Chapter 6

Wednesday 20thAugust 2014

The next day, I spend most of my morning in my room, organizing what stuff to put away and what stuff I would need for the boarding school I hadn't even known I would have to go to. After a steaming hot shower that I swear I'm still cold after, I wander downstairs, absolutely starving.

I come to a halt in the doorway to the kitchen. Around the kitchen table is an array of people I had never thought to see together.

"Hey Princess," Luca greets me with a grin and I wince. Mom's expression right now is so not good. Mai is innocently smiling at everyone and being as polite as possible, but her lacy crop top and cut off shorts aren't winning her any favors with Mom.

Sky is pretending to make lunch while every few seconds glancing up at Luca through her lashes. I almost snort at her. Nice to see she isn't a total alien.

"What are you guys doing here?" I ask, looking from Luca to Mai and back.

Thankfully it's Mai who spoke; Luca probably would have started off his sentence with something flirty or insulting. "We're all heading over to Marion for the afternoon and wanted to know if you were interested in coming. It's for Jesse's birthday."

I am shocked. With everyone staring at me, I try keeping my expression as casual as possible. It won't do me any good to panic and have them second-guess asking me. I glance at Mom and her arched eyebrow tells me it is totally my decision to make.

"Oh go on, Serenity," urges Saraiyu. "It will do you good to see the local attractions and get to know some people your age." She smiles at me widely and I narrow my eyes at her. What game is she playing here? Lying about my trip to the Hale's house and now encouraging me to hang out with – I'm assuming – the whole lot of them.

It would be nice to maybe do some shopping of my own, though...

"Alright, I just have to grab some shoes and my purse." I direct my answer at Mai, but I see Luca smirking out of the corner of my eye.

As I'm walking upstairs to grab my stuff I hear my name being called. I turn around to see Luca standing at the bottom of the stairs. I totally freeze, too surprised by what he could possibly want to even formulate a response.

He seems to find my silence amusing. "I was just wondering if you still had my jacket. I noticed you were wearing it yesterday but I think you left with it again."

Oh. I flush bright red. Yesterday had been so full of events I had totally forgotten I'd been wearing his jacket the whole time. "Uh, yeah. I'll just grab it for you," I stutter.

"Much appreciated," he says, smiling widely at me before disappearing again.

Well this day just keeps getting better and better.

"You have got to be kidding me." I stare up at the Jeep five minutes later. It is massive. I honestly don't know how they even got up there, it was that far off the ground.

All of them grin at me, Luca included, who I can just imagine would be looking mighty fine behind the steering wheel. He is actually wearing a shirt for once, plus a pair of dark tinted sunglasses that just add to his overall charm.

"My jacket?" he prompts.

"Oh." I pass it to him, trying to ignore the smirk on his face.

"Much appreciated, Princess." I glare at him for the nickname that it seems he was just not going to let go of.

"Come on Luca, quit flirting and help her up," Cloud calls down from the passenger seat. I glance up at him, surprised, not having noticed him in the passenger seat. When I see the ghost of a smile on his lips as our eyes met, I blush, remembering the fun time we had yesterday.

I don't have long to think about it because two strong arms are suddenly lifting me into the car as if it hadn't been any effort at all. "Good to know I don't weigh that much," I mutter to myself as I sink into the seat next to Jesse. On the other side of him is Kailya.

"Happy birthday," I say to him, remembering what Mai had said inside. He grins and thanks me. "Where's Mai? And the others?" I wonder out loud as I try to work out the seat belt.

Jesse rolls his eyes, but I get the impression it isn't anything to do with me. "She's riding in the other car with Mason." He lifts an eyebrow at me. "You didn't think we would all fit in here, did you?"

I blush. "Well, it is pretty big."

He grins, helping me with the damn seatbelt that seems to come from six different directions, then faces the front. "Luca does love his cars."

My eyes find their way to Luca. He had climbed into the driver's seat while I'd been settling in. He looks so relaxed, and so completely different from all the other times I have seen him.

"Just wait until you see my horse," he says, grinning. I frown. A horse as big as this car? No thank you.

We pull out of the driveway and are on our way. What I'm assuming is Mason's car – a large navy blue affair of a model I've never heard of before – follows behind us as we leave town. It's a two hour trip, and what talking there is over the radio is light-hearted and usually at the expense of somebody.

