Breed of Havoc (The Breed Chronicles #3) (10 page)

Linc stepped up beside me. “Three more up for grabs.”

“Two from me,” Tasha said. She glanced at Chris and crossed her arms over her chest.

“And my two,” Chris mumbled half-heartedly.

The rest were gone in seconds—by Eric’s team and some of our own.

Mr. Sheldon looked back and forth and made notes in his tablet. He rattled off the new numbers to everyone. “Okay. I think we’re done for the day. A little early, but I’m sure you’re all excited for the Halloween party, so enjoy your evening. I’ll see you guys next week. And don’t forget your candy.” He held the bag out. “Please, take the candy. I’ve had two bags already.”

Tasha smiled at me as people piled out. “You’re a stand-up gal, Jade Hall.”

“Well, I am standing up, so it fits.” I grinned. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

As the rest of the class left—some shooting me weird looks as they stepped out of the room—Mr. Sheldon walked over. “She’s got a point, Jade. You started a good thing. You all did. And you’re all keeping your rewards.”

I shook my head. “No. You said you wanted ten pages? You’ll get fifteen from me. And don’t,” I added quickly, giving Linc and Tasha stern looks, “even think about volunteering.” I didn’t bother looking at Chris, because I was pretty sure he wasn’t crazy enough to follow my insane plan.

Mr. Sheldon blinked at me. “Jade—”

“It doesn’t mean anything if I don’t put the work in. It doesn’t mean anything if I gave them something I earned too easy. Maybe it’ll mean something later if I…I don’t know, pay for their reward?”

“I’ve got you down for your five still. If you turn in more—”

“No.” I crossed my arms over my chest now. “Put me down for fifteen.”

I had no idea why I was being so stubborn about it. Regardless of what I did or didn’t do, I wasn’t actually sure it’d change anyone’s opinion of me.
It’s not supposed to. You can’t change other people—you can only change yourself.

“Okay. Your call. Fifteen it is. As for you three...the same as discussed before. Seven pages, Linc, and eight for you two.”

“Thank you,” I said.

Mr. Sheldon shook his head, like he was in disbelief. “You haven’t taken the essay, so don’t thank me yet,” he warned darkly. He waved his hands at us. “Now scram before I change my mind.”

Linc and Tasha each took one of my arms and pulled me to the door. They only stopped when Mr. Sheldon called my name. “Yeah?”

“I’m glad you came to class today. Have a great night.”

I glanced at my friends. Chris shook his head and gave me a look that clearly said he thought I was crazy. Tasha had a similar expression on her face, but also a resigned one, because she was used to my craziness already. Linc… He caught me staring at him and wrapped his hand in mine. His expression was harder to describe. It was sort of soft and he had this small smile on his face that left me with a warm, good feeling in my stomach. A content feeling.

A loved feeling.

Today hadn’t exactly gone as planned, but it’d been a lot better than I’d expected it to be. I got the same old crap from Eric, but what else was new? So maybe it hadn’t been the best day in the history, but I didn’t regret a second of it.

I smiled. “Thanks, Mr. Sheldon. That’s exactly what I plan to do.”

C
HAPTER 05

The first weekend of November brought on the new weekend training Greene warned us about. It was basically the same thing we’d done during the summer, only intensified by about ten. By the time we finished for the day, we’d all be dripping in sweat (well, all but me, much to everyone else’s annoyance). Some sprawled on the auditorium floor and didn’t move. Others crawled a few feet away before collapsing. Tasha and Chris were among those who’d stayed on the floor, refusing to move until someone carried them away. No one did, though Linc and I did support their weight and walked them to their rooms. On the following Monday, people had still been exhausted.

In the middle of the month, Greene pulled everyone from their classes via the freaky wall panel thing. Everyone, including Mr. Sheldon, frowned. Greene sounded…not quite urgent, but definitely strange. We left our stuff on our desks and filed out. In the hall, other students were already heading downstairs. All the other Prospects and teachers looked as confused as the rest of us.

