A/N: I finally got around to continuing this storyline! Yay! I've been wanting to for a while. Definitely hoping to keep going with more characters in the mix.

Devi was late to school again, because of his siblings. They always ended up delaying him getting out of the door, and his Mum often wanted him to help out with the twins. It was annoying, but deep down he didn't really mind, even if he often acted like he did.

Rushing to his modern history class, he slipped inside quietly, adjusting his hoodie. "Sorry," he muttered to the teacher, a little mortified at the usual brief moment when all eyes in the class went to him. The teacher was used to it by now, and he made his way towards the back, where he and Naya usually sat. It was the normal routine – they always sat side-by-side and did nearly all the same classes together. History of course had been his pick – Naya found it mostly boring and useless, but she still did it for him. Then again, he did health and physical education for her, despite being mostly uncoordinated in a number of sports. They'd been friends since before they even started at school. They were next door neighbours in fact, ever since she and her parents moved from Dubai, and they were almost permanently over at each other's houses, inseparable.

His red panda daemon, Mei, climbed up his arm, before resting against the bag on his back. He breathed a sigh of relief when the class's gazes returned to the teacher. Making it to the back, he paused in surprise. Someone was sitting in his seat.

All he could do was stare, confused as to why the other boy was there. He identified him after a moment as Jacob, a classmate with thick dark hair and dark eyes, who he'd never even talked to. Jacob stared back, not looking inclined to move. Devi opened his mouth, as if to say something, before closing it.

'Don't freak out,' Mei urged, looking over at him. 'We'll find somewhere else.'

His gaze went over to Naya, and she gave him an apologetic look, mouthing a 'I'm sorry.' He couldn't spot her small copper butterfly daemon, Khalid, until he suddenly fluttered into the air, and Devi caught a glimpse of ginger and black from his wings.

Turning away, he spotted a seat in front of Naya's, and he moved over to slump down into the seat. It was inconvenient, he supposed, but it was only for one class. Getting out his book and pen, he tried to focus back on the lesson, jotting down some notes.

ooOoo

As their class finished up, Devi got to his feet, turning back to Naya. She'd enrolled in an extra elective – her parents always pushing her to do more - so he wouldn't see her until later. "I'll see you tonight?" It was Friday night, and that was their movie night ritual. Devi would either download some random movie illegally for them to watch, or Naya would get something up on her Netflix or Disney Plus accounts. They switched between each other's houses, but usually they ended up at Naya's, since she didn't have noisy siblings interrupting them all the time. It was nice to have some peace and quiet there sometimes.

"Dev-…" Naya started, sounding a little hesitant. "Jacob and I were going to hang out for a bit tonight, if that's okay."

His expression must have fallen, and there was a flicker of guilt in her gaze. "I'll make it up to you, though. We'll watch a movie tomorrow night, okay?" she rushed to say.

"You don't need to say that, just to make me feel better," he muttered, mostly avoiding looking at Jacob. She had always been a little obsessed with the idea of getting a boyfriend, but Devi had always thought that would be something in the future. It seemed the future was already here.

"I'm not," she said, reaching out to catch his arm, but he'd already pulled away.

"Forget it. Enjoy your night," Devi said, before walking away, Mei following close behind him.

Hearing a fluttering sound, he glanced to the side, noticing that Khalid had followed him. "Dev, Mei," the little butterfly said, landing on Mei's head. "You know we still love you. Please don't be upset."

"I'm not upset," Devi replied on instinct, not liking to seem flustered, even if he was. "It's fine, Khalid. Don't worry about it." As he stepped out of the doorway, Khalid rose into the air again, watching them go. A daemon couldn't venture too far from their human, after all.

'We can still have a good night. You've still got me,' Mei remarked silently, and he knew she was just trying to lighten his mood.

Devi nodded, adjusting the bag on his back, as he continued on, down the hallway. "…I know."

Grabbing something from the cafeteria for lunch because he'd been too lazy to make anything up, Blake slid into a chair near the window. Fang settled nearby, sitting on the ground where she could survey the room.

'Savannah's over there,' she remarked, although her gaze had moved to the familiar bobcat.

