AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Forever,” Victor stated before Gabriel could say it. His mouth twisted into a smile.
I pulled away from Kota to brush a palm across my eyes. “You all are so mean.”
North started laughing. Silas grinned, his eyes twinkling. The others chuckled.
Mr. Blackbourne shook his head at us. “We’ve got work to do, gang,” he said. He turned to me. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Can you hang on for a while longer?”
I nodded, swallowing back nerves. “I’ve made it this far.”
Mr. Blackbourne tilted his head at me, seeming confused by my words. “You’re a crazy little girl,” he said.
“Yeah,” Kota said, beaming. He dropped a palm on my head, rubbing at my scalp. “She belongs with us.”
Nathan wrapped an arm around my shoulders. Luke’s hand found mine again. For the first time, I think, I didn’t blink that they were touching me or that we were holding hands. In that moment, it felt like it was us against a school that didn’t want us there. I had been completely unprepared for Ashley Waters. If it wasn’t for the boys, I don’t think I could have gotten away with being the empty, invisible person I had expected to be. Around Kota and the others from the Academy, I was becoming a part of something. We were a team. I didn’t understand exactly what I was doing. What I did know was how desperately I needed them.
And as I met their eyes, shining, looking back at me, I understood. They needed me, too.
There was a lot more to do. We were doing it together.
~A~
Mr. Blackbourne,’s encoded GPS unit guided him to the jam-packed restaurant in downtown Charleston. He was early, and waited the thirty minutes inside his car, wondering about the background check he’d requested for Sang Sorenson. His Academy contact had insisted on meeting him in person. That alone told him there was something important to say. He hated for his team to get their hopes up about a girl they might have to keep at a distance, or worse, avoid completely. They didn’t know enough about her to make such a decision, but tonight’s report should tell him everything he needed to know.
He was pessimistic. Academy contacts didn’t call you out in the open for good news.
He slipped his glasses up the bridge of his nose while watching a familiar, nondescript black sedan park across the lot. Mr. Blackbourne held back, waiting for the older gentleman getting out of his car to enter the restaurant. Mr. Blackbourne left his car, hitting the button on his keys and knowing his contact would hear the distinct beep of his car announcing it was locking up.
The restaurant was an average burger and fries shack, but it served the purpose they needed: neither of them had been there in a while so they would be unfamiliar and forgettable faces, it was overcrowded already, and they’d had Kota there earlier sweeping for bugs before the evening started. It was highly unlikely their random meeting was going to be contaminated with recording devices of any kind, but Kota also ensured security cameras wouldn’t be recording that evening.
He’d broken the computer’s hard drives that stored the data and cut the feeds that linked to televisions.
It was overkill for their needs, but the Academy preferred it. Students of the Academy knew to always be ready and never expose yourself unless you had to. Overkill actions gave them their advantage in everything they did.
Mr. Blackbourne joined his companion at a booth near the back. They were crowded in but the more people, the better.
“How’s it going?” the man said, standing up and a friendly smile warming his face, revealing his familiarity with Mr. Blackbourne. His eyes were blue, and gentle age spots kissed the crest of his cheeks. His white hair was thinning on top. He held out a hand toward Mr. Blackbourne. “Nice to see you, Owen.”
The sound of his first name being spoken nearly made Mr. Blackbourne flinch. He’d had his own team call him Mr. Blackbourne for years for the sake of establishing the sense of seniority – difficult to do at nineteen when his team members were only three years younger than himself. Other Academy members called him the same, even Dr. Green. He didn’t need to be so formal with anyone they worked with but he preferred formality. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Dr. Roberts.”
“Will you please just call me Phil? You make me sound old,” the man said, his wrinkly grin betraying his age further. He nodded to Mr. Blackbourne and slid down into the booth’s seat. “I like this place. The food is excellent. I wish I could come here more often.”
“It’s interesting,” Mr. Blackbourne said, sitting across from his companion. “I prefer quieter places.”
“Of course.” Phil settled back into his seat, crossing his arms over his chest and grinning. “A friend of mine told me you were interested in acquiring a little bird. I thought you were strictly a dog person, myself.”
This was code. Dogs were males. Mr. Blackbourne’s mind flashed images of Sang Sorenson at the mention of a bird. “There’s a particularly remarkable one I hear is in need of adoption, and has a fondness for other animals.”
