This chapter isn't as long as the others will be and doesn't have much action, but it does introduce some characters and information that are important for the rest of the story. I hope it isn't too boring.
Chapters one and two focus mainly on Will and Seth. This story isn't about them; it's about the whole crew. Later the other characters will come into the spotlight, I promise.
For all your disclaimer needs, revisit chapter one!
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Chapter Two
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
"Uhmmm," Will groaned and felt around for the alarm clock. She pounded the off button viciously.
For a moment she just lay there, eyes closed and blanket half off the bed.
Up, Seth's voice invading her head jolted her awake. Her eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright. The uncovered light bulbs above burned into her vision.
"Whysthlighon?" Her words slurred together.
I'm tall enough on two legs to flip the light switch. Seth sounded irritated. Will's eyes had become used to the light and looked down at him anxiously. His eyes were almost overly bright, his fur mussed.
"What's wrong with you, puppy?" She swung her legs to the floor and stood up, yawning.
Nothing, He sat down and scratched at his collar. Will gave him a critical look. I haven't spent this much time without shifting to human form in a while, he admitted.
Something he had said pricked at Will. "Didn't you just say you were on two legs to turn the light on?" She began rummaging in her dresser for a shirt.
It's not hard to walk on my hind legs for a few steps.
"Didn't think of that." She abandoned the dresser and crossed to the closet. "So why don't you shift to your human form while I'm at school? Mom will be at work and you'll have the apartment to yourself."
Not now, he said tersely. Something in his tone told her he wasn't going to explain further. Besides, I'm going with you.
"Uh uh. No dogs allowed at Sheffield Institute."
He snorted. I'll shift into something smaller. How did you like the rabbit yesterday?
"Adorable. But you can't come to school with me." She said firmly.
I need to be able to protect you! He said.
"Nope, sorry."
How many times have you had to leave school to be a Guardian? he argued. How many times have you needed to use the Heart on the way to or from school?
She stopped and stared at him.
Yan Lin told me about some of your "adventures," he admitted after a moment.
"That does make sense." She said after thinking for a minute. "But no bunnies. You keep saying that you need to be in a form that can fight, but a rabbit is the exact opposite."
Okay, what do you suggest? he asked, raising mental eyebrows.
"Um," she thought for a few moments and gave up. She threw up her arms and said, "I have no idea. You're the expert, you come up with something."
The point really is for me to be with you, he paused, obviously thinking. A fox? I do like canines. Seth said finally.
"That's fine, as long as it's small."
No problem.
Will had finally laid out her outfit for the day on her bed. She waited for Seth to turn his back so she could change.
He didn't move but to let his tongue hang out of his mouth in a mischievous grin. I'm just a dog. Don't mind me.
Will decided she didn't care. She wouldn't complain if she had to strip in front of the Guardians or even Matt. He was part of the team now – a part of her personal team – so why should she treat him differently?
His gaze was almost critical as she shrugged off her loose PJ's. She gave him a glare before dressing quickly in cutoff jeans and a t-shirt. She hunted around for her shoes, but couldn't find them anywhere.
"Mom, have you seen my shoes?" She shouted out the door before moving into the bathroom.
She heard her mom say something, but couldn't hear over the water.
"What?" She called, and turned it off.
She said you should keep track of where you put your things. And your mascara smells horrible. Seth said. Will jumped and tripped over him – he was sitting not an inch from her heels.
"I've heard the lecture. Do you know where they are or not?" She regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. Her mom got touchy with attitude.
Will endured the telling off her mom gave her while looking under the couch and behind doors for her shoes. She found them in the kitchen just as her mom wrapped up the lecture.
"Okay, sure, I'll work on it next time." Will hadn't heard a word she'd said, but it worked – her mom moved away and Will was left to scoop up her backpack.
A sudden thought occurred to her. If Seth was going to be with her all day, where would she tell her mom where he'd gone?
She relayed the worry to Seth, who shrugged helpfully.