Linc, Tasha, Chris, and I headed for a staircase since there were already groups of people waiting at the elevators. None of us said anything until we took seats at the back of bleachers.

Chris, shaking his head and looking more worried than anyone else, said, “I don’t know what’s going on, but I didn’t do it.”

Linc grinned at him. “Sure you didn’t.”

I glanced over my shoulder in time to see Greene stride out of the South Tower with Assistant Director Barnes right behind him. At about the same time, a dozen agents ran out of the North Tower and headed for the South.

“It can’t be that bad, right?” I said, turning back and pointing to the agents. “They all have their weapons but none are drawn, so that’s a good sign, isn’t it?”

Three sets of shoulders rose and fell in a shrug. I sighed.

Greene wasted no time with pleasantries. As soon as he reached the podium, he said, “We have a hurricane headed our way. The meteorologists thought it’d miss us, but it seems to have turned around, gained strength, and is now a category three. It’s expected to hit us early next week and they’re predicting it may end up a category four by that time. However, as this is a rather large system, it’s expected to storm over the weekend and well into next week.”

All throughout the crowd, people raised their hands or shouted questions and comments. There were so many people talking at once that the only question I heard was, “Isn’t hurricane season over yet?”

Greene held up his hand to quiet everyone. “It may not be normal for a hurricane this late in the year, but it’s not completely unheard of, either. I’m afraid this isn’t the time for a debate or questions. They’re ordering most people on the coasts to evacuate. We’re inland some, so we’re not under a mandatory evacuation order, but we’re going to have a rough weekend. With that said, I’ll need everyone here to help us prepare. Some demons, like animals, can sense problems before humans, and because of that, we’ve had a surprising number of demon sightings and attacks, so our hunters are very busy. I’ll need each of you to help the CGE prepare for this.”

“What do you want us to do?”

“I’m glad you asked, Mr. Stone. Classes are canceled for the duration, as are trips to the demon-housing facility. Tomorrow morning, a few agents and your instructors will be heading into New Orlando for supplies. I’m asking that a handful of Prospects volunteer to go with them and help. I’m sure we’ll have more than enough supplies as is, but it never hurts to be overly cautious when dealing with hurricanes. You will all be permitted to go. Be sure to pick up anything you might need for a few days since, once the hurricane hits, Prospects will not be permitted to leave the North Tower.”

At his words, half the Prospects groaned. The other half, I noticed, looked even more nervous about the storm. I’d been in Florida my entire life, so I knew what damage a category one could do, let alone a category three or four.

Chloe, one of Natalie’s friends, frowned. “What are we supposed to do locked up for days?”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something, Miss Irwin. Just because your classes are canceled, it doesn’t mean you can’t study, use the gym, or sit in one of the common rooms. You’ll manage to find a way to keep busy.” Greene smiled now. “If you can’t, I’m sure we can find something to occupy your time.”

“I’m good,” Chloe quickly mumbled.

“Very well.” Greene nodded. “The buses into New Orlando leave at ten tomorrow morning, so if you wish to go, you need to be ready by that time. I suggest taking an hour tonight to make a list of anything you think you may need. Once you’ve returned, Assistant Director Barnes or I will have our own list posted of tasks each of you will be asked to complete.”

“Are we going to lose power?” a girl shouted.

“Yeah,” someone else said, “or get flooded?”

“I can’t say what will or won’t happen, but if either of those scenarios present themselves, rest assured we’ll act accordingly. This is not,” Greene continued when another hand raised, “the CGE’s first hurricane, nor will it be its last. We’ve always taken every precaution to be prepared for the worst, so I’ll need you all to remain calm. The next week won’t be easy, but we’ll all survive.” He smiled now. “Hopefully with our sanity, but as long as we’re all alive and healthy, I’ll be satisfied.”

