Chapter Two: Grinning Coyly
Clay wiped his nose on his sleeve and glanced around the scenery. Summer had just started and it was beautiful outside. The feeling of paranoia passed quickly, but he continued to stare at the horizon. Something was nagging at his brain, and he just couldn't put his finger on it. That same thing had been nagging at his brain for a while, he noticed. For months, it seemed, and yet he still had no idea what it was.
"Man," Raimundo grumbled leaning against a nearby tree. "Here we are sitting around 'strengthening our minds', when we could be out kicking Jack-butt."
"My dear friend Raimundo!" Omi said tensely, "Pleeease. I can not meditate with you chit-chatting to yourself. Now please, silence!" Raimundo rolled his eyes knowing perfectly well that Omi was the only one actually meditating. Kimiko had smuggled out a magazine and was reading up last night's runway show in Paris.
Clay turned back to the sunset. The red in the sky suddenly reminded him of the color of Jack's hair, which had taken some improvement. No more ugly hair ge- wait. Clay frowned suddenly. Why was he thinking about Jack? And more importantly, why was he thinking about Jack's hair?
What was so different about Jack lately? He was acting odder than a coyote playing house with a chicken. Always grinning coyly at Clay, with that thin mouth and white teeth. Those cold eyes that always seemed to hide something behind them…
Clay's eye's widened suddenly as he realized that he was thinking about and shook his head furiously. All of this was too weird…
Clay's head snapped up suddenly. That was it! That was the thing that had been nagging at his brain lately! Jack Spicer and all of those "modifications" as Master Fung had called them. No more eyeliner, different clothes. But- why was he thinking about that? Shouldn't he be more worried about Jack beating them to the Wu, rather than what the genius looked like?
"Oy! Clay!" Raimundo called, from what seemed like a long way away. "Come on, Master Fung said he needed to see us! Weren't you listening?"
"Oh, uh, coming!" Clay stood up and walked back to the temple. Darn-it-all Raimundo, interrupting his train of thought. But…why was Jack constantly on Clay's mind? He would talk to Raimundo about it later. He might have an answer for Clay. Raimundo normally did. He finished jogging back to the temple, Jack Spicer's face grinning at him from the depths of his mind.
