Chapter 10: Lunch With A Dragon ~ Miku

Unlike most teens on a Saturday, I'm wide awake before dawn and start my day by running three blocks. I love the feel of my heart pounding, my legs moving, my skin sweating, my blood rushing, and my muscles aching. I love to run, and I don't have to slow time to do it. It's something I can do while being perfectly normal. Running is the one thing that never fails to empty my head, leaving me stress and worry free.

I was on the track team at my last school until I was cut sometime last year. We were jumping hurdles, and in my attempt to jump, my ankle got caught on the bar, I fell on my face, and broke my nose. As fast as a runner I am, I was by no means the fastest - coach had absolutely no problem cutting me and my sliced ankle and bloody nose from the team. Had it not been halfway through the year, I would have tried out for this school's track team; but since that won't be happening till next year, I suppose I can spend free period running circles in one of the many fields if I ever feel the urge.

After my run, I shower and put on a pair of light blue jeans and a green plaid shirt. I braid my wet hair before heading down the stairs and pouring myself a bowl of cereal. The kitchen counter acts as a normal counter inside the kitchen while the other acts as a bar table, complete with bar stools. It is there I sit as I watch cartoons from the mini television set my parents bought back in the 90s shortly after they married. I like having the tiny TV there in the kitchen. Since all you can find these days are 42-inch flat screens, you can't get a small TV to sit on your kitchen counter and have it play while you cook or eat. The only way you can get that feel now is to bring your laptop into the kitchen and open your Netflix account. Where's the appeal in that?

"You have plans for today?" Mom asks as she enters the kitchen and opens the cupboard doors under the counter. "If you're eating cereal, you obviously don't intend on waiting for my scrambled eggs and your father's French toast like you do every Saturday."

"I'm going to check out the bookstore since I haven't yet and see what they carry," I turn SpongeBob off and answer as Mom pulls out the frying pan, "and then I'm meeting Luc for lunch at the pizza place."

"Luc is such a nice boy," Mom notes as she sets the pan down. "You should invite him over sometime. It would be nice to see him again."

"I'll see if he's up for dinner," I offer as I shove a massive spoonful of sugary goodness into my mouth.

"Morning, sweetheart," Dad comes from behind and kisses the top of my head.

"Mornin'," I casually drop.

"Going out?" Dad asks as he searches the fridge for the bread and butter. Don't ask me why my family keeps our bread in the fridge: all I know is Mom hates the idea of taking bread straight from the freezer and leaving it on the counter, hence the fridge.

I nod. "With Luc."

"That's right," Dad says as if just recalling something he forgot he knew. "Luc goes to school here. Where does he go again?"

"St. Luke's Stream State, Lui," Mom answers. "It's his freshman year."

"Of course," Dad puts the bread and butter on the counter while I finish off the last of my cereal and move from the seat. "How does Luc like college?"

"He can't stand his roommate, but he likes his classes," I say as I wash my bowl. Once I put away the dishes I pick up my wallet, cell, and keys from the table. I also grab my gray hoodie for good measure. "I'm going out."

"Bring an umbrella, dear," Mom says as she cracks an egg open. "It looks like it might rain."

"It always looks as if it might," I snort but take the umbrella anyway. It's been cloudy all week and rained last night. I'm beginning to forget what sunny weather looks and feels like, if I'm exaggerating.

After I leave the house I drive to the only bookstore in town. It's independent and locally owned, which I like, but the selection could be better. In the end I pick out These Broken Stars - because I'm a sucker for pretty, hardcover books - and make my way to the check out. I set the book on the counter and watch as the cashier scans the novel. Strange, she looks familiar.

She's wearing a large white top with an open black vest and a pair of light blue jeans. Her skin is cappuccino colored, and her raven hair is held in a knot on the back of her head. Her dark eyes avoid mine as she asks, "Did you find everything okay?"

"Yes, thank you," I reply as I try to figure out where I know her. When my eyes land on her nametag, the familiarity makes complete sense. "I have Algebra class with you!" I exclaim, pointing my index finger at her despite the gesture being incredibly rude.

Blushing slightly, Mew does not make eye contact as she greets, "Hey, Miku."

"Hi, Mew," I smile as I pull my wallet from my back pocket. "Sorry I didn't recognize you sooner. You look so different without your . . . makeup."

