"Warren Peace." The name slid off my tongue like venom dripped from a snake, he looked up through his hair, eyes glowing with an intensity I had not known before.
"Can I help you?" He scoffed.
"It's crazy," I snorted, dropping my lunch tray on the table in front of him, "Of all the places to see mama's little boy-"
"What the hell did you just say to me?"
"Oh come now Peace," I smirked, sliding down onto my seat, clasping my hands together and leaning my face on top. "Can't an old pal tease?" His fury dimmed at the realization, coming down he leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest and smirked.
"Kristian Linnwey," his smirk spread across his face, "A freak. Go figure."
"Peace, taking "hero" classes," I eyed him, still half smirking myself.
"I didn't exactly have a choice," he glared.
"Sure you didn't," sarcasm was my most prominent feature. I bit into my sandwich, ignoring the death stares I was receiving.
"You need to move," he glowered.
"Why," I asked, not bothering to even glance upwards.
"Because I'm the only one who sits here."
"Warren," I looked up slowly, "I don't know anyone here. I just…don't wanna eat alone."
His temper subsided momentarily, he wasn't sure what to do with himself. So hey, while his mind is pondering let me explain myself. I'm Kristian Linnwey as you already learned, I just started at Sky High, I should have been here a couple years ago but I was violently unaware of my parental history. This lead too many years of confusion and feeling crazy as my powers developed, no one around me in my foster homes had any idea about these situations. When I arrived at my new place, I tried to hide all I had, but my Fos-Pars had picked up on it all too quickly, and before I was even sure what was going on, I was here, up in the sky.
"Don't do that," Warren hissed, having picked up on my ability to win over his softer side, just like when we were children. I smiled.
"Peace, serious as can be, I didn't know where to sit, it was purely coincidental that I spotted you. Must be there hair," I laughed and went to fluff it back, he quickly seethed my arm.
"Don't," he gritted his teeth. Suddenly my arm began to burn and I yelped, yacking myself back, I felt the tears threaten to spill from my eyes but held my composure. I snipped a final, 'be that way', and stormed off.
So Peace and I go way back, I'm talking to the sandbox, he wasn't always this scary brute; back when, he was actually small and meek. I remember when we met, he was four years old and we were at the park, some slightly older kid pushed him and me, I was five and I didn't handle that well. I shoved this kid, threatened him, his brother, his sister, his whole family if he didn't leave my friend alone. Warren had instantly clung to me in that moment, his mother had thought it was hilarious, but his father, his father was displeased. Something about him being a boy and not requiring some 'girl' to defend him. Regardless, his mother brought him to the park regularly and at that time, I was in a pretty decent foster home at the time and the fos-mom liked spending her days there. So for the next six years Warren and I bonded, I was constantly on defense with him, eyeballing anyone who dared talk to him in the wrong. I had been adopted by Lauren then, my fos-mom of the time, but when I was 11, she succumbed to the breast cancer that she had hidden so well. Back in the system and no available homes in the area, I was sent away. Leaving my best friend behind and in a constant state of worry. My solace was that I was supposed to be able to write Warren, but by the second or third home, I was forbidden from even using the phone and that was it.
Seeing him in the cafeteria made a lot of sense to me, while he was timid with me and meek to start, he'd eventually come to have a hot temper and obviously, that was his gift. I guess I had hoped that when I approached him, all would be well and we could just chill. Peace has taken on a whole new demeanor then what I had known.
When class ended I dreaded the bus ride back, I wasn't big on heights, go figure. Oddly enough, I saw Peace sitting in the back, so I took the seat directly in front of him and began my consistent banter on life.
"Enough," he near shouted, covering his ears. "Are you ever just quiet?"
"Hey now, I was going into some philosophical stuff right there. It's rude to interrupt."
"Jesus Linnwey," he slouched. "Just leave me alone."
I guess I expected too much by approaching how I did, I wasn't good at socializing, especially when it came to friends. Warren had been my first real friend and after I left, I bounced around so much I had no time to meet anyone and seriously make any connections, least none that meant anything.
Getting off the bus I felt a stare, I glanced back before exiting and noticed Warren look away quickly. The walk to my current residence was about fifteen minutes away, I requested this stop for a reason because I didn't like my neighborhood. When people assume you come from a rich family, suddenly everyone wants to be your best friend, and then they learn you're a fos-child and suddenly, no one is your friend. So, I'd trench through one of the most average neighborhoods and get on over to the big house, white picket fence neighborhood that I presently lived.
Two story, old Victorian styled, with modern updates. Fos-mom was in love with her house, she had planned the entire remodel herself, and she was "picture" perfect at all hours of the day, which had meant that her home was in such order as well. Inside had an open floor plan, and walls as white as the clouds, the kitchen had new updates in appliances and I had no idea what a 'Tiffany's lamp' was but obviously it was important.
"I'm home," I called as I walked in.
"Hello Kristian," Ellen, my fos-mom was nearly always home to greet me thus far. Sky high was a difficult feat to convince her into, I had attended a regular high school at the end of last semester. I obviously didn't have the balls to speak to Warren until the new year began and even then I deemed it fate that he was at Sky High today, I had been trying to work up some nerve to linger at the park we used to hang out at, or maybe, ring the doorbell of his home.
"Cookies?" I smiled to her as I slipped my boots off by the door and hung my bag.
"Of course," she smiled slipping back into the kitchen, "Celebration for the new school year."
She was beautiful, gentle, but only when not throwing herself into some project, when charity was her cause, she could be a frightening person. And I was her latest charity case.
"I'm going to go see about this homework," I called grabbing my bag again.
"Call you when the celebration is set," I could hear the smile on her face.
Upstairs, at the end of the hall, my room sat. The walls were the color of the rest of the house, having been a simple spare space but Ellen had informed me that I was welcome to choose a color to paint. My room had an odd shape, one of the walls sloped and crossed over my bed, but the view from my window, directly across was undeniable. We lived near a, what Ellen called, natural orchard which looked more like a forest to me. The sunset on that end, and the window as large as it was caused an amazing amount of moon light to spill in whenever the moon was full. A desk was next to the window and a dresser on the other end, a nice room of which I did nothing to, all my clothes remained packed inside my bag and the only none clothing item I owned anymore, was an mp3. I would die for that little thing.
"Hey kid."
A chill ran up my spine, I turned quickly around and in my doorway stood Rickman, Ellen's husband and my fos-dad. He stood at 6'2, well built, light hair, deep eyes, strong jaw bone and always wore a suit. A good looking man, and lawyer at that, he was an amazing husband to Ellen, despite his long hours, he doted upon her as though she was a queen.
"Hi," I shuffled about, laying out a notebook and a book that read 'Science'.
"How was it," he stepped in and sat on my bed.
"Same as any new school I suppose," I said, swallowing my breath.
"Learn anything new?" He made himself comfortable, laying back and folding his arms behind his head.
"Um, not so much. First day and all is more just, like introductions and learning our schedule and what no." I pulled my pencil out and began sharpening it, the air felt tight.
"Darlings," Ellen called up, "The food is ready."
"Well Kris, if you need help you are more than welcome to ask me."
He stood up, and headed out, I let out my breath and tossed my now short pencil onto the desk and then headed down for my celebration meal.
