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A/N: As promised I have started posting Shattered on Gumroad. It’s PWYW (and £0 is acceptable so there’s no risk) so subscribe today. If you want to sample it first then you can read the first chapter on my facebook page. If you like my stuff you’ll love Shattered.

Or if you prefer superhero stories I’ve started posting 250-300 words a day of a superhero story on my Patreon. These posts are public so don’t have to be a Patron to read it. The first fourteen posts are already up so why not take a look?

—

“Kate? Are you okay?” Amelia Edison put a hand on Kate’s shoulder. “You’re going weird again.”

“I’m fine!” Kate rounded on Amelia who paled and stepped back from whatever she saw in her friend’s face. Ophelia took the opportunity to head quickly towards the school door as the bell rang. Behind her she heard Kate swear loudly before yelling, “Oi! Get back here! I haven’t finished talking to you yet!”

“Well I’m finished talking to you, Kate,” she said. “Class is about to start and I refuse to get into a battle of wits with someone who is unarmed.”

Kate’s shriek was loud enough to attract Mr Dooley’s attention. Ophelia saw him turning towards them as Kate slammed her into the ground.

“Don’t ignore me!” Kate pulled back her foot to kick Ophelia but Mr Dooley pulled her away.

“What’s going on here?” he asked.

“Ophelia insulted me,” Kate said sullenly.

“It wasn’t Ophelia’s fault.” Kira had also stopped at Kate’s shriek and turned back. “Kate threatened Ophelia. She refused to get involved and you saw what happened next. About the worst you could say was Ophelia was a bit snarky.”

“Hmm… I see. Thank you, Miss Layton.” He turned to where Kate’s friends had been but they had scarpered. “I smell the stench of a couple of guilty consciences.” He seemed caught between grinning and sighing. “And in spite of my colleagues raving about you, I only hear bad things from your fellow students, Miss Stevens. Detention is in order I think.. If you can’t control yourself in the yard, you can clean the classrooms at break and lunch for a few days.”

“Yes, sir,” Kate said meekly then aimed a kick at Kira as Mr Dooley turned away. It never hit; a ribbon of silver fire shot out from Kira and sent Kate sprawling.

“Hey,” Kira said. “Don’t get so upset you fall over.” She turned to Ophelia. “We’d better go inside.”

“Yes…” Ophelia stared at her as they headed up the stairs. “Silver?”

“We’ll talk at break.” Kira turned to Sera. “You saw that too?” Sera wasn’t gawking like Ophelia but she did nod as she headed to her own class. “I thought so – like I said, we’ll talk on break.”
***
From his perch on top of the science building, Darlryan had watched the unfolding scene with interest. When Kate’s temper snapped, he nearly intervened but Mr Dooley got there first. Good. He didn’t want to tip his hand yet, and perhaps getting slapped down by Kira might teach her some circumspection.

Still, the detention was irritating. He needed to start training her soon.

“I’ll have to work on that temper of yours, Kate,” he murmured to himself as she got to her feet and walked slowly towards the door. “You’ve got a lot of potential but you need to learn to keep a clear head.” He absently stroked a finger along one of the bluish scars left by Alsia’s blade. Thank goodness they didn’t mar his human form. “But I’ll have to be careful with you. I don’t want Alsia even more angry at me. We’d better have a long talk soon, I don’t want to repeat my mistakes.” He stood and prepared to teleport when Kate stopped and leaned against the doorpost, clutching her head. She was crying again. Mr Dooley noticed as well because he walked back and spoke to her, his demeanor shifting from disciplinary to concerned teacher as he helped her inside. Darlryan scowled to himself. “I’d better look into those as well. I don’t need you incapacitated at a critical juncture and they can’t be fun for you either.” He watched them go inside before vanishing from the rooftop.

—

A/N: As promised I have started posting Shattered on Gumroad. It’s PWYW (and £0 is acceptable so there’s no risk) so subscribe today. If you want to sample it first then you can read the first chapter on my facebook page. If you like my stuff you’ll love Shattered.

Or if you prefer superhero stories I’ve started posting 250-300 words a day of a superhero story on my Patreon. These posts are public so don’t have to be a Patron to read it. The first fourteen posts are already up so why not take a look?

Previous | Chapter Index | Next