The Girl From Above [Ground: Zero, Book 1]

7: A Plant With a Height Complex

The light of the setting sun held the room in its cold, clammy fists. Hammocks and bean bags were strewn about in the room lazily. Yet in the shadows they hung in the room like monsters, grabbing at any remaining daylight with their twisted hands of darkness.

Liam stood out against the dusk like the one green blade of grass in a field of weeds. His hair draped down past his shoulders, hanging behind him like a closed curtain. He glanced off to the side, his lips curled into a smile.

"I don't think it matters how I got in here. It wouldn't be any fun if I told you all my secrets, now would it?" He said. His voice quivered with constant anticipation, his posture coiled and weary.

"That was a joke." He added, his attention darted around the room and he picked at the journal's binding. "I thought I'd try my hand at one."

Devany and Carson exchanged glances. For moment the dorm stood eerily still. The only sound was the quiet rip of a picture peeling off the wall, it's colors faded against the violet brick. The group's gaze latched onto Liam, their eyes spotlights on his scrawny and sweat-riddled face.

Carson lowered his head to face Liam and scratched at the ground with his talons. "How long had you been sitting there?"

"Two hours!" Liam beamed. "I figured it out, you just need to listen to me this time!"

Liam muttered to himself. In a quick motion he slammed the book in his arms onto a desk in front of the group. His nimble fingers trembled and traced through the tattered old pages as if his life depended on it.

Ryan listened to him mutter. He spoke with such poise that she almost considered jumping off of Carson and curtsying to him. In a way, he reminded her of a Zack. His voice wavered with grim uncertainty, yet every now and then it would hit her with a stark cold that sent a chill down her spine.

"Ah. Here we are." He landed on a page near the end of the journal and patted the back of his hand against it. "The signs line up too clearly! Restless magics, upcoming eclipse, it's all there. All that's left would be—"

Devany slammed the journal shut. "We've been over this, Liam. You're stirring up a panic. Is this the only reason why you snuck into my room?"

Liam frowned. His hand hovered over the journal, shaking so frequently it threatened to fly off. He stood rigid like a candle in a clear night.

"Yes, it was the only reason." He said, a twinge of disappointment in his tone.

Ryan almost felt sorry for Liam. She had memorized the desperate pleas of someone begging to be heard, she used to hear their mournful symphony every night.

Liam combed his claws through his hair. He suddenly seemed very interested in the ground.

"You'd believe me if I weren't like this." He hissed, his voice hanging like a thorn in the room's side. "This whole school would believe me if I weren't a filthy taboo."

Taboo? Ryan had heard the word before, but the way Liam said it made it sound like a deadly disease.

"You're getting caught up in yourself. I never said anything to do about your taboo. It's about as relevant now as your magic type." She placed her hands on the table. Her voice calm but stern. "This is about you stirring panic where there is none. Now I want you to leave my room. If I hear you speak of this again I'm going to notify the professors, understand?"

Liam nodded and turned his head to face the door. "I understand completely."

Liam pushed his glasses back up onto his nose and they caught the moonlight. The light filled his glasses to where his eyes were blocked, reflecting like headlights in the night. He hastily scooped his journal up and stuffed it into his bag.