Uprising

Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

 Brooklyn

 "And to think he doesn't even have the guts to tell his own twin! I mean, yes, I tease him a lot, but that gives him no right to withhold this information- hey are you okay?"

  I perk up to Emery's voice and give her a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

  Emery sighs and runs her fingers through her golden ponytail. "Are you ever going to tell me what happened?"

 "What do you mean?"

  "Oh you've forgotten have you?" Her southern twang slips through her lips when she's annoyed or angry. It's amusing actually. "Let's see if this rings a bell. Last week, I find you face down in the woods outside of the academy, you didn't tell me what's wrong, and the next thing I know you're going into shock and pass out in the nurses office." She gives me a look. "Remember that?"

 "Emery, I told you to just leave it be." I respond pinching the bridge of my nose between my fingers. I can already feel the headache coming on.

 "I can't really 'leave it be' when you tune out half of our conversations and mope around about whatever happened a week ago like someone died." She folds her arms and angrily takes a bite of her muffin.

  I attempt not to laugh as I give her a napkin to wipe the crumbs off her face. "I'm sorry, alright? It's just something that doesn't need to be brought back up again. I'm trying to move past it."

  "Uh-huh." She snorts. "That's what you're doing."

  We finish our breakfast and head back to my dorm. I usually spend my Saturday's with Emery, and avoid Nathan and Wyatt. Autumn and Colette have been supportive, but curious like everyone else. Payson disappears from time to time, hiding out in her room working on mysterious council business I suppose.

 After the incident, Payson was all but sympathetic. Other than defending me from Nathan, she continued to lecture me about controlling myself or risk exposing banshees across the monster world.

  What a way to get my spirits up.

 "So what's this about Austin?" I ask Emery as we walk up the staircase.

  "Apparently he's crushing on Ava." She throws her hands in the air in exasperation. "Ava of all people!" She looks at me and I shake my head to show my disapproval. "And he never told me. I had to hear it from Autumn, because apparently they're friends now."

 "Austin has friends?"

  "Exactly." She flusters her way up the rest of the stairs and continues mumbling things about twin bonding and trust issues.

We reach my dorm and I unlock the door. I'm in the middle of laughing, but I'm cut off as I see who is in my dorm.

  Nathan and Wyatt were staring at the posters above my bed, but they turn to look at us as we enter the room. There's about ten seconds of pure silence, the two of us staring at the two of them. Immediately after, I break out of the trance and race out of the room... and almost run smack into Wyatt who is now standing at the staircase.

 He grabs my shoulders and says, "Oh no you don't." He turns me around and walks me back into my room. Emery and Nathan stand there, Nathan seeming calm but Emery looking conflicted. 'Help me' my eyes scream at her, but she just looks between Wyatt, Nathan, and I.

 "Emery, can we have a moment with Brooklyn?" Nathan asks her sincerely.

 "Emery I swear if you leave this room.." I don't finish the sentence, leaving the threat open.