“Alice! Wake up, Alice.”
“Ugh. Sarah, this had better be important, I was asleep.”
“I’m following the Restore girl.”
“So? That’s your job!”
“But listen, she’s talking to someone outside of her faction.”Sarah peeked out from around the corner of the Honors Dorms, watching Sharon and KJ walk across the almost deserted campus.“I’d assume he’s gifted, but I don’t recognize him from our files.They’re talking about Jack…”
Sarah pictured Alice sitting straight up in bed, clutching the phone in sudden, feverous interest.Her imaginings were not too far off.Back in the dorm room, Alice jumped down from the top bunk, grabbing the phone off the desk and switching from speaker phone to handset mode – there was no need to risk anyone hearing what they were about to discuss.She brushed a lock of bright red hair out of her face and demanded, “Continue!”
Sarah’s voice, a whisper crackling with static over the phone’s cheap speakers, started again eagerly. “Sharon just revealed that she and her sister were doing some ‘research’ last night; something about someone named Obie…”
“Rose’s boyfriend; Gifted; on file.But what about Jack?”
“The other boy, whoever he is, seems to know Jack.‘I can’t guarantee that I’ll stay silent forever’ he says.‘This is getting too out of hand to keep Jack in the dark.’He knows Jack is ignorant…They just walked into Aver, should I follow?”
“Negative; return. We need to figure out who this other boy is…”Alice stroked her upper lip, almost as if there was a mustache there to run her finger over thoughtfully.“An unidentified gifted, huh?”She paced her way across the room, reaching the computer desk in the far corner.Her fingers danced over the keys with the unerring accuracy of a pianist, entering a complex password and pulling up a database.She flicked through names, pictures, and descriptions, wondering, who are you…?A strange gifted, living in the Honors Dorms, friends with Jack… It’s too strange to be coincidental. I need to know who this boy is.
“On my way.” The line clicked dead, and Sarah slipped her phone back into her pocket. The door to Ayer swung closed, and Sarah double checked that no one was around.When she was sure she was alone, she allowed the energy tingling through her fingertips to disperse.Flicking a strand of her suddenly visible electric green hair over her shoulder, she stuck her hands in her pockets and strolled casually back to her dorm.
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“Wow, Starbucks is dead this time of morning, huh?” I was amazed to see the normally packed Student Commons coffee shop almost completely deserted.
“Yup! Wahoo, no lines!”Rose skipped her way up to the counter, altogether too perky to need caffeine. “A really really big caramel whatchamacallit!”Rose exclaimed, and I wondered why she enjoyed pissing off the baristas so much.
“A venti caramel macchiato?” The barista asked, even though we all knew that Rose wasn’t going to order the drink properly.
“With extra espresso.”
“And for you?”The barista looked to me, probably relieved at the chance to ignore Rose for a moment.
“Um… a grande Americano, please.”
“Rose? I’m surprised to see you awake this early, considering the number of times you fell asleep in my class last semester.” I turned to see a Professor I didn’t know standing behind us, waiting to order. He was about the same height as me, almost six feet, and his dark hair hung in damp curls, as if he’d just gotten out of the shower.
YOU ARE READING
Blood Is Thicker
FantasyJack is just your average sophomore in college. He's got pretty good grades, a handful of friends, and is comfortable starting his second year of college at AU. That is, until he wakes up screaming a name he doesn't know. Things go from peacefu...
