Chapter 4

The cold water hit my back. It soaked through my shirt.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" Cassidy cried out. Her voice was too loud. Too dramatic. "I tripped!"

Then she collapsed onto the ground, clutching her ankle. "Eleanor pushed me! She's so angry!" She wailed.

Cedric was there in an instant. He pushed me aside. Hard. "What did you do, Eleanor?" His face was a mask of fury.

My side slammed against a jagged piece of metal. A sharp pain shot through me. I barely noticed.

He knelt beside Cassidy, cradling her. He didn't look at me. Not once. "Are you okay, Cass? Did she hurt you?"

He looked up, his eyes blazing. "You always do this, Eleanor! You're so volatile! Why can't you just control yourself?"

He stood. He grabbed my arm. He shoved me. I stumbled, falling onto my hands and knees in the debris.

"She's my partner! My teammate!" Cedric's voice was a roar. "You apologize to her. Now!"

I looked at him. My vision blurred. The world felt distant. Then a cold, hard laugh escaped my lips.

I moved before he could react. I sprang up. My hand shot out. I grabbed Cassidy's hair. I slammed her head back against the ground. Hard. My other hand delivered a sharp, stinging slap across her face.

"You pathetic snake!" My voice was raw. Filled with years of suppressed fury. "You think I don't see you? You think I don't know your games?"

I held her there, her eyes wide with shock and fear. "Do you enjoy spilling blood? Do you enjoy watching others suffer?"

Then I let go. I didn't wait for a response. I didn't wait for Cedric. I turned. I ran back into the heart of the disaster zone.

The ground shuddered again. A low rumble. "Earthquake!" someone screamed. "Aftershock!"

A massive concrete slab, weakened by the initial blast, groaned above me. It tore free. It crashed down. It sealed off most of the exits. Only a narrow passage remained.

"Everyone out! Now!" A frantic voice shouted from outside. "It's collapsing!"

Cassidy was closer to the narrow opening. Her eyes darted to it. A primal fear flashed across her face.

"Cassidy! Get out!" Cedric's voice boomed. "Go! Now!"

"What about Eleanor?" one of his teammates called out. "She's still inside!"

Cedric paused. Just for a second. A heartbeat. Then his voice, cold and dismissive, sliced through the air. "Forget her. She' s useless. A dead weight. We have to save the important ones."

A wave of crimson washed over my vision. The smell of fear, of dust, of my own blood.

I watched, numb, as Cassidy was pulled through the narrow gap. Cedric was there. He checked her over. His relief was palpable.

A cold, bitter laugh escaped my lips.

My body moved on instinct. Years of training took over. I saw a precarious wall. A desperate jump. I launched myself forward.

The impact was brutal. Pain flared through my body. The world spun.

My last sight was Cedric. He was holding Cassidy. His back was to me.

Then darkness.

Cedric's comms device crackled. "Hopkins! Urgent intel! The 'Falcon' protocol has been activated! Eleanor Curry is the Curry Group heiress! She's unaccounted for in the disaster zone!"