Chapter Eight

"I can't do it. I just can't do it." The sound of my head repeatedly hitting the wall echoed through the room. It was almost pitch black, the only light being the few rays of the setting sun that could make it through the shut blinds. I would normally think it a beautiful time, but my thoughts and the constant guilt were distracting me.

"I've failed." I moaned, still banging my head against the wall. I could feel Ugine nudging my hand, trying to give me comfort, but I ignored it. I had gone a whole day with this order, and still haven't mentioned anything to Alexsandra. By the end of the day I was going insane with the stupid emotions going through my head. "She made me choose between my freedom and my best friend and I failed." I finally stopped banging my head and looked at Ugine, though my vision was still spinning. "I'm gonna have to tell her that I've failed, and then she's gonna kick us out."

Ugine blinked up at me, the light reflecting off his pupils. I sighed and slumped down on my bed, scratching my dog behind the ears. "I thought this would finally be my permanent home. But I guess I was wrong. I'll never have a permanent home." I rubbed my eyes, feeling tears building up behind them. It was my own fault anyway. I deserved to be like this, living alone and friendless.

"Well," I said, standing up, "I guess I better go tell Cathleen that I failed. You better get packing. We'll be outta here by morning." I grinned weakly to my dog then walled out of the room, leaving any chance of happiness with it.

I walked down the halls, grateful that no one was in the halls. I had to hurry if I wanted to get to Cathleen before dark, but to be honest, I didn't want to. I knew it was for the best though, the sooner I'm gone the better.

Then all too soon, I was standing in front of Cathleen's office.

I forced myself to keep breathing, reaching for the door but then pulling back several times. After about three attempts I managed to convince myself that it was for the best. But right before my knuckles hit the door I heard voices.

"Hi…. Cathleen Morsie…. Of Braneve…."

I could only pick up a few words, so I pressed my ear against the door. I knew I shouldn't be eavesdropping, but curiosity got the best of me.

"Yes, I need to speak to Commander Kasmin please." Pause, "Ah, Commander. I just called to check on the status of New Japan." Another pause, "Great, in that case, I just thought of a new area. I'd like your troops and Calvin to move to the Koreas, but make sure that they don't get the news out." A big pause, "Yes, I am aware that there has been some rebellion in Taiwan. Just get to South Korea! I'll send Jasmine over there if I have to." Biggest pause yet, "Well then tell Prime Minister Amida that he better bow down to me or I will bring out Skyla! Show him the video if you have to." Pause, "Yes, I'll take care of it when I come this weekend." Pause, "Alright, thank you. Goodbye Commander."

I backed up from the door, my heart racing. She wants the Prime Minister of New Japan to bow down to her. I thought, She already has Taiwan, and now she's moving to South Korea. She--she's taking over countries one by one! That's why she's bothering to care for a bunch of teenagers. That's what she does with us after we finish our training!

I turned around and ran down the halls, all the messed up things about Cathleen Morsie clicking into place. Why she disappears every weekend, why she looks so pleased when I do good in my training, why she wants to get rid of Alexsandra.

I was so lost in thought that I didn't see Harvey coming out of the dining hall until I ran into him.

"Ah! Oh, er, sorry." I said, "Hey Harvey, have you seen Alexsandra?"

"This late?" Harvey asked, wrinkling his nose, "I'll bet she's in her room getting ready to sleep."

"Great, thanks." I said, stepping around him and continuing down the hall.

"You're welcome!" Harvey yelled after me, and I could hear the usual smirk in his voice.

I continued to run down the hall, my thoughts swimming. I didn't stop once on my way to Alexsandra's room, though my lungs were burning. When I reached Alexsandra's room I knocked on the door, but I didn't wait for a reply to open it.

"Sage!" Alexsandra cried, a brush halfway through her hair, "What're you doing?"

I closed the door behind me and leaned against the wall, trying to catch my breath. After a bit of agonizing seconds of silence, I managed to sputter, "There's something important we need to talk about."