"I'll have to tell the Guardians you're with me," she thought out loud, "and Caleb and Matt too-" She stopped as the obvious became apparent. She would just tell her mom that Seth was spending the day at Mr. Olson's store so he wouldn't be lonely all day.
"Hey Mom!" she said loudly, picking up Seth's leash from where she'd left it the day before and clipping it to the dog's collar. She ignored his quizzical looks. Her mom sighed, then walked over to her.
"Yes?" Her voice was stressed patience.
"I'm going to drop Seth at Mr. Olson's on my way to school. You know, so he won't have to spend all day here all alone."
Her mom took a moment to contemplate this, then replied in a measured tone. "That demonstrates logical thinking, Will. I'm proud of you."
Will felt a rising blush and ducked her head. She gave her mom a mumbled thanks and scooted out the door, breaking into a run when they reached the street. She was going to be late!
Not the best idea, Seth said, not even panting at the pace she was setting. But it'll work for now.
They ducked inside an empty alley. Seth shifted into a black fox as small (and unbearably cute) as the rabbit had been. Will had an incredible urge to hug the little ball of fur until he popped.
Small enough? He asked.
"Yeah, great. Now hop in." Will held an inner pocket of her backpack open and closed it after he had climbed inside. She glanced around anxiously, but nobody was near. She picked up the backpack and carefully slid it onto her shoulders.
"You okay in there?" She asked anxiously.
I'm panting and a pencil is poking my leg, he said.
"So you're fine."
The feeling he sent her was more or less a shrug.
Will met up with Cornelia and Caleb on the way to school. Cornelia had neglected to fill in her boyfriend the day before, so Will explained about Seth and how he tagging along to school.
Caleb, not surprisingly, thought a familiar was a good idea. "Now you'll have someone to keep you safe. I don't want to have to come running every time you get yourself into trouble."
Will snorted. When was the last time he had to rescue them? She distinctly remembered coming to his rescue once or twice.
"You'll still come running, right?" Cornelia asked. She obviously tried to sound like she didn't care, but the anxious edge to her words gave her away.
"For you, always." Caleb said in his husky voice, swooping down to give her a long kiss. Will tried not to groan at the cheesy phrase and looked away.
"Uh, guys," She was almost glad to interrupt. "We're going to be late if we don't get our butts in gear."
When they didn't break apart, she strode on ahead. They would catch up later.
She paused just outside the school gates. "Are you ready?" She asked her backpack.
For what – an eight hour nap? She could feel his grin.
"Obnoxious pup," she muttered. Then smiled, glad the nickname still applied.
Cornelia did end up being late. She burst through the door four minutes after the bell. Mr. Whatshisname gave her a sharp look above the book he was reading from, but no detention. Will mouthed "I told you so," but Cornelia ignored it.
Mongols and Huns and crazy Chinese emperors – who could keep it all straight? Will wondered, trying her best not to let her mind stray to the little fox nestled in the bag under her desk. She was dying to tell Matt, not to mention the other Guardians, but the girls were in algebra and Matt biology.
After ten minutes of furiously copying down everything that came out of the teacher's mouth, Will gave up. She lay down her pencil and slumped back in her chair. She told herself it didn't matter; she could always borrow Taranee's notes later.
Time passed faster now that Will wasn't anxious to catch every word. She picked up the pencil and held it over her paper, only so Mr. Whatshisname wouldn't swoop down on her now that she wasn't taking notes. In what seemed like minutes, the bell rang and Will was free to run from the classroom.
She had to knock over one person and bump into countless others to get to Matt's locker before he did, but she made it. Breathing heavily, she leaned against the cool metal to catch her breath.
I would appreciate it if you didn't slam your bag against things or wave it around so wildly. Seth said, voice sour.
"Oh, puppy, I'm so sorry!" She was about to say 'I forgot you were in there' but caught her tongue in time. "Won't happen again. Promise."
"Promise what?" A voice came from behind her.
"Matt! I'm glad I caught you. I brought Seth with me to school. I told my mom he was staying in your grandpa's shop for the day."
"You could have told me that at lunch." Matt said, rummaging through his locker.
