Fall Like Lightning

Chapter 17 - The New Student

The International University of New York

Rhys glanced out the window of his chauffeured car and fought the urge to tell the driver to keep going. After yesterday's events, the last thing he wanted was to start a new semester of college and pretend to be normal. He hadn't seen his father since the soldiers escorted him away from the spaceport. He'd never had a chance to tell him about the strange young woman he'd found on the beach.

And yet, he couldn't shake her from his thoughts. What had happened to her? Where did she come from? Where had she gone? What was she hiding?

He opened the door and offered his driver a weak smile before climbed out. "Four more days, and you're off the hook."

"Or you could just let me drive that convertible," Barnes replied with a wink.

They shared a laugh before Rhys closed the door and turned around to find a group of his friends huddled around the entrance of one of the campus's buildings.

The International University of New York on Manhattan's Upper West Side attracted the sons and daughters of millionaires and politicians, of generals and movie stars. Everyone who attended had connections to society's elite, and they were all being groomed to be the next generation's leaders. Competition to get in was fierce with enrollment limited to just over five hundred students, and every student was required to adhere to the university's professional code of conduct, right down to the strict dress code requiring ties and blazers for men and dresses or pantsuits for the women.

As the son of the leading ambassador between the Global Earth Alliance and the space colonies, he knew he held a precarious position among his peers. They were all from the Earth, but he was the only one with connections to outer space. They viewed him with either awe or disgust, depending on their parents' positions, and he was all too aware that every act or word was met with scrutiny.

Ian, a member of his fraternity, approached him with a friendly wave and a high-five. "How was your summer break?"

Twenty-four hours ago, Rhys would've called it a complete disaster. But after yesterday afternoon, he viewed it with a different perspective. "Interesting. Yours?"

That was all he needed to do to break the tension, and his friends surrounded him with stories of everything they'd done over the summer. They spoke of private islands and high-class safaris, shopping trips and highly coveted internships. None of them spoke of diplomatic meetings and journeys to the stars. No one seemed to know anything about the strange mobile suit he'd seen from a shuttle window. No one mentioned any stories of strange women on beaches, and no one would care that his father would likely miss his birthday in four days because of the attack on the Jade Colony.

Rhys was just getting settled in for his first class when a new face entered the room. A chill rippled down his spine once he recognized her unique features.

The young woman from the beach.

Rhys did a double take, wondering if his imagination was playing tricks on him. But the longer he stared at her, the more certain he became that she was the same person. Even dressed in a skirt and blazer that adhered to the university's prim and polished dress code, there was no mistaking her sharp gray eyes and refined yet determined poise.

This was the same woman who'd run away from him.

She stood near the doorway and scanned the room before settling her attention directly on him.

For several heartbeats, he forgot to breathe. Sweat beaded along his hairline, and he wondered what was going through her mind as he studied her face. Gone was the sheer panic from yesterday. In its place was a mask of cold calculation as though she were probing him for any weaknesses.