G'day Mates! Welcome to chapter nine!
As always, I would just like to express my undying gratitude to all my mind-numbingly awesome reviewers! Words can't express how amazing your reviews are!
I also thank all my readers for taking the time to get to know these characters a little better along with me. But I would like to ask that you all review as well. It would mean the world to me and really does warm the heart.(Yep, I have one of those :) ANYONE can review so I don't mind if you send an anonymous review!
A separate and very special word of thanks goes to tinianiatt, Beta reader extraordinaire. Thanks!
Lastly: I do not own 'Class of the Titans' or the 'Dark Phoenix.' So any secret spies on the lookout for copyright infringement can just forget about suing me! :)
The shocking news that Herry was now dating Medelia Black had still not worn off. Even his friends were greatly surprised, since she had shown about as much interest in him as if he was a particularly foul smelling dog. She certainly didn't date him for his popularity which was, jovial personality aside, not really that good. But the teens were very careful not to let their confused thoughts show around Herry; they just couldn't bear to bring him down from the constant high he was on.
To say that Herry was ecstatically happy was a huge understatement. His face was now permanently dominated by a goofy smile and there was a definite spring in his step that had nothing to do with the bouncy shoes Neil had bought him during the ill-advised makeover.
All of this buoyancy, however, could not completely cover the growing tension in the air. Theresa didn't approve of Medelia and was now taking it out on Herry, who didn't understand her frosty attitude. Gareth had also been mildly irritable the last few days. Most of the blame for his sour demeanour could be placed firmly on Neil's shoulders; for Neil was still suspicious of Gareth's journal and took every opportunity he could get to try and read it. The last time he did so, leaning over Gareth's shoulder as he wrote, Gareth became so enraged that he accidentally slammed the book into Neil's nose. It took a lot of patience and good ear plugs, for Herry to break up the resulting cat fight - for there was no other way to label the pathetic slapping and pulling of hair.
"I think it's time I taught you to punch, Gareth," Herry had said after Neil had stormed out of the room in a huff.
All day long, there was an electric charge in the air; the clouds were packed together and the sky rumbled like a very hungry giant. The promise of a storm hung heavily in the air, as if the weather could sense everybody's heightened emotions and was mimicking them.
The darkening clouds didn't stop Gareth, Herry and Odie from excitedly crossing the street to school for the promised training session. Gareth in particular was bouncing around like a hyperactive four-year-old. He was clearly looking forward to being able to defend himself properly from Daren Manson, who still followed them around in the hope of getting them alone. Although, Gareth might also have been excited by the prospect of warding off Neil…
"Gareth, buddy, you're doing it wrong again," Herry said, grinning. He was apparently enjoying teaching Gareth and Odie to punch properly. He made a fist and showed it to Gareth. "You have to keep your thumb inside your fist, like this, see?"
Gareth smiled and nodded enthusiastically from his spot next to the punching bag. Behind him he could hear the furious scribble of a pen dancing across paper. Odie was taking notes of every instruction Herry gave.
"You ready?" Herry asked as he took up position behind the punching bag. "Now I'll hold it for you. Just give it all you've got and remember what I said about your thumb. Think of the bag as Neil."
Gareth smiled wickedly and took an offensive stance behind the colossal punching bag. He looked a bit apprehensive, but Herry smiled at him encouragingly and egged him on. Taking in a deep breath he pulled his fist back and slammed it towards the punching bag.
Unfortunately, his aim wasn't good. His clenched hand glanced off the side of the bag and slammed into Herry's surprised face.
Both boys jumped around like a bunch of chickens in a snake pit, fist and face seared with pain. Odie was rolling on the floor, his body convulsing with laughter.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Gareth said between gasps of pain.
"S'okay, I'm all right," Herry said as he gingerly prodded his nose. "You hit really hard, but you didn't listen to me about keeping your thumb in."
"Don't worry. I won't ever forget that again," Gareth said as he shook his pained hand.
