Chapter 11 –

Slowly but surely, Zeva was getting better. She still couldn't talk but she could feel again and she wasn't hiding away anymore. She tried to make up for her inability to communicate by trying to enjoy and be grateful for what she had. She was still sad for the things she had lost in the volcanic eruption including her family but her new parents told her that if she didn't live her life in happiness then her dead parents would be very sad. And, she didn't want that to happen. She wanted her deceased parents to be proud of her.

Zeva liked her new family. They were really nice to her, especially her new parents and sisters. She didn't know why but Cade didn't seem to like her. He tried his best to avoid her. She couldn't tell anyone this but due to him not caring much about her, she had to spend breaks and lunchtime hiding in their school's library because she was being bullied by some males. She hoped Cade didn't know because if he knew then that meant he was letting it happen because he really did hate her. Zeva had never fought with a male before so she didn't know if she could and she wasn't prepared to try just yet. If she did fight back, she knew she wouldn't be able to tell anyone the reasons and her new family would probably hate her, thinking she was a trouble-causer. The males couldn't say anything to her in class but at break and lunchtime, they had a perfect opportunity to bully her. So, she felt she had no choice but to hide away.

Two weeks passed with Cade not seeing Zeva at break or lunchtimes at school. He was worried at why she wouldn't show up. He knew she couldn't be getting her food anywhere else because she always seemed to be starving by the time they got home and no one had said anything about giving her any food. He decided to see what in hell she got up to in the time that others were busy eating or hanging out.

'Ryan?' Cade tried to talk around his mouthful of food. He leveled an amused look at his best friend who was sat opposite him as he leaned over his table in the school dinner hall.

'Yeah? What's up?' Ryan stuffed his mouth with a bunch of fries and started noisily chewing.

Cade saw some girls give them disgusted looks and smiled. It was funny how the girls thought that he and his friend had no table manners, yet would never say no to a dinner date with either . 'Zeva hasn't been showing for lunch for two weeks. I wanna know what's going on. Eat up fast because we are going to go and look for her. I need your nose, man.'

Ryan nodded and doubled his eating speed, which seemed impossible judging by the rate at which he was already consuming his food but Ryan managed it. Cade wasn't surprised in the least as he saw Ryan eating like a whale. He grinned at the thought. Oh yeah, his friend must definitely have some whale in his cocktail. Cade made quick work of his own lunch and then went over to the dinner counter and grabbed a bottle of juice and a box of sandwiches. 'Can I have a bag for these?' Cade asked one of the females who usually served them food. She gave him a bored look. After staring at him for a full minute, her gaze full of hositility, she gave up and finally nodded with a huff.

Having armed himself with a bag of food, Cade signalled for Ryan to follow him and left the dinner hall. Ryan was out of the hall and at his back in no time. Still chewing the last remnants of his dinner, he asked. 'Are those for me?' He raised an eyebrow, looking pointedly at the bag Cade was carrying.

'No, I grabbed some food for Zeva. Wherever she is, she'll be hungry.' Cade tried his best to sound un-caring. But, damn it, he did care. 'Why don't you start thinking up possibilities, huh?' Cade focused his friend's and his own attention back to the search. He didn't want Ryan to start talking about his so-called feelings that was all he talked about nowadays. Cade stealthily moved around in the corridors. He knew Ryan had a good chance of finding her because he was great at recon and search just like his Dad, Biggs.

'I reckon there's two places a female would go to be alone. Toilets or a quiet place.' Ryan said thoughtfully as he walked beside Cade. 'Personally, I don't think she spends all her time in the toilets, which leaves us the quiet place.'

'Well, there's no quiet place here.' Cade felt frustrated. Why did that female insist on being so damn difficult?

'There is one.' Ryan's face lit up when the realisation hit him.

'There is?' Cade was sceptical.

'The library. I'm sure we'll find her there. Come on, it's this way.' Ryan didn't stop for a response and started leading Cade to the school's library. Ryan knew Cade had never been to the library. Well, he had only been once himself when he had needed a place to fuck Sash. Reading wasn't something they would be seen doing even in death. It was believed to be un-cool. Kids always made fun of the geeks or the kids who read. Though, secretly he did read books, he'd never admit to it. And, he knew Cade was the same. It was better to pretend you didn't like those imaginary stories that ordinaries wrote so well.

Like Ryan had predicted, they did find Zeva in the library. She was huddled over a book in a corner of the room behind a bookshelf. Cade was furious. She had had him anxious over this. Just cause she was into books didn't give her the fucking right to make him worry. 'Zeva, what the hell are you doing here? Do you have any idea how worried I've been? Fuck this.' Cade seethed. Ryan put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down but it wasn't helping.

