Note: I do not own or have anything at all to do with The Predator franchise in any way. The only reason why I have decided to write this fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only and no profit will be made from this in any way, shape or form.

P.S. I do apologize for being away for so long. I have been busy with work and also working on some other projects at the moment with my writing. But, I am back and I will do my best to be around more this time.

Chapter Twenty-Six

The following morning, Mariah didn't really want to go to school from the prospect of having to deal with what was going to happen when she got there. She was being pursued by two yautjas that both wanted her bad enough that they were prepared to fight over her. The idea alone was reason enough for her to just lie in her bed at home and not really do anything outside of it.

That day, she was relieved that her father offered to take her to school instead of her walking there out of an unspoken fear of one of her suitors finding her on the way and getting her to go with them to school. The last thing she needed was arriving to school and becoming more of a talk among the people than she already was. A soft breath left her mouth as the school was coming in the distance while she held her hands in the lap of her dark denim shorts while she was wearing a dark gray colored short-sleeved top and black sneakers to go along with it. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail to keep it out of her eyesight so she could look out the window.

I really don't want to do this. I just want to go back home and not go inside that building with so many going to ask for me about Cahtair and Zedo wanting me to be with them. Why can't dad just let me stay home one day and not worry about it?

She waited for the vehicle to stop in front of the school before one of her hands went to open the door. Before the handle lifted up enough for her to get the door open enough for her to exit the vehicle, the sound of her father's voice speaking to her had her attention to focus back onto him to take in what he had to say to her.

"I know that you are going to be facing a lot of questions today about you being pursued by Cahtair and Zedo, Mariah," Cohra said, "but, just do your best to get through all of them without allowing yourself to be too overwhelmed about it."

"That is easy for you to say, dad." Mariah had a little bit of a snap to her voice as she spoke to him. "You are not the one that is having two yautjas pursuing you for the next six months for the purpose of having you as their girlfriend before you turn the new age for you to be sealed to them as their mate for all time."

"Things have changed since I was with your mother, Mariah."

"How did you go about courting mother?"

"Actually...There was no courtship."

"What do-"

"I took your mother as my mate the day that I met her for the first time. There was no dating like your age and the others coming up in the colony do these days."

She couldn't mask the shock on her face from the realization that her father didn't even date her mother, but that he had went about the whole thing in a single day with taking her as his mate. Although she wasn't fond of the whole idea of what was going on around her, it was a good thing that the whole courtship had changed to where now their had to be a period before someone was bound to the other in a ceremony.

"Well...I guess I shouldn't be fussing too much."

"You still have the right too with two boys who are wanting you to be their mates in the future to come."

"What am I going to do though, dad? I don't have a choice but to be with them both although I don't like the idea of being with two guys at the same time when I just want to be with one of them."

"All you can do is what comes to you, Mariah. Don't change yourself for any one of them. Just do what you feel is the right thing for you to do, and everything else will come to you."

"I hope you are right about that, dad."

"I know I am."

Mariah went to speak up when she felt like she was being watched and looked towards her window. Her eyes fell upon the form of Cahtair to be standing in a spot, waiting for her to step out of the vehicle so he could be in her presence.

This is what I was afraid of happening at school.

She silently cursed about the whole concept of her having to openly date both Cahtair and Zedo for the next six months. Her hand eased the door open before she looked to her dad to see him giving her an expression of a look that suggests towards her to just do what she can do in order to make it through the day without worrying too much. Mariah gave a nod of her head to him and stepped out of the vehicle, closing the door behind her. Her eyes moved to Cahtair to find him showing his hand to her as he spoke to her.

"Let's get going inside the building and see about getting the day started."

At first, she didn't wish to take his hand out of everyone watching her doing this and the thought that Zedo was around to see her walking hand in hand with Cahtair, having him to get into another fight with him, lingered around in her head. But, she couldn't bring herself to say 'no' to him from where she was and embarrass him or make it seem like she was putting Zedo above him when she had to be fair. Letting out a sigh, she eased her hand into one of his claw-like ones and proceeded to move up the sidewalk leading to the main building of the high school with him at her side.