Switched!

One

Meeting Derek

March 3, 2010

7:30 AM

Wednesday

"There's a new kid coming today," Liz announced loudly to Tori as she dropped onto the bed. "Derek Souza," she read from the stolen file, "age sixteen, height six-foot-five, and weight two hundred pounds." Her golden eyebrows arched in surprise. "Schizophrenic since, wow, five. Deceased mother, unknown father. Adopted by Kit Bae."

"Yeah. He's a dork, and so is Simon. We kind of think his dad's Zachary Cain," Tori said.

"Zachary Cain?" I asked, lurching around the corner.

Liz screamed.

Tori jumped. "God damn it, Chloe. We get that you've got predator instinct but do you really have to scare us like that?" she said.

I ignored her.

"Zachary Cain is New York's most infamous serial killers," I told them in a dull tone.

Blank stares.

"He's killed over fifty people, men, women, children. He's on Death Row. They made that movie based on him with Brad Pitt and Jamie Lee Curtis. Cultivator, directed by Jonah Eriksson."

More blank stares.

Realizing my breath was wasted on them, I turned and walked away.

As I made my way down the stairs, I heard a voice call out, "Chloe!" I turned to find Simon standing in the doorway, grinning at me. His blonde hair looked orange in the light of the sunset.

"Hi."

"Does he know what he is?" I asked, glancing up the boy's side of the stairs. "Yeah. We need to find our

"Yeah. We need to find our dad though." A frown grew across his sharp face.

"Simon?" asked a confused voice. The guy who came down the steps was three heads taller than me, around six-foot. He was broad, too, and muscular. His ink-black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and his green eyes were confused. His face was plagued with acne and scars from popping zits. His grey hoodie had a faded school logo on it and the bottoms of his jeans dragged on the ground.

"Who's—" He was asking until tripped and nearly plowed into me; thank God for werewolf strength. Had I been a necromancer I would've been squished under him.

"Chloe, Derek," Simon said, gesturing from me to the clumsy oaf. "Derek—"

I was already walking away, my stomach growling lowly but Simon yanked me back, "this is Chloe, my best friend. She's one of us."

Derek lowered his voice. "A Super?"

"We prefer Paranormal Americans," I deadpanned and Simon giggled into his hand. Derek's green, green eyes met mine as I crossed my arms over my chest and I felt his eyes sweep over me. "Now that you're done checking me for bar-codes, can I go get Tori before—son of a bitch, speak of the Devil and she shall appear."

Rae had popped out of the rec room and was eyeballing Derek. "Hi, Simon," she said in a sickly voice that made me want to vomit and maybe claw my ears off. "Hello," she purred to the other brother.

At the top of the stairs on the girl's side, Tori gagged behind Rae's back. "Oh, Rae! You've met Chloe's boyfriend!" she called down and the look I shot her could've fried the dead.

Derek went adorably, I have to admit it, red and stuttered furiously. It was quite amusing to a boy of his stature and intimidating aura stutter like a six-grade girl.

"Slap him on the back, Simon," Tori sighed as she climbed down the steeps in her high, platform boots.

Derek gave her a half-assed scowl.

I was impressed a chump like him could even scowl.

"Why don't you lay off, Tori?" Rae hissed, flashing long, glued-on eyelashes coated in layers of mascara.

I rolled my eyes and walked away from the drama that was about to unfold undoubtedly.

5:30 PM

It was as I was peeling carrots, after admittedly nicking my fingers a few times, which Royce decided to sneak up on me. The minute he stepped out of his room, I could smell his god-awful cologne and hear his footsteps. I also heard the swish of the kitchen door opening and, knowing he was probably a few feet behind me.

I whipped around, holding the knife as a weapon.

Royce swallowed and his Adam's apple bobbed against the knife tip.

"Hey—woah, what's going on?"

Just what I need. Clumsy Giant.

Royce smiled that dangerous smile that girls had fallen for left and right and said, "Just a little fun with my girlfriend."

Derek's eyes met mine. "B-boyfriend?"

"Nope." I swung the knife back towards the carrots I was peeling and it hit home in the board with a thunk. "He's just a prick."

"I love you too, hunny," he cooed and went to kiss me.

I held up the knife again. "If you want to keep your lady bits, go away now."

He scuttled away like the rat he was.

"So…he's not your boyfriend?" Was it just me or did this geek sound a bit…hopeful? "No."

"No." That's it, Chloe. Run off the only kid who might be interested in you, Nadia, my Wolf, mused.

I ignored her.

He smells divine, sang Nadia as we inhaled his scent.

Touché, I replied as I carried on with peeling carrots. "Do you need something?" I asked as he stared at me.

"N-no," he answered quietly and the door swished behind him as he walked away.

"Way to go," Tori drawled as she hopped up on the counter, snatching up a freshly peeled carrot. She took a bite. "Fresh from the rabbit farm," she laughed.

Although you don't smell so fresh! Nadia said.

I'll take a shower when I'm done with this, I told her.

"You just drove off your only love interest in this paranormal romance novel," the witch on the counter said before hopping down.

"I've been meaning to ask you," I said as I turned to her and set down the knife. "Where do get all these book references?"

But the door was swinging shut behind Tori as she clomped upstairs in her monster shoes and I made my way to my room with Rae to shower before dinner.