Chapter 16

Cam woke up on Monday morning alone in his bed, and there was still a half an hour to spare before his morning swim, but he bounded out of bed anyway. He couldn't believe that he wasn't even tired. He still felt invigorated by the change that the death worm was bringing about in his body.

He got dressed and sat waiting for his father to come down the stairs and wake him. When his father opened his door he looked shocked to see him up already, and when he came to him in a rush and asked him hurriedly, "What's the matter?"

Cam just laughed and said, "Nothing's the matter Dad everything's perfect," while he smiled goofily at him.

His father just returned his goofy look with a skeptical one.

"Come on old man what are you waiting for a gold embossed invitation or what?" he asked jokingly," Let's go."

Cam grabbed his bag and was out the door like a shot calling over his shoulder at his quickly receding father, "Race ya!"

He made it to the water in record time and was stripped and tying his pelt around his waist before his father even made it to to the shoreline.

He dove in first with his father quickly at his heels, yet he still made it to the breakwater first. It was the first time he'd ever beaten his dad in a race and if he had the vocal cords he would have gloated mightily, instead he just surfaced and barked at his Dad to goad him.

When he dove back down with his father accompanied him. He wanted to tell his dad he didn't need to shadow him anymore there was no risk of him drowning. He had as much chance of that now that he was changing as his fullblood dad. Seal Cam leapt out of the water and did a flip in mid air. He had never felt this good.

When the swim was over he caught his dad looking at him funny from the corner of his eye. Could he tell he was turning? Did a fullblood recognize a fullblood or something? Cam just smirked at him.

"Cameron, are you sure you're alright?" his father asked with concern etched all over his face.

"Oh em gee Dad I feel great."

His father looked taken aback. What the heck was wrong with him? Why couldn't he just be happy for him, Cam wondered?

"Why? Cam asked.

"Oh it's nothing son you're just acting a little funny." His father replied.

"If by funny you mean happy,' Cameron interjected, "look Dad I know you're used to living with a serious and morose son, but can you just be content with a happy hopeful one instead?"

His father looked at him like he didn't know what to say. But he replied, "Sure son, but if you ever need to talk you know you can always talk to me, right?"

"Yeah sure Dad," Cam said happily, "Now are you going to at least try to beat me back or are you going to continue the geriatric shuffle."

Cameron took off running with his father right at his back and he cackled all the way home.

When his dad offered Cam a coffee he had accepted it eagerly, but found that he'd only taken a few sips. It tasted off and made him feel funny. He ate a hearty breakfast though and took a shower and had most of the girls lunches made and packed before Megan even pulled in the driveway.

The top was down again and he leapt over the door and bound right into the passenger seat.

Making Meg laugh until he gave her such a serious kiss she was no longer laughing.

She pulled away from him and said, "What was that for?" with a small smile on her face.

"That was for the most beautiful girl . . .," she cocked an eyebrow at him.

". . . I mean woman in the world," he corrected himself and she just laughed.

"Come on lover boy," she said laughing again, "We're going to be late."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Morning classes were brutal. Cam couldn't sit still; he kept fidgeting in his seat. He had a wicked case of the jitters and kept tapping his pencil against his desk. His classmates kept giving him dirty looks, and he couldn't understand why.

At lunch he devoured the special and joked around with the guys the whole time.

He felt like a million bucks or a brand new person. He couldn't believe how much of a whiny little bitch he'd been for ages now and he marveled that he still had friends considering how much of a downer he must have been.

Now that he could finally relax he could really enjoy the time he got to spend with them. And once they figured out what was in the school maybe they could spend more time together -- Time that didn't include training or saving the magical world.

They had a meeting with Delphi tomorrow and after that he was going to suggest they hit the club this weekend to blow off a little steam. The best part about being a teenage halfblood in the magical world, after all, is never being carded and he and his crew were seriously neglecting that perk.

He planned to change that as soon as possible.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

That afternoon in transmogrification, Cam sat daydreaming about being a full-fledged Selkie. He had another appointment with the death worm on Saturday, and he was ready; he'd picked up enough Goyo leaves at the magic market for three visits. It had cost a small fortune, but it was definitely worth it. He couldn't help but feel that the Clurichaun, a sort of Irish fairy, that looks an awful lot like a leprechaun, had taken advantaged of him. No way a simple plant should have cost that much. Cam couldn't blame the creature for trying to capitalize on the increased interest, but sheesh did he have to make the cost so out of reach. Whatever – as long as he kept a supply of the leaves in stock Cam wouldn't complain.

