Uninvited: A Paranormal Urban Fantasy Novel (The Dark Skies Trilogy Book Two) by Lysa Daley Page B

turtle.”

Chapter 17
    I feel an ache of sadness as I leave my sleeping uncle behind in the medical ward.
    On one hand, he's resting quietly, despite being connected to a collection of monitors, wires, and tubes. The freaky bluish alien blood continues drip-dropping into his veins. I hope each little drop is making him stronger.
    I’m relieved that we got him here, but I'm also terrified that it might be too late.
    Walking back to the nurses’ station near the entrance, I see Jax waiting patiently near the door, scrolling through his cell phone.
    “What are you doing here so late?” I ask, looking up at the clock on the wall to see that it’s nearly midnight.
    “I'm waiting to walk you over to your room,” he explains. “Ruby’s already there and getting settled.”
    “You didn’t need to wait. You could have come to get me.”
    “I didn’t want to disturb you and your uncle.”
    Retracing the path that brought us down here, I finally just go ahead and say what’s on my mind, “I thought you’d be mad at me. Because I left.”
    “I was,” he answers honestly. Then adds, “But the Oracle pointed out that only a real heroine would walk away for the safety of the Stargate to save someone she loves.”
    “She said that?”
    “She even pointed out the possibility that the Stargate may have been a test. Perhaps you were destined to walk away the entire time.”
    “Destined? That seems a little hard to swallow.”
    He shrugs. “It’s hard to know what to believe when you’re dealing with these profound ancient prophecies.”
    I laugh at the sarcasm in his voice. “If that was my destiny, then what’s yours?”
    He opens one of the church’s big oak side doors, and we step out into the cool evening air. “My destiny is to get you to your new temporary home, so I can go back to my room and watch the baseball game I recorded earlier.”
    “Where exactly are we going?” I ask as we cross the empty street.
    “The dorms,” he answers, pointing toward the multi-story apartment-like building that we passed early. “Saint Benedicts runs a private K through 12 school for 700 special kids.”
    “You mean, like, special needs?”
    “Well, no, not exactly. More like special circumstances. But I'll let the headmaster explained all of that to you tomorrow.”
    “Wait, what’s tomorrow?”
    Jax hesitates, knows I’m not going to like his answer. “Fitz decided that you and Ruby should start school here. Immediately.”
    “No!” I can’t believe.
    Jax raises his hands in mock surrender. “Take it up with Fitz. Not me.”
    I feel anger rising. “But I want to go back to Oakdale Prep. I mean I know a bunch of stuff has happened, but when this all blows over—”
    “Astrid, I don’t think it’s going to blow over,” Jax cuts me off.
    “Why not?”
    “Didn’t you just burn down the gym?” he asks.
    “Technically, that was Meegan McGovern,” I answer.
    “Anyway, since we don't know how long you'll be here, Fitz figured it probably made sense.”
    I don't know how I feel about this. I mean, I suspected I was never going back to Oakdale prep, but I sure didn't think that I would be starting in a new school right away.
    “What about Ruby?”
    “We gave her a choice,” he says. “And she said that she would do whatever you’re doing.”
    That's Ruby for you. The most supportive friend ever. Hey, you have to hit the road and go into hiding because it turns out you're actually an alien with intergalactic shapeshifting bounty hunters after you, Ruby will stay by your side. You have to enroll in some weird school out in the forests of Oregon, Ruby will come to class with you.
    Who could possibly ask for a more supportive friend?
    As we cross the street, I hesitate to ask the one thing I really want to know. “Has there been any word on Chad?”
    A shadow crosses his face. “Being captured by the Horlocks was an unfortunate turn of events.”
    “Obviously,” I snap back. “Did someone talk to his