CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
At breakfast, Snow settled at an empty table alone and yawned for what must be the 40th time since he woke up. Sleep had only barely taken him before the sun came up. He had considered skipping breakfast and sleep some more, but school was around the corner and to miss it would cause him more trouble than he wanted. He couldn't afford any more right now. When he first walked out, the idea of seeing Diego disturbed him. Thankfully, the guy wasn't in his room, which meant he had gone to the ritual for vampires. Michael left early to attend some early meeting with the pack. Freddie had to go take a dump at the last minute, so Snow went to the dining hall alone, which was fine.
Snow broke out of his thoughts and took a big bite out of his sandwich. A tray dropped on the table across his seat, and he looked up at Jenny.
"Good morning, Snow," she greeted politely and settled down on her chair.
"Good morning," he replied with little enthusiasm and bit into his sandwich again. He was too tired to be enthusiastic.
The girl obviously noticed his lack of sleep, because she said, "Slept bad?"
He shook his head slowly. "You have no idea. Kept up half the night."
Another tray landed next to his and Freddie's voice joined their conversation. "Hey, Jen, I see you've gotten acquainted with my friend here."
She grinned at the shape-shifter. "Yeah, it was that or sit with some of the chameleons and endure uncomfortable silence."
"Why?" Snow asked. "Did someone get bit by one of the vamps here and got a flu?" He looked unintentionally over his shoulder at the chameleon table and then moved on to the vampires', but it wasn't until disappointment weighted him down did he realize who he was looking for. Could Diego really be so mad at him that he decided breakfast? he asked inwardly.
"That wasn't nice, you know," Jenny retaliated. "How would you feel if someone made a crack about your tail?"
"Sorry. Had a lousy night."
Jenny nodded understandingly. She was probably referring to what happened to Kylie and what he had done to help her. If only he knew what happened before that. "I know. It wasn't a night worth memorizing."
"What are you two talking about?" Freddie complained. "Can you please fill me in so that I can join in and make some comments of my own?"
Jenny filled him in on Kylie's possession and all the craziness that occurred. Right then, Miranda and Perry joined their table and filled them in with their share of the night. Yep, Snow's influence to drive away the wannabe Bloody Mary was among the topic. Then Snow decided to throw in his share of problems, ranging from his horrifying visit to the cemetery to the sea goddess. Turns out, Freddie already knew about the werewolves at the diner; Michael had filled him in on that one. The rest, though, he knew nothing about. "Wow, crazy day and I had no idea what was going on," Freddie commented with wide eyes.
Kylie settled down at an empty table right then.
"Hey, how're you feeling?" Snow asked with honest concern.
She met his gaze with a forced grin. "I'm fine. Thank you so much for your help."
Right then, the front door swung open and Diego walked in. He met Snow's gaze for a brief second, and then he walked away like they didn't know each other. A jab went through Snow's heart. The day felt really dull and it was only beginning. When Derek and Jenny walked in, Snow invited them over and distracted himself with Derek's topic about his misadventure to the auto shop. It didn't help much though. Every now and then, he found himself unwittingly looking over his shoulder to Diego. Derek gave him a teasing look once, which made him even more uncomfortable. But should he care? He had agreed to go out on a date with Diego, so shouldn't that mean they should be more honest?
The thought took a U-turn and wound all the way back to himself. He was the one who should've been more honest with himself. He was attracted to Diego, and though he admitted it, he hadn't wanted anyone to know about them. He had lied to Burnett and Holiday about their little trip to the diner, all because he didn't want the world to know that he was gay.
His train of thought was interrupted by Burnett's loud call for everyone's attention. His tone was as serious as the expression on his face.
"As some of you already know, we have two students who were attacked last night outside of camp by werewolves," he said loudly. "We want everyone to know there is something else in relation to the matter." He looked to his wife and then returned to the students. "Last week, an intruder, a vampire, jumped the fence. Though we caught him and discovered his involvement with a gang, it wasn't enough to contain him for longer than 48 hours. But two nights ago, Lucas's father came to visit and then Lucas reported me what his father had told him." He braced himself. What he was about to say was going to be serious. "There's been talks about gangs roaming around Texas. More of them have been rallying around the state, and we suspect their goal may be us. They feel threatened by what the school is accomplishing, and so we suspect that they will try to take it down." Murmurs started rising in the hall. "Everyone, please listen! Lucas has already passed the information to the werewolf council, and I have done the same with the FRU. They will also pass it to the other elders. Until we find out if the whispers are real, we want everyone to be on their guard. No one leaves campus alone. If you have errands to run, bring a partner with you. And you most definitely do not try to leave campus without informing the staff members. To the vampires and shape-shifters, this means you do not try to fly out of campus. And to the chameleons, this means you most absolutely do not sneak out. Is that clear?"
