Chapter 6: Gratitude

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Jack disappeared out the door as soon as the bell rang, he knew he'd have trouble with those boys if he waited around very long, but he also knew he really could not escape them, especially not in this crowd.

/Oh well, he thought. Might as well stand up to them now, it's ridiculous to hide. I'm better at fighting and running anyhow. But wait, his common sense told him. How can you possibly contend with this guy? Who knows what he is? What kind of powers he has? Great. Common sense shows up now./


"Jack."


/Oh boy./

He turned. A young man, tall and dark, stood in front of him with a group of boys behind him. "Can I help you boys?" Jack asked. He crossed his arms.


"I don't like your attitude," the young man said giving him a push. "Vermin."


Jack tossed his head to flip the hair out of his eyes. He shoved his hands in his pockets uninterested in a fight. "And who might you be and why should I care?"


"Sterling," his eyes narrowed. "And you should care, because to us you're prey, my friend."


Jack grinned. "Prey huh? You a wolf 'er somethin'?"


Now Sterling smiled. "Not far from the mark. I'm a werewolf."


"Ah OK, so I should pull out all my silver bullets and jewelry eh?"


Sterling's eyes flashed yellow and the smile melted into a grimace.


"Wow, that's a pretty neat trick. In all my years on the streets of New York I never saw a thing like that." Jack laughed. "Well, now that I've been thoroughly warned or threatened as it were, I think I'll be goin' now."


He turned but Riot towered in his way. "Goin' somewhere Jack?"


Jack sized him up for a minute, not sure he wanted to take his chances. But before he had much time to react Riot pushed him again. Jack's hands flew up as he fell into Sterling, who in turn pushed him back in the direction he came from. He grabbed Riot's arm and twisted it behind his back. Riot yelped and Jack glanced down. Thank you mom, he thought as he remembered the silver ring he wore.

Sterling took a swing trying not to hit Riot, but Jack threw his head back a bit. Then, with all his strength he shoved Riot forward into Sterling and jumped up to the rail of the stairs. He leaned out to the hallway suspended from one arm and supported by one leg.

"We'll play again tomorrow boys."


They scrambled to their feet and glared up at him. Jack grinned, but a hand clamped down on his arm and dragged him over the railing. A group of boys all in letterman jackets like Sterling's encircled him.

Great, Jack thought.


"What should we do with him, Sterling?" One of the guys asked.


"Just shake 'im up a bit." Sterling growled.


The clowns pulled him up the stairs. "Hey, can vermin fly?"


"Let's find out," Riot yelled.


The boys lifted him over their heads an threw him over the railing.

Dead on the first day of school, Jack laughed to himself. That's got to be a record. But before he hit the ground someone caught him.

Pearl.


Fantastic.


"It's the first day of school and I already have to save you?" Pearl said. "I thought I'd at least have a week. You're pretty impressive."


"Let me down." Jack said.


Pearl dropped him on the floor. "Better?"


Jack stood up. "Not really, but I'll survive." Sterling and his cronies were gone. Guess they had better things to do, he thought.


"Well, there's my good deed for the day." She smiled at him waiting for gratitude.


"Yeah, see ya," he turned to walk away.


Pearl grabbed him by the shirt. "Not so fast mister, what do you say?"


"Have a nice day?" Jack offered.


Pearl narrowed her eyes. "I should have let you land on your head," she said.


"What'd I do?"


"You're impossible!" She threw up her hands and walked in the other direction.


"I think she wanted you to thank her."


Jack turned to see Charlie. "Oh, well...uh, that would have been good wouldn't it?"


Charlie grinned. "You grew up on your own, on the streets, never having anything; no one to help you, no one to say 'thank you' to. It's just somethin' that she'll have t' learn," he observed. "And you have something t' learn too."


"What?"


"How to say... ah never mind, you'll learn eventually," Charlie said.


The bell rang and he cringed. "Why does that bell have to be so stinkin' loud?"


Jack stared for a moment, then turned to go. "By Charlie."


"Jack."


He turned again. "What?"


"You're not alone."