Lucas Ryan Versus: The Hive (The Lucas Ryan Versus Series) by Madison Daniel

Her eyes found mine again with a question ready to jump from her lips, but then something pulled her attention away from me. She looked past me with concern.
    “Sophia. That’s her name, right?” I asked, trying to ignore the change in her posture. She stepped backwards and looked away from me, completely.
    “Right,” she huffed. “See ya around, Lucas.” Was she angry at me now? Did I say the wrong thing? Confusion rolled over me, leaving me bewildered. I didn’t know what to say or do. Unfortunately, from behind me, someone knew exactly what to say.
    “Olivia! Get in the car!” the strange voice barked. I turned around to find a rather large boy wrapped in a black pullover, stomping towards me. His hair was a mess of black that needed a stiff comb. His eyes were steel gray and filled with anger. He pushed past me, nearly knocking me over. As he collided with me the world slowed down and I could sense his dislike for me. My right hand tingled with fresh goose bumps.
    “Get in my car!” he ordered, again. She gripped her guitar case harder and pushed through me.
    “Olivia...” I started to say when he cut me off.
    “Don’t!” he warned. I froze in place, taking in his entire outline. He stood at least six inches above me and outweighed me by twenty-five pounds, easily. He marched past me, never looking away from my face. His chest tightened as if he was about to swing a giant fist at my face. I closed my eyes and wished that Taylor was here.
    “Who are you?” I asked, unsure. He turned my way, agitated.
    “What did you say?” he cussed. I glanced behind him and found Olivia watching with hurt painted across her face.
    “Who are you?” I asked, again. He noticed that I was concentrating on Olivia and not his threats. He positioned himself inches from me and glared down at my worried face, “Trust me, punk, she’ll rip you to pieces and break your heart.”
    I leaned away from his words, filling with embarrassment. Who says things like that?
    “Lucas!” Taylor called from his truck window, as he rolled up with pop music pouring from his window. I spun around dumbfounded. Where the heck did Taylor come from? How did he get back here so quickly? An engine roared to life from behind me, and the stranger tore out of the parking lot without another word my way. Olivia pouted from the passengers seat, angry and upset. I felt dizzy with emotions.
    “Tay?” I coughed out. He threw the passenger door open and waved.
    “Get in.”
    “Who was that?” I asked him, quickly. My hands rushed to tighten the seatbelt around my waist and chest. Taylor looked over at me worried, avoiding my question.
    “Who?” I asked, again.
    He sighed and put the truck in gear. “Trouble.”
    “Oh,” I whimpered. “Where did you come from?”
    “You know me, where there’s trouble...there’s usually my best friend, Lucas,” he laughed. I rolled my eyes and tried to find Olivia’s prison on wheels, in the passenger side mirror of the truck. She was gone. Taylor watched me curiously.
    “You’re welcome,” he winked. I leaned back in the seat as the night’s adventure began to sink in.
    I sang quietly to myself...
     
    “...let’s be more than...this.”

LEVEL 07: Hysteria
     
     
     
    Her long black shadow was the first thing I saw. At the foot of my bed, she stood silent and dark. I searched the entire bedroom in a foggy panic. I didn’t even know what I was looking for, only that I needed to find something.
    “Who are you?” I asked the shadow. A bright purple flash of light bursted above me, jerking my head to the ceiling. Instead of the usual off-white paint and science fiction movie posters that populated that space, I found only the night sky. Crawling through it was finger trails of purple lightning, flickering with vibrance. My bedroom roof was gone. Giant stars peppered the alien sky and twinkled with a brightness of a hundred camera flashes. They were beautiful, but hurt my eyes.
    I pulled my stare