Page 2 of A Sea of Secrets
Ace threw a blade, missing the hooded dude by an inch as it embedded into the wall instead. The hooded dude cackled like some deranged seagull and hurled the chair he’d been holding at the nearest window, breaking the glass. It didn’t shatter. Instead, sharp shards stuck out, like glass knives waiting for anyone who dared approach. Noah was that brave barramundi as he moved closer to the hooded dude.
Misty tendrils seeped into the cafeteria through the broken window like a low-lying fog on the ocean, creeping towards us. But Noah didn’t seem to notice or care as he dove for the hooded dude.
I jumped off the table to help Noah wrangle our prey, but the dude had somehow slipped free, darting out of Noah’s reach, and jumped through the fractured window. Bleeding wounds, jumping off roofs, and now diving through windows… The hooded dude was in desperation mode for sure.
Noah picked something up off the ground, pocketing it before leaning out the window to peer into the misty night.
“Which way?” Ace demanded at my side, his dark hair slick as he shoved Noah aside and kicked at the broken glass, making a safer exit for the rest of us.
“I don’t know,” Noah grumbled, following Ace as he climbed out the window. The latter gripped a handful of steak knives in one hand. They took off into the night without hesitation, with Kayden and I hot on their tails. They didn’t need to check to know we would join them. Victoria’s attacker had to pay for what he'd done.
I glanced at Kayden, noting the sweat beading on his determined brow whilst we made our pursuit. Fallon had set him a task and he, like Noah and Ace, had immediately obeyed. No questions, no hesitation. They had taken one look at her distraught face and fell to her command.
There was no question about it. We were all devoted to her.
A cough rattled my chest as we ran, the lingering mist giving me the chills as we passed multiple lamp posts. I thumped my fist against my sternum, trying to clear my lungs. Whatever was causing the mist couldn’t be good. It made me feel like I was being tickled by a blue glaucus, which was never a fun time. Those little dudes were cute but nasty as all hell.
The rest of my pod didn’t seem to care about the mist, though, so maybe it was me just being a sensitive salmon.
Toughen up, Zaney.
We were so close to catching the slippery squid. A little bit of fog wasn’t going to get in our way, no sir-ee.
That was the one thing the members of this pod had in common; a desire to protect and support Fallon. Not to mention hurt anyone who caused her pain which, for some reason that confused my noggin on the daily, was a fair few people. Why somany people had it out for my starfish was a mystery, much like the deepest depths of the ocean.
Seeing Fallon crying over her sister had been too much for ol’ Zaney to bear. It had sliced open my chest like a shark feasting on a seal. Right now, that image of my starfish was what drove me forward with Ace, Kayden, and Noah.
I never wanted to see her like that again.
Ace threw something—one of the steak knives, I guessed—the motion of his arm was the only evidence of his actions in the dark. At least until the hooded dude cried out. The sound pierced the air as he stumbled.
Luck wasn’t on our side, though, as our prey quickly regained his footing and powered on.
Who was this guy? He’d sustained multiple injuries, yet he was still zipping around the academy grounds. He must have had excellent training because any other person would have fallen on their ass by now. This wasn't just some hired low-life. Whoever the hooded dude was, he had to have come from a powerful family for that level of skill.
He darted right, running towards the miniature Terrulian cities and attempting to hide amongst the shadows. A clever move from the squid, though not smart enough. Ace signalled, using a steak knife that glinted in the moonlight as he gestured in the air. We immediately split up, he and Noah continuing straight ahead whilst Kayden and I continued to trail the hooded dude.
Once again, this pod of orca was closing in. Hopefully, now we'd catch our prey.
We entered an area where there was no light in this part of the grounds. Even the mist had become invisible to the eye. The earth was soft beneath my feet, though, and I was confident enough to take a stab in the dark and say we were in the grassy Verdant Plateau. I could barely see what was in front of me andprayed I didn't collide with a tree or anything. They may have been good for hugging, but they were hard if you hit them.
My eyes did their best to adjust to the lack of light, but my vision must have been off, because Kayden started to blur, like I was wearing foggy glasses. He was just a reddish-dark blob running beside me. Suddenly, he coughed loudly, his form disappearing altogether in a foggy haze. The next thing I knew I was tumbling through the air. I threw my hands out at the last minute, catching myself and stopping my face from colliding with the ground.
Luckily, I’d been right about the grass, the clever crab that I was.
More coughing sounded and I looked back over my shoulder to see where Kayden had stopped. At least, I was pretty sure the big lump was Kayden.
Digging my fingers into the ground, I dragged myself towards him like a beached whale and, through my hazy gaze, confirmed it was indeed him. He lay on his back, clutching his chest as he coughed uncontrollably.
Fear spiked through me as sharp as a shark’s tooth. Had he been poisoned, too? Had I been targeted again?
“Kayden,” I gasped, suddenly seeming out of breath as I drew closer. Shit, shit, shit. “Kayden.” I reached him and put my hands on his chest. Relief fell over me as they were lifted up and down. “Now’s not a great time for a nap,” I mumbled, shoving him and then using him to stabilise myself enough to stand. My body shook with another cough and the darkened world around me spun. “Wakey, wakey, reddy teddy.”
My knees buckled, losing the fight against whatever was trying to send me to sleep. But I was determined not to let it take me. It used to take hours to put me to bed as a kid, so I wasn’t going down that easy.
I needed to find the hooded attacker for my starfish. Fallon rarely asked for help; she always wanted to stand on her own two feet, yet this time was different. I couldn’t let her down.
“No time for sleepies,” I slurred while my whole body tingled.
