“Here,” a voice said.

  I couldn’t help but look up as my head emerged through the hole in the roof, my eyes immediately finding Seth. The sight of him standing there, his hand stretched out towards me, caused butterflies to take flight in my stomach. I could feel their wings fluttering, and their tiny bodies crashed against my rib cage, making me vaguely nauseous as I reached out to take his hand.

  Anxiety flared before my fingers could touch his, making me falter. What if my hand was clammy? What if he recoiled away from me, disgusted by how warm and sweaty my palm was? I needed to do something, to wipe my hand on my skirt or something, before he had the chance to realise.

  But it was too late. Seth’s hand closed around mine, sending a jolt through me. He gripped me tightly as he helped pull me up onto the roof, and I bit my lip, unable to meet his gaze as I clambered up the last few rungs and out onto the flat surface.

  Even then, Seth didn’t let go immediately. He continued clinging to me, and it made me nervous, but at the same time, I didn’t really mind. It felt almost like we were just holding hands, like I saw normal couples do sometimes, and I wasn’t sure what to make of that. I didn’t mind it, obviously. I wasn’t sure that I’d ever held anyone else’s hand before. If I had, I couldn’t remember it, but I liked it. It felt nice.

  That was too weak a descriptor for how it felt. His hand was warm and strangely comforting in mine. It made me flustered but also relaxed at the same time, and I never wanted to let go, but too soon, I felt his grip start to loosen.

  My eyes flicked towards his before looking away as I let go quickly. It would have been weird if I hadn’t. It could have made him feel awkward if he noticed I didn’t want to stop holding his hand, and I didn’t want that.

  His gaze remained on my face, though. I could feel him looking at me, but something was stopping me from meeting his eyes. I was too uncomfortable, too nervous, and the urge to say something, anything, rose within me.

  “Oh, wow.”

  The words tumbled from my lips before I could stop them as I spotted the view, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Seth look away.

  “Wow,” he agreed.

  It was incredible. We were the only ones on the roof, and immediately, I understood why Isaac had warned us not to get too close to the edge. There was no barrier or anything to stop us from toppling straight over. The roof just stopped suddenly, giving way to a drop, but I barely noticed that. I was too distracted by what I could see.

  The Academy grounds sprawled out around us. I’d traipsed across them before. I knew it was large, but there was something different about seeing it from up high. It made it feel so much more… impressive, but it was the beyond that caught my attention.

  Farmlands and rolling fields, some with animals grazing in the late afternoon sun, stretched out almost as far as I could see on most sides. Barns, houses and other buildings were scattered around sporadically, but nothing was close enough to actually see us. We’d be nothing more than a dot to them if they were to look at us.

  I turned slowly, taking in the lush forest that lined one side of the grounds before looking away as a chill slipped down my spine. I knew it would be fine. There was probably nothing in that forest, unlike the one I’d been chased through recently, but I still didn’t want to look at it for too long.

  Finally, my eyes fell upon the road I’d been warned about. It was barely visible above the treeline at the front of the school, but I could just about see it, and the cars zipping along the dual carriageway were a strange sight. They felt out of place. The rest of the surroundings were so quiet and peaceful. It felt like the road should have been just as abandoned, but there was a steady flow of traffic.

  It was weirdly familiar too. Something about the view tugged at the back of my mind. A sense of… deja vu washed over me, as if I’d been there before, and my eyebrows drew together. I hadn’t. I knew I hadn’t. I had no real recollection of having found my way onto the roof of the Academy since I’d left the induction wing. There were just hazy flashes of memories, but they could have been from anything.

  Perhaps I’d been recruited into the Academy in another world. Maybe there was another place where the organisation also existed, and they’d seen the potential in me too. I could have been brought to the school years ago, so maybe I’d already spent hours up there, and it was just new to me in that world.

  Or maybe the road itself was what I recognised. I could have driven along it before in real life. It looked fairly normal, after all. There was nothing about it that stood out too much, with the exception of the Academy, but that would be hidden. Other than that, it was probably just a completely unimpressive and forgettable road.

  “This is so beautiful,” Seth said, his tone hushed.

  I blinked quickly, glancing away from the road to look at him. His eyes were still fixed on the vast expanse of countryside in the distance, and I turned away from the carriageway to face it too.

  “It really is,” I agreed. “You can see so far.”

