Here's the second chapter! I admit it's somewhat filler, but there has to be a bridge between the first chapter and the beginning of Beautiful Day. (A fact ABC family completely overlooked. How did they get from the end of Responsible to a carnival?)
Chloe was about to put the rose Alek left her in the vase with the others before she left for school, then reconsidered. She studied herself in the mirror; her red sequined shirt and her jean leggings with the red wedge heels Amy had prodded her into buying. (They were cute, but sturdy enough for her to run and kick in. Not that she had any doubt about her ability to fight in heels after the poker fiasco).
The red on her outfit was the exact color of the rose.
She retrieved the scissors from the desk and carefully cut off all the thorns and a large portion of the stem.
Then she pinned it into her hair, tucking the stem behind her ear.
She drove herself to school, and spotted Alek immediately, surrounded by his worshipful group of jocks. Jasmine sat on the school steps, highlighting something in a notebook. Amy and Paul were in Amy's car making out. Students milled about on the lawn, talking, drinking coffee, grumbling about the fact it was Monday and Trig tests and Spanish vocabulary.
Everything was perfectly normal, except for the fact that it all felt incredibly different. Chloe couldn't put her finger on why a tingle of anticipation was making it's way through her, or why her heartbeat had suddenly sped up.
She slung her bag over her shoulder and slowly made her way over to the school entrance. She snuck glances at Alek as she walked; found herself studying the way the sun made his hair turn golden, the way he moved with such confidence and grace.
He seemed to sense her eyes on him, and he looked up and straight at her, mouth curling into a smirk when he saw the rose in her hair.
She felt a blush rise into her cheeks and was about to look away when he waved her over. "Chloe!"
All of his friends turned to stare at her, and she hesitated before making her way over to them.
"Hi." She said timidly, uncertainly.
She had thought the dynamic between them had changed over the weekend, and maybe it had, but that was Mai/ Real Life world. This was School world, where they were too different, from two different cliques. Would he still want…?
He reached out for her and drew her to his side, enveloping her in a warm hug. (God, he smelled so good). "Mmm. Morning, darling. Sleep well?"
There was a joking glint in his eye; of course he knew how she had slept. He'd been right next to her.
Heat rushed through her at his words, and she felt her entire body become lighter. He had called her darling. (Better: he had called her darling in public, around his entourage).
"Very well, actually." She smiled.
"Glad to hear it. Shall we get to class then?"
"We shall."
He looped his arm through hers and walked her to her locker. He carried her books in one arm and walked her to first period.
He stopped in the doorway. "I believe this is your class, Miss King."
She was trying so hard not to laugh at his little show. He really could be adorable sometimes. "Indeed it is, good sir."
"Wonderful. Your books." He handed them to her, then took one of her hands.
Right there in front of everybody, he raised it to his lips and kissed it, keeping his eyes on hers the entire time.
She was pretty sure she burst into flame. Or combusted. Or-
"Have a nice day, darling."
She was officially a pool of lava on the floor. Still, she managed to stutter out a "You too," and stumbled to her seat.
She knew he was smirking behind her, and for once, she didn't care.
The teacher began lecturing, and Chloe had to bite her lip hard the entire class to keep from grinning like an idiot.
"Did you know that mardi gras means Fat Tuesday in French?"
"…What?"
"I'm just saying. Today's Tuesday."
"…You don't want to cook, do you, Mom?"
"Not really."
"I don't blame you. Takeout?"
"I'll projectile vomit if I eat anymore takeout."
"So you want good food."
"No, I want mystery meat. Yes I want good food."
"Okay, no need to be snappy… Olive Garden?"
"Oooh. I like the way you think, daughter of mine."
"I like the way you agree, mother of mine."
"What are you going to order?"
"Probably pasta. And salad. Oooh, and maybe some shrimp."
"You and that shrimp. It's disgusting."
"Is not! What are you going to order, then?"
"I was thinking soup. And bread sticks. But mostly soup. I love it."
"…"
"You know who else makes good soup?"
"I knew you'd say it. Don't go there, Mom."
"Alek, that's who."
