Chapter 10
I was screwed.
In short, that’s what was running through my head as I walked from the woods to the academy director’s office.
After all the drama with Naoki, they called for help.
Adele and I stayed handcuffed while we waited for the paramedics and the administration called our guardians.
Naoki had his eyes fixed on Adele, glaring at her furiously, but because of the tracheostomy, air couldn’t pass through his vocal cords, so he couldn’t speak.
I wondered if he’d defend me after I’d saved his life, but judging by the disgusted look he shot me when he wasn’t mentally cursing the blonde, I figured the answer was no.
After help arrived, we were dragged through the woods like two highly dangerous criminals, escorted by the substitute trainer and the director.
Aish stayed too—the only person who looked at me with kindness.
The whole way there, the handcuffs jingled on my wrists, so tight my hands went numb.
It made my stomach churn. I had to keep telling myself the handcuffs weren’t shackles.
I wasn’t in the forests. I wasn’t a slave.
Now Adele and I were in the director’s office, sitting uncomfortably in black armchairs in a small room while we waited for our guardians. All I could think about was how disappointed Ambrose would be—by the abyss, my heart sank just imagining his disapproving look.
Adele, on the other hand, seemed perfectly cheerful beside me.
“If you hadn’t interfered, you wouldn’t be in trouble,” she said, her eyes fixed on a painting behind the director’s desk. It was a drawing of Interion’s symbol—three circles intersected by internal lines, representing the walls.
I was so angry and felt so wronged that I was afraid to open my mouth and end up yelling at her, which would only make my situation worse. So I pressed my lips into a tight line, holding back the urge to respond.
“I had everything under control,” she grumbled, and I rolled my eyes. “You were stupid to interfere.”
This time I stared at her, and it was another terrible idea, because when I did, my determination went out the window the moment I saw her sly expression.
“You know, you’re absolutely right! This might have been the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. I should’ve known a snake would bite the hand of anyone trying to help it. It’s instinct, isn’t it?”
“Help?” she asked, laughing.
“I only got into that damn fight to defend you, Adele. How can you stoop so low?”
“Defend me?” Her brow furrowed so deeply that even her tightly-pulled ponytail shifted slightly. “Sweetheart, you can’t even defend yourself. All you did was serve as a punching bag. You’re nothing but a weak loser who doesn’t have the guts to fight back.”
I huffed and clenched my fists so hard I felt my nails digging into my skin.
“See? That’s what you do when someone pisses you off—you hide and take it out on yourself. And I’m the one who’s wrong?”
“You almost killed a student, Adele. On what planet is that doing the right thing?”
“Ever heard that the best defense is a good offense? Well, once you start living by that, your life will change.”
“Change into what? A life behind bars?” I asked incredulously. She seemed to consider this, then looked at me with an insane gleam in her eyes.
“Sounds like a good place.”
I stared at her like she was an alien.
“I used to have my doubts, but now I’m sure you’re crazy—totally insane. And you just dragged me into a world of trouble.”
“You’ll survive,” she hummed, poking at her handcuff and making it jingle. “I heard savages are like cockroaches—they survive any situation.”
I clenched my fists even tighter, trying to ignore the insult.
“What now? What if your gift disappears because of the umbros?” When a healer used umbros, it went against their nature, and the gift would react by blocking part of their powers for a time—or in some cases, it never came back.
I’d never dared to think about using my healing that way, not even when I came close to dying from a beating.
My gift was the only thing I had in the forests, the only thing keeping me alive, so losing it would be like dying while still breathing.
I’d promised myself I would never do that.
Adele threw her head back, looking bored.
“If it’s gone, it’s gone.” She shrugged. “I don’t care.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but the sound of footsteps in the hallway made me close it.
I immediately straightened in the armchair, stiffening my posture and bracing myself for what was coming.
Adele shot me a disgusted look when she noticed my obvious discomfort, then tossed her hair back and whispered:
“If I were you, the last thing I’d be worried about would be my gift.”
The office door opened and we both stared in astonishment at who walked in.
It was Director Lionel, accompanied by a middle-aged man wearing the national police uniform and carrying a black briefcase.
