Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or anything else from Sky High, and make no financial gain from this story so please don't sue. I also don't own the song, Vermilion Part 2 by Slipknot.

I Know My Place

I woke up to darkness and the smell of leather. I was surprised to find all my previous pain gone, and even more amazingly, was that my mind was alert and clear. I lay quietly for a minute, allowing my senses to become accustomed to my surroundings. I could hear breathing, deep and steady. I let the sound wash over me, it was constant and soft, likes waves at a beach. I was so caught up in listening to it that I almost allowed it to lull me back to sleep.

"Where am I?" I whispered, shocking myself momentarily with the weakness of my voice. I heard movement, the eerie crunch of leather and soft rustle of fabric, then a small fire began to glow off the my right, and a series of memories came flooding back, a half-remembered conversation, and finally Warren offering to stay with me.

In the dim light of the flickering flame his eyes seemed even darker than usual, yet his face was soft. I sat up slowly, still in my pink dress. I groaned, my head no longer hurt, but now nearly every muscle in my body felt as though it had been bruised beyond repair, the feeling I assume you would get after being hit by a bus. I managed to pull myself into a sitting position, with my legs dangling over the edge of the bed without completely wearing myself out. This was definitely the worst migraine I'd ever had. Warren still hadn't spoken, he hadn't even moved. So I repeated my question. Thankfully he responded, explaining that we were in a room that joined onto the nurses office. He seemed to pause, then to my surprised, asked if there was anything I needed.

"A glass of water would be nice." I couldn't believe how thirsty I was. He nodded and left the room, returning quickly with a plastic cup. Unfortunately my hands decided it was time to stop working, and the only thing I succeeded in doing was wetting Warren's shoes. But before I could say anything, he was gone again, and when he returned he had another cup, which he then proceeded to hold gently to my lips, allowing me to drink. I drained the lot of it in one go, and without needing to say a word, he went and got me more.

"Have you slept at all?" After getting some water into me I was feeling considerably better, and had noticed the time, 2am. A ridiculously early hour of the morning.

"Not really." He was so soft spoken, and usually it was scary, but now it was different. The normal menacing undertones were gone, replaced by something that I couldn't quite put my finger on. I smiled at him, somehow comforted that he had kept a diligent watch over me as I slept.

"Thanks." I found myself unconsciously slipping back onto the bed, my eye lids closing of their own accord ... but before I was fully asleep I felt a hand softly brush my hair back from my face.

I was so glad when I could finally go home, even though I had only spent the night at school I felt like I hadn't seen my room in a year. Ron, the sweetest bus driver in the world, flew me home first thing in the morning (to my disappointment Warren was gone by the time I woke up). My mum tucked me into bed after a much needed shower, and I slept most of the day, the deep kind of sleep that is filled with pleasant dreams and leaves you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

But still mum insisted I take another day off school, just to be sure. I reluctantly agreed. If only for the extra time to plan on how to act towards Warren. And to figure out where we stood, were we friends? The more I thought about it, the more I confused myself, so in the end I decided that I would just have to ask him.

Although I had successfully escaped flashing the whole world when I wore a skirt while flying, I was not willing to risk it again. But unfortunately I was in another of my uncharacteristically "girly" moods. So to compensate for the lack of skirt, I wore long black satin pants with lace inserts around the bottom and down the sides, and a rather daring pink halter-neck. Ok so you are probably thinking What is so daring about a halter-neck? Well my halter neck also had no back, which showed off something I usually prefer to keep hidden. My tattoo. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but it is my own design, and somehow feels very personal. Sarah was the first person to ever see it. She made the biggest fuss over it, gently tracing over it with her finger, murmuring softly about how gorgeous it was. I pulled on my high-top converse shoes, grabbed my bag from the floor and ran out of my bedroom to go and meet will, banishing all thoughts of Sarah from my head. For now.

I met Will at our usual spot and was quite thoroughly surprised when he almost crushed me in a bear hug! I noticed his shocked expression when he caught a brief glimpse of the black pattern running down my spine, but he said nothing. When I could breathe again we took off for school, and a tight feeling started to form in the pit of my stomach.

By the time we reached Sky High, the tight feeling had become a wreathing knot that twisted and contorted every time I even so much as thought of Warren. Not a good sign. Will dropped me off, gave me another hug and then ran off to find Layla. I walked slowly and reluctantly towards the main entrance, battling all the way with myself over why I was so nervous about seeing a certain pyrokinetic. There was still at least twenty minutes before the first bell, so the halls were relatively empty. I rushed towards my locker, intent on getting safely from there to homeroom without a confrontation. I could not believe how I was acting, but I just didn't know what to do. For some reason all thoughts of him made me feel light headed, and that was not good.

