Touch of Sibyl

Chapter Thirty.three

Heart still racing, I staggered onto the sidewalk and huddled against the steps of the home at the end of the block. I thought about sprinting back to my Grandma's house and telling her what had happened, but there was nothing she could do. The SUV was probably long gone, and I hadn't gotten a look at the license plate.

The bus made my decision for me. Just as I'd taken a few tentative steps back to Grandma's house, the vehicle pulled up to the curb and the door opened. I bit my lip. As much as I wanted to run back to the safety of Grandma's house, I didn't want to be late for my shift at the library either. Nickimedes already watched me like a hawk. I didn't want him to know the real reason I was late all the time. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't see my grandma whenever I wanted to.

So I sighed and trudged onto the bus. I peered out the window the whole ride back up to Teide Mountain, but I didn't see the black SUV that had almost mowed me down.

No, that's not quite right. I saw lots of black cars-I just couldn't tell if the person who'd nearly plowed into me was driving any of them.

But what worried me most was the fact that I couldn't figure out whether or not it had been an accident.

The bus finally reached the top of Teide Mountain and rumbled to a stop across from Mythical Academy. I got off, sprinted across the street, and slipped through the academy's iron gates, which were still closed and locked.

For once, I was glad the sphinxes were there, perched on top of the wal and glaring down at me. Sure, the statues made me uneasy, but they were also supposed to keep the academy safe from Reapers. The sphinxes would keep whomever was after me from following me onto campus. At least, I hoped they would. But even that hope was better than nothing.

I stood there inside the gate, breathing hard and staring out at the street, wondering if I'd see a black SUV roll by.

But the only vehicle in sight was the bus, which slowly lumbered away from the curb to start its trip back down to the city.

Maybe it had just been a careless driver after all . I hoped so-oh, how I hoped so.

"Come on, Ava," I whispered to myself. "Get a grip." It might have just been my imagination, but it seemed like the dul , brown, dried-up leaves in the trees above my head whispered back, even though I knew it was just the winter wind whipping through the branches.

Right?

Still nervous, I stuck my hands into my jacket pockets and hurried past the dorms and up the hill . If Mythical Academy had a black, beating heart, it would be the upper quad. Five main buildings ringed the area-English-history, math-science, the dining hall , the gym, and the library-all sitting at the edges of the quad, like the five points of a star.

Normally, in between and after the day's classes, students gathered on the quad to gossip, text on their cellphones, and see who was hooking up with whom. Not now, though. Since it was so cold, everyone was inside already, studying in the library, hanging out in their dorm rooms, or eating dinner in the dining hall...Usually, the emptiness of the quad wouldn't have bothered me, but tonight, it did.

The sun had already vanished for the day, letting the night's shadows ooze over everything, like black pools of blood. The trees on the quad were bare, except for a few stubborn leaves that rattled together like bones every time the wind touched them, and the swaying tangles of branches reminded me of skeletons strung together.

Maybe I was still a little shaken up from almost getting run over. That had to be the reason I was thinking about things like blood, bones, and skeletons.

I shivered, tucked my head down into the collar of my jacket, and walked on.

The Library of Antiquities was the largest structure at the academy and took up a good chunk of the upper part of the quad, serving as the top point in the star of buildings. The library simply had the most of everything-the most floors, the most balconies, the most towers, the most parapets. All put together, the building reminded me of a sinister castle.