House of Korba: The Ghost Bird Series: #7 (The Academy) Read Free

phones I’d been through the last few months. I punched a message at the screen.
    “What are you doing?” Kota asked. “We said not to ask him directly to come back.”
    I finished my text and sent it. “I didn’t.”
    Mr. Blackbourne gave me a scrutinizing look. “You just sent him a text?”
    “Yes.”
    His eyes narrowed. “I wish you would have shown it to me first.”
    My phone vibrated to life in my hands. I checked the screen. “He’ll be back tonight.”
    The room silenced. Did they not expect me to help? Isn’t that what they asked me to do?
    “What did you say?” Dr. Green asked.
    I shrugged, holding out my phone, allowing them to read the screen.
    Sang: “Miss you.”
    Silas: “7.”
    “That means he’ll be back at seven, right?” I asked.
    Surprised filled each of their faces. Victor was gawking. There were smiles on the other faces, and Mr. Blackbourne’s stood out the most, a millimeter at most, but dazzling me with its warmth.
    It was Kota who finally nodded. “Yeah,” he said.
    “Is that all you needed?”
    “Uh huh.”
    “I’ll uh...guess I’ll go see what North and Nathan are up to—”
    There was a knocking, loud enough and hard enough to feel like the house was shaking. Immediately after, the doorbell rang twice.
    The boys never knocked. Marie didn’t have to. I checked with the others as to who it could be, as if they could see through walls.
    They stared back with the same surprised expression.
    Kota stood and came forward. “It’s probably just the mailman.”
    I nodded, and started to turn around to head back downstairs. Kota went with me, followed by Gabriel.
    “Don’t we have a camera out there?” Gabriel asked.
    “It’s a guy,” Victor said above us from the top of the stairs. He had his phone in his hand and he was tapping at it. “He’s turned the wrong way though.”
    “Shouldn’t I just answer it?” I asked.
    “And what if we’re wrong and it’s an ax murderer?” Gabriel asked. “Or the police?”
    Why did he have to say that? At the last step, I hesitated for a second before touching down. Kota crashed into me, put his hands on my hips and eased me down the last step.
    I started for the door, but Kota took my arm, tugging me back. I checked behind me, and Mr. Blackbourne and Dr. Green were at the top of the stairs. Victor was ahead of them on the stairs, but waiting.
    Another ring of the doorbell, and Kota checked through the peephole. His head jerked back and his expression changed to something grim. He looked back up the stairwell, pointed to Mr. Blackbourne and Dr. Green and waved his hand in a shooing motion.
    The two of them immediate retreated to my bedroom.
    I imagined they still lingered, listening and waiting. Who was it that Kota had to ask them to back away?
    Kota opened the door, stepping back.
    Mr. Hendricks stood on the front porch. He glowered at Kota instantly and then looked at me.
    My heart thundered and my hand fluttered to my throat as I took a short step back. What was the principal doing here? Forcing myself to be polite, I spoke. “Hello? Did you need something?”
    “I didn’t realize you had...company,” Mr. Hendricks said. His shaved head and criticizing eyes and broad stature made him look even fiercer outside of school. He wore brown slacks, a white collared shirt, no tie or jacket like he usually did, so he looked a little different.
    “This is highly inappropriate,” Kota said.
    “This is a matter that can’t wait,” he said. He stepped forward, putting a foot in the hallway.
    Kota started to step in front of him to block him from further access. “You should...”
    “I don’t need permission to visit the home of one of my students,” Mr. Hendricks said. “But I wanted her to pass a message to you anyway, so you may as well be here.”
    Kota raised his eyebrows. Gabriel eased forward, putting a hand at the small of my back. I hadn’t realized how my body rattled until his touch was steady against