Chapter 3

All of my friends were a buzz with excitement today, all the while I was trying to keep my trepidation over my possible impending doom at the dance in check. Although Gwen did notice my anxiety, I was able to convince her it was over going with Vivian, which did make me nervous, but really wasn't my biggest concern for the evening, by the time school ended I was a bundle of nerves and fear.

Still, I had faith that I could pull this off, it wouldn't be the first time I pushed through in a time of stress anyway, I just had to remain calm and follow the plan.

After school I ate a sandwich, took a slow shower, and slowly slipped into the clothes Morgana had picked out for me the night before. I took a glance in the mirror, yesterday I hadn't seen it, but today I did think I looked pretty good in the clothes she picked out for me. I took a slow deep breath. It would be ok. Everything was going to be ok.

Before I knew it I heard a car pull in and incessant honking that I was sure Gaius was doing to annoy me. I ran out of the house, locking the door behind me, "Please stop already!"

Gaius grinned at me, "Wouldn't want you to be late for your date."

I rolled my eyes at him and walked around to the passenger door, "I still can't believe you're forcing me to go."

"Merlin," Gaius shook his head and preceded to pull out of the drive way, "You need to have fun when your young. Create good memories. You have too many worries for someone your age."

"Like that's my fault," I answered brusquely, "I still don't see what that has to do with this dance. Nimueh is mad at me by the way."

"I thought you said she had a date already."

"She does, but she still got mad," I sighed.

"I'm sure she'll be alright," Gaius answered, "You should worry more about your date. You're sure you want me to pick you up that early?"

"Yeah," I nodded, "Vivian has an early curfew anyway and I don't want to be standing around at the end of the dance while everyone else dances around with their date."

Uncle Gaius hummed, "That makes sense."

It was only a few minutes ride from my house to the school, my uncle dropped me off near the gym where the dance was being held and a glance at my watch told me I was only 7 minutes early.

Apparently, I hadn't been the only who arrived this early as there were plenty of other students standing around, waiting to get in. I only had to wait about 5 minutes before Vivian arrived, she waved her father goodbye and waited until he left the parking lot before she joined me in line, "Merlin! How are you?"

Vivian wore a light gold dress that just flowed down her body, she really did look like a princess. I gave Vivian a shy smile, "Good, you?" Thankful I'd been more prepared to handle my nerves around her.

"Great!" Vivian giggled, "We didn't really have much of a chance to talk before today. Are you excited about meeting their alpha? I heard he was really handsome!"

"Um not really," I shrugged, furrowing my brows, "But you are?"

"Of course I am," Vivian sighed, "Everyone tells me he's gorgeous with beautiful blue eyes and a gentleman. How could you not be excited?"

"I guess I just wasn't really overly concerned about it," I shrugged again.

Vivian studied me for a moment, "But I would've thought you'd be especially excited about it. How often do we get a handsome male celebrity to visit?"

"Why would I care about some bloke I don't even know?"

"But everyone says he's really good looking, I would've thought you'd want to at least see him," she argued.

I gave Vivian a bewildered look, "Why would I want to see a guy just because he's good looking?"

Vivian returned the look twice fold, "Because you're gay and I thought it would be fun for us to drool over him together?"

My eyes grew to saucers and my heart sank into my chest, "D-did you only agree to come with me because you thought I was gay?"

Vivian tilted her head to the side, "Well, yes, I'm not allowed to date, so I thought it would be perfect to go with a guy who wasn't interested in me."

It just figured that my first date in two years only went out with me because she thought I was gay and had no interest in me whatsoever. This was just ridiculous. I couldn't help it, I started to laugh uncontrollably. This seemed to concern Vivian, "Merlin? Are you alright?"

I finally managed to calm myself down as the line for the door started to move forward, "I'm fine," I said breathless, "And I'm not gay."

"What?" Vivian asked confused.

"Don't know why you would think that," I laughed, "I've had a girlfriend before."

"Yes, but I thought that was just a phase for you," Vivian insisted, "We all go through phases."

"I've never thought of a guy that way," I shook my head.

"I'm not allowed to date," she whispered, looking around nervously, "Are you sure?"

"Don't think of it that way," I sighed, "Just think of it as two friends at a dance together. It doesn't have to be a date, you know?"

Vivian visibly relaxed at my words and smiled, "Alright. I'm sorry, Merlin, I didn't mean to insult you."

I handed the teacher our tickets and walked with Vivian inside, "It's not an insult, just odd that you would think that. Why would you think that anyway?"

