Chapter 6: Confron-fae-tion
The air around the chemistry room became stiff with the scent chemical locked inside the class's storage room. The class of students grouped together in the lab portion of the chemistry room, the furthest place from the stench. Mrs. McCormick had released them after her lecture on the student syllabus, after about five of the students had passed out after five minutes of the ordeal.
"Wait, what is it?" Tamsin leaned against the lab table, the cool black surface chilling her skin. Tamsin, Bo, Kenzi and Dyson had claimed the lab table furthest from main class room. Now Kenzi and Bo had begun laughing as Tamsin grew further confused.
Bo pointed at Kenzi, "Don't do this, you remember what happened with Ryan two years ago."
Kenzi huffed, "That was different, I hated him." Kenzi and Bo broke into giggles.
"Shut up you hated Dyson once, and you still hate Lauren," Bo replied.
"Yes, well in my defense Lauren's a bitch, Dyson, well wolf-mans grew on me and look where we are. Ryan, Ryan was an ass and you hated him too, God Bo why did you even date him, he was a jerk," Kenzi jabbed.
Bo pulled at the hair tightly nestled in a bun behind her head. "No doubt about that, but still Kenzi, this is totally unfair," Bo sighed, her hair falling to her shoulders.
Tamsin shifted uncomfortably against the table. Her blonde hair had been loose and began falling around her face when she rested her head against her fist, "If I knew what the bet was maybe I'd do it."
"No no no, you don't want to do this Tamsin, she baiting you, this isn't worth it," Bo almost pleaded, braiding her hair back together against her head.
Kenzi shushed the girl, "Don't listen to her, I am completely trustworthy," she fluttered her eyelashes.
"She really isn't," Dyson set a file on the lab table, re-entering the conversation.
"What's this?" Tamsin opened the file. The manila folder held stacks of papers and pictures. Tamsin recognized it, the photos of a girl whose soul was resting in Valhalla.
"Charlotte Granger's case file, I swiped it from my dad last night. She was one of the kids killed at North Ridge this week," Dyson presented. He took the photos from Tamsin and laid them out on the table.
Kenzi glanced over the photos, stopping at one of bruises against the pale skin of one of the boy's that bad been hanging in the formation. "Why do you have the case file?" Kenzi questioned, sickness growing in her gut.
"She's a family friend and," he paused, " and we did this last year Kenz, why not?" Dyson flipped through the stack of papers, detailing the scene. "They were hung," Dyson pulled out, what looked like students photos from the school, "All of them, fae."
"Dyson you know North Ridge is a human school, why were fae kids there?" Bo asked. She scanned through the paperwork Dyson was pulling from the folder.
Dyson scratched at his facial hair. "They were there for a reason, the only fae in that school and they all die. Guys I don't think it was suicide."
"No shit Sherlock how about you close the case file and we talk about it later," Tamsin shoved the papers toward Dyson, some of them falling to the floor.
Dyson gathered the sheets into the folder and shoved it into his backpack. He leaned against the table, "What do you guys think?"
Tamsin leaned forward, anger growing inside of her. "I think you're a dumb ass for bringing it up in the middle of class," Tamsin squared off her shoulders, challenging the wolf. Tamsin let her eyes go dark for a moment, warning the wolf and the others.
"Jesus Tamsin, calm down, you know the rules," Kenzi breathed.
Tamsin looked toward the human, her eyes still dark, "You don't know what you're doing."
Bo placed a hand on the girls shoulder, "Tamsin, come on..."
"Hands off Bo," Tamsin snapped.
Bo jumped back slightly, "Tamsin!"
"Back off," she nearly yelled, her teeth clenched in order to contain her anger.
Dyson released a growl, his eyes switching to a bright yellow. Tamsin glanced at his hands as they shifted to claws against the table.
"Both of you, STOP!" Kenzi screamed, her voice echoed against the hard surfaces of the lab in the back of the chemistry room.
The students in the lab had turned toward the group. Mrs. McCormick ran over, "What's going on?"
Dyson shook his head, forcing his feature back to their previous form. "I'm sorry Kenz," Dyson pulled at the back of his neck.
Tamsin stepped back, eyes closed, taking a deep breath. She grabbed her bag from under the table, "I'll see you guys later," she glared at Dyson, "Don't talk about it until lunch, okay?" Tamsin paused before she left.
"Okay," Dyson agreed.
"Tamsin stop!" Mrs. McCormick ordered.
