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

15: A Promise

The dull moonlight flooded the dorm in its pale light. The starry eyes of the night pulled at the group's skin, stabbing the air with rampant attacks of stale breeze and solitude.

The five sat breathless at opposite ends of the dorm. Ryan sat beside Zack in an oddly shaped thundercloud bean bag. He sipped on a juice box, sinking into the bean bag next to Ryan.

Not a single word came from them since they left the cafeteria. The silence scratched the back of Ryan's ears. Her thoughts swirled like a hurricane in her mind, the rains of the past few hours pelted her face like knives.

Dominic broke the silence. "Are we going to talk about what happened back there?"

The group stood deathly still, Zack fiddled with the straw on his juice box. He flickered every once and a while, flinching at every spark.

Devany looked off to the side. She exhaled, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Ryan couldn't describe the expression. Disappointment? Worry? Anger? It was like a mixing pot of all three was dumped over her face.

The wind slammed through the dorm, pushing the window open with a ghostly howl. Zack squeaked like a toy, burrowing himself further into the bean bag.

Devany pushed the window closed and latched the handle. Her eyes like spears in the night, piercing anyone they made contact with.

Liam took his journal from his bag and pushed his glasses onto the bridge of his nose. He gulped.

"A rather excitable day, I'd say." He muttered.

Devany huffed. "Excitable is one way to put it. Do you know how much trouble you could've gotten into if a professor saw you use your powers like that? They could've expelled you, or worse!"

Liam picked at the edge of his journal, the leather binding cracked against his claws.

"I thought I was helping." He whimpered.

Dominic stood. "All you did was create more trouble. Now we have to answer for your taboo."

"If it weren't for me, the omen would have died!"

Dominic's wings folded tightly against his back. He dug his claws into the table and clenched his teeth.

"You always go on about those stupid legends. Don't you ever talk about anything else? You put us in serious trouble and all you have to talk about are your stories! Everything would've been fine if you didn't overreact like that!"

Liam clenched his fists around the journal's binding.

"I simply wanted to help."

Ryan exhaled. "It's my fault, if we hadn't tried to get back up the cliff—"

Zack scrambled up. "No! I panicked when Liam caught me, it's my fault."

Liam glanced to them briefly, a smile cracked along his face. He passed his journal to the locks of his hair, picking at the journal as he adjusted his shoulder strap.

Devany sighed. "Liam, you should go."

"But, Devany—"

"Go."

Liam's hair shoved his journal back into his back. His expression stiffened, and twisted into a grin that sent a chill down Ryan's spine. He laughed dryly, his eyes glowed in the night, swirling together as if they were a hypnotic toy.

"I see how it is." He muttered.

Liam turned his gaze to face Dominic. He slithered towards his eyes glowed a sickly green in the night.