Rise of Alpha (The Prodian Journey #1) (24 page)

Dad came by my room just before bedtime. “Son, how’re you feeling?”
 

“I’m okay.”
 

My dad didn’t do a lot of talking. He was a quiet man. His visit must be about something important.
 

“What’s going on?”

“I have another job offer in New York City, and I’m considering it. How do you feel about moving there?” He sat on the edge of my bed.
 

I shot up and instant pain radiated from my chest, but I didn’t let it distract me. This was more important. “No way. I’m happy here.”

“You’re happy?” Dad asked, narrowing his eyes. “That Masters kid is bullying you. You’re getting into fights—”

“I’m fine. It’s all growing pains. Besides, I’m graduating. It’s better if we stay here until then. C’mon, Dad, please.”

He closed his eyes, his expression pained, as if he were blocking out an unpleasant thought. “I just want what’s best for you. I’m scared of what might happen.”

I inched closer, more careful of my injury. “What are you talking about?”

Dad’s eyes snapped open. “Nothing. I’m going to bed. We’ll talk about this another time.” He hurried out of my room, leaving me confused and worried.
 

The Battle
 

My throbbing ribs woke me up before my alarm clock went off. It had been a rough night without the pain medication. There had been moments throughout the night when I thought I was going to lose it. Even the simple act of breathing was difficult.

I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. It was too early to call Shannon or even to send her a text message. I wondered why she hadn’t shown up like she had the other night, though it wouldn’t have surprised me if she’d been grounded for sneaking out. The mental picture of her climbing the trellis made me smile.
 

I turned toward the window with great difficulty. Not taking the pain pill had been a dumb idea, but I couldn’t take any chances.
 

Dad’s comment the night before still bothered me. What had he meant about bad things happening?
 

Another hour passed before I decided it would be okay to text Shannon. When I picked up my cell phone, I noticed I had several missed calls. None of the numbers were familiar, but one. I ignored the unknown callers and dialed Jude, our yearbook editor.

As it turned out, the homecoming game was coming up, and he needed two people to cover the pictures. Shannon had signed up for one spot, so I agreed to take the other. It would be nice to work with her. After Jude and I hung up, I sent her a text.

I’ll drive you to school. I’ll honk at 7:30.
 

Her response came back real fast.
You rest. Mark and Darryl will pick me up. I’ll be okay. Don’t worry.

The hell I wasn’t going to worry. Finding out that the Ergans were loitering like dirt on the road was enough reason to get me all fired up. As much as I trusted my buddies, my chest constricted at the idea that they were with Shannon instead of me.
 

I’ll take you. I’m feeling better.
 

Yeah, right. Lying didn’t feel so bad when it was supported by good intentions.
 

I walked into the shower with difficulty.

Soaping my body was an excruciating task. It felt like I was being skewered. I might have been acting like a baby, but it really hurt.
 

I bit my lip while I finished dressing. Moving with care, I retrieved my keys and the bottle of Mertest from my desk. Combing my hair would cause unnecessary discomfort so I pulled on a baseball cap, slung on my backpack, and headed downstairs.

“Baby-boy, I made your favorite Mickey waffles,” Mom hollered from the kitchen.
 

Mickey-shaped waffles. I’d gotten sick of them like ten years ago, but Mom always made sure that I had them whenever I came down with the flu or something.

“Coming!” I answered and tried my best to hide my discomfort when I walked in the kitchen.
 

My father looked up from his usual spot at the table, setting aside the newspaper. “How are you feeling?” he asked, forking a piece of waffle.

I took my seat and held my breath, bracing for the pain that followed each movement. Dad watched me, his eyes narrowing.

“I’m good,” I said, hoping he’d buy it.
 

He looked doubtful. “Are you taking your medication?”
 

“Yeah, but I’m going to switch to the over-the-counter ones. I don’t like feeling nauseous.” Good thing I’d read the side effects on the label.
 

“Breaking a bone is no picnic.” He gave me another long once-over before picking up the newspaper.

“Here’s your Mickey waffle, baby-boy.” Mom handed me a plate with three large waffles on it and hovered over me.

I wasn’t too hungry, but she’d be disappointed if I didn’t gobble it up, so I picked up the maple syrup.
 

“Thanks, Mom,” I said after the first bite.
 

She smiled, satisfied.
 

I swallowed down one waffle, and then I was ready to bail. “Sorry, I can’t finish it. I’ll save it for later.” I carried my plate to the microwave and put it inside. As a child, it had been something I’d always done, just to keep my mother from forcing me to finish.

“What are you up to today?” Mom asked before I could make it out of the kitchen.

My injured rib protested when I spun around a little too quickly. “I-I’m going to the library. I’ll see you guys later.”
 

I braced my hand on the wall the moment I stepped out of the front door and let out a groan, taking shallow breaths until the pain subsided. Then I walked slowly to my car and managed to back it out of the driveway without screaming. I honked once, and Shannon appeared at her front door in less than a minute.

She bounded down the walkway. This time, her hair was free from braid or ponytail, and I watched in awe while it flapped behind her. Her skinny jeans hugged her body like a second skin, and her loose-fitting USC sweatshirt did nothing to hide her blossoming figure.
 

