Kyle sensed Rayne’s irritation long before her eye twitched with the ring of the first bell. Moody was a nice way to describe her behavior ever since Xelan abandoned them, but today seemed even worse.

From behind Rayne, Sagan mouthed to Kyle, “What’s. Wrong?”

He shook his head and grabbed his bag. How the hell should he know? And there Rayne went about counting all the exits and how many people stood between her and the nearest one. They could tell by the way her eyes flicked and her lips moved with the numbers.

Something was up.

Acutely aware of the tension, Kyle led the girls to North Hall’s riot gate. There, the security guards worked to roll the gates high above their heads, allowing the students access to their lockers with a scant five minutes before class started.

Assholes.

Sagan asked, “Why do they always put it off until the last minute?”

Rayne said, “For the power trip.”

Kyle humphed his agreement as they made their way through the halls.

As Sagan rummaged through her messenger bag, it was hard not to stare at her cleavage in that red corset top, but Kyle managed. She said, “Great. I think I left my cheat sheet for the Anatomy exam in my locker.”

In exaggerated alarm, Kyle’s eyes widened, and he gasped. “Oh, no! You might get an ‘A’ minus!”

Rayne smiled at his joke at least.

Sagan stuck her tongue out. “Some of us want to get into good universities.”

There it was. The big bomb. He blew out his breath on a whistle.

When Rayne whirled on Sagan, it nearly gave Kyle whiplash. Incredulous, Rayne asked, “Are you serious?!”

Sagan flinched.

Even Kyle winced at Rayne’s tone.

At their responses, she softened a touch, opening her mouth to say something—

Rayne spun around, her eyes darting everywhere, counting and scanning the crowd.

This was not a drill. Kyle asked, “What’s wrong?”

Sharp and alarmed, Rayne said, “I saw someone… White hair.”

Sagan stiffened and joined the search. “Do you think…? Was it…? But it couldn’t be.”

Kyle had seen nothing, but he trusted Rayne’s instincts.

“Are you three okay?” Tameka broke the tension.

With a sigh, Kyle stared at her. Rayne and Sagan did the same, blinking as if she were an apparition.

Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

Tameka recoiled slightly. “What?”

In a show of vulnerability Kyle wanted to cure, Rayne hugged herself, stretching her white blouse across her defined arms and shoulders. “Nothing. I thought I saw something.”

Sagan put an arm around her, and Rayne let her come in for a side hug.

It was more affection than Kyle had seen Rayne spare anyone in the last four months.

Tameka blew the air out of her cheeks before asking, “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“You can move expeditiously through the hall, young lady.” Mrs. Mendax’s voice rang off the wooden lockers to make up for her tiny stature.

Two students mocked in shrill, unified voices, “Expeditiously, everyone! Expeditiously!”

Kyle burst out in laughter. Sagan’s grin made Rayne smile while Tameka shook her head.

The small woman threatened, “Gentlemen, straighten up before I write you up.”

It made Kyle laugh even more. As if Mrs. Mendax would give herself the paperwork.

More students mocked her further down the hall, and for the first time in Kyle’s tenure at J. A. Fair, Mrs. Mendax stomped her kitten-heeled foot and stormed off toward the office.

Sagan watched her go. “Did something finally get to her?”

Rayne nudged Kyle. “Come on. Let’s get to class before the late bell rings.”

Sagan broke off to her locker, making her tiny skirt spin. “Stay out of trouble. See you guys at lunch!” Her knee-high stilettos tapped as she walked away.

Tameka went to her locker next, grumbling about their quiz in Medical Science.

As Rayne went to her locker, Kyle leaned against it, trying for casual. Xelan taught them all the same covert methods of relaxed posture and unassuming stance. They couldn’t let the world know they were trained to be murderers.

Was it even murder if it was an alien?

After a quick glance in Rayne’s locker, Kyle noticed her weapons cache had doubled in size since their guardian had disappeared. He kept his voice low as he said, “Rayne, if you want to talk about anything, I’m right here.”

She switched out worn notebooks, sparing Kyle an appreciative glance. Then she lied to his face. “Everything’s fine.”

“Rayne, I think—”

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” The sass, the salt, the scorn. Tameka knew which buttons to push, and she loved to push them. Often.

Kyle scowled at her.

Tameka’s eyes narrowed like emerald shards. “Why are you always following Rayne like a puppy?”

Classmates passed through the hall. Some paused and took notice of the scene.

Instead of rising to take Tameka’s bait, Kyle smirked and said, “Everyone’s gotta have a hobby.” To Rayne, he added, “I’ll see you at lunch.” He considered ruffling her hair, but then thought better of it.

A whistle caught his attention, and Kyle looked over to see Nikki waving from the door to Spanish III. He crossed through the milling bodies to get to her. “What’s up?”

Tiny and sweet, Nikki’s shy smile always made Kyle feel like a giant. She asked, “Is Rayne doing better today?”

“Unfortunately not,” Kyle answered with a frown. When he glimpsed John further in the class, Kyle nodded at him while saying, “I don’t think she’ll be okay until Xelan comes back or something else gives.”

Nikki’s sad frown was adorable and disheartening all at once.

Kyle lifted her chin with a finger until she met his eyes again. “Try not to worry, okay?”

Some light returned to Nikki’s pale blue eyes, and she smiled in a way that made Kyle appreciate her pale freckles more. “Atta girl. See you at lunch.”

Anatomy was further down the hall, and Sagan was waiting for Kyle by the door with a wave. On their way to their seats, Sagan asked, “Was that about Rayne?”

Kyle nodded, not at all prepared for this morning’s exam. He knew all about stabbing holes in an Icarean body, but not all that much about human anatomy. “Hey, let me copy your cheat sheet real quick.”

Sagan’s violet eyes widened cutely. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah. Just for a second. I’ll give them right back—”

The lights in the hall went off, raising the hair on the back of Kyle’s neck. They were motion-censored, and students were still rushing to their classes. Combine that eerie fact with Rayne’s earlier freak out, and a chill shot down Kyle’s spine.

“Sagan.”

“I see it.” She sounded as unnerved as Kyle felt.

That’s when the first scream tore through the school, followed by a chorus of terror and mayhem.

The two trained fighters breathed the same word at once.

“Rayne.”