'I saw,' he sighed, mostly trying not to look, as if he didn't want her to catch him doing so.

'So you're just going to ignore her?'

Blake pointedly ignored Fang's last remark, pushing the meatballs around on his plate. The food looked as unappetising as ever, but that was no surprise.

He stole another glance over at her. She and her friends had selected a table not far away. They were all popular girls, mostly, some with their boyfriends, and some without. Mason, her own boyfriend, was already sitting at the table as well, although he appeared to be going over some notes. Of course, he would be studying, even in his lunchbreak. Savannah, on the other hand, often liked to bend the rules, sitting on the table rather than the seat, next to him. She chatted with her friends, although her gaze often went to his notes. Curious as to what their daemons were doing, Blake's gaze lowered, finding that Mason's white tiger rested lazily against the ground, as if waiting for him to finish up. Savannah's bobcat on the other hand… was watching Fang, her ears flicking to the side as she listened.

Blake averted his gaze, staring out the window again. However, if he listened hard enough, he could make out their conversation. It was hard not to sometimes, considering how loud some of them talked. Mostly, they chatted about cheerleading practice that afternoon, before he heard one of them make a different remark. It took him a while, but he finally worked out they were referring to him.

"He's such a loner. Why does he sit on his own like that?" One of the girls laughed, and he didn't look over, but he could feel their gazes on him.

Would Savannah laugh as well? Perhaps. She and Blake usually pretended they didn't know each other during the school day if they were being watched. It wasn't exactly great for either of their images otherwise.

Instead, he was surprised when she spoke up. "I don't know," she said, with a slow shrug. "He seems to like things the way they are." She said it so simply, and in such a way that the conversation could easily move onto another topic. She was good at that – at directing things towards what she wanted.

A little relieved, he tried to tune the conversation out again, but he soon became aware at the fact that her bobcat daemon was making its way over. Darting out towards his daemon, she snapped at Fang, in a playful manner, like they often had before. Surprised, Fang drew back, although her tail flicked from side to side as she watched.

"Indie," Savannah called out aloud, a hint of annoyance in her tone. Her bobcat – Indie – finally withdrew, heading back to the table.

Blake could sense Fang's disappointment. She had wanted to play as well, but she knew the rules. Reaching down, he patted her without thinking. He couldn't help but find the thought of Savannah not being entirely in control of everything a little amusing.

As Aspen strolled along the path to the outside tables near the school gardens, Cersei, his white-lipped island pit viper daemon wrapped herself around him. Pausing at a table with a couple of familiar faces, Aspen made his presence known.

"Jai," he said, looking down at the boy with the glasses. A noticeable bruise coloured his cheek, and Aspen gestured towards it. "Your Mum lose it again?"

Jai frowned, and Aspen was sure that he hid a flinch. Jai's donkey daemon who sat nearby, made a sound of indignance at Aspen's words.

"Aspen," Finn protested. "You can't just say something like that."

"What? Jai's not the only one around here with crazy parents, I'm sure," he shrugged. Aspen himself had scratches on his arms, but he could hide them easier under his sleeves.

Jai raised a hand to rub at his cheek, hiding it. "It's none of your business really," he replied, and Aspen did feel a little bad for bringing it up. Sometimes he just said things without thinking.

Sitting down, he set down his lunch, flicking a hand at Finn's tree squirrel daemon when she tried to steal something off his plate. Sunny was mischievous like that, and she definitely took after Finn. "Sorry. Forget I said anything," Aspen said, holding up his hands briefly. "Anyway, what have I missed?"

"Jai got a job," Finn remarked, and Aspen doubted that Finn would be getting one anytime soon. Sunny moved to climb the tree nearby, using her sharp claws to dig into the trunk. He watched briefly as she leapt from branch to branch, scurrying up and down. He always got the feeling that the pair of them – human and daemon – were unable to sit still for long periods.

"Oh?" he replied, raising his eyebrows in interest. "Where at?"

"Just that café down the road," Jai shrugged, not looking particularly excited by the prospect, and Aspen couldn't blame him.

"Well, it makes sense you'd get a job this early," Aspen couldn't help but tease. "I mean, your daemon is practically a working animal."

