To say he was terrified would be an understatement.
He knew what it all would mean. He knew what he'd have to give. He knew what was at stake. Never before had he put quite so much on the line. Suddenly that didn't seem to matter to him, not as long as she was with him. He was just so tired.
Brian lay now alone in his bed, staring silently up at the ceiling. The winter air was cold on his bare chest, but he didn't bother pull the covers up.
The English teacher was an insomniac. That was one of the seemingly hundreds of things he hadn't told Scarlett. He lay awake every night, unable to sleep for fear of the nightmares that plagued him. On many occasions he'd been urged to try medication, and on one instance he had. He'd quit after only one week, as the pills made him depressed and lethargic during the day.
His only consolation on these cold nights was the thought of her. Was she thinking of him? He hoped so. He would hate to be the only one who felt this way. Not only would that make him a pedophile, but she'd probably tease him about it endlessly.
What business did he have with her, anyway? Scarlett Thundera was a lady. Brian Garra was a cowboy. It made just about as much sense as anything else in his life, didn't it? But he didn't deserve her. She deserved a man like that friend of hers, Stan. Someone who would always understand her and comfort her. Not bicker with her constantly.
He was so insecure.
He squeezed his eyes shut for a long moment, covering his ears with his hands as he rolled on to his side. And why was it that a girl like her, who'd been through so much and was so strong, could possibly be interested in a wreck like himself? He had nothing to give her. He was so much more trouble than he was worth.
Suddenly, the phone began to ring. The harsh sound was so sudden Brian jumped, sitting up quickly. He reached over to where the phone rested on a small table beside his bed and held it to his ear. "Hello?"
"Hey, Brian." The voice on the other end was sly and smooth. It always made him uncomfortable. "We're gonna hit the station. Meet us at the place, and hurry up." The man had hung up before Brian could even respond.
The teacher groaned quietly and stood, running one hand through his tousled brown hair. It wasn't like he was going to miss any sleep. And it wasn't like he had a choice.
His loyalties lie with the Shadow.
Just like his father before him.
Four o'clock in the morning on the second day of Winter Break. Scarlett awoke suddenly to the sound of the doorbell. She leaped up, her hair frizzy and her back cramped from the cheap matress of her bed. She blinked hazily, trying to figure out why she'd woken up when the doorbell rang again.
Grumbling angrily and prepared to give whoever it was a piece of her mind, Scarlett slid out of bed and smoothed out her nightgown before stomping to the door. "You'd better have a good reason for coming here at this time-" She opened the door, and nearly had a heart attack at what she saw.
Brian stood in the doorway, his face slick with sweat and his clothes ragged and torn. Around his shoulder was a girl, younger than Scarlett with dark brown hair. She had an emaciated appearance, and her clothes were crusted with grime and blood. From her chest, blood oozed, its source a bullet hole right below her collarbone.
They said nothing. Scarlett slipped underneath the girl's other arm and helped Brian bring her inside, shutting the door tightly behind them. "Lay her on the floor." Scarlett said softly. "You can tell me what the hell happened later." She disapeared for a moment in the bathroom, then returned with a first-aid kit in hand.
Brian lay the girl gently on the carpet. Not once did he take his eyes from her face, which was ashen pale and contorted in pain. Thoughts hardly seemed to register inside of him right now. They were like bees, buzzing in his ears, but not making any sense. He could only wait for Scarlett. There was nothing else for him.
Scarlett kneeled down beside her and ripped her ragged shirt so she could get at the wound. She didn't understand why Brian hadn't brought her to a hospital, but there was no use in worrying about that now. The girl wouldn't live long enough to be picked up by an ambulance.
She pressed a clean cloth against the girl's chest, mopping up as much as the blood as she could and appyling pressure to prevent any more leaking.
Brian was still as a statue. His skin was pale, Scarlett noticed for the first time, and he appeared very tired and sick. He kept whispering under his breath, and she caught what she assumed the girl's name was- "Lark."
