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He was ordering me about again. I tapped my temple.  What am I supposed to do with these images again?
His eyes narrowed.  Okay. Fine. My family is in trouble, and I need the Cardinal Guardians to help us. Happy?
I ignored his dark scowl.  What kind of trouble?
His right eyebrow shot up.  And why should you care?
I lifted my chin.  I don t. But if you need my help 
 The Cardinals help, he corrected.  I ll even make it easy for your grandfather to find me this time. I ll be around the valley. Now run along like a
good little girl. He indicated with his fingers for me to go.
I hated that he treated me like a child, but the first bell rang and I had no choice but to leave. When I looked back, he was gone. I hurried away,
fingered the amulet hanging around my neck and studied the green core. I d worn it as far back as I could remember and treasured it because
Grandma gave it to me. But I always assumed it was gypsy in origin. Now I knew it belonged to the Guardians. Just how many more secrets was
Grampa keeping from me? And where was my math class?
I pulled out the map again and studied it. The shrill sound of the second bell pierced the air. Great. Just great. First day of school and I was lost. The
hallways emptied fast, so there was no one to ask for directions. Frustrated and close to screaming, I turned a corner and almost bumped into a tall,
burly man with glasses. His name tag said Officer Derrick and under it was the word Security.
 You should be in class, he barked.
 I m new and can t find it.
His brow furrowed.  Which class?
 Algebra& Mr. Cook s.
He jerked his head toward the stairs.  Follow me.
Halfway up, someone yelled from behind us,  Wait up, Lil!
I turned to see Goth Kylie flying toward us in black pants, black shirt, and long black coat swelling behind her as she raced along the wide corridor.
I d never been happier to see a familiar face.  Hey, I said.
 Whew. She grabbed the railing as she caught her breath. Then she noticed the security guy and made a face.  Morning, Officer Derrick.
 Miss Jensen. Late again?
 The bus was early. Her tone was indifferent but her glance curious.  What s going on?
 Your friend took a wrong turn. I m escorting her to her class.
My face burned, though I was grateful for his choice of words.
 Oh, I can show her the way, Kylie offered.
The officer stopped on the next step and waved us ahead.
 Thank you, sir, I said and followed Kylie.
 Do you have your schedule? she asked when we cleared the stairs and removed hers from her folder.
 Yeah. I retrieved mine, and we compared them. We didn t share a single class. At least we both ate during second lunch, the one after the fourth
period.  So I guess I ll see you in the cafeteria? I asked, trying hard not to sound desperate.
 Sure. I ll wait for you by the south entrance. She pointed at a door a few feet away.  And that s your math room. I got to run, see ya.
I gave her a brief wave, grinning. Maybe she and I would be friends after all. I was still smiling when I entered the classroom. My smile died a quick
death when twenty pairs of eyes locked on me. Whispers followed. I swallowed and kept my gaze on the teacher as I walked to his desk. I handed
him the paper from the office introducing me as a new student.
Mr. Cook, a short man with thick glasses and an overbite, pointed out a chair in the back of the class. Before I could escape to the desk, he said,
 Tell the class your name and where you re from, please.
Did he have to do that? I didn t need the extra attention. Even though math was one of my favorite subjects, I decided I didn t like Mr. Cook.
 Lil Falcon, Kansas. It came out like one word.
On my way to my seat, I nearly tripped over my skirt and heard a few giggles. A girl with braces smiled at me then went back to her scribbling. I took
the chair beside her.
The next few classes passed in a blur. Any moment I expected my powers to re-emerge and something bad to happen, like bolts of lightening to zip
through the class. And every student who looked my way, every teacher I met, I wondered if he or she was a Guardian trainee or Civilian. Add to
those was my worry about Bran. I couldn t even explain why his problems were becoming mine. By fourth hour, I was a nervous wreck and my head
was ready to explode. There was so much pressure between my ears. For my next period, I realized I had no idea where to go, and I stood in the
middle of the hallway, staring at my map.
 Hey, a voice said from behind me.
I jumped, my heart thumping in my chest.
 Lil Fallon, right? the girl with braces from my algebra class asked when I faced her.
 Lil Falcon. Are you a Guardian? I attempted to telepath her, but the girl gave no indication that she heard me.
 McKenzie Warren, she said, her braces winking at me. I had never met anyone who looked pretty in braces, but she managed to pull it off.  So
what s your next class? She peeked at my map, a smile on her face. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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