I sighed and looked down. “I know I wasn’t supposed to be out here. I just missed my parents so much. Daniel wasn’t supposed to get involved.” I curled inward, wrapping my arms around myself. When had the summer night gotten so cold? “I’m sorry.”
Mr. Dolinsky shook his head. “Bianca, you’re like a daughter to me. That’s why I couldn’t live with myself if something bad happened to you.”
I nodded quietly. “You’re not going to turn me in, are you?” I looked up.
Mr. Dolinsky shook his head. “I’ll look away this time, but next time I’m going to have to bring it up to the authorities. Please, please, promise me you won’t leave the academy until we catch these wild Rogues.” He gestured to the unconscious man.
I glanced at the Rogue. The blood around his nose had gone dark and hard. I didn’t have the energy to argue the fact that I had the fight handled until I got startled. Mr. Dolinsky was right, it was too dangerous out here and I would put others at risk if I got selfish again. “Ok. I promise.”
Mr. Dolinsky smiled and rubbed my shoulders gently. “You’ll be alright, ok?” He said. “Please leave this to the professionals.”
“Is Daniel safe?” I asked.
His father nodded. “Yes, and I’ll be sure that he’s not out wandering alone. It’s the second time these Rogues have seen his face.”
I shivered. “Ok.”
Luke cleared his throat. “Uh, so what are we doing about him?” He gestured to the man at his feet.
“You just get her home safe,” Mr. Dolinsky said. “I’ll notify the clean up crew and get him shipped off to where he belongs.” He pulled his phone from his pocket. “Now get going before we attract any more trouble.”
Luke grabbed my hand. “Let’s go.”
I nodded and felt myself tugged out of reality, spun across miles in the blink of an eye.
I stumbled and hit the ground hard as we reappeared back on campus. I collapsed onto the ground, not having the energy to save face in front of Luke or Ryland. The grass was cool against my skin.
“What happened?” Ryland ran to my side.
I was silent as Luke recounted what happened.
“We ran into her friend at the 7-11. Right as we were getting to her folks’ place, there was a bag energy in air. We changed paths to get away from the houses, and got cornered in the park by the Rogue guy from the warehouse. The one with telekinesis.”
Ryland gasped, going tense. “Did that asshole get away again?”
Luke shook his head. “No, thankfully, one of the locals works for the FBI. Daniel’s dad. Can’t remember his name.”
“Inspector Dolinsky.” I mumbled.
“Yeah, him. The same guy who showed up to help us at the warehouse. Anyway, he took him into custody.”
“You saw the FBI come?” Ryland asked.
“No, he told us to get going before they showed up. We weren’t supposed to be off school grounds.” Luke added.
I felt the words aimed in my direction.
“Hm,” Ryland was quiet.
“What is it?” Luke asked.
“Nothing, just something doesn’t seem right.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you find it weird that the same guy was there with the same Rogue?” Ryland asked.
“Well he wasn’t there, I teleported into his driveway and scared the shit out of him. We’re lucky he’s on our side.”
“Is he on our side?” Ryland challenged.
I bolted up from the ground, anger surging through my body. “How dare you! Of course Mr. Dolinsky is on our side.” My face was only an inch from Ryland’s; I could see myself reflected in his blue eyes. “I’ve known him since I was a little girl. He isn’t one of the bad guys. He helped us!”
“And then told you to get lost before bringing in the Rogue.” Ryland didn’t step down, his eyes locked onto mine. “How do you know he wasn’t in on it? That he didn’t free him once you were gone?”
My mouth fell open. I couldn’t believe what Ryland was saying. Daniel’s father could never be working with the Rouges. He was the one who saved me when my powers developed. The man who had coached my little-league soccer. The man who was like a second father to me. “No way.” I turned on my heel and walked off into the night.
The boys called after me, but I didn’t look back as I made my way to the dormitories. The fact that they were even considering Mr. Dolinsky a enemy was beyond offensive. He had saved our asses! Ryland was too quick to point the blame, just like others had done to him.
