Ace of Spades Sneak Peek(103)

Chiamaka takes something out from her bag.

Ward raises an eyebrow. “Why don’t we see for ourselves?” he says, raising his gun to me now, just as Chiamaka sticks something in Ward’s neck. He freezes up and falls to the ground, the gun dropping with him.

Chiamaka grabs his gun with a handkerchief and slides it away from him.

I’m breathless.

In her hand she’s holding some kind of stun gun.

“Are you okay?” I ask, partly wondering where she got that from.

She wipes her eyes. “Yeah. We need to get out of here.”

I nod and we walk through the curtains, jumping back when a loud boom sounds.

I look up. Smoke spills from the ceiling.

Wait … smoke?

People are looking around too, searching for where it came from.

My heart beats fast, and just as I grab Chiamaka’s hand, there is another explosion.

I instinctively duck.

Then, as if we are in some disaster movie, parts of the ceiling break apart, wood falling from the sky.

Holy shit.

Screams start to fill the air. Chiamaka grabs my arm, pulling me toward the exit. We push through crowds as everyone attempts to escape, the smoke wrapping around the ballroom.

When we finally stumble through the doors at the front of the room, there is even more smoke in the hallway. People are covering their mouths, coughing, running, desperate for any escape.

We’re running so fast, I almost fall a few times, tripping over Chiamaka’s long dress. More explosions sound as we burst out through the entrance to the school, racing down the steps and into the cold fresh air of the evening. I cough, feeling out of breath and disoriented.

My breath looks like a ghost as wisps swirl out of my mouth, before disintegrating into the air.

I look up at Niveus, once this tall, looming building, now crumbling before me, scorched by angry red flames.

It’s weird. I don’t think about it until this moment. But when it does register, when everything finally sinks in, the most obvious thought occurs to me.

The school is on fire …

Niveus Academy is burning.





44


CHIAMAKA

Thursday We finally get outside and watch as Niveus goes up in flames.


There are sirens in the back, firefighters rushing inside the collapsing building. It sounds awful, but a part of me wants to laugh.

Even the most powerful can be brought down. And we’re all witnessing it.

We can all see the great Niveus Academy fall. At last.

“There are people in there … There’s no way they’ll make it out okay,” someone says tearfully nearby.

I wonder how the fire started … if it was an accident. Who started it?

I feel my chest tighten.

I wonder if any of the protesters got stuck.

I chew my bottom lip, freezing when a thought crosses my mind. Terrell standing there in the audience.

Was he real?

Did I imagine him?

I hope I did … God, I hope I did.

I look at Devon. He looks out of it—in this trance, staring up at our old school.

“Devon,” I say quietly but loud enough for him to hear.

“Yeah?” he replies monotonously.

“Where is Terrell?”

“What?” he asks, turning to face me now, looking sick.

“I saw him inside … I think … Did he come? Was he here?” I ask, hoping he says no.

But before he can reply, another explosion erupts, and a large chunk of the roof collapses.





45


DEVON

Thursday My mind flashes back to Terrell telling me about his involvement in this.


Terrell’s here.

He’s in there.

I feel sick.

I have to go to him.

I don’t know what is carrying me, but I find myself running toward the building.

It’s my fault. It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have left him.

I feel Chiamaka dragging me back and I start calling his name, like he’ll hear me inside there.

The flames grow, eating Niveus alive, and I want to scream.

“Terrell,” I yell.

No answer, as expected.

I can’t lose him too … I can’t lose any more people. I feel weak, like I’m about to fall— “Devon?” someone says. I’m almost positive it’s in my head.

I turn back and Terrell’s there. Right there in front of me, with a matching worried expression on his face. I feel so relieved, I run over to him and pull him in for a hug. Forgetting everything that’s happened. Just hugging him tight, so happy he’s okay. He holds me close and I bury my face in his shoulder, tears falling.

I really thought I’d lost him there. Thank God, you’re okay, Terrell, my thoughts whisper.

I can feel his heart hammering.

After a few moments I pull away, wiping the tears from my cheeks. “I thought you were inside,” I tell him.

“I’m okay,” he says, his eyes focused on Chiamaka and not me. “Glad you guys both are too.”

“Really thought you were gone,” Chiamaka says, wiping her eyes. I’m surprised by that. She hardly knows him, yet she’s crying like she was about to lose her good friend. What surprises me even more is her hugging him now.