Claimed By Zodiacs

Chapter 28

# Sam Summerfield

When we caught up with the chase, it was too late. Aria had already jumped, screaming at the top of her lungs.

Who wouldn't? She's falling off the 9th floor.

Sir Aiden shouted at Aria as the lady flew off...wait. She has wings?

"Sir, how did sh--"

Nova elbowed me on the ribs, giving me the look that could've only meant 'SHUT UP.'

The posted guards looked lost. No one knew what to say. After a long stretch of silence, one of the guards, a freckled man with auburn hair, stepped forward.

"Sir! We apol---"

CRACK!

Sir Aiden slapped the man with the back of his hand. The man staggered, almost thrown off balanced if not for Nova. She caught him by the arm, frowning with a disapproval so intense that it warranted a medal of courage.

It was a good thing I listened. If that was me he slapped, it would be an all-out brawl. The crowd clumped around us, the commotion becoming the hot topic for tonight.

"Sir. Enough," Nova muttered, voicing out the same thoughts going in my head.

Glancing at the growing crowd, he nodded stiffly. "You two, follow me," then stormed off the hall.

We glanced at each other with apprehension before following his trail. No one said a word. The Scout Leader was literally fuming. His hair erupted in sudden bursts of flame before reaching Room 73. Gabriel was already there when we arrived, looking stricken and out of sorts. Braeden was sleeping on his bed, his chest moving in a comforting rhythm.  There was a large blood stain on his chest, right above his heart...but he was very much alive. I could tell.

"What is going on?" he asked as soon as we arrived. "Why is he alive? And where is Aria?"

Sir Aiden's hair erupted into another short burst of flames. "That's the thing I would like to ask too. Care to explain Maddie?"

Miss Maddie opened her mouth and closed it again. "You know it's bound to happen. Don't let me go over the details again Ai."

"You did what I exactly told you not to do!"

"I had to! Brae's stink gets harder to mask every single day!"

"I told you already. She'll sort it out. Now look what you've done! She's gone! How am I supposed to get her back?!"

The confusion on Gabriel's face was priceless. If Nova didn't tell me what's going on, I must have been in that funny state too. He leaned towards me and whispered...

"What's going on?"

I recalled what Nova said to me.
"Aria woke up, lost her memories, brought Braeden back to life and bolted away to nowhere."

Gabriel looked even more lost than before. "What? How?"

Nova shushed us, still listening in on their conversation.

"--gone? Gone where?"

"That's the problem. I don't know. This is all your fault."

"Okay! Fine! It's my fault she died! I was the one who tortured her with searock! Me and not your ex wife! Happy?"

"You... You know what, I don't want to talk to you right now."

"The feeling's mutual."

"Seriously..." Nova muttered. "These guys..."