Lost Boy
Andre Harris is in for the surprise of his life when he learns that maybe his grandma isn't so crazy after all, and maybe, just maybe, he is something extraordinary. He's about to enter a world on the verge of a war, the world his best friends live in, and a world he will have to save or risk losing everyone.
Rated T
It was a Saturday, not much different from any other Saturday for Tori. She and Trina were up at 6 am following their mother down to the Light fae compound for their weekly training session, Tori was feeling a little groggy as she started jogging beside her sister on the track, but soon enough she was wide awake as Trina walked to the small bathroom, a few minutes later a small brown and silver wolf padded out onto the track and kept pace with her.
"Sometimes I wish I could do that, too." Tori told her. Trina gave Tori a look that she equated to the phrase 'bitch, please' and Tori shook her head as Trina shot off like a rocket around the track just as a sleek black wolf raced onto the track. Deciding an hour was a long enough run she sat down on the bench and drank some of her water, watching her sister and father race.
At least you get to bond with dad, she thought pitifully, standing and heading inside. Beck was inside the sparing room, showing Andre a few warm ups, when she walked in the door, "Hey Tori, you mind doing a demonstration with me?" he asked as soon as she was through the door.
"Sure, I'll go change into some sparring clothes. Are we using gear?" Tori asked.
"Mouth guards, we don't need you two breaking teeth." Jade answered for him, remembering a fight a few weeks ago where Beck knocked some poor guys back tooth out. Tori nodded and slipped into the women's locker room. There were some younger girls inside who paused when Tori stepped in, they were changed but dawdling, probably in the hopes of not having to train, they rushed out when Tori entered.
Tori walked over to her locker and spun the combination, pulling her shirt off and tossing it inside the locker. She held a tank top in her hand for a minute before she decided her sports bra was more than sufficient for sparring. She pulled off her jogging pants and put on a pair of shorts and her sparring shoes.
She grabbed her blue wrist wraps, her mouth guard, and shut her locker. Out in the sparring area a few of the younger fae and some elders were all standing around watching Beck warm up, their eyes flicked to Tori when she stepped out and they smiled and filed onto the bleachers to watch.
Tori wrapped her wrists under Jade's watchful eye, afterwards Jade helped her stretch and warm up while Cat sat back and made unhelpful comments about off topic things. Tori assumed today was one of Cat's off days and told her she should take Andre up to the bleachers. She grinned and nodded, grabbing Andre's arm and tugging him along behind her.
Tori stepped onto the mat before Beck did; he was warming up with Sikowitz next to the men's locker room door. He finally finished when Trina and her dad came inside, "Good luck, Beck." Her dad called, clapping her on the shoulder before walking up to the bleachers with Trina.
Beck stepped onto the mat and stood in front of her, "so is this a rules fight or a no rules fight, Vega?" he asked in a playful mocking voice.
"No rules, Stefan." Tori retorted. Beck laughed at her imitation of Katherine Pierce and rolled his shoulders, stepping back into his fighting stance. Tori dropped back into hers and her dad counted them down from the bleachers. As soon as he said go they started to move, circling each other slowly.
Tori watched him fake a right hook and managed to barely dodge a kick aimed at her head by ducking and rolling across the mat, springing up onto her feet as he swung his foot back around, she moved back to avoid the blow to the side of her head and he clipped her shoulder, knocking her across the mat and onto her butt.
She was quickly back on her feet as he closed the distance between them, Tori always thought sparring with Beck was like one continuous match, each one picking up where the last one ended. Sparring with Beck had to be Tori's second favorite thing, her first of course being feeding.
With Beck she had no fear of hurting him, or taking it to far, and he had no fear of hurting her and refused to hold back. They always knew to separate sparring and their friendship, so they always went all out and beat the hell out of each other. It was a nice plus that they could go feed that night and heal in no time.
