Hey Readers! Welcome back!

Here's a new chapter for you all! I know that, after Halloween, things aren't gonna be as action-packed in this chapter, but there's always some peace after a storm, so this is that chapter.

Enjoy!

Several Talks

Elijah POV:

By the time Elijah went back to school after the Halloween mishap, a lot had happened and changed in his life and several others.

First, he learned of an attack at the castle at the same time Fang was in Weisman. Apparently, it was Thailog, Goliath's clone, who had led the charge, nearly killing Goliath and leading the other clones against the Clan. The clone had first gone to the Labyrinth, attacked Derek and the other mutates, took the clones, and freed Fang, giving him the task of going after Brooklyn. Everyone there was fine, though someone name Maggie was hurt pretty badly, and was later revealed to be pregnant. The other clones, save one that resembled Lex, left with Thailog after the attack, the rest of them returning to the Labyrinth afterwards; Fang was returned to his cell there as well. It was surprising to learn how much had happened the same night he had nearly been fried, but that did little to prepare Elijah for some more shocking news.

Macbeth [who was a real person] asked the gargoyles to accompany him to the British Isles to help him guard something called the Stone of Destiny as it was being transferred. At first, the Trio and Angela had been asked to go, but all except Lex expressed their wishes to stay, so Hudson and Lex had gone in their place. They had left the second day of November, which was the day before Elijah had been discharged from the hospital. He didn't know how long the two would be gone, but he wished he had been able to say goodbye to them before they had left.

And finally, there was Elijah's life. The choir concert, which was the Monday after Halloween, was missing two key students. First was star singer and soloist Art, who had two teeth missing and could not talk for another few days due to the dentist gauze in his mouth. And two, the piano player Elijah, who was released from the hospital earlier that day, but unable to play anything since he could not hear. Naturally, Mrs. Flemming had nearly lost it, and she could not reschedule concert, so they had to cut one song, and someone else had to sing Art's solo.

Elijah, however, was nit that concerned with some stupid concert he never wanted to be a part of in the first place. Now, he was tentative friends with Amanda Ross, he would be without hearing aids for about three weeks while he waited for new ones, and his uncle had hired Mason Grant as their new driver. If he had known a week ago that any of this would happen, he would have hid in his room until Thanksgiving. Since he hadn't, this now meant that life was about to get difficult.

"At least you still have that old hearing aid," his uncle told him over dinner Sunday night, talking about the single hearing aid Elijah had. "You won't have to go to school tomorrow unable to hear."

"I don't need it," the teen replied, reading his uncle's lips. "Besides, it kinda throws me off when I can only hear on one side. Could you just write me a note for tomorrow so I don't have to talk?"

The blind author's face became thoughtful. "I see." They both knew the teen was still slightly self-conscious about his hearing aids, and that the old one was more visible than his broken ones.

The next day, which was November 4th, Elijah was ready to bike to school, but was surprised to find Mason Grant standing by the car, ready to drive him.

"You don't have to drive me," the teen said.

"Your uncle insisted," the man replied, speaking slowly so the deaf teen could understand him. "Apparently, he wants to make sure you don't get attacked again."

Elijah sighed. "Fine… could you drop me off a block away from school, though?"

Mr. Grant nodded understandingly. "Yep."

The drive was not long, and the teen stared out the window as the chauffeur drove him. When they passed the spot where the fight had taken place, he tried not to think about all that had happened since then, his ears feeling hollow as silence surrounded him. He had brought his extra hearing aid in case he absolutely needed it, and it sat in the pocket of his backpack, waiting to be used; he wanted to use it only if absolutely necessary, since it was more visible than his damaged pair.

"Thanks," Elijah said as he stepped out of the vehicle when it stopped a street away from the high school.

"Good luck," Mason Grant told him, giving him a kind smile. "I'll pick you up later today."

"I actually might go to the library after school. Could you-"

"Say no more; I'll be there at five." The driver rolled up the window and drove off.

At least he's a good driver, the deaf teen thought as he walked towards the school, mentally preparing himself for the day. The school looked the same, but it was like a silent film; he could see mouths moving and see students moving around, but there was nothing to hear.

He made his way through the halls, wary to not bump into anyone, and went to his first class. Fortunately, his seat was located within sight of the teacher, so he figured he could lip-read what she said. Unfortunately, he had forgotten that this teacher liked to walk around, making note-taking a difficult task. He managed to catch bits and pieces of what she was say, plus what was written on the board, but he still left the class feeling that he had not learned anything. His other classes were the same, but at least lunch, which was usually noisy and bothersome, was peaceful. His afternoon classes were also fine, and then it came to Choir.

Approaching the room, he could see a crowd of choir students waiting outside the door, peering in through the doorway. When he got close enough for them to notice, they stared at him with looks of shock, fear, embarrassment, and worry. They parted for him, and he approached the closed door, looking in through the window to see the classroom.

Mrs. Flemming was in there, yelling at Amanda while Art sat nearby. At first Elijah did not notice anything off about the other teens, but then he noticed how close the girl looked to tears as well as something in Art's mouth. Gaping, he tried to read Mrs. Flemming's mouth, but was unable to do so.

