The Pyramid Chronicles: Fortuna Guard (#2) [MOVING JUNE 30]

Chapter Five: West Coast

"What are you doing up this early?" Adam asked as he approached.

Eric yawned and set the phone down. "I dunno. I just woke up and couldn't fall back asleep." He hesitated. "Bad dreams, I guess."

"Oh." What was Eric having dreams about? Were his drowning nightmares coming back? Maybe being on a ship at sea was triggering them.

Before Adam could ask, Eric spoke. "Are you sure you don't want company today? I really wouldn't mind coming."

"No, it's fine," Adam told him. "I think I could use some time to myself." As if he didn't spend plenty of time alone in the gym. Sometimes when he was around the others, he couldn't shake the feeling they were thinking about how he'd collapsed the energy barrier.

"And you're sure you can pilot the chopper?" Eric asked, keeping Adam from spending too long in his thoughts.

"Yeah, it's easy," Adam replied. "They really idiot-proofed those things."

"Probably 'cause those kids working for Scorpion are such dumbasses."

Adam chuckled. "Yeah." He took a step back. "Well, good luck with training today."

Eric smirked. "You won't be saying that when I finally catch up to you."

"Oh, please. You're not that much worse than me."

"So you agree. I'm worse than you." Eric said it with a laugh, but it was impossible not to notice his frustration when they trained together.

Adam had more precision. And, with that, the confidence to put more power into his attacks. Eric still stuck to smaller fireballs, and the fact that he occasionally started random fires by accident wasn't encouraging him to put out bigger flames anytime soon.

"Just keep at it," Adam told him. "You'll get it eventually." He took another step back.

"Sure," Eric said. "Oh, hey, one last thing."

"Yeah?"

"I—" Eric stopped himself. "Never mind, it's a long story. I'll tell you when you get back."

"Oh. Okay."

Adam grabbed himself a bagel and headed to the Fortuna's deck.

~

The campus was nice enough. And the weather wasn't bad, either. The tour guide led Adam and the other prospective students around while spouting history that Adam only half-listened to.

He tried to enjoy the sights, to convince himself that he could call this place home for a few years. But something had him on edge.

He was being watched.

Before Adam left the Fortuna, the Newmans had contacted a friend in Sacramento and found a place where Adam could park the chopper. From there, he hopped on a bus to the university. The ride had been uneventful, and Adam was sure he'd be getting away with a real day off of fighting.

But right around the time the guide led the group past the library, Adam swore he felt a new pair of eyes land on him. He found himself glancing around anxiously every few minutes through the rest of the tour. Among the mass of students and employees going about their day, it was impossible to tell if anyone was actually following him.

The tour ended around noon. Adam briefly considered grabbing lunch on campus, but he wasn't particularly hungry yet. Instead, he wandered back to the football stadium to take a look around. Or maybe he just wanted to kill time.

Either way, after his third lap around the stadium, he came around the corner to find a sleek black car parked next to the curb. As Adam drew closer, the passenger door opened.