“That was a fucking waste of time.” Graham says rubbing the back of his head.
Smoke still hangs in the air from the fire at Diablos, which isn’t far from here. A stark reminder that it really happened. All of this is real, and not just some fever dream that we’ll snap out of in the morning.
Lukas’s phone rings and he presses answer. “Yeah? Okay. No. Well is he alive? Okay then.” He hangs up, shoving the device back into his jean’s pocket.
We’re quiet, waiting for him to say something but he trudges off down the vacant street. No cars are even out. This place should be bustling. Christmas decorations line the street, visible now that it’s daylight. I’d have to call my dad and postpone him coming to pick me up. I didn’t need him walking into this mess. He’d understand, eventually. Hopefully.
I hurry my steps to catch up to Lukas, but Graham beats me to it. His long lean legs giving him an advantage. “You good?” He asks, sliding his hand into his. I half expect Lukas to shrug him off, but then miraculously he grips him back. I smile, glad he’s allowing Graham to comfort him.
“Good old dad survived. Wants to see me.” Tension rolls off him as we get into Garrison’s car. We borrowed it while he’s… gone. Sloan starts the car, Graham and Lukas sit in the back together, hands still entwined.
“Do you want me to drop you off at the Hospital wing?”
“Nah. Let’s drive around the island. See if we find anything suspicious.”
Sloan nods, putting the car in reverse exiting to the main road. We pull down the street, taking our time to scout the area. My mind swirls around the encounter, wondering what she could have even meant or if she was truly off her rocker. I thumb the pages of the book sitting on my lap. The raised gold lettering on the front cover seems to mock me.Gods and Goddesses.Is that where my power is from? All the times I was called Daughter of Spring, niggle in the back of my mind, making my gut churn with anxiety.
“Fuck, this is eerie.” Graham says, as we roll past the charred remains of Diablos. I swallow hard, remembering the way the souls shrieked and swarmed around us. My power thrums in response to the memory. I didn’t even get a chance to ask Madame LeRoux about it before she started spouting complete nonsense. The only one who could fix this was my father? Well, I’m going to make sure he doesn’t come anywhere near this place. I take out my phone and type out a quick text, giving him a lame excuse. Telling him I’ve contracted the stomach flu and can’t make it out. The lie burns, missing Christmas with my dad for the first time in my life crushes me. Imagining him having to celebrate alone makes a rouge tear slide down my face.
Sloan wraps his hand around my thigh, squeezing lightly.
“Let’s go by the school and see if it’s… normal.” Lukas says, staring out his window. Sloan obliges. I really hope all my friends at Kildale are okay.
CHAPTER17
Chapter Seventeen
LUKAS
SONG: UP IN FLAMES BY SHE WANTS REVENGE
We roll up to the campus car park and exit Garrison’s borrowed car. I know how much a car nut he is. He’d probably blow a gasket if he knew we’d taken it, but the only other option was Walker’s bike and I’m pretty sure he’d put it away in storage. Most of us tended to walk to and from campus, ordering a car if we needed it. With our families being so heavily involved in our possession, I didn’t want to risk it. Garrison’s car was the obvious choice, his displeasure be damned. Nothing he could do about it now, anyway.
Gravel and snow crunch beneath our feet as we make our way through campus. Skye leads us to Javelynn’s dorm. The same building Skye and Salem used to live in before they were forced to move into our fraternity house.
“It’s quiet.” Skye says, approaching the doorway.
“It’s early.” Sloan responds trying to comfort her. “Plus, it’s the holiday break. Lots of people would have left already to be with their families.”
“I hope so.” She yanks back the door and is greeted with silence. Her throat works down a swallow. “When I lived here, there was always some noise. This absence of noise is giving me anxiety.” Her voice echoes up the formidable staircase.
“Jesus, how many flights are there?” Graham asks looking up.
“Twelve, but Javelynn is on the tenth.”
“Ugh. Okay. Walk in front of me. If I have to climb this many stairs, I at least want something pretty to look at on the way up.” He says grabbing Skye by the hips. She swats his hands, but both of them are smirking. He bites his lip as she puts an extra sway in her step on the way up. I smirk at her sass, eyes glued on the way she moves as I follow closely behind. My cock stirs, but I shove those thoughts down, putting them in my back pocket for later.
We’re all out of breath by the fourth floor, and by the time we reach the tenth, sweat is running down my back, plastering my shirt to my skin. The overwhelming quiet is broken up by our grunts and labored breathing.
“God, this fucking sucks. Are we even sure they’re here?” Sloan asks.
“They better be, otherwise, I’m not making dinner later.”
“How did you do this every day?” I ask Skye who is the least out of breath. We turn down the hall searching for the right room number.
“I got used to it eventually, but I’m glad I no longer have to live here. Ah! Here we are.” She knocks waiting for them to open the door. A rustling can be heard from behind the wood, and we all breathe a sigh of relief. A moment later, Jackson pokes his head through looking disheveled and sleep riddled.
“What’s all this about?” He asks, squinting.
