Page 24

S omebody knows about the switch. They have to. What else could the note have meant?

I barely listen in History class; my thoughts completely consumed on that one little piece of paper.

My gaze flickers around the classroom, and I start to think my distraction maybe came in handy this time. The glares and disgusted looks I’m now getting probably happened throughout the entire class.

Professor Graves ends the class but calls me just as I’m about to leave. He waits until everyone is gone before speaking. “I’ve noticed a little tension between you and the other girls. Is everything okay?”

I chuckle and wave him off. “Just girl drama. It’ll all blow over sooner or later.” At least, I hope.

He doesn’t buy my lie, his brows dipping. “If it gets any worse, come find me. Even if you just need someone to talk to.”

I clear my throat from the knot of emotion he seems to have created.

“Thank you,” I tell him, meaning it. No adult has ever cared enough to listen to me or my endless problems. And even though I more than likely will never take him up on his offer—being too stubborn for my own good—it’s nice to know he cares.

He gives me a small smile and heads out. As soon as I leave the class, I run into the blonde I met in the library and her group of friends. Robin isn’t among them. And even though she’s still avoiding me, it’s nice to know she hasn’t completely turned to the dark side and ended up with them.

Arabella isn’t here either. Another bonus. But I could’ve used her face to offset some of my frustrations.

“We’ve decided to give you the benefit of the doubt,” the blonde I have no interest in ever learning her name says.

She sighs, not waiting for my reply. “I admit that you are… different than before. Arabella made us believe some things that really don’t make sense.

” She clears her throat and frowns at me.

“We’re not horrible people and I… I mean we would like to apologize for assuming the worst.” She glances at the girls, and they nod their heads, agreeing with her.

I search their faces for a lie, and even though my gut is telling me something is off, I don’t spot anything suspicious in their expressions.

Not wanting to drag out some girl drama, especially with everything else going on, I ignore my gut and decide to let it go and be the bigger person.

“Thank you. I appreciate the apology,” I tell them, and the blonde smiles at me. A genuine smile that lights up her entire face.

“Yay!” She grabs my arm and drags me along with her little group. “We’re heading out for a bit of sun after that long class. Come with us.”

“I actually?—”

She pouts at me, her eyes pleading. “Please. Just let me try to fix this. I feel so bad.”

Sighing, I nod and let her lead me out to the main field and into the forest. She starts chatting about everything and anything. All the things she likes and dislikes about being here. Her clothes, her room, the men.

I give her a tight smile and nod, hoping this little get to know one another ends soon.

We round a bend in the forest path, coming to a dead end.

I turn, looking for another way. “I think we should go back?—”

A hard push shoves me backward. My hands fly out to catch myself before I fall, but another hard shove forces me down.

Instead of hitting the ground, I keep falling down a hole in the ground and land with a thump. Pain shoots up my ribs, arm, and into my head as I land on my side with a groan.

“As if we’d ever forgive you, bitch .” The blonde’s voice floats down to me, sounding far away as dark spots cloud my vision.

“Now rot in hell,” she says and the darkness listens, swallowing me up.

“ I ’m going to strangle you if you don’t answer me.” Knox’s angry voice filters past the dizzy haze, waking me up.

“You’re a dick,” I reply and hear his sigh of relief.

“Where are you?”

I open my eyes, but it’s so dark, I can only make out what looks like a large tunnel and the now closed latch door I fell through… was shoved through.

I push up on my hands and whimper when a sharp burn shoots up through my left wrist. Cradling it to my chest, I glance up at the tall wall.

There’s no grip that I could use to get up there. But even if there was, I don’t think I’d make it. My wrist is most definitely sprained, if not broken.

“Sena… Cyrus says you’re hurt, and Theon can sense your fear. Where the fuck are you? Malakai can’t see anything but darkness.”

“I don’t know…” I glance around trying to find something that will tell them where I might be. But here’s nothing but dark walls and the hard cold, ground beneath me.

“Sena—”

“Give me a minute… please .”

Knox grows quiet, but I can feel him in the back of my mind, waiting, probably not so patiently and demanding updates from each of the guys.

I stumble to my feet and hiss in pain when I put weight on my right foot.

A barrage of emotions overloads my senses making my head spin. I lean against the tunnel wall, waiting for it to pass.

“Stop it! Calm down! I can’t focus,” I tell Knox.

“You’re hurt, Sena. Tell us where the fuck you are?”

“I don’t know,” I glance around me, trying to find another way out, but the only way I can see is the long tunnel that goes straight ahead.

“What do you mean ? —”

“I was pushed down some tunnel in the forest.”

A sharp, angry bolt of rage shoots through me, and I know that it’s not mine.

“Who pushed you ?” Knox asks with a hard edge to his voice.

“Right now, I just need you to help me figure a way out,” I tell him. Besides, I want to deal with the blonde bitch and her group myself.

“Sena—”

“Please, ” I beg.

“Tell us where you were last?” he growls.

“In the forest, past the field and down a narrow path. There was a dead end. I was turning back when I got shoved.”

Knox grows quiet, and I assume he’s talking to the others trying to figure out where that is. Until I feel the spike of panic and fear rush though me like a tidal wave.

“What is it? What happened?” I ask as my mind goes to the worst possible scenarios.

I try to focus on Malakai and see through his eyes to make sure they’re okay. But the moment I try to open another two-way connection, a wave of nausea hits me making my head spin and stomach churn.

I pull back and just focus on each breath until it passes.

“Knox? What’s wrong?”

He pauses before answering. As if he doesn’t know how to tell me. But surely it can’t be that bad.

“We think we know where you are,” he says quietly, his voice layered with fear.

‘That’s good… right?” I ask.

“Sena, I need you to stay quiet and hidden,” Knox says but the tone of his voice is like he’s trying to keep me calm.

“Hidden from what?” I glance around me as Theon’s fear floods my senses making me realize there’s something they’re not telling me.

“Knox. Where am I?”

“There are four underground tunnels under the academy that all lead to the same thing,” he reveals.

“Okay…” It still doesn’t tell me where I am or why I can feel waves of fear and anger from Theon.

“It’s a place where feral Shadows go before they kill them.”

I blanch. “What?”

“There’s no coming back for them. And they will kill anything in sight,” he says barely controlling his emotions.

Feral Shadows… And I’ve just landed right in their little prison.

Fuck.