The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

Chapter 0546

Luca gets to me first, pulling me hard against his chest, tucking his head down against my shoulder. But Jackson's here too, at my side, taking my chin in his hands and turning it towards him. "Ariel," Jackson whispers, desperate, "are you...all right?"

Slowly I nod, staring at him, unable to do more than that in my shock.

Behind me, Rafe groans and Luca turns toward him, taking me with him. My eyes go wide when I again see the ruin of Rafe's chest - where his uniform has disintegrated, the God of Darkness's two handprints seemingly burned into his flesh. I cry out in dismay to see my brother wounded but Jesse is already there, his shadows beginning to sink back into him as he slips his hand beneath Rafe's shoulders, urging him to lay down flat on the floor, murmuring to him, inspecting the wounds.

I look anxiously around the room then, terrified. "Is he...is he gone? Or just invisible?"

"He's gone," Jesse calls over to me, lifting attention away from Rafe for a brief second. "I can feel him when he's here. Which is probably why he decided to attack today."

Still shaken, but I think encouraged by the idea that he's gone, Luca, Jackson and I move over to stand over Rafe and Jesse, staring horrified down at my brother, baffled by what just happened, none of us able to fully comprehend it just yet - "Kids?"

All of our heads turn towards the tinny electronic voice.

It takes me a moment to focus on the laptop on its side, half broken, and the images of my mother and my aunt leaning close to the camera, peering at their own screen, trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

"Rafe, Jesse?" I hear Cora's voice ask. "Is...everything okay?"

a little sigh in his voice alongside

see my mom's eyes go

says a voice

up to see Ben standing there on the other side of the splintered wreckage

Ben's eyes are wide with shock as he stares around

to the computer to see her beautiful face framed in the screen. "You just hold on, baby

we all stand

I exhale,

his body steady behind mine. I let myself go slack against him as I look around the room at the furniture scattered everywhere, the wood splinters all

all just stand completely still, staring around. Even Ben seems to be unable to catch his breath,

I whisper, feeling a little ridiculous. "If mom's coming...maybe we should clean

at me like

?.ne

where Alvez lays slumped reach for Jackson, wanting

to his feet as

"Who...who are you all?" he asks,