He felt someone tap him on the shoulder, and turned to find one of the choir students standing there, motioning to their ears.

"They got damaged," he explained, hoping his voice wasn't too messed up. "I can still read lips if you speak slowly."

"Amanda punched Art in the mouth on Halloween night," a girl said, speaking so slowly that the deaf teen nearly misunderstood her. "Messed up his teeth and throat so he can't sing."

"What? Why?"

Everyone looked awkward at that, but then the same girl continued. "He… he made fun of you, since you weren't at the party. She got mad, punched him and left. Next thing we know, we heard that you two were mugged or something." They all looked at him now. "What happened?"

Elijah was in shock, the words repeating in his mind. Amanda… punched a guy for him. She didn't have to; he was not at the party, and he doubted he would've found out, but she still had chosen to stand up for him. He always knew Art was a jerk, but the fact that she not only punched one guy and then pepper sprayed another on the same night to help him, it made him feel more guilty about being mean to her in the past. He looked back at the door, knowing that was about to change; she defended him, so he would defend her. Steeling himself, he pushed open the door, stepping into the room.

Mrs. Flemming and the others looked up as he approached, momentarily silent. Amanda's eyes were watery, but she still refused to cry. Art only glared at him, the gauze the dentist had probably put in his mouth preventing him from speaking.

"I see someone's back from their hospital visit," the choir teacher said, and the deaf teen could imagine her nagging voice as she spoke. "What a Halloween you must've had! I take it your city friend is alright?"

Elijah nodded. "Yes," he said slowly, making sure that he was understood. "He left before Amanda and I were mugged."

"I heard about that too. A lot of funny things happen ever since you moved here. I don't recall muggings happening in a town as small as this one."

The teen held back a retort, figuring he should not make things worse. "I just wanted to make sure we were clear on a few things. Clearly, I can't hear anything for the next three weeks, and as you can tell by my voice, my pitch is pretty much non existent while I'm like this. I can still play the piano if you conduct me, and I have a spare hearing aid that only goes in one ear."

The teacher seemed momentarily stunned by his words, but she quickly got over it. "Well, I suggest you wear that aid until your replacements come in. Does your voice improve with only one hearing aid?"

"Kind of, but I'm not exactly the lead singer, so I hope that it doesn't affect the choir overall," he said.

"It won't, but now I've got to figure out what to do with these two." Mrs. Flemming looked over at Art. "He'll be like this for the rest of the week, and can't even say a word! And Miss Ross here is the one that punched him!" The puncher in question looked wilted and defeated.

"Yeah, but I think it's a proper punishment for someone who acts like a jerk both inside and outside of class," Elijah said.

The three other people turned to him, Amanda giving him a grateful smile.

"So you knew what happened to him," the teacher asked, glaring at him. "I was informed of Miss Ross' right hook this past weekend. Was this some sort of plan between you two to sabotage the concert?"

"Certainly not," the deaf teen replied, not afraid to keep the disrespect out of his voice; she had crossed the line, and now was the time to fight back. "I'm just here to say that Amanda shouldn't be punished for something that happened outside off school hours. If anything, you should punish Art for being a bully and getting himself punched! You can give me detention if you want, but I would be happy to tell the principal the circumstances surrounding it; I may be new here, but I'm pretty sure yelling at a student during school hours with your class waiting outside isn't proper teacher behavior."

Everyone but Elijah could hear a pin drop in the silence that followed. Mrs. Flemming looked like she had swallowed a rotten bite of apple, while Amanda beamed at him. Art, meanwhile, glared at him angrily, and the deaf teen gave him a grin, showing his perfectly straight teeth. He did not know how loud he was talking, but based on the look the choir teacher gave the door behind him, it was apparent the class had heard what he said.

The teacher didn't say anything, even when she shot him a death glare and walked over to the door, letting the class in. Everyone was staring at him, but for the first time, it wasn't because of his hearing. The whole class knew Mrs. Flemming was awful, but no one had stood up to her and won before. When everyone took their spots, she started the class as if nothing happened, though she refused to look Elijah in the eye.

Got you, he thought, smiling as he watched everyone else sing.

[][][]

"That was amazing," Amanda said again, following him as they walked away from the high school, heading towards the Library. She did not have anything after school, and had asked if they could talk. He said yes, and there they were.

"I've never seen anyone do what you did," she continued, careful to allow him to see her face. "It was very brave… thanks for that."

"It's no problem," he said, blushing a little. "You punched Art to defend me, so it's fair that I return the favor."

"I'm pretty sure everyone in choir likes you now," she told him. "Except Art and Mrs. Flemming of course!" They both laughed a little at that, waiting at the crosswalk. "Though I do need to talk to about the whole gar-"

"SHH," he hissed, looking around to make sure no one nearby had heard her. "Not here, and we can't talk in the library." He noticed a nearby payphone. "Give me a minute." He went over, dialed a number, and handed the receiver to Amanda so she could hear the driver's replies.

