Runaway (The Knight Society #1)

To say that dinner that night was awkward would be an understatement. Pierre was yet to return from some errand he was on and Uncle John was nowhere in sight which meant it was just Victoria, Avery, Ed a very annoyed looking Drake and I at the one table. I hadn’t seen Avery and Ed since before I had collapsed and none of us seemed very eager to bring the topic up. Instead the two of them discussed the latest rumours over why the mongrels were able to get into the Institute and I silently brooded over my argument with Uncle John. For a moment I let myself get distracted with the adorable way Victoria would glance up at Drake, before quickly looking away blushing, but my bad mood soon dragged me back under.

Having run out of wild theories silence descended once more and Ed and Avery’s conversation was replaced by the sound of chewing. Glancing down at my plate I once again pushed around the food, hoping that it would look more appetising from a different angle. It did not. After forcing down a couple more bites my gut churned in protest of more food and I pushed my plate away. Avery’s eyebrows shot up in interest but he chose not to comment. I left the table in no particular rush and began to make my way through the Institutes many hallways. After a while I managed to wind up at the front door. All traces of the battle I had fought against the mongrels had vanished and I wondered what kind of super strong bleach they owned. Walking up to the door I didn’t give it a second thought and seized the handle and let the cold breeze wash over me. Closing the door behind me I let the cold breeze spread goose bumps over my bare arms as I wandered forward. An intricately patterned large black gate circled the property cutting me off from the outside world. I stumbled across the uneven ground towards it until finally I wrapped my hands around the cool metal and squinted into the darkness. The only source of light was kilometres in the distance, definitely too far to walk. I took a deep breath and let the cool night air rejuvenate me.

“Trying to escape again?” I jumped slightly at the sound of Avery’s voice.

“No, but I would be lying if I said it didn’t cross my mind.” He laughed and took a position on the gate next to me.

“That’s what I like about you Jack. You’re honest.” I smiled at him but turned my attention back to outside the gate. Closing my eyes I enjoyed the soothing wind wash over my face. A few moments passed and I opened my eyes again. Turning around I studied Avery’s expression. He was also gazing outside the gate and something about him caused my voice to start working before I even realized it.

“Do you ever wish you weren’t a Knight?” he looked back at me again with sad eyes.

“To be honest, no. But I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have a normal life. Go to school, hang out with friends, have annoying neighbours.” I laughed and he smiled down at me. “What’s it like out there?” I paused for a second and quietly thought about it.

“It’s… It’s different.” He peered down at me confusion clear on his face. “It’s definitely not as fun as you make it sound.” His face clouded with disappointment and I scrambled for the right words. “But it’s nice as well. Every day isn’t a matter of life and death. It’s more peaceful.” Apparently happy with my answer he turned back to the gate with a smile. After a while he spoke up again.

“What about you? Do you ever wish you weren’t a Knight?” I didn’t even have to think.

“No.” He grinned at the quickness of my response.

“Really?” Turning out I faced the gate once more.

“Yes. Being a Knight…Fighting, it’s ingrained in my very being. It’s who I am. I can’t picture a life without it.” Glancing back at him I grinned. “The whole prodigy thing on the other hand, I could do without.” We shared a laugh when a flash of light in the distance caught my attention. Leaning to the side I spoke in a hushed tone. “Did you see that?” the smile left his lips and he nodded.

“That’s probably Pierre. We should get back ins-” two beams of light and the sound of a nearby engine cut him off. Slowly making its way over a hill the car finally blinked into existence cutting through the darkness. Sure enough Pierre was behind the wheel but that’s not what caught my attention, four other people were in the car as well. I leant over to Avery again as the car slowly drove closer.

“Who are they?” Ed grimaced.

“They’re the instructors.” Quickly jogging over Avery opened the gate allowing the car entrance. So Krug was here. On reflex my back straightened and my fists clenched tightly. Curiosity welled up inside me as the car came to a stop in front of the door. I stood rooted to the spot as the car doors swung open and five very tired looking people disembarked. Deciding it was better to watch from a distance I looked on from afar as Avery helped them with their bags. One of them caught my eye. A tall beefy man, with a hard set face and bulging muscles. Alistair Krug. It only took a few moments but he soon noticed me and we both stood frozen watching one another. Examining all the things that had changed over the past two years. Eventually the other instructors also noticed Krug’s odd behaviour and turned to find me. I kept my attention however firmly on Krug.

I hadn’t seen him since Thomas funeral where he had come to pay his respects to one of his students. We hadn’t spoken, but then again we had never been close despite him having trained Thomas and me for five years. The best our relationship could be described as was familiar.

Still we continued to stare at each other, until finally Krug broke the connection by reaching down to his belt. With lightning fast hands he threw a small throwing dagger right at me. I easily caught it before it hit me and despite the other instructors shouts of outrage, I knew it wasn’t an attack. Back when he taught Thomas and I, he regularly threw daggers at us in an attempt to test our reflexes. I glanced down and sure enough it was one of the same blades he’d used to throw at us. Plain steel with no fanciful designs.

Glancing back up I looked at Krug and gave him a small nod. He returned the gesture before turning on his heel and walking inside, completely ignoring the other instructors who continued to lecture him. When the Institute door finally closed behind him I made my way over.

Upon approaching them I studied their appearances. Two males and a female all of which seemed over the age of thirty. They all clearly had strong physiques no doubt as a result of being Knights. From the sound of the loud laughter coming from their direction they had a good sense of humour too. Finally getting within earshot I slowed down a bit.

“Honestly! Who just throws knifes at people out of the blue!” The woman’s croaky voice displaying the fatigue present on her face.