His words eased a few minds, I could tell. Most Prospects laughed with him. A few of the ones who’d looked the most worried (namely the P1s) seemed more relaxed, or at least relaxed enough to chuckle with the rest of us.

After a few more words and reassurances, Greene excused himself and went back to the South Tower with Barnes by his side.

Tasha and I exchanged glances. “Well, this oughta be fun,” she muttered.

“Oh, yeah,” I said. “Over seventy Prospects trapped in the same building for however many days? It’s going to be a blast.”

And it was a good thing Greene didn’t expect anyone to keep their sanity, because I was sure the majority of us wouldn’t.

*~*~*

By late the next night, the thunderstorms started, and the hurricane hit earlier than expected on Saturday. The wind howled like angry wolves, or maybe demonic trains (it was a close call between the two). Rain poured from the sky fast and hard, making it nearly impossible to even see the South Tower from my bedroom window. Those who weren’t originally from Florida either thought it was the coolest thing, or they swore the roof was going to blow away and take them with it. Considering the wind was, last I’d heard, close to one hundred and ten miles per hour, I wasn’t sure that particular fear was that far-fetched.

Most Prospects thought it was only the rain and wind they had to worry about during a hurricane, but it was tornadoes, too. We’d already had two within twenty miles of the CGE.

By Monday, only three days into the storm, most of the Prospects were going stir crazy. Some of the hunters had set up training courses in the auditorium to keep everyone occupied. There were sparring and weapons challenges, and crazy searches that reminded me of Easter egg hunts where Prospects went searching the North Tower for canisters of candy. Greene had Chris—under threat of expulsion if he pulled any stunts—set up some holo activities, too, like hide-and-seek, demon style.

Some of the teachers set up scenarios in the classrooms—things we could do for extra credit since our classes were canceled until the storm passed. I wanted to do them, but so far, Linc and Tasha hadn’t let me. We were getting, according to them, an impromptu break and we were all going to take advantage of it whether I liked it or not. I didn’t argue too much. It was hard enough to win an argument with one of them, but both of them? Pfft. I’d probably have better luck convincing Hurricane Ingrid to go away.

When I heard loud tapping on my window, I glanced outside. Hail, ranging from marble size to golf ball size, bulleted to the ground. The wind made the rain seem like it was coming down horizontally. It was barely six in the evening, but the sky was so dark it looked closer to midnight.

In short, I thought, Mother Nature was not a happy camper.

And neither are those trapped inside
, I added silently when someone let out a terrified screech as thunder boomed overhead seconds after a flash of lightning streaked outside the window.

Tasha and Chris were…somewhere. I actually didn’t know where they were.

Because he was restless, Linc wanted time in the gym to blow off some steam. He told me to come find him in an hour, so I grabbed my ID and headed out. I went to the elevator and pressed the button for the fifth floor.

Thunder sounded again, this time loud enough to have the elevator trembling. The lights blinked once, twice, then they went out completely. Someone had mentioned generators would kick on almost immediately, but that they wouldn’t power everything, only essential rooms and important systems. Small, dim lights turned on a second later. I waited for the doors to open, because I’d reached the fifth floor seconds before the lights went out.

I kept waiting.

After two minutes, I discovered elevators weren’t considered important.

“Come on!” I gave the doors a solid kick and berated myself for being lazy. Shouldn’t I have known better than to trust electronics during a storm? Since kicking myself would’ve been stupid and ineffective, I kicked the door again instead.

Growling and muttering under my breath, I pressed a button on the panel to call for help. It was for emergencies, but being trapped was kind of emergencyish, right?

“Yes?” a deep male voice said.

“Um, this is Jade Hall. I’m kind of trapped in an elevator on the fifth floor.”

A moment later, someone chuckled in the background and muttered something about ‘knowing better than to ride an elevator during a hurricane’. The guy talking to me cleared his throat, obviously trying to mask his laugh. “You’re not hurt are you?”