  “You can,” Seth said before looking around, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Wait…”

  He trailed off, and I watched as he spun slowly, his gaze darting from side to side. There was a look of concentration on his face, and I felt a hint of anxiety bubble in my stomach as I waited to discover what he’d been distracted by.

  I wasn’t sure why his silence was making me so nervous because I had no real reason to be, but my mind immediately leapt to the worst-case scenario. We were so high up, and there was no one else out there. I couldn’t see any cameras either, so if he wanted to, Seth could easily push me over the edge, and no one would know it was him. He could say I slipped, that I was just clumsy, and unfortunately, that had cost me my life. They’d believe him. They’d have no reason not to.

  But that wasn’t going to happen, I told myself as I edged closer to the centre of the roof. Seth wasn’t going to push me. He was my friend, and I was pretty sure he liked me. He wouldn’t want to murder me. I was just paranoid. The other worlds I’d been to had scarred me and made me too cautious, and I didn’t need to be. Everything would be fine.

  “It should be this side, right?” Seth asked, meeting my gaze.

  His eyes danced with a light, an eagerness that I didn’t quite understand. I watched as he stepped away, moving towards the edge.

  “What should?” I asked nervously.

  “The induction wing! I think we should be able to see down into the courtyard from here, right?”

  My heart fluttered in my chest as the anxiousness was chased away by excitement. I glanced at Seth before looking in the direction he was moving, scanning the grounds to make sure he was correct.

  “Yeah… I think so,” I agreed.

  I couldn’t see it from where I was standing. It was hidden from sight, but I could see the garage. That was on the same side as the induction wing, so it must have been there.

  “Do you think…” Seth started before trailing off again. “I mean, they’re probably not out there, right?”

  They could have been. It was unlikely that Katie, Abbie, and Scott were out there, but they could have been. Back when I was in the induction wing, we’d sometimes study out there after dinner. If the weather was nice, and people were being too noisy in the library, we’d bring some books and iPads outside and stay there until it got dark. Maybe they’d continued to do that after I’d left.

  I didn’t know what to say, though. I was torn between not wanting to get Seth’s hopes up but also not wanting to dash them so quickly in case our friends were out there. I missed them so much, and I was so eager to see them again. I knew Seth must have been too, despite having only just left the wing. The fragile edge to his voice made that clear.

  “Probably not,” I said carefully.

  Seth bit his lip, looking down for a moment before glancing in the direction of the induction wing again. His eyes remained on it for a few seconds before he met my gaze. A smile pulled at his lips, so tentative yet cheeky that it felt like my heart skipped a beat.

  “I know we’re probably not meant to, but… do you want to check anyway?”

  “Yes!” I replied, the word bursting from my lips a little too quickly.

  I should have been more scared about going near the edge, but that worry had been washed away by the thought of finally seeing my friends again. It hardly even bothered me as I crept across the tiled surface, my heart pounding.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  They probably weren’t there, I tried to tell myself, but I didn’t truly believe that. Part of me was convinced that the moment I peered over the edge, they’d be there. I’d be able to see them, and then I’d know they were okay and still in the induction wing. Seth had said they were, and I did trust him, but seeing it with my own two eyes was different.

  Slowly, the rounded edge of the induction wing began to come into view beneath us as I moved across the tiles. A gentle gust of wind buffeted my face, pushing my hair back, and I felt my body tense. It wasn’t too strong, though. It didn’t make me lose my balance, but a tiny flare of panic burst to life in the pit of my stomach.

  Seth didn’t even seem to notice, though. He was almost there, and his steps didn’t even pause as he looked back at me, a grin on his lips. I tried to return the expression, but something happened. My vision blurred, and a wave of vertigo crashed into me, followed by panic.

  No. I didn’t want to leave the world. Not when I was just about to see my friends again. I was almost there. The courtyard was almost within view, and I wanted to stay. I needed to. I didn’t care what was happening in reality or any other world. That could wait. It could wait until I’d seen them.

  Desperation thrashed within me as I clutched at the world, feeling myself sway ever so slightly as I tried to bat the dizziness away and stay at the Academy, but it wouldn’t leave. My vision continued to spin, and I didn’t know what to do.

  A hand found my arm. Warmth radiated through my sleeve, tethering me to the world, and I looked up into Seth’s eyes.

  “You okay?” he asked, his tone concerned.

  “Yeah,” I lied.

