Preda's Voice (Guardians of Vaka Book 1) by Carolyn Gross Read Free Book Online Page A

eyes open. Even though Foxy had said she was in danger, she felt oddly safe for the first time in her life. Maybe it’s the lock on the door, she thought. She knew it was more than that, though.
    Preda hummed a lullaby she had made up when she was a child playing alone in her room. She always heard it in her head before falling asleep. She drifted off that night with Fiver tangled in her hair.

7
    W ill watched Preda closely as she left the classroom that morning. He tried to convey reassurance in his expression as she was led away. Her face looked as though she was being led toward a gallows for hanging. As he thought about it, Will wondered if that wasn’t so far from the truth.
    After the door closed, the whispering rose to loud laughter and speculation. Ms. Brown turned an annoyed expression on the class, and everyone quieted down as she walked back to her desk. As she started to drone on again about the Gothic War, her voice turned to buzzing in Will’s ears. History usually fascinated him, but his attention was focused elsewhere.
    Will dropped his left hand and made a sign with his index and middle fingers to indicate a request to meet. This was intended for his classmate Jim Acres, who was sitting in the back of the classroom. A not-so-subtle sneeze was the affirmative answer to his request.
    Ms. Brown turned toward Jim with exasperation. “Bless you, Mr. Acres. You really do need to take care of those allergies.”
    “I know, Ms. B.,” Jim replied smoothly. He was all smiles.
    Several girls giggled before turning back to the front of the classroom, and Ms. Brown smiled in spite of herself. Jim was one of those people whom everyone liked, and he happened to be Will’s best friend. What nobody here realized was they were also mission operatives together. The target of their shared mission had just walked out of that classroom door unexpectedly and way ahead of schedule.
    Will risked a glance back at Jim and looked for some sign that this was a part of the plan. Jim met his glance, shrugged nonchalantly, and leaned back in his chair so the two front legs were off the ground. A girl—Will thought her name was Silvia—passed Jim a note, and he playfully crumpled it up and shoved it in his mouth as if he was going to eat it. Silvia let out a gasp, and Ms. Brown turned sharply in their direction.
    Jim closed his mouth around the paper and tried to maintain a straight face. Ms. Brown, however, had had enough interruptions for one day. She stomped over to him and held her hand out. Jim had a chagrined look on his face as he carefully spit the note out onto her palm. She opened the offending paper with her fingertips so as to avoid coming in contact with too much saliva. She held it out in front of her to read aloud for the class.
    “‘Dear Jim,’” she read. “‘You and Will are going to our party, right? He never comes out, but maybe tonight you both will get lucky. Winking face,’” finished Ms. Brown.
    If Will hadn’t been so freaked out about what had just happened with Preda, he would have laughed. Instead he continued to shake his leg with nervous energy and anxiously glance at the clock.
    Ms. Brown walked up behind him and asked amid all the laughter from his classmates, “Are you and Mr. Acres going to the party tonight, Will?”
    Will smiled up at her and tried to look as though he didn’t have a care in the world. “Of course not,” he replied. “We’re leaving this city.”
    The bell rang, and he grabbed his bag. He was out the door before she could even say a word in reply.
    “Are you crazy?” Jim demanded when he caught up to Will in the hallway. “You have to act as if you belong here. As if you’re a student.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “You know we can’t blow our covers.”
    “What covers?” Will turned away from his locker abruptly. “Are you blind? Didn’t you see who that was taking her away? Our job is finished here. We have to leave.”
    Jim leaned in so as not to