Someone calls out a score as Tori lands a blow to Beck's shoulder. They easily match point for point. So far they're keeping their fighting to the rules, but Tori knows it's only a matter of time before the rules get boring. He sends a right uppercut toward her chin, she block sit and gets a jab to his chest. Four points for Tori. She grinned and moved away, bouncing on the balls of her feet as they circled each other, she throws a jab to test the distance they're not close enough to land any hits.
Moving in sync they move in close, he fakes a jab to her chin that she tries to block and he slams his fist into her shoulder, knocking her back so she spins on her heel. One point for Beck. He gets his arm around her shoulder, planning on putting her in a headlock, she reacts quickly, grabbing his arm and pushing her hips back as she bends, pulling him over her back and dropping him onto the mat, her hair falls from her pun and tumbled into her face.
She backs away hurriedly moving the hair out of the way as he gets to his feet. When he starts to turn she throws a right hook into his side. Two points for Tori. She throws another jab and he blocks it effortlessly, jabbing his fist into her stomach so hard her feet leave the mat and the air rushes from her lungs before she drops to her knees. Four points for Beck. That fucking hurt. Tori thinks, sucking in a deep and painful breath. While she was down he swung his foot at her head, she grabbed his ankle and tugged until he fell with a gasp onto the mat.
They both scrambled to their feet and resumed their circling. He was fast; he got two hits to her shoulder and a solid fist across her jaw that would be a nice bruise for a total of four points. She slammed her elbow into the center of his chest and into his cheek when he grabbed her from behind and flipped her over his shoulder onto the mat, she grabbed his ankle and dragged him down with her.
They both lost track of their points by fifteen, Tori was panting raggedly on her end of the mat, her hair sticking to her face from the sweat and blood, she was tired and ready to lay down on the mat. Beck's hair was plastered to his forehead, his lip was split and his cheek was turning purple, he was just as tired as she was, but they were both too prideful to quit.
Tori noticed he was avoiding putting weight on his left leg, and she was avoiding the same thing. They'd been sparing for a long time, she looked at him in silent question. Throw the fight? He blinked once for yes, rushing her, driving her into the mat. They wrestled for a few minutes before Tori pinned him to the mat, her dad counted five seconds and declared the match done.
Tori released Beck and dropped back on the mat, grimacing as her sweaty skin slipped across the surface. Neither moved for a few minutes, and when they finally did Beck had to twist his arm from Tori's legs, and once he finally got to his feet he pulled her up. Her world spun around her and she had to hang onto Beck for a support for a few seconds before she felt she could stand on her own, "I'm going to hit the shower." She groaned, Beck nodded in agreement, heading for the guys locker room.
She held her head high and marched toward the locker room with purpose, once she got passed the door she groaned and started dragging her left leg behind her. She grabbed a towel from the clean rack and grabbed her soaps from her locker before heading to the last row of showers and hanging her towel over the bar. Carefully she stripped down, hanging her sweat soaked clothes over the bar as well, and then she stepped under the spray of water, using the wall to support her.
"Tori?" the voice was muffled by the water pounding over her head, she couldn't tell who it was but she croaked out a 'yeah' in response, "I was hoping you wouldn't be naked yet."
"Sorry to disappoint, Jade." She pulled her head out from under the shower head the stream and managed to stand on her own, crossing her arms over her chest and staring at Jade.
"It's nothing I haven't seen before." She commented casually, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What do you want?" Tori asked.
"You look like Hell." Jade stated, stepping into the row of showers and walking toward her, "I was hoping you'd show me some sparring later, and I don't feel right asking you when you're all beat up like this."
"And?" Tori asked impatiently, wanting to be back under the water where she was warm.
"If I let you feed off of me will you help me learn?" Jade struggled to meet Tori's gaze, her cheeks burning and pink, but she did catch the flicker of surprise that crossed Tori's face before she started counting floor tiles.
"I'd help you learn anyways." Tori told her.
"Yeah well I don't like owing people anything." Jade retorted closing the distance between them, "so go ahead."
"Please don't sound so eager." Tori deadpanned. Jade rolled her eyes, about to reply with something snappy, no doubt, when Tori grabbed her shirt and pulled her forward, melding their lips together without hesitation. Jade's reaction was slow, but after her initial shock she kissed Tori back enthusiastically, until Tori pushed her up against the dry shower wall, her eyes glowing bright blue as she fed.