There were low whispers of yes and some nodded in submission. Clearly everyone took Burnett's warning seriously.
Meet Your Campmate Hour fell out of popularity for the day. About one third of the students were absent, Snow assumed, to be an result of the potential danger from Burnett's warning. The fae group of six had diminished to two: Helen and Derek; most of the weres must have taken a hike to the woods, because there were only five present, Michael included. Snow only hoped they hadn't gone to wage war with the vamps, who were also missing, minus Chris and Della and a few others, Diego included. The witches and warlocks were missing a few, but most were present. The shifters and chameleons were all present though. Steve stole glances at Della, but she just focused on the ground, or maybe she was trying to avoid him. Counting the different paranormal teens made Snow realize how lonely he felt.
"Okay, despite the lack of enthusiasm of the day," Chris began while putting his magician hat on the table. "We should get on with it, because on the other hand, it's healthy to get your mind off of today's pressure." He hung his hands up and wiggled his fingers like a real magician and then reached into the hat. Finally, he pulled out a note and scanned the area for the target. Snow wondered if the target wasn't one of those out of sight. Chris's eyes landed on Kylie, who was standing next to her roommates. She looked very uncomfortable by the glance.
Why?
"Kylie, my friend," Chris pointed out. "Sorry to put you through this again, but when a vamp makes a deal, they can't back out. Now, you get the honor of spending the hour with... Diego. Of course, he had someone else donate. Vampire blood isn't worth much to other vampires."
Snow scanned the field with his eyes until he found Diego with the vamp gathering. He approached Kylie and only gazed Snow's way once before he refocused on Kylie and muttered something to her. She nodded and then walked away, him in tow. Snow hoped for him to glance his way one more time before they disappeared into the woods, but this was one of those wishes that never came true. Chris moved on to the next pairs. Finally Snow's name popped up and he got an hour with Fredericka, the wolf girl who constantly stole glances at the history teacher Mr. Cannon. The girl was taller than him by a few inches and had a scary physique hidden underneath those big boobs and smooth curve. Like every other werewolf, she wore a Gothic black matched by her dark hair that made it hard to look at her without feeling intimidated.
She approached with a frown.
"Are we going or what?" she asked rudely.
"Okay." Snow tried to sound as confident as possible to hide the fear pounding in his heart.
And there they went into the woods with several glances following their way.
Snow hurried to his next class after gathering some books from the cabin. The hour went by without drama. Being with Fredericka had been uncomfortable, but at least the girl hadn't made a predatory move. They had walked and conversed at any random topic they could come up with... or he did. She was mostly giving the uncomfortable silence. He didn't try to make conversation, either. The only thing that made him curious was the absence of the other weres, which she had declined telling.
There were two students walking into the English class building by the time he got there. There were more attendants in class than at Campmate hour, but there were still some missing. Ms. Kane was utterly dismayed that her students were cutting class. To Snow's surprise, he found Diego sitting behind Stanley, one of the werewolves. Behind him was a frowning Michael. Snow wondered if the frown wasn't caused by what transpired during their absence.
The hour passed in what felt like five hours mixed into one, so boring that Snow felt his 'boys' harden in an uncomfortable sensation. He had to constantly fidget just to keep it from overbearing him. So it was a real relief when he finally walked out of the building.
"Are you okay?" asked an unfamiliar voice.
He swung around and recognized his face, unlike his voice. His mind must've taken a low turn for him to not recognize Diego's voice at first.
Diego snickered and reminded Snow of the night before their date when they were in the air, which made him want to kiss him again. "You look like you saw a ghost."
A ghost wouldn't be so bad, I'm handling it better and better.
"You talking to me again?" he said, and instantly regretted it, but couldn't seem to help himself as he continued. "You didn't even look at me this morning."
Diego frowned. Maybe this guy had a change of heart, and he inadvertently set him back in that direction again. But hey, if he wanted to at least be friends, they should straighten things out. He looked away for a minute, and then met Snow's gaze again. "Look, I know that I like you, and I know that you like me, and I'm willing to go forward. But it's you who needs to make a decision. I'm not saying you have to shout out and tell the whole world. But honestly, if you don't stop hiding yourself, then I don't know how this will work. We're all hiding from the human population, but we shouldn't have to hide from the supernatural world. Or at least here. And I know you can see that."
