Finding Sky - Zed's POV
Chapter 1
Sometimes I hate my gifts.
Yves tells me there's a new girl starting today as if I haven't known for weeks. Of course, I know. I know her and Tina - a boringly nice girl with dreadlocks - would be fast friends. I know the first words she'll ever say to me are 'You twins?' I even know what she's going to wear - a union jack hoodie. Hell of a way to blend in, New Girl.
I knew all of this because of my stupid gift; it didn't really leave any room for surprises.
'Zed, you need to leave now. Yves left fifteen minutes ago! You're already late,' Mum says, giving me a stern look that would almost mask her worry if I wasn't a mind-reader.
'He left early; the nerd wanted to join maths club or chess club or something. I'm already late, what's a couple more minutes?' I ask.
Leaning back in my chair, I gear myself for an argument because, if I know my Mum, she will not let this go. In her mind I can see she's worried about me. She expected this from the older children - the loneliness, the anger, the apathy - not her youngest. By all rights it really should be Trace going off the rails but it wasn't. It was me.
She's lost hope that I'll get over it like Trace and Victor did. They both rode bikes at the early hours in the morning, got in bar-fights and had no time for authority. Now they are the authorities; it's like one of those sucky lifetime documentaries where some misunderstood kid completely turns his life around.
Mum open her mouth the speak but I cut her off. Now, I get to look forward to the lecture from Dad about respecting her. Dad adored Mum, she never wanted for anything with him around.
'Fine. I'm going,' I declare, getting up and stretching lazily.
I missed most of first period - music with Mr Keneally. Now, there's a man who doesn't like me. I saunter in, barely glancing at him. He seems to decide it's not worth it and launches in to a lecture on the importance of harmonising and not trying to be the star when all that's required is you fading to the background. Finally, the bell rings, drowning out the conclusion to his theatrical speech.
'Mr Benedict,' Mr Keneally eyes flash dangerously, as the other students dutifully file out the room like the ordinary people they are, 'I'm waiting for your brilliant excuse as to why you missed half of my class this morning.'
Most people would mutter an apology and escape but not me. Call me a trouble-maker but I can't resist the urge to push a teacher's buttons. If they want respect then they can damn well earn it like everyone else.
'I was busy. My schedule's a little full at the moment.'
I smirk as I watch his face changer colour, in his mind he's cursing me out, calling me all the things a teacher can't say to a student. The very idea that music isn't the most important thing to me offends him.
'Well, you'll have to clear it if you want to be in band, now, won't you?'
He thinks he's won. Even Mr Keneally knows I love music. It just speaks to me in a way I've never been able to explain. But I don't need a crappy high school band to play and I certainly don't need this teacher. I open my mouth to say just that, with maybe a couple of threats thrown in when Mum's voice rushes in my mind.
Zed Benedict, don't you dare! They'll expel you and then what will you do? A high school drop out with no prospect; how would you look after your soulfinder?
I take her advice, because Keneally would just love for me to be expelled, and don't reply. Everything I do always seems to come back to my soulfinder with Mum. She's worried, in the deepest recesses of her mind, that I'll go too far and even a soulfinder won't be able to save me.
I don't care about my soulfinder though. I already know I'll never find her. Soulfinders are for do-gooders like my brothers not guys who are teetering perilously between bad and good like me.
Ditching last period, I put my sunglasses on and wait against my bike. I do enough exercise for the Net - you have too if you don't want to die - and I'll be damned if I'm forced to run around for a disgustingly overweight teacher who should really practice what he preaches. I could run circles around Mr Bruner and he knows it.I don't bother to go home; all I'd get was more worried looks from whichever family members were home. Though, I thought, tempted, Xav's probably on the slopes and Mum and Dad are probably running the ski lift…
Just as I'm about to head out of there, Ray saunters over. He wades up a detention slip and throws it at me. Using telekinesis I make it veer dramatically and miss before snickering.
'Nice throw. Detention?' I ask, more out of obligation that anything.
Ray's one of the few people who'll put up with me when I'm at my worst. Unlike Jake who has a tendency to get scared - though if I said that he'd try to bash my face in - and call my brothers for backup.
'Biology, man. Who needs it?' He says in disgust, lighting a cigarette and leaning against his bike, 'All I did was ask Miss Simon if she wanted an oral report…'
Ray gives me a crude grin and I'm left in no doubt that those weren't the words he used. Charming.
I may be angry at the world but my Mum would kill me if I disrespected a woman like that. Hell, my whole family would. In a family of Savants, woman are sacred: you never know which girl might be the girl.
The bell rings and students begin to spill out of the building. I catch a glimpse of the new girl. She's kind of cute, I guess. If you're in to the whole blonde hair and blue eyes vulnerable look. Which I may or may not be.
Dispelling all thoughts of the new girl - seriously, it's not like she matters - I swing my leg over my bike, offer a short 'bye' to my friends and speed out of there.
When I get home, Mum's put me on house arrest. There's no explanation and I don't bother to ask. With Mum you never know, she's been known to ground us for things we haven't even done yet. She'd probably seen me working my frustrations out on some poor unsuspecting guy in the bar. She knows I fight, and I know she knows I fight, but we never speak about it. Foolishly, she hopes I'll get it together like my brothers did.
But I'm falling and the whole family knows nothing short of a miracle can save me now.
AN - Thanks for reading! This probably won't come out as fast as Needing Her. I'll write this when I'm bored or stuck on the plot for my next fanfic. For those of you who read Needing Her hers a vote update: Trace - 3, Uriel - 4, Victor - 2 and Will - 1.
Anyway thank you all for reading this. Tell me what you think?