Dang homework… I growled in my mind as I set my work down on one of the tables on the outside seating behind the library. If I had a time machine…I thought, remembering the question worksheet the French teacher handed out today, that asked questions…just one problem…the questions were in FRENCH! I suppose that would go along because it's French class but still, y'know, give us a break here.
"Having trouble with that?" asked a sudden voice by my ear that made me squeak and jump five feet high in my seat. I whirled around to see Avery with a hand over his mouth, obviously holding in laughter. I glared at him but that just seemed to make him want to laugh more.
"I'm sorry," he said, obviously still trying to hold in the laughter. "I just saw you there bending over your work and I couldn't resist." Then he just seemed to lose it—he started cracking up laughing. I growled and threw my pencil at him.
"Ow!" he yelled as it hit him in the arm. I laughed and grinned smugly.
"Do I need to save someone over here?" Zane asked, suddenly appearing at my side with Jamie beside him. I smiled and Avery laughed a fresh set laughter. Zane seemed to grin and Jamie giggled.
Shayla walked up then and the sullen face she wore shocked me. I obviously wasn't the only one who noticed; Avery stopped laughing and Zane rushed to her side. Jamie pulled out a chair for her and Jason appeared from behind her just as sullen faced.
"What's wrong, guys?" Zane asked after we all sat down. Shayla casted a glance at me then looked at Zane.
"Another priestess had gone missing," she said, and I felt ice freeze my blood.
"What?" I asked, my voice a squeak. I could feel color draining from my face; another priestess had gone missing. Another innocent girl—gone. I hesitantly felt Zane rubbing my arm in comfort.
"We heard them," I whispered, looking at Zane. "In the Girl's locker room."
"I know," he said.
"And you were in a girl's locker room, why?" Avery asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Were the girls getting dressed yet?" All eyes went to exasperated looks. "What?" he asked.
Keira and Zane sighed.
Travis wanted to grit his teeth as he heard the rumors of the new priestess being seen sneaking out of the bathroom with a boy. He tapped his pencil against the desk in irritation.
"Travis?" He looked up at the teacher suddenly and realized she's called on him for an answer. His cheeks burned slightly as he realized he had no idea what was going on around him. Ms. March seemed to look worried but also scolding as she turned and went back to teacher whatever she was teaching.
He stopped a growl from making its way through his throat and out of his mouth; he had never liked feeling embarrassed. The very action of being embarrassed made him angrier; how could one girl have this much effect on him.
Eric's words whispered through his mind. "A woman can cut a man at his knees and smash his heart to pieces but a man can make a woman feel like she has no legs with which she can stand up against him with and take her heart hostage for his own desires."
Travis agreed with that statement, it meant that each part of the relationship could hurt the other; one was just as dangerous as the other. It made him a little uneasy knowing that Keira might have the power knowing that Keira might have the power to hurt him. He'd never had anyone but his parents and brothers and sisters have that kind of power over him.
He squirmed in his seat again. He sighed and leaned forward to tap his pencil against the tale again just as a piece of paper found its way on his desk. He looked around the room surprised and found no one acting different. He picked up the note and opened it.
"What's wrong dude?"
—James
Travis smiled and laughed lowly. He could almost see James grinning behind him. James Kale was his best friend; they enrolled in the House of Night together when they were marked at a block party they were both at.
He answered back, "Nothing, why do you ask?" Waiting until the teacher's back was turned to them he threw the piece of paper of his shoulder and felt a grin stretch across his face when he felt the desk behind him jerk forward as James tried to grab it.
"Is there a problem, Mr. Kale?" Ms. March asked turning. Travis fought a grin as James straightened in his chair.
"No, ma'am," James mumbled and snickers came from around the class. Travis tried to hide his but it came from him. He heard James say something that sounded like his name and something else that sounded suspiciously like "dick head." He grinned.
A note floated over his shoulder and he took it under the desk and waited for the teacher to look away before he opened it.
"I dunno bro, but you look like you're deciding whether to be angry or interested in something," He turned around to look at his brown haired, tanned skin, handsome looking friend and arched an eyebrow at him. James smiled slightly but Travis could see the worry in his friend's eyes. He gave him a reassuring look and James seemed to calm down somewhat.
"Feel free to turn around and pay attention, Travis," Ms. March said.
"I didn't know you wanted him that bad, Ms. March,' James said and the class seemed to hold for a minute, even Travis was shocked, -but then the class seemed to burst out in laughter. Ms. March turned with a smile and even winked which made the class laugh louder and Travis' cheeks burn slightly. He laughed too, James' humor was infectious. He smiled at his friend who looked like he was king.