The first half of the day went smoothly, not only did I successfully avoid Warren, but I also got an 'A' in Mad Science for my Ice Ray gun, although I have a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with Bianca, but hey, an 'A' is an 'A', I am not complaining. There were only a few small glitches, like the constant whispering, is that a tattoo? Who does she think she is? Is she trying to be cool? But I didn't let it bother me, I was in a decent mood for once. In fact, I was in such a good mood that I was seriously considering taking Will and Layla up on their offer joining them for lunch. But as I approached the cafeteria, I got the distinct feeling that someone was staring at me. I turned around slowly, but there was no one there. I surprised myself by sighing in relief. But I still couldn't shake the creepy feeling, I turned quickly, and let out a soft (and embarrassing) squeak when I found myself facing an insanely tall guy that I recognised from my Mad Science class. He moved closer to me, and I found myself unconsciously backing away. There was something about him I didn't like, I would even go as far as to say he scared me.

When my back ran into the cold hard metal lockers my heart almost stopped. I could have called for help, or just fried the guy, but for some reason my logic center was 'out-of-order', and all I could do was stare in horror as he quickly closed the remaining distance between us. He smiled, and all the little hairs on the back of my neck stood upright as goosebumps sped down my spine. What the hell was with this guy?

"I noticed your tattoo." His voice was soft, and really really creepy. It reminded me of what I imagined snakes would sound like if they could talk. "I like it" He whispered in my ear, his hot breath on my skin making me want to vomit. I finally found my voice.

"Get off me." Dammit, my voice was barely above a whisper and was shaky as all hell. He just smiled again and his hand began to sneak around my waist, while the other tangled itself in my hair. I opened my mouth to protest, but all that came out was a startled yelp as I felt him rip a small chunk of my hair out! He glanced to his left and a look of shock washed over his face, then he quickly turned back to me and sniffed my hair.

"You smell good." Then he was gone, and I mean, literally gone. I blinked a few times, my hand rubbing the sore spot on my head where he had pulled my hair out. My head jolted up at the sound of the cafeteria doors swinging shut, but there was no one there. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but suddenly I decided that the company of some seniors would be most welcome. So I would take Will and Layla up on their offer.

The cafeteria was large, noisy and exactly the way I remembered it, accept now i felt someone's eyes on me, and the gaze was so unsettling that I instantly felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise. My eyes scanned the room, and quickly located Layla, in a bright green outfit that made her look more like a hippie than usual. I wound my way through the maze of tables, ignoring the whispers and pointing and making the decision to never show my tattoo at school again. I lowered my head and kept moving, I didn't need their approval. I had almost reached my desired destination when I noticed the only spare seat was at the end of the table, and right next to Warren. This really wasn't turning out to be my day. I spun around quickly, silently praying to a god I have never believed in that they hadn't noticed me yet. Again, no luck.

"Jessie! Over here" Layla's clear, chirpy voice cut through the air, making me wince. There was no way I could get out of it now, so I turned around, put on my best fake smile and walked over to the table. I was introduced to the group; some little nerdy guy named Ethan, a blond named Zach, a shapeshifter, who looked way too much like Sarah for comfort, named Magenta, and of course Warren. They all smiled brightly accept for Warren, who didn't even look up. But I barely noticed, I numbly took my seat and let their laughter talk wash over me. It was like she was there again, sitting in front of me. I sat, staring at Magenta, but not seeing the purple haired shapeshifter. Sarah...

She seemed dressed in all of me
Stretched across my shame,
All the torment and the pain
Leaked through and covered me.

"It's so beautiful, I'm so impressed you actually did it. But I always believed in you." Sarah's eyes sparkled as she traced the small intricate pattern tattooed on my lower back. Her fingers barely touched my skin, but I could feel everywhere she had touched like I had been burned.

I'd do anything to have her to myself,
Just to have her for myself.

"You believe in me?" I barely recognised my own voice, and I wondered if she knew the effect she had on me.
"Of course Jessie, and I will always be here for you." Her arms wrapped around me from behind, and I sank back into her, addicted to the feel of her soft, naked skin against my own.

"Promise?"
"I promise."

Now I don't know what to do,
I don't know what to do
When she makes me sad.

There were secrets that Sarah kept from me. Dangerous secrets. I could never seem to make up in my mind what was worse, the feeling of betrayal, or the feeling of being totally alone. The last thing I ever said to her before I closed off a part of myself forever still haunts me, I relive the moment every night in my dreams.

"You said you would always be there for me...you promised. Sarah, how could you lie to me?"

She is everything to me,
The unrequited dream,
The song that no one sings,
The unattainable.
She's a myth that I have to believe in...

The bell rang, and I realised that I was sitting with my head on the table, ignoring the world. I heard them talking, asking if I was asleep, so I pretended to be, to avoid any uncomfortable explanations. Layla 'woke' me, and I was greeted with sympathetic looks. They were all thinking I still wasn't well after my killer migraine, and I let them. I shrugged off offers of help and moved off towards class, but not before noticing Warren. He hadn't moved from his seat, but he was looking at me with an unreadable expression, but something in his eyes knew. I turned and hurried from the cafeteria before he decided he wanted to talk.