Zeva looked up at Cade who was giving her the dead-eye and she couldn't help it, she started crying. She hadn't meant to make him so angry. Why did he hate her so much? He always spoke to her in an angry tone. It wasn't her fault that his family had made her their pack. And, it wasn't her fault no one liked her in school because they thought she was a freak and defective.

Cade saw the tears and kicked himself mentally for being so harsh. He immediately hated himself for what he had just said to her. He had already realized a long time ago that she drove him crazy for some reason. He was well aware of his habit of sounding harsh whenever he spoke to her. He took a deep breath and then sat beside her on the floor. He mournfully looked at her profile. He had really hurt her this time. She always nuzzled his neck or touched him as a greeting when he came close to her. She always did it with all the pack. But today, she didn't move. She just carried on crying silently.

Cade reached out to touch her but she flinched at his touch. 'Hey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shouted at you like that. It's just I was worried about you. Why don't you come to the dinner hall for lunch?' Cade tried to keep his tone soft. He moved closer and put his arm around her shoulder. He buried his nose in the crook of her neck. He smelt fear. The smell wasn't strong but it was enough for him to pull back and look in her big blue eyes. 'Zeva, what are you scared of?' Cade exchanged looks with Ryan who had been silently watching them.

Zeva panicked. She didn't know how to tell him about the males who called her freak and defective and threatened to hurt her in cruel ways.

Cade saw the look on her face and decided he hated it. He wanted to see her back to normal. Well, as normal as she could be. She was always so happy at home when she played with Mila and Lima or when she tried to get her way with his parents. However, happiness seemed to elude her at school. 'Look, what I brought you. You must be hungry. Eat up, okay?' He took out the sandwiches' box and juice bottle out of the bag and waited for her to grab it out of his hand like she did with others at home. She remained in the same position, not moving a muscle. Cade didn't know why but his heart was hurting. It felt like it was breaking. Not understanding the cause of his heartache, he dismissed the feeling, telling himself that he must've ate his food wrong. He took a sandwich out of the box and held it near her mouth. 'Eat.' She took a bite but he saw how hard it was for her to swallow. Silent tears kept falling down her beautiful face as he fed her.

Whilst Cade fed her, Zeva watched him and his expressions. It was hard to eat around the lump in her throat. She felt like she was going to choke but she managed it somehow. She willed herself to swallow for him. It was the first time he was showing her any care she wasn't going to make him think she was ungrateful.

Ryan watched from a table as his best friend took care of the girl he cared so much about. Ryan was sure that these new feelings terrified Cade. Cade seemed to be so scared of what he felt that he was adamant on proving his feelings wrong by pretending to hate Zeva. It would've been funny if she wasn't already hurt. Ryan had heard Max and Alec's love story a lot of times from his parents and others. It looked like Cade had inherited the denial gene from them. He was thankful his own parents had easily known that they belonged together. He would hate to act all angsty like Cade if he met a girl he felt different about. He could already see, this couple was gonna take some time in realizing how good they were together. He couldn't be wrong about them. They had so much chemistry. He could feel it, standing this far. Now wasn't the time to think of these things though. They needed to sort this thing out first. He had a feeling that she was hiding here for a reason. He got out of his lounging place when Cade got up and pulled her up with him.

'Come on, let's go.' Cade said.

'Wait.' Ryan wanted to resolve the issue once and for all. He didn't want Zeva to hide alone because she was scared of something. He knew Cade wasn't as perceptive as him and wouldn't figure it out as fast as him.

'What?' Cade asked, squeezing the small hand he was holding reassuringly. He gave Zeva a small smile. She didn't smile back. She had that blank look on her face that he had come to hate. It meant she was hurting and wanted to block her pain.

Ryan moved in front of Zeva and gave her his most dazzling smile. 'Zeva, why don't we sort this problem out today? I know you can't tell us what's wrong but you can write. I want you to write your problem. Why do you feel you have to hide away in here alone?' Ryan grabbed a pen and paper and handed it to her. She looked at it for a long minute before smiling and giving Ryan a hug. He was shocked to say the least but that was the moment he gained another sister. And, he was determined to protect her and make her happy.

Zeva couldn't believe it. She was so stupid. Why hadn't she thought of this? She couldn't speak but she could write. She had liked Ryan from the start but she hadn't been sure if he liked her like he liked Mila and Lima. And, it only seemed logical that he wouldn't like her because Cade hated her and he was his best friend, like his brother. But this showed that he cared. He wanted to know her problem so he could sort it out just like a brother would.