"Well, I don't know," Vivian answered, "I just got a feeling you were and just assumed."

"Alright, I guess," I shook myself off and started looking around, "Want to find our table first?"

"Already did," she pointed towards a table with Gwen and the lot. I nodded and quietly followed her towards them. I didn't think I could feel anymore more awkward in this "date, but not a date" of ours.

I scanned the area, immediately noticing a fairly large group of people off to one side towards the front. "I take it that that's where he is?" I tilted my head in that direction and looked at Lance when we reached the table.

"Yeah," Lance answered, "He's been surrounded since after we all got introduced to him."

Gwen smiled at me as I pulled a chair out for Vivian and took a seat myself, "Lovely. Everyone this is Vivian," I looked at Gwaine and said, "That one there is Gwaine, the one by him is Elyan. Where's Morgana and Mordred?" Hopefully he'd stay surrounded all night in that corner and I won't have to worry about him.

Vivian smiled at them, "It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is all ours," Gwaine responded returning the smile.

"They won't be coming until 730," Gwen answered, "Morgana said there was no way she could come so early. Something about a reputation to uphold or something. How are you doing, Vivian?"

"Good and you?"

Gwen grinned, "Good."

I nodded, "Oh yeah, I do remember her trying to explain something about that to me earlier."

"Oh! Enough about the M&M's! So how do you two like the decorations and the theme so far?" Elyan asked, "I think we did a decent job with only 5 days' notice."

"Oh they're lovely," Vivian answered readily, "I always love twinkling lights like these."

"What she said," I affirmed, "What on earth is that playing though?"

"Cake by the Ocean," Gwaine rolled his eyes, "Honestly, Merlin, just turn on the radio once in a while would you?"

Lance snorted, "Merlin use technology? You're joking right?"

"Shut up," I cautioned, wishing I could kick him under the table, but it was too big for me to be able to reach him.

Gwen must've agreed with me because she slapped Lance across the head, "Stop it, you."

Gwaine laughed, "Ooh! You're in trouble now Lance!"

Vivian and I laughed together before she asked, "So what is he like?"

"Who?" I frowned.

"She means the prime, obviously," Lance answered.

"Well in my opinion he was a little pompous, but polite," Gwen answered, "Lance and him got on well enough, though."

Lance gave me a huge smug grin, "We certainly did. He even promised to come find me to spar later."

"Come find you?" I tensed, "When?"

"When he has time obviously," Lance sighed in distress, "He invited me to sit with him, but Gwen insisted we should sit with you poor lot instead."

Elyan punched him in the arm, "Shut up you git."

Lance returned the punch, "You're just jealous."

Vivian clapped her hands excitedly, "So I'll really get a chance to meet him then? I didn't think I'd be able to push through that crowd he has around him. It's almost like he's royalty."

I snorted and looked at the crowd, "Sounds more like he's a spoiled prat to me."

"Maybe a little," Gwaine agreed, "But he did seem like a genuinely nice guy."

Lance looked at me and said very seriously, "He even told me I could call him Arthur."

I furrowed my brows, "Isn't that his name?"

"Yes, but normally everyone would call him Sentinel Pendragon or alpha prime out of respect," Gwen explained, "So saying he could call him by his name is a sign of trust. They really did seem to get on well when we were with him. Like old friends."

"Whatever," I muttered looking back at the crowd, "I still don't really get why he's so special. How old did you say he was? He's still a kid just like the rest of us."

Lance rolled his eyes at me, "A kid that will someday soon run all the sentinel tribes in the country. He's not like royalty," he looked at Vivian, "He is royalty."

Vivian sighed dreamily, "It's times like this I wish I was a guide. Could you imagine being with someone like that?"

"No," I answered sternly, narrowing my eyes at her.

She looked up at me in surprise and giggled nervously, "Right. Of course not."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed, "Would you like a drink, Vivian? Or some food? I'll be happy to get it for you."

Vivian gave me a soft smile, "Some orange juice would be nice, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," I said quickly getting up and moving towards the food table, keeping one eye on the crowd, I hadn't noticed Lance following me until he suddenly placed his hand on my shoulder effectively making me yell out an undignified squeak and jump three feet in the air.

Lance snorted in laughter, "A bit tense there, mate?"

I glared at him, "That's not funny, you twit."

"Oh come on, Merlin," he chuckled, "You know it was."

I rolled my eyes and turned my back to him, "Whatever."

