Broken Knights (Gifted Academy #4) - Michelle Hercules Page 0,28
to me. I’m totally prepared for her to drop me like deadweight and bail.
“No. I don’t care what he does in his spare time. I’m taking him to see the nurse.”
“Are you defying me, stupid girl?” the first one snarls.
“I guess I am.”
My jaw is hanging to the floor. Renata’s one-eighty totally blindsided me. Too bad her bravado will cost her. I’m in no condition to fight three Idols, and I doubt she can take the trio solo.
Their bodies tense as they take on an aggressive stance. I search inside of me for every drop of power I still have. If can create a bright enough flash, it could buy us time to run away. But before I can summon the strength needed for the feat, an explosion knocks the Neo Gods down and under a mountain of debris. We’re not left unscathed. The blast also sends us to the ground.
A gray fog of dust soon makes visibility impossible. It gets into my lungs, causing a fit of coughing.
“Are you okay?” Renata asks, already trying to get me back on my feet.
“No worse than I was before.”
“I don’t think you’re getting medical attention here. We have to go now.”
I hesitate, digging my feet into the ground when she tries to steer me toward the exit. “I can’t leave Toby behind.”
“You’re not,” a male voice comes from the fog.
A second later, Toby steps into view, followed by my mother and Nurse Ellen.
I stare at them. “You’re okay. I thought the new principal had locked all Fringes in the auditorium.”
“He did. But I’m no longer a Fringe. I’m an Idol now.”
“How is that possible?” Renata asks.
“No time to explain,” my mother chimes in. “We need to leave now before they send reinforcements.
“What about the Fringe students?” I ask.
“They’re all out. We’re the last ones here.”
I take a step forward, but my legs falter. I stagger ahead, almost face-planting on the floor if it weren’t for Renata keeping me upright. Nurse Ellen comes to assist, and now I’m sandwiched between the two. I’ve never felt more useless in my life than I do now.
We hurry out of the building, more concerned with speed than stealth since the blast alerted every single Neo God in the vicinity. Mom’s car is parked right in front of the entrance, and I wonder how she managed to get back onto campus.
But all my questions will have to wait. Shouts nearby tell me our time is up. The Neo Gods’ hounds are loose and coming for us.
11
Morpheus
My eyes are bleary when I finally land at the private airport in Saturn’s Bay. I had every intention of catching a commercial flight, but Gunther Silverstone insisted on letting me use his personal private jet. Despite having the plane all to myself, I couldn’t fall asleep. Too many thoughts bouncing in my head. I may have found a lost brother and my father. Now I don’t know what to do with that information.
At least I didn’t lose Andromeda at the party after all. She left with Stephan, and I figured they needed the time alone to talk stuff out. It would have sucked balls if on top of my personal turmoil I had to look for her.
There’s no one waiting for me when deboard the plane. I really should have called the guys. I take a deep breath of the afternoon air, which finally has the bite of winter. Then I pull my cell phone out and call the person I need to speak to the most right away: my mother. I’ve let her keep her secrets for long enough. She obviously knows who my father is, and his connection to the island god. She wouldn’t have been able to rescue us from that horrible place all those years ago if she didn’t know where to look for us.
She answers on the second ring. “Morpheus? Is that really you?”
“Yes, Mom. It’s me.”
“I’ve been worried sick about you. We’ve been watching the news about Hawk City. What happened in that mall was dreadful. Please tell me you weren’t anywhere near it.”
“Mom, I’m fine. I just got back to Saturn’s Bay, and I was wondering if you could pick me up from the airport.”
“The school didn’t order a town car to collect you kids? That’s absurd. We pay good money in tuition.”
“I had to stay in Hawk City a little longer. I caught a later flight and forgot to make arrangements. I’m by myself.”
“Oh, okay. Where did you land? At the Intercity Airport?”