Chapter 27: The Rest Of The First Day of School.

It's safe to say, English was not her best class. Neither was Fax, but oh well. At least she had someone she knew in that class, someone she could trust more than Jeff. She was not too happy with the arrangement of him being seated right behind her, her back to him the whole time. It was nerve wracking, having a man from your past that was like you, that would kill you in an instant if given enough incentive. Thankfully, there were students all around, he wouldn't harm her in the open and risk a bunch of witnesses. Course he could have killed them all, but then where would that lead? What attention would that attract?

At least she had a book to distract her, not that it helped all that much.

When the bell rang, the bell that usually sounded so annoying, was a blessing for Lori. She jumped out of her seat, heaved her bag over her shouders, and made a dash for the door. Only to be jerked harshly back when the teacher turned her back, and dragged out of the room, and into the school bathrooms just nextdoor. She was thrown into the wall, hands held out to prevent damage, and slammed into it with surprising force.

"Listen up Lori," Jeff whispered. "If you try to betray us, I will kill you. I will kill your friends. And I will kill your foster family." He Seether enjoying the fact he had Lori pinned. He liked power, he always had. But now instead of her being top dog, it was him. "And don't tell either."

With one last shove he stormed out of the bathrooms leaving a stunned girl all to herself. There was no one there, no one to overhear the threats that Jeff had made. He knew that. With all the kids flocking to lunch like a pride of lions teaming up for the kill it was all too easy for him to isolate her. As she slowly, numbly made her way out of the bathrooms she wasn't even sure she was entirely aware of what was going on herself. Jeff, the one she was always able to beat at the organization, had taken her by surprise.


Jeri sat at the table with Itachi and Shisui all three of them eating a formerly frozen chared steak with brown gravy, mashed potatoes with gravy, and milk. "Alright, that's it," Jeri stabbed her fork into her steak. "Its halfway through lunch and she still hasn't shown up."

Itachi looked up at her. "She seemed tired in art."

"So you think she is somewhere taking a nap?" Jeri offers. She shook her head. "I don't think so. Yes, she can be moody, but... I don't know... I feel like something is wrong. Did I make her mad?" She put her fingers to her temples. All this stress was being to get to her. The stress of gaining a new sister, the stress of her fish turning into ninja, the stress following her fish turning into ninja, more ninja showing up. Hell even moving to another home and another state, and going to a new school was stressful. Maybe she'd bottled most of it up, maybe not. Either way it wasn't going to help her growing headache.

Shisui stared at his steak. The events from earlier playing in his mind. Lori's facial expression to her so called childhood best friend rubbing her face with his, leaning over her. Asking someone to get off her after they invaded her personal space wasn't exactly her forte... Normally, she would glare or yell. Especially if they were that close to her. And she never affirmed that he was her best friend either. His eyes searched for the guy, scanning every face and hairstyle in the cafeteria. Nothing. This guy...

"Stay here, I'll see if I can find her." Shisui stood from his chair, it almost tipping over until he put his arm back to catch it. He walked calmly towards the exit and when he got out of sight he broke out into run. Across the length to the school's doors, into the hallways. He followed as fast as he possibly could, humanly could that is. That's when he caught wind of something. The same innocent, sweet, best friend of Lori's had just made it around the corner. Shisui's gut was churning in its abdominal cavity as his body heated up a few degrees past normal human temperature. His eyes seemed to darken.

"Hey! What's up?" Jeff greeted with a wave. Shisui strode right past him, eyes locking with his for a brief moment. He didn't have time for Jeff. Just as he walked up to the double doors it opened and Lori almost collided with him. When he took in her disheveled appearance he noted her eyes were spaced out, glazed.

"Shisui," Lori's eyes blinked canceling the haze that had once surrounded her eyes. "I-" Shisui looked her dead in the eye.

"I saw Jeff walking away."

Lori looked to the wall. So Shisui knew. He knew that Jeff had cornered her. "Its fine-" Lori was cut off by Shisui.

"Its not fine!" He took her by the shoulders making sure she made eye contact with him. "Your not fine, so don't say or pretend that you are. I saw the face you made back in Fax. I saw how you were uncomfortable." Lori stared him in the eye, her body getting warmer by the minute. Her apple started bobbing up and down slightly in her eyes.