"I know," she ducked her head, "but I haven't seen you since yesterday, so..." She stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.
"Then I'm glad you caught me too." He said, a smile widening on his lips.
"If you see Hay Lin or Irma, pass it along." Will said before waving goodbye so she could make it to her next class. The room was on the other side of the school, so she had to run. She didn't have to stop at her locker, as computer class didn't require a textbook. Even then, she didn't make it.
Professor Sylla looked up when she entered the room, but only to smile. "Glad you joined us, Miss Vandom. Please sit down. You're going to continue working on your presentations today." His tone was cheerful, and though Will listened carefully for any trace of reprimand for her lateness, she found none.
Professor Sylla was a new teacher; he had only come a week ago. He had taken instantly to the Guardians, showering their work with praise and giving no punishments if they forgot an assignment or were late, though he gave detentions if anyone else so much as raised his voice.
The Guardians (plus Matt and Caleb) had discussed his weird behavior a lot lately. It made them suspicious, but Will shook it off as paranoia from being hunted by Nerissa for so long. All teachers have favorites, don't they?
It just so happened that in this case both his favorites were Guardians.
Will told herself firmly that it was just a coincidence. She remembered how she had treated innocent Sarina and tried her best to keep all paranoid thoughts of Professor Sylla in the back of her mind.
Now, she fought with the uncooperative program she was using for her multimedia presentation. She had no idea how it worked, and its help system didn't help at all. Normally, she would have brought the computer to life and asked it to coach her through it, but Professor Sylla was always hovering near where Will and Taranee sat. Every few minutes, he dropped one of them a compliment, a reminder that they couldn't let their guard down.
This guy is freaking me out! Will had been concentrating so intently on deciphering the error message her computer sent her that she jumped when Taranee's voice interrupted.
Professor Sylla noticed. He immediately swooped down on her. "Is something wrong, Miss Vandom?"
"Just scared myself."
Clearly disappointed, he walked away.
Sorry about that, Taranee said. Will glanced to the side. The girl's eyes were fixed on the glowing screen, and Will snapped hers to the error message.
Relax. He's just weird, nothing to worry about. We deal with weird all the time, Will reassured her.
Did you notice he never pays attention to the rest of the class?
So what? Maybe he thinks we're hot.
Taranee shot her a disgusted look and the conversation ended.
The class would normally have been filled with happy chatter as the students asked questions or exclaimed over each other's ideas. But Professor Sylla's intolerance for talking kept the room silent.
But not boring. Computer class could never be boring. It did get a little wearing at times – Will struggled for more than fifteen minutes just to change a background color – but there was always the end of the period to look forward to, when three or four students would show off a part of their presentations that they were particularly proud of. It ended the class on a high note, and Will walked out of the room smiling.
Class after class flew by and Will didn't learn a thing. She was too worried about Seth to concentrate. He had been quiet all day, even when the conversation turned to him at lunch. She lost her patience in biology, her last class, and gave her backpack a little kick.
Nothing.
When finally the last bell of the day rang, she all but ran out of school. She stopped at the first semi-secluded spot she saw, and opened her bag.
Seth was still there, nestled in the inside pocket, eyes closed. Will scooped him out with one hand and the little amber eyes flew open. They glared at Will until she put him back.
"So... so you're okay?" She asked hesitantly.
Of course I'm okay. He said, a bit confused.
"You didn't talk at all. It worried me."
I was sleeping. Did you want me to talk?
"No, but..." She trailed off.
Tomorrow I'll say something every hour or so. He reassured her.
"You want to shift so you can walk?" She asked.
Sure. Will picked him up by the scruff of his neck and placed his little black body gently on the ground. She glanced around, but everybody was too busy chatting to glance in their direction. "Okay, go ahead."
After a second Will slipped the chain collar over the red furry head, grateful that she remembered to tuck his collar and leash into her backpack that morning.
"Come on, pup." She smiled and walked into the sunshine with a happily trotting Seth by her side.
Unaware that at the highest window of the school's clock tower, someone stood watching.
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Thanks to all who have watched this story! Reviews are also much appreciated.