Read First Kiss: The Ghost Bird Series: #10 (The Academy Ghost Bird Series) for Free Online Page A

bottom of the car. I fiddled with the zipper of my jacket, watching the light from the window spark against the silver. “Tell me what you can? I don’t want you to get into trouble, but the more I know, the better I’ll be prepared.”
    He waited until he turned onto the highway, headed west toward Summerville. He leaned back in his seat as he turned on the cruise control.
    “Sang,” he said, glancing over at me for a moment. “Our setup was different. We had Mr. Blackbourne and Dr. Green, who had already graduated by the time they found us. So our entire introduction and entry into the Academy might be different than what you’ll go through. We were in a lot of danger. Not myself as much, but the others were in a whole lot of trouble with their parents. Nathan especially, since he was so young and his dad was home more because his mom had just left. Then there was Gabriel. Kota...”
    “Kota?” I asked quietly.
    He pressed his lips together, looking out at the road with a low but steady fire in his eyes. “Nathan and Kota got along so well when they were little because they dealt with the same issues.”
    Nathan’s father had been very abusive. Nathan had watched his father beat his mother, but then when his mother escaped, his father turned to Nathan, beating him instead.
    Kota’s father wasn’t around now. I had a hard time picturing the scene with his mother and sister.
    But could this be what had happened? Kota’s story was still in shadow. Would it do any good to bring up his past now? I sensed Victor didn’t feel comfortable talking about it, so I filed my questions away.
    “Not that your parents treated you much better,” he said. “Your situation is more complicated, though.”
    “It doesn’t matter,” I said, clutching the zipper in my fingers. “If mine ends up being different, that’s okay. You all are my team. That’s what matters.”
    Victor smiled at this and flicked his eyes to me for a moment before refocusing on the road. “Just keep thinking that, Princess. It won’t be easy, but being determined to stand your ground is a good attitude going in. They’ll ask you dozens of questions, but if you keep that in the center of your mind, and really believe in it, then they won’t be able to dissuade you.”
    I hoped that was the case. I was tired of thinking about it. I needed to prepare, but not right now. “Where did you want to go for lunch?” I asked.
    This brightened his face even more and he pressed down on the gas pedal to disengage the cruise control.
     
    ♥♥♥
     
    Later, we were sitting facing each other in a red booth in a small salad buffet restaurant that Victor had said he wanted to try. It was after the lunch rush; only a handful of the dining tables were occupied, and some of the staff were looking a little sleepy.
    There was a long silver buffet filled with not just lettuces and vegetables, but also potato, tuna, and broccoli salads with creamy sauces, as well as a baked potato bar, various fresh breads, soups, and chili.
    We’d filled our plates with heaping salads before returning to the table. I also had a baked potato and a buttery biscuit, and he had chili and cornbread.
    I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I could smell the butter and potato, as well as the sweet French dressing on my salad.
    “North would be proud of us,” I said to Victor after I’d had a few bites of lettuce.
    “I might recommend this place to him,” Victor said. He had a hand in his lap while he ate his chili gracefully with a spoon. “I wasn’t sure if you’d like it. You seem to like pancakes.”
    “I like different things,” I said.
    “Apparently you like salad,” he said, looking at my heaped plate. “That’s something I didn’t know.”
    “I used to join the salad line at my old school for lunch. It was usually the least crowded. They usually had more variety, and not the same chicken nugget or pizza options.”
    Victor’s gaze held mine for a long moment.