Raging Sea (Undertow, #2)

“You okay?” Riley asks, giving me a little nudge on the shoulder.

I nod, but I’m not really listening to anything he’s saying.

Spangler enters with a bright smile.

“I love the dedication, kids,” he says as he activates the machine that reveals the pool. “Show me what you can do! We don’t have a lot of time left, so do your best.”

My insides clench with how much I hate him. He needs to go away. I wasn’t sure about it until right now. I’m going to help Doyle end this man.

The children line up to demonstrate the extent of their skills. Some are impressive, but all of them are good. Riley is still the best, then Geno and Georgia, but Cole, Breanne, Alexa, and Danny have all made dramatic overnight improvements. Tess, Emma, and Jane, as well as William, freshly wounded by the deaths of their parents, are not far behind. Even Chloe, with her tiny little body, makes a sword as big as a rowboat.

While the kids applaud, my eyes find Doyle on the catwalk high above. He paces, agitated. He checks his watch and disappears. The plan has started.

“Lyric, I did it,” Chloe says proudly.

“That’s great news,” I say, leaning down to hold her hands. “Chloe, I want you to stay very close to Riley tonight. Can you promise me you’ll do that?”

She nods.

“Good. Riley, don’t let her out of your sight. Keep her close.”

“Why? What’s happening?”

“Lyric, you’re not looking,” Chloe scolds when she creates a dolphin that leaps into the sky.

“It’s beautiful,” I say, then scan the room for the other kids. I want to know where they are when the system crashes so I don’t accidentally hurt anybody.

There’s a piercing alarm, and lights go out. The ceiling glows with red emergency lights, and backup illumination appears above the exit doors. The children cry out, but Spangler and the guards urge them to stay calm.

“What’s going on?” Breanne cries.

Spangler taps his screen, then does it again. He looks up at me, and suddenly his concerned face changes to one of understanding.

“This was a very dumb move, Lyric,” Spangler says, then taps on his tablet and races off as soldiers rush into the room. Half attempt to corral the children, while the other half aim their guns at me.

“Lyric, what is happening?” Tess cries.

“Stick together!” I shout.

It’s time to do my part. I power up my glove, and it burns brighter than I have ever seen it.

What would you have us do?

“Help me put a stop to this place,” I whisper back.

The pool comes alive, bubbling and spilling over its sides. The water reaches up and snatches the armed guards nearby, violently jerking them off the ground like dolls and pulling them under. More soldiers charge through the doors, shouting orders, but I send a lightning-fast whip that smacks them across the room. With my path clear, I sprint forward, only to be clobbered from behind by a wall of salty liquid. I tumble to the grass, end over end, and land flat on my back. When my head stops ringing, I find Riley and his glove glowing in my face.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s happening, but you can’t—”

This is exactly what I feared. Riley and the other kids are siding with Spangler. I yank half the water out of the pool and throw it at Riley. He slides across the lawn as scales appear on forearms and neck, fiery red with confusion and anger.

“I’m sorry too,” I say as I scamper back to my feet. “I’m bringing this place down right now. If you’re smart, you won’t try to stop me. Get away from here and take whoever you can with you.”

“I thought you were one of us,” he cries.

I dart through the double doors and into the hall as soldiers pop up in my way. I cause the pipes to burst on either side of them, and they fall over like chess pieces. I leap over their unconscious bodies and continue onward, racing up a flight of stairs to the cells, just like Doyle and I planned.

Bullets skitter on the floor near my feet. I turn and bring geysers up to destroy the flooring behind me. I watch several men topple into the massive hole I’ve created. That will buy me a little time.

“Lyric?”

I turn to see familiar faces. These are the parents of the children I’ve been training. They are filthy and bewildered but free from their cells; shorting out the system has released them. They take tentative steps into the hall.