Mew still won't look me in the eyes. "It's an ancient custom in my tribe to wear the face paint, but I'm restricted from wearing it while I'm working my shift here." Mumbling under her breath so quietly I assume she didn't intend for me to hear, Mew says, "I feel so exposed without it."

"I think you look beautiful," the words are past my lips before I knew the comment was being formed. I cover my mouth in embarrassment, and Mew snaps her head up to lock eyes with me. Her cheeks begin to shift from cappuccino to pink, and her dark eyes widen in surprise. Great, she now must think I'm weird.

"Th-thank you," she mutters as she returns her attention to the cash register. She tells me the price, accepts my twenty, and hands me the change. She puts the novel in a small paper bag and hands it to me. "Thank you for shopping with us today," Mew says, reciting one of the lines she has to say to the patrons.

"Have a great day," I return as I accept the bag. "I'll see you Monday." Mew says nothing but nods in acknowledgement.

As I exit the store, something Mew said comes back to me. She said that it's custom for her tribe to wear that ghostly makeup, so does that mean she lives on an Indian reserve? Mew certainly looks Native American, but I don't want to jump to any conclusions.

I've noticed that Mew will spend homeroom sitting in the back of the classroom, not interacting with anyone. She and I sit next to each other in Algebra, but almost none of my hellos are returned. I may be wrong, but Mew doesn't strike me as an anti-social person. She seems more shy and distant than uninterested in communication. Tapping my fingers on the steering wheel, I think about the other times I see her in school, and now that I think about it I remember seeing her sit by herself during lunch period. "Guess I should invite someone to sit with the gang Monday," I decide aloud even though nobody is around to hear me.

"Hey Miks," Luc greets as he meets me in the parking lot after I exit my truck.

I smile. "Hey."

"How have things been going?" Luc asks as we enter the pizzeria, a serious glint in his eyes.

Mirroring his expression, I answer, "I'm not sure. I will tell you about it after we order."

Once the two of us are seated and our order - the two slices of pepperoni for five dollars lunch special - arrives, I carefully word how to start the conversation. "So," I begin as I play with the garlic powder shaker, "you remember how I accidentally . . . make mistakes when I'm startled?"

"Oh gosh," Luc facepalms himself, knowing immediately where I'm going with this. "Who saw?"

"First was Rin, one of my friends," I say. "She's . . . not normal, like us, but I don't know her well enough to completely trust her yet." Saying the words make me feel as if I've eaten a rock. Rin doesn't know me well either, but she trusted me enough to tell me why she was so upset the other day. I could have laughed at her for letting the taunts of her younger cousin get to her, or I could have told her she was being a sensitive freak for being on the verge of tears for something like what happened that morning, but instead Rin trusted me to listen to her problem and not judge her for being so concerned by what her brother feels about her. If I didn't know she was a Monster, this situation would be different, but knowing that she is indeed a Monster - even if not knowing exactly what she is - and not letting her know that I'm not so different just shows how little faith I have in my new friend. What kind of a person am I?

"Rin's a great kid," I go on to say, calling Rin a kid despite the fact she's older than me, "and a good friend, too. I actually . . . I actually feel guilty for keeping her in the dark."

"Do you know what she is?" Luc asks. After I shake my head he continues, "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself if you don't know what she is, either. Once she learns what you are there will be no going back, so be certain you trust this girl with your life before you say anything."

"I know," I sigh as I peel off a pepperoni from my pizza. Suddenly I don't have an appetite anymore. I get it's not as if I can be all "Good morning, Rin. Guess what? I'm a Time Manipulator!" but I can at least let her in on my being average challenged. How I'm going to do that, I don't know yet.

"Are you positive this girl didn't catch on to your slip up?" Luc asks.

"I'm pretty sure," I answer with a shrug. "Either she bought my lame fat mass excuse or she's an incredible actress. She doesn't seem like much, but I'd rather overestimate her than underestimate her."

All is silent until Luc raises an eyebrow and questions, "Fat mass?" Shaking his head, he says, "Never mind that. What about the boy? Has he been doing a decent job of keeping his mouth closed."

"Almost flawless," I reply. "He sorta threatened me in class the other day - don't look like that, Luc, I didn't mean literally - but he is a very good secret keeper. I may not like the guy, but he's very trustworthy with this sort of thing."

"Then why do you not like him?" Luc smiles, knowing me well enough to assume an accurate answer.

