Chapter 7: Suspicions
My eyes shot open and were greeted by the darkness of the early morning. My alarm clock read 6:17 and was playing Skillet music to wake me up. Of course, what really woke me was the nightmare I had just experienced for what seemed like the millionth time.
"Every freaking night…"
After switching my alarm off and my lamp on, I slowly sat up and collected my thoughts. It was the same exact nightmare I had after my first transformation, which had been playing over and over again every night ever since. There was no denying that it meant something, perhaps foreshadowing future events. I could also deduce that in the dream, I was in the shadow of King Minusion. But what was it supposed to mean? Was I really putting my life in danger by fighting the Minusions? Was this really a pointless endeavor?
No. I tried to shake it off and tell myself that wasn't true. I had faith in myself. I could fight them. Ignoring the dream and pushing myself into a mind-over-matter state, I got out of bed and prepared for my school day.
Once I got there and my dream was once again the farthest thing from my mind, school went by just like any other Friday. Classes passed by normally, and lately I had grown bored of this. My life was so full of excitement now that slow moments just dragged on for me. I knew I should've been thankful for those moments, though, seeing has how they were the only remnants of my old, normal life.
Did I miss my old life? There were times where I questioned that myself. Mutt didn't exist in my life up until that fateful day when everything changed, and that was certainly a reason for me not to miss it. But what I did miss was how easy that life was, back when I had fewer responsibilities and the fate of the world wasn't on my shoulders. Plus, questions were still bouncing around in my head that I wasn't even sure I wanted answers for; the biggest on out of all of them was… why was I chosen as the Blue Star successor? Why me of all people? I didn't want it. I was barely cut out for it. What made me so special?
Well, I suppose God works in mysterious way.
At least Mutt was there. When he wasn't helping me cope with my powers and duties, he was taking my mind off of them. But after that little… encounter we had last night, I nearly turned and high-tailed it out of the cafeteria when we met up for lunch.
He smirked when he saw me cringe a little in his presence. "Your heart's speeding up."
"Can you blame it? I'm still in shock from what you tried to do last night."
"Hey, we both almost did it. You puckered first."
My eyes widened a bit when he said that. "I… I did?"
"You sure did."
I wanted to believe Mutt was just fooling with me, but that wasn't like him. I was really the one that tried to kiss first?
My gaze darted to my feet, then back to him. "We don't need to tell anyone about this, do we?"
"Not if you don't want to," he responded as we sat down at our usual table.
The Eds were still in line and Shane had yet to even show up, so it was just the two of us. Something came to mind, though, something I had been meaning to ask Mutt since Shane first sat with us two days ago. "Mutt?"
"Yeah?"
"What is it about Shane that you seem so repelled to?"
He paused for a moment as he tried to find the right words. I couldn't help but notice a dark glint in his green eyes.
"Well…" he began. "To be completely honest, I'm not entirely sure. I just get this weird feeling whenever he's near, as if he's hiding something. Something dark and dangerous. My heart races when he looks at me, and I've actually heard his do the same when I look at him. Plus, just the way he looks at you…"
"Me? What are you talking about?"
"Haven't you noticed? He looks at you like you're some kind of diamond he'd kill to get his hands on."
I had noticed that Shane looks at me in a certain way, but not in the way Mutt described. I saw it more as gratitude for opening up to him since he was still getting used to this strange new country. Once in a while I could sense a hint of adoration from him, but that was as awkward as it got.
"Maybe he's just taking a liking to me since I'm being so nice to him. He's new here, Mutt, even more so than you were when we first met."
"I realize that." He stared at something I didn't see. "But there's something different about him. I don't know what it is, but I don't like it."
I sighed. "If I could add something real quick, I've sensed depression in his eyes ever since we met."
"That just makes him more suspicious."
"Mutt, come on. I don't know why he seems depressed, so I don't think it's fair to jump to conclusions."
He fell silent after that. The Eds were starting to walk our way by then, but before they took their seats, Mutt stood up and said, "Do you guys mind if Nat and I sit elsewhere? I need to talk to her alone."
That caught me off guard. What was so serious that Mutt needed to tell me then and there? Did he just want to talk about Shane more? Because I was just about done with that topic. Either way, I couldn't just turn him off when so much had happened to us that every little thing seemed to matter.
"Sure," Edd replied. "Go right ahead."
Eddy raised an eyebrow. "Need a little alone time, do we?"
"Shut up, Eddy," Mutt growled as he picked up his tray and led me to the empty table we used to sit at.