"What is it?" Alexsandra asked, shifting on her bed so I can sit next to her. I sat down, gasping for air a little while longer until I was able to breath regularly, then I started the story.

"...then she was like, 'Great, goodbye Commander.' Then I ran all the way over here."

Alexsandra gaped at me, her hazel eyes round as marbles. "Dr. Morsie has control over New Japan and Taiwan? I… I guess that would explain what happened to the others…. What are we gonna do about this?"

"What do you--" I cut off when I spotted the open door. I didn't see anyone come in, so how could it be…

"Olwyn!" I said through gritted teeth. I shot up out of the bed, hoping to catch her before she did whatever she hoped to do with her new found information. I charged out the door only to find the halls empty. Darn Olwyn, why can you turn invisible!

"Sage!" Alexsandra cried, running out of her room, "What if she tells Dr. Morsie?"

"I won't let that happen." I said, frantically trying to think of a way to find her. I need to track her somehow…

"Aha!" I said. I learned a new trick just a few days ago, it was perfect for this situation. I focused all my energy on the image of a wolf, what it looked like, what it felt like, what it smelled. Soon enough, I felt my bones breaking, my ears lengthening, my clothes transforming. Alexsandra screamed, but I ignored it, instead sniffing around for Olwyns scent. I quickly caught it, shampoo with a hint of mint trailing down the hall to my left.

I barked at Alexsandra who's look of horror was slowly transforming into curiosity, then bounded down the hall. The scent was getting stronger the further I ran, the sound of my claws hitting the floors echoing through the hall. Suddenly, the smell cut off, and I back tracked, coming to the conclusion that Olwyn must've turned into the game room to my left.

"Olwyn you little son of a…" I muttered, shifting back into a human and grabbing the doorknob. I could hear voices inside, but I couldn't pick up any words even when I pressed my ear to the door.

Taking a deep breath, I turned the knob and opened the door, expecting the worst. Instead, I found the eyes of all the specials staring at me.

"Sage." Harvey said, leaning against the wall, "Glad you could join us."

"What did you tell them?" I asked, eyeing Olwyn.

"I told them the whole story." Olwyn said, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Did you ever intend to tell us?" Dario asked.

I threw my hands up in the air, exasperated, "Seriously people? I literally just figured this out. Are you really gonna hold this against me?"

"No, we're not gonna hold it against you." Aiden said, "We're going to hold it against Cathleen Morsie."

Just then, Alexsandra burst into the room, panting and sputtering, "Olwyn!" she gasped, "Don't tell anyone! We can work this out…" She trailed off when she noticed the eyes of everyone else now on her. "Did I miss something?"

I crossed my arms, "Oh, nothing. Only everyone plainly admitting that they don't trust me."

Alexsandra's brows knitted and she turned towards the others, "Guys," she said, "Sage has been here for more than a month. Why wouldn't you trust her?"

Dario sighed, "We never said we didn't trust her, it's just that she learned something very important and it took Olwyn spying on her for us to know it."

I scoffed, "Excuse me? I already told you, I just barely figured this out! I was going to tell you guys, but you didn't even give me a chance!"

"Alright, alright. Stop fighting." Alexsandra said, speaking before anyone else could argue, "We gotta stop disagreeing and talk about an even bigger problem." Everyone went quiet, guilt immediately replacing the angry or betrayed looks on people's faces. "Good." Alexsandra said, "Now, what are we gonna do about this?"

Aiden clucked his tongue, "Isn't it obvious?"

We all looked at him, confusion written on everyone's face.

"We run away." Aiden said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. When no one said anything he continued, "Oh come on guys. It's the obvious solution. If we run away, Dr. Morsie can't use us."

"Alright." I said, "I'm in."

"What?" Jace said, "We can't run away! Dr. Morsie gave us refuge! If we run away we'd be betraying her and all she's given us. Plus, how do we know Sage heard right?"

