The wind tossed my hair about, laughing in shivering whistles as it played with the strands. I stood on the balcony pathway that led to the next dorm building, leaning toward the beautiful view. Despite the darkness of the night, the buildings' small sparkling lights dazzled the night.

It was hypnotizing.

The red eyes from my dream turned into something that felt so unreal that it was no longer terrifying. It felt like exactly what it was—just a bad dream.

I breathed in the soothing crispy air and allowed my eyelids to dip slightly. It was disappointing that reality couldn't be just like this view: beautiful and perfect.

Something flashed in the distance. Then it disappeared from view as I was knocked to the ground. I landed on someone's chest, arms wrapped tightly around me. I heard a whiz above me. The sound of glass shattering filled the silence after. A car alarm went off, shredding the peaceful air.

"Are you okay?" Theo asked, releasing me from his hold and grabbing my arms to pull me away from him so he could examine my face.

I pushed myself away and leaned back against the balcony wall. "What was that?"

He leaned toward the balcony, popping his head up slightly to look out into the city. Then he slid down the wall and sat beside me. "A sniper," he replied.

"What?"

"A sniper!" He grabbed my wrist and yanked me into the dorm hall, leading me far away from the clear glass doors.

"Stay in your room until morning," he said. "And lock your door. I highly doubt they'll make another attempt, but depending on how desperate they are, we can't be too sure."

"Are you saying someone is trying to scare me? Or—kill me?"

"Do you want to find out?" he questioned. I shook my head quietly. "Then listen to me," he finished, pushing me toward my dorm room.

"I get it! Chill!" I snapped, turning my head to look at him as he continued to pull me along despite my cooperation. "Why are you helping me anyway?"

Theo stopped, one bare foot dragging slightly against the carpet floor. "Let's just say I overheard a very unfortunate conversation between my aunt and our school's chief of police." My eyes widened as I understood the meaning of his words.

Did that mean he was on my side? Or did he just feel sorry for me?

Suddenly he paused, his posture going stiff. He clenched his jaw before pushing me back and widening his stance in front of me. Then he was gone in a flash, my eyes unable to keep up with his swift call to action. But when I saw a flash of pale blond react in a similar manner, my legs pushed me forward before I could register what they were doing.

My rash decision got me two punches, one on my right cheek and one on my left.

The boys immediately retreated when they saw my held-out arms signaling them to stop. Both hands then went to my cheeks to feel the damage. I winced as the pain came flooding in.

If I wasn't awake before, I sure was now.

"My queen, why don't you wish me to kill this man?" Elio questioned. He pulled out a gun and aimed it at Theo, seemingly as just a threat, although the gun would probably go off if Theo moved.

"For lack of a better phrase: What in tarnation?!" Theo cried. His British accent was laced with some sort of funky southern accent and made him sound like a dying cow.

"Dude, there were a thousand other ways to ask why he has a gun to your head," I deadpanned.

"Tell me who you are, and why you wish to harm this lovely maiden," Elio demanded, swiping his arm to gesture at me while keeping his narrowed eyes focused on Theo.

"You sound weirder than Wren, and I'd believe her if she said she was an alien from Pluto," I said. "Also I feel like you should have some sort of sword and be fighting a dragon instead of a teenage boy that can't even manage a southern accent."

Theo adjusted his fluffy duck pajamas and cleared his throat before replying, "My name is Theo O'Dell. Harming Lumi is not my intention."

"Could've fooled me with the way you swung that sword and gun at my face the other day."

He ignored my comment. "I am not quite sure of your current intentions," he continued. "May I ask what you are doing in front of Lumi's door at this late hour?"

Elio pursed his lips. He eventually replied stiffly, "I am her new bodyguard. My duty is my current intention."

"It is certainly lovely to meet you," Theo returned just as stiffly. He held out his hand for Elio to shake.

Both of the boys' faces remained calm and still as they shook hands. Their eyes, however, communicated a very different story.

"And I'm Tempest," I interrupted their staring contest. "A person who would absolutely love to not be a half-asleep may or may not be dead zombie tomorrow. So if we're done here, I'd like to go to bed."

Elio nodded, coming around to stand behind me in a protective manner. I led the way through my dorm doorway and began to feel my way through the dark room when I heard Elio's footsteps pause. I turned and saw Theo with a hand squeezing Elio's shoulder to keep him from continuing. He leaned toward his ear and whispered too quietly for me to hear. But I caught the tail end by reading his lips.

'...do your job and protect your charge.'

With that, Theo patted the shoulder he had been suffocating and left to his own dorm.

———————

"About those duck pajamas you were sporting last night," I said, walking around Theo so I could face him head-on. Elio trailed a few feet behind me. "They were super cute. Tell me where you bought them, and we could be twins!"

Wren raised her hand a few inches beside me and said quietly, "I will take one as well."

"We should probably get one in Elio's size too," I continued, looking over at him. "I'm guessing you already have a pair for your stuffed bear?" I looked up at Theo's red face with an innocent expression.

"I do not have a stuffed bear! Or duck pajamas!" He turned away and mumbled, "They're geese."

"Yellow geese?"

"Yes."

I was about to tease him more when a chill ran down my back.

I turned quickly with my leg raised.

But when my vision caught on empty air, my leg hung perfectly balanced with no target for it to hit. "I swear I felt someone's presence right behind me. Or someone's eyes or..." My voice trailed off as my ears twitched, picking up on the students' whispers as we walked down the hall.

"She thinks she so cool, walking around with the bodyguard her rich daddy got for her."

"It's hard to believe she's related to Dr. Adair."

"Why is the school president walking with her?"