Once we were across from each other, I asked, "So what's up?"
"First off, have you had that nightmare at all lately? The one where you're in King Minusion's shadow?"
"Mutt, I have that nightmare every night. I don't wanna think about it right now."
"No problem, I get it." He took a few bites of his sandwich before continuing, "I had a nightmare last night too."
I looked up at him with raised eyebrows. "What was it about?"
"I… I was in my wolf form, standing in this black, misty void. The only thing I could see clearly was you. You were lying unconscious with scratches, tears and blood all over you. Right above you, there were two silver spheres that were almost completely drowned out by the fog, glaring at me like a predator to its prey. I heard a growl, and mixed with it was… Shane's voice whispering my name over and over again. I couldn't move; I couldn't do anything but stand there and stare. Finally, the darkness seemed to collide together and lunge at me just as I woke up."
Silence fell on both of us. I tried to pull together all that Mutt had just told me. In a way, it was just as unsettling as my nightmare, leading me to question if it was the result of paranoia or foreshadowing.
Finally, I mumbled, "You really believe Shane's dangerous, don't you?"
"I have no idea." He shook his head with frustration. "But it scares me. What if something like this happens? I can't let anything hurt you. I'd never forgive myself for it."
There it was again, Mutt displaying his feelings for me. I knew he cared about me, but this protective instinct was just something else. Maybe that was just his inner wolf talking… or maybe he meant it on a level much more personal than I had expected.
I found myself caught in his eyes again. Our gazes locked with each others, and my mind was filling up with the fact that everything Mutt had done ever since we met, he did it because he saw something in me, something that I myself apparently couldn't see. And I felt the same way for him. I wanted him to be happy, no matter what happened, and if this dream was something that bothered him…
"Hey, guys."
My train of thought was cut off by a familiar English voice. We both looked up to see Shane smiling at us. "Mind if I sit here?"
"Yeah, kinda," Mutt snarled.
"Mutt…" I whispered sharply. Then I smiled and said, "Sorry, we were just talking. I-I don't mind."
"Thanks," Shane replied as he sat down next to me. We smiled at each other for a moment, then he turned to Mutt and shot him a fierce glare, which he retaliated.
That alone got me thinking. Did Shane feel the same about Mutt as Mutt felt about him? Did Shane suspect him of something? And if he did, what could they possibly be figuring out?
The similarity between them was oddly suspicious.
"So Natalie," Shane finally spoke up, his facial expression softening. "It's Friday and I have nothing to do after school. I was wondering if perhaps you'd like to meet up, just the two of us. Maybe take a walk, show me around town…"
Mutt and I both looked up him with our own versions of shock. Trying to ignore Mutt and all his silent fury, I cleared my throat and said, "That sounds like a nice idea, actually. There's a debate going on at town hall at three, though, and I'd really like to get a glimpse at the candidates for our new mayor. But after that, I'd be happy to."
I didn't need to look at Mutt to know that he was seething.
"Great. Thank you," Shane responded cheerfully.
"Why don't you meet me by the woods?" I suggested. "That's a nice place to start."
"Sounds good." After a short pause, Shane looked back at Mutt, eyelids lowered. Neither of them said anything, but there was still a thick tension in the atmosphere that I was practically choking on.
After a while, a few minutes before the bell was expected to ring, I stood up and said, "I'm gonna hit the restroom before class starts. I'll see you guys later.
Shane gave me a casual good-bye while Mutt shot up, grabbed my arm and pulled me a little ways away. He sharply whispered, "Nat, I know you're just trying to be nice to him- I can respect that- but I'm telling you, I just don't have a good feeling about him."
"Mutt, I get it. You don't trust him. But I need a good reason not to." I gently pulled his hand off of me. "If something bad happens, I might agree with you. Right now… I just wanna treat him like you treat me. Okay?"
He just sighed and nodded before I turned towards the restrooms.
I was really starting to worry about Mutt. Both of us had enough stress already from our simultaneous transformations, but he really was concerned about Shane. What if…
No. I shook my head and pushed those thoughts away. I'd deal with that problem when and if it happened.
The end of the day finally came, and soon I was forcing my way through the crowd of students as I made my way from the band room to my locker. Jared was going to drive Mutt and me to town hall once we met up with him in the parking lot. Honestly, I wasn't going there just to hear the debate. I actually didn't really care much about these things. I just wanted to see the candidates.
