Angel Academy

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"They didn't. They―they can't . . . it's not possible," I stammer.

"I'm so sorry," Diana whispers.

"No, they said they burned them—I don't—" My voice cracks and I suck in a sharp breath.

"Ana come on we need to get Daniel and get out of here," she urges.

I take a deep breath and nod, swallowing hard. The boy is slowly stalking closer, but I look past him. Daniel's body lies in a heap on the floor. His chest barely rises and falls—but it's moving.

The boy raises his hand and Diana screams, crumpling into a ball on the ground beside me. She covers her ears and squeezes her eyes shut.

I roll my shoulders and let my wings unfurl. My gaze snaps back to the boy and my fingers twitch.

Nothing happens. I take a small step back as panic starts to set in.

Diana goes still and the boy turns to me with a smirk. He flicks his wrist but still nothing happens. This time it's my turn to smirk. "Looks like we're doing this the old-fashioned way," I mutter.

His eyes widen. "Why can't I—"

"Those are my wings. You're using my powers. They won't work against me," I spit, stalking forward. I clench my jaw and my fingers curl into fists.

"Well thanks anyway for the upgrade. My ability was pretty much useless—I mean how much damage can you really do with night vision?" he shrugs.

"Any power can be deadly if you know how to use it. Even no power at all," I remark. My eyebrow shoots up when he starts to slowly back away.

I hear a small groan behind me and the boy's eyes follow the sound. I leap forward and slam my fist into his face. He stumbles backward with a gasp, his hand flying to cover his bleeding mouth.

He throws a weak jab that I easily avoid and swing my elbow out. I catch his temple and he careens toward the wall. He shakes his head, struggling to stand upright.

I drive my heel into his side; the sound of cracking ribs fills my ears. I grab a handful of his hair and force his face down as I bring up my knee. He falls onto his back, blood dripping from his nose and mouth.

"Ana?"

I whip around to see Daniel looking around groggily. His face is bashed in and covered in blood—his eyes barely staying open as he looks at me. "What's going on?" he asks.

Pain suddenly shoots through my knee, and it collapses under me. I scream as I fall to the floor, stabbing pins and needles traveling up and down my throbbing leg.

I stare at my leg, mouth agape. It is twisted the wrong way and sits at an awkward angle, bone sticking out of my shin where it tore through my skin and my pants.

Something collides with my cheek and my head snaps to the side. Blood wells up in my mouth as I bite down on my tongue.

The back of my head hits the floor and suddenly the boy is straddling my waist, his hands curled around my neck. I try to pull his hands away, but he squeezes tighter.

Cold creeps into my limbs and spots start to fill my vision. I stretch my hands out, grappling for anything within reach. My fingers touch something solid and I fumble for a grip.

It's pushed into my hand and I bring it hard across the boy's face. He rolls off me with a cry. I gasp for air, my chest heaving as I try to breathe normally. I try to get up but everything starts to spin.

The boy is getting up slower than I am though. I glance down at the rock in my hand before slamming it into his head again. He topples to the ground, unconscious.