Those words stung and rang in his heart at the same time. They were the truth. He had been hiding this side of himself, and it didn't help that Diego called him on it. As a kid, he was told that homosexuality was an anomaly, a social outcast. A mentally unstable freak. He had tried to keep it secret to protect himself. Even his parents didn't know. It was hard work and sometimes even torture to convert his mind into being appealed to the female gender and failing every time. Though homosexuality was more accepted these days, it didn't come without problems. Ones that he wasn't sure if he was ready to confront yet, especially with so much on his plate. For one, he discovered that the mermaid he'd been occasionally seeing wasn't his birth mother: and then, he had all these powers growing from inside and he had no one to turn to for guidance. Not to mention his complete fallout with Benny, his former best bud who now treats him like an enemy. No wait, make that a mutual hatred. Being with Diego didn't just make him happy in ways he never had before. It made him forget and feel normal for once.
But was he ready to confess his homosexuality to the world?
"I guess your being awfully quiet means you're still struggling," said a sad-looking Diego. His eyes glistened with water. Did vampires have tears?
He walked away and left Snow on the porch of the building to rot. Somehow, watching Diego walk away sent daggers into his heart. He threw his head back, drew in a deep breath and tried very hard not to scream. How could he be so messed up?
How could everything be so messed up in such short time? Three weeks ago, he was a Nationals trophy winning athletic swimmer, his driving license was just posted to the mailbox, and had a perfect family. Now he was a merman living with a bunch of vampires, werewolves, shape-shifters and God knows what else, with no idea how to harness the powers that he was barely able to control. Not to mention a vengeful spirit whom he only sees when he touches a certain girl, whose mind he can also read along with anyone else he touched.
The thoughts twirled and pounded against his skull, the frustration boiled. He swung his arms in the air. A sudden bursting sound broke his thoughts. It sounded like a huge explosion, followed by water splashing and people screaming. He turned over his shoulder and saw two doors with a sign reading Bathroom and a male human silhouette on one of the signs and female on the other. The splashing sounds echoed from behind both rooms.
Did he do that? Like the time he made the teapot in Holiday's office burst? Oops!
Kylie came from around the corner and followed his gaze. "Oh, my God," she muttered in shock.
The doors opened and from inside, a few students emerged completely drenched from their hair to all of their clothes. He recognized Derek, Steve and Will, Lucas's most trusted friend; and Helen and Alexa, one of the witches. They were too busy groaning and minding to their soaking wet clothes to notice Snow and Kylie. The bathrooms were still exploding water, and Snow realized then that it was really his doing. Should he fix it? Probably. Could he fix it? He wasn't sure.
He dashed toward the bathrooms, gave the drenched attendants a quick apology and then turned to the bathrooms. Inside he saw water shooting upward like geysers from every sink to every bathroom stall. The floors were flooded. He lifted his hands and willed the water to stop. Nothing happened. He tried harder, and harder again, but nothing was happening. What was wrong with him?
A wet huge hand touched his shoulder, drenching the fabric of his white shirt and then something else soaked in. The touch seemed to calm him down.
"You're too upset, Snow," Derek said calmly. "Forcing yourself too much will only cloud your power. Take a deep breath and release all the thoughts, then focus your mind on what you wanna do."
He took the advice to heart. He inhaled and exhaled to calm his thoughts, then redirected them to wanting the water to stop rising. He turned his palms, then, like the twist of a key, the water fell from the sinks and stalls. Unfortunately, the aftermath of the mess was still around.
He was going to get in full-loaded trouble by the principals, he thought in dismay. His mood sank even lower at the thought, which prompted him to run before something else happened. Snow heard someone call out his name, but it turned distant as soon as he dove into the forest. The wind blew across his face like a soothing wave. In the distance, running water flooded in his ears and he impulsively ran towards it. The sensation grew like music plucked to your ears. He wanted to go faster. Fast enough to get away from all the shit in his life. It was then his strength began to wane and his lungs began to choke from lack of oxygen, forcing him to slow down his pace. He kept running though. The need for escape was called for and he embraced it with desperation. It wasn't like there will be any class to attend once Burnett and Holiday heard about the bathroom fiasco anyway; and then he will probably be given a demerit and then possibly sent home to his adopted parents.
The river came into view at last and Snow instantly wanted to jump in. If only it weren't only deep to the waist. As soon as he stopped by the riverside, his strength fell to zero and his body dropped on the stony ground. His pulse rummaged through his body from head to toe, his heart raced like a car, and his skull pounded like crazy from the run. Even his stomach seemed to ache like from working out at the gym. He sat on the ground and drew in an icy breath to calm his pulse; the process was slow but effective. For a moment, all that he heard was his own racing heartbeat and the soothing sound of water.
The peaceful mood was disrupted by sound of running footsteps, even a few twigs snapping. Eerily, he turned around and saw Kylie emerge from the woods. She stopped a few steps away and took a shallow breath, though she didn't seem as rolled down as he was.