"I think that's enough training for now," Herry said quickly. "We have to get home anyway. Medelia will be there soon."
Gareth straightened up immediately and the three of them trouped out of the gym.
The sky had completely darkened during their time inside and the heavy rumbling above them was becoming increasingly intense. A slight wind had also picked up and was biting coldly into their skin. Gareth fervently wished that the rain would start pouring already. There was nothing he loved more than a good storm and he felt that the sky had been holding back for long enough.
They ran into the brownstone and frantically got ready for Medelia's arrival. Herry in particular was stressed as he asked Theresa which green shirt he should wear. Medelia's visit was a big deal for Herry who had been dying to take her out on a date. Gareth knew that Herry would have preferred to take Medelia to watch a movie, but she had only caved when he suggested dinner at 'his' place. She was especially interested in the rest of Herry's friends and insisted on having them join the two of them for dinner.
Thus, Athena was to be seen running around the Brownstone in an intense bid to get it spotless. Her usual war on the teens' messy lifestyle had reached, as of yet, unexplored levels of tyranny and left them all too afraid to touch anything. She also spent a large part of the day poring over her numerous cook books before deciding on Beef Burgundy with Belgian carrots and Cardamom coffee mousse for dessert.
Apparently, Herry's first girlfriend that she knew of was a big deal for Athena, who had gone into full-on mother hen mode. She frequently spouted advice about how he should behave around Medelia and chided him so many times, about his fidgeting that he sat frozen on the couch in uncontrollable panic.
The fact that Odie, Jay and Archie were teasing him relentlessly did nothing to ease Herry's nerves. In the end Theresa took pity on him and put the others to work in the kitchen.
The sound of the doorbell ringing woke Herry from his reverie with a start. He sprang up from the couch and bounded to the door.
"Wait!" Neil hissed as he passed. "Don't run! You don't want to look too eager. Let her wait a few minutes."
Herry looked at the door in confusion as if wondering how long he should let Medelia stay outside. Theresa, looking highly irritable, walked out of the kitchen and pulled Neil away.
"Open the door, now!" she mouthed at Herry.
Smoothing out his uncontrollable brown hair, Herry opened the door, nearly ripping it off its hinges in the process. His eyes nearly popped out as he stared at the golden goddess on the doorstep. Medelia's hair, which was pulled back in a stylish bun with two loose strands framing her face, shone like pure gold in the light that flooded from the hallway. She was wearing a beige summer dress with a thin golden chain around her neck and tiny earrings in her perfect little ears. Her red lips looked positively divine and shone invitingly. They reminded Herry of all the juicy apples he had eaten on his Granny's farm and his stomach gave an involuntary growl.
Blushing furiously Herry invited her in. Medelia's eyes scanned the inside of the brownstone as if searching for something. She didn't wait for Herry to lead the way and, instead, walked down the hall while scanning her surroundings. Her face lit up as she walked past the kitchen and saw the rest of the titans scrambling around.
"Jay!" she exclaimed beaming, and launched herself into a more-than-friendly hug. "It's so good to see you."
Theresa, who was unfortunately holding a very sharp carving knife in her hands, looked positively murderous. She seemed to be caught in an intense struggle between the need to spare Herry any pain and the desire to gut Medelia like a fish. Jay, noticing her expression, untangled himself from Medelia's clutching arms and stepped back to a reasonably safe distance. He was lucky that Herry was still in the hallway, thus missing the awkward exchange.
"Hi Medelia," Jay said in as friendly a tone as possible. "Why don't we go into the living room?"
Medelia followed completely ignoring the others and walking by a slightly confused Herry.
"Go after them!" the others mouthed at him as they all crowded into the living room. Herry was obviously going to need as much moral support as they could give.
"Your home is so…adorable," Medelia said in a honeyed voice. "You must be proud to be the man of thishouse."
All of the boys looked highly offended while Atlanta rolled her eyes in exasperation. Theresa quickly stepped forward and clung to Jay's arm as if he was a life preserver keeping her adrift in a stormy sea.
