I had never seen the Ultara Academy at night before. The forest that had always surrounded the school disappeared into the haunting darkness. It was as if the trees shifted in place and buildings appeared much taller and darker. I had to pause and absorb the whole layout of the school in detail. There were lights glowing out of every room inside the mansions. Probably the lights in the Ultara Academy had never been turned off. In the hard stone walls, those young geniuses would stay overnight to study like hundreds of years ago.
I couldn't stop moving until I reached the main entrance, but as I pushed the massive iron gate, it didn't give way. Locked, I assumed. I forgot this heavy door was scheduled by an automatic open-shut system from the computer program.
Now I had to find another way in. Walking to the east side of the mansion, I d
Even my two best friends in the world just saved my life; I still didn't think I would fully recover from the flying car experience. We stopped at a gas station later. I borrowed Alyssa's cell phone to call Octavia. And thank kindness, she picked up on the first ring. At the same time, we both just exhaled in relief."Are you okay?" She beat me to it."I'm fine," I said. "Everyone's fine.""I was so worried about you," she said again."You too, but I'm okay," I reassured her. "Anyway, there's something I want to tell you.""What is it?""We ran into the undead vampires earlier," I told her and then there was a very long pause.
I found my way back to the hotel. But as I rushed toward the entrance of masquerade hall, I almost knocked someone over. My feet skipped to a stop."Whoa...!" Cammie yelped."Cammie!" I cried out."Viv!" She said, "Oh my gosh, it's you. I saw nothing but a shadow flying toward me, but where have you been?""No time to tell," I said. "We have to go.""What's wrong? Did you see Octavia?" Cammie asked."I will tell you everything," I said. "Now we gotta go."And when she saw the look on my face, she finally nodded. We hurried down the quiet hallway, but then I felt a strange chill cre
When I got home the next day, Mom was already there, reading on the kitchen table. I went to open the fridge and took out a carton of milk to drink."Did you have a good day, honey?" she asked, putting a bookmark on the page she had read and placed the book on the table. I could hardly make myself look at her. I hoped I didn't have this I'm-going-to-sneak-out-tonight written all over my face. Somehow I managed to act normal and said, "Yes I did. Can we have our dinner early today?""Oh, you're hungry?" Mom asked with concern. "Of course, we might just do that."At the dining table, I couldn't stop peeking at my mom. I already felt guilty about my plan tonight, but I had to finish what I had started."What is it, honey?" Mom asked when
In Biology this afternoon, Ms. Grace was walking back and forth, explaining another theory."A pearl is formed in an oyster when a foreign object, like a grain of sand, is stuck in its shell," she said. "The oyster is in great pain, but if the object doesn't kill her, nature covers the object with the oozing that forms into a pearl."Then she went on about the jellyfish, "If the environment provides the jellyfish no food, they would grow food inside themselves to feed on. They stay in the sunlight all day to photosynthesize. At night they go into deep water where there is a lot of nitrogen to fertilize. It is called'adaptation'everyone. We all have to adapt to any harsh conditions that life throws at us because it's our natural gift."I listened, thinking the
"Are you sure you don't need this?" Octavia asked me, shaking the milk carton lightly in my sight as we sat around the couch in the room."I can wait." I shrugged. "I'm still surprised that I don't feel as crazy as I was earlier. Thanks to Cammie.""Yep, I snapped you out of that big ass craving," Cammie smiled proudly as she took a seat opposite us."Cammie, don't say ass," I scowled at her."Oh, come on, Viv, you won't grow horns with just a few bad words," she said. I shot her a look."Anyway," I said and turned to Octavia. "I thought you were busy.""I was, but your mom called me that you had
After the Biology period was over, I saw Cammie and Alyssa walking up the corridor. I tried to wave at them, but I felt too exhausted, they might have sensed something wrong with me, because both of my best friends hurried to my side."Viv, are you okay?" Cammie came to hold my hand. "You look pale.""Yeah, I'm fine," I said and pulled away. "I just—" and before I could say anything else, my knees buckled. I would have fallen on the floor if Cammie hadn't caught me."Oh no, I don't think so.""Let's take her to our room," Alyssa suggested, and they grabbed me away before I could protest. They must have thought it better than to send me to the school clinic. They brought me to the mansion suite. Along the hallway, I tried no