8. Questions Answered, Questions Asked

Sam looks at me strangely on the bus. We talk as if nothing was wrong, but I could see the frown lines on his face. The spider I now knew as Madame Octa was sitting on my shoulder and seemed bored. I was a little confused since Sam didn't even seem to notice her.

It wasn't hard to shrug that off though, it was nothing stranger than anything else that had been going on recently. We walk into school and meet up with the rest of our friends. Anna comes up and kisses me quickly before frowning at me. "What?" I ask her.

"Nothing you just seem off today."

"Yeah I noticed it on the bus. He seems extra tired or something."

"I bet he was up all might having sex with Anna," Dylan suggests.

Lindsay hits him, "Come on Dyl that's ridiculous, Matt's too innocent to do anything like that."

I just roll my eyes, "Whatever guys, I just had a strange dream last night is all and I woke up as if I never actually got any sleep."

Dylan and Sam both snort; however before they can say anything Bill comes up to me and just glares. Me and my friends tense as he gets closer to us. The red haze clouds my vision again and I have to concentrate really hard and take deep calming breaths to get rid of the homicidal feelings I'm getting.

As soon as I calm down it seems as if the spider on my shoulder seems to be appeased at my control. Control of what I wasn't exactly sure though. "What do you want?" I question with the strange authority creeping into my veins and voice once again. However this time my friends aren't scared and stand behind me in support.

"Just a warning," he says with venom.

I scowl at him, "Well give me the warning."

"We're coming. He's mad and is picking sides this time. Watch your back."

Lindsay frowns, "If you want to fight him why give him warning?"

Without realizing it I growl at her for speaking such a dumb question. "A fight isn't fair unless both sides know. It shouldn't be a dirty fight it should be a war with dignity."

"Nicely said," Bill tells me. "See you when the time comes, I look forward to killing you."

"I came back twice, what makes you think that this time you will defeat me?"

Instead of answering me he just walks away but before he leaves he looks me in the eye and for a moment I could have sworn his eyes flash red. As he walks away the bell rings and I walk towards biology, slightly confused on what was going on.

Walking into the classroom I am greeted by the teacher who is once again wearing her dress that has the rope patterns. Octa winks at her and with the spider on my shoulder I sit down. Class starts and I start to doze off. The next thing I know the bell is ringing and I don't understand why nobody woke me up during class. My body starts to burn and I want to scream in agony.

"Mr. Nash?"

Everybody looks at me and for a second I'm confused, why are they looking at me? Slowly my mind wakes up and I walk over to the teacher. She gives me a once over. "You seem out of it Matt, are you feeling all right?"

"I just had a strange dream. And stop with the Matt stuff, my name is not Matt. You should know that Evanna."

Her smile grows, "Darren?"

"You're brother says hi," I smile at her. "And don't call me that, it isn't allowed quite yet."

After that the burning stops and my head feels as if it's about to explode. I get dizzy and look around. I don't get it I don't even remember class starting. "Where am I? Ms. Tall may you please explain what is going on."

"I'll explain later," she says with a grin on her face as if I just made her day although I don't know why."

"Please I need answers! I cannot remember anything from the past hour, I'm having strange dreams, and I'm going insane."

"No you're not. Just come see me after school and I'll explain all of it. If my brother has come to you then you deserve answers."

I just give her a confused look and she gives me a pass to third period since I missed second. My mind is still fuzzy on everything. Later as I walk into gym class Sam looks at me differently. I frown at him and he shrugs. When I try to talk to him he gives me one word answers and I don't know why. It must have to do with the chunk of time I seem to missing.

Anna seems to be the same way when we all meet up for a run. She gives me a hug and smiles at me, she talks to me as if nothing was wrong, but the look in her eyes told me that something had changed.

We ran and I had to work to slow down. And even though I was barely jogging I was still the first person to finish. Two miles in 8 minutes, guess that means I owe Anna a second date; not that I'm complaining.

History class couldn't end sooner and I walk into lunch feeling sluggish. Dylan is chatting away and I put in a nod and a few words once in a while until we reach the cafeteria. We sit down and everyone eventually comes. They stare at me and I just stare right back at them.

"Okay what are you guys thinking?"

They all look down in shame and Sam is the one who speaks up, "What the hell was that this morning?"

I shrug, "I have no idea," I admit.

Anna gives me a strange look, "I want to know more of what Bill was doing than you."

That question bugs me for a little while. I have been acting strange lately, but I had no idea what the hell Bill was doing. And actually I haven't even thought of that at all. "I have no idea," I repeat.

"All I know," Dylan says. "Is that you were incredibly badass. I mean I swear I can still feel some raw power coming off of you."

"Can we please change the subject?"

They all look at me again, but drop the subject. Sam turns to me, "So since you did the 8 minute thing again does that mean you're going on a second date with Anna?"

"Saying that I was going to ask her out anyway I'd go with yes."

"You were going to ask me out again?" she smiles.

Instead of answering her I just kiss her and hear my friends snicker. I turn to face them and after seeing the look in my eyes they shut up. On the outside I smirk at them, but on the inside I'm a bit mortified. I didn't mean for them to stop, and I have no idea why the hell they keep looking at me as if I'm in charge?

Lunch ends and the rest of the day goes by quickly. I fall asleep in a few of my classes and I can't figure out why I'm so tired yet was able to run as fast as I did?

