So I'm going to try something new. If I get one review I'll post two chapters as soon as I see it. If not, I'll just post them separately, the first one in a week and the second one the week after. The review could literally be anything, and I would post them.
Please enjoy! I know this story is kind of weird and might have some un accurate things, but the way I see it, I created this story so I get to do with it what I will.
It was kind of disconcerting to have Jacin in all of her classes. Not just in them, but he was always by her side. He himself was disconcerting, on the outside he was harsh and cold and business like, exactly like a trained bodyguard. But on the inside, he was fun loving and joyful even if he enjoyed heavy sarcasm.
He was now the closest thing she had ever had to a friend, even surpassing Julian, who was really more of an acquaintance, albeit the closest one she had.
At lunch she, Jacin, and Winter had sat down. Winter was beautiful, with chocolate skin, hazel eyes and black curly hair. Winter was the one person other than Cinder and Cress herself, who was able to get Jacin to act like his inside. Her face was marred by three scars, that she was scared to know where they were from, but suspected Anthony.
Thorne occasionally talked to her, mostly in LA, while Jacin rolled his eyes. She had seen him get in another fist fight with Anthony in the halls. She had ducked her head and hurried past, with Jacin close behind her.
She hurriedly ate her lunch, not contributing to Jacin and Winter's conversation.
"Hey Crescent! Oh sorry, Cress. Ugh. Sorry." Winter's Melodious voice interrupted Cress's thoughts.
"S'okay." She didn't look up from her book though.
"Your necklace is really pretty. And it matches your name. Where did you get it?"
Cress instinctively grabbed her necklace. It was a crescent moon shape with glittering diamonds set in it. "It was my mom's. It's also my name sake. She didn't tell my dad any of her name ideas, wanting it to be a surprise. She died in labor though, so my dad named me Crescent. Both because of the necklace and one of her favorite songs." Cress stopped talking, and hoped her eyes weren't tearing up.
"I'm sorry." Winter's eyes were clearly tearing up and she grabbed Jacin's hand to stabilize herself. "My mom died in labor too. It was expected though, because she was really sick." Jacin hugged her and for a moment they embraced before Winter excused herself to go use the restroom.
"I'm sorry I made her cry."Cress said meekly, feeling quite guilty.
"No, you didn't make her cry. Don't blame yourself, that's not healthy. Winter is in control of her own emotions and would never blame someone else. Her mom is just a really sore subject, as it might be for you too. She chose to bring it up though to make you feel better because she cares about you. Got it?"
Jacin and her walked out of the cafeteria together. In the hallway Cress suddenly stopped. Anthony was blocking her path.
"Excuse us Anthony." Jacin spoke politely, though you could hear it was forced.
"Whatever." Anthony pushed Jacin backward then tried to yank on Cress's hair. She snapped her head back and bit his finger.
"What the heck! Are you a dog or something?" Anthony nursed his finger.
"Hey, nothing wrong with dogs. Right, Ze'ev?" Jacin was laughing so hard by the end of his sentence he doubled over.
A boy, taller and bulkier than even Anthony, nodded and laughed, bearing some sharp canines.
Jacin led her past Anthony, still laughing. They met up with Winter by Cress's locker and Jacin regaled her with the story. Winter was laughing too and patted Cress on the back proudly. Cress smiled hesitantly.
"I told you! I told you!" Cinder skidded to a stop and slugged Jacin in the shoulder. "I told you she could defend herself."
"I think you were right. She's pretty fierce." Jacin rumpled her hair lovingly.
Cinder high fived her. "You were awesome. I don't know if you'll get in trouble but it was still awesome."
Cress blanched at the idea of getting in trouble. "Don't worry. I'll go talk to the office and explain and you won't get in trouble." Jacin said, shaking his head and laughed again as he headed down the hallway. Cinder and Winter.
Cress headed to the gym. She didn't have to participate anymore but the class was still tortuous.
She was sitting on the bleachers reading when Thorne came and sat by her. Jacin hadn't returned yet. Anthony passed by them, glowering.