"Oh…Hi there…Theresa. I didn't see you when I came in," Medelia didn't even look at Theresa as she said this.
Instead she stepped closer to Jay's other side and shivered slightly, as if she was dying of cold.
Atlanta gave a snort of disgust. "What's this girl's problem? It's been incredibly warm all day!" she whispered to Gareth who looked highly confused by Medelia's behaviour.
Herry sprang forward and pulled his jacket from the coat rack in the corner of the room. "Here," he said as he draped it over her shoulders. He smiled happily as if he was giving his jacket to the queen of England instead of just Medelia.
"Dinner's ready!" Athena's voice rang from the kitchen and pulled their attention away from Herry's overt display of affection.
Herry held out his hand to Medelia who grudgingly took it and followed the group to the kitchen.
Gareth had observed all of this in utter confusion. He had never met a girl so completely oblivious to what she had and so utterly ignorant of what she couldn't have. Her arrival in New Olympia had definitely sent everyone's comfortable lives spiralling out of control. Jay was permanently bewildered, Theresa had turned into a territorial lioness and Herry had become a love starved puppy. This just wasn't healthy!
Gareth watched as Herry pulled back a chair for Medelia, who half-heartedly walked away from the seat next to Jay. He sighed. This was going to be a very long, very awkward evening.
The sky rumbled angrily as he stared at her emotionless face. There had been a shift in the atmosphere over the last few hours that had nothing to do with the brooding weather. The electric surge he felt in his body whenever victory was at hand was blasting through his veins once more. Only this time it was different. There was a certainty there that intrigued Cronus. Perhaps it was because of the expression on the witch's face when she looked up at the monstrous wooden structure. She seemed so sure.
"They'll have it finished in time?" she asked without shifting her gaze from the skies.
"Of course," Cronus said. "It will be completed in a few hours."
"We might not have that long," the witch said slowly, her gaze shifting as another wooden plank was placed on the ghastly structure. "It will happen very soon. Everything has happened as I predicted. There won't be another chance as good as this…"
"What are these for?" he asked, his gaze washing over the piles of rotting corpses strewn across the ground. Even he felt a twinge of discomfort at being surrounded by their horrid decay.
"My speciality," she said while fondly stroking the face of a dead child that lay before her. She looked quizzically into Cronus' eyes. "My dear Cronus, you're not afraid of a corpse, now are you? They're just empty shells."
Cronus wrinkled his nose and stepped away from her. "I will never begin to understand your sick fixation with the dead. I myself have never been interested in necrophi-"
The movement was so sudden and fierce that Cronus was compelled to fall back a few steps. The witch had jumped up from the ground with such speed that she resembled a severely enraged viper. Her eyes blazed with fire so intense that any normal being would have withered away in their sight. Tremors of barely suppressed rage shook her body as the entire surface of her eyes blackened.
"Don't ever associate me with such a base act again!" she hissed. Her rage crackled like electricity; it was as if her ancient body couldn't contain her anger. She lowered the volume of her words as she spoke, but still every syllable shook with pure rage. "I am simply one who appreciates the subtle art of the decaying corpse. The fine symphony of blackening veins and pale skin is not something I expect someone like you to understand!" She spoke as if discussing a fine wine. Even in her unmatched rage she spoke of the dead with awe.
As suddenly as her rage appeared, it disappeared again. A serene smile smothered her glare so quickly that Cronus felt disconcerted.
The witch pulled her gaze from him as if trying to calm herself and looked up into the skies. "It's going to rain," she said with a ring of pleasure in her voice. "There is nothing I enjoy more than a good storm…"
"Hm… Yes, fascinating," Cronus said sarcastically. "How long do we have left?"
She stood up from the ground and stretched her body into the air until it looked like she was floating off of the ground. She inhaled a deep, rapturous breath of air and smiled in contentment.
"Soon," she said her eyes clasped shut in ecstasy. "It ends tonight."
