Free Sky Ghosts: Marco (Young Adult Urban Fantasy Adventure) (Sky Ghosts Series Book 1.5) by Alexandra Engellmann Page A

he’d had to work with her in the past, but now he had to see her every day in the canteen. He ducked out of the door and headed down the corridor to the training hall. The door was ajar, and he slowed his pace as he reached it, not wanting to give away the fact that he was there, then carefully peeked inside. What he saw made his eyes widen.
    Pain stood in the center of the hall, and Marco was unwrapping a bandage while instructing her. Skull couldn’t hear what he was saying, partly because they were so far away, and partly because his mind went blank at the sight. She was actually going to let him bandage her arms, one-on-one in the empty training hall. Skull snorted. What was wrong with this girl??
    Marco wrapped the tight white bandage around her, like a mummy, leaving her arms secured around her torso. Then she began to practice against a dummy, and Marco stood a few feet away and watched her moves, commenting every now and then. Skull watched for a few more minutes, to make sure that this wasn’t one of Marco’s evil schemes. He couldn’t believe that the fighter had suddenly decided to befriend her, especially after she’d broken half his bones. Could he be bored without her attentions, no matter how malicious? Or maybe, she had something against him, and he had decided that it was better to keep his enemy close. Skull mulled over the possibility in his head. However, just now, the two young fighters seemed to be alright. With a sigh, he turned and walked away.
    In the four years that he had known Pain, she hadn’t made a single close friend among the more than a hundred fighters at the Headquarters. It wasn’t her age, not really. It was because she was a total control freak when it came to her sister’s safety. He couldn’t blame her. He’d even considered mangling a couple of the more obnoxious fighters himself, if they laid as much as a finger on Jane. But as a result, the others had learned to avoid her, rather than get their limbs accidentally dislocated. He could see a future with Pain remaining an outsider if she didn’t learn how to form at least some kind of relationship with other people. But unlike him, she still had a chance to change that.
    He thought about the past two months as he waited for the elevator. He had been against controlling Pain and Marco from the start. They were big kids and had to settle their conflicts on their own, but Peter was too overprotective to let that happen. Now he wondered if what Pain needed in a friendship was someone just as crazy as she was. They did seem alike: two sadistic teens who didn’t know how to use their overflowing powers.
    He smirked as the elevator doors opened and he stepped inside. A Black Eagle fighter as a friend. Now that sounded like something that could happen to Pain. After all, Marco didn’t seem as bad as the others Skull had met. In fact, he thought as the elevator took him down, He didn’t seem bad at all …
     

Ac kn o wl e dg m ents
    Using Naomi Barton’s words, writers crave feedback not just to improve their craft, but to know, “I’m here. You exist. You matter.” Thanks, Twitter, all that wasted time is finally justified. Thanks to everyone who made me feel this way by sending me messages on Tumblr and Facebook, asking questions on Goodreads, sharing my artwork, and writing comments and emails. Just seeing a single new message from a reader in the morning always makes my day.
    Thanks to Kristin, Evgeny, Donte, Sheryl, Amber, Sue, Leon, Carrie, and W. R. Watkins for the awesome reviews and support. You are all the inspiration I need.
    Thanks to my first patrons on Patreon, especially Tom Wolfem, Lindsay Bassett, and William Hertling. Aside from your support, you keep giving me the best ideas, too.
    Thanks to Trish Hart for helping me with editing. You are incredible, and I’m learning a lot from you!
    Special thank you goes to my fellow author Belart Wright for still being my friend after listening to me whine about my