Starstream Academy (The Navigators Book 1)

by Alexandria Smith

  “Here I guess,” I said before looking to Gypsy when she let out a growl. “Calm down. Rusty and I are like sister and brother. Don’t worry,” I said, grinning at Rusty, who nodded. Gypsy huffed from my side and I decided to ignore her so I could catch up with Rusty.

  I was floating in the land of white and I frowned deeply, glancing around warily before a silky smooth voice came from the area around me. “Hello Brenda….” the voice cooed.

  “I’m not Brenda,” I said in exasperation. I was starting to get annoyed with being thought of as another person. I was Rose Mary.

  “Not Brenda? Ohhhhh now I see. You shouldn’t be here,” the voice said. It was smooth and comforting, but there was an underlying tone to it, something sinister.

  “What are you talking about?” I said in confusion.

  “You’re not supposed to exist.” the voice said with a laugh before the room began to darken. I swallowed and looked to the side, staring as a large green hand came for my face. “Oh well. You’ll be gone soon enough,” it said before my vision was covered in green.

  I sat up quickly and grabbed at my face, looking around nervously as I tried to calm down. “Rose Mary?” I heard. I looked to my side and found Rusty was sitting up and looking at me in worry. I shook my head and closed my eyes to calm down before flinching when something touched my back.

  “Rosie?” a tired and quiet voice said. I looked down and at Gypsy, who was frowning at me. “Are you okay?” she asked curiously. I nodded and looked away, rubbing my face before yawning.

  “I think so. I just had a nightmare again,” I mumbled softly before laying back and trying to return to sleep.

  “What was it about?” I heard Rusty ask. I frowned and closed my eyes while thinking back.

  “Something…..green? I don’t know. Someone was talking to me and they said I wasn’t supposed to exist or something,” I mumbled before rolling over and curling into my pillow.

  “Are you going to be okay?” I heard Gypsy ask. I nodded before sighing silently while thinking on the mysterious voice and the green hand.

  Chapter 16

  Chaos Personified

  Christmas was an interesting affair and I valued the present the others had given me more so than I thought I would. The rest of the month passed nicely and now we were in the month of February. I sighed softly as I watched Eagalia stumble her way through her essay and looked to Gypsy, who was scribbling in her notebook idly. I was more interested in the weekend and grinned when I thought about it. Tomorrow I was going to be hanging out with Gypsy and Lollipop in town while Eagalia got in some extra study time and Leatre helped out Silver in the kitchens.

  They were on punishment for causing a small food fight a day ago. I watched as Mister Jekt told her to sit down before the bell rang and he waved us off. I quickly began shoving my things into my bag and grinned when Gypsy shuffled after me. “I’m glad we managed to keep from getting called on,” she joked.

  “Speak for yourself! I always knew he had it in for me,” Eagalia complained. I snickered and we headed down the hall and towards some stairs.

  “He doesn’t have anything in for you. You’re not doing that well and he wants to help you,” I tried to soothe, but she snorted and moved ahead of me.

  “He wants me to fail!” she cried dramatically before almost falling down the stairs. I rolled my eyes before looking at Gypsy, who was making a face.

  “She’s becoming a little too dramatic,” she grumbled before looking to me curiously. “So what are you doing in class today?” she asked as we got to ground level.

  “Headmaster Rockefeller wanted to talk about my performance for our next War Games. He thinks we should do some kind of special maneuver. He’s also getting Silver upgraded,” I said. Gypsy nodded and I gave her a quick hug when we got outside. We separated quickly and headed to our respective classes, Navigator Studies and Advanced Lup Mathematics. The walk was silent and I soon found myself heading up to Headmaster Rockefeller’s office and inside.

  He wasn’t inside so I walked over to where he usually taught me, pausing when I noticed his office window open. He didn’t usually keep it open so I walked over and moved to close it before stopping when I took notice something black on the floor.

  They were some kind of foot prints and I quickly moved up before looking around the room warily. Nothing seemed out of place until I noticed that the tables around Henny weren’t straight. The headmaster had a very bad case of OCD, something that came with being a Lawful Navigator. I quickly turned on the live recording feature of my VISOR and frowned when Silver’s voice appeared in my ear.

