Rise of Alpha (The Prodian Journey #1) (27 page)

The next thing I knew, Matro was shaking me awake.
 

“You wanted to see me.”
 

Stifling a yawn, I glanced at the clock and wondered if anyone was home already. “I didn’t rub the rock,” I muttered, irritated by interruption of my nap.
 

Matro grinned. “You don’t have to. I sensed your need. What can I do for you?” He walked over to the window and glanced outside.

“I have this feeling that something is going to go wrong. And there’s a new scent that’s been bugging me.” I propped myself up into a sitting position. The aroma of mom’s fettuccine and shrimp permeated the air, making my stomach growl.

Matro looked over his shoulder at me with a questioning look. “You can actually smell them?”
 

I nodded.
 

“Describe the scent to me.”

Pushing my gnawing hunger aside, I thought about the best way to explain it. “It smelled like salt, but more like sweat. It felt like something or someone was close by, even though I couldn’t see anything.”
 

He sat on the foot of the bed. “You’re right about that . . . ” His voice trailed off, and he studied me intently.

I waited for him to say something more, but he didn’t. “Is there anything you know that you’re not telling me?”
 

Matro shook his head.

“I’m going to freak out any time now,” I warned him, sliding out of bed.

My words snapped him out of his momentary stupor. “No. You’re doing fine. Those bastards just know how to scare humans.”

He walked over to the door and pressed his ear against it before disappearing without a word. Just in time. There was a knock, and Mom opened the door.

“Dinner’s ready, baby-boy,” she said.

“I’ll be right down.” Leaning against the headboard, I plastered a neutral expression on my face.
 

She walked in and glanced around. “I thought I heard you talking to someone.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I’m all alone here, Mom. Who would I be talking to?”
 

“Hmm . . . okay.” She didn’t sound convinced. “Are you keeping something from your mother?”

“Mom, c’mon, gimme a break. Why would I keep something from you?”

She still looked doubtful, but thank God she turned on her heel and started for the door. Then she pivoted and added, “Come down now.”

“I’ll be there in just a minute.” I escaped to the bathroom and closed the door. That had been a close call.
 

Matro reappeared, leaning against the wall. “Your mom is sneaky. She suspects something, so it’s better for us to limit our talks.”
 

“Okay,” I agreed. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need some alone time, unless you want to stick around when the bomb drops?”

He grimaced and was gone in a flash.

Once alone, I thought about the new teacher, Mr. Ax. I couldn’t tell if my mind was playing tricks on me. After all, I had been under a lot of stress with the whole Prodian thing.
 

Matro returned just as I was about to leave my room. “I know there is something else on your mind.”

There was no escaping a mind-reading creature. “We have a new teacher who started today. He’s…” I tried to think of the best way to explain it. “I’m not sure if it was just my imagination, but I saw his eyes. They didn’t look human. Tell me I’m not going insane here.”

Matro paled. For a good long time, an uncomfortable silence loomed between us, and when he answered, his voice was hard. “You’re not losing your mind. What’s his name? Describe him to me.”

“It’s Bon Ax. He’s about your height. What are you, six-foot-three?” Matro nodded. “His hair is almost white, like platinum, silver, whatever, but his eyes were the clincher. They were yellow with a black dot in the middle.”

Matro bristled. “Go on. Did he leave a scent?”

“No, not really. Why?”

Another long stretch of silence passed.
 

“What are you thinking?”

Matro shook his head as if dispelling an unpleasant thought, then he gripped my arm. “Listen to me. Have the Mertest handy at all times, and call on me right away if you need anything. Most of all, be safe. Don’t trust anyone with Shannon’s life or yours, except us and your friends.”

If his statement was meant to scare me, it had worked. “You’re freakin’ me out.”

His expression softened. “The portal between Pratrim and Earth is open. Our enemies are in our midst, yet I don’t see all of them. I’ll be damned if I let anything happen to you guys. We’re going to need more sentries to help out.”

With that, he disappeared again, leaving me and my emotions in upheaval.
 

Dinner was low-key. Mom and Dad seemed preoccupied with something, but that was good for me since Matro’s warning was still causing havoc in my mind.

After dinner, Shannon made her usual appearance, armed with her backpack. I was surprised to see her wearing her pajamas.
 

I eyed her warily. “Why are you wearing PJ’s?” I asked, inching away.
 

“I figured, after we’re done with our homework, I’d already be dressed for bed.”

Hmm, this is going to be a long night.
I suppressed a groan. “Okay . . . shall we start?”
 

Shannon sat next to me on the floor. I scooted further away when she leaned closer to check on my work, my raging hormones taunting me. I swore to walk her home the minute we finished our work.

It was past eleven when the last of our assignments were finished. At my wits’ end, I tried to stand up, but my healing rib protested. I shrank back down and clutched at my chest.
 

“You better get to bed,” Shannon said, worried.

That was my cue. Despite the pain, I sucked in a breath, straightened my shoulders, and started gathering her books. “Let me walk you home, and then I’ll get to bed.”
 

She looked at me with a puzzled expression. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”

I shook my head. “Of course not. I need to take my pain pill, and that will knock me out, that’s all.” Without another word, I opened the door and stuck my head out, getting a feel for my parent’s whereabouts.

There were faint sounds of the television and conversation coming from their bedroom. It was our chance to get out unnoticed. “C’mon.” I tugged at her hand and led her to the hallway and down the stairs.

