Page 48 of Knox Academy Omnibus
She stares at me for a moment but when she sees that I’m not joking, she nods and sags with relief, like all the fight and bravado just left her. She sinks against me and I envelope her in my arms for an unexpected hug.
When she pulls away, she turns and hugs Slate too. He catches my eye over her head and grins.
“Right, can we get back to the party now?” I grumble.
Chapter Eighteen
Amelie
Lowkey banging comes from outside. Why the hell would they have maintenance men working this early on a weekend? It’s insane. Surely we deserve a sleep in on the weekends?
The banging stops and I manage to close my eyes for a while. Until the door handle to my room starts to jiggle and the door flies open.
“I hope you’re decent,” Elsie calls out. How the hell did she get in my room? “I tried knocking and had to get help.”
A body lands on mine, trapping me under my blanket. “I hope she isn’t decent, let me check.” Kalen lifts the blanket enough to stick his head under and annoyingly tries to wiggle underneath, his head close to my bare legs, though I have on underwear.
“No fair, she has on clothes.” Elsie laughs, she actually laughs at him. That's it, the apocalypse is here and they have no choice but to team up.
“I’m up,” I groan, pushing Kalen onto the floor, my blanket going with him. “Why are you here so early?”
“It’s lunch time, far from early and I have a surprise,” she says.
“Okay, I hate surprises,” I throw back, going to my suitcase and pulling out a hoodie. It falls to just below my ass, covering me enough.
“I went and had a talk with the headmaster.”
“You did?” I ask, surprised.
“She did,” Kalen says, popping up off the floor and back onto my bed, looking like he actually belongs there.
“Okay and how did he get involved?”
“So, I went and asked if you could get a day pass to leave the school - usually you can’t leave in your first year here at Knox but I thought since you are technically a second year, he may let you leave. I had a speech and everything prepared to argue my case, but he just said yes, on one condition.”
“What was that condition?” I ask cautiously, please do not let it include the incubator.
“Me,” Kalen pipes up.
“You?”
“Yes, well technically he just said one of his sons has to come but I figured Kalen is the most tolerable. That, and the twins wouldn’t ever talk to me, and I doubt Mr Knox would have wanted to hang with students.”
“I’m hurt, Vag…” I throw Kalen a look that has him quickly changing what he was about to say. “Elsie...that you wouldn’t have thought of me first, I’m the best Knox brother and we all know it.”
“Most annoying,” Elsie coughs under her breath.
“I get to leave this place for the day! Why didn’t you wake me up earlier?”
“We tried, Kalen had to go get a spare key from his dad. When you didn’t answer we thought you may have died from alcohol poisoning.”
“Let's not waste anymore time! I want to get out of here.” I grab a pair of my chucks and slip them on my feet.
“Um, sis, you can’t wear that.”
“And why the hell not?”
“We predicted this would happen and I have something of mine, school rules, we have to take pride in our appearance if we want to leave the property, also another condition from our headmaster...”
