AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I stare at him in surprise.
“We know now without a doubt that we’re brothers. Tell him what happened. He needs to know that the Tempes were using both of us to spy on the Noctu.”
I nod. “Don’t you want to tell him yourself?”
He shakes his head. “I have enough to think about right now without having to deal with long-lost family too.”
But it could change everything, I want to say to him. But I know this is not the right moment. First he needs to figure out how to live with all this new information.
“If you need someone to talk to,” I say, “you know I’m always here.”
He nods. “I know. But first I need time to process this and figure out a way to deal with it on my own.”
The storm is still raging in his eyes – dark and dangerous, and I feel as if I could be swept up by it and lost forever. I wish I could help him, but I know I can’t. He needs time. It’s hard for me to give him that. I want to be with him, feel his closeness, let him know I’m on his side. But I can’t. Right now, all I can do is give him space.
Ayden looks at me one last time and leaves. It’s obvious to me that he’s not okay, that he’s in pain. But he tries not to let it show as he strides briskly down the corridor.
Chapter 8
Ihad a restless night, with so many things running through my mind. So it’s no wonder I can’t concentrate now. I was hoping to see Ayden this morning before the first period, but I didn’t. And he’s been absent from classes so far too. I check my phone again – no message from him. Kate watches me out of the corner of her eye. Naturally, I told her everything that happened yesterday.
I shake my head in answer to her unspoken question. She’s worried about Ayden too. I keep wondering where he is and how he’s doing. Has he talked to his father again? Maybe the Council? What does he plan to do next?
And then there’s the principal’s threat of severe consequences for my intrusion. I’m pretty sure he’ll follow up on that. What if they actually take my key from me? I’d lose Yoru. And what about Ayden? Long-term relationships between Tempes and non-key-carriers aren’t permitted. I rub my head wearily and try to concentrate on Ms. Pilgram’s lecture.
Then there’s a knock at the door, and I turn to see it open. Mr. Faible, the guidance counselor, enters. His tense expression doesn’t bode well.
“Excuse the interruption. A few teachers are going from class to class. We have some news to share with the students.”
Ms. Pilgram nods and steps aside so that he can address us from the front of the room. He briefly scans the class. He looks serious, and I can guess what’s coming.
“We’re now certain that Mr. Brian has been killed. He was always very reliable in all the years that he’s been with us. It’s totally out of character for him to just leave without a word. Something must have happened to him. As it’s been several days now, and we still haven’t received word from him, we’re assuming the worst.”
A murmur ripples through the room. Some of the students put their heads together and whisper. This confirms what they all suspected. Mr. Brian is dead.
I push a strand of hair out of my face and try to suppress the memories. Again, I picture Mr. Brian attacking Kate, our escape to the Odyss, the fight with Mr. Brian that almost cost us our lives. And finally, his disfigured body after Frida was finished with him. I’m still struggling to come to terms with it all.
“I want to assure you on behalf of the teaching staff, the school administration, and the Council that we won’t let this crime go unpunished. An operation is being planned, which will target several locations where we suspect Noctu are stationed.”
This is not news to me, but it does nothing to improve my mood. Ayden will be involved. I need to talk to him and find out how he’s doing. Except that I know he’s dealing with some heavy stuff right now, and he made it clear to me that he needs time.
“I wonder if they’ll ever find Mr. Brian’s body,” a girl says to her friend as she dries her hair after showering.
Training was really tiring again today.
“It’s pretty crazy that the Noctu got to one of our teachers. I mean, he used to be a hunter, so he knew how to defend himself. But they still managed to kill him.”
“Yeah, I know. I hate to think what they could do to a student if an ex-hunter has no chance against them!” says her friend.
“All we can do is train hard and hope that it’s enough to defend ourselves in an emergency until help arrives or we can run away.”
Actually, I noticed a distinct change in the students during training today. Everyone really threw themselves into it and fought with a kind of tenacity that I’ve rarely seen in these sessions. The question is – how long will this effect last? So many hunters have been killed by the Noctu – or so I keep hearing. But no one’s talking about that today.
“I hope they don’t find Mr. Brian’s remains,” Kate whispers. “If they examine the body closely, what will they learn?”
I can’t answer that. But I’ve been asking myself the same thing. I guess it’s pretty unlikely. Mr. Brian is buried behind one of the countless doors in the Odyss. It would be a huge coincidence if anyone found him.
I check the time and sigh. “I’m running late. My bus arrives soon.” I glance back down the corridor, but Ayden’s nowhere in sight.
