She didn’t look back. ‘I suppose it heard you, or smelled you, and felt territorial. Humans aren’t particularly liked here.’ There was a sad note to her words, and Hailey realised Hope must’ve been so lonely stuck here surrounded by vicious monsters that wanted her dead.
‘Well, you’ll be free of this place soon,’ Jayden assured her. ‘What will you do once we’re rescued?’
She shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’
Demi flicked a branch out of her face. ‘Don’t you have any other family?’
Hope shook her head. ‘Not anymore.’
‘You should stay at the Academy,’ Hailey suggested.
‘Yeah, you should.’ Demi nodded. ‘It’s amazing. You’ll love it.’
Hope turned around, the flecks of gold in her blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight. ‘Do you think the school would let me?’
‘Of course,’ Hailey said. She couldn’t imagine Amathia saying no to someone who had spent the past two years on an island and had no family. ‘You’re a teenager, so I don’t see why it would be a problem.’
‘How old are you anyway?’ Demi asked.
Hope began traipsing through the forest again. ‘Fourteen.’
‘You’re our age.’ Demi beamed. ‘Maybe you could be our dorm mate. Can you imagine people’s faces when we bring back an immortal?’
They trudged through the forest for a few hours before Aaron said, ‘Stop.’
A tree branch snapped to their right, and the dense bushes rustled before someone burst from the greenery.
‘Dad?’
Jake strode towards Hailey and her friends, with five PET members behind him. ‘Thank the Tyches you’re alive,’ Jake said, looking as though he were about to hug Aaron, but he patted him on the shoulder instead. ‘I knew you could survive this forest.’ His eyes landed on Aaron’s neck and the swollen fang marks. ‘Who did that to you?’
‘It’s fine.’ Aaron swatted away his dad’s hand as he reached out to touch the puncture wounds.
‘Okay. We don’t need to go into it now.’ He noticed Alec cradling his wrist, and the blood smearing his torn shirt. ‘You’ve clearly been through a lot, so let’s get you all back to the Academy.’ He turned to the PET members behind him. ‘Sound the signal.’
The soldier Hailey recognised as Scorpion pulled a conch shell off his utility belt. Hailey froze, watching in pure horror and disbelief as he raised the shell to his lips and blew three times. The shell bellowed through the forest, so loud Hailey was certain every monster on the island heard it. She thought it ironic that she and her friends had suffered through so much to be killed by a conch shell.
‘What are you doing?!’ Aaron slapped the shell from Scorpion’s grip. ‘You’ll bring every monster to us.’
‘Well, they’d regret it,’ Jake said. ‘We’re prepared this time.’ He patted his utility belt where guns, knives, potions, and even a dart blower hung. ‘And we won’t be here long.’ He glanced behind him. ‘Hart, you’re up.’
A woman with a braided ponytail, who Hailey remembered as being part of their excursion yesterday, strode forward. She clapped her hands together and then shot them forward. The patch of forest in front of them glowed with white light, and an image of this island’s beach slowly appeared. Poseidon’s sea-horses rested in the sand, lazily looking towards them through the portal the PET member had opened.
‘Wow.’ Hailey had never seen a power like hers before—unless you counted Kallie’s.
‘This will take you back to the beach,’ Hart said. ‘The others would have heard the signal, so they’ll be back there soon.’
‘I’m first,’ Demi declared, lunging through the portal and appearing on the other side. She waved back at them. ‘Come on, it’s like stepping through a doorway.’
‘You go, Hails,’ Jayden said.
Hailey was about to move forward when she caught a glimpse of Hope. Her face was pale and she looked ready to bolt. Hailey had thought Hope would be sprinting through the portal to escape this island. But this place had been her home for years, so returning to the unknown would be a little daunting.
Hailey held her hand out. ‘Come on, Hope. Let’s go together.’
Hope hesitated, and Hailey thought for a split second she was going to run away. But then Hope’s face hardened, as if she’d just made her mind up about something. She clasped Hailey’s hand and they wandered into the portal.
Hailey expected it to be like Kallie’s, where light swirled around her, but it was like passing through an archway. One second she was in the forest. The next she was standing on the beach with Demi and the sea-horses.
