Making Our Mark

Chapter 4: Walk

"Do you see Scaring Theory anywhere, Danica?"

"Here you go, Brynn."

"International Scaring?"

"Right here."

"Scare Ref?"

"Up here!"

Brynn grinned, catching the book that I had tossed down to her. The week after the crazy party hosted by Jaws Theta Chi found us in the library, searching for books for our respective classes. We quickly learned how important it would be for us to be as quiet as possible during our quest for books because we were approaching the library when a large grey tentacle emerged from the roof of the building, sending a screaming green lizard hurling into the river. Given that Brynn was a Scaring major and I came from a long line of Scarers, sneaking around the library was not a hard task for us.

Climbing down from the ladder leaning against the shelf, I asked Brynn, "Is that all?"

Brynn, who was carefully inspecting another shelf nearby, frowned. "For now, I guess. I can't seem to find Scare Technique anyway."

"Perhaps someone already checked it out," I told her as I collected my various assortment of Spanish and Education-related books that I had placed on the floor.

"Probably," Brynn murmured, wrapping her arms securely around her books. "Hopefully that monster doesn't renew it. I would really like to read it for my Scaring 101 class."

"You can always ask the librarian to put in a request for it," I explained as we began the trek towards the checkout desk. "That will notify the student who checked out the book that they have to return the book within a week because someone else wants it."

Brynn paled at the mention of the incredibly strict librarian.

I smiled sympathetically. "You might want to whisper your request. I don't want to have to fish you out of the river."

Brynn shook her head vigorously. "I think I'm better off praying that the book doesn't get renewed."

The librarian was silently reading behind the checkout desk when Brynn and I tiptoed up to it. Even though we were as quiet as mice, the glare on her face a clear indication of her displeasure to seeing us, maybe because she was in the middle of an interesting part in her novel or because she was simply annoyed with life. Nonetheless, she swiped our student cards from us with her tentacles, scanned our books, and slid them back over to us rather roughly.

Brynn and I exchanged looks, mine of surprise and hers of horror, before we crept as quickly as we could towards the rotating gates that separated the main floor of the library from the lobby that contained only trophy displays and wooden benches. We waited until we were safely in the lobby before we started speaking again.

"Sometimes I wonder if good grades are worth dealing with her," said Brynn, nudging her head in the direction from which we came.

I laughed, slipping my books into my bag. "Look at it this way, it's a good way to develop your stealth tactics as a Scarer."

"Very true," Brynn agreed, eyeing me admiringly. "You can be pretty quiet too."

I shrugged. "As Johnny would point out, I'm a Worthington. I think he would be beyond disappointed to find out that I got thrown out of the library because I lacked stealth."

"Speaking of your brother," Brynn began with a laugh, "do you think he would happen to have a copy of Scare Technique?"

I paused. "Well, he did mention that the RΩR house has its own personal library. If you want, I can find out if he or one of his brothers has a copy of that book that they wouldn't mind lending you."

Brynn began expressing her gratitude profusely when the main doors to the library were pulled open with a click. Soon after, Javier entered with a book in his hand and grinned when greeted by our presence, well, probably more so by mine than by Brynn's.

"Speaking of RΩR," I muttered, silently wishing that our trip to the library had been briefer.

"Well, this is a surprise," Javier remarked, approaching us with a broad grin. "Hola, chicas."

"We go to the same school, Rios," I pointed out frankly, "so it's not really a surprise for you to run into us."

"Oh, you must be Javier!" Brynn chirped as though she was just putting his name to his face for the very first time. "I'm Brynn."

"Nice to meet you," said Javier with a nod of acknowledgement.

"You as well," Brynn replied, smiling too brightly for my liking. "Danica has told me so much about you!"

The temptation to pull out a book from my bag to smack Brynn with became stronger the more she talked and I couldn't help but wonder if she thought that she was trying to be helpful or if she really wanted to be whooped like a piñata. She was certainly not the former and, if she kept talking, I could easily make the latter a reality.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I should be going," Brynn continued, the pitch in her voice higher than it normally was. "I don't want to be late for History of Scaring."

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at her. Brynn did not have History of Scaring until the late afternoon, so I knew exactly what her intentions were and, to be honest, she was a few 'helpful' words away from me flinging her out of the library and into the river myself.

"I'll see you for dinner, Danica," said Brynn in a final sort of way. "Nice meeting you, Javier."

Javier simply nodded his head in acknowledgement as my pig-tailed friend, or possibly enemy in this given moment, skipped off merrily towards and out the doors, completely unaware of the metaphorical daggers that my eyes were shooting at her retreating back.

"She seems nice," Javier remarked, looking amused.

"She is," I assured him, "but she can be annoying at times."