She could feel the faltering of the girl's heartbeat underneath the cloth, and gritted her teeth in annoyance. "Live, dammit!" She whispered, pressing down multiple times in quick succesion, trying to keep her blood pumping. The weak thudding was fading away, until it finally sputtered and died.
It became apparent very soon that Scarlett was only humoring Brian, trying fruitlessly to pump life into a doomed body. The cloth was stained blood, and it stained her hands crimson.
"Stop." Brian choked out, his voice a strangled whisper. "Stop it, Scarlett. She's dead."
Her hands left the body, the red cloth abandoned over the girl's wound. Both were silent for the longest time, Scarlett staring at the body, Brian with his head bowed and his shoulders quivering in anger. "Dammit!" He snapped finally, slamming his fist down on the floor.
"Brian, what happened?" Scarlett's voice was soft, carefully controlled. "Who is this girl? How did she get injured?" Her gaze traveled over Brian's own body, noticing for the first time some of the bruises and smears of mud on his skin. "What happened to you?"
"Her name is Lark." Brian choked out, "Dammit. Dammit. This is so fucked up..." He pressed his hands to his head.
Knowing that she had to let him pull himself together before he could explain anything, Scarlett stood up. She gathered up her first aid supplies and dissapeared into the bathroom. A long while she was gone, cleaning the rags and scavenging for other materials for Brian's own injuries.
When she returned to the room, Brian was staring listlessly at the floor, all light gone from his eyes. She kneeled down beside him and carefully removed his shirt, which was peppered with blood. He said nothing, only moved the slightest bit to making her job easier.
She dapped the clean cloth against a scrape on his elbow, then to what looked like a knife wound on his stomach. Though she knew the alcohol she was using ought to sting terribly on these wounds, Brian gave no sign of feeling anything at all. It was only when she reached a small cut on his cheek that he looked at her slowly.
"It was my fault." He said. "All of it. Her brother's death, too."
Scarlett bit back the temptation to ask him just what he was talking about, just shook her head slowly. "It wasn't your fault." She murmured sympathetically. "I'm sure you did your best. There was nothing else you could do. She would never blame you."
He gave no clue that he'd heard. Only continued to stare at the broken body.
An hour later, several men appeared at Scarlett's door. They asked to see Brian. He'd told her quickly they were friends of his and gestured to Lark's body. "She's dead." He whispered.
The men nodded solemnly, then one by one went over to the girl's body. They picked her up between them and made their way out the door again, giving a swift nod to Brian as they left. He watched them leave silently, the guarded expression he wore so well in place.
Scarlett wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her cheek against the warm skin of his back. She too seemed to be in a state of shock, though she tried her best not to show it. Brian needed her to be strong now.
They stood like that for a long time before Brian finally broke away and gave her one last, blank look. He picked his shirt up from the ground and opened the door, slipping out of the room.
Monday morning, there was a school assembly. Principal Owen called all the students together in the auditorium to announce the four students who would be brought on the Cultural Trip to stay with Mr. Garra's family in Texas.
Winter Break had been rather uneventful, save for that event on the first day. Scarlett went to her parents' house for Christmas, where she was showered with lavish gifts, as she was every year. She made a point to leave early, though, and went to Brian's house.
As promised, little Squirrelflight was there with a bright red bow around her neck and her fur neatly brushed. Brian had smiled wearily while Scarlett cooned over her. "Well, she's your problem now." It had become a sort of unspoken agreement between them that neither would mention that incident, so the atmosphere was somewhat tense.
Deciding that Brian shouldn't hide from what had happened, Scarlett had gone out of her way to find the things she got for Brian. When he opened the box it was held in and pulled out a shotgun, a knife, and a bulletproof vest, he looked at her questioningly.
Scarlett had taken a deep breath, shuffling her feet on the floor. "I know you're in danger, Brian." She whispered. "Whatever happened that day had something to do with you. I don't know what it was, and I'm not asking you to tell me... just please stay safe."
That was quickly followed by what Scarlett was quite sure was the most intense kissing session in the history of the Earth.
