Reality Bites - Wattys 2018 Shortlist

Chapter 66 - I'll Be There Soon

I can't believe it was midday and I was awake. I, Adrian Ivashkov, didn't do anything before mid-afternoon! But Christian had asked me to come and talk to Lissa. She and Rose had fought, and Lissa had been cranky all week. Christian wasn't sure if it was spirit darkness or general female bitchiness, but since a quick check of Lissa's aura revealed no darkness, it was probably the latter.

Everyone was so loud. Excitement about the basketball game tomorrow I guess? I really wanted to be in my bed in the guest wing with my head under a pillow sleeping off the hangover from hell, but here I was – sitting under flickering fluorescent lighting in the student cafeteria trying not to barf at the smell of what apparently passed for food around here.

All of us were feeling a little shitty. Rose and Belikov weren't here, and as much as I hated to admit it, it threw off the equilibrium. Eddie joined us at the table looking as shitty as I felt.

"Castile? What's up with you?"

"Hey, Adrian. Moroi Studies take-home exam," he mumbled.

"That's nasty dude."

"ROSE! ROSE! Oh my God Rose!" Lissa fell off the bench seat she'd been sitting on, and was frantically pushing herself backward away from something along the filthy cafeteria floor.

Christian, Eddie, and I were at her side in a moment. Lissa's eyes were open, but she wasn't seeing us.

"Lissa? Lissa, what's happening?" Christian was shaking her.

"Keep it away from me! Oh my god Rose!" Lissa was sobbing and absolutely terrified.

It had to be the bond. She was seeing something through the bond.

"Lissa? It's Adrian" I said, holding her hand. "You need to tell me what you can see."

"Strigoi. Rose is at the farmhouse and there's Strigoi everywhere! She's fighting them... Fuck! She just killed one! But there's so many."

"How many are there, Lissa? It's important - we need to know."

Lissa furrowed her brow. "Rose said at least thirty, and that they're badly outnumbered. She's really really scared. They need help" Lissa was whimpering in terror. The bond must be working both ways.

Eddie stood up, a look of dread on his face. Racing across to the far cafeteria wall, he did what every Novice and student had been shown how to do from the time they were four years old, but hoped they would never have to. He pulled his jacket over his fist, before smashing it through the glass on the emergency panel, reaching through the glass to pull down the bright red lever.

The effect was instantaneous. A loud klaxon immediately sounded. From the weekly drills, I knew this could be heard right throughout the Academy even across the sports fields. Between rounds of the klaxon tones, a disembodied electronic voice announced, "The Academy is in lockdown... Guardians standby for instructions... This is not a drill... The Academy is in lockdown... Guardians standby for instructions... This is not a drill..."

Picking up the red phone handset from within the emergency panel, Eddie waited for an answer from the emergency response team. The Guardians who'd been eating in the cafeteria were already moving students into the center of the room, taking up defensive positions near the doors and windows, stakes drawn.

Lissa was sitting with Christian on the floor, still inside Rose's head. He was begging her to raise her barriers to block out what she was seeing, but she looked almost catatonic with fear. She wasn't responding to anything he was saying.