They had managed to get through dinner without too much trouble. Sure, Medelia was so focused on Jay that she didn't even notice the death glares that Theresa and Atlanta sent her way, and Herry's attempts to get her attention were so painfully pathetic that even Neil had trouble watching, but it could still have been a lot worse especially with someone as unstable as Theresa being angered for so long. The chances were very high that she could go all Dark Phoenix on them and send a purple-aura-of-doom after Medelia. Now that would be interesting…
Neil looked around the table without anyone noticing. He had become so accustomed to his friends' shocking tendency to ignore him that he had learnt to take full advantage of it. If not for this ability to observe, he would not have been able to appreciate fully Medelia's obvious flirting or the fact that her left ear was a few millimetres larger than her right. But even someone with as short an attention span as Herry should have noticed by now that Medelia wanted only one man in the room, and Theresa was currently clinging to that man as if she was a leech clinging to its host. Maybe he liked the punishment? Aw heck, what did he care? All he wanted to do was to get a little bit of everybody's attention back on him. Neil leaned forward and sighed dramatically, but he might as well have been invisible for all the good it did him. Everybody was still unwillingly listening to Medelia drone on-and-on about whatever it was she was talking about. Neil decided that maybe it would be prudent to pay attention to her talking instead of her summer dress, which had gone out of style at least three weeks ago.
"…and of course I didn't know what you meant when you said I wanted to conquer the world, but you were so sweet when you said it wasn't my fault!" Neil rolled his eyes. Oh great, they were still talking about that time she had turned all psycho on them.
"But you're all better now," Jay said quickly, trying to smooth over the awkwardness.
"Oh yes! My therapist was amazing!" she said enthusiastically and then her voice took a sudden seductive turn. "He says that I've recovered enough from my delusions to get back into a relationship."
Jay's face reddened considerably while Herry grinned proudly. A loud coughing sound erupted from across the table where Gareth sat and spluttered with his glass of grape juice shaking in his hand. At the same time the lights above them flickered faintly.
"Are you okay?" Atlanta asked as she gently patted Gareth's back.
"Fine," Gareth said in a raspy voice while eyeing Medelia apprehensively.
Neil had noticed this too. It was strange how quickly Gareth had started to dislike Medelia. Usually Gareth would prance around with that stupid grin on his face and try to be everybody's friend. But with Medelia he had barely given her one glance before turning colder than Hades when Demeter was upset.
Maybe he should give the little hippie more credit. He had, after all, seen through Medelia much quicker than the rest of the boys. Neil gave Gareth's messy hair, wiry glasses and goatee one look before deciding against such notions of praise. He might have a sense for distinguishing character, but he had no fashion sense!
Medelia barely took note of Gareth's near death by asphyxiation and turned back to Jay.
"So how did you come to live here?" Medelia asked. "You always seemed so cool." At her last word she gave a fleeting, near invisible glance in Odie's direction.
Out of curiosity Neil looked in Gareth's direction and saw that his hand had begun to shake. Gareth noticed Neil's attention and quickly hid his hand under the table. Once again the lights above them flickered feebly.
"That's weird," Herry said to no one in particular. The light stopped flickering and, shrugging his shoulders, Herry returned to eating his dessert.
"So what do you guys do with your spare time?" Medelia asked when she saw that Jay wouldn't answer her first question.
Herry grinned happily at finally hearing a question that wasn't directed solely at Jay. "Well," he said, "on Saturdays I like to-"
"Yeah, that's fascinating," Medelia said quickly, effectively cutting Herry off before he could finish his sentence.
Out of the corner of his eye Neil could see the way Gareth's face was reddening. His ears seemed to be on fire and his lips were pursed in a thin line. Above them the lights had begun to flicker again.
"Maybe I should go check the fuse box," Herry said. He looked at Medelia expectantly, but she had eyes only for Jay.
Sighing slightly Herry got up and walked into the hallway. Jay shot a pleading glance at him while he passed; evidently trying to communicate that he didn't want any of Medelia's attention. Herry gave the tiniest of shrugs before disappearing through the door.
