Page 55 of The Fate of Eternity

“Beau. We need to find my brother,” I insist, whirling around on the spot as I try to gather myself before I take the lead.The others don’t say a word as we head back toward the main academy building.

I all but skid to a stop outside my brother’s office as I rap my knuckles against the wood.

Open the door. Open the door. Open the door.

My begging goes unanswered, but instead of walking away, I try the handle. To my surprise, it opens, but it doesn’t reveal my brother on the other side.

Fuck.

“What now?” Cassian grunts, running a hand through his hair before tugging at the ends in desperation.

“Could he be in class?” Brody asks, and I shrug.

“I don’t know, but it’s worth a try, right?” I can sense the uncertainty in my own voice, the hope dwindling as we keep facing barrier after barrier, but I still head toward my brother’s classroom.

Students still line the halls, no one actually moving on from the scene in the dining room, and it makes my gut twist.

Addi, she… fuck. She did what all of us would have done in that moment. Vallie has done nothing but torture and torment our girl, and she had it coming, but I could feel the distress seeping from my princess. She may not have regrets over doing it, but she regrets something.

The second I heard the mention of Nora from Vallie I knew she had pushed too far. I faltered when I sensed Addi lurching from her seat, but this time, I didn’t stop her. I couldn’t, not after this morning.

Should I have? Maybe, but there’s no changing that now.

Checking the classroom my brother sometimes occupies, we come up empty, so I barrel out to the fields where he spends more time, but still nothing.

“How is this even happening to us right now? I feel like we’re running around in circles. We’re wasting time,” Raiden snarls, his words resonating in my chest as I nod in agreement.

Pulling my cell phone out of my pocket, I try to call him, hating the fact that I didn’t think to do this first. But as is my luck right now, he doesn’t answer. I try once more for good measure but still come up empty-handed.

Desperate, I fire off a message.

Kryll: Call me. Now!

Tuckingmy cell phone back into my pocket, I make sure it’s on loud so I can hear any incoming calls before I turn my attention to Brody. “Reach out to your father. If he has answers, he can give them to us over the phone,” I insist, and he swiftly digs out his device, too, and brings it to his ear.

I can hear the rings from here before they drown out and the call is cut short. He tries a second and third time before sighing with defeat.

“Do we take it to Bozzelli?” Raiden asks, making my eyes widen in surprise as I note the seriousness on his face.

“Is that going to be a waste of our time? She’s never helped before,” Cassian grunts as the four of us start to head back to the main academy building.

“That’s true for the most part, but since Addi’s speech, she’s been… different,” I admit with a shrug, my muscles bundling tighter as I try to remain as calm as possible.

“Different doesn’t mean she’s going to be of any use,” he bites back, and Brody sighs.

“Right now, she’s the only chance we’ve got,” he adds, making a point. “Besides, what did she say back there to Addi?I can’t get you out of this.Would she have tried?”

His question lingers in the air, and none of us are able to answer. Bozzelli is exhausting, and I don’t know where we stand with her. She was a bitch, until she wasn’t. I think we’re all waiting for the reality that she’s going to snap back into her asshole role and we can’t trust in a single thing she says or does.

She did allow Addi and Cassian to stay off campus for an extra night at Beau’s request, and she did defend Addi against Kenner when shit hit the fan, but now? We can’t be sure.

Stepping into the main building for the hundredth time, we barrel through the hallways, but just as we turn down the corridor that leads to Bozzelli’s office, we’re stopped in place by Professor Amos.

“You’re not in class,” he states, casting a wary gaze over the four of us as I fight off the eye roll.

“How good of you to notice. Now, fuck off,” Raiden grunts, stepping around him, but he doesn’t make it far before Amos reaches out, grabbing his arm as he holds him in place.

His jaw tics, his Adam’s apple bobs, and his shoulders tense.

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