  “Rosie? What’s wrong?” she asked. I ignored her and headed over to where the tables were, pausing when I heard shuffling. I spun around and gagged when two large hands grabbed my throat and squeezed. I grabbed the hands and looked up, my eyes widening when I looked into the crazy grin that haunted my nightmares.

  “Finally!” the man rasped before laughing loudly.

  “ROSIE!” I heard shrieked into my ear, but I reached forward and raked my nails down his face. He recoiled and yelled out in pain while I stumbled back and tried to get control over my breathing. When I felt my breathing mostly calm, I moved back as he tried to grab me again by the throat. I kicked forward and he stumbled back into Henny before baring his teeth at me.

  “You’re going to regret that,” he growled before moving forward and trying to grab me by the throat again. I managed to move away from him and grabbed his arm, tugging him towards me. He stumbled forward in shock and I pulled my other fist back before punching him in the face. His head snapped back and I shoved him into one of the tables.

  He hit it hard then slipped off of it and I quickly rushed for the door, falling when something grabbed my ankle. I rolled over and kicked hard towards the man, who was trying to pin me down. He yelled out in anger before pulling me towards him and trying to stop my struggling.

  I kicked up and into his stomach, grabbing his hair and pulling his head back while pulling my other fist back to punch him. His head moved with my hand while his larger fist slammed into my face and cracked part of my VISOR. I let go of his head and he laughed before moving up and straddling me. He grabbing my face and grinned down at me before slamming my head back and into the ground. “You’ve made a terrible mistake child,” he hissed, lifting my head again and slamming it back down. “I’m smarter than you, stronger and you’re going to die!” he yelled before cackling and slamming my head back repeatedly.

  Each strike caused a spike of pain and darkness into dance across my sight so I struggled as much as I could until I felt my strength begin to wan. Panic tightened my throat and I looked around the room before noticing we had knocked a heavy award to the ground. I reached for it and tightly grabbed it around the base before bringing my arm up behind his back.

  I smashed the award into the side of the head and he yelled out in pain, releasing my face and I shoved him to the side, off of me as I rolled over. I pushed myself to my feet and swallowed down my nausea as I stumbled towards the door and hit it. My hands slipped from the door knob twice before I managed to grasp it and open it, falling through the opening and trying to crawl away. “Oh no!” he roared before something grabbed the back of my uniform pants and I was dragged back into the room.

  My hands scrambled for purchase and I managed to grab onto the doorway while kicking my feet to stop him. “Let go you little bitch!” he roared. I twisted and kicked into his knee while yanking my foot away from him. He yelled in anger before my pants leg was grabbed again and I yelled out, kicking my legs. Before I was pulled back into the room, Madam Matron ran into the hallway and over, grabbing the top of my jacket and pulling.

  “Rosie!” she yelled.

  “Matron! It’s delightful to see you again! How’s Deborah?!” the man called, releasing me and allowing Madam Matron to drag me out of the room.

  “Oh my God, Rosie,” Madam Matron said softly before she pulled me further away from the crazy man,
who was now in the hallway. We managed to get down the hall before we stopped and looked to him.

  “I asked you a question Matron and I don’t like being ignored,” the man growled before he ran right at us. Madam Matron moved me behind her, but as he got in close, he ducked under her arm and pulled out a thick bladed knife. My eyes widened in panic and my hand shot forward, blocking the attack. The blade went right into my right hand’s palm and I gritted my teeth in pain while Madam Matron grabbed him by the back of his coat.

  She pulled back, but he slipped from his coat and tackled me around the waist before pinning me to the ground. I moved to push him off, but he grabbed my right arm and turned my hand around. He began to push down on my wrist and I grabbed my forearm with my free hand to keep the blade from coming down further. Madam Matron spun around and grabbed the man and yanked him off of me before throwing him down the hall. He hit the ground hard and rolled back while she looked to me, which was the wrong idea.

