Chapter Thirteen
ANGEL SINCLAIR
A soft noise woke me. For a moment, I was completely disoriented. The bed felt wrong, the blanket smelled different, and the room was cooler than I was used to. It took me a couple of seconds to realize I was in the UTOP dorm. I quietly rolled over to my side and saw a dark figure disappear into the bathroom.
My body went on high alert, and I was instantly awake. I didn’t know if it was another test, but just in case, I crept down the bunk and grabbed a flashlight from my desk. I tiptoed toward the bathroom and waited, my back pressed against the wall next to the door.
The figure walked out of the bathroom, careful to switch off the light before opening the door.
I flicked on my flashlight, hoping to blind whoever it was. A girl about my age with dark hair and wearing pajamas gasped and jumped backward.
“Whoa. Who are you?” she whispered, squinting at me through the light.
I lowered the flashlight so it wasn’t in her eyes, but I could still see her. Just in case.
“Are you our roommate?” I whispered back.
“I am.”
I let out a breath, keeping my voice at a whisper. “Oh, sorry. I thought this was another test—like you were coming to slit our throats while we slept or something like that. I guess I’m on edge. I’m also a very light sleeper, unlike the two others here.”
“My name is Hala. I’m sorry I came so late. My flight from Cairo was delayed, and then I had to wait to be picked up from the airport. When you said test…I take it to mean you were attacked upon arrival at the campus, as well?”
I relaxed, leaning against the wall. “Yeah, everyone was. They want a baseline for our abilities, I guess. Were you alone for it? The rest of us had partners.”
“I was alone.”
Wow. I couldn’t imagine how scared she must have been. “I bet that sucked. What did you do when your driver got shot? Did you run toward the buildings or the woods?”
She frowned. “Neither.”
“What? Neither? Do you mind if I ask what you did do?”
“Sure. Once I saw my driver go down, I wiggled through the small opening between the front and back seat of the limo. I pried open the glove compartment and found a gun inside. I lay on my back across the front seat and waited until my attacker showed himself in the window. Then I shot him through the glass.”
My mouth dropped open. “You…shot him?”
“Absolutely. My dad always says, if you’re holding a gun, you’d better be ready to use it.”
“D-did you kill him?”
“Of course not. The gun shot blanks. But I passed the test.”
“Whoa. I bet. By the way, I’m Angel Sinclair. Frankie Chang is asleep in the bunk below me. We’re both from Maryland. You’re in the upper bunk, and below you is Kira Romanova from California. Did you say you were from Cairo?”
“No, I’m from Boston. My dad is the head of the FBI bureau there. I was visiting my grandmother in a small town not too far from Cairo. The plane got delayed, so that’s why I’m late.”
“Your grandparents are from Cairo?”
“Just my dad’s parents. My mom’s parents moved here thirty years ago from a small town called el-Kosheh.”
I held out a hand. “Oh, well, it’s nice to meet you, Hala.”
She shook it. “Likewise, Angel. I like your name, by the way. It’s nice to know I have an angel nearby.”
We each climbed up on our bunks, and after some tossing and turning, I finally fell asleep again. This time nothing woke me.