She looked back at the portal, which reflected the forest and the rest of her friends, who came through next, followed by PET. Hart clapped her hands together, the portal morphing into a sphere of light before blinking out of existence.
‘Thank the Tyches!’ someone exclaimed.
Hailey whirled around to find Madam Grayson racing towards them from the forest with Master Anderson and three PET members. Relief flooded through her to see them alive.
Madam Grayson scooped Hailey, Demi, Jayden, Alec, and Aaron into a gentle group hug. ‘I was so worried you hadn’t made it.’
‘We can say the same for you,’ Jayden remarked. ‘How’d you survive the fall?’ he asked her and Master Anderson.
Madam Grayson’s eyes flicked to Hart, who was talking to Jake and the other PET members. ‘We were lucky enough to get thrown with Lieutenant Hart—she opened a portal into the sea. We landed in the water. By the time we got back to the forest, the cyclops was gone, and the students told me how it had chased you.’
Master Anderson rocked back on his heels. ‘So how did you survive?’
‘Hailey caught us in a gust of wind,’ Demi explained. ‘And then Aaron used his force field to lower us.’
‘That’s enough talk,’ Jake barked. ‘My son and his friend are injured. We need to get them to the healing wing. Fast.’
‘Rain would be the quickest way,’ a voice from above said.
Hailey’s eyes flicked up in time to see Amathia come in for a landing on Rain. Sand sprayed up under the pegacorn’s hooves as she trotted up to Hailey, licking her hand. Hailey scratched her between the ears. ‘Hello.’
‘I’m relieved to see the five of you are all right.’ Amathia slid from Rain’s back, her blue dress sparkling in the sunlight. ‘We will speak of how later.’ She noticed the marks on Aaron’s neck, and how Alec looked like he was about to pass out. ‘You two return on Rain, the rest of us will go on the hippocampi.’
Master Anderson helped Alec and Aaron climb onto Rain’s back. ‘Off you go. Back to Poseidon’s Academy.’
Rain whinnied before galloping down the beach, with sand kicking up behind her. She leapt into the sky and spread her wings, soaring towards the palace, which gleamed like a jewel in the near distance.
‘Who is this?’ Amathia’s gaze settled on Hope.
‘Hope,’ Demi said. ‘She saved our lives, and she’s been stuck on this island for like five years. We figured she should come back to the Academy with us.’
‘Two years actually,’ Hope corrected, eyes lowered to the sand, acting as if Amathia were a gorgon who would turn her into stone if she looked at her.
Demi waved a dismissive hand. ‘Same diff. Oh, and she’s immortal.’
Amathia raised her eyebrows. ‘Really? What a rare power. Come, let us return to the Academy.’
Hailey could have cried with relief at the thought of being back at the Academy and collapsing on her bed. She was exhausted and planned to sleep for an entire day. She climbed onto a sea-horse with Demi, its scales smooth against her skin, and wrapped her arms around her friend’s waist for balance as the horse trotted towards the sea. As soon as the water reached up to its knees, the horse’s front legs transformed into long flippers that sparkled like rainbows as they swished through the water. Its back legs transformed, too, merging together to form a mermaid-like tail.
D
espite having her legs in the water, Hailey wasn’t actually wet. She watched the water repel from her skin, as if there was a magnetic field around her pushing it away—one of the perks of riding a sea-horse was that it had the power to keep its rider dry.
‘I can’t wait to fall on my bed and sleep for a hundred years,’ Demi said as they moved closer and closer towards the glittering palace.
‘Me too,’ Hailey agreed, almost cheering with joy when their horse stepped into the Academy’s deserted grounds.
A PET member was positioned outside the palace’s front doors, as well as the doors to the stable. Hailey figured they must be keeping the students inside, which she was grateful for. The last thing she wanted to deal with was a thousand questions about what had happened. All she wanted was her bed.
The sea-horse clopped into the stable, where Rain was waiting, loose from her stall. ‘Hello again,’ Hailey said, sliding from the sea-horse’s back and petting Rain.
‘Come on, Rain. Back inside.’ Demi unlatched the gate to the pegacorn’s stall and Rain obediently walked back inside while Hailey put away the sea-horse.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever been so tired in my life.’ Demi yawned, dried seaweed crunching under her as she sank to the floor.
