Atlantis Academy: The First Element

CHAPTER TWELVE

I walk with Ethan back into the cave and sit down on a low rock across from Chloe.

She's still on the boulder where we left her, her hands folded neatly in her lap.

She scowls at Ethan. "Was that really necessary? Cerberus agents—"

"Yes," he says through gritted teeth. "It was necessary. She tapped into the storm. I stopped her and cloaked the residue. It was only a blip, a few seconds. They won't see it."

Chloe raises one perfectly-tweezed red brow at me, like she's impressed. "I wish you hadn't done that, but..." She looks back at Ethan. "I will try to take care of the residue before we go."

I look back and forth, from one to the other, kind of curious as to what they're discussing. I 'tapped into the storm'? What does that mean? Maybe these two are like... the FBI or something. But more obscure and top secret. All this talk about agents...

"Lyric?" Chloe offers me a friendly smile. "Are you all good now?"

Yes. Why... yes I am.

I look to my right, where Ethan is leaning against the cave exit, blocking it.

I feel quite good, actually.

So good, I think I'd like to take a nap now.

My eyelids drift blissfully shut.

Chloe snaps her fingers in my face, and my eyelids fly back open.

"You can nap later. For now, I have questions, and I need you to answer them. Quickly."

I smile at her. "Sure thing."

Chloe lets out a breath and exchanges a look with Ethan. "Very good. Now. Can you please tell me exactly what happened last night?"

For some reason, I no longer care at all how crazy I sound. In fact, I don't care about anything at all. And so I quickly recount my bad night. Just the facts, ma'am. I start with how I was invited to the beach and end with how I was nearly eaten by a sea monster. As I run through it all, I feel pleasantly numb. It's like these memories belong to someone else, and that someone else sounds insane.

But whatever.

"My best guess is she was a siren." My voice is light and cheery. "I thought she was gonna eat me, but nope. Here I am, alive and well."

Chloe has listened to all of this with a fixed, neutral expression. "I'm hearing that Amanda lured you into the ocean? You say she was singing a song, and that you felt compelled to climb the Rock and jump into the ocean?"

"Yes. That's right."

"Did you feel your life was in danger?"

"Oh, I know it was in danger."

"And then... you saw a golden web of light, and heard a different song that 'filled you up.' But you realized you had to 'let it go' or it would hurt you?"

"I knew it would kill me. I couldn't hold it anymore, and I knew it was never meant to be held. Not by anyone. It was meant to... flow."

At that, Chloe's blue eyes light up, and she shoots a look at Ethan that could only mean one thing: I told you so. Then she nods at me and reaches over to pat my hand. "It's not your fault."

"What's not my fault?" I ask, perplexed. Of course it's not my fault. Why would it be?

Ethan clears his throat but doesn't say a word.

Chloe pats my hand again. "How were you feeling last night, when Amanda invited you down to the beach?"

I don't know how to answer that. "Um... Fine?"

"Interesting..." Her brow furrows. "When you were working at the restaurant... Were you feeling... uh... depressed, perhaps?"

I blink at her for a few seconds, trying to decide how I felt. But my mind hits a brick wall the second I even try to contemplate it. Feelings. Ugh.

"No." I shake my head resolutely. "I was not depressed. I don't really get depressed."

"Hmm." She looks like she doesn't believe me.

A tiny hint of irritation chafes me. "Why do you ask?"

"When sirens choose their victims, they use their abilities to find people who are feeling... low. Depressed, desperate people tend to be most susceptible to their song. Easy prey."

"Well, I felt fine."

Didn't I?

If Amanda was looking for "low" last night, she should have picked Angry Al. He'd been the "low" one. So this lady's theory doesn't check out, if you ask me. If Amanda wanted the most depressed person in the room, I'm certain it was him.

Something cracks inside me, and a little jolt of energy races through my body.

Why are we talking about sirens like they're real?

Chloe opens her mouth like she's about to say more.

"Wait a second." I raise my finger to stop her. "You're telling me that what I think I saw... was real? A girl from my high school's a mythical monster? Are there others? Jason... is Jason one too? Where were they last night? Did Amanda eat all her friends?"

"We only detected residue from one siren song," Chloe says. "I highly doubt anyone else was on that beach last night. Sirens prefer to hunt alone, and they only target one person at a time."

I slowly nod, narrowing my eyes at her. "So... you 'detected' her song? How? When? I think it's your turn to tell me what you're doing here."

"Yes, we'll get to all that." Chloe waves away my questions. "Thank you for telling us your story. It's just as we suspected."

A little spark of warning reverberates through me. The haze around me lifts, just a little.

Why did I come back inside this cave?

Why did I just say all that out loud?

Why do I feel so calm?

And why am I just accepting what she's saying like it could ever be true?

These two are lunatics!

I have never, in my entire life, spilled so many of my thoughts to anyone before, let alone to two complete strangers. Let alone to two lunatics who have basically kidnapped me and will not let me leave this cave.

These people have done something to me. My eyes dart to the half-empty water bottle Chloe gave me. They drugged me. They had to have.

My heart starts beating faster again as Chloe rifles through her giant blue purse.

I let my hand fall casually into the puddle beside me, feeling around for something sharp. There are plenty of rocks and shells in here. They're lame weapons, but I don't have anything else.

Ethan might be watching me, but he doesn't say anything.

I casually bring a jagged shell to my lap for safekeeping, hiding it. I'll need something sharp to cut my way through the zip ties when these crazies toss me into their trunk.

"You're special." Chloe pulls an envelope from her bag.

"Special?" I try to keep the fear out of my voice and act like I'm still as drugged as they think I am.

If they think I'm compliant, maybe I can make another getaway. But self-doubt is twisting inside my chest, crushing me, at the thought of trying to outrun Ethan and climb that whole cliff.

Chloe breaks into a wide smile, displaying her perfectly straight, super white teeth. "We work for a school. It's a college, of sorts. It's called Atlantis Academy. And it's a place for girls like you."

"Girls with ADHD?" It's out before I can stop myself.

Chloe wrinkles her brow and lets out an awkward laugh. "Umm... No? Girls with magical ability. Like you."