Chapter 1

"Ten, nine, eight..."

Out on the open ground, Ryan Warren was holding a megaphone and counting down.

"Quinn Warren, get out here right now! Don't hold up the entire drill!"

I rushed in front of him, waving my arms frantically as I shouted, "I'm out, Ryan! I'm out!"

No matter how hard I yelled, he acted as if he couldn't see me at all.

I tried to grab his sleeve, but my fingers passed straight through his camouflage uniform.

I stared blankly at my hands. They were a pale bluish color, almost transparent.

Only then did it finally dawn on me.

I was already dead.

"Three, two, one..."

The moment the countdown ended, Ryan snapped off the megaphone.

He let out a humorless laugh, furious, and roared toward the upper floor, "Quinn Warren, you've already gone over six minutes on this evacuation.

"If this were a real fire, you'd already be dead in there! Do you have any idea the lives you're putting at risk aren't just your own?"

Hovering in midair, I could only purse my lips helplessly.

I wanted to tell him, Ryan, your guess was dead on. I really did die in there.

After shouting that, he turned and motioned to the team behind him, his face dark as he led them charging into the science building.

The storage room door was shut tight. He reached out and shoved at it, but it wouldn't open.

Through the glass, he saw me sitting on the floor against the wall.

From where he stood, I probably looked like I was just sitting there in the shadows with my head lowered, completely still.

"Quinn Warren, get out here!

"Look outside! All those teachers and students are standing out there in the blazing sun waiting for you, and you're in here pretending to be sick so you can hide where it's cool?"

One of the team members looked through the window and hesitated before speaking.

"Captain... is your sister okay?

"She looks kind of pale, and she doesn't seem right. Should we call an ambulance and have it waiting?"

Ryan let out a cold snort, and a trace of contempt flashed through his eyes.

"Call an ambulance for what? She's faking it. She just wants to get out of the fire safety test afterward.

"She's pulled this kind of stunt at home more times than I can count.

"Any time something doesn't go her way, she locks herself in her room and plays dead. No matter who calls for her, she won't open the door.

"Quinn Warren, is this really what you use your brain for? Figuring out how to be lazy?"

I shook my head desperately, tears swirling in my hollow eyes.

My asthma attack had started not long after I went in. I tried to pull the door open, but no matter how hard I twisted the handle, it wouldn't move.

"Quinn Warren, this is your last warning. If you don't come out right now, I'm kicking the door down!"

The room stayed silent, and the fury in his eyes finally exploded.

He stepped back half a pace and drove his foot hard into the door.

Bang!

The door slammed violently into the wall.

The force of the impact knocked my body sideways.

A shocking patch of red immediately spread across my arm.

The teammate beside him jumped and hurried forward, grabbing hard at Ryan's sleeve.

"Captain! Your sister's bleeding! She's really hurt. We need to get her to the hospital first!"

At the sight of the blood, he froze for a second.

Then he frowned, his voice hard as stone.

"It's just a scratch. Is that really worth making such a fuss over?"

I was still slumped there on the floor, head hanging low, giving no response at all.

Completely exasperated, he strode over, bent down, and roughly hoisted me over his shoulder.

"So now you're mad at me and playing dumb? Fine. Let's see how long you can keep this up without saying a word.

"Since you want attention so badly, I'll take you outside and let everyone see this little stunt you pulled to get out of the drill!"