I apologize for taking so long to update. I'm going to try and start updating weekly, but I'm afraid that I won't be posting at least until Wednesday of next week. Although, I couldn't wait to send all of you this new chappie! I hope you all like it!

I slowly walked to the courtyard, keeping my head low enough under my hood so no one can see my face as I find my favorite spot under the only lavender colored cratemurtle tree. The chilly wind sweeps over my head and carries several of the beautiful blooms away in it's playful gusts. They drift away in showers until they come to rest onto the ground. This one spot has several branches that bow low to the ground and break against the breeze. Underneath them, it's almost like a secret room. Pretty much anyone can do almost anything they want during the last hour before the bell rings for us to go home. And this is one of the only places where I can avoid Lindsey and her flock of vultures searching for a decent meal.

Right about now, Eli and I would be going over any Physics homework before heading into the gym to toss around a football or go for a little one on one with the basketball. Since he moved schools, reading and writing have become my favorite past times during unstructured hour; not I thought I was that good at it, but it beat sitting in the corner alone doing nothing like easy prey for predators. I always carry about four journals around with me to jot down ideas the moment they pop into my head, before I lose them. And when I'm not in the mood to write, I'll pull out my latest book, fresh from the new stock in the school library.

However, reading my favorite works of Stephen King can only satisfy my loneliness for so long. As much as I hate to admit it, as much as I act like I want to alone, I want a friend. But Eli was really the only person I took a particular interest and genuine trust in. He...was a genuine person. Unlike most other people that might even think about considering being friends with me. A quiet, antisocial recluse who's a total bookworm and who some people don't even know exists. The only person that really recognizes my presence at this school is Lindsey. I've become her prime target since Eli left, and she has plenty of rage to fuel her anger and pursuit of revenge. How I wish he was here, more than ever! Not as my brave defender, but as my best friend.

I'm so lost in my own thoughts that I don't even flinch or start to move when the bell rings for us to make our way out to the bus lot to go home. The bus is oddly quiet when I get on. Usually there are kids barreling over each other to get their favorite seats next to their besties and shouting as loud as possible about their latest snapchat posts or instagram updates. Everyone is so quiet as if someone had magically silenced them, all of them plugged into their ear-buds and smartphones, doing and saying nothing.

My seat is always empty at the very back of the bus. Even though no one is looking at me, I avert my eyes from everyone. Who should appear from the seat of the very back, but another one of Lindsey's minions, reclining comfortably in the seat and smiling like an mocking idiot at me.

My grip tightens on my books, but only slightly.

She practically worships Lindsey and would do anything for her, even if it meant jumping off of a bridge would please her. "Well if it isn't Spitfire the klutzy recluse, crawling back to her little hidey hole." Instantly my blood starts to boil. 'Only Eli was allowed to call me that!'

"Well if it isn't Shaina the brainless servant, too stupid to do anything of her own will." The words came out before I could even process them.

A few oo's erupted from some curious bystanders behind me. Her smirk turns to a grimace, standing bolt upright in the seat and expectantly waiting for me to submit to her.

But I don't move.

"Someone's feeling super confident today, aren't we Kirkwood?" she says, crossing her arms over her chest. "You certainly have a lot of nerve to call someone else brainless, since a reject like you don't seem to even have half of one."

I glare at her straight in the eyes. "At least I have enough of one to know my own mind, unlike some people." More oo's and giggles come from behind.

She snatches one of my books from me and pretends to look at it. "Hmm, you are right." I'm taken aback by her tone of voice as she dusts the cover with her hand. "But you don't have enough to avoid THIS!"

My books fall onto the floor of the bus as I stumble backwards, holding my face in my hands.

"Eli isn't here to save your sorry butt anymore, Kirkwood."

The searing, dizzying pain clouds my vision, but I manage to see the shape Shaina moving towards me with both hands.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll stay down where you belong!"

Without much choice, I slip into the seat beside me, but my heels kick out into the walkway. She trips over my feet and falls with a thud into the floor of the bus.

"Mrs. Helmsworth, what's all the commotion about?" 'A little late getting in on the situation, don't you think Mr. Parker?'

"Mr. Parker, Kida tripped me."

