. I have no idea where their home is, and I don't want to get lost. I need to stay focused. I'll wait for him to show up first and hope that I can get to them before anything else.
Hours pass. From watching the students slowly file back in, to them rapidly piling out, it's been a boring wait. It's been quiet; no signs of Mogadorians during that wait. No sign of John Smith or Henri either. I keep a keen eye on the crowd though, refusing to give up just yet.
He's not here. You faked it, Emily. You wanted it to be real so bad that you faked it. All of this is in your head.
No, that can't be. It doesn't explain why everyone's talking about it! It must be real; it must be! Then I remember: Shit, the principal!
I hurry to the front entrance as a red pickup truck speeds to the drop-off zone, coming to a screeching stop. An old man with greying hair rushes out just several feet ahead of me, but before he or I even reach the doors, there's a sound of breaking glass.
A boy with blond hair leaps through one of the windows. "Hey!" a voice shouts, a man's. "We aren't finished here!"
That must be the principal, which means... that... that must be John Smith, bolting away, his hair bending and swaying with the wind. I barely have time to react. "John! Stop!" But he doesn't even turn around. He keeps sprinting, and by the looks of it, it seems to be around 100 km/hr. He'll be home within minutes. There's no way I'll catch up to him. Darting into the forest, he's quickly out of sight, and the old man races back to the truck to drive after him, leaving me in front of the empty building in the dimming light of a grey sky.
Great. Now what do I do?
I look around, hoping something will give me a clue. Then, in the distance up the access road, I catch a glimpse of an eighteen-wheeler, approaching faster than I would like. It pulls into the parking lot, and as it nears, the driver's window slides down. Inside is a ghost of a man staring back at me. Pixie growls an alien growl I've never heard before. Even in the little light, I still see how dark his eyes are and the sharpness of his teeth.
Panic returns, and I backpedal into the school. It's empty inside now, free of staff and students. Most students.
Sarah. She must be here still, and the janitor. I'm not alone. Fifty steps—that should be where Sarah Hart is—in the photography darkroom. Fifty steps away from the main entrance, the same room he hid in when his Lumen first appeared. Right there.
I look through the hazy window, but it's dark beyond the misty glass. I can't see anything through it except small hints to red light. I don't bother knocking; I open the door and walk in, and with the little light from outside, I see her. "Sarah?"
"Who are you?" she jumps.
"My name's Emily," I answer. "You don't know me, but I know you."
"How?" She's clearly confused and perhaps even unsettled. But before I can reassure her, we both hear it: heavy doors slamming shut. I look out to see the vague shapes of gaunt men in dark coats by the front doors. I count six. Sarah Hart nears over to sneak a peek, but I back away, keeping an arm out beside me to keep her from getting too close. "What's going on? Who are they?"
"I don't think there's time to explain," I say. "We have to get out of the school."
And before I shut the door to give myself time to think, I hear one of the six speak: "Find the boy."
YOU ARE READING
A Hero in the Dark: 2nd Edition
FanfictionTHE EVENTS IN THIS STORY ARE REAL. NAMES AND PLACES HAVE BEEN CHANGED TO PROTECT THE LORIEN. WHO REMAIN IN HIDING UNTIL THE TIME IS RIGHT. - SHE HAS DEVELOPED POWERS. SHE CAN FIGHT BACK. SHE CAN HELP YOU SAVE THE WORLD, BUT SHE MUST CHOOSE A SI...
