Under the Altswood Sky (The Altswood Saga #2)

Chapter 4 - Fracture

Chapter 4 - Fracture

"Put a coat on today, hey?"

At the sudden voice, I startled awake and bolted upright. "I'm up, I'm up!"

Dad frowned at the doorway, no doubt squinting at the creases the blanket had made on my forehead.

"Were you... doing... yoga?" he asked hesitantly.

I bit back a groan, rubbing at my eyes.

"No," I said roughly. "I sat up when my alarm rang but then I fell asleep again."

Dad grimaced. "You fell asleep forwards?"

"I'm extremely tired and my knees make great pillows."

Dad was already walking away, calling back, "You're going to be late for the prep session."

I forced myself to stumble upright, shivering, despite the urge to collapse again. The muscles at the underside of my thighs groaned in protest, aching after the five-minute nap where I was folded up like a piece of paper.

"Get a move on, Luca!" Dad shouted from the kitchen.

"I got it!"

The temperature this morning had dropped so much that my feet left imprints on the floor as I padded over to the window. Winter had properly encased Bottle Island.

"I thought it was supposed to be a summer paradise all year round here," I muttered, wiping a hand over the condensation on my window and cringing at the cold. Since I had left it open an inch after Gabriel climbed out last night, there was water moisture in rivers at the bottom of the glass, trickling onto the ledge.

I grabbed my blanket, wrapped it around myself until nothing but my face was exposed, and waddled into the kitchen.

"You're going to go to school like that?" Dad said, not looking up from the papers he had laid out over the table.

"It's not like it's an actual school day," I replied. "I don't think I have any clothes suitable for this weather. Maybe a rusty parka, at best."

"Put on some proper clothes, Loosh."

As a giant bundle of blankets, I turned on my heel begrudgingly and struggled back into my room. I abandoned the blankets and regretted the decision immediately, until, in the very bowels of my closet, I found a thick, wooly sweater with the tag still on it.

Yet despite the layers I had on when I left my front door, by the time I had arrived at the school gates, I was a popsicle: Luca-blood-flavored.

"Hey," I mumbled into my phone. It had been vibrating in my pocket for two missed calls now, but I had just thought it to be my leg shivering. "I'm walking into school, what's up?"

"Just checking to see if you made it," Gabriel replied. His voice low, and I imagined he was trying to avoid being noticed on his phone by Mr. Fordington.

"All in one piece," I said, blowing hot air on my frozen fingers. "See you in a bit."

I hung up, nudging through the entrance of the main hallway with my shoulder.

And the moment I entered, the overhead lights flickered. Once. Twice.

"Okay," I said aloud, pausing. "Not creepy at all."

The double doors slammed behind me, shutting out the forceful wails of the wind outside, and suddenly, I was hit with the strangest feeling that I had entered the wrong school.

The small, red light on the familiar hallway security camera was blinking rapidly.

Frowning, I hurried away.