I mostly just sit and listen, enjoying the feeling of being included in this group of interesting people. Mason, Mai, Victorie and Reina were in the other car, and I wonder how different the atmosphere would be if I was in that car instead.

Not meaning I want to give up this time to secretly gawk at Luca, but I still wondered anyway.

It's a nice drive, woods stretching out on either side of the road. The last time I'd been on this road was less than a week ago, but with everything that's happened since, it feels like a lifetime ago. And the company this time is a lot different from Sky's sullen silence and Mom's nervous energy.

Marion is a fairly large town, with just about every possible shop or attraction you could possibly want this close to the Appalachian's.

"So what's first Jesse?" Luca asks over his shoulder as we hit the town outskirts.

"Definitely Hardee's first, then the department stores. Got some gift vouchers and birthday money to spend," Jesse replies with an excited grin.

I smile along with everyone else. His energy is contagious, and my grumbling stomach is happy that food is foremost on his mind. As Jesse and Luca launch into a heated discussion about what they could do afterwards, I stare out the window.

We had been through Marion on the way to Serenity Falls last week, but we hadn't had time to really stop or look around, and I'd been too road-weary to really pay attention to much. A bustling town full of life, there were people everywhere in all directions and the idea of having to keep up with these guys in a crowd is slightly daunting.

Finding a parking spot draws a string of muttered curses from Luca, and I'm amazed at his patience: I would have been banging my head against the steering wheel by now or swearing out the window at other drivers.

As everyone clambers out of the Jeep – Cloud helped me out this time, making me blush again – I spot Mason's car a few parking spaces down. We wait for them to join us and aside from the hell it was going to be to get to the fast food place, the only thing I can think about is my grumbling stomach.

Mai is the first to reach us, nimbly darting through the throngs of people. "Wow everyone's really turned out today, haven't they?" she says by way of greeting. "I can't remember the back to school rush being this bad last year!"

"We were at the lodges up until the 30th last year, and your Mom did all the school shopping," Jesse reminds her.

"Oh right. That was a fun summer." She smiles at the memory and I can't help but wonder what could possibly be so fun about a summer at some lodges.

I guess if I stay in this town for long enough I'll find out, won't I? I think to myself.

"They're probably here for the last few weeks of the farmers market, too," says Kailya. "Which I wouldn't mind going to by the way: I was hoping to make some soup tomorrow."

Victorie rolls her eyes. "You and your vegan crap."

Kailya glares at her. "I'm vegetarian, not vegan."

"Whatever. Like there's a difference."

"Yeah either way you miss out on all the important food groups, like meat and cheese," is Avery's input into the conversation. Kailya's icy glare towards him could have frozen a bushfire. It definitely seems as though his comment had hurt more than Victorie's had.

"Kai and Avery have an interesting relationship," Cloud says to me quietly. I jump slightly, not having noticed him behind me. "Maybe there's something going on there, but like the Loch Ness Monster, there's never been hard proof."

I have to cover my mouth with a hand to muffle the giggle he surprised out of me.

"Come on guys, I'm freakin' starving!" Jesse exclaims, finally tiring of the bickering and leading the way through the crowds.

The walk to the fast-food place is near-disastrous for me, having almost been swept away by the tide of people twice, both times only narrowly been saved by Cloud. After the second time he informs me that if I insist on trying to get lost or trampled, he would have to hold my hand the rest of the way.

I had originally thought he was joking, but when his warm fingers slip through mine and he pulls me close behind him, I'm too surprised to protest. The feeling of his hand in mine is nice, and not something I have ever really experienced.

My face is just about permanently flushed by the time we get there. Hardee's isn't all that busy, considering all the people outside, but from the overflowing trash cans and tired-looking employees, the lunch rush has probably already been and gone.

Not wanting it to seem as though I'm clinging onto him, I gently pull my fingers from Cloud's hand. When he glances at me, I pretend I had let go in order to walk up to the menu.

I think I have only ever been in one Hardee's before, and that was years ago, so most things I have no idea what they were like. Not wanting to be stuck at the end of the line, I squeeze in behind Mai. She smiles at me sympathetically.

"Did your primary school allow line pushing?" Luca asks from behind me. I jump, not having realized he was next in line.

"Sorry. I'm just so freakin' hungry." I try using my most pathetic puppy eyes at him, but his raised eyebrows just make me feel like an idiot.