"Wait, where are you going?" Bo followed her.
"To blow off steam," Tamsin charged through the door.
Bo ran back grabbing her bag, "See you guys later," she waved to Kenzi and Dyson.
"All of you stop!" the woman ordered just before Bo was outside.
XX
"Where are you going?" Bo called after Tamsin. The blonde broke into a run passed the tree line outside of the school parking lot.
Tamsin huffed as she pushed through the muddy ground, twigs grabbing at her boots. Branches hanging around her scraped at her skin, nicking small portions of her exposed flesh.
Bo hustled after her, her half woven braid coming undone. Bo stumbled slightly as she tripped over some small rocks.
"What do you want Bo?" Tamsin kept running. She heard Bo's tripping feet smack against the damp dirt.
"Can you just wait a second," Bo panted.
Tamsin slowed, dropping her bag against one of the nearby tree trunks with a thud. Tamsin turned, frustration building in her muscles. "What, what could you possibly want Bo?"
Bo came to a stop in front of Tamsin, doubled over trying to regain her breath. "I want to," she panted, "talk to you."
Tamsin crossed her arms over her chest, "What's wrong, run a marathon?"
Bo stood up facing the Valkyrie, "Shut up."
Tamsin laughed, "You said you wanted to talk, so talk succubus."
"Why were you such an ass back there?" Bo released. She let her lungs fill with the chilly air surrounding her, releasing it slowly, trying to calm her heart.
Tamsin sighed, Idiot, fucking idiot. You had it good, these people were good and look at this, you fucked it up. God just once, Once could you just be normal, just act freakin normal, The voice in her head echoed.
"I don't know Bo," Tamsin's words dripping with sarcasm, "I thought my charm was just perfect."
"Whatever," Bo sighed. Bo turned back toward the school, throwing her bag over her shoulder.
Tamsin stepped forward, "Wait Bo." Tamsin's boots began sinking into the mush beneath her feet.
"What Tamsin, what?" Bo yelled across the forest. Moss had began sticking to her tennis shoes, their normal red color now a dull brown.
Tamsin glanced at Bo, her eyebrows furrowed and her cheeks a light shade of pink. "I'm..." Tamsin paused, almost forcing herself to say the words she commonly ignored, "I'm sorry." The words were bittersweet on her tounge.
Bo stood awkwardly in front of the blonde, shifting her weight on her heels, letting them sink further into the mud, swaying lightly as they did. "It's okay Tamsin, it's fine." She brushed the fallen wisps of hair from her face, pushing the clusters behind her ears.
"No, it's not okay Bo. You guys talk about murder cases like their this weeks gossip, Dyson stole the police's case file Bo. I don't know if anyone's told you this but that is a crime, he could be arrested and all of you just huff and talk about it!" Tamsin yelled, letting out the building anger. Tamsin began pacing between the trees, her cheeks flushed from the cold and the fury.
"You don't understand," Bo nearly cried.
"No Bo I don't understand why you guys think you can parade around like 'The Hardy Boys'!"
"We know what we're doing," Bo screamed. She ran her fingers through her hair, releasing a tension filled breath.
"Really Bo, I don't think you do. Where you at the crime scene, do you know all of those kids names, their parents names, how they died, Bo? Those kids are DEAD, their parents don't have children anymore, their siblings are alone now, do you get that? That these kids are gone and whatever you think you're doing isn't helping, you're intervening in a state case, in the fae police's case, you are hindering an investigation because you stole a case file!" Tamsin grabbed a small twig that had been growing through the bark of a nearby tree, snapping it between her fingers.
"Charlotte, her name is Charlotte and Louise, and Matthew, and Alex, and Mandy! I know they're gone Tamsin, we all know they're gone," Bo yelled, her eyes filling with tears.
"They're not here, they're somewhere in Valhalla with the rest of the dead kids, every kid that I delivered is there, every single one! Do you know how that feels, to be surrounded by death? And here are you guys, viciously seeking it, looking for it so you can get a fix. That's why I'm a bitch, why I'm a pain in the ass!"
Bo was quiet for a moment, Tamsin's face was turning into something she had never seen. "Tamsin, please calm down."
Tamsin felt the rage bubbling up within her, she had to get out somehow. Her silky skin became skeletal, blackening around her eyes and cheeks.
"Tamsin!" Bo grabbed at Tamsin's arm as she turned.
Tamsin stopped, grabbing Bo's shoulders and pushed her against a tree, shaking her, letting her head smack against the bark.
