House of Korba: The Ghost Bird Series: #7 (The Academy) Read Online Free PDF

cross-legged on the floor. They had their shirts back on, but they were still a little dusty and grimy-looking. Dr. Green was in the armchair. Luke was perched on the coffee table.
    I was surprised to see he was back from the diner so soon. The news was on the television and they were mostly focused on that.
    The moment I appeared with Mr. Blackbourne, Victor moved to sit beside Luke on the coffee table and motioned for me to take the spot he’d opened.
    Normally, I would have protested that I could have sat on the table, but with Mr. Blackbourne there, I didn’t want to make a fuss. I sat between Kota and Gabriel. Gabriel put an arm on the couch pillow behind me, smiling, putting a spark in his crystal blue eyes.
    I tried to focus on Mr. Blackbourne, who moved to stand by the television. Dr. Green hit the mute button, leaving the television on, images of the news flashing across the screen.
    Gabriel’s fingers drifted out until he was brushing his fingertips at the back of my neck. He slid them back and forth, like strumming a guitar.
    I smiled, warmed by the touch. This was a moment for me. I could feel it in the air, electrified and yet no one was saying so out loud. This was a boundary I was crossing. A family meeting was something they regularly did together, and now I was part of that, because I was part of the family.
    “Mr. Lee,” Mr. Blackbourne said quietly. He stood tall, his shoulders pulled back. “Would you like to begin?”
    Heads turned toward Kota. Kota looked at me, directly. “Did you get the last of what you needed at your house?” he asked me.
    “I think so,” I said. “I was looking for my birth certificate.”
    He squinted at me. The rest of them seemed to stiffen. Kota tilted his head. “Did you need it for something?”
    “Won’t I?” I asked. “I mean, I guess I could go back for it later. I left a note for Marie to look for it. Unless you mean I’ll be back there and...”
    “There’s no need to return anymore,” Mr. Blackbourne said, “not unless you want to. You shouldn’t need your birth certificate at the moment.”
    I nodded, responding that I understood his meaning. He didn’t want me to return unless I had to.
    My mind spun, thinking of all the things I may have forgotten, wondering and worried about my father returning, or someone else discovering the truth. Perhaps that’s why he said it like an order. To close that door, and not allow me to linger by looking for things I really didn’t need.
    “If the move is finished,” Kota said. “Then there’s the remodel of Nathan’s house.”
    “We’ve cleared out the bathroom,” Nathan said. “We’re just cleaning up. The next step is putting in shower fixtures and...” he trailed off, as if trying to remember all the details.
    “It’ll take a couple of weeks,” North said. He stared at his own black jeans, rubbing at a spot. “Especially with Silas being called in so much for Academy business lately. I could do it, but I’d prefer if he was here before we went any further. I planned this badly. I thought he’d be done by the time we needed him.”
    At the mention of the fixing of the bathroom, I checked out Victor, who was looking at North instead of me, so he didn’t notice me looking at him. Did he not know about the shower? Maybe he didn’t know of the plans, he just knew it was being remodeled.
    “Otherwise, the street is fairly quiet,” Kota said. “My house is business as usual.” He looked at Victor. “Is your dad still in Europe?”
    “For now,” Victor said. “After the security fiasco, the guards at the house have been temporarily doubled. They’re upgrading the system to require double checking schedules. They all check in with me at regular intervals, now.”
    I listened intently, trying to figure out if this was part of the family meeting process. Kota went down the line, checking in with each person about any issues at home. Family meeting was a check-in so everyone could see what