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Chapter 11
Islow to a halt and listen. The only thing I hear is the water rushing around me from my sudden stop. No howling. No growling. Nothing.
How long have I been fleeing? Feels like hours. Probably just minutes. Twenty? Five? I’m still in the forest, but I’ve escaped whatever touched me back there in that bush. Everything hurts—muscles, bones, joints, wounds. I gasp for water, barely able to breathe in enough.
All I want is to get back to the academy and climb into bed. No, what I really want is to wake up and discover that all of this has been nothing more than a nightmare. To find that I’m not in the ocean, that my uncle isn’t dead, and that everything is as it should be.
I will my cell phone to wake me.
It doesn’t, of course, as I’m in the ocean. Hopefully, somewhere near Valora. Near the Dark Sea Academy, where almost everyone hates me. Or at the very least, distrusts me. Maybe it’s only Earwig and her sidekicks who actually want me dead.
All of this is very much my new reality. I went from invisible to oh-so-visible. From a nobody to a celebrity.
I take a deep breath and keep going. My body begs me to stop. My eyelids are growing heavy.
Just need to get out of the woods. Going up and over them would be nice, but the plants are so high they look like they never end. I’m better off following the paths. I press on, listening as I swim. Using my sore tail to push me faster. I come to a path.
I can see. My eyes are adjusting. Light is coming from somewhere. I have to be close to the edge.
Must keep going.
Can’t. Just want sleep.
Then I recall the cold flesh pushing against me in the bush.
I can do this. Get back to the academy. Then sleep for a week. Nothing sounds better. Just have to keep going. Almost there.
I follow the path, continuing straight every time it forks. It doesn’t matter where I come out of the forest, just that I do. Then I can find my way back, even if I have to swim clear around the woods.
Bushes block the path. That leaves me with two choices. One is to turn around. Not happening. My other choice is to push through the plants. And that’s exactly what I do. The leaves scratch my hands. I don’t care.
I press through. Scratch my face.
The light of Valora blinds me. I close my eyes and cover my face. If it’s this bright out, what time is it? Morning? Afternoon? Have I already missed my first day of classes?
I give it a minute before pulling my arms away from my eyes. Blink a few times. The light isn’t so bad. Looks like morning. Maybe I have some time to sleep.
If I can find the academy. I spin around. If I had legs, they’d give out on me.
The Dark Sea Academy looms in front of me. I’m at the back side of the enormous structure, but there’s no mistaking it.
I made it to the right place. I’m not only out of the forest, but exactly where I wanted to end up.
Now to figure out if I can get out of my classes for the day. Surely, surviving an all-night hazing would be enough to get me a pass. One look at me would tell the faculty I’m in no condition to deal with school. My arms are a bloody mess and my pajama top is torn to shreds, with one missing arm and part of the bottom gone.
All I need is to get back to my suite without running into anyone. Just need to get cleaned up and climb into bed. I’ll deal with my teachers later.
I swim toward the building and go through the creaky gate.
The coast is clear. Nobody in sight. I’m even near an entrance. I head for the door with a renewed burst of energy. I’m so close!
“Marra?”
My heart sinks at the sound of the familiar male voice.
I stop and spin around. “Bash.”
His eyes widen as he looks me over. “What did you do to find trouble already?”
