The Academy - First Days (37 page)

“Oh god, I’m sorry,” North said. A hand dropped on top of my head.
“Don’t cry. God damn it, Kota.”

“She’ll be fine,” Kota said. He pressed his cheek against my
forehead. “But I owe her a beating.”

I smirked, shaking my head against him. Did they have to do this
now?

“Fuck yeah,” Gabriel called out. “She’s grounded.”

“No,” I said. “I’m already grounded.”

“Fuck you,” he said. “You’re double grounded.”

I started giggling. Why was this funny to me? “No,” I half-whined
again.

Kota’s hand slipped away from my thighs and he held me steady as I
stepped to the ground. I buried my head into his chest still, my shoulders
shaking from giggling now.

“I mean it,” Gabriel said. “Do you know that girl that came after
us nearly gave me a heart attack? She said Trouble’s in trouble. Again. Second
time in a week. And what do I see when we get to the hallway? Trouble jumping
from the fucking second floor, does a barrel roll and hobbles up to get back
into the fight. And then I get up to that second floor, and you’re on top of
some motherfucker on top of Silas. You took on the whole goddamn school.
Fucking beautiful. So that’s like quadruple grounding because you went in
twice. I swear if you go over that balcony again, I’m going to break your damn
feet so you can’t go anywhere near it.”

I peeked out at Gabriel, who was grinning.

“You should have seen her kick that guy that had Kota by the
throat,” Luke said, pushing his blond hair away from his eyes. “She’s a secret
ninja.”

“You fucking ninja kicked?” Gabriel gasped at me. “I missed that?
Someone go steal one of those phones that recorded everything. Did we get that
on camera? Do we have cameras there? I need to see it.”

“Stop,” Victor said to him.

“No,” Gabriel squared off his shoulders. He smirked. “And you owe
Sang a beating, too.”

That reminded me. “I think my phone is missing,” I said quietly.

“Yeah, I found it,” Victor said. He pulled it out of his back pocket.
The front glass was smashed. The button on the front caved in. “I’ll get you a
new one.”

“No…”

“Don’t argue with me. You’re grounded,” Victor said. “You’re not
allowed to argue.”

“How long am I grounded for?” I asked.

“Forever,” Victor stated before Gabriel could say it. His mouth
twisted into a smile.

I pulled away from Kota to brush a palm across my eyes. “You all
are so mean.”

North started laughing. Silas grinned, his eyes twinkling. The
others chuckled.

Mr. Blackbourne shook his head at us. “We’ve got work to do,
gang,” he said. He turned to me. “I’m sorry,” he said. “Can you hang on for a
while longer?”

I nodded, swallowing back nerves. “I’ve made it this far.”

Mr. Blackbourne tilted his head at me, seeming confused by my
words. “You’re a crazy little girl,” he said.

“Yeah,” Kota said, beaming. He dropped a palm on my head, rubbing
at my scalp. “She belongs with us.”

Nathan wrapped an arm around my shoulders. Luke’s hand found mine
again. For the first time, I think, I didn’t blink that they were touching me
or that we were holding hands. In that moment, it felt like it was us against a
school that didn’t want us there. I had been completely unprepared for Ashley
Waters. If it wasn’t for the boys, I don’t think I could have gotten away with
being the empty, invisible person I had expected to be. Around Kota and the
others from the Academy, I was becoming a part of something. We were a team. I
didn’t understand exactly what I was doing. What I did know was how desperately
I needed them.

And as I met their eyes, shining, looking back at me, I
understood. They needed me, too.

There was a lot more to do. We were doing it together.

~A~

M
r. Blackbourne,’s encoded GPS unit
guided him to the jam-packed restaurant in downtown Charleston. He was early,
and waited the thirty minutes inside his car, wondering about the background
check he’d requested for Sang Sorenson. His Academy contact had insisted on
meeting him in person. That alone told him there was something important to
say. He hated for his team to get their hopes up about a girl they might have
to keep at a distance, or worse, avoid completely. They didn’t know enough
about her to make such a decision, but tonight’s report should tell him
everything he needed to know.