He appeared to be a mix of Interion and Yonser—he had all the albino features, but his hair had the golden blond tone of Interions.
I expected to see Ambrose walk in right after, but instead I saw Zion, wearing a scowl so ugly it could rival a bulldog’s. Turns out I’d forgotten that Zion was my actual legal guardian—Ambrose only took over when he was away.
I dropped my gaze to the handcuffs, unable to meet his eyes.
Yeah, I was really screwed.
Lionel sat behind his desk in the center of the room, gesturing for Zion and the other man to take the armchairs near us. They stayed standing, and when it became clear no one was going to budge, Lionel took a deep breath and began:
“I called you gentlemen here because we have a problem with Adelevik Ivanov and Kyller Voluz. Both have been accused of committing a crime against Naoki Volak,” the director said, folding his hands on the desk and fixing our guardians with a hard stare.
“Why the handcuffs?” Zion’s voice rang out hard and unyielding, making me shrink back instinctively.
“As I said, Miss Voluz and Miss Ivanov have been accused…”
“Accused. Nothing’s been proven yet. Or are you afraid of two teenage girls, Lionel?” Zion asked, crossing his arms over his chest. His gaze was so sharp I could feel it on my skin. “Hand over the key. I’ll take responsibility for them.”
Lionel always turned red when he was nervous, and right now he looked more like a lobster.
He thought for a moment, but wisely gave up arguing and handed over the keys.
Zion crouched down and quickly unlocked our handcuffs, avoiding eye contact.
My wrists were red, and I felt a slight tingling as blood started flowing back to my hands.
I noticed, with a surge of outrage, that Adele’s wrists showed no marks—which confirmed my suspicion that the trainer had only tightened mine.
Tears burned in my eyes, but I blinked them back, not wanting to show how much it hurt. Only the gods knew how exhausted I was from being a toy in the Interians’ hands.
Before Zion turned away, he caught my wrists in his hands, which took me by surprise and sent a magnetic current running through my body.
As he examined the marks on my skin and rubbed the spots with his thumbs, Zion seemed to feel nothing, focused entirely on what he saw.
Slowly his eyes rose to meet mine, cold and perceptive as always, but there was something more.
Something like controlled anger straining at a very short leash.
I couldn’t fully decipher it before he looked away, set the handcuffs on the desk, and returned to his place.
I was still dazed by what had just happened when the middle-aged man cleared his throat to get our attention:
“I’m extremely embarrassed that something like this has happened, Mr. Lionel. As we all know, Adelevik is a girl with a difficult temperament, but I hope we can resolve everything without any major issues.”
“Difficult temperament.” I wanted to laugh, but given my current situation, that was the last thing I should do.
Zion was staring at me. I knew without even looking, because I could feel his gaze burning into my skin. It was uncomfortable, to say the least.
“What was the accusation?” the general asked, finally addressing the director.
Adele interjected:
“Kyller stabbed Naoki and…”
“You are forbidden to speak during this meeting, Miss Ivanov,” the director exclaimed, starting to turn red.
When he saw that Adele wouldn’t say another word, he turned to the two men.
“I just received the details from the hospital. Apparently, Naoki’s respiratory system was sealed shut by a membrane constructed with the healing gift.
Shortly after, an emergency tracheostomy was performed to open a second airway.
The problem is we don’t know exactly what happened, since all the reports conflict and the witnesses seem too shocked to give a reliable account. ”
Again I fought the urge to scream that the witnesses were a bunch of ungrateful idiots who wanted to screw up my life.
The middle-aged man cleared his throat to get our attention.
“If you’ll permit me an observation, Lionel,” he said, placing the briefcase he’d been carrying on the desk, “I must say we’re lucky that I’m a psychic from the crimes department and brought my work equipment. I’m sure we can resolve this quickly.”
“No!” Adele exclaimed so loudly it made me jump.
Realizing she’d overreacted, she composed herself, straightening her shoulders and holding on to what remained of her composure.
“I think it’s unfair for it to be someone from my family…
I mean, wouldn’t it be better to have another psychic?
I don’t want to be accused of falsifying the result because he’s my uncle.
It could be another psychic, maybe… Serguei. I’m sure he’d be more impartial.”