Author's Note: If you haven't read my first book in this series, Out of Darkness, there are serious spoilers in this chapter. Go and read it, and then come back to this;) Thank you for all of your support and comments. They keep me going when writer's block threatens to take hold! Keep 'em coming!
————————————————————
I'm not sure if I'm completely aware of what's happening around me. One minute I'm sitting in Kota's living room staring at a mask in terror, the next, I'm being ushered into Sean's office in the hospital, clutching that same mask in a knuckle-breaking hold. I have no memory of the drive here, and somewhere in the back of my mind, I know that I should be concerned. I can't seem to focus on anything except the white piece of plastic gripped between my fingers, and voices all blur together into an unintelligible cacophony.
He's come back for me.
I feel my breath hitch and I know I must be shaking. I thought Volto was dead. They said he was dead. He has to be dead.
My mind feels caught on a loop of these thoughts, spinning faster and faster until I'm lost to it. I almost succumb to the panic when the air shifts and fills me with the scent of Irish Spring, breaking through the cycling fear and snapping me back into reality.
A pair of firm but gentle hands grip my face on either side and the worried grey eyes that lock me into their gaze force me to release the breath I've been holding and relax into his embrace. Warm arms circle me and pull me tight. I close my eyes and try to match my breathing to his. The calm that overcomes me is momentary.
With the return of reason, I remember who is holding me.
"Owen," I whisper.
When his name escapes from my tongue, a whole host of pain floods my heart and I flinch and pull away. Tears pool in my eyes and I rush to the door, unaware if anyone sees or cares that I've left. I run down the hallway until I find an unmarked room. I slide inside and when I'm certain that it's vacant, I shut myself away in the attached bathroom and fall to the ground in a weeping heap.
***
Sean and I had been eating lunch when Mr. Lee's call came through. There were no details other than the fact that whatever situation has arisen was urgent enough to enact emergency protocol. We were at a small cafe near the district offices for the school board, and just over a half an hour away from the hospital. I had immediately placed a one hundred dollar bill on the table to cover the cost of our meal and the inconvenience of us up and leaving in the middle of it. Sean ran outside to get his car, as I have yet to find time to replace my stolen one. While he drove, I alerted the others to what little I knew of the situation and informed Mrs. Lee that she needed to pick the young Miss Lee up at the Academy hospital and then take them both to the Taylor residence for the evening.
She took it all in without complaint, only pausing to ask if her son was okay. I assured her that he was fine, and that I would have him call her the first moment he had available. She is a seasoned Academy mother. Though she doesn't know exactly what it is that we do, after the mess with Volto this summer in her house, she has been brought into the pool of those few outside of Academy who know of us and our purpose. She surprised us all by informing us that she had suspected something like it all along, and that she was proud of us 'boys'.
We pull up to the emergency entrance and Sean tosses his keys to one of the orderlies who winks and hops into the car to park it. I shake my head and wonder if Sean is aware that that man is halfway in love with the good Dr. Green.
As we approach his office, I hear Mr. Coleman's raised voice shouting, "Trouble, don't fucking do this to me again! Sang, can you hear me?"
I push past Sean and race into the room. In a fraction of a second, my academy training allows me to take in the scene and piece together the important information in order to react appropriately.