Shannon smacked my arm once she got in the car.

“Aww! What was that for?” I rubbed my arm and glared at her.

“For staring at me like I’m a piece of meat.” She fastened her seatbelt and turned to face me. “Have anything planned for the rest of the day?”
 

I shook my head and maneuvered the car out onto our street. As I waited to make a left turn on the main road, I felt her eyes on me.
 

“Did you sleep well last night?”

“Yeah, good enough, although, there was someone missing.” I grinned at her.
 

Shannon blushed. “Well, I wanted you to have a good night’s sleep, so I stayed away. Besides, you’re already cramped in that bed to begin with. I was trying to be nice.” She laughed a little, but I noticed the nervousness in her voice.

With a surge of confidence, I took her hand and kissed it. “Well, I slept well,” I lied, “but I’ve gotten used to your snoring. I missed it last night.”
 

She yanked her hand back, but I didn’t let go. Instead, I rested our twined hands on my lap while I drove with one hand on the steering wheel.

The moment we turned onto the school’s street, a remarkable screeching noise began buzzing in my ears. I looked left to right, trying to see if I could track down the Ergans. There were two loping by, and more about five hundred feet down the street.
 

“Hey, what’s wrong? Why are you so quiet?” Shannon asked, looking in the same direction I was.

“Nothing. I thought I heard something.” I parked the car in front of the school entrance where Mark and Darryl stood, waiting for her. Their faces lit up when they saw me, and they jogged over. I turned to Shannon, still holding her hand. “I’ll be waiting out here by the time school’s out. Make sure either Mark, Darryl, or my cousin walks you out.”

“You’re such a worry-wart. Kevin won’t be around. I’ll be fine.” She smiled and gathered up her backpack. Then she looked at our hands pointedly. “I’m going to be late.”

“Oh, yeah!” I laughed and let go of her hand.
 

I watched her climb the steps, Darryl walking alongside her. Mark stayed behind, and after the two made it in, he leaned into the passenger side window. When I glanced in the rearview mirror again, another Ergan streaked by.
 

“Bro, you look like shit,” Mark commented.

“Thanks. I feel like it, too.” I let my body relax a little and slumped against my seat.

“We got it covered, man. I’ll text or call if anything’s up. Car is like a dog. He follows her everywhere she goes.”

My chest hurt, and I knew why. This was a different type of distress. I nodded and looked away. It wasn’t the time to be jealous, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted so much to be with Shannon myself.

“I’m going to pick her up after the last period. Please make sure you’re with her.”
 

“No worries, man. See you in six hours?” Mark reached in and held his palm to me.

I slapped mine with his. “Cool,” I said and added, “Thanks, bro.”

Mark snorted. “Anything for you, buddy.”

After the first bell rang, I sat inside my car, deliberating what to do next. I glanced at my rearview mirror and noticed Kevin walking toward the front entrance. What was he doing here? I ducked my head, pretending like I was pulling something out of the glove compartment. I watched him after he passed by, and I noticed that he was mumbling something to himself.
 

I continued to observe him while he stopped by the front entrance, looking intent on something. When the last bell rang, he turned around and bowed his head. For some bizarre reason, I felt the hair on my arms rise. Sensing an unseen threat, I fished for the bottle of Mertest in my pocket and waited. Matro appeared next to my car, as well as Carionis, looking ready to rumble.

Although the movements were blurry, I could see what was happening. Kevin was talking to a hooded figure, and the Ergans were bounding toward us. I opened the glove compartment and took out two more bottles of Mertest before I got out of the car. Pain lanced across my chest when I tried to stand, making me slump to the ground.
 

Matro touched my arm, and an electric current coursed through me, erasing the throb of my broken rib.
 

“Car, go for it,” Matro said and pulled me to my feet. “Here.” He handed me a Reumdag.
 

One Ergan swept by, and Matro struck it with his weapon. The sucker melted on contact, fizzling into thin air. I braced myself to face the incoming herd while Carionis ran across the street, using throwing stars of some sort and striking anything that crossed his path.
 

I looked at Kevin, who was already slumped to the ground, moaning. The hooded figure looked up and met my gaze before disappearing.

“Behind you!” Matro yelled while he assaulted another Ergan.

I spun around, and the thing let out an ear-piercing screech. It got up on its hind legs, its front claws almost grazing my face. I jumped back, and it moved forward. Remembering what Matro had said, I braced my legs, rotated my weapon, and stunned it with the blunt tip. The Ergan stumbled backward, so I ran toward it and thrust the sharp point of my Reumdag as hard as I could into its chest.
 

It shrieked before melting right before my eyes. Panting, I looked around to see that we had cleaned house. However, several shocked bystanders were beginning to run away.
 

Eyewitnesses. Me in the middle of a weird battle in front of school. No doubt this would make the news, and not in a good way.
 

“What do we do with them?” I turned to Matro.
 

“I’m on it. All they need is a little spell to block out this particular information from their memories,” he said before he disappeared.
 

Carionis returned just as I was about to collapse inside my car. “Dude, the stress too much for you?”