"Ah, if it isn't the one and only Drake Merwin," Fern said in a mocking manner, a smirk twitching up her lips.

"Y'know I was really hoping you'd be late." Drake smiled evilly and a few pieces of his sandy hair fell over one eye. His grey, cool, lifeless eyes crinkled in the corners as he stared at Fern. Hazel eyes to grey eyes. "I was really looking forward to pouring the wet cement on your hands and watching your tear-streaked face as you beg for mercy, and me⎯" He pointed at himself and leaned closer to Fern⎯far beyond her acceptable boundaries. "I just get to say; in your face, Barbie."

Fern smiled, a hideous, twisted smile and leaned closer, there noses inches⎯no, millimeters⎯apart. Fern could feel his breath on her face.

"Don't try to act all scary, Drake. You know as well as me that you are no more than a pet to Caine. All you ever do it follow him and it's not like you could hurt me if you tried. If you ever did so much as breathe on me Caine would throw you through a wall."

Fern moved even closer to the muscular body before her and now their noses were touching. She could feel the heat radiating off of his body and could see a very, very tiny dot of blue in his emotionless eyes. Drake parted his lips.

"I don't understand you, Drake. You could be the leader, the one who Caine is following, the one who everyone in Perdido Beach is listening too. You're so much more dedicated and fearless and. . . . Better than that guy in Coates Academy who throws orders at you like your meaningless." Fern points an accusing finger at the giant school before them. "You're so much stronger; with or without powers."

Fern took a step back so their body's were no longer touching and said, "You could overthrow him." She then turned on her heels and marched into Coates Academy, still three minutes left to spare.

Fern pushed the giant, grand, polished doors aside and was immediately welcomed with a pale hand thrown in front of her face, blocking her view of the inside of Coates.

"Make one move and I blow your head off," the owner of the hand hissed.

Suddenly the pale hand dropped and Fern could see once again.

Caine sighed. "What have I said about knocking, Fern? This is the third time you have come close to being blown all the way to Perdido Beach."

Fern smiled a fake, little smile that she only gave to Caine. Her smile made her seem like she was shy. "I got some information on the people of Perdido Beach," Fern said while flicking her blonde hair off one shoulder, trying to seem innocent, though she wasn't sure why.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a male, groaning behind Fern.

"Your hair tastes bad," Drake mumbled, just coming in from outside. He wiped the back of his left hand against his mouth, spitting a little.

Fern stepped aside, hand skimming against Drake's red shirt, and walked closer to Caine.

"There's this guy. His name's⎯" Fern started but was cut off abruptly by loud footsteps coming down the hall and a nosy "Caine!"

Caine turned his head sharply and his eye's landed on a beautiful girl with dark hair and eyes, her Coates Academy uniform hugging her curves perfectly. Her hair was very shiny and a little wavy.

"Did that blonde come back yet? She's late," Diana called to Caine, shoving a piece of dark brown hair behind her ear. She didn't even bother to glance at the girl Caine was speaking to until Caine stepped back, Fern's whole body in Diana's sight.

"Oh. Hi, Barbie. I thought you'd be late, so Drakey here," Diana pointed at a glaring Drake. "Would have to lock those pretty hands of yours in cement." Diana then cocked her head to the side and stuck her bottom lip out, like she was pouting. "But I guess I was wrong."

Fern meant Diana's challenging gaze, unwavering, and smiled like someone had said a funny joke. "Yeah, I guess you were. It's too bad, though. It would have been cool if your prediction was right." Fern's eyes crinkled in the corners and her voice was filled with cheerfulness, not sarcasm.

Diana rolled her eyes. Drake smirked. Caine furrowed an eyebrow and grabbed Fern's forearm, directing her into the common room.

The two D's followed.

Fern sat on the edge of a white sofa, her legs draped over the side in an awkward position, so if she wanted to she could get up and run away quickly.

Drake just stood off in the corner of the room, but Diana melted into a lazy chair. Caine stood across from Fern, arms crossed.

"Tell me about the people of Perdido Beach," Caine demanded.

"Okay. So there's this kid. He's pretty much a hero now in Perdido Beach. He saved⎯ or attempted to save⎯ a little girl from an apartment fire." Fern flickered her hazel eyes across Caine's face, and a thought occurred to her as she surveyed the room. "Do you want to guess what the kid's name was?"

"I'm not playing the guessing game. Tell me."

Fern stood up and half-jogged half-walked across the room to a little table that was not much higher than the height of Fern's calves. The table was filled with scratches and dents from kids who attended the school and were careless and thought they were funny. Fern rubbed her hand over the imperfections and grabbed the fifth newspaper on the stack, making sure to hide the photo that was taking up most of the front page.

Caine jerked his chin at the newspaper. "What's that?"

Fern smiled, placing her finger on a picture of a black-and-white kid on the front page, and held it right in front of his eyesight, making sure Drake and Diana could see it too.

Caine took a step back.

"Sam Temple."

Diana finished the rest of Caine's thought but with her own little snarky twist. "Sam Sam the school bus man."

Fern shoved the paper into Caine's hands and nodded, acknowledging that what they said was true.

Drake snorted. He looked down at his shirt and realized there was a tiny, tiny spot of something. When did that get there?

"Caine's scared," Drake mumbled, scratching at his shirt.

Author:

Please let me know how you're thinking of my story so far! Thanks!