Lance went in step right beside me, "What's been with you, mate? You've been antsy all week."

"Nothing. I'm not antsy," I said curtly.

Lance grabbed my arm and turned me to him, "I'm a sentinel, Merlin, I can tell when you're lying."

I frowned, "I know you're worried, but I really don't want to talk about it right now."

Lance studied my face before letting my arm go, "It's your father again, isn't it? Did he get hurt again?"

I looked behind Lance, staring fixedly at one of the small lights, "I wouldn't know, he hasn't called in a month. Won't answer when I call either."

"A month, Merlin?!" he exclaimed, "Why didn't you say anything?"

I shrugged, "There's nothing we can do about it and I'm sick of thinking about it. I don't want to talk about it."

"Merlin," Lance frowned at me, "I'm sure he's alright. I know telling you not to worry is useless, but try to relax, mate, your father always pulls through in the end. I'm sure he'll call."

My shoulders sagged and I looked at Lance, "I hope so, Lance. Dunno what I'll do if he doesn't."

Lance put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed, "He will. Now you have a pretty date you shouldn't disappoint, so try and cheer up."

I snorted and then began to laugh, "Lance, you don't even know."

"What?" he asked bewildered, "Know what? What's so funny?"

I calmed myself down and whispered, "She thought I was gay."

"What?" his eyebrows shot up, "Why?"

I snorted, "No idea, but it's the only reason she agreed to come with me anyway."

Lance went silent for a while, "Are you?"

"Seriously?" I asked, "You think I'm gay?"

"Well, I don't," he answered, "But it's ok if you are, you know."

"I know it's ok," I answered, "But I'm not gay."

I stared at him, "What the hell, Lance?"

Lance let out a breath and grinned, "Well I didn't want to start laughing and then it turns out you are, you know?"

I shook my head at him and he started laughing, "She really only agreed because she thought you were?"

I took a minute before I joined him and started laughing too, "Apparently, she's not allowed to date so she thought coming with me was a safe bet."

He snorted, "Gwen really knows how to pick 'em, huh? First Nimueh and now Vivian."

"I know," I agreed, "I really need to stop letting her set me up."

"I'm not going to let her live this one down," he chuckled.

"That's why I decided to tell you," I grinned, "Now come on, I got to get Vivian her juice before she thinks I've abandoned her."

Lance and I walked the rest of the way towards the food table and right after I picked up a cup of juice for Vivian, I thrust it towards him. He caught it, of course, as I expected him to, "What's this?"

"I figured it's the least you could do for me after being such a git," I grinned.

Lance rolled his eyes at me, but didn't try to hand me the cup back as we walked towards the table.

When we neared the table, he suddenly said, "Oh," and took off.

"Lance?" I called out to him, but he didn't pay me any mind and just kept going. I frowned at his odd behavior, but took my own time getting back to the table. I'm glad I did, because standing right there was him.

The him.

Blond hair, chiseled face, broad shoulders, strong sturdy built. He was beautiful to the point it made me breathless.

He was perfect. Involuntarily, I took a few steps towards him before I caught myself. What was I doing?

I took a deep breath and tore my eyes away from him, "No, no, no, no," I whispered to myself. This couldn't be happening. I took several steps back and ripped through the crowd of people towards the bathroom.

I jumped into a stall and locked the door. I was hyperventilating and I needed to calm myself down before anyone noticed what a wreck I was. I stood against the stall door and took deep breaths until I had my heart rate under control.

My mind wandered back to him. Back to the intense pull I felt near him. He was incredible, I didn't know how I knew. I just knew.

That's not true, I knew exactly how I knew. Or at least the guide part of me knew, because standing there at my table with my friends was the person I've been trying to avoid for the better part of my life.

Standing there was my sentinel and I had no idea who he even was. I know I've never seen him before. What're the chances that he was from my school? He wasn't, obviously, couldn't have been, because if he had been I would've found him years ago. No, no, no, no.

He could NOT be who I thought he was. Except who else could it be? I've been to plenty of school events, walked through the halls, all over school. It wouldn't make sense that I wouldn't have bumped into him if he was just a student. I knew that. He was young. How old had Lance said he was? 17. He'd look about that age. I took another deep mouthful of air. But it couldn't be, it really couldn't be. I banged my head against the stall door.

The prime alpha could not be my sentinel. This has to be a mistake. Something was wrong with me and I should call Gaius and tell him I'm sick and need to go home. I need to get out of here. I'd apologize to everyone later, make something up.