"He's a cocky flirt who makes it his goal to attempt flirting with me every damn day," I growl, making Luc laugh. Since the both of us went to high school together for two years, that ending when Luc graduated last June, he knows full well how I take to flirts. I think they're complete morons who have nothing better to do than trying to get a pretty girl to sleep with them. There's a fine line between flirting and being a straight up flirt, and Len Kagamine is a straight up flirt. "What's more," I add, "he's British, so be probably thinks I melt at the sound of his accent." Now Luc is really laughing.

"You don't even like British accents!" Luc says when he catches his breath.

"Not that I don't like them," I peel off another pepperoni, "it's just I think British accents are too mainstream. Why do Americans love the UK, anyway? Don't the arrogant Brits hate us?"

"Don't ask me, I'm Irish," Luc smiles as he takes a bite of his second piece of pizza.

"Please, you're just as Irish as I am British," I playfully snorted. "Our ancestors moved to the colonies over two centuries ago."

"Where football is soccer and losing twenty pounds is usually a good thing," Luc muses with a smile.

I chuckle. "Anyway, back to the topic. Len - the boy who knows what I am - seems to be someone I can trust to not blab his mouth about me. Or about what I am, at least. The best friend he told is keeping quiet, too, so I guess things aren't too bad."

"Just be careful, Miku," Luc warns. "One wrong move and God knows what might happen."

"Consider your warning taken seriously," I say as I again find my appetite and begin to finish my lunch. "By the way," I begin, "wanna come over for-" What I was going to say is lost when I recognize a certain blond walk through the door and another boy with mismatched eyes by his side. "Oh crap," I whisper as I immediately look away and pray that Len won't notice me.

"What's up?" Luc asks.

"Speak of the devil and the devil shall appear," is how I chose to answer. By the look in his eyes, Luc immediately cracks the code, and thankfully he doesn't search for our little Brit friend. I pull my hood over my head to hide my super noticeable hair, leaving me unrecognizable from a distance and unworthy of a second glance.

I sneak a peek and find that Len is paying no attention to this side of the restaurant. I'm about to count my blessings before the door opens again and six more teens walk inside. Miki seems to be going at it with Iroha, Yukari is trying to calm her sisters down, Rin and Nero are having a discussion, and a girl I don't recognize has a look on her face that yells she would rather be anywhere else but here.

"How could you forget your hat, Iro?" Miki asks her youngest sister. "That is incredibly air-headed of you."

Iroha is wearing, instead of her signature big hat, a beanie with cat ears on the top. I have to say, the ears look almost realistic. I'm impressed.

"I gave it to Yukari so she could wash it with the rest of the laundry," Iroha defends herself.

"Don't blame me!" Yukari exclaims. "I gave it back this morning."

"You guys are so annoying," the girl moans. She has lemon yellow hair and golden eyes. I quickly make a mental comparison and conclude that this girl is Neru, Nero's twin sister. Huh, they don't much alike save for their bright, golden eyes.

"Can't the three of you knock it off?!" Len snaps, irritated. "All of you are causing a scene. And Rin! You and Nero cut that out this instant."

"We're not doing anything!" Rin argues. Nero is on his smartphone doing I don't know what, and Rin is standing by his side and looking at the screen. "Since someone," Rin jams her finger in Nero's direction, "was looking at the showings for the wrong cinema and had all of us meet sooner than needed, we're checking out the schedule for the one down the road."

"The next showing is at 1:45," Nero adds in, "that leaves us ninety minutes to eat and do whatever before the movie starts."

"See? We're only trying to help," Rin pouts. "Since all of us are spending lunch together and then seeing a movie, this is a better get together than planned. You don't have to ruin it by being so grouchy."

"He's just still pissed that Miku turned down his invitation to the club," Piko oh so helpfully adds in, causing my shoulders to tense up. "Did you see the way she flat out rejected him? Miku didn't even bat an eye!"

"You're popular," Luc mouths to me.

"Don't get me started," I mouth back. Since the line is so long, none of the members of the group are ordering yet. Stupid lunch hour.

"Shut up," Len growls to his silver haired friend.

"Why would you even invite her anyway?" Miki asks in a tone that suggests Len is an absolute moron for giving me the invitation. Ouch. That's cold, Miki. Very cold.

"And how come I'm not invited?" Nero asks, to which Neru mumbles, "Why do you even care?"

