All Chapters of AWAKENED ADRIAN LACANSTER : Chapter 481
- Chapter 490
695 chapters
CHAPTER 481
The starter stepped onto the track, the green flag held high. The world went silent for a heartbeat as the two rivals waited for the drop. The green flag snapped downward, cutting through the tension like a blade. With a scream of tires and a cloud of white smoke, Bianca’s car shot forward. She was a seasoned racer, and she used every bit of her experience to tilt her car inward, instantly cutting off Clara’s path. For the first three laps, Bianca was a wall of steel. Every time Clara tried to peek around the corner, Bianca would swerve, her tires kicking up gravel and dust to blind the girl behind her. "Stay back where you belong, Lancaster!" Bianca hissed inside her helmet, watching her rearview mirror with a predatory grin. But inside her own cockpit, Clara wasn't panicking. She closed her eyes for a split second. Suddenly, the world changed. On the final lap, they approached a very sharp turn, so sharp and dangerous that most drivers apply their brakes when they g
CHAPTER 482
The roar of the engine had turned from a triumphant growl into a terrifying scream. The car didn't slow down; it accelerated, tearing through the grass and smashing through the heavy chain-link fence of the school perimeter like it was made of paper. Metal snapped, and sparks flew, but the car kept going, heading straight for the open construction zone beyond the campus. Inside the cockpit, Clara’s hands were shaking. She fumbled with the dashboard, her heart hammering against her ribs so hard it hurt. She managed to hit the voice-connect on her helmet. "Leo! Maya! The brakes are gone! I can’t stop!" she screamed, her voice cracking with terror. Back at the track, Leo’s face went ghostly white as he looked at his tablet. He frantically started typing, his fingers blurred. "Clara, listen to me! Reach under the steering column! There’s a red emergency wire near the ignition—pull it! It should force the fuel pump to shut down!" Clara reached down, her fingers grazing the hot
CHAPTER 483
The giant screens on the school field flickered with the image of the massive fireball. The black smoke rose like a dark tower into the sky. For a long, painful minute, the entire school fell into a silence so deep you could hear the wind brushing against the banners. Leo fell to his knees, his tablet sliding from his hands and clattering onto the grass. He buried his face in his palms, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed. Beside him, Maya was hysterical, her hands clutching her hair. "No! Clara! No!" she wailed. The teachers were frozen, and even the referee dropped his whistle. The anniversary celebration was over. The music was cut, and the principal stepped toward the microphone with a trembling hand to announce the tragedy and bring the event to a close. But then, a figure appeared at the edge of the track. The dust was still swirling around her, but she walked with a steady, rhythmic pace. Her racing suit was slightly dusty, and her hair was a bit messy,
CHAPTER 484
"She’s acting like she’s the queen of St. Jude’s," Jada added, her face twisted in a permanent scowl. "And the worst part is, the teachers are actually protecting her now." Bianca stopped pacing and looked toward the window, her eyes narrowing. "It wasn't luck. Nobody survives a fireball like that because they're 'lucky.' There is something wrong with that girl, and I'm going to find out what it is." She grabbed her phone and dialed her lead bodyguard. "I want you to hire that private forensic mechanic, the one who doesn't ask questions. I want the remains of that racecar examined tonight. Scrape every bolt, scan every wire. I want to know how that engine did things it wasn't built to do." Later that night, the three girls were sprawled out in Bianca’s room, half-heartedly watching a reality show on a massive flat-screen TV. The tension was still thick. Suddenly, a heavy knock sounded at the door. "Go away!" Bianca yelled, throwing a silk pillow at the door. "I said I didn't
CHAPTER 485
The smell of hot beef noodles filled the air. Leo sat at the small kitchen table with his parents, slurping his soup while his father talked about work. Suddenly, his tablet—which sat next to his bowl—vibrated with a sharp, high-pitched ping. Leo frowned. It was an anonymous, encrypted message. He tapped the screen under the table. [FILE RECEIVED: 4.2GB] - "I know what you did to that car. Meet me in the school gym at 9:00 PM if you want the proof to save Clara. Come alone." Leo’s heart skipped a beat. He looked up at his parents, trying to keep his face calm. "I... uh... I forgot I left a project running in the school lab," Leo lied, standing up quickly. "It might overheat if I don't shut it down. I'll be back in an hour!" "At this time, Leo?" his mother asked, concerned. "It's worth a lot of credit, Mom! I'll be fast!" He didn't wait for an answer. He grabbed his jacket and sprinted out the door. At exactly 9:00 PM, Leo pushed open the heavy, creaking doors of the