Hailey half-sat, half-collapsed beside her. ‘I know how you feel.’ She leaned her head against Rain’s stall door, her eyes drooping and her muscles becoming heavy weights.
‘Hailey, come on.’ Someone poked her.
‘What?’ Hailey’s eyes fluttered open. She hadn’t realised she’d closed them. Demi was back on her feet, and the rest of the teachers—plus Jayden and Hope—were busy dismounting horses.
‘Come on, Hails.’ Demi helped her up.
‘I apologise,’ Amathia said, giving them a sympathetic look. ‘You can sleep as soon as Madam Mendem has examined you.’
‘We’re fine.’ Demi yawned again. ‘But we want to check on Alec and Aaron.’
‘I’ll take you,’ Madam Grayson offered. ‘You can sleep in the healing wing so you don’t have to endure a pack of curious students swarming you in the common room.’
They weaved through the winding hallways back into the main entrance, where Hailey followed Madam Grayson through the right archway, dragging her legs, which felt like they would give out from exhaustion at any second. They lumbered down a hallway before coming to a wide staircase.
Argh, I hate stairs, Hailey cursed as she forced herself up them, every step shooting pain up her aching legs. She shuffled into a long narrow room that smelled of eucalyptus and had single beds with crisp sheets lining the walls.
A plump woman shot up from the bed closest to the door. ‘Goodness, look at you lot.’
Hailey gazed past her. Alec and Aaron lay on beds beside each other. Their eyes were closed and their breathing slow and deep. ‘Are they okay?’
‘Yes,’ Madam Mendem said, blood staining the side of her white apron from where she’d absorbed Alec’s injuries. ‘I healed their wounds and gave Aaron a tincture to dispel any lingering poison. But from what I can tell, the poultice used dispelled most of it. How did you know how to make one?’
‘It was Hope.’ Jayden moved aside so Madam Mendem could see her.
Hope smiled meekly. ‘My mother taught me about healing.’
‘I’m sorry, dearie, I don’t know your face.’
‘This is Hope,’ Madam Grayson said. ‘We don’t have the full story yet, but it appears Hope was shipwrecked on the island.’
‘Oh my,’ Madam Mendem gasped. ‘You poor thing. Are you hurt?’ Her eyes locked on to Hope’s blood-matted hair, and she reached a hand out.
Hope stepped back before the nurse could touch her. ‘It’s already healed. I’m an immortal.’
Madam Mendem gasped again. ‘Incredible.’
‘I think these three need rest.’ Madam Grayson interrupted Madam Mendem’s awe.
‘Of course.’ Madam Mendem snapped back into nurse mode. ‘Are any of you hurt?’
‘We can live with our scratches,’ Demi yawned. ‘I just want to sleep.’ She collapsed on the closest bed, sighing in content.
Hailey followed her example, dropping onto the bed beside her. Her muscles turned back into heavy weights, and her eyes drooped shut. The mattress felt like a cloud beneath her, floating her up into the sky. She distantly heard Madam Grayson mutter something about coming to check on them later before Hailey fell into darkness.
The darkness didn’t last. She found herself back in Aradia’s cave. Jayden, Demi, and Alec lay on the ground. Blood pooled around them from the puncture marks on their necks, and their glassy eyes stared towards the ceiling, unblinking. Tears burned Hailey’s throat. She glared at Aradia, who had her back to Hailey, too busy biting into Aaron’s neck to notice her.
‘NO!’ Hailey screamed, charging at the monster.
Aradia tossed Aaron aside like he weighed nothing and whirled on Hailey, who gasped and stopped. The arachne wasn’t Aradia. It was Hope. The spider’s red and black hair lightened to strawberry blonde, and blood dripped from her fangs.
‘Hope?’
Hope snarled. ‘Time to die.’ She leapt at Hailey.
Someone touched Hailey’s arm and her eyes flew open. She swallowed a scream when she saw Hope staring down at her.
‘I think you were having a nightmare.’
Hailey wriggled into a sitting position. ‘It happens a lot.’ She glanced around. Her friends were asleep, and Madam Mendem was gone. ‘Where’s the nurse?’
‘She was hungry. She went to some place called the main hall.’
‘Oh. Why aren’t you sleeping?’