Elio appeared in my peripheral vision, back rigid and expression firm. Wren appeared on my other side with her own calm yet terrifying expression. I turned and saw Theo walking a few feet behind me.

Altogether, they made a protective barrier around me that kept the students from coming too close.

My cheeks burned red hot, and I allowed my hair to fall, hiding them from view.

"She's like totally making a scene."

"It kinda looks like she's being arrested."

"I know right." Laughter seemed to irrupt around my bubble.

Through the bars of my hair, my eyes caught on some commotion coming from outside the school property. Students gathered around the windows to point and whisper.

I walked in the direction of one and the large group huddled around it scattered like ants. I barely managed to get a quick glance at a mob of people with flashing cameras before a layer of concrete and iron fell in front of the window.

"This is not a drill," an automated voice sounded. "Prepare for necessary lockdown process. All members with ID cards will now proceed to the safe room."

I faced the now panicking hallway in hopes of finding someone who would know what to do. But before I could open my mouth to ask Theo if he knew what was going on, the floor I was standing on disappeared.

I shrieked as I fell into the darkness. My shirt flew into my face and blocked my vision. I stuck my shirt into my shorts and bent my knees, trying my best to keep my body relaxed. My arms wrapped around my head. Then I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed for the best.

My legs sunk into the softest cushion I had ever felt. I allowed my body to fall on its side as the pillow-like substance swallowed me in a comforting embrace.

More screams and grunts sounded around me. "Madam Adair? Are you here?" I heard Elio call.

"Yeah, I'm—" Something landed on my stomach, interrupting my speech with a gasp-like sound that sounded like I was throwing up my breakfast. I looked up and saw Wren sitting crisscrossed on my stomach.

"Thank you for cushioning my fall," she said. She stood and walked off.

I tried to run after her, but it felt like all my insides had been flattened into one big pancake. "Wren!" I croaked out. "People are literally falling from the sky! You can't just—"

A guy screaming like a girl with crazy waving limbs landed on Wren. They both sank a few feet into the cushion.

"WREN!" I screamed. I searched frantically with my eyes as the large crater slowly rose back to its original position. A small thumbs up popped up. I sighed in relief.

She threw the guy off her with ease and headed back in my direction. "Understood. I will stay here." She nodded and sat back on my stomach.

Suddenly she toppled over as I was lifted into the air. I looked up and saw Elio holding me bridal style. He trudged through the rising and falling cushion, taking me to solid ground. His body loomed slightly over me, protecting me from falling bodies.

I was surprised when the ride became smooth and Elio lowered me to the floor. My flats tapped against the cement floor. My adjusted eyes fell on the walls closing in around us. It must be some kind of hallway.

I heard Wren approach behind us and saw her bright eyes before the rest of her small form took shape in the darkness. She slid past us and continued down the hall, her boots thumping against the floor. "The only way to discover the answer to the mystery is to follow the clues. The only clue I perceive is this quite ominous path. Let us follow it, and learn what lies ahead." Her voice echoed surprisingly well for how close the walls were. But then I looked up and saw that the ceiling seemed to stretch into infinity. I shivered at the vast, empty darkness.

"It is not cold in here," Wren said without turning.

"I just got a weird feeling, that's all," I returned, following close behind her.

Her head bobbed slightly. It waved her long hair and the small flecks of light coming from cracks in the wall made the locks appear gold. I turned to look at Elio and noticed that his hair appeared the same. I stared for a few minutes as we walked. He never looked back, although I could tell he noticed my heavy stare.

Elio's hair was moving as though caught in a breeze. Even in the nearly nonexistent lighting, I was sure of it. "Do you guys feel that?" I questioned aloud, my steps pausing.

My two companions finally looked at me, both with matching confused expressions.

"It feels like an air vent," I continued. "Above us." I looked up but only saw the never-ending darkness. When neither stepped forward to support my claim, I murmured, "Maybe it's just my imagination," and continued to trudge forward.

Eventually, the other students found the passageway as well, creating a soft din that echoed in the lofty hall.

A few minutes later, the thin path opened up into a large room. Everything but the large screen in the center of the room was made of dark concrete. The walls were squared off with thick iron rods fused into the concrete.

A large crowd gathered around the screen, many whispers of confusion flying around the room. I kept my gaze fixed on the screen, my ears tuning out the extra noise.

The screen flickered to life, glitching for a few seconds before showing the headmaster's firm, unwrinkled face. Her face softened before she spoke. "We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused our precious students. This has been nothing but a false alarm. Our chief of police will be down shortly to help every student make it to safety. Classes have been canceled, but our tutors are available in the library until five. Again, please accept our humblest of apologies for this inconvenience." She bowed her head. Then the screen went black.

The nearly silent room exploded with excited whispers.

I almost let out a growl at her dumb speech.

A lockdown mode of this caliber was reserved in cases where the security gate was breached, or something of any level of danger managed to cross onto campus and make its way into the school. There was no way this could have been a false alarm. But if any of the students found out that this school might not be as powerful as they thought, the headmaster would be in major trouble.

What was even worse was the fact that it was probably one of the reporters who broke past security in a desperate attempt to make a breakthrough article.

Pathetic lowlives.

They don't care who they hurt. As long as they get what they want.

That also meant that my 'generous daddy' would be writing yet another big check to upgrade security even more.

Never have I ever felt such a strong urge to break into a tantrum. Instead of losing my head, I turned on my heel and pushed my way through the thick crowd of students.

I knew taking down a school with its own army and higher security than The White House would be harder than I expected.

But right now, it felt like not only the world was against me, but my own dad as well.