Chapter 2

The two team members behind him didn't dare say anything else.

They knew their captain's temper too well. At a time like this, one more word would only make him angrier.

Ryan dumped me hard onto the concrete of the athletic field.

Hovering above, I looked down at my own body, my arms and legs sprawled at unnatural angles.

When I still didn't move, Ryan crouched beside me and lowered his voice, grinding out the words beside my ear.

"Quinn Warren, are you really not satisfied until you've humiliated me in front of the entire school?"

I didn't answer.

I never could again.

He glanced up at the staff member filming the drill, then said coldly, "Since you love pretending to be helpless, you can play the unconscious victim in the fire scenario. Let's see how long you can keep this act up."

One of the faculty counselors, Lauren Lewis, finally couldn't stand watching anymore.

She hurried over and said worriedly, "Captain Warren, why don't we let Quinn rest in the shade for a while? I remember her medical report from the start of the semester said she has severe asthma. With this heat and all that smoke just now, if something happens..."

Ryan sighed, wearing the helpless expression of someone disappointed beyond words.

"Ms. Lewis, don't let her fool you. Quinn is actually my younger sister."

A ripple of surprise went through the students around them.

He continued, "She was whining to me at home yesterday, saying she didn't want to take part in today's fire drill.

"I didn't want to make things too hard on her either, but look at Kenzie. She's someone's precious daughter too.

"She's sick herself, and she still offered to step up and take Quinn's place.

"As her brother, I can't spoil her the way our parents do and let her grow up thinking she can always get her way."

He turned and pointed at me, his tone righteous.

"Fire emergencies are exactly when people need to help each other.

"If everyone hides behind someone else the second things get difficult, it'll be too late for regrets when there's actually a life-or-death situation."

Lauren frowned and pointed at the wound on my arm, which was still bleeding.

"That injury looks pretty serious. Did she hit something?

"Why don't I have the campus nurse come take a look first?"

Ryan gave a cold laugh.

He casually pulled two adhesive bandages from his pocket and slapped them over the deep gash on my arm, even though the wound was so deep the bone was visible.

The narrow strips didn't come close to covering it, and blood kept seeping out around them.

"It's fine. It's just a flesh wound. There's no reason to hold everyone else up over this."

Lauren sighed helplessly and stepped back into the crowd.

Ryan moved me over and propped me against a low wall.

Then, less than three feet away, he lit the demonstration fire.

Accelerant had been poured over the wood, and the flames shot more than six feet into the air almost instantly.

Heat rolled outward in waves as the fire tore hungrily through the air.

The students instinctively backed away.

Everyone except me.

I remained sitting silently beside the flames, my body taking the full force of the heat.

The plastic soles of my sneakers had already begun to warp.

Ryan stood in front of the fire holding an extinguisher. With practiced movements, he pulled the safety pin and squeezed the handle.

A powerful burst of white dry chemical sprayed out as he aimed directly at the base of the flames.

In less than a minute, the roaring fire was completely out.

Applause broke out across the field, and more than a few girls looked at Ryan with open admiration.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and gestured casually to the crowd.

"Using a fire extinguisher isn't difficult. Just stay calm and follow the steps I showed you. Who wants to go first?"

Kenzie Lane was the first to volunteer.

Biting her lip, she stepped forward under everyone's gaze.

The fire was lit again, and this time the flames rose even higher.

Kenzie seemed frightened. She hurriedly picked up the extinguisher, pulled the pin, and squeezed the handle.

The force of the spray caught her off guard, and she struggled to keep her balance as her hands shook violently.

In her panic, she swung the stream of white powder straight toward me, where I was sitting against the wall.

A cloud of dry chemical blasted directly into my face.

The powder coated my half-open eyes and filled my nose and mouth.

At last, someone in the crowd screamed in horror.