“Has she been trained?”
“We’ve just been introduced, although she shows potential.”
Phil’s eyes focused on the menu splayed out in front of him. “Does she know?”
Mr. Blackbourne was hoping this wasn’t going to be asked. He opened his menu, holding it up to mask his mouth. It was probably overkill for such a place, but he wanted to be extra careful when dealing with anything that involved Sang. “She knows we exist. She knows our cover story at the public school. She doesn’t know the full story but it won’t take her long. She’s clever.”
Phil nodded, smiling wide. “I didn’t think you’d consider someone without that being evident. Is she cute?”
Mr. Blackbourne attempted to mask his displeasure at Phil’s attempt at teasing. Yes, Sang Sorenson was cute. That was half of his problem with her right now. He knew what this could lead to. His carefully chosen Academy family could be torn apart by Sang. She had the power to bring everything he’d worked for down with a single look if she desired. Only she didn’t know she had that ability, and that made her more dangerous.
The Academy disliked the thought of a bird joining an all dog team for that very reason. Disliked, but didn’t forbid it entirely. It’s happened successfully before. It’d been an unusual team, but it worked. Sang was unexpected, and Mr. Blackbourne at first doubted she would have stuck around.
But wild circumstances, and Kota’s insistence, pushed her onto their Academy family. When the guys had accepted her, she dismissed their curious behavior and stuck by them. She’d taken every blow his team had received at that school and bounced back, standing strong beside them ate every turn. It surprised him the first time when he learned Sang had jumped into the fight to save Gabriel. She didn’t know Gabriel could defend himself so he hadn’t berated her for it, and actually admired her courage.
At Friday Fall, however, everything changed in his perspective. After hearing the reports and analyzing the recorded videos collected by cell phones, Sang Sorenson displayed a backbone and loyalty she’d kept suppressed in her timid, outward appearance. He couldn’t erase the image of her beautifully exotic face, her trembling body wrapped up in Kota’s arms after the fight. If it hadn’t been inappropriate, he would have done it himself.
Her allure had not gone unnoticed by anyone on his team. He saw it in their eyes.
He almost wanted to say this out loud in an effort to ask for advice from a senior member, but was saved by the waitress coming over to ask their order. Her interruption gave him enough time to realize that he could easily lose Sang to another team. He recanted his idea for advice, as he didn’t want to talk up Sang.
Adoption into the Academy family wasn’t the same as being accepted into the Academy as an official member. Any official Academy member could formally adopt anyone
they wished. Adopted family of the Academy meant protection and financial security for life. It relieved the burden of having to handle personal family problems on a singular team member, and shifts it to the entire Academy, and their expansive teams of various levels of expertise. Lawyers, doctors, scientists, even constructions workers and private investigators were the staple of what was the Academy.
They kept their circles tight, usually blood relations and close friends were restricted to the family member who had adopted them.
Potential future official members, those not related to any team member, could be adopted by anyone. He didn’t want anyone else learning too much about her and possibly luring her onto their teams instead.
Adopting a bird or dog meant your team became the lead team. Any further Academy interaction with the adopted had to be directed through the lead team. It’d make it harder for another section of the Academy to try to talk Sang into joining them. Harder, but not impossible.
It was selfish, but he was allowed to be selfish about his own team.
They ordered uninteresting burgers, fries and sodas. The waitress glazed her eyes over them with a tired smile and disappeared again.
“Owen,” Phil said, “You’ve got to be careful with these things. Birds are very delicate creatures. It’s not easy to adopt one, given your situation.”
“I’ve considered that,” Mr. Blackbourne said, knowing he meant all the dogs on his own team.
Phil waved a finger in the air. “Who instigated?”
“Mr. Lee.”
“And the team?”
“All approved.”
Phil sighed, running his fingers through the white hair above his ear. “Then I hate to bring this up.”
Mr. Blackbourne jerked his head back. “What?”
Phil twisted his lips, as if hesitating to respond. “You asked for a background.”
“Yes?” Mr. Blackbourne said, not wanting to sound so anxious but after letting Sang get so close, he’d hate to learn she was disqualified. It didn’t seem likely. She attracted trouble but she didn’t seem to be an initiator.