After I had my backpack and signature jacket on, I bolted out the door and started walking towards the parking lot. I was barely even five steps out when I heard Mutt's voice behind me, and just as I turned around to great him…
…he was slammed into the wall by none other than Shane.
"Look, Kanker," Shane growled, "I don't know what your problem is-"
"You're my problem!" Mutt cut him off. "You think I don't notice that look you always have in your eyes? I know you're hiding something, Masterson!"
"You guys!" I shouted.
"I'm hiding something?" Shane questioned. "You're the suspicious one around here!"
"I'm not the one casting sideways glances at Natalie!" Mutt yelled. "And don't think for a second that you're gonna get her mixed up in whatever you're hiding!"
"Don't be so overprotective! Are you her boyfriend? Are you?"
Mutt fell silent for a moment. He looked away and replied, "No."
"Then here's a word of advice: let her decide what she wants!"
"Guys, stop!" I stormed up to them and yanked them apart, something I knew depended partially on my newly enhanced strength. "Are you trying to get yourselves in trouble? What would've happened if someone other than me had been watching?"
They both looked at me, then back at each other. "I'm gonna find out your secret, Masterson," Mutt growled before grabbing Shane by the shirt. "And until I do… stay… away… from her." He then let go and stormed off.
Shane glared at Mutt's back before turning back to me. I could barely read his face, but an unseen aura around him was flooded with feelings of confusion, fear, anger, longing, torment and depression. I could only give him a sad look and a quiet apology before I turned around and ran up to Mutt.
As we made our way into the parking lot, I fiercely whispered, "What is wrong with you? It's bad enough that could've turned into something worse than it already is, but this rivalry between you two is starting to embarrass me!"
"Hey, he started it that time!"
"I don't care, Mutt! I just wish you would get over this suspicion of yours!"
Mutt looked back, his dark green eyes full of remorse. "I do too, Nat. But… I just can't push away this nagging feeling."
Before I could say anything else, he cut me off and said, "If it makes you happy, I'll try to ignore it until something takes a wrong turn outside my control. For now, let's just head downtown and watch that debate. Maybe it'll take my mind off of him."
I nodded. "That sounds good."
He managed a smile and brushed a lock of hair from my face. "Things are confusing right now; I think we both know that. But we'll get by."
"Yeah…" I sighed, my gaze trailing up to the cloudless sky. "We'll get by."
Once Jared dropped Mutt and me off in downtown Peach Creek, we decided to take a little walk and chat for a moment before heading to the debate. We weren't staying long, anyway, so we agreed we might as well unwind for a bit and just straighten things out between us. We were both still a little unnerved from the Shane situation, but that wasn't the only thing bothering me. What I couldn't get off my mind were the emotions building between us, leading up to that near-kiss last night. I never mentioned this to Mutt. I had enough to worry about. I'd deal with this later.
Finally we sat ourselves down in the very back row of the crowd in front of town hall. We missed the first couple of minutes, but no matter. Like I said, I was only there to get my first glimpse at the candidates.
Both men were standing behind separate podiums with their names posted on the front as they addressed the townsfolk on some issue that I wasn't really paying attention to and, quite frankly, didn't care about. Most of the time I focused less on their words and more on the way they each said them. That, plus their distinct features.
Clyde Livingston was well in his years; he hardly looked younger than our old mayor. But he was decent-looking with sharp eyes, defined clothes and salt-and-pepper hair. His voice was strong and every word he said had emphasis to it. I could tell just by looking at him that he was a strong-minded, well-experienced man. I could see why Mutt was in favor of him.
Tybalt Dengen, on the other hand, was a much younger- and quite good-looking if I might add- man. Though his clothes were more business-casual than Livingston's, he still had a very professional look to him, from his neat chestnut hair, to his bright eyes, right down to the charm and charisma he exploited in his voice, tone and responses. He almost reminded me of a young, less-suspicious Nicolae Carpathia.
I couldn't decide which one I liked better. Livingston's knowledge and life experience would be good for Peach Creek, but Dengen seemed just as knowledgeable, as if there was absolutely no age difference between the two. I decided that they both had potential as Peach Creek's mayor and I'd be satisfied no matter who won the election.
But for some reason… I had this uneasy sense going off in my head. I didn't know what it was, but as I stared ahead at the candidates going on about their political views, something in me was sensing danger. Big time.
It felt like my eyes were heating up, just as they did whenever I sensed a Minusion's presence. But unlike those times, I received no visions. Just this sharp pang that slowly transitioned into vertigo, telling me that something was very, very wrong.