"Like me?" Javier asked with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes. "I guess you could say that."

Javier chuckled. "Are you off to class too?"

"Not until this afternoon," I explained. "I just came here to check out some books. You?"

"Just returning a book," Javier answered before slipping the book in his hand into the returns slot in the wall next to us. "Sullivan borrowed it for a party."

"Why did you guys need a book for a party?" I questioned curiously.

"The ping pong table at the JΘX house hasn't been the same since Fear Tech's pig wrecked the place during the last party," Javier explained, "so Sullivan got a book to put under one of the legs to keep the table steady."

I nodded. "Yeah, Johnny mentioned there being another party."

Javier nodded. "He wanted to show Sullivan a good time since welcoming him into RΩR."

"I see," I simply said in response. I was fully aware of the second party since Johnny invited me to it; however I had politely declined the invitation, so I could focus on establishing a routine with my classes and school work. According to Brynn, the majority of the party was spent playing beer pong, so I didn't miss much.

"You know," Javier began, watching me intently, "I didn't see you there."

I shrugged. "I was busy getting into the swing of things with school work. I wanted to have a grasp on that before going out and having fun."

Javier nodded paused before adding, "I was hoping you would be there."

I smirked. "Why, were you missing me already?"

Javier let out a low chuckle and admitted, "It's hard to get to know someone who isn't always around. You're not like most girls."

I smirked. "That's where you made your first mistake. I'm not sure what Johnny has told you about me, but I'm not like most girls."

"I'm starting to see that," said Javier. "In fact, I wanted to see if we could try this again?"

"You mean like start over?" I asked, resting a hand on my hip. "We could, but I don't think your ego could handle another bruising."

Javier shook his head. "I mean start over as if the last week didn't happen. Get to know each other without making assumptions about who we are based on our backgrounds."

"An intriguing suggestion," I hummed in contemplation, tilting my head slightly to the side, "but which pickup line will you use this time? Your answer will determine whether I roll my eyes at you or kick you in the shins."

Javier chuckled. "You're pretty sassy, you know that?"

"I'm aware of that, but it's nice to know you're just noticing it," I quipped, holding out a hand, "Hi, I'm Danica Worthington."

"Javier Rios," he said, playing along by shaking my hand. "Are you related to a Johnny Worthington?"

"He's my brother," I answered before feigning curiosity and asking, "You know him?"

Javier nodded with a knowing grin. "He's the president of our fraternity: Roar Omega Roar."

"Ah, you're a RΩR?" I asked with an air of surprise. "That must mean you're a Scaring major right?"

"Naturally," Javier replied, playing along, "and you?"

"Spanish Studies and Education," I answered as nonchalantly as I could.

"Ah, so you would like to be a teacher," Javier remarked with a smile.

I smiled. "Yes, just like my mother. Teachers teach the next generation and, who knows, there may be a bunch of future Scarers amongst them."

"Most likely," Javier agreed, eyeing me with interest. "A double major, huh?"

I felt my cheeks flush. "Johnny thinks I'm crazy to be doubling the workload, but I love what I do."

Javier chuckled. "He says you're just crazy in general."

"Well, he can be a few scream canisters short of a cart at times," I explained, rolling my eyes.

"Definitely," Javier agreed with a laugh. He then added in a whisper, "but don't tell him I said that."

"Tell him what?" I asked, batting my eyelishes innocently.

Javier smirked. "I think I'll keep you around, chica."

"It would be smart of you to do so, Rios," I told him as I began walking towards the exit.

Javier arched an eyebrow in intrigue as he followed me. "Is that so?"

"Well, if Johnny is right about my level of craziness," I said, "then it would be best for you to stay on my good side rather than on my bad, right?"

"You have a point," Javier admitted, pushing open one of the doors and gesturing for me to walk through first.

"Thanks," I said, exiting the building. "It's nice to know chivalry hasn't died out."

"Oh, there's more to me than that, chica," said Javier teasingly as he followed me out from behind.

"Like what?" I asked, gazing up him in curiosity.

Javier grinned. "Depends, how much time do you have until your afternoon class?"

With a quick glance at my wristwatch, I answered, "You have my attention until one or until you start to bore me. Whichever comes first."

"Okay then," said Javier with a laugh, "if you're up for a walk, I don't mind sharing."

I paused to consider the invitation, feeling the sun beaming down on the entire campus from the cloudless sky above. There was a cool breeze blowing in from the west. The combination of ideal weather conditions made it much too pleasant to be enjoyed indoors.

"You did say you're open to us starting over, right?" Javier asked, watching me intently.

"Hopefully, I won't live to regret this," I said with a smirk, "so for starters, tell me about the early years and we'll go from there."

