Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the Covenant movie except for the original characters and the plot.

Thanks: Thank you so much to Red Rogue THE best beta ever, and more likely than not the quickest. My grammar really is horrible. Go read her stuff!

Step 2: Breaking the News (part 1)

Reid Garwin.

What were the odds?

I must have been staring, because the smirk he'd been wearing only seconds ago widened into a predatory grin as he gave me the once over. There really was no smooth way out of the situation, so I just smiled and turned my attention to the spiky haired boy next to him.

"Tyler Sims," he introduced himself as he shook my hand.

"Nice to meet you," I replied.

Almost as soon as the two of them had settled themselves at the table, a waitress came over to take their orders. Reid ordered first, and while Tyler was busy ordering, the blonde gave the waitress a once over that did not go unnoticed. He winked at the girl making her giggle as she moved away.

Life could be unfair like that; out of all the males in the magical community I got the one who was both cursed and a womanizer.

Maybe there was another Reid Garwin in the school…

"Hey, you okay?" asked a too-perceptive Kate.

"Yeah, sorry- I spaced out there for a second. Long first day," I reassured her, adding a smile for good measure. I tried to concentrate on what was going on at the table after that but couldn't. I had way too much on my mind. I needed to get out of there to think about I was going to do next.

I tapped Kate on the shoulder to get her attention. "Hey, I'm going to get outta here, it's been a long day and I'm getting a little tired."

"Okay- you need a ride?" she asked, reaching for her keys.

I needed to be alone to figure out my next step and I had a feeling that thinking would be out of the question with her there. "No thanks, I'll just catch a cab."

"You sure? I really don't mind," she insisted.

"I'm sure, stay and enjoy the rest of the night," I said as I got up. "Say bye to everyone for me please," I added, seeing that the rest of the group's attention was riveted on Reid who was telling a story, as I made to leave before she could protest anymore.

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It occurred to me during the cab ride that since I knew about him, Reid had to know about me. He must have received the same letters I had, which took care of one problem, only to give rise to another – how much credence had he put in that letter. Being isolated from the magical community I doubted he would have believed he was being ordered by the council to marry someone so he could replenish the community with magical kids.

Sitting with a cup of tea and my copy of Pride and Prejudice in the apartment I was renting, I was no closer to coming to a decision. I didn't think that walking up to him and demanding he marry me was a good idea, but short of that, I didn't have a clue about how I was supposed to be delivering the news to Mr. Garwin.

I looked at the clock; it was already one in the morning. I closed my book and went to bed. My problems could catch up with me tomorrow.

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I started awake from a nightmare. Disoriented, I looked around for a second not sure whether the bell had rang in my dream or in reality. Rubbing my eyes, I reached for my alarm clock and checked the time. It was 7:50 am and first period had just started. I seemed to have forgotten to put my alarm on. I groaned and let myself fall backwards, burying under the covers for a few more minutes. I had no intention of showing up late for class again.

Eventually, I made it to school. The classes went by in a blur and by the time lunch came around I had learned two new bits of information: one – the sons of Ipswich were in my history class, and two – more students than ever were transferring into the school. Neither seemed too important at the moment, but I had to be careful, knowing my own reasons for coming here.

I made my way outside, a sandwich in hand to have a peaceful lunch, only to be spotted by Sarah. She waved me over to one of the picnic tables in the courtyard. I sighed as I made my way towards her, even though I enjoyed Sarah and Kate's company, I was one of those people liked to be left alone from time to time.

"Hey," she greeted as I got closer. "You left so early yesterday. You didn't even wait for the food."

"Sorry, I was really tired." I offered as an apology, sitting down.

"You wouldn't happen to know a Rosamund Gentry would you?" asked Reid, momentarily breaking away from his conversation with the blond girl sitting next to him.

I started a little after hearing Reid utter my first name, the one I'd purposely chosen to drop before moving here. I quickly recovered and pretended to think before answering. I debated telling the truth and getting rid of that little hurdle right then, but it seemed more trouble than it was worth. Not to mention the fact that we weren't alone.

"No, I don't think I know anyone who has that name. Why do you ask?" It wasn't completely a lie; I didn't actually know anyone else with that name.

"No reason, just wondering," he answered, before resuming his previous conversation.

I went back to eating my sandwich realizing that the table had gone silent while I was answering Reid's question. It seemed like they all knew about Rosamund Gentry. "I just noticed you guys are in my history class," I said trying to make small talk to diffuse their attention.

And with that the chatter started again all around. After a while, I found myself falling into a conversation with Tyler whom I'd pegged for a quiet, maybe shy, guy. It was awkward at first; neither of us really knew what to talk about having only met for a microsecond the day before. Finally I decided to use this opportunity to do a little investigating.

"So the sons of Ipswich huh? Any peculiar reason most people call the four of you that?" I asked figuring that I might as well start learning more about them now.

"Yeah, the people here have a long memory…"

I looked at him quizzically, hoping for him to go on.

"It's a long story, but basically we're descendants of four of the founding families that first colonized Ipswich," he explained. "After a while people just started calling us that."