Megan poked him with her crutch to get his attention. At first when his chair lurched drastically to the side he thought she had accidently broken the leg, but that's when he heard an ear splitting boom. When it lurched immediately to the other side everyone in the class screamed and Adrik rolled off his desk comically still sitting in his cross legged yoga position. But Adrik Alexeev is no joke; he became a falcon before he hit the floor.

Megan clutched his arm for support as the floor continued to rock and shack like an earthquake.

She yelled over the screams, "What is it, what's happening?"

Cam looked at her his heart going a mile a minute in his chest and yelled back, "I think we're under attack.

The falcon cried out as Adrik took on his human form again and bellowed over the racket, "Everyone follow me!"

Nobody knew where they were supposed to go so they all stood their huddled together in fear until Adrik demanded, "NOW children!"

That got everyone moving.

They were being barraged from all sides. The sounds of thunderous explosions boomed from every direction. It sounded like whoever was attacking the magical wing was using some pretty powerful magic.

It's got to be Liam's crew and the berserkers. Who else would attack the school? Cameron had a thought that made him nearly lose his already difficult footing. What if the Berserkers got in?

He was finding it difficult to keep Meg on her feet. Her crutches were built to assist her in stable terrain not the rocking ship which was now the magical wing.

He and his classmates were walking hunched over in a low crouch with their hands held over their heads as if that would stop the roof from caving in on them. They clutched at each other desperately trying to keep their balance which made their progress towards the entrance and exit of the magical wing excruciatingly slow.

He just realized something too having only one entrance with no other exit was wildly impractical and downright dangerous. It left them no way out if that was blocked. This thought spurred him forward at a slightly faster pace.

Occasionally they met up with other students and teachers. And there group just kept getting bigger and bigger, which actually made it even more difficult to maneuver through the treacherous halls.

The power went out before they were even half way to the magical barrier. The frightened students' screams could be easily heard above the din, but much to their relief witch lights flew from around every corner to come to rest floating above their heads. The globes were about the size of a five pin bowling ball and emitted a soft white light. It wasn't as bright as the usual fluorescents of the school but they'd do in a pinch. Le Fay took her hand and waved it in a circle over her head and all of a sudden half the globes broke from their stationary spots and began to follow their increasingly bigger and bigger group.

Cam saw Zach then and managed to yell to get his attention.

"Hey over here!" he waved his free hand to make sure he saw him while still helping Meg balance with the other.

That's when he heard . . . in his head

There you are. We've been looking all over for you guys.

I've got them guys were all safe.

Zach was talking to them all telepathically.

Cam sent out the thought: I think we're under attack.

Yeah ya think Zach thought sarcastically.

Hold up for a sec Cam Zach said and then it got quiet again in his head.

Then he was back: I've got some bad news.

Cam thought: bad news you mean like worse than being bombed?

Cam could swear he actually heard Zach sigh in his head: Lauren's already at the exit. The council must have locked down the magical barrier. We can't get out. We're trapped!

Fuck! Cam thought . . . Those bastards!

My sentiments exactly Zach thought.

So we're heading to the barrier to what, Just hang there like a bunch of morons with our dicks in our hands? Shouldn't we be going in the other direction? Cam thought angrily.

I don't think it matters where we are. I don't even think they're concentrating on the barrier. It might not even be the true way we come in. You know how magic works.

But if we're all just huddled together in the same spot doesn't that just make us a bigger target?

I don't think we're the target at all. I think we're in the way. Zach suggested.

Right that thing that's hidden. Well if we had any doubt that they're hiding something this confirms it.

What the hell man . . . why the hell can't they keep us out of it? Cam thought with a growl.

Just then the wall on the left side of the cramped corridor gave way and started falling towards Meg who lost her footing trying to get out of the way. Cam frantically dove for her catching her arm just before she hit the floor and was trapped by it. He scooped her up in his arms then, and said with a grunt, "Sorry Babe, you can kick my ass later for this," before he started running for the exit lurching like a drunken soldier on furlough.

The large group made it to the barrier faster than they thought they would given how slow their progress was at first, but once the kids had started seeing the walls and ceiling falling down around them, they wanted the hell out and nothing was going to slow their progress.