She cut off her feeding by snapping her mouth closed and pulling away from Jade quickly, stepping back just as fast to catch Jade before her legs buckled, "sorry." Tori whispered, leaning in and reversing a bit of the feed.
"Fuck, Vega." Jade groaned, holding her head and taking deep breaths, leaning against the wall for support, "trying to kill me?"
"Only a little." Tori replied, feeling 100 percent better, "thanks Jade." The darker haired girl nodded and walked out of the showers in a rush, when Tori stepped back out into the sparring room in a dry pair of shorts and a dry tank top she found Andre and Beck sparring, Beck was back in tip-top shape.
Tori walked over to the bleachers and sat down beside Jade, "I'll swing by tonight around 6. I figure you don't want to train here." Jade nodded her head, her eyes never leaving Andre and Beck, "Jade, you know I'd never use my abilities on you to take away your choice to say no, right?"
"Of course I do." She replied, "but everything was just so screwed up-you should have told me you were like him before we-." She stopped short and ground her teeth together anger burning in her green eyes as she fell silent. Tori sighed and leaned forward, watching Andre and Beck. When they pair were done sparring they went into the men's locker room, Beck texted Tori and asked about lunch.
"Anyone up for Nozu with the guys?" Tori asked, looking toward Cat and Jade.
"Yeah, lets go Jade." Cat said, grinning at her.
"Okay, fine." Jade grumbled, "I'll drive, you going like that, Vega?"
"No, do you mind dropping by my house so I can change?" I asked, she shrugged her shoulder and led the way out, Cat and I trailing behind her. If there's one thing about Jade Tori had to admire it was her ability to fake confidence. She'd told Tori before how terrified she was being surrounded by the fae, but you wouldn't know. She walked with the confidence of a tiger in the jungle, her chin held firm and her eyes sharp and daggers. Jade was a normally confident person, so some of it isn't fake, but Tori knows this prance is for show and inside she wants to run, and she can't help but smile at Jade as she puts on her one woman show.
When they get to her car neither of the girls say anything about Jade's trembling hands. A few years ago an underfae burned down her family's home, killing her mother and brother. Cat managed to rescue Jade and has claimed her as her human-something necessary for a human not to be killed in their world, but Jade has sense been terrified that she would be killed as well. Cat and Tori would never let that happen, but Jade knew human lives were never long in the world of the Fae.
When they reached Tori's house she quickly hopped out and ran inside, changing from her shorts into a pair of black skinny jeans, a purple tank top and a pair of lace up heeled boots. She grabbed her favorite leather jacket on her way back down the stairs, climbing straight back into Jade's backseat, Jade backed out of the driveway and headed toward Nozu.
"Beck says he's already there, with Robbie and Rex."
"Can't he leave that old pile of wood at home once in awhile?" Jade complained, "he's always hitting on me."
"I'll sit between you two if it would make you feel better." Tori offered, "Or you could always throw Rex across Nozu again."
"I don't want to see Robbie cry again." Jade complained, rolling to a stop and flicking on her turn signal. When they pulled into the Nozu parking lot it was rather full, and Tori recognized more than a few of the cars as light fae teenagers. Jade took a deep breath before she stepped out and walked up. Cat bounced ahead of them, "please sit between us." Jade whispered before she slipped in the door.
Tori made sure to place herself between Robbie and Jade, Cat sat on Jade's right. Jade didn't eat much; she ended up picking off of Tori and Cat's plates, her eyes constantly scanning across the bar. Tori pulled out her phone and texted Beck suggesting they find somewhere less fae populated to hang out, he texted back and suggested a trip somewhere.
"You guys wanna go do something after this?" Beck ventured.
"We should go to the zoo." Cat bubbled, popping a chicken bite into her mouth.
"Maybe when it's not so hot outside, Cat. I can't stand being outside for so long while it's this hot." Cat pouted, "maybe we should just hang out somewhere?"
