Atlantis Academy: The First Element

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

The Aether's going off like a tea kettle now, rattling through me, and I have to resist the urge to plug my ears.

"She accessed all four Elements, as you can see." Chloe's voice mingles with the off-pitch, terrible ringing. "And she did so with no training. I believe she will have more than enough talent to pass the Trials and thrive here."

The chancellor hands the tablet back to Chloe with a look I can't decipher. "You might want to run your analysis again. These numbers can't be correct."

Chloe holds her gaze for what seems like forever, then puts her tablet back in her purse.

"Ma'am," she says softly. "You approved our mission to recruit her and bring her here."

"Yes. But, as I said, the situation has completely changed," the chancellor says without affect. "I now have enough information to make the right decision."

The tea kettle whistle screams dissonantly with the roar of my pulse.

The chancellor thinks I'm guilty. She also thinks I'm weak and I'll never pass the Entrance Trials. She's handing me over to Dubois.

My only hope of surviving all this is if I stay at the Academy... if my case stays with Chloe and Ethan, who are apparently the only people who believe I'm innocent.

I won't go with Dubois.

I won't!

"Do you understand what must be done?" the chancellor asks Chloe.

"I do." Chloe's voice is so quiet, I can hardly hear her over the Aether.

"Well, I don't!" Panic, anger, and ADHD make it impossible for me to control myself. "I'm not a murderer! And... and I signed a blood pact. That's a legal contract, isn't it? Between me and the school, unless I fail out. Maybe other Undocumenteds have failed, but I haven't! And until I do, I'm a student. Cerberus laws don't apply to me. Right? Right?"

No one answers fast enough.

"Please! Give me a chance. Just... just tell Agent Dubois to piss off!"

Chloe is bright red, and the chancellor's... expressionless.

"As chancellor, I can release you from the blood pact," she says coolly. "An ongoing murder investigation is an acceptable, legal reason to do so."

"But..." I desperately look at Chloe, but she won't meet my eyes. "Isn't it my... my birthright or something? I'm supposed to at least get a chance to prove myself. Right? That's what Chloe said. I have the right to participate in the Trials."

Chloe nods slightly beside me, but she's still looking down at the floor.

Coward.

She said I'd be protected. She said Cerberus couldn't touch me as long as I signed. She's a liar. They're all liars!

"It is your birthright, yes." The chancellor breaks into a warm, friendly smile. But it's fake, 'cause the energy coming off of her now is the exact opposite. Harsh, cold, stabby. "I would never violate a constitutional law like birthright. I assure you, you will get your chance to participate in the Entrance Trials."

I suck in a breath, shocked. "Thank-"

"Next year, once Cerberus Enforcement has cleared you of all charges. As you say, you acted in self-defense. I'm sure they will investigate and come to the same conclusion."

"No." I jump to my feet, my hands in tight fists, the sound of the Aether buzzing through my skull. This is all turning into a giant conspiracy. Cerberus even has a fake witness. "Please, you can't let them take me away."