"And you went there. Mom, you didn't even eat any of his!"
"So? Doesn't mean it's not good. You liked it, didn't you?"
"It was fine."
"Uh huh. You not only like his soup, but you like him."
"Mom…"
"Chloe and Alek, sitting in a tree…"
(Really, it was only ever just Alek in a tree. Specifically, the tree outside her bedroom window.)
"Really, Mom? How old are you, four?"
"K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Responsibly. And with mutual respect for how far the other is willing to go past that."
"Nice touch."
"I thought so."
Alek grabbed the last piece of pizza and downed it before Jasmine could.
She gave him an irritated look. "How many pieces did you have? Seven?"
"Try ten." (It was actually eleven, but who was keeping count? Alek certainly wasn't.)
She rolled her eyes. "Pig."
"I'm a cat hybrid, actually. But I was born in the year of the pig."
"Explains a lot."
Alek arched an eyebrow. "Oh? And what year were you born in?"
"The dog."
"Ha! Talk about irony, on so many levels. What's Zane doing with a dog like you then?"
"Haha. Very funny." Jasmine blushed. "He wants to go to the carnival on Friday, but… I dunno."
Alek's mind flashed to an image of Chloe clinging to him on a ride, her supple body all pressed up against his, him having an excuse to hold her tight… "Well, if you don't want to go with him alone, then you could always make it a group date."
She looked at him dubiously. "Group date."
"Yeah. I'm sure Amy and Paul would be up for it." Alek smirked.
Jasmine wrinkled her nose. "Yeah. They're sweet, but… no."
"Alright. Me and Chloe then."
Jasmine's eyes widened and she grinned. "You little sneak!"
"Excuse me, there is nothing little about me. Nothing."
"That's disgusting. Year of the pig moment much?"
"Offer going once… twice…"
"Okay okay fine! Bring Chloe. And Amy and Paul. Why not? We'll make it a party." Her tone was condescending, but Alek could tell she was relieved.
"When did you say this was?"
"Friday night."
"Friday? Jasmine, it's Wednesday, and I won't see Chloe until tomorrow. Short notice much?"
"Pig."
"Dog."
"Go to bed."
"You're not my mother."
"Valentina left me in charge." He decided not to comment on her slip; saying Valentina instead of Mom.
"Fine. Just to indulge in your false sense of superiority, I'll retreat to my sty for the night."
"Good."
"Have fun chasing your tail in my absence."
"This dog/pig thing has got to stop."
"Sure thing… Lassie."
"Wilbur."
"Perdita."
"Babe."
"Jasmine, I don't blame you for wanting me, but I'm not into incest."
"Ugh!"
"Disappointing, I know."
Chloe was running as hard as she could, but it wasn't amounting to anything.
He was still behind her, still after her. Sleek, silent. Deadly.
She bounded over a fallen log, and kicked off a tree with one foot to propel herself through the air, across a fairly wide stream.
She hit the ground still running, and heard her pursuer's footsteps fade behind her. Soon, they disappeared altogether.
She kept running.
Where are you, Alek?
She heard branches crackling above her, and felt eyes on her. She picked up the pace a notch, hurling headlong through thick, flowery bushes.
She'd probably have had sixty million bug bites by tomorrow if she hadn't thought ahead and caked on bug spray thicker than her actual skin.
The colors of the flowers leaped out at her in her night-vision; blues, reds, purples, yellows. The leaves seemed greener and the stars seemed brighter.
It would have been beautiful if she hadn't been so focused on staying alive.
She was about to leave the mess of flower bushes and crash into more trees and keep running when suddenly the ground fell out from underneath her.
She felt the sickening drop in her stomach and heart, and braced herself for a long fall, but it was a short one; only five feet or so. She landed hard though, and her breath left her for a moment.
She gasped in air, closing her eyes, waiting. She had failed.
She felt it the second that someone's weight was above her own, felt the sharpness against her throat. She tried not to cringe.
"Nice try. I liked the move with the tree and the stream."
She opened her eyes, staring up into glowing green ones like her own. Alek was on top of her, and behind him she could see the night sky and the flowers dangling into the pit from the bushes.