"Do you take me for a fool?" I asked, "I know what I heard."

"Look people," Olwyn said, "If Morsie is really slowly taking over the world, then us just sitting here isn't gonna do anything. We need to act, and I believe the best way to do that is to take away Morsie's best asset. Us."

"I don't know…" Dario said, "What if we get caught? Dr. Morsie would never forgive us."

"It's worth the risk!" Alexsandra said, "It's better than sitting here and waiting for Dr. Morsie to use us. I say we do it."

The room went up in an uproar, everyone screaming to get their opinion across. I must admit, even I was yelling, though I couldn't hear what I was saying. Finally, I got sick of the chaos.

"Alright, now shut up!" I yelled, my voice echoing through the room, "We vote." I said once it was silent, "All in favor of running away say aye."

"Aye." I said, along with Aiden, Olwyn, Alexsandra, and Harvey.

"Well there we go." I said, "Majority wins. We run." I looked at Jace expecting him to argue. To my surprise, he was silent, a look of grim determination on his face.

"We leave tonight." Aiden said.

"Tonight?" Bailey asked, looking nervous.

"No." I said, something I overheard Cathleen saying echoing through my mind. "We leave tomorrow night, after Morsie leaves." It was silent, everyone staring at me, "Got it?"

"Right." Harvey said thoughtfully, "She leaves every weekend so we do it when she's gone. Good logic."

"Thanks Harvey." I said, my jaw clenched. "Everyone good?" I waited for the nods from everyone, then leaned towards the door, "Everyone pack only what's absolutely necessary. We're leaving by hoverboard, because that's the fastest way to get out and we all know how to board. Goodnight everyone."

With that, I left the room, the new arrangement running in circles through my head. We're gonna run. I'm going to ditch Cathleen Morsie, the person who gave me freedom and this awesome power.

"Are we really doing this?" Alexsandra asked, running to my side, a look and excitement on her face.

"Yep." I said, "It's the only solution. If Dr. Morsie is really taking over the world, then we have to do something about it."

Alexsandra said nothing, until I turned toward her and she wrapped her arms around me. "Thank you." She said.

I sat there marveling at what she was doing, but just as soon as she started, she untangled herself and grinned at me. "Goodnight." She said, then she skipped down the hall towards her dorm.

"'Night." I muttered to her back, then continued on my way to my room.

I woke up to something wet and warm repeatedly rubbing against my face. I could see the golden rays of sunlight through my eyelids, signaling that it was time to get up. "Just a bit longer." I moaned, rolling over so my back was to the light. It was quiet, so I decided whoever had woken me up gave up, until I heard a thump and the weight on my bed shifted. Next thing I knew, two giant paws were pressing into my arm and a slobbery wet tongue was all over my face.

"Ugine." I laughed, "Get off you giant dog." I sat up, and my dog jumped off of me, landing with a thump on the floor. "What's the big hurry? It's only…" I trailed off as my eyes found the clock sitting beside my bed, "It's only 9:15! I promised Alexsandra I would help her fix her bag today during breakfast! Crap!" I scrambled out of bed and threw on some clothes. I ran out the door and slid on my socks around the corner.

"I'm coming, Alexsandra!" I yelled down the hall that leads to the dining hall. I ran as fast as I could, though it was difficult with my socks. Soon enough I made it to the doors and threw them open so they crashed into the wall. "Don't worry!" I yelled, so my voice echoed through the giant room, "I am here, there's no need to panic!"

Alexsandra giggled from her spot by our usual table. "Oh good, I was so worried."

I grinned and walked over to the table, "Thanks." I said, plopping down in the seat next to Alexsandra, "It sure feels good to have someone who cares about me."

"Any time." Alexsandra said, popping a banana into her mouth.

"Now," I said, pulling a plateful of waffles towards me and grabbing a bottle of syrup. "I was thinking about what we're gonna do today and I came to the conclusion that we must master the triple 360 on the hoverboard."