Javier nodded as we began our walk down the main road that cut through the campus. "Well, I was born to a pair of very hardworking parents; mi padre's a Scarer over at Fear Tech and mi madre's the Chief of Cardiology over at Monstropolis General Hospital."

I was definitely impressed, not just by Javier's parents' professions, but by the humble manner in which he praised them for their work ethic rather than for the caliber of their success in their respective fields. "Any siblings?"

Javier shook his head. "No, only monster here."

I smiled sympathetically. "Did you ever feel lonely growing up without a brother or a sister?"

"It was nice not having a sibling to bicker with," Javier admitted, looking off into the distance in thought, "but at the same time, it did get lonely not having someone to hang out with all the time."

I nodded as understandingly as I could; I knew that I couldn't fully comprehend the loneliness that he experienced growing up without siblings given that I had Johnny for a brother.

"That's why I was glad when I started going to school," Javier continued, "because that's when I actually got to start making friends."

"Were you involved in a lot of extracurricular activities?" I asked.

"Not really," Javier answered sheepishly. "I sucked at a lot of sports. I gave ping pong a shot when I was in the sixth grade. It was the only sport that I really liked and was actually good at."

I smiled amusedly. "That explains the match against Zane at the JΘX party so much."

Javier chuckled. "Sí, sometimes I drop by the campus athletic center to keep my skills sharp. It's also a good workout."

No kidding, I thought, quickly shifting my eyes away from the firm plating along his chest. I quickly cleared my throat and asked, "And for the rest of school?"

"You mean the actual classes," said Javier with a grin. "I was actually a good student."

"Was?" I questioned teasingly.

Javier laughed, casting a glance towards me. "Still am, chica. I have to be to be in RΩR."

"A frat brother with brains," I murmured with interest. "A definite contrast to the stereotypical frat brother."

Javier nodded in agreement. "Johnny wants the best Scarers in RΩR, so good grades are a must."

"Speaking of Scarers," I said, "what made you decide to become one?"

"Well, I always looked up to mi padre growing up," Javier explained with ease. "Scaring is a dangerous career and the fact that he risks his life every day to go into the human world and collect human children's screams to help power the city is incredible."

"It definitely is," I agreed, my thoughts drifting to my own father. He, like my ancestors before him, worked diligently as Scarers, earning my family the reputation that my father constantly reminds Johnny and me to uphold. The pressure fell more so on Johnny since he chose to pursue the same career path.

"I guess you could say I want to become a Scarer, so I can do my part too," Javier continued, staring at the patch of road ahead of us. "Anything to help the city avoid a possible energy crisis."

I smiled kindly at Javier's obvious sense of respect towards his father and his sense of duty towards the city in which he has grown up. "So you want to follow in your dad's footsteps?"

"Sí," Javier answered with a nod, "but also make my own mark, you know what I mean?"

I nodded understandingly. "You mean, be your own monster?"

"Exactly," said Javier, sounding pleased that I understood him. "We're all Scarers, but we're not the same kind of monster."

"That much is certain," I agreed, "although many monsters would disagree with us on that matter."

"Probably," said Javier, gazing down at me with keen interest, "but the only monster I'm interested in right now is the one you are."

"Oh, there are a lot of layers to this monster," I told him, jabbing my thumbs towards me. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, for starters," Javier began, "I'm interested in how you decided on your majors. You have to be at least proficient to consider Spanish as one of them, no?"

"Fluent," I corrected in a gentle and humble manner.

"And yet, Johnny doesn't understand a lick of it," Javier mentioned with an inquisitive hum, "so how did you go about picking it up in the first place?"

I smiled as I reflected on the start of my language-learning journey. "It's sort of a funny story."

"Do tell," said Javier, his curiosity seemingly piqued.

"Well, it started when I was one," I explained, throwing my hands out to add gestures to the tale. "My father bought me this toy with wheels and a handle, which he was hoping I could push to learn how to walk. Turns out it taught me more than just how to walk."

"What do you mean by that?" Javier asked with an amused grin.

I smiled, picturing the scene unfold in my mind. "The toy came with buttons of shapes that would say letters, numbers, and the names of animals whenever I pressed them."

"So you started learning letters, numbers, and the names of animals from that toy?" Javier asked.

I nodded with a laugh. "Sure did, and all in Spanish."

Javier chuckled. "Really?"

"Yeah, turns out my father bought the Spanish version by accident," I explained with a grin. "He was going to return to the store and exchange it for an English one when he realized his mistake, but my mother, being a teacher, encouraged him to let me keep it, hoping that I would take to Spanish like a duck to water."

"You must have considering that's one of your majors," Javier pointed out.

"Very much so," I answered with enthusiasm. "That's why Johnny doesn't understand much Spanish; he went to school in the public school system and only studied Spanish up until it wasn't a requirement anymore. He doesn't have an interest in knowing any language other than English."

