A/N: Just a reminder again: our timeline is tweaked! I made it so that the characters are a year older and are in their 3rd year of higschool (other than Sam). Currently, it is around the third week of August...Sorry for the long wait. Got two major essays due this month and midterm exams is just around the corner.

Previous chapter summary: Henri and Four learns more about Sam. Henri suspects he's a Garde but is disappointed when he doesn't find any scars on his ankle. Meanwhile, there's also Bernie, the beagle...

Chapter 10: First Day of Junior High

It's the first day of school, and I imagine John's reaction once he sees the run down one story building. Our school's not really one to be proud of, made to only fit Paradise's high school students out of its population of 5,243 people. I sigh as I park in the "teacher's" parking lot, which is the only privilege given to me. The rest, such as an office? Nada. I'm still practically like a student even though I have graduated. Stinking school. I smirk: no swearing mode today. Sweet! But will it last long this time?

I walk towards the familiar building and see the mural pirate beside the front door. It's as if it's saying "Welcome to your doom"! I shake my head: not a very welcoming sight at all. I am about to continue past it but decide to give it a double take. Maybe it's purposely drawn like that to scare off kids subtly to prepare them for the horror of high school reality? At least, that of Paradise. How foreboding.

I walk straight to my locker, following the same routine after practically having it memorized by heart. It's simple really: turn left by the office, then just straight ahead. Facing it, I let out a tired sigh. Same old thing, as always.

"Great," though I'm not surprised. A chopped pickle is drawn in a not so discreet way and is splatter all over by - what is this? Blood? I smell it. Nope: just dried ketchup. It was such a masterpiece that the yours truly artist didn't bother staying anonymous and signed it: M.J. Everyone practically knows him, the biggest bully and jock of our school. I try to erase it. Yuck! I don't even know why I still bother. It's not as if I put anything in this junky storage. I learned it the hard way when I caught some students successfully breaking into this durable, impenetrable bank and luckily enough found nothing to their liking - just a bunch of papers. Sadly, those papers were tests I had to grade to a teacher and trying to explain to her why most are crumpled up and ripped wasn't one of my best days. She understood of course. After all, my whole being is motivation for the bullies. I mean, look at me really: a scrawny weak kid. The perfect victim who they just can't leave alone. I don't need to do anything, don't need any excuse, for them to go at me.

Barely satisfied with the locker's end result, I go back to my truck to get my telescope and set it up outside. I've started believing in stars again, hoping that it would lead me to Two and my father. I spend a couple of minutes just looking before kids begin piling into the courtyard. Sarah Hart arrives with her camera and instantly starts taking pictures. Typical. Then I see John and I instantly pack up my telescope. Sarah gets there before I do. Bad sign. Already, he has bad luck in the first day. The bell rings and the students disband Some run, their first class being right at the other end of the school.

"Hey man, what's your first class?"

I look at John in disbelief, "Dude, that was Sarah Hart you just talked to." He blushes, and I continue. "John, Mark James's ex-girlfriend? Ring a bell?" John scratches the back of his neck, still not talking. This guy really sucks at not standing out. Already I'm sure, he's just made Mark's number one victim list. Should I jump in glee from him taking my spot? Nah, he's my friend. "Look, you know who to avoid. I've prepared you for this. There's the office. The principal's Mr. -"

"Harris - I know," answers John, annoyed. Good. "You sound like Henri - stop nagging me." Not good.

Kids. Patience - you need a lot of it to deal with them. Well Sam, considering both of you're both sixteen - umm, I'm gonna stop thinking now. "Oh and John," I call, before he enters the office, "2nd period: Astronomy." He nods and I leave.

In the classroom...

Matching: ADBCEFHJGI. 4/10: FAIL. Turn the page: Definition. Any of the large, self-luminous, heavenly bodies, as the sun, Polaris, etc. - big giveaway and still wrong. The right answer is "stars". Seriously, don't these students have any common sense at all? I finish grading quickly, and soon find myself bored. The door opens, and I see John looking pale with Mr. Harries. Another bad sign and I subtly shake my head. I remember what Henri warned me about this morning: "If there's anything off about him, anything, I want you to run." The last part caught me off guard as I assumed he'd say, go to the nurse or something. Running seems to me like an overreaction just because something is off about John. Speaking of the kid, John will have none of that however and since Henri was stressing it, I agreed anyway.

I look up in time to see Mark attempting to trip John unsuccessfully. I sigh in relief at first, then clear my throat in warning. Mrs. Burton stops writing on the board and whips her head around: "What happened?"

John's reaction puts all eyes on him again. "Nothing." He looks at Mark then, "Well?" and the number one jock actually looks away first. Unbelievable. "That's what I thought." I repress the urge to shake him, demanding whether he's crazy or not. One after all, is enough: me.

A few minutes into the class, I notice John starting to sweat and sway, looking sick. Then, the light - unnoticed by everyone but me. The bells rings, and I stand right away, helping John get out of the class. His weight, which at first felt like trying to move an unyielding Iron Man, does not bother me anymore thanks to Henri's insanely packed training. Trust from him came very easily after that first breakfast, though I still cannot comprehend how - must be my beagle as crazy as that sounds. There was simply no other plausible explanation. Bernie was just always there, protecting me.

Mark blocks our path just straight ahead. "What's your problem?" Sarah pushes him. Thank you Ms. Hart, and I stir John to the opposite direction so we could avoid him. I shove ourselves in the nearest door I could find and shut the door locked. John is crouching, rocking back and forth. He opens his palms and my eyes widens - this light, it's like Two's! Like the very first time she summoned me.

I collapse as well. "Who are you?" I whisper.

He keeps rocking, back and forth. Back and forth. I want to reach him, but am afraid.

Then, our saviour comes, "John, Sam? It's me."

Henri.

AN: You won't have to wait long for the next chapter; just have to finish editing it first. Happy R&R! We're finally in the book's timeline. We kinda entered it awhile ago but... Anyway, for those who read it, do you remember this? Did you find any similarity/differences? The movie version is similar too although this time, we've got someone with Four as he acquires his first legacy...

Spoiler for the next chapter: TWO