I took some more deep breaths before I straightened back up. Get out of here first. Put as much distance as possible between us and then call Gaius. And then what? Wait around and give him even more of a chance to find me? No, I'd just walk home. I didn't live far anyway. Maybe a half hour walk, if that.

Yes, there you go. I had a new plan. I just needed to follow it and everything would be ok and he would leave and none of this would matter. He'd never know.

Fuck, what if he felt it? I checked my shields and steeled myself. Wrong time to start doubting yourself, Merlin. You can do this; you know you can. He hadn't even seen you, there was no way he knew you were even here. Even if he does bump into me on the way out, my shields are strong, he won't be able to tell. I'm sure of it.

I slowly unlocked the door and made my way out of the bathroom. Carefully, I scanned the room, I sensed him automatically. I knew where he was and forced myself to avoid going anywhere near him as I went towards the exit.

I'd gotten half way there, before someone grabbed me and I whipped around to see Nimueh standing there. "Merlin, are you alright? You look pale, like you've seen a ghost or something," she said, concern coloring her expression.

Perfect. "No, I'm feeling sick, where have you been anyway?"

"I sat with Valiant at his table since he's my date," she said defensively, "I was going to come over and say hi."

"Ok," I swallowed, "I am sorry, Nimueh, I really hadn't known I could go."

She nodded, "S'ok. You're really feeling sick?"

"Yeah, actually, could you do me a favor and tell everyone for me?" I asked, "I'm just going to head home."

"You haven't told anyone?" she furrowed her brows, "Why?"

"I was going to call them after I got out of here," I explained "Need some fresh air, but I think it's best if I just go home while I'm at it."

She tilted her head towards me, "Well, I'll tell them for you if you want. I hope you feel better, Merlin."

"Thanks," I told her, "I'll see you on Monday then?"

She smiled, "Yeah ok. See you Monday."

I nodded and turned back around and left. I took deep breath of air and looked around. Quickly, but not too quickly, I walked across the parking lot to the main road and started my walk home.

There, see? Stuck the plan and I'm out of there. I should've never come anyway. It was a stupid, stupid thing to do. Stupidest fucking thing I've ever done even. What a brilliant fucking night this has been!

As soon as I felt I was far enough I started to run. Running as fast as I could all the way home. I scrambled for my keys, panting wildly as I reached the door, but I was trembling and couldn't seem to stop dropping them. "Fuck!" I cursed and finally because my brain decided to kick in to gear I followed that with "Aliese," and the door unlocked. I sighed in relief. Right, I forgot I knew how to do that.

I picked up the keys and walked inside, locking the door behind myself. I dropped to my knees and calmed myself again. Picking up my phone from my pocket I called Gaius and left a message telling him not to come pick me up, that I had come home early because I was feeling sick.

I wasn't sure how long I sat there. How long it took me to compose myself, but when I finally got the energy to stand back up the doorbell rang behind me, making me jump. I took slow steps towards it and looked through the peep hole and saw Gaius on the other side. I reached for the door handle and unlocked it.

"Merlin! I heard your message. Are you alright?" He said quickly stepping in and pressing his hand to my head, "You aren't running a fever, but you're all sweaty. What happened?"

"Nothing," I answered quickly, "It's my stomach, probably something I ate. I'm alright, Gaius, just want to lay down."

He frowned at me, "I brought some potions just in case. I have one for nausea."

"I don't think I'll need it," I answered, "Really, Gaius, I'm alright. If I thought it was serious, I'd tell you."

Gaius eyed me down carefully, "Well alright. Let me make you some tea and then you can lay down. What are your symptoms?"

"Nausea," I answered, "Vomiting. That's all."

He nodded, "Alright then. Come on." I followed him into the kitchen and watched him silently make me a cup of tea.

He handed me my cup and watched me drink it, "Are you sure you're alright?"

I nodded, "Yes," then giving him a small smile, I added, "Thank you, Gaius."

Gaius gave me a warm smile, "Well go on to bed then, I'll stay for a bit and lock the door on my way out."

I got up and went to my room, quickly changing into something more comfortable and slipping into bed.

In a few hours today would be over and it won't matter. It won't matter what I am or who he is or any of it. Everything would go back to normal. It had to. I closed my eyes letting exhaustion and thoughts of blond hair pull me into a deep sleep.

Author's note: Really thought I was going to be too hungover to finish this today. Ugh so never drinking again. Hope your enjoying the read.