Kill School: Slice (30 page)

“You two knock it off,” Vladimir says. His voice is gruff
as if he’s choking back his own tears. He clears his throat. “Time to go.”

Burke wraps his arms around me one last time. I slide my
hands under his sweater and clutch at his back, pressing him closer to me. I
feel his heartbeat as his mouth presses against mine and our tongues intertwine.
For a brief moment, we are on the bank of his secret lake, touching as lovers
do. He pulls away from me, leaving my face cold.

“I have to go,” he whispers.

I nod, scared that I won’t be able to speak without crying.

Burke goes to my mother and hugs her, which startles both
of us. Vladimir takes Burke and they run down the bridge. I watch Burke and
Vladimir disappear into the woods, feeling as if I’ll never see them again.

My mother takes my elbow. Her grasp is firm.

“Walk as if you’ve done nothing wrong,” she says. “You are
a Regulator’s granddaughter. She will protect you.”

Mother and I march down the bridge with a sea of guards following
us. We reach the other end and step off into the gathering crowd.

The
next few moments pass in a blur. Vanessa and Mateo appear with their parents
and act as if they have no idea what happened. More guards show up from inside
the stadium. Some remaining parents, the counselors, and teachers hover around
us. The guard, the woman who caught Krish’s body, walks off the bridge carrying
him in her arms. The other guards surround her in a semi-circle.

It takes a few short seconds for everyone to understand
that I just shoved a knife into Regulator Krish’s gut, causing his heart to
stop.

 One of the guards comes up to me and yanks me from my
mother’s grasp.

“Get your hands off her,” Mom says, smacking the guard in
his helmeted head.

Mr. Wassillie joins us. He’s furious with the guard.

“Release her immediately,” Mr. Wassillie says. “As the
director of this camp, I command you to do so.”

I’m too confused to thank Mr. Wassillie for sticking up for
me. Mom grabs my wrist, unhooks the bracelet, and pops out my amethyst and
slightly turquoise token. She holds the token up to the sunlight streaming
through an opening in the clouds.

“It’s true,” Mom says.

Regulators Thorn and Halsted join my mother. The three of
them surround me as they examine the token. No one approaches us, or even
speaks as the Regulators whisper together. By their excited and hushed words, I
know they have heard of my token before.

“I can see the most beautiful purple color through the
chipped paint,” Regulator Thorn says. “This is amazing, Aria. You are a
Regulator killer. Thanks for taking care of Krish.” She winks at me, which
sends a chill down my spine.

Regulator Thorn holds my token up for the guards, teachers,
camp counselors, reporters, remaining campers, and parents to see.

“All, it is true,” Regulator Thorn says. “Some of us have
heard of the amethyst token. Most of us thought it was a legend. Nevertheless,
here it is for all of us to see. My granddaughter has every right to kill
Regulator Krish.”

I smirk and wave to the crowd as if I’m some kind of hero.
My smile turns bigger and more sincere when I see my dad and Sebastian step out
of the crowd. My family is safe. Burke has escaped. Krish is dead. I am done.

After
several hours, and countless conversations about my token, the fact that I
terminated Krish before finishing camp, and my going to control, I am finally
free to go home. For now. Home. My room. My bed. My ordinary and boring life.

The Vactrain waits for the few of us who remain. The rest
of the counselors, teachers, and parents climb onto the Vactrain. Vanessa,
Mateo, and their parents join my parents and Sebastian.

I sit behind my parents and Sebastian, and between Vanessa
and Mateo and we get ready for the ride.

“You guys did a good job,” I say to Vanessa and Mateo.
“Thanks for your help.”

“It was Mateo,” Vanessa says. “I can’t aim to save your
life.”

“You took down a few,” Mateo says. “She mixed the potion,
basic recipe. None of them should be harmed.”

“I can’t believe you killed Krish,” Vanessa says.

I can’t either. I was able to wash Krish’s blood off my
hand, but my pants are still stained.

“Can we talk about something else,” I say. “I don’t want to
think about it anymore.”

My brother’s curly hair sticks over the top of the seat in
front of me. By his loud snores, I can tell he is finally able to rest. My
mom’s fingers coil around Sebastian’s hair as she looks back to me. I try to
smile as confidently as possible to let her know I am all right.

Dad turns around and peeks over the top of the seat.

“Baby will be excited to see you,” Dad says. His smile says
he is already back home with Baby in his arms. Dad is always able to relax me
with a few comforting words.

The mechanical woman’s voice cracks through the speakers of
the Vactrain, telling us to get ready to leave. This time, I have no view
except the back of the seats in front of me and the window next to Vanessa.

I lean against Vanessa and peer out the window as the
Vactrain speeds up. Smoke from camp still curls up in the air and vultures
circle around in the sky.  

“Are you looking for Burke?” Vanessa asks.

“No,” I say. “I’m thinking of Demi.”

“You should be thinking of Burke,” Vanessa says. “He’s much
more fun to think about.”

“You’re right,” I say. “I’m going to miss him.”

Vanessa and I watch the high mountains and frozen lakes
pass by our window. Burke and Vladimir are out there somewhere, hiding and
waiting. No longer will they be able to search for Burke’s magical lake. I’ve
ruined that journey for them. Vladimir and Burke will both be required at my
debriefing in a few days.

I’m excited that I will get to see Burke again, but
terrified that I may be going to control. Thankfully, Regulator Thorn is on my
side. Grandmother Thorn. I took care of Krish for her. I squeeze my eyes shut,
trying to get rid of the memory of the knife going into Krish’s heart. I have
completed my termination. I no longer have to slice.

THE END

Thank you for taking time to read KILL
SCHOOL: SLICE, the first book in the KILL SCHOOL series. If you enjoyed it,
please consider telling your friends or posting a short review on Amazon. Word
of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.

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Other Books by Karen Carr:

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In the third book of the Dawnland
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undead and her most powerful foe, Mace Duce and his army of thugs.  Can Hella
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Praise for the Dawnland Series:
“The zombie apocalypse isn't an original plot, a zombie apocalypse where the
heroine is not only immune to the zombie virus but can destroy them with her
mere presence is a different thing entirely.”
-Eduardo
“Hella a bit headstrong, can hold her own in a fight, and is just altogether a
bad ass. However… she's not afraid to be human and make connections with the
people she meets.” – Anna
“Hella is coming into her own, both as a freak and as a killer.” – Genesis
“Hella Paige is one AWESOMELY funny yet odd (in a good way) Zombie killer, once
bitten she thinks she already dead but instead she becomes a zombie
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http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008I3SGRK

Dax might be a self-destructive
teenager, but he’s not supposed to be dead. When a guardian angel accidentally
kills him, Dax is given a chance to earn his way back to the land of the
living. His mission is to stop a beautiful girl named Janie from taking her own
life, only she is not the suicidal type. Dax decides to destroy everything good
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Blake, Janie’s next door neighbor who also happens to be in love with her, will
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Callie Grant was just going to the
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world--one she doesn't want to leave. Unfortunately for her, true love never lasts.

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Catskills. Callie must fight her fading memory and an unwanted fiancée to
uncover clues about the women taken from her world. She must hold on to the
memory of Duncan’s love or else she may never be reunited with him again.
The sequel to THE HARROW, THE QUELL returns with romance and adventure set in a
land where spring has been stolen and families are pitted against the women
from Callie’s world for survival. Duncan and Callie must traverse two worlds to
reunite in the Quell, where all of the women from the Harrow have been
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