Cam hoped they didn't panic and start trampling each other when they found out they was no way out. He still hadn't told Meg he was too busy trying to keep his footing while carrying her.

When they got in view of the other students he thought they must be the last group, because it looked like the entire enlightened student body was crammed into the small space. They huddled around the invisible barrier looking frantic.

He and his group continued to run for the potential exit, Tuma seemed to see the advancing students as the threat they were, and he threw up his hand and bellowed, "Halt," in the most commanding voice Cam had ever heard. It boomed like it had been broadcast in Dolby Digital theatre sound.

They all stopped in their tracks stunned by the sheer power of his words. It was like the sound waves created by his voice hand actually taken on a psychical manifestation, and as it, it had washed over them, and had left them in a state of stupefied wonder. WOW!

Cam gently put a tight lipped Megan down. He could see she wasn't happy about being manhandled, but she also looked like she understood the necessity. They made their way over to their group of friends standing in the corner near to the exit. Just then he felt someone pushed past him from behind and nearly knock him off his feet. Zach ran to Lauren picking her up in his arms to give her a fierce hug while Lauren buried herself in his embrace.

Cam noticed that poor Quinn had seen the exchange and now looked like someone had kicked his puppy. Cameron wondered and not for the first time why Quinn was the only one who couldn't see that Zach and Lauren were meant for each other, everyone one else knew it.

But unless Zach was ready to officially step up, Quinn was still able to tell him to step off. So he tapped him on the shoulder to break the happy little reunion and Lauren blushed so red she was almost purple.

So he thought: Meg's mad at me, Quinn's pissed at Zach, and Lauren is confused about who she should be with. Ah Cam sighed if only that was the only drama in their lives.

The walls and ceiling around then started to stretch towards them like they were made of bubble gum and some giant was trying to make a huge bubble. That's when the teachers came together to form a stasis spell above them that looked like someone had placed a huge glowing green semicircle above their head. The lines that traversed the construct made it look like mesh and the darker green veins that connected in squares made it look like a living organism. He thought of veins because the power was surging through the dark green lines like blood surges through arteries.

All the teachers seemed to add their power to the construct. The ones without the ability to wield were finding other ways to help. Like Adrik had shape shifted into a tree in the middle of the group and was growing branches that intertwined through each other forming a tight weave of heavy thick limbs. If the stasis spelled didn't work this would keep the roof off their heads. If not for the witch lights that le Fay had be-spelled they would have been huddled in utter darkness. It was suffocating though. There were too many beings breathing in such a confined space. The sylphs started spiraling to add air to the cloying environment. Some of the students who suffered from claustrophobia started to panic. The siren's stepped forward then to lull them into a calmer state.

In seemed like hours that they waited and just when he started to think he couldn't take it anymore. Adrik transformed into a person again and the stasis spell dispersed, the sylphs stopped there incessant spinning and the sirens released the panicked. Most of the kids had sagged to the floor during the long wait but they stood up now on shaky legs and looked around them to see the destruction that had taken place in slacked jawed disbelief.

Most of the ceiling was gone the walls were cracked and torn in places. The electrical was spitting sparks and the pipes were spewing water all down the hall.

Cam reached his hand out to the barrier to try it and his hand slipped through it like it did every other day at school.

"Hey guys!" Cam shouted, but soon realized how loud his voice sounded in the aftermath of the chaos and now in the deafening silence of their shock, "The barrier is open," he continued a little more quietly.

They wasted no time in getting across, but they did it in an organized manner, no need to hurt themselves in a panic now that the threat was over.

What they encountered on the other side of the barrier was no better. It looked like an earthquake had struck the school and that was the lie they would tell --no doubt.

An hour later as he and his crew sat together being treated by emergency medical personal on the front lawn of the school, Cam was relieved to hear through the grape vine or the much more reliable Xander vine that aside from some minor cuts and bruises everyone had made it out alive, including all of the Unenlightened.

It's a miracle that no one was seriously injured, but next time they might not be as lucky.

They have to find out what was in the school and get it the hell gone, before someone dies.

****************** THANKS FOR READING********************

I hope you all liked this chapter -- Wow Cam seems like a whole new person.

Holy shitwaffles how are the guys going to figure out what's in the school, how to find it, and then get it out? It seems like a pretty tall order to me.

Tune in tomorrow to find out.

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