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A PEEK INSIDE THE ACADEMY
I was spending the night at Silas’s house when he got a call that there was a job, and they wantedThe sun wasn’t yet up over the tree line as we left his apartot in the car and drove, he filled me in on so with me, you’re not to ask any questions Just listen and watch”
“Okay,” I said I yawned, and stretched After ho and Halloween, the boys and I had been on a slower schedule: school work and the diner only We also had Gabriel’s birthday coo with Victor and Luke to the store to pick so and we had to go “But where are we going?”
He pursed his lips and then changed lanes to get onto the highway, heading toward don Charleston “We’re ht be more, but I’m not sure”
“Where are they?”
“There’s a run-down building where a bunch of kids are hiding out They think they’re runaways but it’s hard to tell”
“Why do they need you?”
“Because they’re Mexican,” he said “I sort of look the part”
“Oh,” I said quietly and slid a look at hi
His black hair, olive complexion and perhaps some of his features h, and very broad in the shoulders He towered overto fill in his faux school uniform jacket to the point that Gabriel had to order a new set for hi back to when I first met him, I’d been intimidated by his size He was handso at hiht be nervous
Still, if Mr Blackbourne thought it was okay, perhaps I needed to listen I sank back, looking out the“Mr Blackbourne wants ?”
“He thinks since you look nice they may be more responsive to you if they won’t talk to me”
I wasn’t sure how to take the compliroup of runaways I reached back to fix my sandy blonde hair, the color hat Gabriel often call cha I twisted it back up intome to pull back most of it away from my face like I used to be able to do before Gabriel cut it “Was this the job you were called back for?”
“Yeah”
“Is this what you do?” I asked “I one out on missions? Talk to runaway kids?”
“No I do other things, too”
I stared at hi I wasn’t sure if he was allowed to say what it was, so I left it alone “It’s hard sometimes,” I said “I mean, I know I can’t ask too much”
“I’d tell youhis eyes to the road, “but to be honest, I’m not sure how much I can say”
“Because you have to keep it a secret,” I said “I understand”
“I don’t really knohere you are with us,” he said He turned his face toat my eyes “Mr Blackbourne wants you in Kota wants you out Not out of the family, but you know Kota’s protective It’s because he’s the male with toer He’s reluctant to put you in the saer he puts himself in”
“Shouldn’t I make the decision?”
“Yes, but we’d have to vouch for you If we’re divided on it, we’ll…” He pursed his lips and shook his head “See, I can’t say it”
There were soree before I’m allowed in?”
“We all do,” he said “Your houess you’d call it We’d be responsible, so we all have to be in agreement Kota’s not the only one to think we shouldn’t let you in, either I think Nathan’s hesitant on it, too Maybe North It’s hard to tell with hi it’s not a good idea”
“So I have to convince all of them I could?”
Silas focused on the road and re time “You don’t have to,” he said in a deeper tone “You don’t need us all to agree to be accepted into the Acadeood h, if you waited If you’d wait for all of us to agree fully that you should be included”
I understood there , to get into the Acade the others to be okay with it
“If you want in,” he said
“I think I want to”
“You should be sure”
“It’s hard for me to tell if I want in because you’re in there or because I want to be part of it, but I’m pretty sure it’s both I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to say it was partially because of you all”
“It can be both,” he said “Did they tell you the first rule of the Academy?”
“Family first?”
He nodded “What’s a better reason than if you feel connected to us, and share our causes? The whole group is centered around family Why not join for fami
ly?”
I curled up tighter in the seat, looking out theSilence fell between us It was a lot to think about
And yet, it wasn’t I knew I felt it inside of s they did, and how they felt so strongly about what they did was enough for me It was also in every time I participated in a job with them, and felt exhilarated after I did want into the Academy What else would I do with ht of the Acade to some better purpose?
But that meant I had to convince the others to let me in Kota, Nathan and North Silas hadn’t ht Victor was on my side What about Gabriel and Luke? What about Dr Green? How did they feel?
It meant I had to spend ure out which ones were happy with the idea, and if they weren’t, find a way to convince them I should join
Mr Blackbourne had said the sa My heart started to beat harder in ht, and that I’d need his help to fix this I had to trust soht, and since Kota wasn’t keen on the idea of ure out what to do to convince the others
As Silas drove, I slipped e
Sang: Mr Blackbourne, I know you’re busy, but sometime this weekend, could we talk?
His reply was instantaneous
Mr Blackbourne: Always Is there so you need now? Are you okay?
The response rattled through me like a shiver I was excited and relieved he didn’t think I was silly or callhim noe were on our way to a mission
Only I couldn’t talk about what I was thinking over the textout over text es or phone calls
Sang: I’m fine Just wanted to talk
Mr Blackbourne: On my way
My eyes widened and I couldn’t think of a response other than to thank him I didn’t knohere he was and hadn’tFor so Now it felt like he was involved with soet me