A few seconds passed in silence before the sound of the fuse box cover slamming shut echoed through the air. A distant rumbling told them that the storm wouldn't be held off for much longer. Herry walked back into the room, his expression stormy, and took a seat next to Medelia.
The moment he was seated Neil saw her fingers snake through his. This girl was no amateur, that's for sure. Neil knew that she was only paying a little attention to Herry now so he wouldn't get angry and dump her bony backside. She apparently still had some use for him…
Quite predictably, Herry's scowl disappeared, replaced by a furious blush and a goofy grin.
Neil snorted derisively. This sound instantly attracted everyone's attention, and Neil was only barely able to salvage the moment by staring adoringly at his reflection in a spoon.
Medelia had evidently decided that worming her way in with the group at large was a better plan of attack, since she was now addressing people other than Jay.
"So…uh… Garry-"
"My name's Gareth," Gareth said in a chilly voice.
Woo, but that boy can throw a mean cold shoulder! Neil felt a sense of loss for all the potential that was wasted on Gareth's Mary Sue-ishness…
"Yeah…Garry... Anyway, I heard you got into a fight with Daren Manson the other day."
"Uh…yeah," Gareth said uncomfortably, although he did look slightly more interested in the turn the conversation had taken.
"Didn't he break your nose?" Medelia gave his face a once over. "Yep, that nose was definitely broken."
Neil saw Gareth's features stiffen. The lights above their heads were now flickering in earnest. Gareth jumped up as if trying to escape; his grape juice clutched firmly in his hand.
"That must have been embarrassing…" Medelia continued without noticing his sudden erect posture.
The lights above them were now flickering so badly it felt like they were trapped in a disco. Theresa looked from Gareth to the lights in confusion. A feeling of realisation came over him as Neil saw what was happening.
"I heard a few girls laughing about it in the bathroom the other day…"
Ragged breaths escaped Gareth's lips as he tried to get away from the table, but his stupid chair blocked his quick escape.
"Wow! Your nose is really big! It's almost as bad as Herry's-"
A great succession of things happened in the infinitesimal moment before the lights died out for good: everybody's eyes had shot in an enraged Gareth's direction, an amused giggle had skipped across Medelia's lips and Gareth was to be seen lurching forward; his glass of juice extended in Medelia's direction.
Darkness fell over them like a pall as a feminine scream rent the air.
"It's okay Medelia! The power's just gone out," Herry said immediately in a comforting voice.
Medelia's ragged breaths of anger were clearly audible in the blinding darkness. "I don't care about the dark! That freak threw his juice all over my dress!"
"Aw Medelia, I'm sure Gareth wouldn't do that." Jeez, Neil thought, that boy is in some serious need of a good pair of bifocals. Everybody could here Herry shift his weight so he could, more or less, face Gareth in the darkness. "Right buddy?"
Gareth's guilty silence was answer enough.
"Of course he didn't," said Theresa's voice from somewhere in the darkness. "I…I accidentally tripped him when he got up."
Nice save, Red, Neil thought. Nobody spoke up to contradict the lie. Honestly, who could blame Gareth for reacting the way he did? Even Neil felt a pang of pride at Gareth's brilliant, albeit melodramatic, retaliation.
"Whatever!" Medelia said angrily from somewhere to Neil's left. "I'd like to go home now Herry." The tone of her voice clearly stated that she wanted to leave immediately and that anyone trying to stop her would pay dearly.
The only sounds that could be heard were those of Herry and Medelia stumbling to the front door. A few more seconds passed before the sound of his engine roared into life and pulled away from the building.
The silence lasted all of two seconds before a gleeful snicker escaped Theresa's lips. It sounded very much like she was trying to cover her mouth, but still couldn't stifle the laughter that was bubbling forth. Her glee was infectious, and pretty soon everyone was hunched over in their seats in hysteric laughter. Even Jay's somewhat disapproving chuckle was to be heard amongst the guffawing voices.
