Page 63 of Wicked Dove
Is he for real right now?
Overwhelmed, I glance around me to find Ocean standing two steps away, gaping in a mixture of disbelief and delight.
Not her too.
“Please get me out of here,” I plead, aware of the growing crowd of students all turning to see what the commotion is, and I want to be as far away from it as possible.
Thankfully, Ocean grabs my arm, tugging me through the crowd and toward the dining hall. The moment we slip through the double doors, I realize my appetite is shot, but before I can explain that to her, she tugs me into the girls’ bathroom.
Eternally grateful, I brace myself on the closest sink, sucking in a deep breath as I try to calm the adrenaline thundering through my body. My knuckles turn white as I hold on for dear life, unable to bring myself to glance in the mirror that hangs before me. Instead, when I’m able to calm myself, I turn, leaning back against the sink to find Ocean standing against the opposite wall with her hands laced together in front of her.
“He’s into you,” she states, and I frown.
“Who?”
“Kael.”
I scoff. “He’s insane.”
“For you,” she insists, and I roll my eyes.
My denial is on the tip of my tongue when the bathroom door bursts open in a flurry and a tall figure looms in the open space. Swept back pale, blond hair, green eyes that shimmer with challenge, and lips pursed in a combination of rage and irritation. His deranged stare lands on me.
“You,” he starts, pointing a finger at me as I stand frozen in place.
“Not today, asshole,” Ocean hollers at the top of her lungs as she thrusts her hands in his direction, and before I can take another breath, Kael stumbles out of the bathroom with the force of the door swinging toward him. It closes with a satisfying thud as I turn my slack jaw and wide eyes to my friend.
“I get the feeling I won’t be able to hold him back for long,” she admits, and I gulp with a slight nod. “You need to either take a deep breath and face him, or make a run for it,” she explains, nodding toward the large window to my left.
I glance between the door and the window three times, but my decision was locked in the moment she said it. The second I take a step away from her, she understands.
“Be quick.”
“Thank you,” I murmur, and she smiles.
“You saved me yesterday, it’s only fair I return the favor.”
My heart clenches with an emotion I’m not willing to consider right now, so I channel it all into running. The window is already unlatched and swings open sideways, offering me enough space to clamber out. I don’t wait around to see how much of a head start she can give me, I just take off running like my life depends on it, because it really feels like it does.
I stumble through the grass, jumping over a few small shrubs like I’m back home running through the forest, only this time, it’s not my father hot on my tail, but something that feels far,far, worse.
Making my way to the pathway, I’m thankful to find it empty, since everyone is likely filling up the dining hall, and after a few turns and hopeful guesses, I find the one that leads toward Institute Thirteen. I up my pace, but as I draw closer, I glance at the entryway to Institute Twelve instead.
I don’t think, I just run, bypassing my usual exit as I hurry toward the dangers that lurk in Twelve. A shudder runs through me at the reminder of the magic that blasted me the last time I tried to run, but the suffocating sensation that claims me feels like it’s going to take more than running back to my room to shake off. More than anything, if I can make a run for it, I’m going to feel bad that I didn’t get to say goodbye to Ocean, but it’s too late to turn back now; I’ve reached my limit.
My nerves start to get the better of me as I turn down the pathway to Twelve, the back of my thigh aching in reminder of the last time I was here and cut myself climbing over the fence, but to my surprise, the gate sits slightly ajar. It feels like fate, like it’s meant to be, when I slip through the gap without hesitation, desperate to get around the back of the derelict building.
I dare to glance over my shoulder, and excitement floods me when I find myself alone. Determined, I wind my way around the exterior in search of the two trees that held a glimmer of hope and a whole lot of pain last time. Yet, when I screech to a halt at the back of the property, heart beating wildly in my chest, I find… nothing. There’s not a single tree here. Not one.
My chest heaves with every breath as I swipe at my face, desperate for my eyes to reveal something different, but there’s nothing. Not even a blade of grass or a fallen leaf.
There has to be another way. I can’t give up now. Desperation grows stronger with every inhale I take, and I turn my attention to the back of the Institute Twelve building. I charge toward it without another thought, hopeful that I’ll find something inside. My pulse thrums in my ears as I grab the door handle and wrench it open with all of my strength, only to stumble back with a scream when a figure lurks in the shadows.
I hiss as my palms drag across the ground, gaping in horror as a familiar face appears in the opening.
“Petal,” he rasps, and I shake my head in disbelief.
“No.” Scrambling to my feet, I turn away from him, hoping he’ll take the hint and leave me alone.
