October Academy

Chapter 63

"You're... what?"

"I'm going back to Newhaven, back to hockey," Callum says, "break's over."

I fumble over my words, not sure what to say, not sure how to feel, and not sure what to think. I look down at his polished black shoes. "That year went fast."

"Yeah, it did."

"So what, I'm never going to see you again?" the words spill out quickly, and I look up at him.

"Oh, so you care?" he takes a step closer.

I bite my lip. "It will definitely be quieter without you."

He smiles, though it doesn't seem sincere. "I'll miss you, too."

"I never said –"

He interrupts me by bringing his hand up to brush a wispy strand of hair behind my ear. "I think part of me doesn't want to leave," he says, starring too intently at the features of my face.

"Which part? The musician, the hockey coach, the big brother's best friend-"

"The part that's fallen in love with you."

My heart skips a beat. He can't honestly mean that. I grab his hand and pull it down off my face. "Callum..."

A loud bang pulls my attention away from him.

A bomb.

A bomb just went off in this very hall.

I turn around to see smoke and dust and collapsing concrete on the opposite side of the hall – where Darcy and Perry and Xander are. I turn to sprint, but Callum grabs my hand.

"Stop," he says, "it's not safe."

I rip my hand away from him, "my friends-" is all I say before running.

Infrastructure caves around me, and I look everywhere for Xander, Perry, Acacia and Darcy. Oh, Darcy.

I spot Darcy from across the hall, his brown eyes finding mine even in the chaos of the crowd. My ears had gone fuzzy for a moment, but now all the sounds are coming into focus – screaming, crying, yelling.

Darcy is ok – I didn't realise he had gone to the bar to bring Chowder a drink. I see Acacia and Perry, both standing with Topaz, who whisked them to safety. He's taking them from the room efficiently, and I know they're in good hands.

But Xander – where is he?

I run forward, seeing Alyssa in front of me, then seeing something creaking and cracking above her.

I jump onto her and tackle her to the ground, just in time before the ceiling above her collapses onto the space where she was just standing.

We both cough as we roll on the floor.

Alyssa turns to me, my arm around her, her eyes bulging right out of her skull as if she's surprised to see me.

Alarms are firing, and sirens are wailing in the distance.

"Where's Xander?" I ask her, inhaling dust straight into my lungs.

"He-" she can't seem to get the words out. "He's trapped under the rubble."

I want to scream.

At some point, I must go into shock, because everything plays in front of me like a movie.

I dig at the rubble, and even Alyssa helps. The two of us dig for Xander for what feels like hours, getting nowhere. Paramedics and firefighters tear us away, telling us to get to safety and that they will take care of everything else.