Page 9 of Goody Magic Academy: Year Three

I nodded mutely, still too disoriented to form words.

Shouts erupted behind us, the cacophony of angry voices shattering the night’s silence. The sound scratched at my already frayed nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard. My heart seized in my chest, leaving me gasping, my chest tight as if bound by iron bands. Each attempt to inhale was a desperate, shallow thing, barely bringing any air into my burning lungs.

Jaxon’s head snapped toward me, his eyes wide.

“They’ve spotted us.” He gritted his teeth. “Rose and Valentin’s apartment is on the second floor, right?”

I nodded quickly, my voice a strangled whisper. “Yes.”

Jaxon’s hand shot out, clasping mine in an iron grip.

His fingers interlaced with mine, squeezing so tightly it bordered on pain. But the contact was also a welcome, anchoring lifeline in the storm of panic threatening to engulf me.

In a heartbeat, my stomach lurched once more as the world blurred again into a dizzying whirl of motion. The corridor became a smear of colors and shapes, racing past my eyes faster than my brain could process. The air whistled in my ears, drowning out everything but the thunderous pounding of my heart.

We tore through the building like a runaway freight train, each turn threatening to send us careening into walls. My feet barely touched the ground, Jaxon’s supernatural pace propelling us forward with a force that left me breathless, disoriented and nauseous as my inner ear rebelled against the impossible speed.

We hurtled toward what I hoped was safety, and the angry shouts of our pursuers faded behind us.

Jaxon slid to a halt, his arm shooting out to steady me. “There’s someone at the end of the hall,” he whispered, his voice tight with tension.

I squinted into the shadows. In the dim light, it was impossible to see who it was. My eyes strained with the effort of piercing the gloom, every muscle coiled and ready to flee. Cold sweat beaded on my forehead, trickling down my temples.

The silence stretched out, thick and oppressive. Each second felt like an eternity, the uncertainty gnawing at my nerves until finally?—

“Jaxon,” a familiar voice called out softly.

Relief so intense as to make my knees weak flooded through me when Valentin emerged from the shadows, his pale face a welcome beacon in the darkness.

He motioned us toward an open door and I stumbled forward, my legs shaky but determined. The taste of copper filled my mouth; I’d been biting my lip without realizing it.

As we moved toward Valentin and the promise of safety, I could feel the adrenaline still coursing through my veins, making my hands tremble and my breath come in short, quick gasps. The immediate danger might have passed, and the knot in my chest might have loosened slightly, but we weren’t out of the woods yet.

“Follow me.” Valentin motioned with his arm toward an apartment.

I frowned. Something was wrong.

I dragged my feet and lowered my voice. “Jaxon, that’s…not their apartment.”

He put his hand on my lower back and kept maneuvering me firmly down the hallway. “The damn Brotherhood will chase us all over the academy. We don’t have a choice.”

I stared at Valentin uneasily. “This isn’t your apartment.”

He looked up and down the corridor. “No. It’s a vacant unit. Hopefully, the Bloodborne Brotherhood won’t find you in here.”

Jaxon and I went through the door. I held my breath, certain I was about to be ambushed.

I was wrong.

As we stumbled into the apartment, danger suddenly shifted to relative safety, leaving me disoriented. My eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim interior as the shapes slowly coalesced into familiar faces.

My roommate, Twyla, rushed over to me with open arms. Through the window, the moonlight glistened off her hair, making the crown of daisies she wore look like it was adorned with rain drops. The sight of her friendly face, so welcome yet unexpected in this moment of crisis, made my throat tighten.

“Peyton! I was so worried about you,” she cried, her voice cracking with emotion.

I hugged her so tightly my fingers dug into the fabric of her shirt, the reality of our situation crashing over me anew in this moment of reunion. “I was worried about you, too,” I choked out. “I thought... I thought they got you as well.”

She unraveled from around me, and I saw the moonlight glisten on her wet cheeks. The tears there mirrored my own barely contained emotions. “Rose and Valentin found me,” she explained, her words coming out in a rush. “Kamaron and Finn are here as well.”

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