-September 24th-
"So, I was thinking we could go to Nico's Drive-In tonight," Lincoln proposed the moment he sat down next to Khloe at the lunch table. The action made the cheerleaders swoon over him even more and made Khloe smile sweetly at the boy. "What do you think?"
"I think you should pick me up at 6," Khloe giggled, watching his face light up once he understood she said yes.
"Got it! 6 o'clock."
Lincoln had a skip in his step when he went back to the table with all his football friends, all of which laughed at his cheerfulness and began teasing him.
"He asked you to homecoming, asked you on multiple dates and let's not forget what happen at your birthday party," Hannah leaned her elbows on the table, eyebrows raised and Khloe knew what was coming next. "But you two are still not dating? Why?"
Even though nothing crazy happened between them at her birthday party, Khloe still shrugged her shoulders, busying herself with the chicken salad in front of her, trying to keep the blush from creeping up. "We're taking things slow. There nothing wrong with that."
"Maybe if you from the 70s," Hannah joked as she leaned back in her chair, rolling her eyes, the other cheerleaders laughing. "Seriously Khloe? You think someone like Lincoln- captain and quarterback of the football team and the hottest guy in school- wants to 'take things slow'?"
"Yes, do you all really think he's that shallow?" Khloe stabbed her fork into a piece of chicken, narrowing her eyes at Hannah, daring her to speak her mind.
"Yes," Hannah said with no hesitation, as she lifted her chin a bit, the only one on the team brave enough to challenge the captain of the cheer squad. The other cheerleaders remained silent; some push themselves away from the two. "Just like all the other guys in this school."
"What's your problem?" Khloe asked, eyes searching her friend for any clues. "Why are you so against things that make people happy?"
Hannah grumbled, grabbing her backpack and standing up from the table, leaving a half-eaten lunch and confused teammates behind. Khloe and the other cheerleaders glanced at each other perplexed by their own fellow cheerleader's reaction at the question; a question they all think she bought upon herself.
-Nico's Drive-In-
Lincoln pulled into a spot in the fifth row of the drive-in, one where they had an unobstructed view of the screen but were far enough away from the other cars. He then set up the speakers so they would have the perfect sound set up for the movie.
He leaned on the window ledge, sticking his head inside his car once he finished. "Water, popcorn and gummy bears?"
Khloe smiled at Lincoln remembering her favorite candy. "Yes please."
"I'll be right back then."
Khloe watched as he headed towards the diner part of the place with what, she could have sworn, was a little dance along the way. However, once he disappeared into the building, her mind drifted back to lunch earlier that day and Hannah's abrupt attitude. An attitude wasn't rare when it came to Hannah but one where she didn't express her feelings openly was.
Khloe pulled her phone out from her purse. Finding Hannah's text messages, Khloe quickly shot her a text saying if she needed to talk, that she was there for her. It was the least she could do after bailing on her a couple time because of the whole Guardian thing; having to go from cheer practice to Guardian practice and lying to her best friend every time. After sending the message her phone started to buzz, Lincoln's name and picture popping up.
She smiled before answering the call. "Hey, did you for-"
"Khloe?" Lincoln's voice came through the phone shaky and small. "I didn't know what to do. She came out of nowhere."
"Lincoln? Are you okay?" Khloe was already out of the car, looking in the direction of the diner. "Where are you?"
"Behind the diner, in the fo-"
The line went dead.
"No." Khloe took off for the backside of the diner, trying not to think of the worst. "Please be okay Lincoln," she couldn't help but whisper. "Please."
She rounded the corner, calling out for Lincoln but no one was there. Frantically spinning in a circle, Khloe couldn't find any trace of Lincoln or the person he spoke of. Then she remembered his last words before the called got cut off. The forest. Being surrounded by trees in every direction, it was one of the things that made Nico's Drive-in the popular hangout it is today.
Khloe wasted no time in darted into the heavy greenery, letting her intuition guide her.
Coming up to a cliff, Khloe slowed down, taking a few deep breathes, calming her mind so she wasn't thinking on pure angry alone. As she took one last deep breathe, she went through all the possible people who could have taken Lincoln but none of them would actually go through with it. Not unless they were a potential enemy of the Guardians, then it would make a whole lot more sense. However, Khloe knew the Guardians haven't made an enemy that knew about their personal lives.
A growl made Khloe whip around, coming face to face with a wolf. It was baring its teeth while lowly growling, slowly moving back and forth in front of her.
"Well, well look what we have here," the taunting voice came from Khloe's left, immediately followed by a female in a black hooded cloak, the hood covering the top half of her face and only showing off her own set of fangs. "Sweet, delicious prey."
Khloe's eyes kept shifted to and from the wolf and person as they stalked closer making her inch towards to cliff's edge. "Who the hell are you?!"
The Guardian didn't get an answer, instead she got the woman whistling. The command brought a limping Lincoln and two more wolves out from the forest on her right side. His face looked like it was already forming bruises under one eye and his cheek.
"Lincoln!" She steps forward only to be snapped at by the wolf in front of her.
"Khloe!" Lincoln stood still, watching as the wolf backed Khloe up even more, knowing any movement from him will set the wolf off on her.
"What the hell do you want?" Khloe shouted at the woman. "What does Lincoln have to do with this?"
The woman snickered, moving towards Lincoln and the two wolves. "Oh nothing. He's just an unfortunate victim." She dragged a sharpen claw down his face, digging into his skin and creating an incision that ran from his cheek bone to his jaw.
Lincoln cried out, yanking his face away from the hand with his own hand covering the wound. The women erupted out laughing as he fell to his knees and she commanded the wolves to leave.
"NO! Lincoln!"
With Khloe's sudden movement, the wolf lunged at her, only to be swiped away to the side as she ran for Lincoln.
"What the…" The woman was stun at the action, knowing it was the Guardian who flung her wolf away but was still wondering how she was capable of doing so. "How?"
However, before she could think more of it, everyone's attention was directed at the glow between them, lighting up the small section of the forest they were in. Khloe looked around the portal just in time to see King Celeb step out, sword in hand, squaring up against the woman and her wolves.
"Khloe! Get through the portal now!" The King ordered, slashing at a wolf. "Bring the boy with you!"
Khloe didn't hesitate, she tucked herself under Lincoln's arm, helping him walk towards the portal. "I'll explain everything later. I promise."
Once through, Celeb jumped through as well. However, the portal wasn't closed fast enough, the woman managed to get through with two wolves.
Any questions, comments or concerns?