He was
pessimistic. Academy contacts didn’t call you out in the open for good news.

He slipped
his glasses up the bridge of his nose while watching a familiar, nondescript
black sedan park across the lot. Mr. Blackbourne held back, waiting for the
older gentleman getting out of his car to enter the restaurant. Mr. Blackbourne
left his car, hitting the button on his keys and knowing his contact would hear
the distinct beep of his car announcing it was locking up.

The
restaurant was an average burger and fries shack, but it served the purpose
they needed: neither of them had been there in a while so they would be
unfamiliar and forgettable faces, it was overcrowded already, and they’d had
Kota there earlier sweeping for bugs before the evening started. It was highly
unlikely their random meeting was going to be contaminated with recording
devices of any kind, but Kota also ensured security cameras wouldn’t be
recording that evening.

He’d broken
the computer’s hard drives that stored the data and cut the feeds that linked
to televisions.

It was
overkill for their needs, but the Academy preferred it. Students of the Academy
knew to always be ready and never expose yourself unless you had to. Overkill
actions gave them their advantage in everything they did.

Mr.
Blackbourne joined his companion at a booth near the back. They were crowded in
but the more people, the better.

“How’s it
going?” the man said, standing up and a friendly smile warming his face, revealing
his familiarity with Mr. Blackbourne. His eyes were blue, and gentle age spots
kissed the crest of his cheeks. His white hair was thinning on top. He held out
a hand toward Mr. Blackbourne. “Nice to see you, Owen.”

The sound of
his first name being spoken nearly made Mr. Blackbourne flinch. He’d had his
own team call him Mr. Blackbourne for years for the sake of establishing the
sense of seniority – difficult to do at nineteen when his team members were
only three years younger than himself. Other Academy members called him the
same, even Dr. Green. He didn’t need to be so formal with anyone they worked
with but he preferred formality. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Dr.
Roberts.”

“Will you
please just call me Phil? You make me sound old,” the man said, his wrinkly
grin betraying his age further. He nodded to Mr. Blackbourne and slid down into
the booth’s seat. “I like this place. The food is excellent. I wish I could
come here more often.”

“It’s
interesting,” Mr. Blackbourne said, sitting across from his companion. “I
prefer quieter places.”

“Of course.”
Phil settled back into his seat, crossing his arms over his chest and grinning.
“A friend of mine told me you were interested in acquiring a little bird. I
thought you were strictly a dog person, myself.”

This was
code. Dogs were males. Mr. Blackbourne’s mind flashed images of Sang Sorenson
at the mention of a bird. “There’s a particularly remarkable one I hear is in
need of adoption, and has a fondness for other animals.”

“Has she
been trained?”

“We’ve just
been introduced, although she shows potential.”

Phil’s eyes
focused on the menu splayed out in front of him. “Does she know?”

Mr.
Blackbourne was hoping this wasn’t going to be asked. He opened his menu,
holding it up to mask his mouth. It was probably overkill for such a place, but
he wanted to be extra careful when dealing with anything that involved Sang.
“She knows we exist. She knows our cover story at the public school. She
doesn’t know the full story but it won’t take her long. She’s clever.”

Phil nodded,
smiling wide. “I didn’t think you’d consider someone without that being
evident. Is she cute?”

Mr.
Blackbourne attempted to mask his displeasure at Phil’s attempt at teasing.
Yes, Sang Sorenson was cute. That was half of his problem with her right now.
He knew what this could lead to. His carefully chosen Academy family could be
torn apart by Sang. She had the power to bring everything he’d worked for down
with a single look if she desired. Only she didn’t know she had that ability,
and that made her more dangerous.

