Chapter 5:

"Uno, due, e…" Each kid in the class raised a piece of paper, on it written what number they thought was correct. Gaia made sure she was wrong. No use in giving the teacher a reason to call on her. "Vitoria? Why tre?"

"Um…I kind of just guessed." Gaia traced the number on her paper over and over, making it thicker. Finally, the bell rang.

"Domani, we will have a quiz on the present subjunctive." Gaia ignored the warning and left the classroom, binder in hand. She dodged the other kids in the hallway and got to her locker, spinning the combination before yanking it open. She pushed the papers in her locker aside so she could stick her binder in. Someone leaned against the locker next to hers.

"Hey." Gaia looked to the right and met Ed's gaze.

"Hey," she replied. "I'm ditching. You want to take a trip to Gray's after school today?" He shrugged.

"I guess. Hey, did you hear about Meghan?" Gaia raised an eyebrow.

"Well she wasn't in calculus. But you know me well enough to know I take no interest in gossip. So this better be ridiculously out of the ordinary," she told him, closing her locker and starting down the hallway.

"She's going to live with her mom in Paris."

"What?" she asked, stunned. "Wow. When did this rumor start?"

"Just yesterday. And it's not a rumor. I know it for a fact. Heather e-mailed me." Gaia let out a long breath.

"Geez. First Heather. Then Meghan. The FOH's are losing all their top members. The world as we know it is crashing down around us," she muttered, seeming more interested in her watch than the information. "I have to say I'm so glad to see her go."

Just then, down the hall, a foot was stuck in front of a girl who was staring intensely at a piece of paper and she tripped, falling to the ground and causing laughter to ripple through several of the kids around her. She grabbed her paper and Gaia saw a guy dash in front of her and help her up. She yanked herself out of his grip.

"I am so sorry," he said mockingly. She glared at him.

"Yea right." A few more lines were exchanged while Gaia and Ed watched.

"Jackass," he muttered.

"That's Craig what's-his-face, right?" Ed nodded.

"Yea. Craig what's-his-face." The girl tried to make her way around Craig what's-his-face, but he moved back and forth to block her path.

"Get the hell out of my way," she growled

"Why the profanity? All I want is to be friends." Ed looked to Gaia.

"You going to help? Nice excuse to kick his ass." Gaia shook her head slowly.

"The girl can take care of herself." Ed looked confused.

"What?" At that, the guy jokingly slid his arm around her shoulder. He didn't have time to react before she used the hand on the same arm to grab his wrist and twisted around, giving him a perfectly aimed kick to the side of his right knee. He cried out and fell to the floor. The girl simply walked around Craig and pretending he didn't exist.

"How did you know that she…" Ed's voice trailed off as the girl made her way toward them, looking at the numbers on classroom doors.

Gaia bit her lip. This was a very new emotion for her. There hadn't been any reason to feel it before. Pride. It was weird. She actually felt proud of Chrissy defending herself. And not just because the guy was a jerk, but because Chrissy was so much like her, and Gaia would have done exactly the same thing were she in her position.

Chrissy's eyes met Gaia's for a moment before they went downward to the floor as she walked past her. Was she ignoring her? Was she embarrassed? Gaia's attitude relaxed as she realized that the girl wasn't sure if Gaia wanted to be seen talking to her. It was entertaining to think that the girl thought she could ruin Gaia's non-existing social status.

Gaia went after her and put her hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, Chrissy." She spun around, surprised. "What room are you looking for?"

"Um…531."

"Wrong way. 500 wing is that way," she told her, pointing to a right turn she'd just missed. Chrissy smiled, almost shyly.

"Thanks." Ed walked over.

"You two know each other?" he asked, surprised. Gaia nodded.

"Just met, actually. At the park," she told him. "Right after I'd called you yesterday." Ed thought for a moment, confused.

"But that was at…" His eyes widened. "Wow. And she could…Geez, I never believed in fate before, but…" Gaia shrugged.

"Fate's a load of bullshit. You know that coincidences rarely happen to me, so I finally got one."

"Well," Ed sighed. "You still planning on ditching? Because if so I'll see you later cause I just remembered mom'll kill me if I don't take this one math test that I'm going to fail." Gaia thought for a second.

"Yea. I'm just going to walk her to class," Gaia replied.

"Whatever. See you later. We can meet at Gray's at 3:00?" Gaia nodded.

"Sure." Ed made his way down the hallway. Gaia glanced to Chrissy. And thought about what had just happened. She isn't ditching school right away because she's going to walk some sophomore to class? What was going on with her? She never gave a damn about anything. Until it came to Sam and Ed, at least. And her dad. But aside from them, there really wasn't much.

"Come on," Gaia murmured, walking around the corner. Chrissy picked up her pace to keep up as the bell rang.

"You don't actually have to do this," she told her. "I'm sure you have better things to do." Gaia laughed.

"That's a good one. Better things like what? Work on my roundhouses? You think I have any kind of a social life? Yea. Right." Chrissy was silent for a couple of seconds.

"He's really cute," Chrissy said suddenly. "Are you two, like, an item?"

"Yup," Gaia replied with a wink. Chrissy smiled. What is wrong with me? I'm smiling. Practically acting normal. I winked at her when I told her that Ed and I are a couple? The smile finally dropped off her face. I have to stop. Remember what your life is like, Gaia. Remember that whenever you try to enjoy something, it's just taken away. Or killed.

"Here's your classroom," Gaia told her, pointing it out. "Actually, I am going to ditch. I'll see you later ok?"

"Sure," Chrissy replied. "Thanks." She started into her classroom and Gaia thought for a second.

"Hey." Chrissy stopped and turned around.

"Yea?"

"You want to hang with me and Ed after school?" Chrissy's face lit up.

"Yea. That'd be great. Later."

"Bye." Chrissy walked into her classroom and walked up to her teacher as Gaia walked down the hall to one of the staircase exits. She tried to just think about the fact that she'd met another girl like her, one that fought in the park just for fun, who pushed back when guys pushed her around in the hallway, who loved chess. And who thought Ed was cute.

But all she could think about was all the people that had betrayed her. And tried to kill her. Dear old Uncle Oliver. Or, rather, Loki, criminal mastermind who, it turned out, had murdered her mother. Natasha and Tatiana. Relatives too, actually. Aunt and cousin. Tried to kill her and her father. Two for one special. David, Loki's freak protégé. Ella, foster-mother who worked for Loki. First supposed to protect her. Then tried to kill her. Then gave her life for Gaia. Talk about indecisive. But ended up only being another person manipulated by Loki. George. Just about a ditto.

And, her heart sinking, she remembered Mary. Holding her as she died. The life draining from her eyes. And Sam. How he looked in the forest that day when Loki finally let him free. Half dead from the lack of sugar in his bloodstream. Then, his life ruined because of Ella. His friend Mike, dead from Ella's syringe. And Heather. Another one of Loki's lab rats. Tricked into being given the fearless serum and nearly dying because of it, in the end becoming blind.

And her mother. The death that started the Curse of Gaia.

Gaia stopped outside the building, leaning against the brick wall. Maybe Chrissy would be better off just staying away from her.