Chapter Four

Marcus

I think I like this girl. I might be crazy, but as she brushes past me, to order her lunch, I can't help but conclude that I'm genuinely interested. That's kind of weird in itself, especially since I don't know her name. It's not just her figure or her appearance either, I like her spirit, that little fire-ball attitude. I'm not sure why she doesn't want to sit with me, even though I'm sure she seriously considered it. If she wasn't new, I'd say, that she said no because of my choice of friends.

That's definitely not possible though, the only new kid we've had in years, is Zach. I glance at the girl as she hands over her money to the lunch lady, skimming my eyes over her jeans and roomy plain white t-shirt. Yeah… no, there isn't chance in hell that she knows Zach. Handing over a few dollars to the lunch lady, I grab a tray with the usual lunch: "Chicken" and rice. I don't really care enough to wait in the salad line. She doesn't seem to care either, as she hurries to grab a milk carton out of the fridge, and places it beside the rice on her tray. Her head is down, as she hurries across the cafeteria, like a mouse. She's trying ridiculously hard to blend in for someone who stands out like a dolphin is the desert. I lengthen my stride a little and easily catch up with her.

"So, where are you planning on sitting?" I wonder when she stops dead center in the room, eyes carefully scouring the cafeteria for a friendly face. Her brown hair just brushing her shoulders; she peers out at me from behind the locks. She shrugs and looks away, apparently intent to avoid my eyes at all cost. Come on, it's not like I'm ugly.

"It's not like it's any of your business." She mutters, and I laugh a little. I've never been good at that whole "minding your own business" or "that's not my rabbit" stuff. My mom would always say that from the moment someone told me not to get involved, I'd be itching to stick my nose in the issue. "Curiosity killed the cat" is such a gross understatement.

"You know, it's okay to say yes, I'm not going to bite… just yet." I wink at her, hoping to get a laugh, or at least a smile, but she just frowns some more. I can see from the expression on her face, she picked out my little suggestion easily, she just couldn't care less. Abruptly, she starts across the café, completely and bluntly ignoring me.

She settles down at a table, staring down at her tray like the rest of her companions. There's a guy here with piercings along the curve of his ear, a girl with a Mohawk, and a guy who's fidgeting with one of those Lego people, and I swear I've never heard any of them speak aloud, ever. She doesn't fit in here, but as I glance over my shoulder at my table of friends, I can't picture her there. That shouldn't change anything, my friends are relatively nice people; I don't see why she's so determined to exile herself.

"Are you sure you don't want to sit with us?" I confirm, being careful to not insinuate that I if she said yes she'd be sitting with me, if that's what's offending her. She nods and looks down at her plate, poking her plastic rice with a cheap plastic spork. She best resembles a beaten dog, just wanting to get through the moment, and trying to not bring any more attention on itself, for fear of the retaliation when they make another mistake.

"What, are you into charity projects now, Adams?" Zach Woods asks, ambling over towards me. I swear sometimes he doesn't realize that just because people are a little… different, doesn't mean they don't speak English. He's a good guy, sometimes he doesn't realize just how painfully insensitive he sounds. I glance over at her, as her head pops up, just in time for Zach to stop dead in his tracks and stare, slack-jawed.

"Jane?" He sounds dubious and his eyes bulging out f his head in disbelief. I glance at the girl, whose name is apparently Jane, and see the blush burning on her face. She stands up, abandoning her uneaten food, and dashing off toward the girls' bathroom. Zach follows her, only stopping when she's disappeared behind the door. I watch as he messes up his hair with his fingers and shakes his head, clearly just as bewildered.

Jane

Hiding in the bathroom stall, I lean against the wall, my head in my hands. Just the way he said my name, the confused look on his face, brought back so many memories. The ache rips through my chest again, and I slump to the ground, torn between crying, puking and screaming. I can't do this, I can't sit here and pretend like I don't know him, like I can blend in, or keep my mind clear and focused. Artemis should never have selected me; anyone else could've done a better job than I'm doing now. Just seeing his face again, hearing his voice, was enough to send me spiraling back to that moment when the future I had so meticulously planned crashed around me. When I suddenly wasn't seeing a corsage and prom dresses anymore, they were destroyed leaving tear-stained pillows and a set of hunting knives in their place. I wasn't confident enough, not interesting enough to keep his attention. I had been naïvely sure that my happily ever after was at my finger tips, and not rotting in Tartarus with Kronos.

Tears streak down my face at a rapid rate, and I have to make a conscious effort to not sob. My one salvation is when lunch will be over, and then I can get the hell out of here, and ask for a replacement. I can't do this; I just can't put myself through the turmoil again. My new life has made me stronger and braver, but no matter how long I'm with the hunters, no matter how long I'm Sixteen, I won't be able to face Zach, never again.

Marcus

Half way through lunch, Zach finally leaves his post beside the girls' bathroom and joins us at the table. Even when he laughs at off, as a bizarre coincidence, he doesn't refrain from glancing over his shoulder every few seconds, waiting for Jane to magically reappear in the doorway. Refusing to explain, he has abruptly changed the subject four times, away from Jane. Every time I even make an attempt at digging a little deeper, his expression morphs into something like shame. Before long, lunch ends and I watch, a little hesitant as Zach glances at the bathroom one more time before cursing.

"I have Devil Lady next, I can't afford another tardy," He explains and starts hurrying down the hallway. "If you see Jane… just tell her we should talk." Something about the fond way he said her name doesn't sit well with me, but before I can investigate, he's gone, leaving me standing awkwardly in the middle of the aisle. I glance towards the girls room once more, only to see Jane slipping out, and merging with the crowd. I blink once before I realize that I'm following her, by chance actually, as we're heading in the same direction.