Girl on Fire

Chapter 22

"Look, I'm really sorry again." Alix said.

"It's fine, just, you should have really thought about it." I said, rubbing my arms.

"Look, I didn't really think, I just got mad at how Alice had tricked me and it must have made it freeze up. And anyway, I have now found out the way that I can beat you." she grinned, making me shiver involuntarily, and turned to the rest of the group in the helicopter.

"Now, I'm sure Alice has told you by now, we're in Philadelphia, which is in Pennsylvania on the eastern side of the USA."

"Yeah, and?" Tefia said rudely.

Alix shot her a cold glare, "We are going to the Pennsylvania State University, better known as Penn State. This is the place in which you will complete the rest of your schooling."

"But we're way too young." Tefia said

"Ah, but you'll understand everything in a little while." Alix said mysteriously. "But for now, we're way too obvious in these suits, we need to get changed into more ordinary clothes."

She walked into the corner and opened a hatch from which a ton of clothes collapsed out.

"Take your pic." she said, and stepped back. Immediately, about five girls, including Tefia, leapt forward and started fighting to get the best clothes.

"No, I want that top!" Alice said maliciously to one of the others and she dropped the top, an angry look on her face.

I slowly stepped over them and picked out a couple of tops that I thought would look nice on me. I didn't really care that much about what I was wearing, I was never one of those girly girls who was all fussy about makeup and looks.

Once we had all put on the clothes and jeans on top of the suits, we stepped out of he helicopter.

We were on the roof of a hospital, on a helipad. Stretched below us was a city, a very beautiful one, at that, and we all stared around in awe.

"This, my friends, is the wonderful city of Philadelphia," Alix said, "Your new home."

We walked off the helipad into the hospital below us.

"Why did we have to land here?" Alice asked, and I gaped at her. Laced into her words was a force, extremely powerful, that made even Alix grind her teeth in anger.

"I'm not... telling you." she struggled.

"Oh," Alice said, "are you sure?"

Alix turned to her and, getting a few strange looks from hospital staff, balled her fist in Alice's face.

"You try that on me one more time and I'll show you who's boss around here. Got it?"

Alice nodded nervously, crossing her eyes to look at the fist inches from her nose.

Alice drew back and nodded at the people staring, before walking again.

"Now," he whispered, "we need to be a really large family who are visiting our Auntie Janet, okay? You have to act like it or we'll cause suspicion."

"Oh, I can't wait to see her." Alice said, really playing the part up.

"Boring," Ryker said, "could've been out with my mates, but I'm suck in this hospital doing nothing."

"Oh, just shut up, Ryker, we get it." Alix said, sounding for all she was worth like she was being serious.

"Yeah, shut up." Tefia said and thumped him on the arm.

"Ow! Alix, she hit me."

"Tefia, stop!" Alix called, glancing over her shoulder. "Behave, you two."