Hope shrugged and perched on the edge of Hailey’s bed. ‘Living in a forest taught me to be a light sleeper. I never sleep longer than a couple of hours.’
Hailey’s heart squeezed with sympathy. She couldn’t imagine how terrifying being alone in a forest would be, constantly running from monsters. At least Hailey had had her friends with her. She wasn’t sure she would have been brave enough to survive on her own.
She placed her hand on top of Hope’s. ‘You’re not alone anymore. You’ll be safe here.’
Hope managed a sad smile. ‘We’ll see.’
16
Nightmares
The next day, after giving Amathia a full account of what had happened, Hailey and her friends were released from the healing wing. They made their way up to the common room, where what looked like half their year waited. Hailey and her friends managed a single step past the soldier guarding the stairs before the second years jumped up and swarmed them.
‘What happened to you?’
‘Are you all right?’
‘Did a monster attack you?’
‘Did you see a hydra?’
‘Did the cyclops eat you and then poop you out?’
‘How did you survive?’
‘What was it like flying through the air?’
‘Did a griffin catch you?’
The questions were all muddled together, not giving any of them a chance to answer. Beside Hailey Hope stepped backwards.
‘It’s all right,’ Jayden told her, his voice low and soothing.
‘Everyone back up.’ The questions stopped and the students redirected their gaze to Jake, who had come up the stairs behind Hailey. ‘I said back up,’ he repeated, voice hard.
The students grumbled, but complied, returning to various spots around the common room.
‘I’m glad you’re all right, son.’ Jake put a hand on Aaron’s shoulder. ‘You’ll make a great operative when you’re older.’
Aaron shrugged off his dad’s hand.
What looked like pain flashed in Jake’s eyes before his face hardened into his usual mask of indifference. ‘You know where to find me if you need me.’ His boots thudded against the crystal steps as he retreated back downstairs.
Hailey tensed, waiting for the second years to swarm again. But something much worse happened than another bombardment of questions.
&n
bsp; ‘Do you honestly think you can come back in here pretending to be a hero after everything you’ve done?’ Venus, who Hailey hadn’t seen lounging by the fireplace with the twins, sashayed over to them. ‘You brought these soldiers here. You made us prisoners in our own school. You deserved to die on that island for betraying everyone.’
Hailey’s hand clenched into a fist, but she kept it pinned to her side, doubting she’d get away with breaking Venus’s nose again.
‘Shut up!’ Demi shouted. ‘Yes, Aaron double-crossed us, but he didn’t have a choice. His dad forced him to. And we’d all be dead if it wasn’t for him. He almost killed himself using his powers to protect the people who outcast him. How many of you are alive because Aaron stopped most of the daggers dropped by those Stymanian birds?’
‘Stymphalian,’ Alec corrected from beside her.
‘Whatever.’ Demi waved him off. ‘And then he held off that cyclops and made it chase him just so you could all escape. He saved all of us. So if anyone has a problem with Aaron or wants to treat him like a leper, you’ll have to deal with me.’
The room turned dead quiet. Hailey heard the squeak of boots as the PET member guarding the stairs shifted behind her, no doubt deciding whether to get involved or not.
‘Demi’s right.’ Brennan strode from the boys’ dormitories door to Aaron’s side. ‘Aaron protected us and almost died because of it. Thank you for saving my life, Aaron.’
‘It’s okay,’ Aaron said in a quiet voice.
‘Thank you for saving my life,’ someone else said, and then a chorus of thank yous encircled the room as students called out their gratitude.
‘You’re all idiots!’ Venus threw her arms up in frustration before storming into the girls’ dormitories with the twins and slamming the door behind her.
‘See, almost dying does have some perks,’ Jayden joked.
‘I’m glad you’re okay,’ Brennan said to Hailey. ‘I thought you’d died.’
‘Almost,’ Hailey admitted. ‘Thank you for trying to save us.’
‘Who’s this?’ he asked, staring at Hope, who looked ready to bolt back down the stairs and escape the students’ staring eyes.
‘Hope,’ Demi said. ‘A shipwreck survivor. The boys can explain it to you—and the rest of the second years,’ she added, noticing students beginning to make their way towards them. ‘I think everything is a bit overwhelming for her right now. See you boys later.’
Poseidon's Academy and the Deadly Disease Page 17