Chapter 2: Chemistry Gone Bad
In a city next to Chicago, Mabrey sat huddled at a table in a library. She purposely found a spot that weaseled her away from the rest of the noisy page turning, rustling of clothes, and the do-it-yourself checkout system. Mabrey only wanted to study her notes and text book for an important exam. The topic she was studying, chemistry, lent her no interest, and she knew that if she even heard so much as a footstep, her concentration would break immediately. So Mabrey bundled up into a corner, the library's heating had stopped working, and studied to her heart's content.
When a particular spot in her studies proved to be quite annoying to try and memorize, her mind began to wander off. Mabrey thought of the time a month ago when she had encountered that man. She doubted that meeting him again would be in her future, and all for the better. He seemed a little off, but that could have been the reason why Mabrey was interested. She shook her head and sighed. I can't just keep thinking of him. I have more important things to do…like study the properties of a triginomal bipyramid. Definitely has more significance in my life… Mabrey groaned. Okay, not really.
"That looks awfully boring." A voice told her from behind. Mabrey absently nodded while massaging her forehead with her pointer fingers and thumbs.
"Oh yes. It's very…" Mabrey finally put two and two together and started. She immediately straightened her back, sending her hair flying. The voice chuckled, and Mabrey swung around to confirm her assumption. No one was behind her at all. Must have been my imagination. She thought. Slightly shaking from the shock, she turned back to her original sitting position.
"That book must be very mind consuming, having you swing about like a compass like that." Mark said from the seat opposite Mabrey. She gaped, but then closed her mouth to avoid embarrassment. How did he do that? Why didn't I hear him even approach me?
"M-Mark?" Mabrey managed to ask. So much for not being embarrassed. She cursed her rapidly beating heart for making her stutter. No, she cursed Mark for frightening her.
"Oh, so you do remember me? By the way you looked at me, I might as well been some sort of monster." He raised his gloved hand to cover his laugh.
"Don't laugh at me. We've only met once. You could be a serial killer or something, so of course you scared me." Mabrey crossed her arms, scowling. How dare he? He was clothed in the same manner she had seen him last. The only difference was the absence of his sunglasses. He was still too far away to actually verify his skin color, which always made Mabrey uneasy.
"Me—a serial killer? Really, little cat, why would I want to kill pretty girls like you? In fact, why would I want to kill at all? No, I only wanted to say hello and have a chat. I spotted you glaring at that book and presumed that you needed saving."
"Actually, I'll need saving if I fail my test. I have to get this all memorized, so if you excuse me." Mabrey attempted to reintroduce her attention to her studies, only to fail miserably. While she merely skimmed over the chapter, she felt his eyes grazing over her like a hungry beast. Mabrey bit her lip, her eyebrows knitting together. "I can't concentrate if you keep staring at me like that."
"I'm not staring, just observing. I'm entitled to that, aren't I?"
"No, you're not."
"Actually, yes I am. I need to check your qualities if I intend to do what I want to do."
Oh my God, he is a serial killer. Mabrey thought, suddenly bringing her gaze to meet his peculiar slit eyes. She summoned all of those letters her friends sent her about avoiding a kidnapping. Before she could follow the advice about screaming like hell so others can come to her rescue, Mark shook his head and held a finger to where Mabrey assumed his lips were hidden underneath his scarf.
"I wouldn't scream if I were you. I already created a spell to keep us in this comfortable bubble of silence. I thought it would help you with your studies, and me with my plan." Mark began to tug off his scarf at his leisure, while in turn; Mabrey was already testing out Mark's claim for silence. "Come now, you're only wearing out your lovely voice. Didn't I just tell you that no one would be able to hear you?" The girl refused to accept his proclamation and prepared to get up and dart away for safety. Mark just clucked. "I almost forgot, the bubble is solid, no one can get in or out unless I say so"
"You've got to be kidding me." Mabrey groaned. She stood to her feet and tentatively walked to the side of Mark. The air would simply not let her through. Mabrey could see the shelves of books and computers lined on the wall, but she could not pass through the infuriating invisible barrier. She even knocked her knuckles on where the air became solid to be greeted with a glass-like clink clink.
"Mabrey, Mabrey, quite contrary, always ignores my advice." Mark's light laugh surrounded her. She gathered what was left of her sanity and decided to sit back down to hear what Mark had to say for himself because surely, this was some kind of aggravating prank. That was the best explanation she could conjure.
"Fine, what do you want, Mark? Are you angry about me falling on you, and you want me to make a fool out of myself in front of a camera? Are you amused, making fun of me like this?" She clenched her fists, waiting for Mark's answer. Mark's answer consisted of taking off his scarf, gloves, and hat. This would have been absolutely normal if it weren't for what was underneath those items. His hair was ebony with darker spots printed in a pattern similar to that of a panther's coat. Mark's skin was a silvery light blue, and his pointed ears ended in black tips. Those golden slit eyes crinkled with amusement when Mabrey could only gaze at Mark utterly flabbergasted.
"I'm not angry, little cat, though your reactions are very humorous." Mark smiled, revealing cat-like fangs. "And my proper name is Marak, though some of my close friends have nick named me Mark." He reached out and took Mabrey's slender pale hand with his long elegant fingers, which were tipped with thick curved, white claws.
"Let me fully introduce myself. I am Marak Pantherclaw the Goblin King."