The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy

But she turns to me, and tilts her head to the side, curious.

My whole body starts to shake as I gasp in a desperate breath and clutch my stupid paintball rifle to my chest, scared and confused and frantic to go back home. Because I have absolutely no idea where I am, or how I got here, or what's happening on the battlefield I just left. In my heart only one truth echoes - that I want to get out of here - that I want to go home -

Suddenly, it happens again.

The world tilts, and I fall, but my back doesn't hit the ground behind me. I open my mouth to scream but no words come out as I seem to echo through time and space - traveling through the darkness - through the void -

Until suddenly my backside hits the ground, hard, and my eyes fly open, and - panting - I realize that...that I'm back.

That I'm under the bush, with my rifle clutched in my arms.

I whip my head to the left, where voices echo. "Sniper must have gone down," says a man as cadets filter ahead of him down the little path towards our base. "I found this map and these binoculars, though I don't know why he would have left them behind -"

And I don't stop to think as I quickly raise my gun to my shoulder and - not even using the sight, they're too close-pound out two shots at the men standing before me.

Because despite it all - I have not forgotten that Jackson is coming up that path for me right now.

let him face sixteen men on his own. The two men gasp as bright blue paint splashes on their uniform, their heads twisting

I checked that bush - he wasn't

on my feet, pounding past them, ignoring them, stumbling towards the path downwards where shouts are

ragged in my chest,

away all thoughts

of falling

else - and instead focus on the

a dulled blade in one hand and a pistol in the other, getting too close for them to shoot. So I start at the back of

on

the cavern

paint splashed across his chest revealing that Jackson already got him.

the only person I face is the first man I shot, his

snaps, his mouth

him and up and down the cliffside - searching anywhere, everywhere for Wright. "Which

even

at the man with the crossed arms. "Why the fuck would I