“Do you think something bad happened?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” I answer. “I hope not. I just... I didn’t want them to see Uncle Matty and Jake here. How could I explain my uncle and cousin coming on campus in the middle of the night? I can’t exactly say another cousin died. How many fake cousins can I have die in a year, before people catch on?”
“It’ll be okay,” Estaine says, pulling me close to him.
My phone starts vibrating with another phone call. I answer it without looking at the caller ID.
“Hello.”
“Phoenix... are you okay?” Brooks voice comes from the other side.
“I’m... fine. Why?”
“Your face... you’re on the news,” he says.
“Me?” I ask.
“Apparently a terrorists group released a video with you in it,” Brooks says. “And your dad... he’s... Tommy Black.”
“What do you mean a video?”
“Who is that?” Estaine asks.
“Hold on,” I tell Brooks, putting the phone on speaker. “Estaine’s here, too. You need to explain what you mean.”
“This terrorists group released a video, basically threatening to kill you if your dad doesn’t help pass some law,” Brooks says. “They said they were offering a million dollar reward to whoever turned you in, which is just crazy.”
“Oh, my gosh,” I say, putting a hand over my mouth.
“The president released some kind of a statement saying that if anybody does know, they shouldn’t try to contact the group,” Brooks says. “It’s crazy. The president of the United States.”
“Brooks, can you stop being stunned now. This is serious,” Estaine says. “Phoenix could be in danger.”
“I know. Crap,” Brooks says. “I’m sorry, Phoenix. Are you okay?”
“I don’t know,” I answer. “Uncle Matty is on his way to get me. I’m scared.”
Estaine tightens his grip around me.
“It’s gonna be okay,” Brooks says, reassuring me.
“I’ve got to go, Brooks,” I tell him.
“Promise you’ll call me tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” I answer. “I promise.”
I end the call and look up at Estaine.
“What if they make me leave?” I ask.
“They won’t,” he says.
“What if they do? What if I never see you again?”
“I’ll go with you.”
“You can’t. You have school here... you have a life.”
“We don’t know what’s going to happen, yet,” Estaine says. “But don’t worry. I promise I will be by your side the entire time.”
He kisses the top of my head, and I have no choice but to believe him.
No matter what happens, even if I leave East Raven Academy, I’ll still have Estaine.
Somehow, that makes everything seem less scary.
The end.