  He began to sit up so I pulled the blade from my hand and moved to my feet, watching as he slowed his standing before grinning darkly at me. “You’re much …feistier than Brenda was.”

  “Who the hell are you?” I snapped, my head felt like it was about to split open and my hand was on fire.

  “Why I’m Hector, you’ve been having dreams about me remember?” he said with a harsh laugh. I glared at him and he returned the look with another crazy grin. “I would have thought that you had have adopted the views of Brenda, save your own ass first,” he said before laughing loudly.

  I scowled while he calmed then grinned at Madam Matron. “You never did answer my question,” he said with a sly smile. Madam Matron growled and he chuckled before looking to me then past. “Hello Gregory,” he said in a tone that resembled a sultry purr. I frowned in confusion, but kept him in my line of sight while listening behind me.

  “So you really were insane enough to come here,” I heard the headmaster say. Hector laughed before pointing to me and nodding his head in my direction.

  “I’m here to kill her,” he said before reaching into his waist band.

  “Silver!” Headmaster Rockefeller called. Hector looked confused before Silver tore down one of the wall and slammed the larger man into the ground. She began trying to wrestle him into submission and grabbing his gun, throwing it to the side. I sighed softly then yelled out when something tossed her off of him and back into the hole she had come out of. He slowly stood and began to laugh while running a hand through his wild hair. His smile slowly fell and he glared at me while his eyes turned completely black.

  “You weren’t supposed to exist. You’ve ruined the Hive Queen’s plans and now I have to clean up this mess!” he snapped, waving his arm around the area. I glared at him and snorted slightly before handing my knife to Headmaster Rockefeller. The older man stripped off his white jacket and passed it to Madam Matron before moving forward.

  “Take her to the infirmary, she needs her head looked at,” he said before running for Hector. Hector cackled, but Madam Matron scooped me up and ran from the stairs, running down them when she rounded a corner.

  “Miss Jones, are you alright?” she asked quickly.

  “My head hurts and so does my hand,” I said, cradling my hand close to my chest and grimacing as pain lanced through it. I ground my teeth together as Madam Matron shifted while running and jumped down several flights of stairs. I grunted then jolted when I heard a loud crash and yell of anger from behind us. “They’re getting closer,” I said before moving up and looking over her shoulder. Headmaster Rockefeller was thrown down the stairs and began to rub his head while Hector jumped after him, attempting to kill him with his thick blade.

  The headmaster rolled to the side before grabbing Hector by the back of his ratty shirt and tossing him over his hip and down the stairs. Hector slammed into Madam Matron’s back, tossing us forward and down the stairs. We hit the stairs hard and rolled, slamming into the main hallway that led to Madam Matron’s office. I scrambled to my feet before spinning around and stumbling back when Hector moved up.

  He moved to attack me, but part of the ceiling caved in and he yelled out in pain as Silver attempted to subdue him again as she came through the hole. I looked around for Madam Matron and sighed in relief when I found she was relatively safe, still in the stairwell with Headmaster Rockefeller. He was in the middle of checking over her before he looked to me and motioned for me to run.

  I spun around and rushed for the exit, trying not to cry out when something hit me in the back of the legs. I hit the ground hard and rolled over, crawling back when he tossed Silver to the side and slowly stood.

  “You are only delaying the inevitable. I’m going to kill you no matter what so you might as well let me do it!” he snarled before stalking forward slowly. I swallowed and looked around, finding nothing useful in reach so I rolled over and stood, running out of the building and towards the starship station. I looked back and found Hector was running after me and gaining speed. I turned forward and stumbled to a stop when I saw some kind of green colored woman in front of me.

  “Who are you?” I whispered before grunting when I was grabbed and pulled back.

  “You see it too?” Hector cooed into my ear before slamming his fist into my back. I began to struggle, but he shook me then shoved me forward. I stumbled and hit the ground. He yanked me up to my knees before stepping on my calves and grabbing the sides of my head. His arms grew tense as he began to turn and my breath began to come in quick pants. “Let it be the last thing you see,” he said with a laugh.

