The Academy (Part 2 of the Syndicate Series)

Chapter 4- The Realization

"If we miss the cinnamon rolls because your sleeping habits are insane, I'll murder you."

Nyoka's threat was enough to make Daitan roll out of the bed grumbling. I had been awake for a little while, staring at the ceiling and trying to calm all of the panic in my chest. No matter what I told myself about my sister and Blaise, there was a sense of panic. How were they? Did they even realize that I was missing yet? How angry would my father be?

Instead I tried to focus on what I could change. If the girls really were showing me around today, it might be easier to case out the place and plot an escape. Even if I could find a way out, the next step would be disappearing. My father wouldn't stop hunting me down, he wouldn't tolerate an insult to his orders. The most effective thing I could think of was faking my own death and falling off the grid, but I didn't have resources or connections, and I wasn't sure I could put Belle and Blaise through thinking I was dead.

Maybe I could use isolation to my advantage- I just get on a bus with cash and get as far as possible. I wasn't a public figure like a lot of people in this line of business, my face wasn't recognizable. I could find a low paying job in a store in the middle of nowhere until I could save up enough money to get on a plane. My french was pretty good, but that was probably what my father would expect me to do. I wouldn't be able to tell anyone, though. Belle and Blaise would know what happened eventually- if my father had me killed, he would flaunt it. They knew that as long as they heard nothing from him, I was alive and hiding.

The thought of never seeing my sister again was painful, but the thought of not seeing Blaise again gave me a different sort of pain in my chest. I couldn't put my finger on it, but while I already missed my sister, there was a..... Lack of comfort when it came to not being around Blaise. He put me at ease, he made me feel safe.

I didn't know the name for it.

"I'm not kidding, Daitan!" Nyoka yelled from her bathroom. "If you want time to do your full makeup routine, you're going to have to start waking up earlier."

With a few choice swear words, Daitan rolled herself out of bed. I could only assume that curfew had ended, because Phoenix grabbed her arm and dragged her out to the hallway. I didn't ever do much in the way of preparation, personally. Thankfully, what I didn't have in my bag, Nyoka had extras of. If I had to choose the most similar to Belle from my new friends, I would have instinctively said Phoenix, based on her quiet intelligence and bookishness, but Nyoka had something in her as well.... Maybe it was the over preparedness, or the calming presence, but it made me miss Belle all the more.

Normally I would have put my headphones in to block out and help distract myself from my thoughts, but I didn't have my phone. That reminded me, "Hey Nyoka, I hate to ask this, too, but do you have a phone I could borrow for a moment? Somehow I must've left mine behind when I left, and I need to let my sister know."

She grimaced with a true apology on her face, "I wish I did, but I broke mine when I moved in a couple years ago. Never had the chance to get it totally replaced, but I never tried too hard since there's not really anyone back home I wanted to talk to. You might be able to ask Daitan, though. I know she has one that she doesn't use very much, although she said the wifi and connection up here are so bad that she's not sure why she even keeps it."

It struck me as odd. I wasn't addicted to my phone or anything, but I still relied on it for a lot. I was under the impression that it was pretty much the same for everyone in my generation, but I suppose not. This school must have made people the exception.

"A school full of teenagers and adults without phones? That's a case study," I smiled with a slight curiosity.

She grinned back in the mirror as she swiped some mascara across her lashes. "I suppose it's a little odd. Phoenix doesn't have one either, but I'm pretty sure it's because she's a luddite who only likes reading. You rarely see them around here, but I'm sure we can find some way for you to call home."