"Stop!" she screamed. "You won't remember this, you never followed me into the woods and you don't want to know me." Tamsin watched tears fall from Bo's eyes, watched them change from their soothing brow to a piercing blue.
"Yes I do Tamsin, stop, what are you doing?" Bo fought against the blonde's hold, her shoulders scratched against the bark.
Tamsin's stared at Bo for a moment, her eyes unchanging, "What are you?" Tamsin loosened her grip on Bo's shoulders. Tamsin let her hands drop to her side, backing away from Bo. She let her face return to it's original form.
Bo smiled lightly, taking a step away from the tree. Bo took a deep breath, wiping the moisture from her cheeks. "Hi wondersnatch, I'm Bo, resident succubus," she shoved her hand toward Tamsin as if to shake it, laughing lightly.
Tamsin smiled, slapping Bo's hand out of the air between them. "You're not normal, most people would be on the ground crying by now."
"Well, you got one of them" Bo laughed. "I'm sorry Tamsin, I didn't know, we didn't know."
"No I mean it Bo, you saw how Kenzi reacted, she got scared, but you stayed calm, you resisted my doubt."
Bo smiled, "Are you okay?"
Tamsin stared at the ground for a moment, shifting her weight between feet awkwardly, "Yeah, just don't tell anyone okay? I don't like talking about it." She rubbed the back of her neck, relieving some of the built up tension. "Are you okay, I didn't hurt you did I?"
"Eh, a few scrapes and bruises," Bo laughed, "It's what I get for following a Valkyrie into the woods."
"No, I'm sorry," Tamsin paused, "Why did you follow me Bo?"
Bo gathered her hair, tying it into a ponytail. "I, uh, I don't know. I thought you could like, talk to someone, ya know?" Bo stared at Tamsin, "You're not a bitch."
"What?" Tamsin fan her fingers through her hair.
"You're not a bitch, you're kinda forceful, and you definitely need a better way to blow off steam then to beat up a Succubus, but otherwise you're pretty nice."
Tamsin took a step forward, grabbing the Succubus's wrist, there was bruising further up her arm where Tamsin had grabbed her, "Are you okay Bo?"
Bo placed her hand over Tamsin's, "I'm fine. I'll feed later and heal right up."
"Are you sure?" Tamsin watched Bo's blue eyes.
Bo smiled, "Totally."
Tamsin and Bo stood there for a moment, watching the other. "You, uh, you mind?" Tamsin swirled her fingers in front of her eyes.
"Oh, oh sorry," Bo slammed her eyes shut, forcing them to settle into their brown again. Bo took a deep breath before opening them again. "Better?"
Tamsin laughed, "Much. Now lets go see what shit storm we left them in the middle of." She grabbed her bag off of the sticky forest floor, pulling the moss from the fabric before throwing it over her shoulder.
"Aye-aye captain," Bo saluted mockingly.
"Shut up," Tamsin smacked the girls arm.
"Jesus Christ, what is with people today?" Bo grabbed at her arm, sore from the repetitive smacking.
"Sorry Bo," Tamsin apologized.
Bo smiled and grabbed Tamsin's bag, pulling her backward. Tamsin lost her balance, falling into the dirt. Tamsin gasped at impact. "Son of a fuck," she shut her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose to relieve the slight pain.
Bo began laughing at the scene as the Valkyrie glared at her, "Oops?" Bo shrugged.
Tamsin reached up, grabbing Bo's hand, pulling her toward the ground. Bo slid in the mud, falling backward against her bag in the mud.
"Son of a bitch!" she scrambled.
Tamsin began laughing, her legs pulled toward her chest as she buried her face. "Are we okay now," she gathered her breath.
Bo stood up, extending her hand toward the blonde, "We're okay Tamsin, just talk to us okay? You don't have to go full Valkyrie to get us to do something."
Tamsin grabbed Bo's hand, standing in front of her. "Deal.
Tamsin laughed, "Look at your back." She watched Bo's face go pale as she realized the amount of mud caked to her clothes.
Bo pushed Tamsin, "Look at yourself."
Tamsin looked at her jacket, covered in mud with her jeans looking similar. "Shit," she exclaimed.
"Well I see the captain remark was not irrelevant," Bo grinned.
"What?" Tamsin began walking back toward the school.
"You have a sailors mouth blondie," Bo nudged as they walked.
Tamsin smirked as she and Bo walked across the parking lot, fearing the mess they had left behind.