"Nat, you okay?" Mutt whispered, noticing my distress.
"I… I don't know." I clutched my head and looked up at him. "Do I look okay?"
His gaze widened when he saw my face. "Your… eyes…"
"What about them?" I asked as I reached into my purse and pulled out a little mirror to look at myself.
I had to force back a yelp and ended up jumping back a bit when I saw what Mutt was concerned about. Not only were my eyes the bright shade of sky blue that came with my visions and fairy form, but they were… on fire.
I quickly looked at him again, keeping quiet but clearly freaking out. He calmed himself down a bit before asking, "What's going on?"
Rapidly shaking my head, I forced myself to reply, "I have no idea. I'm not getting any visions or anything. It's… It's like the Blue Star is just panicking, sensing something…"
My eyes darted forward again, and somehow it felt as though they were moving against my will. Thankfully, no one in the audience was looking at us. They all had their attention on the candidates, and that's exactly what I found myself looking at again.
And specifically, I was looking at Dengen.
And I could swear he was looking back at me.
"I have to get out of here."
Before Mutt had a chance to question, I bolted out of my chair and up the sidewalk, not stopping until I had rounded the corner and town hall was out of sight. Much to my relief, the burning edge in the front of my brain vanished, as did the fire in my eyes.
I clutched my chest and panted, quickly becoming just as confused as I was when this whole thing started. I couldn't even bring myself to ask what had happened… because I felt like I knew exactly what happened, even though I had no clue.
Mutt dashed around the corner and up to me, placing a hand on my back in concern. "You okay? Is it gone?"
"Yeah… it's gone."
He shook his head. "I'd ask what happened… but you probably don't know."
"Nope." I looked at him with sad eyes. "I just know that something back there… whatever it was, the Blue Star sensed it as a threat, something I've never felt except in the presence of a Minusion." I turned towards town hall, letting the following silence soak in, then turned back to Mutt and added, "And I don't know if this had anything to do with it… but I think Dengen saw me."
Mutt simply took a moment to think that through. Then he gave me a sympathetic look and slowly wrapped me in a comforting embrace. "I wish I knew what to tell you, Nat, but we both know that there's a lot going on in our lives that doesn't make any sense yet, more so than any other teenager in this town. I just know that you'll figure this out soon enough."
I sniffled a little, silently envying Mutt's confidence. "You have a lot of faith in me, don't you?"
"Of course I do. I might've only met you three weeks ago, but I know you well enough to know that you can get through anything. I know a confident leader when I see one, and once we get our lives straight, you'll quickly become the epitome of a great leader."
"You… really…?" I sighed. "I've never seen myself as a leader. Heck, I'm still trying to get my head straight with the fact that I'm the Popcorn Fairy."
Mutt stared at the sky. "There's something my dad always told me: There are no mistakes in life. Everything happens for a reason. I've come to believe that very strongly, and with it being said, I know that this gift you have wasn't just some coincidence. You're going to do great things."
He looked at me again and lifted my chin so we could meet each other's gaze. "I do have faith in you, Nat. Question is… do you?"
For the longest time, we just stared at each other. I was once again lost in his eyes and the adoration flowing from them. His hypnotic aura soothed me to the point where my eyes closed and my muscles relaxed. It almost seemed like gravity was starting to lose its grip on us and a new force was pulling me towards Mutt rather than the ground.
That force brought us closer until our foreheads were touching. Once déjà vu set in and I realize what I was doing, rather than pulling away, I simply smiled and whispered, "I don't know if I have as much faith in myself as you do, but I do know that I have strong faith in the Lord."
We both opened our eyes; though most of my gaze was focused on his beautiful pools of forest green, I could tell he was smiling just as wide as I was. "Sometimes that's all that matters."
I pulled myself away from him. I could tell he was a little disappointed, but we let it slide. "I guess that little freak-out is just something else to add to the rapidly-growing list of unanswered questions."
He chuckled slightly. "Don't worry. All questions have answers. We'll find ours soon."
"Well, I'm gonna head home and relax a little bit."
"Sounds good."
With that, Mutt and I started walking back towards the cul-de-sac. For some reason, I didn't really care that I had once again come close to kissing Mutt. My love for him was quickly becoming something I couldn't ignore.
But there was something else… or rather, someone else on my mind that I didn't bring up on the walk home for fear that it would open old wounds. Because after I took a few hours to unwind, maybe eat and check my e-mail, I was going to meet up with Shane.
And Mutt wouldn't be too happy about that, would he?