"I'll go get some candles," he said in between bursts of laughter and he stumbled away from the table, towards the kitchen.
So it was that a few minutes later they were all splayed over the couches in the living room while the sky rumbled furiously outside. The wind had now picked up and the crackle of lightning frequently lit up the darkened building with bursts of light.
Gareth was once again scribbling furiously in his journal, while the rest of them lay around lazily. Neil eyed the leather bound tome suspiciously. For a mere second Gareth's eyes flitted up from the page and locked onto his, as if daring him to try and read over his shoulder again. Smirking slightly Gareth returned his gaze to the vaguely illuminated page. What on earth could Gareth be hiding in there? Neil wished that he could somehow get an opportunity to read that diary…
As if answering his silent wish, Gareth sprang up from the couch and walked up the stairs, only to return a few seconds later with a jacket in his hands. Jay sat up a little at seeing his travelling attire.
"Are you going somewhere?" he asked.
"Um…I'm just going over to the school for a few minutes," Gareth said. "Is that okay?"
"Sure," Jay said. "Just, don't stay out too long. It looks like this storm is gonna be bad."
Gareth nodded his consent and, pulling his jacket over his shoulders, walked out of the front door.
Neil waited for a few seconds after the door closed before he got up. He rose slowly from the couch and yawned theatrically.
"I think I'm going to hit the hay. I really need my beauty sleep."
He didn't wait for their wishes of restful sleep to leave their mouths before he grabbed a candle and bounded up the stairs. Neil walked to his room and opened and closed the door loud enough for the group downstairs to hear. Then, as silent as Herry during a midnight fridge-raid, he stole to Gareth's room and pushed the door open. He was in and had the door closed behind him as quickly as possible.
The moment the door clicked shut behind him he sprang to work, searching every nook and cranny of the room. Once he felt a twinge of excitement when he saw a brown covered book on Gareth's bedside table, but to his dismay he found that it was just one of the many cliché fantasy novels that seemed to be all the rage as of late. He also searched through the entire bookcase in the corner and under Gareth's mattress, but the journal was as conspicuous in its absence as ever. How on earth could someone as neat as Gareth hide such a large book so effectively? Calling Gareth a neat freak would not be an understatement. There wasn't even a teensy bit of dust on the bookshelves.
The glow of light that flashed through the room and the growl of an engine alerted Neil to the fact that Herry had returned. That was fast… There was obviously no need to ask Herry whether he had gotten a goodnight kiss.
Neil spun around the room once in order to find a place that he missed, and was about to give up when he was hit by a revelation. There was only one place he hadn't looked yet. And it was the one place that most guys hid the things they didn't want prying eyes to see…
Neil stalked over to Gareth's closet and opened it for the second time. He quickly searched through it once again before going for the one drawer that he had skipped before out of plain disgust: Gareth's underwear drawer. A scream of purest horror echoed through the room as the contents of the drawer scarred his retinas.
"Neil? Are you all right?" he heard Jay yell from downstairs.
"Um…yeah!" Neil yelled back. "I just thought I'd lost my mirror." As if that would ever happen!
Neil waited for Jay's reply, but apparently he had been expecting something of this nature and remained silent. Neil returned his gaze to the vile drawer in disgust. Row upon row of neatly rolled socks was stacked next to a selection of the most horrifying Y-fronts imaginable. Y-fronts, for heavens' sake! What was Gareth thinking? Making a mental note to stage a fashion-intervention as soon as possible, Neil took a pencil, his favourite for signing autographs, from his pocket and gingerly prodded the contents of the drawer.
Sure enough he managed prod something other than polyester and cotton.
Forgetting his previous squeamish concerns, Neil plunged his hand into the drawer and pulled the tome from beneath the fashion atrocities that hid it. A glow of joy came onto Neil's semi-illuminated face as he left the room to read all Gareth's leather bound secrets.
WOW!! The end of another chapter! This is going so fast!
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