Awakened: Prequel GL Series

Chapter 11

11. BETRAYED

The next morning, I went to school early to see Hsia. A few students sauntered from their cars, their heads down, eyes on their iPods or cell phones. I hurried across the parking lot and Grizzly Boulevard, and entered the school building.

Two students lounged in the counselors’ waiting room. One had his face buried in a manga. The second, listening to an iPod and rocking his head, ogled me and didn’t bother to stop even after I sat. I ignored him.

More students walked in. A few went in to talk to the other counselors. Fifteen minutes later, Hsia hadn’t arrived. I was busy debating whether to leave and telepath her later when she waltzed through the door. She wore a lemon-colored traditional baggy Chinese cheongsam dress with a bright orange jacket. Last night she was all about stealth and camouflage in her standard demon-hunter uniform. Today, she looked like a circus tent. She could be two different women if it weren’t for the same sparkling eyes.

A bunch of kids jumped to their feet, and started talking at once.

“Mrs. Kwan, I sent you an e-mail…”

“You told me to stop by this morning…”

“I have to change…”

Hsia pointed at the manga reader then the iPod guy. “Jason and Cory, I’ll see you two next, then you, you, and you.” Her gaze came to me. “Come with me, Lil.”

The boy with the iPod grumbled. I felt a twinge of guilt and flashed him an apologetic look. I got a scowl in response. Feeling worse, I hoisted my backpack to my shoulder and followed Hsia into her office.

She closed the door, went behind her overflowing oak desk, and turned on the computer and printer. She waved toward the chair across from hers and sat. “Sit, hon. It is so nice to finally have you and your grandfather back with us. How do you like it here?”

I perched on the edge of the chair and shrugged. “It’s okay.”

“Made friends yet?”

I nodded but she was off again. She spoke fast, jumping from topic to topic.

“Appearance is everything, okay? We must fit in as much as we can, but if anyone meets you in the dead of the night hunting, you don’t want them to recognize you.”

Was that why she dressed so flamboyantly during the day?

“Do you have a cell phone?”

“No. Grampa doesn’t like modern technology.”

Hsia laughed. “I know. Ask him to get you all these gadgets young people insist on having these days. Money shouldn’t be an issue. There’s more than enough in the accounts to go around.”

Great. Grampa had resisted buying me a cell phone. I begged for an iPod two birthdays in a row, and my present laptop was at least three years old. I told him I needed wireless Internet for homework and research, but he always had excuses. I had assumed money was the issue. Now I knew better.

While Hsia typed something on her computer, I gave her office a sweeping glance. One wall had a bookshelf of old leather books. On another, several clocks vied for space. They all showed different times. Two ancient maps of the world took up the remaining two walls. One, with more land than water, didn’t look like any world atlas I knew. The second had an exaggerated drawing of North America.

“Ptolemy’s,” Hsia said, pointing to the first one. “And that one over there is Ortelius’. Dutch geographer. I hear you don’t like history.”