So now, back at school again, the auditorium was buzzing with excitement. None of the other students knew who would be chosen.
First to be called up were the siblings, Stan and Faith Fureze. Both were ecstatic, neither having been told beforehand that they'd be chosen. The audience clapped. The two were obviously very popular among the rest of the student body.
Scarlett was named next. She tried her best to look surprised, and hugged Faith warmly when she arrived on the stage. There was more clapping, as most had grown fond of Scarlett in her short stay at their school.
Last of all was Craig Winderland. Immediately, a bewildered silence fell. Few had even met the shaggy-haired boy, since he tended to keep to himself and was rather bad-tempered. He seemed surprised for a split second, but acted nonchalant as he stood up and made his way to the stage.
"These are our four!" Mr. Owen announced, his whiskered face split into a huge grin. "Stan and Faith Fureze, our devoted siblings." The two looked into eachother's eyes and giggled softly. "Scarlett Thundera, our proud little spitfire." Scarlett grinned and curtseyed graciously. "And last but not least, Craig Winderland, our newest student." The boy frowned and didn't make eye contact with the audience.
A loud cheer rose up from the crowd. Scarlett spotted Sophia waving to her happily, her boyfriend Brandon at her side. She smiled and waved back, glad her friend wasn't jealous. No offence to her of course, but Sophia wasn't the most studious girl.
"Mr. Garra and Mr. Woode will be accompanying these students on their trip." The principal gestured both young teachers to the stage, where they stood behind their respective charges. Brian had recommended Scarlett and Craig. Ashton had recommended Faith, but it had been decided that Stan would have to go as well, since the two couldn't stand being separated.
Scarlett smiled up at her English teacher, who smiled back and placed a hand on her shoulder. He looked at Craig as next, and his eyes narrowed slightly. "Now, I have a feeling the two of you are not going to get along." He said softly as the students began filing out of the auditorium. "But there's one thing I want both of you to remember."
"What is it?" Craig muttered impatiently, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm not really into pep-talks."
"It's more of a familiarity. Now, the two of you may clash, but I want you to remember the thing that bonds you together. You both love Leah."
Immediately, both students looked at him, their eyes wide and their jaws gaping. "How do you know about her?" Craig snapped at the same moment Scarlett exclaimed, "That has nothing to do with anything!" They then glared at eachother.
Brian sighed heavily. "You guys are going to make this difficult, aren't you...?" He looked at Ashton, who flashed him a sympathetic smile. "Mine get along great." He teased. Faith laughed and looked at Scarlett, and she could see the relief on her face. She really wanted to be with her brother.
"Look, you two." The English teacher nodded to the principal as he left. "Take as much time as you need," He told them. "Get them prepared."
"You can't force me to get along with that ginger midget." Craig hissed mutinously.
"Oh, like you're all that great, gothic freak!" Scarlett snapped back.
"I'm going to dropkick you both if you don't shut up." That served to shut them up quite nicely. "This is supposed to be a learning experience. You're supposed to develop social skills and the ability to get along with your peers. You're going to need those skills when you get out into the world."
"Just think about it this way," Mr. Woode piped up. "You may get a chance to see some of Brian's baby pictures while we're there."
Suddenly, Scarlett was motivated.
So, when should I change this to a Warriors/Grey's Anatomy crossover?
Kidding, kidding. Character introduced:
Lark- Larchkit (That kit who died of starvation. Dustpelt and Ferncloud's kit. Birchfall's sister. Yeah.)
I got many wonderful and interesting reviews this time. One in particular I must point out. This one belonging to Queen Of The Pens, who astoundingly used all 9,999 characters limited to a review. Thank you so much! Your review was very funny, and I enjoyed reading it. XD And I agree, that girl's expression was hilarious. And Ben is Blackstar.
My other reviewers include: Nightkill, Meiveva Sirenice, and Sparkheart Of ThunderClan. You're all very appreciated and you make this fic possible!
Please review? It helps a lot with my updates.