The Academy
disliked the thought of a bird joining an all dog team for that very reason.
Disliked, but didn’t forbid it entirely. It’s happened successfully before.
It’d been an unusual team, but it worked. Sang was unexpected, and Mr.
Blackbourne at first doubted she would have stuck around.

But wild
circumstances, and Kota’s insistence, pushed her onto their Academy family.
When the guys had accepted her, she dismissed their curious behavior and stuck
by them. She’d taken every blow his team had received at that school and
bounced back, standing strong beside them ate every turn. It surprised him the
first time when he learned Sang had jumped into the fight to save Gabriel. She
didn’t know Gabriel could defend himself so he hadn’t berated her for it, and
actually admired her courage.

At Friday
Fall, however, everything changed in his perspective. After hearing the reports
and analyzing the recorded videos collected by cell phones, Sang Sorenson
displayed a backbone and loyalty she’d kept suppressed in her timid, outward
appearance. He couldn’t erase the image of her beautifully exotic face, her
trembling body wrapped up in Kota’s arms after the fight. If it hadn’t been
inappropriate, he would have done it himself.

Her allure had
not gone unnoticed by anyone on his team. He saw it in their eyes.

He almost
wanted to say this out loud in an effort to ask for advice from a senior
member, but was saved by the waitress coming over to ask their order. Her
interruption gave him enough time to realize that he could easily lose Sang to
another team. He recanted his idea for advice, as he didn’t want to talk up
Sang.

Adoption
into the Academy family wasn’t the same as being accepted into the Academy as
an official member. Any official Academy member could formally adopt anyone
they wished. Adopted family of the Academy meant protection and financial
security for life. It relieved the burden of having to handle personal family
problems on a singular team member, and shifts it to the entire Academy, and
their expansive teams of various levels of expertise. Lawyers, doctors,
scientists, even constructions workers and private investigators were the
staple of what was the Academy.

They kept
their circles tight, usually blood relations and close friends were restricted
to the family member who had adopted them.

Potential
future official members, those not related to any team member, could be adopted
by anyone. He didn’t want anyone else learning too much about her and possibly
luring her onto their teams instead.

Adopting a
bird or dog meant your team became the lead team. Any further Academy
interaction with the adopted had to be directed through the lead team. It’d
make it harder for another section of the Academy to try to talk Sang into joining
them. Harder, but not impossible.

It was
selfish, but he was allowed to be selfish about his own team.

They ordered
uninteresting burgers, fries and sodas. The waitress glazed her eyes over them
with a tired smile and disappeared again.

“Owen,” Phil
said, “You’ve got to be careful with these things. Birds are very delicate
creatures. It’s not easy to adopt one, given your situation.”

“I’ve
considered that,” Mr. Blackbourne said, knowing he meant all the dogs on his
own team.

Phil waved a
finger in the air. “Who instigated?”

“Mr. Lee.”

“And the
team?”

“All
approved.”

Phil sighed,
running his fingers through the white hair above his ear. “Then I hate to bring
this up.”

Mr.
Blackbourne jerked his head back. “What?”

Phil twisted
his lips, as if hesitating to respond. “You asked for a background.”

“Yes?” Mr.
Blackbourne said, not wanting to sound so anxious but after letting Sang get so
close, he’d hate to learn she was disqualified. It didn’t seem likely. She
attracted trouble but she didn’t seem to be an initiator.

Phil
grinned. “It’s not that bad. Relax.”

Mr.
Blackbourne bit back a grumble at Phil’s hesitation, wanting to tell him to
start talking as he so easily told his team to do. “What is it?”

Phil glanced
around the room, as if checking for anyone that could be listening in. He
leaned over the table. “She’s clean.”

Mr.
Blackbourne scrunched his eyebrows. Why was this bad? Clean, for Academy
purposes, meant no criminal history and no bad record at school. Phil still
frowned in a way that made Mr. Blackbourne’s body rattle unwillingly.
“Explain.”