I stomped up the stairs to my dorm room, slammed the door and locked it behind me. I threw myself down on the bed and screamed into my pillow. My body was exhausted from the teleporting and the fighting. I fell asleep almost instantly.
#
Sunday morning I woke up before Luke came knocking at my door. I didn’t want to be babysat by anyone today. I showered, dressed in my most comfortable leggings and went to the common room to read.
It was so early that the floor was like a ghost town. The silence was so heavy that I decided to turn on the television. The 24-hour news channel was on. I went to flip to a music channel, when a headline caught my eye.
Sixteen year old girl is the third random disappearance in the Detroit Metro area in the past week. The words scrolled across the bottom of the screen. Three teens have vanished without a trace. Police are asking anyone with information to come forward.
“What the hell?” I increase the volume slightly.
The news was repeating last night’s breaking news stories. The anchor looked somewhat worried as she spoke. “Sixteen year old Fatima Khan is the third young teen to go missing since August first. She and two other teens have no connections to each other, but the disappearances are being treated as suspicious.”
The clip changed to a couple surrounded by microphones. The wife was crying.
“All we want is our little girl to come home. Fatima, if you’re out there, please come home. You’re not in trouble. Please come home. We’re so worried.” The father’s voice cracked.
The screen changed again two three photos of the missing teens. “Anyone with information is being asked to come forward.”
My hand was shaking so badly I nearly dropped the remote. Three teens missing in such a short amount of time? Taken without a trace? My mind immediately went to the worst case scenario: those Rogues were taking kids before their powers manifested. They were picking them off one by one, just like they had tried to do to me.
I had no proof but the feeling in my gut. I scrambled out of the lounge and went right to my room. I punched in Daniel’s phone number.
The phone rang a few times before he picked up. “Hello?” His voice was groggy; it was only seven in the morning, I must have woke him.
“Daniel! Have you heard about teens disappearing?” I nearly shouted into the receiver.
“What?” Daniel paused for a second. I heard rustling as he adjusted his phone. “Who disappeared?”
“On the news, three teens have randomly vanished.” I repeated. “I think it’s the Rogues.”
“What? How do you know?”
“I don’t know, I just know?” I tried to explain my gut feeling, but failed. It was like when I tried to describe other strange premonitions I used to have as a kid. I just knew.
“Bianca, you’re being weird.” He said. “It’s probably nothing.”
I was speechless. Maybe he was mad because I woke him up on a Sunday, but Daniel had always been the one by my side, even when things seemed impossible. “Maybe,” I said finally. “But, I want to be sure. Can you please get your dad to call me?”
“He’s been out all night. He hasn’t come back since Luke teleported me home.” Daniel explained. “He texted me to let me know he’s working, but I don’t know when he’ll be back.”
“Oh, right.” I felt a pang of guilt. “Sorry about last night,” I said. “I didn’t mean to get you or your dad involved. I’m really sorry.”
Daniel sighed. “Bianca, you’re my best friend, but you need to be more careful. If psychic agents are telling you to stay in the academy, maybe you should. For everyone’s sake. Please. Don’t put anyone we love in danger.”
I gripped the phone tightly. “Yeah,” I sighed. “You’re right.”
“I’ll tell him you called. Promise,” Daniel said. “Just promise me that you’ll stay safe.”
“Promise.” I said. I swore to myself that I’d keep that promise this time.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Katie, what is it like when you get a vision?”
Katie’s big eyes peeked over the edge of the book she was reading. It was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The paperback looked like it had been read at least a hundred times. “Sorry, what?”
“When you have a premonition. Or a vision. Or whatever. What is it like?” I asked again.
We were sitting the the lounge. Ryland was still upholding his side of the protect-Bianca-at-all-costs bargain, but had fallen asleep in the chair next to us. Sunday nights were always quiet in the dorms.
