Aegis (Book Three)

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

It's been almost two months since the shooting in the church and I am thankful that I am finally off of the news cycle. New developments kept coming up with the man that tried to shoot the place and every time I turn around my fake name is being plastered on TV. Every time I see it, I have to sit there and watch to make sure that there is no way people would figure out who I am. I didn't do that for attention or because I wanted to be a hero, I did it because I knew at that moment, I was most likely the only person standing in-between that man and the hundred-plus people in the church.

"Zana, you are going to be late!" T scolds me as I grab my bag.

"I'm not going to be late," I say grabbing my coat and tossing it on.

"Go already, these tests are important," she says practically shoving me out of the door.

"Yeah, yeah," I grumble jogging down the stairs and over to the testing center.

T had helped me arrange to get fee waivers, so I could take the tests for college without having to pay the ridiculous amount of money to do it. I have already taken the one twice and I am taking the second test for the first time and this would be my last one. I did pretty well on the first two, enough that I would be able to get something in terms of a scholarship, but I figured I would take the other test because it has a different format.

Walking into the testing center, I feel the energy drained out of me as I sit down and take the three-hour test. When I finally leave, I am so brain dead I don't even notice where I am walking into a bump into someone.

"Sorry," I say surprised and I see the girl with the red hair.

"It's fine," she says before walking away.

I still haven't found the guts to talk to her at lunch, but she continues to sit at my table. She had slowly stopped hunching over her food as much. She still eats with her head down, but she didn't look like she was practically lying on her food anymore.

I take the long way home, enjoying the chilly breeze. It helps me wake up some. A big gust of wind comes and hits me and the people around me and I smile and tug my scarf over my nose. Walking further into the city I stop in front of the store with all of the TVs. I see breaking news pop up and there is a standoff going. Looking closer chills run down as I see maybe four police offers standing in the way of the man with the silver hair. Glancing at the building I recognize it as the same building he robbed all those months ago.

I don't feel my feet hitting the pavement as I run towards the intersection. My brain stalls for a moment as I try to process this reaction I am having. People bump into me as they run in the other direction, away from the crazy man with a gun. This is his public debut, nobody else knows that he is the one who stole that fancy metal from the science institute. Running up behind him, I see the police officers with their shields up, but they know they are no match for him. Sirens wail in the distance and I can hear them talking.

"Put the gun down and we won't shoot!" The one officer screams.

They wouldn't and couldn't open fire, people are still clearing out of the area and they would cause more damage than good. The man is clearly focused on getting into that building and nothing else. He isn't here for a mass shooting, at least not right now.

The police raise their guns and their eyes lock on me as I run in front of them. I hear their screams as he opens fire on me, six bullets clip me before he stops firing. Locking eyes with the silent man I can see him trying to figure out why I didn't get hurt. Stepping forward I place my hand on the barrel off the gun. It burns for a moment before my hand hardens.