ED NOTE: Phew. Sorry this took so long. Hope you enjoy this next chapter! If any of you have any feedback or simply want to say hi feel free to do so!
[IN THE HALLWAY OUTSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM] At the moment you are leaning against the wall across from the boy's locker room waiting for Darik to come out. After what seemed like forever he finally emerges with a few other boys that it looks like he's befriended. No doubt because of his 'dodgeball skills' along with the way he talked to you. Most of the boys learnt a while back that you were 'hands off', and not to be messed with. A few had crushes and that was fine, as long as they didn't get fresh. There was no time for dating of any sorts.
"Took you long enough," you snap pushing yourself off the wall, adjusting the strap of your over the shoulder book bag.
"A guy's got to look good when he's trying to impress such a beautiful girl," charms Darik with a flirtatious smirk.
"Well this 'beautiful girl' doesn't want to be late for class. So get a move on hotshot," you counter while pointing your thumb in the direction you need to go. Without another word Darik follows behind you as the two boys head off to their next class. The two of you walk in silence down the hallway as a few kids rush by into classrooms that they were late for, you'd be rushing too if you actually cared. There was nothing in those rooms that you didn't already know. Besides your excuse for being late was walking next to you, so you figured that the teacher would be lenient and not give you a detention. Not that you would go to it if you got it anyways. That was another reason the teachers and principle had issues with you.
"You know you're not exactly the most hospitable person," says Darik breaking the silence in the now empty hall.
"My dear I am one of the nicest people you will ever meet, but I am also one of the most deadly," you warn not even looking in his direction. Darik speeds up and is able to side step himself in front of you and proceeds to walk backwards, smiling that you now have to pay attention to him.
"It looks like I'm currently talking to the deadly side. How do I get you to show your nice one?" You ignore his comment for the moment as you look ahead down the hallway. Subtly you adjust your course so the two of you are walking right down the middle of the hallway. If he was stupid enough to pay more attention to you than where he was walking then he had what was coming to him.
"Actually you're in more neutral territory," you express to his confusion. "But to answer your question…" Swiftly you take a few quick steps to the right and quicken your pace through oncoming doorway. Trying to keep up, Darik turns around running straight into the post located in the middle of the doorway as you calmly walk on. "You don't."
"I don't see how this is your neutral side!" he calls out holding his nose.
"You shouldn't be questioning as to the way I act in my neutral side you should be asking yourself, if this is her neutral side…." you respond stopping in your tracks before turning your head back, "then hell what is her bad side." Not even waiting for a response you continue to walk down the hallway in silence, with the only noise being the sound of your footsteps on the tiled floor. After a few more moments of waiting to hear his footsteps run up to you and hearing nothing, you stop and call out to him. "Hurry up kid, the science classrooms just up ahead." No response. Turning around you find the hallway empty. Where the hell did he go? It was as if he had just… vanished. Shit. What the hell were you going to do now? You couldn't just show up to science without him, well you could but you don't feel like dealing with a whole bunch of teachers and the principle lecturing you on responsibility and how it's important to be a contributing member of society. Moderately you make your way back to the doorway where you last left him, there was still a chance he was fooling you. Unfortunately yet fortunately that wasn't the case. You look up at the clock and see that it's only been a few minutes since class started, you could spare a few more to retrace your route and see if he dashed into one of the adjoining hallways. You do just that but without any luck.
"Whatever," you think to yourself. It's his own fault for running off. Quickly you race back to the science classroom gently pushing the door open. Conveniently the door is located at the back of the classroom and even more conveniently the teacher was facing the board. So long as you were quiet you may just get away with this. Since you almost never show up to class your seat was in the very back of the room all by yourself, but looking up you see another body located in the seat beside your lab station. "Why that little sh—"
"Miss. Harvstar...," you hear a gruff voice from the front of the room. Suddenly all eyes in the room are on you except the teacher who is still writing on the blackboard.
"Principles office?" you ask cringing in anticipation for his response. The teacher gives a nod of the head and with a sigh you turn to leave the room but not before looking back one more time at your lab station. With a smile on his face Darik gives you a wink before returning his attention back to the blackboard.
[OUTSIDE THE SCHOOL] After being sent to the principal's office and having a little talk with Mrs. Knickerbocker you tried to explain your side of the story but to be fair it was pretty unbelievable and given your history of skipping class you ultimately got detention. Even worse, to make sure you didn't skip detention you were securely escorted to it after your last class by the teacher. After wasting an hour doing absolutely nothing but twiddle your thumbs you were finally set free. Stepping outside the school you turn your phone back on and see that the girls sent you a message a while back.
Hey went 2 meridian on last min mission. fill u in on the deets when we get back – IRMA
You look up from your phone as you walk off the school grounds and down the sidewalk home. "Wonder what the mission was…" you think to yourself. Maybe there was another rebel roundup and they had to do a prison break, or maybe another town was being targeted by Phobos for information, or maybe… Oh god what where you doing. This was supposed to be your vacation time away from Meridian and all you can do is think about Meridian. It's probably a good thing you're taking this vacation time then because you were apparently in more need of a break from that place than you thought. Of course it's natural that your thinking process keeps going back to the other side of the veil because here you were enjoying the luxuries of Earth while only a dimension away a whole land was under the rule of a power hungry tyrant. *Sigh* it would probably be best if you kept this break short. It might be best to get back into the fray by at least the end of this week. You could still easily help while avoiding the castle and its tenants. For the time being however it looked like you had the evening to yourself. Quickening your pace in anticipation to get home and relax you sharply turn the corner and immediately crash into someone. The impact sends you falling back and causes you to drop your bookbag. You expect to hit the hard concrete but at the last second the other person grabs your arm pulling you towards them and into their arms. Flustered you tuck your hair behind your ear and out of your face so you can see the face of the person. You hate to say it's an all too familiar one.