Ten minutes later, Mason Grant had picked up the two teens, taking them to the Robbins home, not at all annoyed at the change in plans. Mr. Robbins welcomed Amanda, asking if things were alright at home. She said it was, and he left to make some tea while the two sat in the library, seeming to know what was about to happen.

"So," the deaf teen said, putting in his spare hearing aid, "I know what happened on Halloween was… crazy."

"Understatement of the year," Amanda commented.

"I'm just gonna say now that what I'm about to tell you is not to leave this room, and that you CANNOT tell anyone. Not even your parents; the last thing I need is to be sent to a foster home because my uncle's been accused of child endangerment."

"I promise," she said. "I mean, I doubt I have many friends left after Halloween, and my parents would freak out, so, I'll keep the secret."
Elijah nodded. "Okay… It started this past summer."

He spent the next half hour or so telling her everything that had happened since he had moved there, as well as information about the gargoyle clan. Uncle Jeffrey came in with their drinks and joined in, every now and then adding a detail his nephew had left out. They were not revealing the gargoyle secret without permission; they had gotten permission from the gargoyles to tell Amanda days ago, so they knew what to say already. When they finished, Amanda looked surprised and awe-struck.

"Wow," she said. "That's… amazing. So there's a whole group of them in New York?"

"Yes," Elijah replied. "The night we were attacked, their home was attacked at the same time. Fortunately, no one died."

"I'm just glad the two of you were safe," Mr. Robbins said. "I'm almost considering asking a guard to protect you during the day, Elijah."

"I'd rather have Brooklyn teach me to fight," the deaf teen said. "He offered to last night."

"I may take him up on that offer."

"Will I be okay," Amanda asked.

"Yes. Fang had no way of knowing who either of you are, so you should be fine. However, in case he told Thailog or anyone else that you live here, I may ask Brooklyn and the others if they would mind looking over your house at night as well."

"Thanks." She took a sip of her tea. "I just… didn't expect to end up in all of this."

"Neither did I," Elijah said honestly. "Life's funny like that."

"Well," she said, standing up, "I better be going; my parents'll be wondering where I am."

"Of course," the blind author said, he and Elijah standing as well. "Thank you for visiting, and thank you for keeping the secret."

"No problem," she said, smiling as she walked towards the back door. "And there's no need to drive me back; I can walk."

"Okay. Have a nice evening."

"See you tomorrow," Elijah said, smiling as Amanda gave him a small wave and walked outside, heading towards the path.

"She's a nice girl," his uncle said, collecting their empty mugs. "And she certainly seems to like you."

The deaf teen turned to his uncle. "What?"

"And you like her."

"I never said I liked her," the teen said quickly, feeling his cheeks redden. "I mean… I… Does she think I like her?"

"No," his uncle said simply. "But anyone who would either punch or talk down a teacher for someone they don't know that well must have some sort of feelings for one another." The author smiled as he and Gilly left the room, leaving a very confused teen in his wake.

Brooklyn POV:

"So you told her today," Brooklyn asked.

"Uh huh," the teen said, signing the word for yes. "And I told off Mrs. Flemming for yelling at her." It was later that night, and the two friends sat in the library, discussing all that had happened that day.

"Really?" His friend gaped at him. "How'd you manage that?"

"Disability perks."

"That's not a real thing."

"I know. I just spoke the truth, and left her silent."

"Good for you!" He took a sip of water. "We got a call from Macbeth today."

"How are they doing," Elijah asked.

"They're safely in the UK, and woke up incredibly jet lagged. They're gonna wait a few days before they move the actual stone, to give them time to adjust."

"They better bring me back something British," the teen said.

The gargoyle laughed at that. "Yeah, I'm positive that'll be their top priority!"

"Hey! How often do you guys get to spend some leisure time in another country?"

"That is true." Brooklyn sighed, cracking his knuckles to keep his hands from getting too tired. "And you and Amanda…"

"We're just friends," the deaf teen told him.

"For now."

"Dude, we gotta get you a girlfriend!"

"I'll keep that in mind the next time we're offered a chance to leave the city," he replied, the two of them laughing after that.

They continued to talk like this into the night, simply catching up on their lives, glad that nothing bad was happening.

Mason POV:

"Not much has happened so far," the Illuminati member reported over the phone. "There's no sign of a gargoyle around here, and no nearby town has any new statues anywhere."

"Keep an eye out," his fellow member advised him. "They'll make their return eventually; that attack on Halloween probably scared them a little."

"Of course," the driver replied, noticing he was getting another call from his other boss. "Gotta go." He hung up the phone, answering Mr. Robbin's phone call, asking if he would pick up his nephew and a friend from school that day. It wasn't the most glamorous job, but it was still a job, and he made his way out of the rented apartment, going towards the car parked outside.

That's it for this chapter! I know, not a lot of plot in this one, but it give us some character development, as well as gives them some time to rest after nearly dying.

Feel free to follow or favorite this story to be updated on new chapters, and feel free to leave a review on this chapter or others if you want. And, as usual, have a safe and happy week/weekend!

-aggiefrogger