"Are you okay?" she asked with a concerned tone. "I was worried."
He breathed in and out a few more seconds before he spoke. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. It just..."
"I know, I heard you and Diego talking earlier." She gave an apologetic look. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I wasn't even eavesdropping, you were just right 'round the corner."
Oh, great. This was so not his day.
He looked away and went silent. The fact that someone knew about his sexuality felt like jabs to the core. The need to escape rang stronger, and he fought to keep his legs from leaping into the river. "Bet you're feeling sick by this right now, huh?"
"What?" she said in shock. "No. No, of course not. It's not that big of a deal."
It sure was for a homophobic, he thought. But hearing her say the opposite helped make him feel a little better.
"Actually, I've known for a while. Della talked about smelling your attractions," she confessed.
Snow's eyelids shut themselves the same time his head fell down, weighted by embarrassment an frustrations. He crossed his arms to keep his hands from accidentally causing another explosive disaster. Kylie moved to sit down next to him. She didn't say anything for a few long moments.
"It's hard to let other people know, I can tell," she consoled. "It's like being secluded from the world. But you shouldn't have to hide your feelings. I know you like Diego, and I know for a fact that he cares about you."
He snickered without humor and faced her. "The funny thing is when I'm with him, things feel really right. Really good," he confessed. "It was like my messed up life had found some kind of crutch to keep me from falling."
She nodded. "You should go talk to him. Let him know how you feel."
"He knows how I feel." He hesitated for a moment before deciding to let hell burn. "We were on a date last night. That's how we ran into those weres. I told Holiday and Burnett that we were just out to try something new."
Kylie squared her shoulders. "Maybe you should go talk to Holiday. She'll understand, and I know she'll say the right things to you."
"I'm not sure if that's what I want." The idea of confessing scared him. "In my old life, everyone around me was unaccepting to stuff like this. They would even turn on a kid with glasses for being schizophrenic. You remember my -" he held up his index and middle fingers on both hands. "- 'best bud' from parents day." And the memory of that fallout stung like a thousand bees.
"Maybe, but that was your old life. At your old school. It's true that it's not easy to be accepted, but if you want to feel better then you should accept it yourself first. Everyone feels like they have something to hide, some secret that they can't tell anyone. And it's true in some cases. I haven't even told my stepdad that I'm a chameleon. My mom only found out because..." she hesitated. "Anyway, here in Shadow Falls, it's not that big of a deal to like boys. And if you like Diego, then you shouldn't have to hide it. You don't have to be all open, but you should at least be honest about it. With all the secrets on your shoulders, this is one you shouldn't have. If you don't take a chance with Diego, you're going to lose him. That is the last thing you want, right?"
Snow hesitated for a moment before he confirmed with a nod. The situation thrilled him. It was the first time someone told him that it wasn't a big deal being gay. Hey, he knew it was more accepted nowadays, but hearing someone say it felt better.
Did he want to admit it to the world, though? Probably not yet. But perhaps there was something else he could do. "I think I should do it in my own way. But thank you so much for your advice. You sounded like an expert counsellor."
She shrugged. "It's nothing special."
He tilted his head slightly. "Please, as if it's that easy to offer advice to people. I totally suck at it, I don't know the right thing to say. Tried that once with a friend before, and it totally blew. You're good at it."
She frowned as though the compliment unnerved her. Clearly she wasn't one to take credit. After a moment, she faced him again. "Are you ready to go back? We do have class."
He shook at the thought. He wasn't ready to receive hell yet. Since he already missed some of it, he thought he might as well miss it all. "You go, I kind of want to be alone right now. I actually was on my way to the lake. Need to cool off a bit. Plus, I think as soon as I get back, Burnett and everyone will give me hell about the bathroom fiasco. I had no idea I could do that."
She laughed.
"And I suppose it was funny to watch the bathrooms explode like that."
She waved her hand. "I'm sorry. But thinking about it now seems kind of hilarious. I mean, I've made myself invisible and glow before, but your doing tops that."
He widened his eyes in astonishment.
Ten minutes later, Kylie no longer present, Snow followed the river path until he reached the lake. Kylie's words had cheered him up, and his mood improved by the second. It was amazing how one's spirit could rise after a heartfelt conversation with a friend.
Once he reached the lake, he took off his clothes and dove in. Water engulfed him in tiny waves of soothing projection and lifted his troubles completely. He felt his boxers dissolve and his legs melt into a long tail as the serenity of the lake washed over him. It was like becoming one with nature. The silence offered a comforting underwater atmosphere the way it always did. He swam slowly and evenly, taking his time to enjoy the experience.
