Tales & Time (Lost Time Academy #1)(40)

"I wasn't going to jump," I turn to tell him and take a big step back. Knox, Tobias and Noah stand right behind Sin who comes to me first, placing his hand on my cheek, running his finger across the blood on my lip.

"Who hurt you?" Knox asks from my left, his voice just about concealing his fury. “Tell me a name.”

"Your mum," I answer, clearly shocking them all. "She also told me I'm now engaged to Roger, and you guys are going to be engaged to Ella. I'm sure she will be a great fucking wife to you all." I push away from Sin, walking across the roof and not having the strength to turn back to them. I gasp as I look down at my hands, seeing them sparkling with dust that I wish could put me to sleep. My powers are too deeply connected to my emotions, the place in my soul that I have trouble separating the two.

"Don't you know by now that we can't be commanded to do anything?" Sin tells me, sounding close, but I don't look back. “And you are one of us. You always were, Madi.”

"I don't care what the Masters tell us and what they expect. We are not their slaves, nor will we comply with their demands," Knox replies. “We are not theirs and neither are you. You are only ours.”

“And we look after our own, we always have done. Madilynn Dormiens, you will not be controlled by anyone or be marrying someone you don’t want,” Noah remarks. “We don’t play by the rules, and neither do you.”

"Then they will send us all to the Masters’ army where I don't know about you guys, but I will die," I say, trying to keep the sadness in my voice out. No matter what they say, it doesn’t mean they have control over this entire world even if they don’t play by the rules.

"Madi, we would never let you die or be forced to marry Roger, the plank," Tobias says, speaking for the first time, and I can’t help but smile.

"Really?" I ask, turning to face them fully. I've not wanted to accept how much I care for each of them, how I would have been happy if Mrs. Tale said I was engaged to them all. I don't know when it happened, most likely before I even realised it, but I never want to be away from them all again. I don’t want to play by the rules. I want to do whatever the hell I want, with the Tale brothers at my side.

"For now, we play along and keep our heads down. We can't tell you more, not without risking your life, but I promise you won't be marrying him. We won't be marrying Ella, and we have a plan to get us all out," Noah tells me, stepping closer and placing his hand on my cheek for a brief second before lowering it.

"And Tavvy. Tavvy doesn't deserve to be stuck here either," I add. If they have a way out, Tavvy has to be included. She has become as close as I imagine having a sister would feel like.

"Got it. Now, will you come here and possibly smile? I miss seeing it," Knox says, opening his arms for me. I run over and embrace him tightly, resting my head on his chest. I feel them all watching me even before I open my eyes.

"You are safe, Madi, and hardly powerless yourself. Always remember that," Tobias says, even though I really didn't expect him to say anything more.

"Knox, you stay with Madi. Brothers, we need to pay Roger a visit to make sure he understands that Madi is ours," Sin says, and damn he frightens even me with the possessive tone. Poor Roger. Then I remember Roger in fight class, being a dick and knocking me out whenever he gets the chance. He has this coming. Knox presses a protective kiss to my forehead as his brothers leave the roof, before looking down at me.

“I can heal that if you want?” he asks, nodding at my lip and cheek.

“No, don’t. That would be hiding your parents behaviour when I want the world to see. They shouldn’t just get away with what they like,” I say, and Knox only nods. I know this must be hard for him, considering they adopted and brought him up.

"Want to escape this world for a little bit?" I don't question Knox, knowing I would trust him to take me anywhere, to any place. I trust him completely.

"Yes."





Chapter 25





"When you say ‘escape this world’, you mean literally?" I gape as Knox holds his hands in the air, his eyes closed and focused as blue light shines from his hands. The light stretches to the floor in a matter of moments, looking like a blue stand-up mirror, but the mirror shimmers almost like it is liquid. The outline is a bright white light, and Knox seems to be fine using this much power. It appears almost effortless for him. "I heard one of you could take people to other dimensions."

"Just me, and it is useful to beat my brothers in fight class. They can't fight me when they are stuck in another dimension," he explains, and I chuckle because that is pretty awesome. I never do get to see them fight, because I'm so focused on beating Roger that I don't notice what is going on around me. Roger beats me every time and knocks me out, or I beat him but still get knocked out. It's frustrating, but I'm getting quicker at using my powers every lesson. "Come with me. It's safe, I promise."

I slide my hand into Knox’s and try to control my fear as he walks through the mirror first, and I follow straight through. I don't know what I expected to see, but this was certainly not it. It's a rainforest but not like any rainforest I've ever seen before. The trees tower into the sky, hiding the clouds as leaves fall from them in the wind. The leaves are light blue though, not green like a normal forest. We are in a clearing covered in white grass that is high enough to brush against my knees. A little in front of us is a wooden house, probably handmade, and right in front of it is a rock pool.