The bell rang then and he smiled at his friend as they exited the classroom. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Isabelle standing next to him. She looked up at him with eyes like blue saucers.
"Yes, Isabelle?" he asked. She seemed to shy for a few seconds before looking up at him.
"What are you doing tonight, Travis?" Isabelle asked him, flipping her well cared for hair over her shoulder in a move that pushed her beasts up against her V—neck T—shirt. He had no illusions about Isabelle, her beauty was a tool in her arsery, she'd seduced many of his friends and he didn't know why but she'd never looked tempting to him.
"I have to study for a Physics test and then train for my fencing match tomorrow," he answered. Isabelle sucked her teeth in show that was obviously supposed to make her look innocent and delectable—but it didn't work for him.
He smiled at her though, he didn't hate Isabelle, he actually felt sorry for her; she had to use her looks to get by, she could never really show herself since she was so used to using her looks. He could tell by her sudden sad expression that she could see that she wasn't getting anywhere with him, he pitied her.
"Come one, Is," he said, using her nickname he heard James use for her. "Let me take your books and then I can help you with your Latin." He saw her surprise then delight as he took her books chivalrously and started walking with her to one of the outside lunch tables to help her with her French.
Again he wondered why Isabelle's looks had no effect on him. Then he knew why, because every time he heard the word beautiful he thought of violet eyes and long black hair and cream skin.
Keira sat beside Zane and Shayla—whom were arguing over whether since the tomato was named a fruit if ketchup was a smoothie or not (it's not.)—and sighed, banging her head against the table they were sitting on outside.
"Isn't that Isabelle over there?" Jamie asked, walking up with some Zebra Cakes that Zane and Shayla immediately asked for. She rolled her eyes and gave them some Zebra Cake which they dug into. Keira lifted her gaze and caught sight of Isabelle over at the table by the double doors.
—And nearly choked on her PowerAde and Zebra Cakes when she saw who was sitting next to her, laughing with her. Zane smacked her on the pack and she thanked him and swallowed her food although she'd lost her appetite. Travis and Isabelle?
She hated to admit it but the two made the cutest pair, one that could win "Cutest Couple" for years without even meaning to. She could tell she wasn't the only one looking at the two laughing and working on what appeared to be work from class. She felt rage blaze through her—how dare he! He can't end up with HER! No!
She felt herself clenching her hand around her PowerAde bottle with anger. She didn't even realize the whole table had switched their attention to her until Zane asked "What's wrong, Keira?"
"Nothing," she growled. What Travis did in his free time was no importance to her. If he wanted to date a black widow so be it."
Zane scoffed. "Sure didn't look like nothing." He followed where her gaze was zeroed in on. "It looked like—" Zane seemed to shut up then and Keira looked at him confused, to see him staring at Travis with wide eyes.
"Zane?" she asked. Zane seemed to suddenly come back to the present with a snap, he blinked. "What's wrong, Zane?" she asked. He just looked at her for a minute.
"Is that Travis?" he asked, his voice rough.
She was shocked so she answered truthfully. "Yes, you know him?"
"Yes," Zane answered. He gathering his books then, Keira looked up at him shocked again. "I've got to go," was all he said as he gathered up his stuff and fled the table faster than she believed he could go.
"What was wrong with him?" Keira asked.
"I don't know," Jamie and Shayla said, both worrying for their friend.
"I've never seen him act that way,' Jamie said softly.
"Me neither," Shayla said. Keira had to agree, she'd been hanging out with these friends for about four weeks now and she knew they were like family to her; she didn't like that something was wrong with one of them. It made her remember when she had no friends here and felt alone.
Jasmine was spending a whole lot of time with her bf so…yeah.
She saw Travis smile and felt a growl forming in her throat. How dare he! He can't like her! He can't! Her own desperation made her angry, she raked her fingers through her hair angrily; she couldn't like him—she couldn't! It was his fault she was forced to go here! His fault dangit!
Another sigh and her head fell into her hands. Could she really like Travis? He seemed totally unaffected –another pointed glare at him and Isabelle—she humphed. Idiot boys. Why did they have to make life so hard?
Travis left the tables after Isabelle finally started to get her homework somewhat. He'd felt eyes on him the entire time he was with her at the table—which he found odd. He started down the hall toward the class that he had next, the thought of Keira being seen with some boy in the girl's locker room still in his mind, upsetting him.
Did she hate him? She couldn't hate him could she? That would hardly be fair if she hated him; she barely knew him. He felt his cheeks puff with air slightly in a pout and he was surprised to find that he was pouting! He never pouted; pouting was for immature people and children and he'd never been a child really.
