Strange Tides [Bree Davenport]

Chapter Fourteen

I scan the perimeter of the island as I sprint down the length of it. A salty breeze blows through my hair and clothes, burning at my lips, but I can't stop running. Not yet. My mind is way too cluttered and racing for me to stop running. This is the only thing I can do right now to calm down.

Leo really had the audacity to talk me down to my students earlier today. He was telling them all about how I've made many mistakes as a bionic hero and that I'm not the best mentor here, though he didn't say that Adam and Chase are better than me. No, River, his best friend, was the one who said that Adam and Chase are better mentors than I am. I just can't handle him anymore. He's killing me, and I don't think he realizes it.

Doesn't he realize that his words hurt? You could blame it on him being an only child for so many years, but that doesn't cut it. He knew Emmie before meeting us, and he met people at school. He should know that being a bully is bad, especially since the school loved to have assemblies talking about how bad bullying is. That didn't stop people then, and it sure isn't stopping Leo now.

And why aren't my brothers and Emmie stopping him? I know they told the both of us that we can't fight, but lately, they haven't been upholding their rule. Maybe they're tired of us acting this way. I can't blame them. I'm tired of acting this way with him. If he's going to be mean to me, though, I'm going to be mean back.

He told Maggie that he was going to be nicer to me a year ago. He lied to her, and he lied to me. And now I lie to my family, telling them that I'm fine, that what Leo does to me is all fun and games because I reciprocate it. Why haven't they seen through my facade? Why haven't they helped me? That's all I want. That's all I ask. I just don't think I'm ever going to get it until it's too late for me.

I slow to a stop near the cliff that overlooks the rocks down below. A warm sun shines down on the water that crashes against the side of the cliff. My chest heaves as I try to catch my breath again from my sprint. Lately, I haven't been able to breathe after running. Is it because I'm a terrible bionic hero? Is it because I'm getting older and this bionic thing is slowly decaying in my body? I'm not really sure. I don't like it, though. 

"Where have you been?" I whirl around to see River standing behind me with his arms crossed over his chest. I have no idea when he got here, but he snuck up on me. I guess he's right: I am the worst mentor here. "You were late a few days ago, and you're late again. You can't be a good mentor if you can't be on time."

I don't bother looking at him. If I did, then I won't be able to think properly. Instead, I focus my gaze on the crystal waves crashing against the shore. I wish the waves would just wash me away from here. This place is the source of all my problems, and I want to float away from them and never look back. 

Sucking in a breath of the salty air, I turn toward him. He's watching me with those dark, mysterious eyes of his, waiting to see what I will do next. I don't even know what I'm going to do next, to be perfectly honest. Does that scare me? Not really. Not anymore. 

"You know, sometimes I wish I could forget everything about my life and start over," I say to him instead of going inside, where I need to be right now. "Sort of like you since you can't remember your life before you washed up on shore."

His eyes follow me as I step a little closer to the edge of the rocky cliff. I'm glad he doesn't get any closer to me. I can already feel the tension rising between us based on the look in his eyes. It's only going to get worse between us, I know it is. I'm going to break underneath the pressure of his gaze soon. And I'm so ready for it.

"I wish I could forget that Leo hates me and that Davenport doesn't trust me and that Chase stole my best friend from me. I wish I could forget it all."

"It's not all that cracked up to be," he says, his voice soft and quiet. When I look back at him, I see a small frown on his face. There's a sense of deep sadness in those eyes, something that I can relate to. "Trust me."

I sigh, shaking my head. My hair falls into my face, and I decide to leave it there for the time being. "Wouldn't life be easier that way, though? I wouldn't know that my family hates me. I wouldn't know that I ruined a relationship between my brother and my best friend. I wouldn't know that I'm bionic and that I have to save the world over and over again." Clenching my jaw, I raise my head to look at him. "I didn't choose this life, River. I didn't choose to be the person I am today."

"You can change who you are." His dark eyes sparkle in the intense sunlight. Instead of being elated at the sight, a deep sense of foreboding settles in my bones. "You don't have to fit into the mold that Davenport put you in when you were just a child. Aren't you old enough to think for yourself? Or are you still under the control of someone else?"

I glare up at him, but he only grins in response. "Do you know how hard it is for me to change? I've tried so many times, and all my plans backfired on me. It's like I'm stuck doing something I really don't want to do. My story isn't written by me, it's written by someone else, and I can't change a thing about it."

"Then let me help you." He takes a step toward me. There's nowhere for me to go now. I'm trapped between him and the open space behind me that leads directly to the waves crashing against the rocks jutting out below. I'll die if I fall off, but I think I'll die if I take his hand. "I can get you out of your little situation."

I get the feeling that he won't take no for an answer based on the look in his eyes. We're inches apart, him and I, but not a single cell in our bodies are touching. That's almost torturous to me. Deep in my heart, I know my answer to his question, but I don't want to say it to him, to prove to him that he is always on my mind, that I think about him in a way that a teacher really shouldn't. But he can see it written across my face because a small smile forms on his lips.

He takes my hand and pulls me toward the Academy. I thought he was going to hug me or kiss me. I wish he would have hugged me or kissed me. Instead, he drops my hand as we walk inside together, but not really. We're not together like I have been picturing since he claimed me as his own. But I understand, my family lives here on this island. It's awful.

All my students are crowded in the corner of the training area just as Chase's students finish up their test. He doesn't look so happy right now, and I want to avoid him. However, I can't because I have to get to my own students. River has already made it to his classmates, and a few of the girls made their way toward him. A little dragon of jealousy worms its way into my heart when I see him laughing at something they said.

However, I tear my gaze away from them when Davenport makes his way over to me. I can tell that he's not exactly happy with me based on the angry look clear in his eyes. This isn't going to end well, I just know it won't.

"We have to move your group to last," Davenport says to me with a glare on his face. I square my shoulders, ready for him to be disappointed in me yet again. "You were supposed to go first, Bree. Where were you?"

"I lost track of time walking around the perimeter of the island."

"You shouldn't have enough time to walk the perimeter of the island. You are supposed to use most of your time training your students, much like what your brothers are doing."

I flinch at his words. They cut into my heart like the sharpest knife is in his hands, twisting and turning in my chest. Davenport turns away from me as he leaves me bleeding here. Douglas gives me a soft smile before following his brother. 

Why didn't Douglas stand up for me? Probably because he's like Chase, which means that he thinks that I don't belong here. Sure, he fixed my chip when I broke it, but I doubt he was happy about it. It was more for him for getting back at Davenport than helping me. He didn't want to help me because I'm his daughter. No, he wanted to get back at his brother and try to do something better than him. I doubt anyone of my family would even notice if I just disappeared.

River leads the rest of my group over to me. I can't even comprehend what I'm feeling right now because I have to send them through the test. Davenport thinks that I need to spend all my time training these kids, so I know I won't have time to figure out what is going on in my chest, either.