“Let’s go. We need to evacuate the building and get everyone outside!” Lucas orders, his tone venomous.
“What’s going on? What happened?” Anja interjects and starts following Lucas up the steps.
I follow close behind, also curious as to what happened.
“Gas leak. We don’t know who did it, but someone set us up. They’ll pay, but in the meantime, we need to get everyone to the surface.”
Lucas is practically running up the stairs. I’m not sure how old he is, but I never considered him to be the type that kicks in doors and runs up and down stairs. With Lucas’s help, we make it to the surface, and I let out a long, ragged breath, leaning forward with my hands on my knees as I suck the cold Alaskan air into my lungs.
Once I’ve caught my breath, I look up and see that there’s already a small group of students and teachers near the helipad. I easily spot Brittney with her blue hair in the congregation of people. My slipper-covered feet crunch over the icy concrete, and as soon as Brittney spots me, she covers the distance between us and wraps her arms around me, enveloping me in a hug.
“Thank god. Are you okay? I was so worried about you.”
“I’m okay. Are you okay?” I ask, just as she pulls away.
“I’m all right, just a little shaken up is all.”
“Same.” I pause, looking around. “What’s going on? What are we waiting for?”
I never thought about what we would do when we reached the surface. I had assumed we’d go outside for a bit and then return inside, but I get the feeling we aren’t doing that.
“Lucas called for two helicopters. We’re leaving Corium until they figure out what happened.”
The sound of blades slicing through the air fills my ears. Leaving Corium? Oh, god. The thought has my stomach twisting in knots. Last time I tried, I was almost killed.
Everyone moves out of the way as the helicopter comes into sight and prepares to land on the helipad. Everyone rushes toward the helicopter, but I stick behind, staying close to Lucas, who hasn’t moved yet. I watch as Brittney, Anja, and a few other students climb into the helicopter. Brittney frowns and calls my name, but I shake my head.
I know there’ll be another helicopter, and I’ll get on that one. I think the worst part is I have to hype myself up enough to get on it.
Since the last time I was in an object moving through the sky, it crashed in the forest. The helicopter takes off, zipping through the sky until it’s completely out of viewing distance.
I look around to see who’s left. It’s just me, Lucas, Doctor Rose, and Professor Brush.
“The second helicopter should be here soon,” Lucas announces.
As we wait for our ride out of here, the air grows tense between all of us. I can feel Professor Brush’s eyes on me, and I don’t like it. He’s staring at me with so much disgust, it’s almost suffocating.
“You know, Lucas, I bet this happened because of her,” Brush accuses, pointing a finger at me.
I don’t dare say anything, not that it would matter. Everything I say ends up getting used against me.
“I don’t know what happened or who did it, but I’ll find out, and when I do, the person will beg for death to take them from me.”
“No need to figure it out. We already know who the culprit is,” he accuses once more, and my anger reaches its boiling point, and still, I keep my mouth shut.
“Actually, we don’t,” Lucas growls, frustration in his voice.
“Let’s just leave her here. No one has to know, and we can just say she died from the gas leak.”
“There’s no need to talk like I’m not standing right here. I can hear every word you’re saying.” My voice trembles and my eyes dart to Lucas.
For a brief moment, I wonder if he would do that. Leave me here to fend for myself. He hasn’t always liked me, and at times, I think he might have thought it would be better to get rid of me, but he shocks me when he takes a threatening step toward Professor Brush, causing him to take a trembling step back or stand toe to toe with him.
“Say one more thing about her, and you’ll be staying here.”
The finality of his words makes me feel like I’ve won some strange victory, but I know I haven’t. I’ve merely escaped the mousetrap.
Now I have to make it through protecting myself until I can return to Corium, and to think I thought the x on my back when I arrived here was huge. Now I’m facing a whole new warfare, and I don’t know how I’m going to protect myself without Quinton or the brick walls of Corium.