  Something was wrong. I was still dizzy, but I shouldn’t have been. I wasn’t leaving the world. I was staying right there, and nowhere else was pulling at me. No other world was trying to tempt me, and yet I felt strangely unsteady on my feet.

  “Do you want to sit down or anything?” Seth pressed, his hand still on my arm.

  “No, I’m good,” I said distractedly, still trying to figure out what was going on.

  “Are you sure? Sometimes, heights can make me feel a bit woozy too,” he told me with a slight laugh, but his expression was still worried.

  I stared up at him as my mind turned blank. Was that what had just happened to me? I just assumed it was another world reeling me in, but maybe it wasn’t. Perhaps I wasn’t being torn from the world at all. I was just… scared of heights?

  But that wasn’t right. I didn’t feel scared. Well, I did, but it wasn’t the height that was scaring me. It was the thought of leaving the world. Did that matter, though? Did I need to actually feel fear for my body to react, or could it happen even if I wasn’t consciously aware that I was scared?

  Frank had spoken about that before. The other day in field skills, he’d mentioned that it was possible to enter a fight, flight or freeze response without realising it. The physical symptoms were sometimes the first indicator of that happening, so maybe Seth was right.

  Had I caught sight of the induction wing? Was that what had prompted the dizziness? I tried to think back, but I wasn’t entirely certain. My mind was still racing a bit too fast, but I thought I had. That could have triggered the reaction.

  Relief washed over me, and my lips pulled up into a smile.

  “I’m okay, but thank you,” I told Seth.

  He didn’t step away, though. His eyebrows remained furrowed, and his hand remained on my arm as his eyes flicked back and forth, examining me intently.

  I couldn’t hold his gaze. It made me uncomfortable, and I was too excited to see my friends again. I wanted to keep moving. Now that I knew what the issue was, I would be fine. The dizziness probably wouldn’t even bother me.

  “I think we should, actually,” Seth said, the fear in his voice impossible to miss. “I mean, we’re going to have to basically lean right over the edge to be able to see down into the courtyard, right? If we’re sitting or kneeling, we’ll be able to keep our balance easier. You know, low centre of gravity and all that.”

  He was rambling, and that made me hesitate. I knew it was because he was worried about me, about how I’d reacted, but at the same time, I was also fully aware that he was right. If we were lower down, the chances of us falling would be lessened, so that was the smart thing to do. I didn’t want to fall, but I also did want to agree to his plan because then it felt like he’d see me as weak.

  But that was stupid. It didn’t really matter if he saw me as weak. If I refused and insisted on staying standing but then fell, it would be bad. It would be my fault I’d died, and if I survived, it would be so much worse. Seth would know that not only was I too weak to handle heights but also that I’d put myself at risk because of my own stupidity and stubbornness.

  “Good idea,” I said, trying to keep the grumble out of my voice.

  Relief lit Seth’s face, and we slowly lowered ourselves onto the roof tiles. I hated to admit it even to myself, but that did help. Obviously, we were still up high, and I still knew that, but it felt much less dangerous for some reason.

  Crawling slowly, we made our way towards the edge. My hands began to tremble as more and more of the induction wing came into view until I could just about see the courtyard. My heart leapt into my throat, and I couldn’t bring myself to move any closer. Holding my breath, I began to stretch up onto my knees, my eyes fixed on the hexagonal space below.

  “Oh,” Seth muttered, spotting the empty courtyard just as I did.

  I knew the chances of them being out there were so low. They were probably in the library or having dinner or something, and I knew that. I should have known better than to let myself be so hopeful because the disappointment that crashed into me was almost crushing.

  “Yeah,” I said, sitting back on my heels.

  “Maybe they’ll be out here another time, though,” Seth suggested. “Perhaps if we come out earlier?”

  “Yeah, maybe,” I agreed, unable to inject much enthusiasm into my voice.

  “I guess we’ll just have to spend way more time out here. What a shame.”

  The sarcasm in his tone made my lips twitch despite my disappointment, and I tore my eyes away from the courtyard.

  “If we must,” I replied with a heavy, playful sigh.

  Seth grinned, appearing genuinely amused by me, and I felt a flicker of happiness pull at me, lessening the sadness I’d been feeling.

  “Did you ever notice anyone up here?” Seth asked after a few seconds. “When you were in the courtyard, I meant?”

  I thought about that as I watched him shuffle away from the edge before sitting down.