"You're Rin's friend, not mine. Talk to her," Len answers Nero before turning to Miki. "And you need to mind your own business." Miki rolls her eyes.

"How about Iroha and I find us all a seat before the place gets too crowded?" Yukari offers, taking her little sister's hand and dragging her away before anyone could respond.

"There's a nice spot in the corner right over there," Rin helpfully informs, and then I realize too late that the spot Rin is pointing out is right behind Luc and me.

Rin looks my way.

Rin and I make eye contact.

Rin recognizes me instantly.

Oh.

Crap.

"MIKU!" the overly hyper girl yells as she runs through the crowded restaurant, bumping into patrons and gaining nearly everyone's attention in the process, to tackle me where I sit and wrap her arms around my body. "It's such a surprise to see you here! And why are you wearing a hoodie indoors?!" she exclaims, bursting my eardrum since her lips are near my ear.

"Still not a hugger," I say but wrap an arm around her waist anyway.

Chuckling, Luc says to Rin, "I assume you're the famous Rin?"

"Yeah, but I'm not famous." Rin lets go of me and sits on the booth, sitting so close to me that our shoulders are touching. "Are you the friend Miku is supposed to hang out with today so that's why she didn't come with us to the cinema? Because Nero planned a showing for the wrong cinema so we won't be going for another hour. Hey Miku, can you and your friend come? Oh! If you don't have any other plans, that is."

Luc's brows shoot up at Rin's running mouth. I'm fairly certain he has no idea what the blonde just said.

"Rin," Yukari says as she and Iroha catch up to her, "use your inside voice." Making eye contact with me she says, "Sorry about that, Miku."

"It's okay," I wave it off. Deciding that an introduction is in order, I say, "Girls, this is Luc. Luc, this is Rin," said girl waves enthusiastically, "Yukari, and her sister Iroha."

Iroha and Luc make eye contact, and Iroha sucks in a sharp breath. The gaze holds for a moment too long, and I notice that Iroha is blushing. Suddenly Iroha squeals before moving to hide behind her big sister.

What was that all about?

"Iroha!" Yukari tries to move, but Iroha won't stop hiding behind Yukari's taller figure. "You're almost fifteen, stop acting like a preschooler!"

While the sisters battle it out, Rin completely ignores them as she leans closer to Luc and asks, "So, how do you and Miku know each other?"

"Yeah, how do you two know each other?"

It's my turn to suck in a breath as I snap my head in Len's direction. Apparently he decided to join in on the action, leaving Piko, Miki, Neru, and Nero to save their place in line, not that three of them are happy about being excluded while Neru doesn't seem to care either way.

Sensing my discomfort, Luc protectively angles his body towards me and asks, "How, exactly, is that any of your business?"

"What? Am I not allowed to ask?" Len glares at Luc. One look at the scowl upon Len's face and it's as if I can see everything the way he sees it.

My hesitation to call Luc my friend when I said I already had plans for the weekend, the way Luc has his body leaning in my direction as if to keep Len away from me if things come down to it, and how I didn't answer Len when he asked me on the first day if I had a boyfriend and how I foolishly ignored answering. Both Luc and Len are having a staring contest that must be a mental battle for dominance. Len's fists are tightly clenched, and Luc looks ready to break Len's face if he has to.

"Can we please look like we're not about to brutally massacre each other?" I try as I lay my hand on Luc's shoulder and look Len in the eyes. Even Yukari and Iroha have stopped their little scramble. Piko, Miki, and Nero are watching with intense interest, giving up their place in line in order to get a better view. Neru has her phone out, undoubtedly recording this in case there's a fight she can get on video. Everyone else in the restaurant is staring, waiting for something dramatic to happen.

"Len," Rin tenses up, as if preparing to jump Len if he starts any fights, "please calm down. You're really scaring me right now." The way Rin says that gives me the impression that Len has looked at guys like this many times before, and each time things never ended well.

Apparently Len hears his sister's words, for he breaks eye contact with Luc and casts Rin a glance before looking at me. Luc also lightens up, but his body is still angled towards me.

I may not know what's running through everyones' heads, but I think I know where part of this is coming from.

Len thinks Luc, the boy I consider my older brother, is my boyfriend.

B-E-A-U-tiful.

A/N:

Raye's been busy but she's finally sent me her next chapter. Due to the wait I'm publishing it today instead of Wednesday, and hopefully I'll remember to post my next chapter on Wednesday instead :)

~Kate