Stay Strong

Chapter Twenty Five

Carlotta

Another day, another calculus test.

I sit in my morning calculus class completely zoned out. Even though I missed all that time I kept up with the lessons and homework, so I have a pretty good feeling about this test. All numbers, I can handle numbers.

One thing that wasn't easy to handle, my brother. I haven't seen him since that fateful day around two weeks ago. He hasn't shown up at all since his disappearance and that scares me

Drew's got me staying at his house, it helps but sometimes I can't help but be scared. After what he did to me. After last weeks nightmare and the ones that havr followed.

"Carlotta, Carlotta are you okay?" I hear someone say.

I look up from my thoughts and find my hands and body shaking. The teacher stands in front of me a worried look on her face, "Y-yeah I'm ok-kay." I stand up on shaky legs and hand her my completed exam. "I'm just g-gonna go take a b-breather."

She nods, "Okay Carlotta."

I leave my books behind and leave the room that seems to be suffocating me with every lasting second.

Drew. I have to find Drew. Think Carlotta think, where did he tell me he spends his first study period? Not the room, I think he had told me library. Yeah, the library.

On shaky legs I make my legs move to the library. A minute later I stand outside the wooden doors of the library and push them open. I don't see what I expect to see, Drew sitting at his table right in front of the door.

Instead off to the side of the library, I see Achilles with three bigger boys, holding my unconscious dark haired boyfriend. Ha, boyfriend. One of the boys with bright red hair and a face of freckles snaps his head up to me. Achilles looks up at me with a sneer.

I faintly hear, "Get her" but I don't have time to get out the door. I grab the door knob and try to pull it open but I find it to be locked. My heart races as the freckle faced goon approaches me.

A sneer crosses his face, "Hello my pretty little friend, wanna come with me calmly?"

I press myself against the door trying to avoid the heated gaze of freckle face. "Hurry up you idiot!! Alexander wants this one in ten minutes!"

My eyes flicker from freckles to Drew to Achilles back to freckles. I make a move the skirt around freckles but he moves too fast and grabs me around the waist. I feel something pierce my skin on the back of my neck before it all starts to go dark.

🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦🐦

"Come on little sister, its time for some fun!"

I struggle to push myself away as Alexander advances closer to me. "N-no pl-please not ag-again. I'll b-be good this t-time."

Alexander tilts his head like a puppy and wags his finger at me, "Tut tu Carlotta, you had your chance weeks ago, you could've saved your pretty little face." He steps closer and leans down so that his hot breath fans against my cheek, "You could have saved that pretty little space cadet of yours."

My eyes widen, "Please Alexander, d-don't touch him. H-he did-didn't do anything t-to you."

A rough hand grips my chin, "And thats where you go wrong my sweet sister. He stole my position as commander of the Fleet. I was already in command school when he was a sad little boy who had just murdered Bonso Madrid in the showers. I fought my way throught pre-command school, tactical school. And I got what? A position as a pilot under Alai one of Ender's best friends and by turn, under that little rat."