“Well,” She said slowly, setting down her book. “It’s hard to explain. Sometimes it feels like I’m in a dream, other times it’s like it’s happening right in front of me. Other times I just know.”
“Yes, you just know! Like that!”
Katie raised her eyebrows at me. “Why?”
“I think I felt like that earlier,” I explained. “I was watching the news and I just knew.”
Katie nodded slowly, tucking her long straight hair behind her ears. “The disappearing teens?” She asked.
“How did you know?”
She gave me a tiny smile. “Because I just know.” She giggled.
“Huh,” I sank back into the couch.
“Have you ever felt like that before?” Katie asked.
“Sometimes, but never anything big like that,” I said. “Like I used to know whoever was calling before we had caller ID. Stuff like that.” I shrugged.
Katie nodded. “Hm. Yeah sounds like you might have a hint of talent in that department.”
“When did your powers first manifest?” I asked.
Katie was younger than most of the other students. She was tiny and quiet and kept to herself pretty much all the time. “I can’t remember a time that I didn’t have visions,” She said. “I was always good at finding lost things and then it grew from there. When the visions became too strong and the seizures began, that’s when my mother worried something might be wrong.”
“Are your parents psychic?” I asked.
Katie nodded. “Yeah, but they live normal lives. Not everyone is as strong as me or you.” She blushed, realizing she had been boasting about herself. “Anyways, that’s why I’m here. I’d like to get a job where my psychic skills can be used to help people.”
I looked out the window. My powers used to seem fairly straight forward, now I wasn’t so sure. How many hidden talents were going to manifest before I understood what the hell was going on? What was I really? Who was I? Who had given these powers to me?
Not having answers was killing me.
#
Monday I got a call from Daniel. I had just come back from dinner and left Ryland to go change into some gym clothes.
“What’s up?” I held the receiver between my shoulder and my ear as I pulled my running shoes on.
“You seem a lot better than the other day.” Daniel commented. “I’m glad. I just wanted to let you know that my dad said the Rogue was safely behind bars and he wanted to apologize for giving you hell. They wouldn’t have caught him if you hadn’t broke curfew.”
I laughed. “It all worked out, but thanks for looking out for me.”
There was an awkward pause on the other end of the call. “Hey,” Daniel said finally. “Bianca, seeing you made me really happy. I knew I missed you but I hadn’t realized how badly I missed you until you randomly popped up again. Calling you just isn’t enough.”
My chest ached. “I know what you mean,” I said. I had been having the same thoughts since seeing him. I had been only steps away from the people I loved and those damn Rogues sent me back running yet again. Being away was the only way to protect them.
“Visiting is too dangerous,” I said.
“You visiting me might be, why don’t I come there?” Daniel asked.
My breath caught in my throat. “You can’t come to the academy. They don’t let anyone in who’s not psychic and the clearance required is ridiculous. Your dad couldn’t even come in when he dropped me off.”
“They don’t have to know.” Daniel’s voice was mischievous in a way that I had never heard before.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Meet me at the back fence. There’s that spot you told me about. We can see each other there.” Daniel and his father must have gone back there to retrieve his rust-bucket car that I had driven the night he was kidnapped. I had forgotten all about it.
“What if we get caught?”
“Let’s just not get caught then, alright?”
I paused. “Ok,” I said finally. Daniel might look like an innocent nerd, but he had convinced me to break the rules more times than I could count. He was the reason I was so good at climbing out of windows in the dark. The thought brought back so many memories.
“Great. I’ll meet you tomorrow at midnight?” He asked.
“Sure,” I said and then remembered I was supposed to be meeting Ryland at the gym. He was going to get worried if I wasn’t there soon. “Ok, let’s do it. But I have to go. See you soon.”
I hung up, finished tying my shoes and dashed off to the student gym in the basement of the dormitory building.