"Alright Miss Kirkwood, time to hit the road."

"What?!" 'Darn it Kida! The trouble you get into when you don't keep your mouth shut!' "I didn't do anything!"

"Grab your books and get moving."

A massive smirk crosses Shaina's face as she watches me pick up my library books and sling my bag over my shoulder, keeping my eyes away from anyone watching me….and holding back tears.

I wipe my face with my sleeve as keep my crying to a soft sniffle. Even though I've avoided contact of any kind with Lindsey and her servants, they still seem to have some certain way of getting to me. And honestly, on occasion my quiet girl exterior can get me in more trouble than out of trouble.

'Why do even convince myself that I can stand up to those girls!? All it does is get me kicked off of the bus or into the principle's office for something that wasn't even my fault.'

I walk for about fifteen minutes until I see the only house in my neighborhood with red shutters on the windows. I feel a little bit of relief when I see my parents aren't home yet. They sometimes work long hours in the lab late in the afternoon and I don't see them until after dark.

A few more tears roll down my cheeks as I finally reach the driveway, but I can't bring myself to step up to the door, or even get out my house key.

I turn and head down the sidewalk again, this time determined with a more desirable destination. After three blocks down the street and then around the left corner, I finally arrived at the small white house with blue shutters and a small stump of a melted white candle, still sitting in the first floor window next to the door. First checking to make sure no one saw me, I walked to the side of the house where the window was still slightly cracked. Slipping my fingers behind the pane, it opened easily on its dusty hinges. With one last check to make sure that no one would call the police on me for trespassing or stealing, I pulled myself inside.

I fall onto the floor, disturbing a poof of dust that makes me sneeze; spreading more onto the floor, which is already coated in it. I cough a moment to get the rest of the dust out of my mouth and brush myself off.

The room looks just as it did before, although covered with a new coat of dust. A large plasma screen sits on a wall stand in one corner with a enormous comfortable love seat in the opposite. A small side table with an although used, empty white plate still sitting there as if the one who'd eaten off of it had left in a hurry and never returned to bring it to the kitchen. A small desk with a stack of papers was left on it lies next to the TV. Just as it was three months ago.

Flashback

"Okay, so to find the acceleration, you have to place the multiplication of the change and velocity together over…" Two fingers take hold of my book, drawing my eyes up from the page, "Are you even listening?"

"Of course I am. I can multitask, you know?" I say, smiling as innocently as I can.

He doesn't hold his serious expression long and smiles back at me while still holding my book between his fingers. "Don't get me wrong, books are great and all. But they can only take you so far in physics class, and they get you more distracted than focused on the lessons."

I close my book and toss it into the corner of the love seat before I let out a long sigh and lay my head back on the soft cushions. "But we've been at it for more than an hour. There is such a thing as too much studying."

He cants his head. "Aww, come on Kida. You're the one who asked for a tutor in the 'worst class in school.' "

"But that's not all we have to do!"

I'm surprised when I hear him chuckle, "You sure are demanding. Tell ya what, once we finally get through this section, we'll call it quits for awhile."

My eyes glance from side to side and I tap my chin. "Hmm, fair enough."

After explaining the basics on how to identify "Acceleration" and solve to find "Normal Force," we both looked to our own papers. I was paying attention to my own work, but I couldn't keep quiet for very long.

"I don't know how you do it, Eli."

He looked up from his work at me. "Do what?"

"Tolerate me."

He looked utterly taken aback for a moment before he spoke. "Wait what? What do you mean?"

I frowned. "I guess I still don't understand why you take such an interest in me Eli. I'm….not exactly the most outgoing and sociable girl."

"You are with me. Aaand what makes you think those are the only kind of people that I enjoy being around?"

"I appreciate you offering to help me with these annoying problems, but I don't want you to feel obligated to-"

"Okay, hold it right there Kida," he orders, holding up a finger close to my lips. "When we first met, did I come off as the kind of guy that was only interested in the popular girls?"

The question sounded completely rhetorical. "Well….no."

"Exactly, and does it ever cross your mind about how much of jerk Lindsey is?"

"Is speed determined by distance and time?"