CHAPTER 486
Bianca’s face went stiff. The rejection stung worse than a slap. She stared at him for a long beat before a low, chilling chuckle escaped her throat. "Oh, darling, be patient," she said, smoothing her hair. "Your beating is definitely coming. But why should we be greedy? Why not use one stone to kill two birds?" She signaled to the senior holding Leo’s phone. "Unlock it." Leo struggled, thrashing his head side to side, but they grabbed his chin in a crushing grip, forcing his face toward the screen. The light of the phone flashed. Face-ID Recognized. Bianca grabbed the phone and quickly typed a message. Her thumbs flew across the screen. “In the gym. They found me. Help.” She hit send and tossed the phone back onto the mat. "Now," Bianca said, crossing her arms. "We wait for the guest of honor." Across town, in the quiet luxury of the Lancaster penthouse, Clara’s phone vibrated on her nightstand. She reached for it, her eyes widening as she read Leo's desperate text. "Leo
CHAPTER 487
Clara didn't look afraid; she looked exhausted. She rolled her eyes and stepped forward. "I knew it was you three. Honestly, don't you have lives? Don't you have hobbies? Why is it that every time I turn around, you’re in the dark somewhere causing trouble?" Bianca stepped forward, her heels clicking rhythmically. She held up a high-end digital video camera. "Oh, Clara. Still so arrogant. You have a real hero complex, don't you? Running into a trap just to save a little geek who doesn't matter." Bianca turned the camera on, the red recording light blinking like a predatory eye. "Tonight, the world sees the real you. By tomorrow morning, every student at St. Jude’s will watch a video of the 'Great Clara Lancaster' on her knees, crawling and begging for mercy. Your little win at the Grand Prix? It’ll be a distant memory once they see you crying on this floor." Clara actually laughed—a sharp, genuine sound that bounced off the rafters. "Is that what this is about? It really pained y
CHAPTER 488
The shockwave didn't stop there. It hit the electrical system of the building. Every single lightbulb in the gymnasium shattered at once, raining glass down like diamonds. The video camera in Bianca’s hand exploded in a shower of sparks. Bianca and Chloe were knocked off their feet, sliding across the floor until they hit the far wall, their eyes rolling back as they slumped into unconsciousness. The gym went pitch black. The only sound was the settling of dust and the distant hiss of broken wires. Clara stood in the center of the wreckage, her breath coming in gasps. Leo, who had been shielded by a piece of heavy equipment, crawled out from the shadows, his mouth hanging open. He looked at the bodies of the bullies scattered like ragdolls and then up at Clara. "How... how did you do that?" Leo whispered, his voice trembling with awe. "That was... that was impossible. You hit them with a literal blast of energy." Clara looked at her hands, which were still sparking w
CHAPTER 489
She tried to remember what happened last night but she couldn't The last thing she remembered was the race. Everything else was a terrifying, empty fog. "Why are you all laughing? Get out! Everyone, get out!"But the laughter only grew louder. The spell of fear she had cast over the school was broken. She didn't look like a queen, but an anker teenager who had spent the night in a gym closet.Clara and Leo stood at the very back of the crowd. Clara leaned against the doorframe, her arms crossed and a small, knowing smile on her lips. She felt the pendant against her chest—cool, quiet, and satisfied.Leo leaned in, whispering so only she could hear. "They really don't remember a thing, do they? It's like someone hit the delete button on their brains."Clara didn't blink as Bianca’s eyes finally landed on her. The "Ice Queen" was shivering in her ruined uniform. Bianca pointed a shaking finger toward the back of the hall."You!" Bianca shrieked, her voice cracking in front of the ent
CHAPTER 490
The three friends exchanged a worried look. The laughter in the classroom died instantly. Being summoned by name over the entire school’s PA system was like when the police put your name out as a wanted individual in the country."Well," Leo gulped, stuffing his tablet into his bag. "It was a good run while it lasted."They walked through the halls as slowly as possible.Every student who passed watched them with pity. They reached the heavy oak doors of the administration wing, and Clara took a deep breath before pushing them open.The office was crowded. Principal Vane sat behind her desk, her face was stern and unforgiving. But she wasn't alone.Standing by the window was Bianca’s father, a tall man in a suit that probably cost more than a house, and her mother, who was clutching a designer handkerchief and looking at Clara as if she were a common criminal. Bianca was there too, sitting in a plush chair, her eyes red from crying but burning with a new, smug triumph."Close the