Revolution (Book 3 of POE Chronicles)

Chapter 8 Get your team ready

"You what?" If eyes could kill I would be six feet under right now with the way Gerald was glaring at me. Even Viktor was looking at me with disbelief in his eyes. I was practically cornered the moment I stepped out of my room, finally dressed in jeans and a t-shirt. Both boys stared at me for a while, Viktor looked crestfallen and I couldn't help but feel a bit bad for not bring him along. Though it was all in efforts to keep him safe; he really wasn't the best athlete and if things go down, we would have to protect him as well as fight back. Not good.

Gerald, on the other hand, looked absolutely livid. It almost looked as though flame was coming out of his eyes and I almost flinched when he slammed his fist against the hotel wall. Talk about a bad temper.

"I have to go." Gerald said through gritted teeth, "You have no rights to deny me this opportunity."

I raised an eyebrow at him, anger surging up inside me as well. "It's my decision, and I am doing what is right for the mission. You have never been to the Academy before and I have people who study there that know the place inside out. This isn't part of your 'call'."

Showing more emotions than I had ever seen before, Gerald huffed at me before rudely storming away, and I could almost feel the corridor shook with his anger. I shook my head at his back, a little ticked off by his attitude.

"I know that it is all your choice." Viktor said, giving me such a good puppy dog expression that I almost caved. "But I swear you won't regret bringing me."

We stared at each other for a while and I sighed. "I will think about it." I finally said grudgingly and he beamed at me. "But don't get your hopes up, I only said maybe."

Ignoring the finger I was wiggling in front of him, Viktor let out a shout of victory and skipped gleefully down the corridor like a five year old. Argh, what had I got myself into?

As I waited for the lift, I pulled out the envelope that Tristan had left me through my hotel room door and teared it open. I had to stuff it in my jeans pocket so Gerald and Viktor wouldn't see it so it was a bit crumpled.

Friday, ten o'clock, section C airfield.

I heaved a sigh and stuff the little piece of paper and its envelope back in my pocket. It seemed that I had been sighing a lot lately, and Casey said that if I kept it up I would end up looking ten years older than I am. Oh well, it's either this or tearing my hair out.

To my luck, there was barely anyone around the hotel at this time of the day and I made it to the conference room without seeing another soul. I had made Caleb booked the room for me through a text (which, by the way, is an amazing invention that really should be broadly used), and he didn't ask me any questions.

The door was ajar when I got there and I slipped in quietly, my heart beating wildly in my chest. I could immediately see the looming figure of Fred Bowen and there was a smaller, petite figure in front of her and I couldn't help but launch myself across at her.

"Natalie!" I hugged my best friend from the Academy tightly and heard a disgruntled sound behind us, no doubt Fred Bowen was jealous of how glad Natalie was to see me. Well, his opinion was of nobody's concerns anyway. We continued hugging each other for a good while and I was startled to see how much more frail she had grown, and somehow she managed to grow taller as well, almost to my ears now.