Zodiac Academy

16. Adeline

  I groaned and my head pounded in response. If I moved, I would have to acknowledge the fact that I wasn't in my own bed. That everything that had happened yesterday, had indeed happened. So, I opted for not moving.

  Something hit my foot. "Wake up, princess," someone grumbled.

  Just ignore them. Just ignore them.

  I was kicked once again. Take the hint and leave. I didn't want to accept that I was somewhere other than the academy. Being kidnapped sucked.

  The person leaned beside me and I dipped toward them. Was I on a mattress? If so, this was one hard mattress. A severe stinging appeared on my cheek, shocking me into peeling open my eyes.

  They slapped me. "Look, sleeping beauty can wake up."

  I stared at the person beside me. "Who are you? And don't touch me," I spat.

  The woman looked down at me with disgust as she stood. "Adeline wants to see you."

  "Who?"

  She bent down and grabbed my arm, yanking me up from the cot. "Adeline," she repeated. Her slate-grey eyes piercing through my blue ones.

  "Very helpful, thank you."

  I looked around. We were in a very small room. And it was freezing. The walls looked like stone and the floor was bare concrete. It was like a dungeon room.

  The woman dragged me out through a thick wooden door and led me down the hallway. I peeked into any room we passed. Most of the rooms had a small cot with a thin blanket and a mirror.

  I was almost ready to confirm this was a dungeon when we walked by a room with someone in it. They glared at me through their mirror. I recognized them as the person I had tripped earlier.

  Oops?

  They slammed their door in my face. The woman beside me snickered. "Looks like you upset London."

  "London?"

  She tossed her head in a gesture to the girl in the room, making her blonde hair swing away from her shoulders. "Yep. She's your typical mean girl. Expect dead frogs in your cot."

  Dead frogs? In my cot? No, no, no. I had to get out of here. I had to get back to the academy. Why had I been taken? Wait. Where was Jaxson?

  "Do you happen to know the boy that threw me over his shoulder and kidnapped me here?" I inquired.

  The woman shrugged. "My nephew? He's been working with us for years, you know. Ever since the system killed his parents."

  I blinked at her. Were we talking about the same person?

  We stopped in front of a green door. An ugly green door. They had an excessive amount of colors to choose from and they chose this green? I shook my head; now was not the time for questioning their taste in colors.

  She rapped on the door and waited. A faint response came from within and she opened the door. I looked inside and saw a small desk where the usual cot should have been. I was shoved inside and the door shut behind me before I could ask any more questions.

  This room at least had an area rug. I stood at the edge of the green rug as a woman in the desk chair turned around.

  She smiled at me. "Welcome home, Aquarius."

  I scowled. I wasn't fond of her already. This was not home. I don't know who this chick thinks she is, but she had no right to capture me.

  "Why are you so quiet? Jaxson said you could be quite a talker."

  I stared at the blonde I remembered from before I was knocked out. Who the heck did she think she was?

  She stood from the chair and her smile faltered. "You don't know who I am, do you? Did none of them tell you?"

  "Adeline?" I whispered. I wasn't one to talk to strangers. Or rather, talk to anybody who was against the system and went as far as to run onto the academy's grounds and fight them.

  Those strangers were considered my enemy. This was my enemy. But I had no way of escaping yet. I didn't know where I was.

  "Yes, that is my name," Adeline said. She ran her hand through her hair, huffing out a breath. "But that's not what I was referring to."

  She took a step closer and I took one back, the flats I was wearing doing little to keep the cold from getting to my feet. That's when I noticed I was still wearing the same things from the dance.

  I was going to get sick. I had been in these clothes since I was taken? They got drenched in the rain! I was going to murder Jaxson when I saw him next.

  Adeline opened her mouth to speak. However, before any words could get past her poisoned lips, a knock came from the door. It opened without waiting for a response.

  "Dinner has been prepared and set."

  I looked at the familiar boy in the doorway. I wasn't exactly proud of this, but I lunged at him. He took a couple of steps backward and tried pulling me off of him.

  "You're such an ass, Jaxson! How could you?" I punctuated every word with a punch.

  He finally pulled himself free from my clinging legs. Jaxson gave me a look that said how ridiculous I was acting as he held me at arm's length.

  "You didn't tell me she had such foul language," Adeline said from behind us.

  Jaxson shrugged, lifting me slightly. "I didn't say she didn't."

  I pinched his arm. "Why would you tell this chick anything?" I grumbled.

  Jaxson blinked. "You didn't tell her?"

  "I figured she already knew," Adeline replied, "I was about to tell her before you interrupted."

  "Mm. By all means." He set me down, facing the stranger. He began to leave but I grabbed his hand. He may have betrayed me at school and then kidnapped me, but some part of me felt like I was going to need some kind of support when this woman said whatever she had to say.

  "Look, Aquarius," Adeline sighed, "this is not how I imagined this to happen all these years."

  It never is.

  "Could you not take your time? Food is calling for me and she's got a death grip on my hand," Jaxson said impatiently.

  I didn't loosen my grip. Her face was giving me a bad feeling. What could she possibly have thought about for years to tell me? Was she related to me? Was she here to tell me my parents had died just like that woman had suggested Jaxson's had?

  "I'm," she hesitated. Jaxson began tapping his foot. "Aquarius, I'm your mother."

  I would like to believe that I did what any normal person would do in this situation. I laughed. I laughed right in her face.

  Adeline's face paled. Even Jaxson went stiff at my reaction. I just continued to laugh.

  Yeah, right. Like I'd believe that.