Javier nodded in understanding. "I assume you didn't go down that same route?"

"Like you, Rios, I make my own path," I told him with a proud smirk. "I ended up going to the Foreign Language Immersion Academy of Monstropolis where I pursued half of my studies in the Spanish language and the other half in English. I realized early on that I had a passion for learning languages and decided that I didn't want to limit myself to just learning two."

"Is that what lead you to learning Mandarin?" Javier asked, his gaze still on me.

"Yeah, but my co-op placement in Cryna played a huge role in that," I explained. "During my junior year of high school, I spent three months in Cryna where I taught English as a foreign language to students at both primary and high school levels. I enjoyed it so much that I could envision myself making a career out of it. Learning Mandarin was just a bonus."

"Are you fluent?" Javier asked.

I shook my head. "In Mandarin, no. I call what I know survival Mandarin, that is, enough to live a simple life there and get around."

"Would you think about pursuing it further?" Javier inquired.

I shrugged. "I haven't closed the door on it just yet. Maybe down the road when I have more time on my hands."

"Fair enough," said Javier, seeming to have found my answer acceptable. He paused before chuckling to himself.

"And just what is so funny to you?" I questioned, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Oh, I was just thinking about what you said earlier about Johnny; how he can be a few scream canisters short of a cart sometimes," Javier explained with another amused grin.

I shrugged with a smirk. "He may have excellent grades, but he doesn't always make the wisest decisions."

"Well, aside from his questionable decision-making skills, do you like having him for a brother?" Javier asked.

"I do," I admitted. "We may get on each other's nerves sometimes, as all siblings do with each other, but we have a close bond from growing up playing together. I can always count on him to be there for me when I need him, that is, unless it involves carrying my shopping bags. He draws the line at that and just stays at the mall food court, that is, if I can even get him to go with me to the mall in the first place."

Javier laughed. "Sounds like something Johnny would do."

"In all fairness, I draw the line at wiring him bail money," I explained honestly.

It was Javier's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Johnny isn't in jail."

"Give it time," I assured him with a claw held up, "and I'll be getting an urgent call for help from the Monstropolis Detention Center. Even though I love the giant puffball, I won't have any sympathy for him if he gets locked up for not listening to reason."

That elicited another laugh from Javier. "I take it you're the voice of reason?"

I shrugged. "I try to be, but he doesn't listen often."

"He should," said Javier. "You can learn a lot from someone just from listening."

I gave him a smug grin. "Are you saying you're learning a lot from listening to me talk?"

"Sí," Javier replied, only to chuckle at the sudden rumbling that my belly elicited, "because listening tells me that, right now, you must be hungry."

I flushed in embarrassment, silently scolding myself for sleeping in and skipping breakfast earlier that morning. "I guess I am."

"Well, since we walked all this way to the front gate of MU, want to grab some lunch at that bistro across the street?" Javier asked.

Frowning in confusion, I looked behind me and was surprised to learn that we were standing in front of the gated entrance to the campus through which various monsters of different majors and years of study were walking. I shook my head in disbelief.

"Is that a no?" Javier asked, sounding somewhat disappointed.

I shook my head again, watching a trio of monsters pass us on the way back to campus. "No, I just can't believe we walked this far. It didn't seem that long of a walk."

Javier smirked. "You must actually be enjoying my company to have not noticed where we were going."

I simply gave him a look. "You're a step up from a brick wall, but that's not really a reason to be smirking."

Javier pressed a hand to his chest and feigned a sigh of pain. "Ouch, why don't you just stab me in the heart?"

"If we head over to the bistro, I can grab a knife," I quipped, masking my sinister grin with an angelic smile.

Javier chuckled. "If you do that, I won't be able to pay for our lunch."

"What?" I questioned in surprise. "You're buying?"

Javier nodded as though the answer was obvious. "Hey, Johnny may make the RΩRs sound like a group of pompous asses, but I invited you out to eat, so it's my treat."

I paused to consider the offer of a free meal and then shrugged. "I guess I can wait until the bill is paid before putting a knife in you."

"Maybe by then, after a great lunch with great company, you'll consider keeping me around," said Javier, eyeing me hopefully.

"Then I guess your life depends on this lunch," I said, looking him right in his eyes. "Amuse me."

"Challenge accepted, chica," said Javier daringly, flashing me his charming smile.

As we crossed the empty street that separated the main entrance of the campus from the line of businesses across from it, I thought to myself that if lunch with Javier was going to be as enlightening as the conversation that we just had during our walk, then I was in for quite the learning experience outside of the classroom. Whether that would be a good thing or a bad thing only time would tell.