“And at a student no less!” One of the men chimed in. For some reason I felt the need to defend him.

“It’s a teaching technique.” I said. At the sound of my voice everyone looked at me. I didn’t recognise any of them but chances are some of them knew who I was. They waited for some sort of elaboration but I just turned my attention to the gate once more, something outside of it catching my attention. A soft sound vibrated through the night air. None of the others seemed to notice but it was definitely there. A low rumble. It could have been another car but my gut told me otherwise.

“Jack?” Pierre said but I held up a hand and began to walk to the source of the sound. Cautiously walking, I followed the sound to the gate. A group of mongrels lurked outside, their eyes searching for a way in. One approached the black metal, nudging it with a paw before recoiling immediately. The gate was made of Onyx, a substance toxic to the mongrels and here was the predicament Avery and Ed had been so preoccupied over. How did the mongrels manage to enter the Institute when they weren’t supposed to be able to get near the fence surrounding it?

I didn’t have time to ponder however because the mongrels chose that moment to notice my presence. Their black soulless eyes fixed on me and a chill ran down my spine. With a final growl and a howl or two, the mongrels took off once more into the forest. I watched them till they disappeared into the darkness completely. It was only then that I realised I was clutching at the dagger like my life depended on it. A throat cleared behind me and I spun around to see everyone standing there.

“Impressive spot Miss…?” The woman said.

“Bell.” She seemed slightly shocked for a moment but it nothing I wasn’t already used to. Pierre stepped forward deciding now was a good time to step in.

“Zach, Charles, Trish this is our newest member, Jack.” His hand gestured to me and three heads swivelled in my direction. A moment of silence followed as their eyes surveyed me. Not being one to miss an opportunity I did the same. Up close I could definitely see the affects being Knights had on their bodies. Although Trish’s muscles weren’t bulging like the two guys I could definitely see the strength she had. Their hands were rough and calloused looking from years of using the swords which hung from their hips. Glancing at their faces I watched as their eyes tactically scanned me looking for weaknesses. It probably should have unnerved me but I had grown up having my every waking thought analysed, looked over and picked apart for weakness by the people I called Mum and Dad.

“Well I think I’ve had enough of standing around freezing to death. How about we head inside?” Trish said with a smile and the others whole heartedly agreed. As soon as we got back inside Pierre ordered Avery to escort me to my room and took off with the instructors in another direction.

We didn’t talk the whole trip back but I could tell from his clenched jaw, stiff back and strained fists something was definitely up. His eyes kept darting around the room and he glanced over his shoulder a grand total of twenty times. I could tell the mongrels’ appearance had him spooked but I was too lost in memories of Thomas and Krug to ask him about it.

The next morning I awoke with a feeling of grim anticipation in my stomach. Today was the day my parents would arrive and change everything. I had until the afternoon which meant I would spend most of the day dreading their arrival.

As soon as I pushed the doors open in the Common’s Room I could tell breakfast was going to be awkward. There was a heavy silence in the room and I could pin point it to one person in particular. Krug. He sat at my usual table and it just so happened the only free seat was the one opposite him. Grabbing some food I took the seat. Every small noise seemed amplified a hundred fold in the awkward silence. Uncle John sat next to Krug and I remembered that for reasons I had never understood the two of them were friends. However their usual gruff banter was unusually missing. Instead they sat in a strained silence every one of their actions stiff and uncomfortable.

I hadn’t spoken to Uncle John since our argument and guilt ate away at my stomach. His gaze found mine and I mouthed the word ‘sorry’ at him. He smiled warmly at me and mouthed back ‘me too’. I shifted in my seat and a hardness on my hip reminded me of something. Reaching down I pulled the throwing dagger out of the holster.

“Hey Krug!” I called out. He looked up and I tossed the blade at him. Easily swiping it out of the air he looked at me in a silent question. “You forgot it last night.” He gave me a small nod and tucked it away under the table. I scanned the table for Pierre and spotted him slightly further down.

“Hey Pierre!” He looked up from his meal, as did most people who weren’t already watching the interaction between Krug and me. “What time are my parents coming?” I asked.

“They should be here around three apparently.” He called back. Great, time for lunch before hell descends. Krug glanced back up at me.

“Your parents are coming here?” he asked and the table seemed to grow tenser at the sound of his voice.

“Yup.” I replied taking a bite of an apple. He chuckled softly.

“Good luck with that.” He said and I grinned across the table at him.

“God knows I’ll need it.”

“God knows we’ll all need it” Uncle John cut in and all three of us laughed. Finally the tension seemed to ease and people began to once again chat quietly amongst themselves.

The rest of breakfast passed uneventfully and all too soon people were leaving to take care of their everyday tasks. With nothing to do I wandered the Institute until finally settling in the Hall of Records. I spent the rest of the morning silently admiring the art trying desperately to distract myself from the mental clock ticking down in my head. By the time lunch rolled around I was a ball of nerves. I took my seat next to Uncle John, eating the food but not tasting it.

“You ready?” he asked quietly. Glancing over at him I tried to muster a smile but it fell flat.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for my parents.” I mumbled. I tried to ignore the way the others were so obviously watching me but it was pretty damn hard. The doors to the Common’s Room swung open but I hardly paid it any attention instead I focused on my plate, the sound of chatter, anything to keep my mind preoccupied.

“Jacqueline Bell!” A strong male voice called out. Not just any voice, my fathers. Fear and dread straightened my spine and my heart began to pound. Silence descended upon the Common’s Room and I just knew every eye was focused on me. Face forced into a mask of indifference I slowly pushed my chair away from the table and stood. Summoning what little courage I had left I turned to face the entrance. There they stood, three hours early. My parents.