[COMPLETED] The Academy For Genetically Gifted Children Book One: Genesis

Andromeda

Chapter 31: Andromeda

The first thing she did was scream—which was very unlike her. Rion had walked in her dorm, blood seeping through his dark grey sweater in multiple spots and his blonde hair horrendously unkempt.

"Shhh," he said, throwing down his messenger bag, a finger to his lips. "You're going to get me in trouble for being in here."

All she could do was stammer—also very unlike her.

"I know it looks bad, but really it's not. I'll explain, okay?" Rion pulled his shirt off and asked nonchalantly, "Can I borrow a shirt or something?"

Andi stifled a gasp: cuts ran up and down his tanned torso. She could see that, thankfully, they were not deep, and that most of the blood had dried. Finally she got her bearings.

"What on earth happened to you?" she asked as she went to her drawer. She pulled out a large cotton t-shirt and threw it to him, blushing.

"It's a long story, and I only would like to explain it once, so can we wait until everyone is together?"

He looked exhausted as he said this, with dark circles under his eyes. He pulled the shirt on slowly and gingerly, as if movement hurt but he was trying to be brave. Andi gave him an exasperated look, but then nodded, feeling sorry for him. Slightly shocked, Andi realized she was being empathetic by feeling sorry for him. Empathy was always a thing Head Mrs. Shirley said Andi needed to be better at.

"Okay, " she told him. "Kai is out though, who knows where, and Layla and Ben are at the Dining Hall for dessert with Annie and Darcy."

He laid down on the end of Andi's bed and mumbled, "Just let me know when they're back." His eyes closed.

Andi tried to assess the situation. There was a boy in her bed. He was asleep. He had multiple cuts on his body and refused to tell her why until everyone showed up. She needed to find her friends so she could get some answers. She threw her chemistry textbook to the side and pulled on sneakers and a jacket. Taking one last glance at Rion, who was curled up into a ball, she closed the door quietly and headed to find her friends.

She decided to get Layla first, because she at least knew where she was. Once she entered the Dining Hall, Andi spotted Layla next to Ben, who was in deep conversation with Annie about computers. Apparently Annie had just made an upgrade to her home-made computer that she secretly brought, reminding Andi again of how skilled she was with electronics. Then a thought creeped into her mind— What was Ben's power? Surely he had mentioned it at some point? She told herself to make sure to ask Layla after she dealt with Rion's issue.

"Layla, a word?" Andi called out to her.

Layla whispered something in Ben's ear and then went over to Andi.

"Sure, what's going on?"

The question is what isn't going on...Andi thought. However, she merely said,

"Rion is injured and he won't disclose any information to me regarding what happened to him until I get you and Kai with us."

Layla heaved a sigh. "These boys are going to get themselves killed. Fine, let's find Kai. It's pretty late so he might be back in his dorm."

Andi said, "I hope you're correct, because I don't where he'd be other wise. He's constantly gone with no explanation."

The two girls left quickly, giving the excuse that they had an urgent literature project to complete. Andi felt quite guilty about lying, but Rion's injury made her feel a strange urgency. Just as they got to the fork, a tall figure ran straight into Layla.