"The triple 360?" Alexsandra asked, "I can't even do a single 360."

"Well then we'll start by teaching you a single 3--"

"BOO!"

I jumped, and without checking with my brain first, my fist turned into a ball of iron and I swung it behind me.

"Ow!" Came the voice of Harvey from behind me, "What was that for?"

I spun around in my chair to face Harvey holding his jaw, though there was a grin on his face. "That was for sneaking up on me you Doof!"

Harvey's grin widened, and he winced with the effort, "Well that's what you get for being so fun to sneak up on." He said, sitting down in the chair next to me, "I mean, besides the part where you punch me in the face with an iron fist, can't say I like that part."

"Well isn't that just tragic." I muttered, everyone on the table laughing, "Guess you missed the price tag."

"Guess so." Harvey retorted, reaching across the table and grabbing a blender full of a smoothie.

I rolled my eyes and went to say something snarky back, but then Olwyn started talking.

"Hey Harvey," she said, "Is your hair naturally that color, or did you dye it or something?"

"Oh yeah, it's natural." Harvey said, taking a swig of his smoothie, "Everyone in my family had it besides my Mom. I liked to say that it was our family trademark." He grinned, but there was pain behind his eyes. I wanted to ask about it, but Alexsandra beat me to it.

"Was?" she asked, "What happened to them?"

Harvey's smile looked painful, which it probably was with that growing bruise on his jaw. "Oh, er, well I'm here now and I'll never see them again so…"

Alexsandra seemed to accept this answer, but I could tell there was something off with the way he held himself. There was something he wasn't telling us, but I decided not to pry.

That seemed to mark the end of that conversation, and soon Bailey, Aiden, and Alexsandra got into a conversation about how to treat bullies. I didn't really care for the subject, so I settled for stuffing my face with waffles in silence.

"Hey Sage." Harvey said, getting bored of the conversation after a while, "I think you're gonna get yourself kicked outta here."

I eyed him suspiciously, all the reasons why I could get kicked out running through my head. There were a lot of them, but I don't see why he would speak them freely in the middle of the dining hall. "Why?"

His grin grew, and I knew trouble was heading my way, "'Cause you're making all the other girls look bad."

I sighed and put my head in my hands, shaking it. "You're an idiot, you know that right?" Just then, I was struck with an amazing idea, and before I could give it any extra thought, I was putting it into action.

I sat back up and scooted in my chair, getting as close to Harvey as I could without gagging. I cleared my throat and spoke in the most seductive voice I could pull off- which wasn't that seductive. "Do you want me to tie your shoes?" When Harvey gave me a look like I was losing my mind and it was kind of bothering him, I scooted a little closer and grinned at him, "Because I don't want you to fall for anyone else."

I could see the exact moment when Harvey discovered the meaning for my words, then his face broke into a grin and he laughed, "I've met my match." he said as I scooted back my chair and admired my stack of half eaten waffles. I looked up briefly to see Alexsandra laughing beside me, Olwyn looking annoyed, Jace and Aiden still arguing, Bailey staring at Dario, and a look of horrification of Dario's face. I laughed at the look and continued eating my waffles.

At least I managed to make some people laugh.

"I'm sorry to report that I will be unable to eat dinner with you all today." Cathleen said later that day. She'd called us all to the dining hall at about six o' clock that evening, saying she had something to tell us. "I will be leaving today instead of tomorrow like I usually do. Got it?"

We all nodded, and that seemed to be enough for her. "Alright, I'll see you all Monday." And with that, she grabbed her bag and marched out into the garage hall. We all stared at the closed door, marveling at how fast she rushed out the door.

After a while, Aiden muttered, "Okay then, should we get packing?"

"Yeah." I said, turning towards the door. "Everyone remembers the meeting spot?" When everyone nodded I continued, "Alright, well then I guess I'll see you all at eight."

On that note, I walked out the door, saying my last goodbyes to the place I thought was home.