Phoenix

Chapter 13: Anit-Psionic

The day seemed to crawl by slowly as if everything was working against me getting to Kida and Luke. When English finally rolled around, I speed-walked through the door and immediately went up to Luke, who was fidgeting in his seat.

"We have a problem," we whispered at the same time. Luke looked up, there was already a worried look frozen in his eyes while I was taken by surprise.

"What do you mean by problem?" we asked in unison.

"You first," I breathed, breaking the repetition.

"It's something Kida should be here for," he added.

"What do I need to be here for?" Kida asked, walking up to us.

"I decoded the WinterSkulls last words," Luke whispered under his breath, as the room filled up with other students' voices.

Kida and I turned to face each other, our facial expressions went blank.

"What did they say?" Kida questioned, curious, and fearful.

"I think it has something to do with Shadow," Luke explained quickly and quietly.

"I know it does," I revealed, pulling back my hair to show the earrings.

Luke looked stunned while the color in Kida's face drained.

"How far?" Luke asked, getting straight to the point while hoping that the psionic range wasn't far.

"Not sure," I breathed as the bell rang.

"Everyone in your seats!" Ms. Garner called over everyone.

"Apartment directly after?" Luke asked while Kida stayed silent as she sat beside me. I nodded and prayed for the day to go quickly.

By the time lunch rolled around, Kida was still not talking, my nerves jerked with every sound, and Luke somehow stayed calm. We didn't speak much, only eating in silence while giving reassuring glances around the table.

As the final bell rang, I bolted across campus to the library. Straying away from the crowds of students heading for the parking lots and buses, I kept my head down low with my hood pulled up. Walking in, the librarian looked half asleep with her nose buried deep into a book, a few students sat at computers, and the rest were heading out.

I headed straight for the back right corner of the building, there hidden in the shadows behind a shelf filled with duct covered dictionaries and thesauruses, stood Kida and Luke. Without saying a word, we all held both our hands out. Grabbing Luke and Kida's hand, I focused on the Apartment's secret room and turned us into ashes. Reappearing in the room lined with psionic proof metal, I breathed feeling a bit safer.

"Now what the Fuck is going on?!" Kida demanded, all her anger, fear, and anxiety coming out. I wanted to soothe her quickly, and the only way to do that was to spill the secret.

"I think Mike is The Shadow," it both hurt and felt revealing to get it off my shoulders, but almost immediately, I saw Kida's eyes go dark. Luke's calmness, stability, and sense of reality were all thrown out the window.

"What?! How?!" Luke asked as I pulled out my phone and connected it to one of the screens on the wall. I played the shaky and poor quality video I had taken with Mike and Cal.

"I don't know. My question is, how did I give you every advantage, and you still failed?" Mike repeated while I paused the video.

Luke's mouth opened, but no words came out as his brain attempted to understand what he was seeing. Kida sat down, unable to stand and watch at the same time.