As the day ends I walk into the biology classroom and Ms. Tall is sitting at her desk. Madame Octa jumps off of my shoulder and crawls over to her. Shaking my head and laughing I walk over to her desk and sit down opposite her. I make sure to get comfortable, I have a feeling I could be here a while.

"Hello Matt," she smiles.

"Ms. Tall," I nod and after a pregnant pause she speaks.

"So you want some answers?"

"Yeah, it seems as if my life isn't mine anymore and I need to know what's happening to me. And I cannot believe I just admitted that."

"Don't worry about it, I'll pretend I didn't hear it. Would you like a drink?"

"Sure," I tell her and she hands me the same drink I had the other times I was here. "So um I don't know what I should even start with. There's just too much I want to know."

"I can't tell you everything," she says apologetically. "But ask anything and I'll try to answer it."

"What am I?"

She sighs, "I can't answer that one to the extent you want me to. All I can tell you is that when the time is right you will know."

"So am I not even human?"

"You are, but you're also more than the average human."

I let that sink in, "Is that why I can run so fast and I seem to be so strong?"

"Yes," she chuckles. "But if I were you I'd try to keep that a secret. It wouldn't be a good idea to let people know exactly how fast and strong you are if you even know the degree yourself."

"So I'm kind of like a superhero?"

"You could say that."

"Would that make the spider my sidekick? I don't get it, in my dream a man with orange hair and a scar told me that she was his and that he gave her to me to protect me."

"Tell me more about this dream of yours."

"Well," I start. "I woke up in this blue hammock and was walking through a giant cave. Eventually I ended up in a large cavernous room and saw these strange people with white eyes doing something that looked like embalming. They were about to attack me when a very little person came and saved me. Then I ended up on other parts of the giant cave talking to people who were warning me about something. Oh except for one of the people who appeared in what seemed to be a circus."

When I finish she wipes a tear from her face and I'm a little confused as to why she would. "Do you remember what you were thinking during the dream?"

"I was confused. For one I knew it was a dream, but it seemed to not be a dream at the same time. And I felt older and I was bald with burns everywhere. In a way it seemed as if I was in someone else's body. Then when I was talking to people I felt as if I knew them."

"What else has seemed strange to you recently."

"Well I can see in the dark better, obviously since I'm a superhero."

"Oh Matt you make me laugh," she interrupts.

"Glad to be of service," I smile and take a sip of my drink. "I seem to know a lot of stuff that I don't know how I know. Like in history class we were talking about battle strategies and everyone seemed to be in awe of how much I know. But the weirdest thing is the strange visions I'm getting."

"Visions of the future?"

"I don't think so, they seem too familiar. I get a horrible headache and then my surroundings change and I'm seeing events that seem to have happened. I was swimming and suddenly I was drowning. Or I was in the hospital and saw a boy about my age in the bed. They seem to be flashbacks. And suddenly my pictures aren't turning out right."

"That's part of being a superhero, not being on camera. Do you believe in past lives Matt?"

"No, well I didn't," I correct myself. "Until recently I didn't, but now I'd have to say maybe."

"Sometimes we remember things from past lives, and that is what is happening to you. everything you've been seeing are events that have happened to you."

"And the dream?"

"I'm guessing you knew these people too," she tells me and by the tone of her voice I know it's more than a guess.

"Oh in the dream at the end a man called me by another name, although now I cannot seem to remember what it was. Then a short man in yellow rain boots came to him and threatened him. After that I woke up."

I swear Ms. Tall growled a bit, "This is more serious than I imagined."

"What do you mean? Please tell me Ms. Tall."

"All I can say is that you have a big destiny in front of you."

"That's what people in my dream said. Something about that scares me. I'm guessing you can't tell me anything else about my destiny."

"Afraid not," she smiles sympathetically.

"Would the past life thing make it so I'm out of control sometimes? I swear sometimes I do things that seem to be someone else doing them. Like this morning we were talking to this senior and he threatened me."

Octa whispers something in her ear, err I'm guessing by the actions both were displaying. "Tell me the exact conversation."

I tell it all to her, "I think that was it, my memory could be off."

"No I believe that is it. I'll have to find this kid and have a chat with him. Anything more questions?"

"Yeah, people seem to listen to me. I mean they always did, but this is as if I command and they follow. My friends said that I'm radiating power and it seems as if they listen to every word. Is there a reason why?"

"You do radiate power, more than they even know but their minds won't let them see the sheer amount of it. People listen to power."

"Am I royalty or something? In my dream some old man called me a prince and that seems like the type of person who would have so much power."

"In your past life you were a prince," she says simply and doesn't say anything else on the subject.

I just nod at her, "Thank you for answering my questions Ms. Tall."

She smiles, "No problem Matt."

I pause for a moment, "Hey how come my friends can't see Octa? I mean sometimes they can and sometimes they can't."

"In all honesty I don't know."

This seems strange to me and I don't know what to say. Instead I grab my stuff and get ready to leave. I make it to the door and that's when I realize I didn't ask her something, "Ms. Tall something happened to me that I don't understand."

"And what would that be?"

I take a deep breath, "I think I drank blood yesterday."

Her face contorts into a look of shock, but she quickly shakes that away, "I can't tell you anything about that Matt."

I kind of figured that and without another word I walk out of the door.