He smiles again, stifling a laugh and then looking serious. "Right. I'll tell you the honest truth right now Kida. You're more a human, a genuine human, than any other girl I've ever met at school. I'd rather spend time with an authentic teenage girl with real feelings than one that cares more about herself than anyone else and is convinced that she's perfect in every possible way. In any case, you're at least fun to argue with about homework, Spitfire."

I smile again. 'Why does he have to be so charming?'. "Fair enough. But seriously, is speed solved by dividing distance by time? I forgot."

Then he starts to laugh. "And here I thought you were bored to death with doing this stuff.'

"I was, but….I think I could tolerate it a little bit longer."

'You'd think that after three months I'd have gotten used to fact that he was gone. But when he left, I felt like a piece of me left with him; Like my will to stand up or let someone else into my heart disappeared with my best friend, as if he vanished from the face of the earth. And I no longer have hopes of ever seeing him again.'

I curled up in the same spot, more tears course down my cheeks as I hug my knees to my chest. This time I let them fall freely.

"I miss you so much Eli," I whisper against my sweater, "You have no idea how much I miss you, how much I wish you were here."

I jump out of skin at the sound of a sudden thump coming from upstairs! Then I hear a shrill screech like that of an injured animal and more scuttling! I drop my books and backpack on the floor beside the love seat, debating on running or investigating. Another screech cries out downstairs.

'This never happened the last few times I came here.' Concerned that my curiosity may or may not get the better of me, I reluctantly start to climb up the stairs. Another cry and I pass the landing and onto the top. A small blue blur franticly, but clumsily flutters out of one of the rooms and a large ugly rat chasing it! I grab a broom leaning against the wall and head after the rat. It runs into one of the other rooms, only to turn sharp and head back out again into another, as if the blue blur is trying to throw the rat off balance! The rat hisses, not seeming to care about me, but of whatever it's chasing. The little blue blur looks almost like a wounded bird. The rat pounces! The poor little thing squeals with panic! Aiming very carefully, I hear the broom make contact with a loud THWACK! The rat flies across the floor, bouncing once and hitting against the wall! I stand over the crippled creature.

"Get out of here you disgusting little rodent!" With one last hiss, the nasty vermin disappears.

I then turn to the small injured bird. My eyes grow wide! It undoubtable has wings, but is unlike any kind of bird I've ever seen! I don't think it's even a bird! It's blue, with things on its head like a set of antenna, and only one eye in the center of its face, which is closed.

Just then the broom slips from my hand and falls to the floor with a loud smack. The little creature's eye opens, shrieking with panic and flapping its good wing as it tries to get away from me.

"Hey! Wait! Don't go!" Only when it crawls to safety under the bottom of a dresser does it turn 'round to look at me with a frightened face. The poor thing looks scared to death.

"It's okay. It's alright. I'm not gonna hurt you. Won't you come on out?"

It looks at me curiously before turning to its other wing. A large red gash runs down from the middle of it to the bottom, almost tearing it.

"It looks like that rat nicked you pretty good. If you come on out, I can help you. 'It probably can't understand a word I'm saying.' "How about something to eat? Would you like that? Hold on. Stay right there. I'll be right back with some food."

I take the stairs three by three, afraid if I don't run fast enough, the little creature would disappear before I even get to my bookbag. Rummaging through my lunchbox, I pull out a bag of apples I didn't eat for lunch. When I come back to the dresser, the little thing is still there trying to wipe away blood from the small wound. It looks at me with its intrigued little eye, but turns his attention to the treats in my hand. I hold out an apple slice towards him, but he backs into the shadow of the dresser.

"It's alright. It's food. See?" I bite off half of the apple slice and smile at him. He cants his head like a puppy. "It's not poisoned."

I hold out the other half. When he still doesn't move for a few more minutes, I set the apple on the floor and back away. Looking at me and then back to the tempting treat on the floor, he ever so cautiously hops on both feet towards it. After a few steps he looks back to me, almost like he's expecting me to pounce on him, just like the rat. I continue to smile at him. He moves forward and sniffs the food. He instantly munches on it, finishing it all with a happy little chirp. I giggle at the strange but cheerful little sound it makes.

However, it startles him and he backs away from where the apple once was.