His claws were out, and he held them against her neck nonchalantly. She knew he'd never in a million years hurt her, but it was more than a bit unnerving to know that if she moved just a little her throat would be sliced into ribbons.
"Jasmine taught me last week."
He nodded. "Know what you did wrong?"
Chloe thought back to the hunt; the feeling of being stalked, the adrenaline, pounding through the trees…
"I ran blindly," she realized. "And without trying to be stealthy. I just wanted to get away."
Alek pursed his lips. "Mmhhmm. And do you know how to fix that?"
She couldn't resist anymore. She'd been replaying the kiss they'd shared in her head since last weekend. She wanted him. There was no denying it now.
She smiled impishly. "Incapacitate my attacker from the start?"
She reached up, tangling her fingers in his hair, and his claws vanished instantly. She drew his head down to hers and almost moaned when his lips touched hers.
He did amazing things to her with his mouth, and moved his hand from her throat to stroke down her side, rub little circles on her hip bone.
He coaxed her tongue into his mouth, then sucked on it a bit. She thought she'd die eight times right there.
The way Alek kissed her was perfect. It was everything she'd always thought a kiss should be. It was everything Cosmopolitan thought a kiss should be, which was saying something.
Her entire mind shorted out when he kissed her. She didn't think about any of her problems, didn't think about assassins and the Order, didn't think about dying again. She didn't think about how inexperienced she was, didn't think about what she should do next or if she was doing this right.
She just felt.
She felt the way his hard muscles tensed under her touch, and then relaxed, felt the way he touched her with his hands, felt the emotion behind his kisses, felt the way he tilted his head to get just the right angle and she responded with the perfect action to mirror his…
He pulled away, and Chloe's breathing was so shallow it almost scared her.
He literally took her breath away.
He smiled, and it wasn't a smirk, or a tease. Just a smile with no walls, and nothing but sincerity behind it.
I made him smile like that.
The realization jolted her more than it probably should have.
Brian smiles at me. Not because of me.
That realization was more shocking than the first.
She had a lot of thinking to do.
"Good guess, and if it was just one attacker, that might work. But that's not the answer."
Chloe rolled her eyes. "I should be lighter on my feet and think as I run. I should try to outsmart whoever it is, and act on defense."
Alek winked. "That's my girl. See? Told you I was a good teacher."
"Yeah yeah."
"You know, good teachers take their students on field trips."
Chloe liked the sound of where this was going. "Very true. Go on."
"Would you perhaps like to go to the carnival with me tomorrow? Jasmine and Zane are going, and they want to know if you and I… and even Amy and Paul… would like to make it a group date."
Chloe grinned. "Carnival? You don't seem like the face paint type."
"No, but I am the greasy food type. And the competitive type, which is always a good thing to be at carnival games. And the fast, puke-your-guts-up roller coaster type. And the-"
Chloe laughed, reached up to push some hair out of his eyes. "Okay, okay! Point made. Yes Alek, I would very much like to go to the carnival with you."
He smiled again.
She was quickly beginning to love that smile.
"Excellent."
He stood up and reached down to help her up. She took his hand, and he pulled her to her feet, barely an inch away from him.
She looked around at the hole they were in, (She wondered how it had got there- it didn't look man/Mai made- then decided she didn't want to know) then back at him.
She narrowed her eyes. "Don't ever make me fall again."
"Goodbye, Chloe…" "Felt like I broke every bone in my body…" "False reports of a girl being thrown off a couple of months ago…"
His eyes softened in understanding, which was better than pity. Much better. "I can't promise that."
Chloe looked away; up at the flowers, the trees above them, the stars above everything.
Alek took her chin in his fingers, forced her to look at him again. She knew her gaze was steely, but she couldn't help it.
"But if I do, I promise I'll be at the bottom to catch you. Okay?"
She stared at him a moment; his cat eyes, the shape of his jaw and nose, those lips that had been on hers mere minutes ago…
"Okay."
She decided she didn't mind being chased so much when it was Alek doing the chasing.
Anndd this brings us to the beginning of Beautiful Day! How about that. Review?