"Good thing you're new, otherwise you would be at the end of the line by now," he threatens, but I get the feeling his heart really isn't into it. I grin impishly up at him and am rewarded with a chuckle.

I return to examining the menu to further refine my order. Luca's warmth behind me is so distracting I have to re-read everything a million times before anything actually sinks into my muddled brain.

When we've all ordered and squeezed into the biggest booth they have, I'm squished in between Avery and Cloud. I feel tiny compared to them, with both being over six inches taller than me. Mai sits across from me in a similar position between Luca and Victorie, and it's a comical scene. We pull faces at each other.

"So how are you enjoying the Falls?" Avery asks softly, not looking away from his game of Tetris on his phone. I'm surprised. I can't remember him ever addressing me directly.

"It's been… a very different experience." I answer truthfully.

He snorts. "I've never been to California, but I can imagine that that is the biggest understatement of the century." His tone is joking and not at all rude, so I feel comfortable laughing at myself.

"Yeah, Cali's another universe away. I don't miss the heat though."

"I bet the chicks there wear bikinis all the time," pipes up Jesse, leaning around Avery to look at me.

I think about it for a second, never really having thought of it before.

"Well yeah I guess, although I never really went to the beach so I wouldn't know," I say.

Five pairs of eyes stare at me with disbelief.

"You lived in the beach state of America and never even went to the beach?" Victorie asks with disgust.

I'm not surprised. Even in the mountains her golden tan is always perfect. I bet she doesn't even have tan lines. The thought makes me feel inferior and I don't bother answering her.

"I guess that's like how you live in a town full of hard working people and you haven't done a day's work in your life," Cloud retorts. I look up at him in shock. Is he defending me?

Victorie just wrinkles her nose at him and strikes up a conversation with Mason, who is looking bored next to her.

"Well I guess we may as well use this time to discuss tomorrow's trip to the lodges," Luca says, looking very kingly as he leans back in the booth seat, a casual arm over the back of the booth. It's half over Reina's shoulders, but she doesn't seem to care too much.

A sadness in my chest blooms as I consider they could be together. Too busy thinking about all of the ramifications of my feelings if that is the case, I miss most of what was being said until a sharp kick on the shin makes me look around.

"What?" I demand, glaring at Mai.

She stares back at me innocently. "I asked you something and you were off in fairy land."

There are chuckles around the table and I just want to sink down into my seat. Good job getting caught in la la land, Serenity.

"So anyway," she continues, ignoring my embarrassment, "I asked if you wanted to join us at the lodges tomorrow."

Everyone's attention is on me, even Kailya who up until that point had been pointedly ignoring everyone. I can't tell what she was thinking, but then I can't really read anyone's expressions. Only Mai is easy to read, and her eagerness for my answer doesn't really help me much.

"Well I would have to ask my Mom… what are the 'lodges', anyway?" My question prompts a mixture of rolled eyes, snorted amusement and poorly-concealed smiles.

"I keep forgetting you've only been here for a week," Luca admits, and he seems to be the only one who had kept a serious expression. "What we call the lodges are a group of wooden cabins at a lake nearby that we mostly use for hunting or fishing. Each year before we head back to school we go there for a few days to just chill out and relax. It's kind of a tradition, and seeing as you'll be joining us on the bus on the 31st, it's only fitting that we invite you, too."

It's probably the longest I have ever heard him talk at once, and I find myself being caught up in the almost melodic tone of his voice. Ugh. This is becoming a recurring problem for me.

"I've never been fishing or hunting, or swimming in a lake for that matter, and I've only ever been away from home for school camps, so from listening to myself say that, I think I should probably say yes." I say.

"Yay!" Mai exclaims, clapping her hands. I can't help but smile, even if I have a sinking feeling about this. There is no way Mom is going to let me go.

Our food arrives not long after and everyone is too busy eating to really talk. I'm thankful: I don't know how much more I can take of being the center of attention. I feel like a rare type of bug being examined by a whole team of researchers.

It takes record time to finish the food, which was delicious, but despite the two burgers, fries and chocolate shake I had, I still find myself being slightly hungry. Everyone else had ordered enough for three people each, and I had just assumed they were getting extras for later, but not one fry was left on the table.

Even Victorie, girly and seemingly picky as she was, had scoffed down three burgers by the time I finished my first.

