Authors: C.L. Stone
Drop of Doubt
Drop of Doubt (The Academy, #5)
THE DRAGON DESK AND THE BACKWARD CLOCK
FINDING SOLACE IN EVERYDAY THINGS
THE ZOMBIE, FINGERNAIL PAINTING, CUPCAKE BIRTHDAY
He turned back to me. The fire in his eyes unleashed into an inferno that could have swallowed me where I stood. His thumb returned to my mouth, this time touching both lips and at dead center, as if encouraging me to kiss his finger. “All you have to do is ask.” He tucked his head toward mine.
My heart raced. I’d seen this same look on Kota and North and some of the others. My instincts had told me before they had wanted to kiss me and I’d been wrong. I felt that same instinct again, more powerful than before.
His eyes half closed as he hovered over me. “I’d do anything for you, Princess.”
The Academy
Drop of Doubt
♥
The Ghost Bird Series
♥
Book Five
♥
Written by C. L. Stone
Published by
Arcato Publishing
Copyright © 2014 C. L. Stone
h
ttp://clstonebooks.com
Published by Arcato Publishing
http://www.arcatopublishing.com
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 1481814915
ISBN-13: 978-1481814911
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
From The Academy
The Ghost Bird Series
Introductions
First Days
Friends vs. Family
Forgiveness and Permission
A Drop of Doubt
The Scarab Beetle Series
Thief
Liar
(coming Summer 2014)
***
Other Books by C. L. Stone
Smoking Gun
Spice God
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L
et your plans be dark and as impenetrable as night,
and when you move,
fall like a thunderbolt.
- Sun Tzu
OF A BIRTHDAY
––––––––
M
y phone buzzed to life in my bra.
My head shot up from the English textbook we were supposed to be reading. Kota was bent over his desk in front of me and didn’t appear to notice. I was afraid to glance at Gabriel in case I was going to distract him. I wasn’t sure what Luke was doing behind me, but since he wasn’t messing with my hair and he hadn’t nudged me in a while, he must actually have been reading, or maybe he was wrapped up in another daydream.
I didn’t like having my phone out in class, but the only people who had my number were Academy guys. They wouldn’t send a text during class unless it was an emergency.
I slipped the phone out of the cup of my bra and used Kota’s back as a shield just in case I drew attention from Ms. Johnson, the English teacher.
Victor: Isn’t your birthday this week? What do you want for your birthday?
My mouth popped open. Victor! That wasn’t an emergency.
I was tempted not to answer him. I checked the date on the phone. He was right. My birthday was in a few days. I hadn’t noticed. It was also not important right now.
My fingers hovered over the illuminated keyboard. It was hard not to respond. Ignoring him felt rude. I simply didn’t know what to say.
Kota shifted in front of me, twisting in his chair. I jumped, startled that he’d noticed, and tried to tuck my phone in my lap.
Kota snagged the phone from me before I could get it under the desk.
I bit back a surprised noise. Kota didn’t approve of using a phone in class and was trying to prevent my getting into trouble. I couldn’t disagree with him. I got into enough trouble at school. How’d he know?
A motion in my peripheral vision caught my attention. I glanced over to find a smug Gabriel, half leaning over his desk. His eyes were intent on my phone tucked between Kota’s hands.
Nosy! He must have tattled. When it came to the boys, there was little I could get away with. They seemed to notice everything.
I slowly raised my eyes to check on the teacher. Ms. Johnson was sitting at her desk, hunched over a collection of paperwork, making notes. I crossed my fingers the boys wouldn’t get into trouble for fooling around.
Kota’s head bent down and, from the angle, I could tell he was checking my phone. It was Victor’s fault anyway for texting during class time about something so trivial. What choice did I have, but to check if one of them sent me a text? Maybe Kota would let Victor know he shouldn’t do that during school unless it was an emergency.
Kota twisted in his chair again, facing me for longer this time. His eyebrows drew together behind his black-rimmed glasses in a puzzled expression.
I raised an eyebrow at him, confused.
A thunderous siren erupted from the overhead speakers. My palms instinctively covered my ears and I ducked slightly.
“Fire alarm,” Ms. Johnson called. “Let’s go. Leave your things.”
This command was ignored as the entire classroom slapped their books shut, grabbed book bags and made a beeline for the exit. Maybe it would have been safer to simply run if there was a fire, but no one wanted to leave their book bags unattended. Not in this school.
Kota was still twisted in his chair, looking back at me with my phone in his hands. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he shouted over the siren and the chatter of other students as they filed out of the classroom.
“Tell you what?” I asked, though probably not loud enough for him to hear.
“What’s going on?” Gabriel asked.
I was picking up my book bag when Luke’s hand shot out. He collected my bag, slipping it over his shoulder with his own. “This isn’t another one of those Friday Fall things, right? It isn’t Friday, is it?”
Kota stuffed my phone into his pocket, pulling his things together. He talked to the others over the siren and the students shuffling out the door. “Sang’s birthday is this week.”
