Chapter 2

"Class, what's a word that describes a person, place, or thing?"

"A penis!" Several children burst out into giggles. One girl scratched her chin in wonder. The teacher just sweat-dropped and looked down in embarassed anger as a vein surfaced on her forehead.

She was beautiful, far more beautiful than she was willing to admit. Golden hair that seemed to capture all the radiance of the sun and more cascaded down to her shoulders. The english teacher's slim figure and deep, crystal eyes were only accented by the school-teacher's uniform she was clad in. She sighed. This was not West Elementary as she remembered it. Her silence was broken by the young girl raising her hand and asking sweetly.

"Miss Becky?" The innocent voice addressed. "What's a penis?"

Even the boy who had first mentioned the word was puzzled. Becky slapped her head and looked down. A second passed before a shrill ring caused her to jerk her head up, saved by the bell again. She stood facing an entirely empty classroom, and blinked in confusion at how fast children dissappeared at the end of the day. A smile crossed her ruby lips as the fatigued schoolteacher sat behind her desk, and rolled up her sleeve. Several scars and cuts ran deep in her wrist. She eyed them with delight, and reached in her pocket for her pencil sharpening razor -

- then dropped it to the ground, startled, as a man opened the door and stepped in. He had shaggy, curly brown hair that drooped down and taunted the wind to be blown into his eyes. His clothes, though formal, seemed very hastily thrown together, and it appeared he hardly knew how to put on a tie, which hung sloppily down the white shirt that clung to his chest beneath the beige suit-vest he wore. A nametag on his right breast revealed his identity. "Thorn." It read, rather plainly. Becky swooped down, nearly diving on the razor which she hid behind her back. Thorn walked to the center of the room and sat on a desk, sunlight streaming from the windows and reflecting off his darkly tanned skin. He shook his head knowingly and then looked to her, smirking a bit, not even bothering to fake a real smile.

"Hello, miss." He said, bowing his head, "I'm the optometrist who checked your kids eyes today." His voice was silky and kind.

"Oh yeah, thanks a lot!" Becky stammered, fumbling the razor some more, sweating profusely. "Is there umm...anything you need?" She said drastically, annoyed by his intrustion. To her shock, he walked right up to her and reached behind her back, prying the razor away easily. He flicked it in the air and caught it.

"Still up to no good, huh?" Smirking devilishly as he continued to flick the blade and catch it, his reflection caught on it's shiny surface each time. Becky just stood with a mixed look of anger and confusion.

"Didn't think you'd remember me, Becky. But you definitely...left a mark-" His eyes meandered to the scars on her wrists. "-on me that day in the bathroom. At the World Martial Arts Tournament?" He shook his head. That day was the first and last day they had spoken. He doubted she cared or remembered.

"THORN!" Before he could think or even see her move for that matter, her arms were flung around him in an extremely tight hug. He patted her on the back and smiled, for the first time in ages. He took her wrist in his hand and stroked the scar with his fingertips. She blushed and looked down, and he smiled, touching her chin to lift her eyes to his.

"No matter how you hurt yourself, your beauty can never be lost, don't worry." She giggled and they parted, as she sat on the desk.

"We really need to catch up." Becky smiled, crossing her legs. Thorn took a step back, reeling with shock that she'd actually want to.

"You would? Would you like to uhh..." Noticing he was lost for words, Becky chimed in.

"Go out to eat sometime?" Thorn nodded, and regained his composure.

"Tonight at 8 then?" Becky nodded, and the two shared a smile before he went out the door again, rather red in the face.

Several crows fluttered off of the school building, alarmed by something above. A silhouette slipped down against the crimson sun that had already begun to dip it's head below the horizon. It landed silently, and it's winged shadow cut ominously into the sunset.

It was a hunter, but tonight, it's prey was not just a hapless creature to consume. It had come to the school for a reason. It seemed to pause, sniffing the air, casting it's disturbing red eyes about the area. No, what it had come to claim it's own was nowhere to be found, at least for now. So it would lie in wait, for the moment to strike.