"You should bark at him." Thorne's whisper caught her off guard, but she did bark at him.
Anthony turned toward her and opened his mouth. The Coach passed by and gave him a stern look. Anthony passed by and Coach transferred his stern look to Cress.
"Crescent Moon, don't goad him. I know what's been happening and that will only make it worse."
"Yeah, Crescent Moon." Thorne nudged her playfully with his shoulder.
"Shut up Carswell." She returned the nudge, forgetting that she didn't like him.
"That was a low blow, m'lady."
"I suggest you go flirt with someone else, sire."
"It's Captain."
"Fine, Cadet."
He gave her a weird look and left. Jacin soon came to take his spot. "We're playing football. I think I'm allowed to tackle him right?"
"Who, Anthony?" Cress asked him.
"Hey, that's a good idea, but I meant Thorne. Either of them would work. We'll just have to see which one I'm up against." He left with a mock spring in his step. She rolled her eyes at his back.
Throughout the game, Jacin was able to tackle Thorne once, and Anthony twice. They both cussed him out, though Thorne's was more playful.
"Congrats! You guys won." Cress told Jacin as they walked.
"Yippee. I hate computer class. You chose the worst elective."
"You can switch back to your old one. Anthonys not there and Julians in there with me."
"It's fine. I only have a few more weeks with your schedule."
Cress was actually saddened by this. "I think I might miss you. You're surprisingly fun to be around."
He smiled down at her, "Why surprisingly?"
"I don't know if you know this, but to anyone other than Winter, Cinder and I, you're pretty cold. I didn't know you had an actual personality under there."
He barked out a laugh. A few people around them startled and looked at him weird.
At the end of the day Cress was waiting with Jacin and Winter. Cress's dad was late and so they were waiting with her before Jacin drove Winter home, and then to his own home.
When he finally did come, Cress was laughing at Jacin because Winter had just fed him a piece of black licorice and he had spit it out.
"That stuff is terrible. Never eat it in my presence again." Jacin was scolding her and trying to knock another piece out of her hand.
Dr. Erland beeped his horn and Cress startled and grabbed her stuff and sprinted toward his car.
"I wish you would let me drive myself."
"Not with that arm. Or possibly ever. Who was that boy you were with?" He seemed worried.
"He's Winter's boyfriend, Dad. They're just my friends." She sighed at his question.
"You have friends?"
"Dad!"
"What, you've never talked about any."
She gave him the cold shoulder, though she knew he had a point. At home she ran up to her room. Her phone buzzed as soon as she slumped on to her bed.
Unknown number: M'lady, you owe me an apology
Cress: Who gave you my number?
Unknown number: Winter did
Cress: I'm blocking you.
Cress proceeded to do just that. She couldn't fathom why Winter had given Thorne her number. She wanted to text her and ask but she didn't have the energy.
Unknown number: Seriously? You can't get rid of me that easily. There are endless phones in my household that I can borrow.
Cress: I can block all of them.
She had a few minutes of peace before her phone rang. Again, it was an unknown number. She didn't know why she answered.
"So help me!" She greeted the caller.
"Relax, it's me. Now about that apology. Now you owe me several."
She hung up on him and blocked the number and put her phone on do not disturb. She turned on the TV in room and started watching a newer movie that she had been meaning to watch for a while.
It ended up being really terrible. It was a movie adaptation of a book that she owned, though hadn't read in a few years. The whole thing looked really cheap, from the costumes to the sets to the crappy acting.
She started reading the actual book to remember better what the actual story was like. She ended up falling asleep while she read.
She woke up around midnight with a painful empty stomach. She hadn't eaten anything since lunch that day.
Creeping down the stairs, Cress saw that her father had left all of the lights on. Rooting through the kitchen for a protein bar she saw that he had also left his laptop on which was unusual because he was very private with his work, because it included a lot of patient confidentiality. She wanted to look at it, but knew if her father ever even had an inkling of an idea that she had looked at anything he would ground her for a very long time.
Still out of the corner of her eye, she saw a single word, letumosis.