Gabriel’s eyes bounced open. “Holy shit. Are you fucking kidding me?”
Luke paused halfway to the door. He turned to me. “What day?”
A contorted sigh escaped my lips. “Guys! Fire alarm? We’re supposed to go outside.”
“North is going to flip out,” Luke said. “I don’t think he knows.”
I groaned.
“Why didn’t anyone say anything?” Gabriel asked. “How am I supposed to ... god damn shit.” He kicked the door open and stomped out of the classroom.
I followed the others, trailing behind them as they started talking amongst themselves. The morning air had a heady chill. A thick overcast sky hung overhead. October in the South might have been warmer than what I would have gotten back in Illinois, but South Carolina couldn't escape winter weather forever. I folded my arms over my stomach to reserve a little body heat in the cold shadows of the buildings.
Streams of other students were heading out toward the parking lot. I followed along with the guys toward a grass yard on the other side of the lot. It was strange to see the majority of the student population on this thin strip of land. Two thousand students huddled together, most relieved that class had been interrupted.
“Stay here,” Kota said, dropping his book bag on the ground. He nodded to Gabriel. “Keep an eye on her.”
A retort teased my lips. I knew he meant well, but the way he said it made me feel like I was a toddler needing a babysitter.
Gabriel hooked an arm around my neck. “What day is it?” he asked.
“Uh,” I said, looking out at the school. The alarm ceased but teachers marched along the gravel in the lot, directing students to stay on the grass. The students were eager to comply.
The school didn’t show signs of smoke. Maybe it was a drill.
Gabriel snapped his fingers near my face. “Trouble, I can’t get you anything for your birthday if you’re don’t tell me what day it is.”
“It’s on the sixth,” I said absently, still keeping an eye on the teachers, expecting them to release us back toward the school at any moment if it was a drill.
“The sixth? Holy fucking Christ.” He snapped his head around toward Luke. “Three days? Three fucking days?”
“Don’t worry. There’s time. We can do it,” Luke said.
Another siren started in the distance. The pitch was different, like a police car.
A second siren joined it, but the screech was longer, deeper in tone. Fire trucks.
It didn’t make any sense. There wasn’t any smoke. Maybe one of the other students pulled the alarm. Did they need to come out to make sure? And to possibly reset it?
“I can’t do this in three days,” Gabriel was nearly shouting at Luke. “I should say two and a half days. And we’ve got school.”
“Sang Baby,” a shout from a few feet away drew my attention. North approached alone, his hands spread out, his palms up. Locks of his dark hair slipped down over his forehead, almost hovering in the way of his intense, dark eyes. “What’s this I’m hearing about your birthday?”
The fire trucks pulled into the school lot. A couple of cop cars joined them. They stopped short of the front doors.
I pointed to the commotion going on at the front of the school. “Are you watching this?”
He waved his hand at the air toward the direction I pointed, dismissive. He closed the distance between us and looked at his brother and Gabriel. “When is it?”
“Three days.” Gabriel held up three fingers. “On the sixth.”
“Holy shit,” North said. He turned those intense eyes on me again. “Why didn’t you say something?”
“Will you guys stop talking about that? Who cares? Is the school on fire?”
North’s mouth dropped open. “What do you mean who cares? I told you to tell me important shit.”
“North,” I bellowed at him. I jabbed my finger in the air toward the squadron of firemen and policemen gathering toward the entryway. “The school ...”
“I’m not talking about the school right now.”
“You said tell you important things! The school’s burning down or something.”
“I meant telling me important things about you. Like when your birthday is.”
I rolled my eyes. “I can’t believe we’re talking about this right now.”
North grunted. “Where’s Kota? Does he know about this?”
Gabriel pointed. “He went that way looking for you guys. And yeah, he picked up her phone and found out.”
“Luke, stay here with her. Gabe, come with me. Text Silas. Did anyone tell him?”
My mouth hung open and my hands drifted up in disbelief as Gabriel and North stalked off after Kota, still talking.
Luke laughed. He dropped down to the grass, sitting cross-legged. He tugged at my hand. “Sit down with me.”
I lowered myself carefully so I could sit on the grass without flashing too much since I was in a skirt. I kept my eyes on the commotion going on toward the school. It felt awkward sitting as everyone around us was still standing. I felt closed in.
Luke continued to tug at my hand. “I meant in my lap,” he said. “I shouldn’t let you sit in the grass in those clothes.”
“I got in trouble last time I sat in Kota’s lap at school.”
“Oh yeah,” he said. He brushed a couple of blond locks away from his face, shoving them behind his ear. “It’s just a lot of other students do it. Okay, so what do you want for your birthday?”
A series of barks drew my attention. Policemen held onto a team of German Shepherds. My first thought was that they were drug dogs. It didn’t make sense, though. Did the police pull the fire alarm and get everyone out so they could comb the school for drugs? It seemed excessive. Not that I wouldn’t put it past Principal Hendricks. Maybe he found another way to kick bad kids out of his school.