"I'm actually not feeling well, I think I'm just going to go home." Jade stated.
"Well I can't fit anyone else in my car…" Beck glanced around the table. He'd given Andre and Robbie a ride here in his truck.
"I'm kinda tired, I think I may just go home, mind driving me, Jade?" Tori asked, "I'm still feeling that sparring session." She rubbed her shoulder like it was still sore. Jade mumbled that she would and stole a French fry from her plate.
"Me too, mind Jade?" Andre asked. Jade agreed to take him home too. When they finished lunch they went their separate ways, Robbie whining about having to sow Rex's arm back on. Tori on the other hand was grinning smugly as she sunk into Jade's car, she pulled a bit of fluff from under her nail and tossed it out the window, Andre was laughing when he crawled into the backseat.
"Are you really feeling that bad, Jade?" Tori asked.
"No, I just need some time away from all of you." She answered Andre made a sound that said he agreed, "I just want some piece and quiet."
"Understandable, but I doubt you'll find it at Cat's. You can come hang out around my house, my parents and Trina will be at the compound all day. You too, Andre." Tori offered, "maybe we can spar later." Jade didn't say anything as she turned onto Tori's street, pulling up into her driveway. Andre got out and headed up in front of Tori, and after a few moments Tori got out and they disappeared inside. Five minutes later Jade followed them inside, too.
The rest of they day the group lounged around the house, occasionally Andre would ask a question about some type of Fae he'd heard about, and Tori would explain what they were, what they could do. Jade pretended not to listen while she worked in her sketchbook.
"So when you guys feed, what's that look like? What's it feel like?" Andre randomly blurted.
"Looks freaky. But also cool." Jade commented, quickly flipping through her sketch book before settling on a page and handing it to Andre. Tori peeked over his shoulder. It was a picture of her, her eyes were glowing blue and the same blue glow was traveling into her open mouth. It was a stunning drawing.
"You did a great job on that, Jade." Tori commented. Jade nodded and took the sketch book back and Tori settled back onto the couch.
"So she's…" Andre motioned between them.
"Yeah, she's fed from me before." Jade replied, when Andre wasn't looking she sent Tori a sharp look. Tori rolled her eyes, "it feels like sex, even though all she has to do is kiss you."
"Damn." Tori stretched out across her couch, propping her feet in Andre's lap, "so can you feed off of other fae? Can you feed off of Beck?"
"Yes, I can feed off of other fae. And I can feed off of Beck if he lets me, and I can feed off of others like me if I'm stronger than them, which I usually am because I'm a hybrid. I have the strength from my dad's wolf side. With Beck it's different because his mom is a succubus and his dad is a bachaus."
"What the hell is that?" Andre asked.
"Sexual party fae." Jade answered, "his mom and dad are really interesting, you should meet them sometime." She smirks down at her sketch pad.
"And by that she means avoid them. Last time I saw them they asked me about my sex life and gave me some tips." Tori shuddered at the memory and Andre chuckled, making a mental note to avoid meeting them. Tori picked up her phone to see if she had any texts, when she found she didn't she tossed it aside.
"How long have you been a part of this craziness?" Andre asked Jade.
"A few years." She replied, vaguely not looking up from her sketch pad, "An underfae burned down my house, Cat took me in."
Andre turned to Tori for an explanation, "when you reach about a thousand years old you'll go through a process called the Dawning, where you have to pass some tests, if you fail you become an underfae, you probably won't see one anytime soon. And my mom can explain the Dawning better than I can. She's gone through hers already."
"How old is she?" Andre asked.
"About two thousand years old." Tori shrugged, she didn't know for sure how old her parents were, just that they were both over a thousand and had gone through their Dawning. Andre reached over and turned on the TV, scanning through the channels until he found some documentary about crocodiles, happy for anything that didn't involve Fae. Tori watched silently while Jade happily sketched from her spot in the arm chair. It was a relaxing afternoon for the small group, and one of the most normal Saturday's Tori had in weeks.