A/N: As this is my first published Covenant fic, I thought I'd give you two chapters in one go to help get things started. I hope you enjoy it, and know that reviews are much appreciated!

Chapter 2

Reid looked down at the girl in his arms. For a few endless seconds, their eyes met. He felt a strange tightness in his chest, as though a hand had closed around his ribs and was beginning to squeeze. He thought for a moment that he saw something different in her gaze, something dark and captivating. Then her eyes fluttered closed, curled lashes settling against her high, broad cheekbones and she went limp in his grasp, the sudden weight making him rock forward slightly. It took a moment for the truth of the situation to dawn on him, then his smirk spread into a full-fledged grin.

A girl - a beautiful, exotic-looking girl, at that – had just fainted in his arms.

Had swooned after looking at him.

God, I'm hot.

Sarah blinked in amazement. Looking around, she gave a sigh of relief; the hallway was mostly empty, as few students were ever early for Ms. Hardwick's lessons. "Hurry up and take her inside!" She hissed at Reid, whose broad grin was giving away his rapidly inflating ego.

Bending slightly, he shifted his grip and lifted the strange girl into his arms; he was surprised by how little she weighed for so tall a girl. He backed carefully through the doorway before turning and striding to the bleachers. With a grunt, he began to climb the steps towards his usual seat. It wasn't until he had carefully set her down in it that he realised that his unusual chivalry (and where did that come from, anyway?) had an audience. He turned to Sarah with a scowl, but she was ignoring him and looking at the girl. Giving a silent sigh of relief, he briefly let the power roll from his fingers and the door shut with a crash, the blinds on the window unrolling in chaotic tumble.

The sound of the door slamming seemed to have worked on the girl. She stirred slightly, her brows furrowing in a frown. Reid turned back to her and took the time to have his first good look at her without her passing out in his arms. As she moaned and raised a hand to her head, his breath caught. She was gorgeous. His eyes wandered from her glossy mane of hair down over her flawless, dark skin, skated past still-closed eyes and came to rest on her full, pouting lips. Feeling a tightening in his body, he cleared his throat and hastily sat down beside her; while he didn't care if she knew about his reaction, Caleb's girlfriend seeing him sporting wood wasn't his idea of a good time.

Kai's eyes snapped open, and she winced at the light before closing them again hurriedly. Her nostrils flared, taking in the scent of vanilla and sweetness, and the stronger odour of oak. Then she frowned; there was another, painfully strong, scent now, a dry, acrid smell that made her wrinkle her nose. She ran her tongue over her lips, stifling the growl of irritation that rose to them so naturally. Finally she cautiously began to open her eyes again, and was relieved when they adjusted to the light much more easily. Straightening in her seat, she frowned and looked to her right. Sarah smiled at her with a mixture of relief and concern. She smiled back, teeth flashing against her dark skin. Then she took in a steadying breath, firmly closed the part of her mind that housed her secret, and looked at the boy.

Reid smirked, eyes gleaming with amusement. "Hello, cutie."

His deep voice made the beast stir, but she held it back. Instead she gave a cool, polite smile; a girl has to have some dignity, after all, even in so embarrassing a situation as this. "Good morning. Please forgive my… moment of weakness. I am tired after travelling."

The smirk widened. "No problem. Feel free to share your moments with me whenever you like." He winked.

Kai's face froze for a moment before her eyes narrowed. Sarah frowned at Reid, but the dark girl slowly smiled, baring those sharp teeth. "Of course. I am Kailani. Kai, if you prefer it."

"Reid. Reid Garwin."

Her smile widened, but her eyes were mocking. "Well, Mister Garwin, next time the prospect of being forced to share a space with a boy makes me lose my senses in horror, I shall inform you."

His smirk abruptly vanished, but before he could retort the door opened and the other students came pouring in. Sarah took a seat beside Kai, giggling at Reid's stormy expression, and he turned to face the front of the room with a sullen frown. Kai looked up as another girl sat on her other side, a mocha-skinned, dark-eyed beauty. They smiled at one another warily, and Kate looked at Sarah with her brows lifted in inquiry. The blonde smiled warmly at the new girl, and the tension faded from the air. Kai extended her hand with a friendly expression.

"My name is Kailani. Kai, to most people. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Kate smiled and clasped the darker girl's hand. "Kate. Kate Tunney."

Settling back into their respective seats, the girls began to converse in the manner of girls worldwide, and gradually Kai began to relax. As she did so, she became warmer and more receptive to their tentative questioning, and by the end of their remaining five minutes of leisure, they were treating each other as old friends. Ms. Hardwick sailed into the room with a wide, dreamy smile on her face. Contrary to her name, she was a pleasant, slightly scatterbrained old lady with a gentle, carefree nature and the strange habit of speaking in a sing-song rhythm.

"Good morning, class!" She trilled with a sunny smile.

After the initial surprise, Kai smiled her pleasure and leaned back in her seat to enjoy the lesson. Ms. Hardwick, however, let her wide eyes travel across the seats before she waggled her finger in annoyance. "And where are the rest of my class, boys and girls?" Her painfully bright smile got even brighter as she floated towards the door.

It opened just before she reached it, and a young man stumbled across the threshold, followed by two slightly older boys who sauntered in for a more decorous entrance. Murmuring their apologies, they looked up and scanned the rows of seats. Kai watched as their eyes settled on Reid, who gave a flutter of his fingers in a mocking wave. The long-haired one barely glanced at Kai and Sarah, his eyes resting instead on Kate, who smiled and beckoned. The youngest one was already ascending the stairs, and the final member of the trio was giving Sarah a tender smile.

As they slumped down in their seats, the long-haired boy next to Kate, the other two by Reid, Sarah broke off her lovesick staring match to whisper in Kai's ear. "The one by Kate is Pogue Parry. That's Tyler Sims," she gestured at the youngest boy, who was eying Kai with curiosity, "And that's Caleb Danvers." The blonde gave a goofy grin as she looked at the serious face of her boyfriend.

The new girl nodded, returning Tyler's stare with a regally raised brow until he blushed and looked away. Caleb gave her a brief, distracted smile and Pogue saluted her with the hand not wrapped around Kate. Discreetly flaring her nostrils, Kai breathed in. Tyler smelt like olives, soft and fresh, underneath the chemical burn of his deodorant. Pogue was a blend of engine oil and dark musk, overlaid by the faintest hint of Kate's rose perfume. Caleb smelt like snow, elusive and enigmatic, and Sarah. And on all of them there was the bitter, ozone scent that clung to Reid. Her eyebrows twitched down into a frown as she breathed in deeply again, trying to pin down the new smell.

It wasn't until her third breath that she realised there were eyes on her, the hairs on the back of her neck rising like hackles. Without turning her head, her eyes flicked sideways and met the cool blue of Reid's. The blonde teen was watching her with piercing intensity, toying with his pen. When he met her eyes, his own narrowed almost imperceptibly. Kai merely tilted her head disinterestedly, and then glanced away again. Reid almost growled in frustration. There was something… odd about the girl, he decided. He would swear that she had been sniffing him earlier and then again when his brothers joined them. Catching her eye, he watched as a small, secretive smile flitted across her lips.

She was weird. Normal girls didn't make Reid Garwin feel short of breath, or make his heart rate increase whenever they smiled. Ignoring the background rise and fall of the teacher's voice, he looked down at his fingerless-gloved hands and remembered the feel of her soft, smooth skin under them. Clenching them into fists, he felt his gaze drawn to her profile again and his breath caught when she flicked an absent smile in his direction. Oh yeah, there had to be something different about that girl.