Once we got to her door, I handed her the books. “Same time tomorrow?”
 

Shannon didn’t say anything. I felt bad, but I had to do this. I would end up attacking her if I didn’t put some space between us.

“Don’t forget to bring your camera, and try to have a good night’s sleep.”
 

“Okay,” she said and closed the door.

Weary and worried, I climbed onto my bed, hoping Shannon wouldn’t hold this against me. It was for her own good, and my sanity.

The next day, I honked twice and waited for Shannon to come out of her house. The moment she walked out the door, her face lit up with a smile. Thank God there were no hard feelings from the night before. Giving her a goofy grin, I waved to her.

“Are you ready for your first job as a school photographer?”
 

“You bet.”
 

We chatted about our assignment all the way to school, and everything was right in my world again.
 

The pep rally was scheduled for lunchtime. After the end of third period, I waited outside Shannon’s classroom. The hallway was bustling with kids eager to attend the rally or just to have extra time for themselves. The entire school was buzzing with excitement about the homecoming football game on Friday. The good news was our team actually had a chance of beating our cross-town rival this year. Having a decent defense made the difference.
 

Shannon walked out a moment later and waved at me.
 

“Ready?” I took her backpack and slung it over my shoulder.

“I’m excited. This is my first gig, and I can’t wait.” Shannon glanced at a few of the whispering girls behind her and glared at them for a brief moment. “Let’s go, baby.”

That threw me off for a second or two, but I regained my composure right away.
 

“That was sweet of you.”

Shannon acted innocent. “What are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” I left it at that and took her hand instead.
 

With the busy foot traffic and impossibly noisy exodus to the rally, further conversation between us was impossible. We walked in comfortable silence until we spotted our yearbook team converged not too far from the football field.

Laying our backpacks on the ground, we busied ourselves right away with getting our cameras ready. Ron, our team leader, ambled toward us. “Brian, your assignment is to take pictures during the pep rally. I’m counting on your quality shots.”
 

“Sure thing.” I hung the camera strap around my neck and gave him a thumb’s up.
 

Then he turned to Shannon, who was switching to her favorite short lens. “I need you to cover the team picture, as well as their individual shots. Can you handle it?”
 

Shannon grinned. “You bet I can,” she said, obviously pleased with her assignment.

“Better get a head start now.” Ron continued to talk to the rest of the group.

Shannon beamed, and it was damn near impossible not to be happy for her. “See you in a bit?”

“I’ll be waiting here.”

There were too many things going on at the same time with the music, electric atmosphere, and rambunctious kids. I lost track of time as soon as the rally started. The marching band performed well, surprising everyone with music from the eighties. Next were the cheerleaders with their colorful pompoms and swinging short skirts, leading the students in colorful and funny chants against our rival, Belmont High. Next, a student dressed up as Kermit the Frog in our midnight blue football uniform did a short skit with someone else as Gonzo, who wore a tattered uniform from our rival school. Ms. Piggy rocked the scene with her own version of cheers, leaving everyone in high spirits.
 

Finally, the football team was called in. This was my cue to cover every angle, from the group running to the middle of the field holding their helmets, to the crowd rising to their feet. As captain, Mark took the microphone and invited everyone to join in singing our school song. In his proud but slightly off-key tone, he led the students through the anthem. Snapping picture after picture, it took some time for me to note that Kevin was missing from the group.
 

I scanned the multitude of faces to look for Shannon, and abandoned my post when I couldn’t locate her. Starting a frenzied search, my first stop was the bleachers. She wasn’t there, so I ran to where we left our things, hoping she might’ve finished her assignment early.
 

My heart rammed against my chest as sweat trickled down my forehead when I found our things still lying where we’d left them.
 

Breaking out in a run, I sprinted across the field, looking for anything that would give me a clue. There were a whole lot of kids, but not Shannon.
 
I found Veronica with the other cheerleaders and decided I didn’t care if I was crossing the popular students’ boundary.
 

“Veronica, have you seen Shannon?” I asked, my voice coming out in a croak.
 

Some of the girls giggled, but I was beyond caring. The only thing on my mind was finding Shannon. Veronica tossed her honey blonde hair before answering. “No, I thought she was with you.” Then she added, sounding like it was meant for the rest to hear. “I don’t know why she’s hanging out with a loser.”

“Thanks for helping out,” I said, pointedly, and took my leave.
 

Then out of nowhere, the stench I had associated with the Ergans drifted around me. “Oh no, not your nasty asses again.” I checked my surroundings, but not one of those suckers was in sight. This wasn’t good.
 

A strident sound came from the direction of the locker room, and I sprinted toward it.
 

The distant hooting from the ongoing festivities couldn’t compete with the loud thudding of my heartbeat when I headed to a deserted area of campus.
 
Then I heard Shannon’s pleas reverberating above the din, coming from the locker room.
 

Inside, she was struggling against Kevin, who had her cornered against the wall.
 

“Get your hands off me,” Shannon shouted.
 

“What does that geek-face have that I don’t?” Kevin asked while pressing his filthy body closer.
 

That was when I saw red. No one was going to disrespect Shannon this way—over my dead body. Fueled by a burst of adrenaline and red-hot fury, I plowed toward them with speed that even surprised me. Without considering the consequences of my actions, I pummeled into Kevin with force, almost hitting Shannon. Caught off guard, he fell to the ground. As an athlete, he was fast and was back on his feet before I had the chance catch my breath. My ribs protested, but I was not going to give in.