'The guy called Reul called me a freak and defective. He had four other males with him. They are all in our class. They said that it was only a matter of time before they got the chance to make me more defective and to hurt me. Although I can fight females, I've never fought with boys and am not trained like your nation's kids are. The only thing I could think of was hiding away when I wasn't in class where Cade or you were because I knew no one would hurt me in class if my pack member was there. But I wasn't sure if Cade didn't already know that I was being bullied. He hates me so I thought even if he knew he wouldn't care. I didn't try to fight the boys myself because I didn't want anyone to think I am a trouble-causer. Everyone's been so nice to me. Mommy, Daddy, Mila, Lima, Cece, Biggs, Kyla, Lyla, Joshua and all the other nice people. I didn't want to disappoint anyone. I am sorry I caused you two so much trouble and made you worry.'

Zeva handed the paper to Ryan to read and waited for their disappointed and agitated expressions which were sure to adorn their faces.

Cade moved closer to his friend to read the paper and choked on the lump that formed in his throat as he read what she had written. Without a second thought, he pulled her in his arms and started murmuring his apologies. 'I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I should've been looking after you like I'm supposed to.' He held her face in his hands to make eye-contact with her. A tear fell out her left eye and he wiped it away with the pad of his thumb. 'You don't have to be scared of any male anymore. I promise you, I won't let anyone hurt you. You don't have to hide here alone, Okay?' He caressed her cheek. She nodded at him in response.

Cade felt like crap. He couldn't believe his stupidity. He should've known something wasn't quite right when Reul and his gang hadn't said anything to him about her. If his parents found out about this, they would really be disappointed in him. He hadn't been paying any attention to her in school or he would've seen her fear, would've smelt it. He had been too busy eye-fucking other girls in class to care about her. And, what was worse, was she thought he hated her. Is that how badly he had really been treating her? Fuck that, everything was going to change starting now. If someone dared even look at her in the wrong way, they were going to have to have him to answer to.

Cade kept his word. Over the next few days, he was like Zeva's shadow. Staying at her side at all times whilst they were in school, he only left her when nature called and even then Ryan was with her. Although they noticed that she seemed much more relaxed and happy, both boys also realised that there were down-sides to their arrangement. Passing time with girls had become hard since they had started hanging out with her. The girls in school avoided talking to them or gave them angry looks. They knew the reason for the lack of girls following them around. However, they couldn't do anything about it. Cade couldn't just go back on his promise to Zeva and Ryan didn't want his best friend to suffer alone.

'Dude, this is crazy. Why don't the girls talk to us anymore? What's their problem, anyway?' Cade asked Ryan in an annoyed tone as he checked-out the girls in the hall. They were waiting by the girls' toilets for Zeva.

'I totally agree. I haven't scratched my itch for too long. Need some lovin'.' Ryan winked and smirked at the X5 and X6 girls, who passed them heading to or from the toilets, as he leaned against the wall by the door.

'It all started when we started hanging out with Zeva.' Cade couldn't help the accusatory tone. He glanced over at Ryan and gave a frustrated sigh. 'You know what? I think I'm gonna give her some lessons in self-defence. I'll train her and then we won't need to stay with her all the time. Yeah, that's it. I am definitely training her, starting today.' Cade resolved.

Later that day, Zeva was in high spirits. She happily bounced alongside Cade and Ryan as they all walked to Ryan's home after school. She had got her first review report for her performance in school. She had already read it but she couldn't wait to show it to her parents. All the teachers were happy with her performance and thought she was a genius, better than a lot of others in her class.

Zeva felt so grateful to be alive and well looked after. The boys had kept their word and hadn't allowed any male close to her. She felt nothing could go wrong in her life now. But as soon as they all got to Ryan's, Cade quashed her happiness. He told her that she had to head home with him rather than stay with the girls at Ryan's. She was devastated she couldn't play with the girls as she usually did until their parents came to pick them up. Ryan's sisters were so nice to her and her own sisters loved her too. She didn't understand why he was taking her home. Her parents hadn't said anything in the morning that would explain this.

Cade told her he wanted her to do something. He didn't elaborate on what that something was. She felt confused. What would he want with her? She also felt nervous for some unknown reason. She was aware of how Cade flirted with girls and in the past few days whilst hanging out with him, she had unintentionally heard him talk about sex a few times. She knew he hadn't meant for her to hear. That was why she had pretended to not know anything about his hushed conversations with Ryan. At first, she hadn't understood the talks. It wasn't like she knew anything about the topic anyway. Early on in her teens, she realized other kids who were her age were mostly sexually active. To her, it was as though she was the only one who thought that it was wrong, that you were only supposed to have sex with your chosen mate.

Walking home with Cade, she told herself that she had nothing to worry about. It wasn't like Cade was going to try anything with her. He was her pack. He wouldn't think of her in that way, even if she wanted him to, which she really didn't. Wanting to constantly touch him or be touched by him didn't mean anything. And she wasn't jealous when he smiled at and flirted with other girls, she was just looking out for her pack member.