"Shisui, I am hungry..." Maybe changing the subject would do some good.

Shisui took her by the hand leading the way through the halls. "Don't tell. Please." He heard Lori say. He wouldn't glance back, he didn't want to. If he did, he was sure he would find Jeff. "You have my word. Unless it gets worse." Shisui promised.


Enrichment and advisory was nothing other than boring, aside from the book Lori got to read. But when it came to her other art class, things were a little different. Itachi was there, but so was Jeff. He made it a point to sit beside Lori and constantly talk while she drew a picture of what she wanted to paint later.

"Acrylic paint, or water-color?" Jeff asked. Lori's eye brow twitched.

Itachi stood up, switching his and Lori's drawings. He took her by the wrist, gently, and lead her to his seat and seated himself between Jeff and Lori. He glanced at Jeff. "Water-color." And just like that the conversation ended and there was no more words from Jeff.

Math class was the same as it always was. Confusing, and irritating. World geography on the other hand, was kind of fun. The European countries were the easiest to name, for Lori. She rather enjoyed that class. Everyone was joking and made games out of naming the countries, seeing who could do it faster. Lori lost, but it wasn't anything to be ashamed about. It was just a game, after all.

"Yo!" Shisui greeted back on the bus, Itachi right beside him and Itama as well. Jeri sat in front of the three boys, Lori sitting on the opposite side of the bus, leaning on her bag as if it were a pillow. Jeri laughed with Shisui and Itama and proceeded to tell them all about her day and they told her theirs in turn. Itachi just wanted to read his book, so that's what he did. Despite the loud racket on the bus.

"May I sit here?"

Jeri looked to the boy. Lori recognized him and panic took hold of her heart. Jeff. "No!" Lori shouted throwing herself into the empty seat beside Jeri. Jeff raised an eyebrow at her. Shisui gave him a hard glare.

"Now you have another open seat." Shisui offered gesturing to Lori's former seat. He moved and snatched up her bag to bring it to his seat. "Enjoy."

A/N: okay, so what do you think about this chapter?

Question 1: Lori doesn't like Jeff, and Shisui is beginning to catch on. Why do you think Jeff goes out of his way to mentally terrorize Lori? She used to be top dog back in the organization, and now she said she was not. What do you think she means by this? (But now instead of her being top dog, it was him.)

Question 2: Shisui went to find Lori at lunch, what do you think he felt when he saw Jeff coming down the hall from the bathrooms, where Lori was and when he saw her disheveled appearance? (Stay here, I'll see if I can find her." Shisui stood from his chair, it almost tipping over until he put his arm back to catch it. He walked calmly towards the exit and when he got out of sight he broke out into run. Across the length to the school's doors, into the hallways. He followed as fast as he possibly could, humanly could that is. That's when he caught wind of something. The same innocent, sweet, best friend of Lori's had just made it around the corner. Shisui's gut was churning in its abdominal cavity as his body heated up a few degrees past normal human temperature. His eyes seemed to darken.

"Hey! What's up?" Jeff greeted with a wave. Shisui strode right past him, eyes locking with his for a brief moment. He didn't have time for Jeff. Just as he walked up to the double doors it opened and Lori almost collided with him. When he took in her disheveled appearance he noted her eyes were spaced out, glazed.

"Shisui," Lori's eyes blinked canceling the haze that had once surrounded her eyes. "I-" Shisui looked her dead in the eye.

"I saw Jeff walking away."

Lori looked to the wall. So Shisui knew. He knew that Jeff had cornered her. "Its fine-" Lori was cut off by Shisui.

"Its not fine!" He took her by the shoulders making sure she made eye contact with him. "Your not fine, so don't say or pretend that you are. I saw the face you made back in Fax. I saw how you were uncomfortable." Lori stared him in the eye, her body getting warmer by the minute. Her apple started bobbing up and down slightly in her eyes.)

Question 3: why do you think Itachi switched seats with Lori in the second art class? ("Acrylic paint, or water-color?" Jeff asked. Lori's eye brow twitched.

Itachi stood up, switching his and Lori's drawings. He took her by the wrist, gently, and lead her to his seat and seated himself between Jeff and Lori. He glanced at Jeff. "Water-color." And just like that the conversation ended and there was no more words from Jeff.)