"Wait, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. That little sound you just made is so cute. Here, do you want another one?"

It hops toward the second apple, chopping the whole thing down in a few seconds, and once again letting out its adorable sound.

"What are you? And what are you doing living here in Eli's house? How long have you been here?"

The little bird-like creature looks up at me with his mouth full of apple for only a moment before he turns back to his meal.

"Huh? I really must be a looney now to be talking to an a little animal that can't understand a word I'm saying."

A playful little chirp drew my gaze back down to the floor where the little guy looks up at me and seems to be….smiling! "Do you want another one?"

Again it chirps, this time with a more happy sound; probably the first happy sound I've heard it make since I found it. I place another apple onto floor.

"You sure are amazing. Would you do it again? Make that little sound?"

It smiles at me, hopping into the air and squealing with joy as he downs another apple. I giggle at the cute little noise again, but this time he doesn't withdraw.

He eats almost all the apples until there's only one left. I hold it out to him, this time in my hand. With a little speculation and a small sniff, he hops onto my hand. I try not to flinch at weird feeling of the moisture on the bottoms of his tiny feet and the underside of his tail. It feels almost like holding a snail or a slug in your hand.

He crunches down the last apple and looks at me anxiously for more. "I'm sorry little guy, but I'm afraid I don't have anymore." His face turns sad and his antenna droop. "But I can get you some more if I take you back to my house. We have plenty of apples there. And I can patch up your wing if you'll let me. It's not very safe for you here with that rat around to catch you. Would you like to come home with me, little guy?"

He looks down at his injured wing, cradling it against his chest, but he gazes up at me and gives me a little nod of his head.

"You can understand me, can't you?" He chirps with a little hop.

"Cool. Alright then." As I stand up, he hops from my hand onto my shoulder, snuggled up next to my neck. 'I can't get over how cute he is!" "At some point I'll have to name you. I can't just keep calling you 'little guy,' can I? You are a guy, aren't you?" He nods, but grabs one of my hairs in his teeth.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

He slips off of my shoulder, hanging onto my hair. He isn't hurting me, but looks to be having fun, swinging back and forth on my hair. Of course, he's supposed to be able to fly so he's making due with what he's got. After a minute, it starts to get on my nerves.

"Hey, okay. That's enough." He swings back up to my shoulder, chirping happily. I rub his head with my finger as I sling my bag over my shoulder and jump back out of the window. After cracking it and walking out to the sidewalk, I head for home with a strange little creature hidden inside my hair and laid up against my neck.

Inside, I go straight for my room and set down my school stuff. I grab some medical supplies from inside the bathroom vanity to fix the little creature's wing. I empty a tissue box on my desk and fill it with cotton and a soft little wash rag for a bed.

"It's not much, but it should keep you warm." I look to my shoulder, but the little slug was gone. "Where did you go? Oh no! My parents are going to kill me."

I hear a little snicker from behind, and I turn just in time to see a little blue blur disappear behind the stack of books on my desk.

"Where did you go? What are you-" I ransack my desk, then my drawers, then my trash can. "This is no time for games! My parents are going to see you!"

A little chirp comes from behind me as he makes himself comfortable on the little bed I made him.

I can only smile, tempted to laugh. "You sure like to play games, don't you? Hey, I think I know what I'll name you. How about….Banter, since you're quite the trickster?"

He smiles in agreement. "Well Banter, how about a fix that wing and then you can get some sleep?"

Banter didn't like the feel of the Neosporin on his gash. He fluttered his good wing and squealed. But after I wrapped it up for him, he stopped squealing and sleepily hopped toward his makeshift bed.

After I put the supplies back where they belong, I change into my sweats and jump into bed. "Hey Banter, just make sure my parents don't see you. I have feeling that it would better if you staying here were our little secret. That okay with you?"

The slug turned over and yawned before giving a small nod 'Yes.'

'Never thought I would save this, but I thank Shaina Helmsworth for her shenanigans on the bus after school today. And for once in awhile since Eli moved, I don't feel quite so lonely anymore.'

"Goodnight….Banter."

There you go ya'll! 'Nessa's found a friend! Review! Review ! REVIEW please!