Zeva didn't have to wait long to find out what Cade wanted her to do. When they got home, Cade told her to change into some work-out clothes. She didn't have any clothes specifically for working out. So, she shook her head.

'What? You won't do it?' He asked her in a disbelieving tone. She shook her head vigorously, trying to tell him that he didn't understand. He frowned at her, making her want to cry at her inability to tell him what was wrong. In her last attempt, she pointed at her body and grabbed a bit of clothes in her hand and then let it go abruptly, throwing her hands up and rolling her eyes. 'You don't have those types of clothes.' He groaned as he realised what she was saying. She nodded and let out a breath, relieved. 'Okay, I'll give you some.'

Cade went to his room and started looking for a pair of his clean shorts which would have enough elastic to stay in place. He found a black pair and took it to her to wear. 'Here, these should fit just fine. Wear your least favourite top with them. You'll be sweating a lot.' She nodded in response and left the room to go and change. He went back to his own room and changed into some shorts and a plain gray t-shirt.

He came back in the living room to find her sitting on a couch munching on some Pecan nuts and drinking a soda whilst reading one of Mila's girly magazines. She didn't notice him enter so didn't look up. She kept her eyes on the article she was reading. The sight took his breath away. She looked so beautiful and sexy, sitting cross-legged wearing a black vest top and his shorts. The sinful thoughts that were playing in his mind were going to make him hard, if he didn't focus on something else.

'Zeva, I'm ready.' It was so true. He was ready for some action. Action she couldn't give him. She looked at him and gave him a shy smile. Leaving the magazine on the table, she got up. 'Why don't you finish your food, then we'll start your training. I'll grab something to eat too.' He quickly trudged over to the kitchen cabinet and grabbed a packet of M&Ms. He needed something to get his mind of the temptation that was just a few feet away from him.

An hour later, they were in the gym room on the 3rd floor of their home building. Cade was showing her the SING technique where you hit someone with maximum force in the solar plexus, in-step, nose and groin. 'Right, I'm gonna come from behind you and I want you to do the SING. Go easy on the G, though.' He saw her turn red. He couldn't help but think she looked cute, blushing like that. He moved behind her and tried to attack her like another male would. She performed the SING and in no time they were sparring again. He realised she was letting out her anger because as time passed, she became more aggressive in the punches and kicks she was subjecting him to. He felt her frustration, so he let her release it. However, that meant she was hurting him because he wasn't responding to her attacks, instead he was simply trying to save his body from harm.

When Cade had had enough, he retaliated. It was hard. She was like a wild animal. In desperation, he kicked her so she fell to the floor on her stomach. He held her hands behind her back as he leaned in close to her ear and whispered. 'Stop fighting me.'

He used his free hand to move away the hair which covered her neck. He heard her moan as he started kissing the back of her neck. She moved under him and he let go of her hands. She turned round underneath him so they were face to face and he was pinning her down on the floor with his body weight. She was so close, so close in fact that he could taste her breath. His eyes darkened as she licked her lips. His gaze moved from her lips up to her eyes and back to her lips again. He saw her chew on her lip as she looked up at him with a nervous and confused expression marring her face. She looked so innocent and beautiful. Without another thought, he dropped his head. Leaning in, he slowly brushed his nose against hers before pressing his mouth over hers. The kiss was gentle at first because he had only meant to give her a chaste kiss. But, it became more. He realized he couldn't stop. She tasted better than anything he had ever had. His tongue tasted the inside of her mouth when she parted her lips in a gasp. Both his hands came up to cup her cheeks as he deepened the kiss.

Zeva thought she was floating. Heat pooled in her stomach as Cade deepened the kiss. She heard a moan. She was sure it was herself. She had never been kissed before. She had never expected it to be like this. The fact that her first was Cade made it all the more special but it also reminded her that she wasn't his first. This kiss meant nothing to him. It probably wasn't a big deal for him. She couldn't allow him to carry on. No matter how much she wanted to feel loved. She wasn't like other girls.

He felt her tense up under him and straighten her back. She pushed him. It was like a cold bucket of ice had been poured on him. He pulled away and hastily got off her, breathing heavily. 'Zeva, I don't know what…I should…' He fidgeted and ran his hand through his hair. He stood up and held out his hand to help her up but she didn't take it. She got up and gave him a sad look before leaving the room. 'Shit.' He said to the empty room and kicked the punch bag which was hanging from the ceiling a few meters away.


A/N; Bonus points if you got which film i got the SING technique from???

Reviews would be nice.........(wanna know wot u guys want to happen?)