Deciding to get something to snack on later, I follow everyone out of the fast food place and onto the street. It isn't as crowded now as it had been earlier, so I don't need to hold anyone's hand this time. I don't think I will ever really get over that particular humiliation.

Quieter streets don't stop Mai from threading her arm through mine, however. "Ah shopping. The best kind of therapy a girl could possibly need." The smile she has is infectious and before long I'm giggling along with her.

I don't remember ever being this comfortable around anyone, let alone a girl my age, and it's the best feeling in the world.

The department stores aren't quite like what I was used to in Cali, but are thankfully in the same price range, if a little cheaper. I had quite a lot of money saved up from multiple Christmas', birthday's and extra chores, so I've been a little frivolous with spending it today.

"Is there like a uniform that we have to wear to school?" I ask Mai as we enter the first store.

"Yep," she replies, and laughs at my disgruntled expression. "It's not that bad though, and we wear whatever we want after classes and on the weekends, which I'm sure is pretty relieving."

I am relieved. At my school in Santa Monica, there had been a uniform – a very hideous one for that matter – and it's nice to hear that this one wouldn't be so cringe-worthy. And coming from Mai – whom I am sure would look spectacular in absolutely anything – I believe her judgement one hundred per cent.

"I need some new clothes, but I have no clue what the weather up here is like. All I really own is summer clothes and like one pair of sweatpants." I have a feeling that living in the mountains was going to get really cold come winter time.

Mai giggles, but I'm not sure which part of my sentence was funny. "Just grab a cart and I'll help you out."

"Thank you so much," I reply, already heading for the shopping carts.

I tell her how much I'm willing to spend and when she raises her eyebrows at me in impressed surprise, I just shrug and say I usually left the shopping up to my mom.

"Well, I think we should definitely start with pants, because that's the most important piece to start a great outfit." She adopts a slow, wise tone as she says it, which has me cracking up laughing.

"You guys are going to get us kicked out if you keep carrying on like this," Victorie tells us imperiously as she flounces past. She already has an armful of things.

Her comment only makes us laugh more.

Mai is a certified pro at picking out all the best things for the lowest prices, and before I know it my arms are full of bags and my purse is relatively unscathed.

"At least you have some money left over for weekends at the Academy. There's a bookstore there and a café, and from what I've heard from Cloud, you really seem to like your books." She gives me a sly smile and I flush. "There's also this cute little town near the school that has a lot of awesome stuff; so much better than the Falls!"

As nervous as I am about going to this new school, it's actually starting to sound like it will be fun, and I'm monumentally glad that I'll have people I know when I start.

An hour and a half later and we're on our way back home. After an hour of shopping, Jesse and Mason had the brilliant idea of sneaking into the Lincoln theatre to check out some play that was in session.

Within five minutes they were discovered and chased from the property by a crabby security guard. They thought it was absolutely hilarious, but secretly I hoped I would never have to do anything like that for these people to like me.

Back at the cars and I have to be helped into the Jeep again, this time by Cloud, who seems to have taken on the task of being my gentlemanly sentry. He even holds my shopping bags near his feet because by the time I even buckle my seatbelt he is already settled into his seat at the front.

I feel a little ridiculous and damsel-in-distress-like, but it's nice having someone looking out for me.

The atmosphere in the car is relaxed and content on the way back, everyone happy with the afternoon's events. It's a welcome change, but gives me way too much time to worry about how Mom is going to react when I ask her about going with everyone to the lodges.

It's much too soon when we pull up in front of my house, and Cloud helps me down again. Jesse and Luca call out goodbye while Kailya gives me a reluctant wave.

I'm determined to become friends with her – along with the other girls – but I suppose it will just take some time for them to adjust.

"Do you want help bringing these inside?" Cloud asks as he pulls my shopping down from the front floor. I think about saying yes, but the idea of Mom's questioning afterwards if she saw Cloud and I together would just not be worth it.

She isn't the strictest parent ever, but she seems to have something against the people I'm choosing to hang out with.

"That's okay. I need to get my muscle game up to where everyone else is at," I joke, eliciting a soft smile from him. It's true that everyone seems to have been born and raised in gyms, but I suppose it has something to do with small-town life.

"Here's my number, let me know tonight what your Mom says," he tells me, slipping a scrap of paper into one of my bags.

Oh my gosh.

"Okay," I say shyly. Reeling from the fact that he just gave me hisfreaking number, I try not to waver or stumble as I walk up to the front door.