  “No, I don’t think so,” I said, glancing back at the courtyard one last time. “You?”

  He shook his head as I joined him. Even through my tights, I could feel the coolness of the tiles, but I didn’t mind it. It felt kind of nice.

  “I didn’t either,” he replied. “I just assumed people never really came up here.”

  “Same,” I said before correcting myself. “I mean, I never really thought about it too much, to be honest.”

  “Maybe if we had, we could have seen other trainees up here, looking over the edge like we just did,” Seth suggested with a soft chuckle as he leant back on his elbows, gazing up at the darkening sky.

  My breath caught in my throat as I stared down at him, unable to speak. The setting sun bathed Seth in a golden light, making his eyes appear the exact shade of blue as the sea in Crete at nighttime. It was my favourite colour, and for some reason, that realisation pushed every thought from my head. The only thing I could think of was just how handsome he was.

  The perfect eyes found mine, and it felt like all the air had been sucked from my lungs. I was suffocating, unable to breathe, and I didn’t care. It didn’t matter as long as he was looking at me.

  Finally, my brain started working again. It stumbled, tripping over itself before beginning to race once more. Seth was waiting for me to speak. He’d said something, and it was weird that I hadn’t replied. I needed to say something before he realised that I was staring.

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  That was the best I could do, but it was good enough. A slight smile tugged at his lips as he looked away again, his gaze returning to the sky, and I tore my eyes away from him. That was too close, I told myself. If he noticed I was staring at him, he might have realised that I had feelings for him, and that would be bad.

  I did, obviously. Seth was one of my best friends at the Academy, so of course, I had feelings for him, but I meant real ones. Ones that were more than just friendship. I wasn’t ready for that. The thought of him knowing filled me with terror because what if he didn’t feel the same way? Then what?

  But it didn’t matter. I’d covered it well enough, so he probably didn’t realise anything was amiss, and I wouldn’t have to find out just yet. It was fine. I could wait and tell him later. Or never. That was more likely. I’d just hide how I felt and never tell him the truth. That would be better.

  He was looking at me. I could feel his eyes on my face, and I was too weak. I couldn’t stop myself from meeting his gaze as anxiety flailed within me. He didn’t say anything, though. He just looked away again, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

  Why? Why was he looking at me? My brain demanded an answer. Was there something wrong? Was my face red or shiny? It shouldn’t have been. I hadn’t done anything particularly strenuous to make it shiny, but perhaps a cold sweat could have broken out on my face earlier when I’d been hit with vertigo. I might not have even noticed it.

  Watching him carefully out of the corner of my eye, I lifted a hand to touch my cheek softly, checking whether it felt warm or sweaty. It didn’t, though. It just felt like normal skin, and that confused me. Why else would he have been looking at me?

  I didn’t have a chance to figure it out, though. Before I could ruminate on the idea any more, I was torn from the world. Nausea slammed into me as I was catapulted back to reality, but my eyes refused to focus. My vision continued to swim, making it impossible for me to work out what was happening or why we were there.

  A car door slammed, and my head snapped to the side as I blinked as quickly as I could, trying to force my eyes to adjust. My heart pounded as I waited. Fear pulled at me, making my body cold, and I tried to calm my breathing, but it didn’t help.

  After what felt like an eternity, my vision cleared enough for me to make out some details, and I looked around, taking in my surroundings. I was in the car. Mom’s car. And we’d stopped again for some reason.

  Hadn’t we just stopped, though? We’d gotten food a few minutes ago, hadn’t we? Or was that hours ago? How much time had passed? I lifted my phone, checking the time, but that didn’t help. I hadn’t thought to check it before I’d gone to the Academy, so all I knew was that it was just past midday.

  Mom’s coffee was empty, though. The cup in the console that she’d picked up at the last service station was empty, but that didn’t mean much. She always downed her drinks when she was driving, so it could have been no more than a few minutes since she’d bought it.

  Where was she? My fear began to grow as I glanced at the empty seat beside me. She must have just gotten out of the car, but I couldn’t see her. She wasn’t walking towards the petrol station, and she wasn’t filling the car up yet. She couldn’t have gone far, though.

  I swallowed, fighting the urge to get out of the car and go look for her. That was silly. Unnecessary. She had to be there somewhere, and if I couldn’t see her, I could just call her. That was a better idea than going out and looking for her, I told myself. She was probably just already inside, and I could just pretend I wanted another drink or—