FULL ECLIPSE (Book #2)

𝕹𝖎𝖓𝖊

Dad crouches and lifts the lid of the pothole that goes underneath Black Eden's Hill, spores spread into the air and he holds his coughs in with his inner elbow. Don't think anything's been down there in a while from the looks of it. Dad holds his pistol up and gets each one of us down one by one before jumping in.

"There's puddles everywhere.." Carmen squeaks, lifting her foot out from a dirty pile of water. "It's getting up my shoes."

"That's the worst of your worries right now?" Jace bickers. "'Puddles'?"

Small trickles of pain shoot through my head before vanishing. I cannot be getting a headache right now, surely. I'll just have to hope to god I don't jump anytime soon. The air is humid which doesn't make it any easier, the ground is stony, cobwebs fill the area, and lil screeches of what might be rats in the distance. We're walking through a large cylinder tunnel in the hopes it'll lead us out. Actually no, it better lead us out.

"This way," Dad leads the way.

I grimace at the sudden shooting pains in my head and try to play it off but I think it's best if Dad knows. I can't risk anything awful happening, not when we're so close to the checkpoint.

"Dad," I make my way to him.

"Son, if you can't already see," he holds his pistol and flashlight firm in his hands with sweat drippin' down his temples, "I'm quite busy here."

"It's happening again."

He stops and peers at me, "now?"

"Yes now," I wince at another drive-by shooting pain.

"Alright, alright, hmm," he takes a look at his watch. "Take 5, guys."

We stop at a crossroads. I slide my back down the flat rusty surface of the tunnel. I can feel myself about to jump any moment now. Before my ass even has the chance to meet the ground, I jump. The last thing I see is just Carmen also sitting down with Amber by her side.

❖

I jolt my head up and the pens fall from the desk I'm sitting at. I look around to find Bray at another table. He's lost concentration on the Bio catch-up class since I, myself, had lost concentration too and I guess had fallen asleep. Ms Mills is biting down on the end of her specs and talking to a student at the front. Everything is as it is: normal.

Behind me, I hear a chair being pushed back then footsteps going past me. Ella comes into view and she exits the classroom. Now's my chance, I won't get another one like this. Plus, I could jump back anytime now. I follow her out, pulling out my phone to see what time it is.

"I just printed those!"

I accidentally bump into her which causes her papers to go flying everywhere. She starts picking up all the Bio worksheets one at a time with some kinda bitchy attitude.

"Here, let me help," I bend down.

"Don't need it," and she snatches the paper I was about to go for.

"Will you just give me a chance to explain myself?"

No answer.

She gets up and walks past me again. That's becoming a habit of hers now and I despise it.

"Ella, please," I plea.

She stops and turns around, "give a chance for a stalker to explain himself? Yeah right," she scoffs, "that seems perfectly reasonable to me. Please leave me alone, Dean."

"'Stalker', how am I a stalker?"

"Cut the bullshit. The only way you knew those things about me is if you read my.. idk.. journal or something..!"