The gym was small but well equipped with everything from cardio machines to free weights and yoga mats. Just being down there reminded me of my first hot kiss with Ryland, back when I saw him as nothing but a rude boy with the body of a demi-god. Some things hadn’t changed, but now at least I understood why he was so cold to people.
Ryland was waiting by the door. The glass wall that lined the gym was frosted so no one could see in, but students working out could still see who was in the hall. “There you are!” He sounded almost worried. Almost; he was good at masking his emotions.
“Sorry, got caught up on a phone call.” I said.
“Hm,” Ryland never talked about his parents or friends back home, so I doubted he got many calls. He was dedicated to his work and nothing else. “No worries, shall we?” He opened the door for me.
There were a few students working out. I figured we wouldn’t be lucky enough to be left alone at this time of night. Maybe that was for the best? I’d happily skip my session on the treadmill for another session with Ryland in the change room.
We started with a jog on the treadmill. My fitness levels were far from where I wanted them to be but they had also improved since I first enrolled. My running speed was now at a ten-minute-mile; when I started it took me eighteen minutes.
Working out next to Ryland was some sort of sick torture. He was superhuman; he ran fast, lifted heavy, had the agility of a fox, and barely broke a sweat doing it.
I hit the stop button on my treadmill.
“You good?” Ryland asked as he jogged beside me.
“I just need to catch my breath.” I leaned against the screen of the treadmill and took a sip of water.
Ryland kept running. I watched him increase the speed as if it were a walk in the park. His gray t-shirt was damp and clung to his muscular torso in all the right places. I bit my lower lip; if I were a more daring girl, I kiss him right then and there.
Ryland punched the stop button a few minutes later and jumped off the treadmill. “Ok, now on to part two.”
I wouldn’t like my exhaustion show. I followed him with a fake smile towards the free weights. Most of the other students had cleared out now. Two guys spotting each other’s squats were the only ones who remained. I felt a shiver of excitement, eager to be alone
with Ryland once again.
I caught a flash of Ryland’s abs as he wiped his face on the edge of his shirt and I groaned inwardly. “So, what’s first coach?”
Ryland shook his head and smiled. “What am I now, your personal trainer?”
I shrugged with an innocent smile. “Worth a shot.” I stretched my arms over my head and then found my usual place with the weight machines. I had decided on a circuit to do and it seemed to be working. I’d do arms and chest one day, legs and back the next. I couldn’t lift much but I had definitely seen some improvement since starting to work out consistently.
Few minutes later, the last two students left the gym. I glanced over at Ryland, who was focusing on his chest presses and must have missed the sound of the door closing. I hesitated, nibbling my lip nervously. Before I could let my shyness talk me out of it, I slid off the leg press and went over to Ryland.
Ryland was breathing hard. He clenched his teeth and pushed the heavy bar up and over his head before setting it back into place. Sweat stained his shirt in a line that ran from his neck all the way down to his abs.
I didn’t wait for permission, swinging my leg over and sitting on his stomach. I looked down at him with a playful smile.
Ryland raised his eyebrows. His blue eyes looked genuinely surprised for a brief second, then a fire lit behind them. “Oh, so you want this sort of training, do you?” He grinned.
I shrugged. “Maybe?” I said sweetly. “We’re all alone.” I let my voice trail off for him to fill in the blanks.
“Naughty girl,” He chuckled. “You like the risk of getting caught, don’t you?” He sat up and pulled me into his lap; I could feel his hardness pressing against my core.
“It’s not that,” I moaned as his lips grazed my neck. “It’s just that you’re so irresistible. I can’t wait any longer.”
“You act so innocent, but when you’re with me your such a minx.” Ryland grinned.
I lowered my head to kiss him. He grabbed the back of my head and shoved his tongue between my lips. I moaned into his kiss. My body was on fire. Being with Ryland felt so hot, so good, so right. It was like nothing I had ever felt before. Our bodies fit together perfectly, as if they were made for each other.
Psychic Lies: An Urban Fantasy Academy Romance (Psychic Academy Book 2) Page 5