“I have no idea what to do. I mean, the darkling tried to kill me. I would’ve assumed Dr. Bisbee was coming to tell me not to come back, or that he was suspended, but now I just don’t know.”
“Can you withdraw?” Kyle asked.
“I assume so. I don’t know why not, since the class isn't required until next year.”
“Then do that. You can practice your powers on Kyle and me. We’re Telekinetic, which is less intense than Terrestrial. So, you should be fine absorbing us.”
I laughed. “I’m not absorbing anyone, Kaylee. I absorb energy, and clearly, not very much. But yeah, we could try it on you two. As long as it’s one at a time, you can’t gang up on me. I’d prefer not to die after all.”
The rest of that evening, we talked about our plans. Mostly about Kyle’s favorite old horror flicks and some soccer player jock Kaylee had a crush on. They were exactly what I needed. Friends I could confide in, but didn’t turn it into a thing.
The following day, I walked into Mr. Morehouse’s office to withdraw from the class. I had another incident where I was put through psychedelic hell. This time when I woke up, I was sitting in Dr. Bisbee’s class, right next to the scary darkling himself.
Chapter eleven
Kaden
“Shit!Whatthefuck?”Lysander jumped out of his seat, knocking his chair over in the process.
I knew he’d been mind-melded again as soon as I came in. He had that same far-off look he’d had the day before when Dr. Grace had zapped him. He was already sitting at the table, so I sat next to him.
I honestly didn’t know what to expect, but seconds after I’d settled and pulled up my Practicum textbook on my iPad, he woke up and freaked out.
“Shh, dude!” I said, after jumping almost a foot in the air.
After falling out of his seat, he remained sitting on the floor, staring at me, eyes wide open, like he was about to be killed.
The other students had stopped and were all staring at him. I was feeling self-conscious. “Um, are you just going to sit down there on the ground?”
“Um, are you gonna try to kill me again?” he asked, loud enough for everyone in the classroom to hear. “How the hell did I get in here? Shit, I was drugged again.”
“You were not drugged, Mr. Phillips. You were put under mind control to calm you down.”
He turned toward the front of the room where Dr. Grace had just come in.
“What, you fucked with my brain?” he asked.
“Language, sir,” she reprimanded. “You were irate, so I calmed you, yes.”
“Fuck this,” he said, standing up and heading for the door.
“Mr. Phillips, if you don’t calm down, I will force you to.” The threat caused everyone in the room to freeze.
“You have no right,” he said quietly.
“Find your seat, Mr. Phillips. We have a lot to cover.”
Lysander looked around the room. All the chairs were full except for the one next to me.
I could tell he was afraid. I guessed in his situation, I would be as well. He returned to where his chair sat, picked it up, moved it to the back of the classroom, and sat down.
Dr. Grace clearly wanted to argue, but instead, she shook her head and began the lecture. I didn’t trust Lysander Phillips, or, more accurately, how Lysander Phillips made me feel. But I did like that he stood up for himself. That took guts, knowing someone had the power to take control of your mind.
Was Lysander a bad guy? Probably, nothing had convinced me he wasn’t. But sure as hell, I was in no doubt Dr. Grace Bisbee was not someone to fuck with.
I turned and found him staring at me. I nodded, hoping to convey I was impressed. Instead, he just scowled at me. Another thing, for sure, Lysander was no fan of mine.
Chapter twelve