"Took you long enough," says Darik, his face of concern turning into a sly smile upon realizing it was you in his arms. "I was beginning to worry that maybe you got something worse than a detention." He makes no gesture to let you leave his embrace.
"You, worried about me?" you question with disbelief, "Where was this concern when you ditched me, thus getting me into detention in the first place." Taking the initiative you help yourself up and out of his grasp. Looking down you see your bag had opened up and its contents were now strewn across the sidewalk. "Help me pick this up please," you sigh. Bending down you begin to pick up some of the nearby papers and put them back into your bag. Darik gets down as well and starts to help, handing you a few books and a pencil case without a fuss. After picking up a random sheet of paper you find your notebook underneath it. It was a smaller notebook bound in leather with elaborate Celtic designs all over it. Quickly you reach out for it but as you do so does Darik and your hands come into contact with one another. Instinctively you pull back at the skin to skin contact but as you pull back Darik proceeds to pick up the notebook.
"What's this?" he playfully asks, standing up. It was quite obvious to him from your quick grab for it that it was important to you. If anything it looked like an old journal. You watched in horror as he curiously opened the book and started to flip through the pages.
"No give it back!" you cry out, jumping up and reaching for it only to be held back by his free outstretched hand.
"Is this your diary!?"
"As a matter of fact it is not! Now give it back!"
"My my, where are your manners?" Taking a closer look at the current page he was flipped to, Darik's look of entertainment turn into confusion. "If it's not a diary then what is this? The writings are gibberish." As he is trying to make sense of the etchings on the page you swiftly snatch it out of his hands and stuff it into your bag.
"What it is, is none of your business. Besides only I can read it."
"Is that so," he says with a raised eyebrow. It was probably best that you kept tabs on your notebook so long as he was around because it looked like he was up to the challenge of solving your 'gibberish' writings. A stale silence ensued between the two of you after his words, and that was all Darik needed was silence. Looking at you he was able to direct your eyes into his and the two of you were locked in each other's eyes for what seemed like hours. You could tell he was trying to do his little trick, you could see his thoughts through the windows of his eyes. Even though it seemed like hours it was really only a few moments, which you ended once you let out a chuckle.
"Nice contacts. It's amazing what plastic is able to do, and able to block," you comment. Darik's face drops at your words. "Wonder what colour your eyes really are."
"Wouldn't you like to know," he grumbles looking away, giving you a clear view of his left cheek. Something about it was off, it was as if the skin was to smooth and clean in comparison to the rest of his face. Reaching out you gently touch his cheek as he looks back at you in shock.
"Well if you won't tell me your eye colour I'd love to see you tattoo." As he processes your last words, a wispy dark purple aura escapes from your fingertips and spreads across his cheek. The aura chips away at the enchantment spell that was placed on his face and an arrowed mark appears. There was no way he could deny anything now. As you smile in triumph he roughly grabs your wrist pulling your hand off his face, causing the spell to immediately cover the mark up once again.
"You are too curious for your own good," he growls, "and remember, it was curiosity that killed the cat darling."
"But satisfaction brought it back," you quote countering his threat. "Besides, only the curious have, if they live, a tale worth telling at all."
"Beauty and brains," he mutters his face softening again. Gently he reaches out and tucks one of your stray strands of hair back behind you ear. "What more could a man ask for."
"To not be punched in the face? Let go of my wrist Deimos." you order. Cringing at the use of his real name Deimos reluctantly lets go of your wrist and takes a step back holding his hands up mocking his 'defeat.'
"Well now that the secrets out it looks like I'll just have to kidnap you."
"And take me back to Phobos so soon? I thought you'd want to stay a while longer. I mean it's completely Phobos free over here." You could see the clockwork turning in his head over the idea of being able to get at you without Phobos getting in the way. "You might as well stay for the concert this Friday."
"It sounds like you want me to stay here with you. Could it be you are developing feelings for me sweetheart?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself there slick. We both know I'm just conning you into staying cause as long as you're here you're not causing any trouble back in Meridian."
"I prefer my theory but whatever floats your boat darling." This back and forth bantering was starting to get old.
"Sigh. So are you staying or not?"
"If it pleases you I will stay."
"It doesn't please me to have you stay, but it's a more logical option. Now let's get down to business. I'm getting the impression that those are the only earth clothes you have correct?" you inquire judging his current outfit. It wasn't a bad outfit it just wouldn't work for the rest of the week. Especially since he was currently posing as a 14 year old boy, if his spell was strong enough then his smell could easily be so to by the end of the week.
"Yes…" he tentatively replies looking down at his clothes.
"Ya okay. Follow me," you order. After a quick check to make sure there isn't any oncoming cars you start to cross the street.
"Where are we going?" asks Darik mimicking your actions and looking both ways before following you.
"I'm taking you to the mall."
"The mall?"
"Ya it's a place where teens like us go to hang out and spend money on brand name companies in the hope of fitting in and being accepted by their peers." you look over at Darik who is completely confused by your explanation. "It's a giant indoor marketplace."
"I see. And why are we going to this 'mall'?"
"We need to get you some more clothes. If you show up in the exact same outfit tomorrow the Grumper Sisters are going to eat you alive. Besides this will be a great 'cultural learning experience.' At least that's what we're gunna call this."
"What else would you call this," rhetorically inquires Darik. "A date perhaps?"
"Nope this is defiantly not a date, and if you dare day that word again I swear to god I will not hesitate to push you into oncoming traffic," you threaten. Darik lets out a small laugh while you start to question if this was a good idea.