  I looked around in panic before grabbing my VISOR and pulling it off. I snapped it in half before stabbing the sharp side back and up. Hector roared and released me, which allowed me to wrench myself from his hold and pull to my feet. I was beginning to feel light headed and tired, but I ran away from him, stumbling a bit when a dizzy spell hit me. I stumbled off to the side and fell to my knees, panting heavily to calm my heavily beating heart. I heard someone yell and turned my head, watching with wide eyes as Hector ran up and punched me across the face.

  I twisted with the motion and fell forward before blinking rapidly several times to get ahold of myself. I was rolled onto my back and realized my vision was dimming. Oddly, I didn’t feel any panic as I watched Hector move to stand over me, looking right down into my face before looking up. He scowled before lifting his foot, but a red beam of light hit his shoulder and he stumbled back. He hissed in pain before glaring at me hatefully and turning to run. I watched him for a moment before looking back into the sky and slowly passing out.

  Chapter 17

  Safety

  I smelled antiseptic first before I opened my eyes. My vision was blurry and I blinked several times to clear it, groaning when the back of my head began to throb. I looked around the room before noticing that Gypsy and Lollipop were sleeping in the corner on a rather small couch. They looked tired and I blinked a few more times before slowly sitting up and hissing in pain while I tried to gather my bearings.

  My mouth and throat felt dry so I looked around for some water and found some on a table not that far away. I took a moment to make sure I was alright before slipping from my bed and grimacing when the room tilted. Something tugged on my right arm painfully and I looked down in confusion, looking at the IV with a blank expression. I looked to the clear bag that it was connected to and frowned before looking towards Gypsy and Lollipop.

  “Guys?” I rasped out, watching as Gypsy’s ear twitched before she groaned and looking around tiredly. “Gypsy!” I called again, my voice hoarse. Gypsy’s head lifted slightly before she looked to me and blinked. She looked confused for a moment before she stood quickly, Lollipop toppling to the ground.

  Lollipop grunted before groaning and glaring at Gypsy, then looking to me in confusion. Her eyes widened and she swiftly scrambled to her feet and shoved Gypsy to the side before heading over to me. “Boss!”

  “Rosie!” Gypsy said after her, climbing to her feet and r
ushing over. They both began to check me over and I laughed before pointing to the water, coughing into my hand after a moment.

  “Water?” I asked, watching as Lollipop went over to pour me a cup while Gypsy whined as she looked my head over. Her whines became growls and I tenderly rubbed her arm with my left hand before looking down. My right hand was tightly bound and I lifted it a bit before looking up when a gentle hand touched mine. Lollipop passed me a cup and I took it, drinking down some of the water and almost chugging the rest.

  “Whoa! Calm down!” Lollipop said, lowering my arm slowly to keep me from spilling it. I panted slightly before shooting her a sheepish smile and rubbed my wet mouth with my arm.

  “S-Sorry. I was thirstier than I thought,” I said. They gave me a smile each before looking to one another.

  “What happened? The school’s defense system turned on and our classes went into lockdown for three hours. When we were allowed to leave the class Madam Matron said you and Silver got attacked! Silver was missing half of her torso!” Lollipop said. I felt my blood chill as everything came rushing back and I reached to tear the IV from my arm.

  “Crap! Silver! I need to see her!” I said before glaring angrily at Gypsy when she stopped me. She looked concerned and hurt, but I couldn’t just stop now! Hector was still around! I could feel it! “Let me go,” I growled. I noticed Gypsy’s eyes widen in shock and fear before they hardened as she bared her teeth.

  “No!” she growled loudly. I flinched slightly, the fight leaving me and my hand falling away from my arm as I looked away quickly.

  “Damn Gypsy,” I heard Lollipop whisper from my side. I felt my face color and glared at her before sheepishly looking back to Gypsy. She was frowning down at me so I looked to my lap and relaxed when she hugged me.

  “I’ll go get a doctor and then we can check on Silver alright?” she said softly. I nodded and she moved away before slipping off of the bed and stomping away. I looked to her and found she was looking to Lollipop, her ears up. “Make sure she doesn’t panic again,” she said.