He sighed and put his MP3 player headphones in his ears. He presumed to pull the hood of his sweatshirt up over them. He flipped through his music to play Blake Shelton's "Honeybee"; Blake Shelton and Tim McGraw were two of his favorite artists, he liked that they not only were great artists but that they sang about what they truly believed and that they didn't let themselves be obsessed in the sense of fame.
He was engrossed in his music so that's probably why he didn't recognize what was going on until it was too late.
He felt something slam into the back of his head and the darkness grabbed him before he could say anything. He desperately tried to hang on to something—anything to keep him conscious but he felt the darkness taking him.
Zane came running to Travis' side when he saw the male dressed in black slam a fire hydrant into the back of his head. The young fledgling tracker crumpled to the floor without a sound.
When the male in black saw him running toward him he immediately fled. Zane heard other footsteps following the male's and knew Travis could've in real trouble.
"Travis!" he yelled, shaking the young male. He felt the back Travis' head and was relieved when he didn't feel any blood. He shook Travis again; class had started so no one else was in the halls besides them and some of the kids who decided to skip class.
"Go get Sanari!" he yelled. The kids immediately scattered and scrambled to go get Sanari. "Travis?" he asked, looking down worriedly at the young male who was lying in his arms who seemed to be limp and barely breathing.
He picked him up and started for the clinic. Travis had better be okay, if not he was going to track down that male that slammed the object into the back of his head and—
"Zane?' came a low but rough voice. Zane looked down at Travis and smiled slightly he was still worried.
"Hey buddy," he answered, his voice cracking slightly. "I see you got yourself in trouble again." Travis smiled weakly at him and he worried even more. He ran faster until they finally reached the clinic.
"Oh my GOSH!" the nurse yelped when Zane ran inside still carrying Travis who had started bleeding from the wound to his head. He quickly bristled over and laid Travis on the cot, as he started to get up Travis grabbed his arm—he looked down at him, Travis was looking up at him with so many emotions that he froze for a minute worriedly.
"Travis?" he started worriedly but then he grinned when he remembered big, scary Travis was latrophibic—meaning, he was scared of doctors and hospital along with everything included with them. He smiled and squeezed his shoulder in promise; Travis smiled weakly at him, his eyes telling Zane that he was thankful that he had saved his life.
"Just returning the favor," he laughed. Travis smiled.
Travis truly had saved his life; it made Zane smile thinking about the memory.
The nurse checked on Travis' head and wrapped a bandage around it to stem the blood flow explaining to Travis that he could take it off after five hours and that he didn't appear to have a concussion. "Keep an eye on him for the next twenty-four hours," she told Zane.
"I can keep an eye on myself," Travis growled, jumping off the bed before they could stop him. His pupils almost immediately shrunk and he swayed with suddenly dazed eyes—Zane caught him and helped him to his feet. Travis seemed to shake his head as if trying to clear it.
"You're not super human, dude," he said, putting one of Travis' arms over his shoulders and helping him up.
"Actually, I am," Travis mumbled, slurring slightly but giving his weight to Zane so the weight was balanced between them.
"You always did have a reply," Zane muttered helping Travis out of the clinic although the nurse protested. Travis seemed to grin but Zane knew he was still in pain.
He helped Travis into one of the seats outside and sat in the seat beside him, staring at the boy who'd saved his life. Travis looked away from him for a minute and silence filled the air. Zane knew Travis couldn't keep the silence for long. It was one of the thing that abled Zane and a very few of others to be friends with Travis—the ability to look past Travis' toughness to the gold hearted young man beneath it, under that tough exterior Travis was also as sensitive and as warmly soft as a marshmallow; sometimes it made him vulnerable but Zane believed it made him stronger.
"You've grown…" Travis said as if he couldn't stay silent any more. "A lot." Zane chuckled at the shyness Travis barely ever let anyone else but him see.
"So when," Zane started to his friend, no longer calmly. "Were you going to tell me you transferred?" Suddenly time seemed to stop; Zane felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up straight as he saw Travis turn to him.
Zane saw something in Travis' eyes that just explained that something was wrong here.
"I came here for more reasons than even I knew," Travis whispered. "And most of them I still don't know."
"Travis," Zane asked, worried now. "What's going on?" Travis looked up at him again and it was almost like Zane saw someone or something else in his friend's eyes. "Travis?"
"I thought I only came here because of her and to protect the Priestesses," Travis said, his voice different somehow. "But I'm beginning to think something made sure I came here, something wants me here and now that I'm here things will start heating up. I can feel it, Zane."
Zane looked at his friend who suddenly looked pale all over again. "The question is," he said to him. "What or who is this something, and are they good or bad."
Zane could see that Travis didn't have an answer and he could see it worried him, even frightened him. What he didn't say was that he was scared too.