"You don't seem to like it much."

He made a face. "Well, it's not so much that I don't like it. It's just that people start seeing us as a unit rather than seeing us individually. And I can't believe I just told you that."

"Really? I thought the reason would be because it made you sound like some boy band. And you know that's so 90's," I joked, attempting to make him more comfortable with his confession.

I got a smile for my efforts. "You know, you're not the first to say that. Sarah likes to mention how she still expects to see us on TRL whenever she turns on MTV."

I couldn't help but laugh a little. Tyler was easy to get along with and I could only hope that things would remain the same after I made my little announcement. Chatting with him more, I got the feeling that the other "sons of Ipswich" were also part of the cursed covenant.

Everyone began filtering back into the school as the bell signaling the end of lunch rang. As Tyler got up to go he turned to me and offered, "Walk you to your next class?"

I was a little surprised, but accepted nonetheless. "Yeah, thanks- I'm still not used to the layout of the school."

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Sitting in my last class of the day, calculus, next to Sarah and Caleb, I wondered how things would work out for them. I was unsure whether or not Caleb was actually a cursed witch, if he was, however, I was sure that Caleb's bride-to-be, whoever she was, would do all that was needed to get Caleb. Very few went against the Council's wishes. I liked Sarah and did not dislike Caleb, but there was nothing I could do for them.

I sighed, the Sons of Ipswich would have to take care of themselves and their own. I had problems of my own.

"Micah," Sarah whispered.

I turned to look at her.

"You want to hang out with us on Saturday? We're going to see a movie, then we're heading to Nicky's for dinner," she asked still whispering.

Becoming too familiar with them didn't seem like a good idea; on the other hand, it would give me the chance to learn more about all of them. I debated. "Yeah, I'll go."

"Cool. How about we meet up at the main entrance around noon?"

"Could I just meet you guys at the theater? I don't live in the dorms," I explained.

Sarah mulled this bit of information over for a second before asking: "Do you know the way to the theater?"

"Not really," I admitted. "But don't worry about it. I'll just Mapquest it."

"Ms. Wenham, Ms. Gentry, please, don't let my teaching interfere with your conversation."

Sarah blushed slightly at being caught and returned her attention to what was going on in class. I tried to do the same, but there was something about this place that discomfited me, making it hard for me to pay attention to anything they were trying to teach me.

Cold feet maybe?

Looking at the professor, I tried harder to focus on what he was saying.

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I hung out with Kate, Sarah, and occasionally Tyler for the next two days, and managed to get some alone time on Friday, which I used to reassess the situation. After hanging out with them for a couple of days, I was now certain that Caleb, Tyler, and Pogue were also part of the Covenant. Those three at least were careful of their secret, but there were signs. Having grown up with magic, I saw the interference of magic where others might think coincidence. The unnatural incidents, timely occurrences, and undeniable luck added to the fact that Reid constantly used his powers when he thought no one other than his friends were looking.

Few people take relationships seriously as teenagers, yet Kate and Sarah seemed to really be in love with Pogue and Caleb and there was no doubt that they were aware of the group's secret either. I hoped things worked out in the end. There was only one loop I could see in the marriage, but that would require for the two couples to marry immediately and I was unsure they would be willing to do such a thing.

It was time for me to stop being a coward and tell Reid the truth. There was no way for me to accurately gauge his reaction in the little I'd known him, but being the hotheaded teenager that he was, I knew it wouldn't be pretty. I needed to corner the guy and just tell him.

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It didn't take me long to find the place, since there was only one movie theater in the immediate area. I approached the building looking around for Sarah and the others. I finally spotted Tyler who was leaning against the building outside. He waved when he saw me.

"Hey," he greeted me.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked.

"Already inside they're trying to decide what movie we're going to see." he answered, opening the door for me.

"And they left poor Tyler outside in the cold to wait for me. That wasn't very nice of them," I joked.

"I'm sure Tyler didn't mind the cold. He kept warm thinking of you."

I looked to the side to find Reid standing there with a lazy grin. I then looked back at Tyler to find him blushing.

This was not good.

"Shut up, Reid. You don't know what you're talking about, man," Tyler protested.

"Tyler quit being a pussy and just ask the girl out," Reid continued.

"Reid, you don't have a subtle bone in your body," Sarah chided making her way over along with the rest of the group.

"Yeah, well this is the perfect opportunity and he's wasting it."

"Dude, leave him alone," interjected Caleb.

"Caleb's right, Reid; he'll do it in his own time. Besides, we're making Micah uncomfortable," Pogue added.

Suddenly reminded that I was there, all eyes turned to me. I needed to stop their train of thought before it got out of hand. Kicking myself mentally for not telling Reid the truth earlier, I prepared to make my announcement. "Um…Reid could I speak to you for a second?"

"Hey, if you have something to say just say it," he said defensively.

Boys…

"Alright, I just wanted to say that you really shouldn't tell your friend to ask out your future wife."

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A/N: SOOOoo sorry this took so long, but it took me a while to write this chapter just the way I wanted it. Enjoy and I promise it won't take so long for the next one. Well…probably won't…