"That's not even funny," Jai replied, looking unamused as he took a bite of his food. "Did you just come here to bother us?"

"No, I thought I'd liven the place up and-…" He trailed off as he watched a blonde-haired boy walking along the path with his red wolf daemon. He couldn't help but think of when other day when he'd invited – or forced - Caspian over to his place. Whistling to catch his attention, Aspen watched him. "I see you made it home safely the other night."

Caspian's daemon growled, but Aspen ignored it, still watching the other boy. He looked annoyed at his words and the implication. "Don't steal my stuff again. Or I'll let Silver take a bite of your arm."

"Mmm, then I'll let Silver have a taste of Cersei's venom," Aspen said, lounging back against the table. Cersei's tongue flicked in and out of her mouth, as if in agreeance.

Caspian merely shook his head and continued on, and Aspen got the feeling that Silver had said something to him through their connection to calm him.

"What happened? What'd you do?" Finn demanded, his gaze darting between Aspen and Caspian's departing figure. "I doubt he's someone you want to mess with."

Looking amused, Aspen started to eat some of his food. "He's harmless, really."

Jai rolled his eyes, used to Aspen's antics by now. "If you survive until the end of the school year, it'll be a miracle."

Kellan had invited Ethos and Ava, his snowy owl daemon, back to his place after school. They had a group assignment to work on for English, and they hardly needed a reason to hang out, in any case.

Sitting on some cushions on the ground with their books laid out around them, Kellan leaned back against the couch, watching as Ava and his own daemon, Lu, flew above their heads, playing. Lu was a brown-headed paradise kingfisher, and much smaller than Ava, but she was fast. She darted through the air, Ava not yet able to catch her, and he kept getting glimpses of red from her feathers. Kellan let out a quiet laugh, feeling content. Ethos had moved to the school a few years prior, from Iceland, and he and Kellan had almost instantly become friends, enjoying each other's company. It felt natural, and Kellan hardly even noticed his accent anymore, having become so used to it.

Looking back at his book, he jotted down a few more notes. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" he offered. "I'm sure my Dad won't mind."

Ethos paused, before giving a smile and a slight nod. "Thank you, that would be nice." His parents were often out, so usually he would either have to cook for himself or heat up a frozen meal. "As long as it's okay."

"You say that as if you haven't had dinner here thousands of times before," Kellan grinned. "Besides, Zach and Grace would love it if you stayed, too. I wouldn't hear the end of it, if I didn't ask."

"I best not disappoint them, then," Ethos replied, a smile in his bronze-coloured eyes.

"No, I wouldn't advise it." Kellan tapped his pen against the page. Part of their English assignment required them to create their own poems, before analysing an existing poem together. "Have you finished your poem yet?"

"I think so, although I'm still tweaking it," Ethos replied, glancing over at him. "Would you like me to read it?"

"I'd love that," Kellan answered, easily, knowing it would be good. Even if English was not Ethos's first language, he was skilled with learning languages, and graceful with his words.

As he read it aloud, Kellan watched him subtly, taking in all the little things. The way he frowned just slightly in concentration. The way he paused to emphasise certain parts, his speech always measured, as if carefully planned out. The way some strands of his beige hair fell out from behind his ear, and he delicately swept them back with his fingers.

Kellan gave a clap when he finished. "That was… beautiful," he praised, finding the poem was based on Ethos's hometown and the beauty of it. "I hope I can visit someday."

"I would love to show you," Ethos replied, before gesturing towards him. "Have you had any luck with yours?"

Lu glanced down at him, hovering in the air for a moment.

'You should read it out,' she urged him silently through their connection,
and he gave a subtle shake of his head.

'No, I can't do that,' he disagreed, much too unsure about it.

"I'm… not finished with mine yet," he said, finally. "But hopefully soon." He did not usually like to lie, but he didn't want to admit the truth just yet. He'd written a poem from the heart, about his feelings for Ethos, but it was not something that he could admit aloud. Besides, his words on paper seemed clumsy in comparison to Ethos's carefully crafted words in his poem. Kellan was not quite as talented at it.

"That's fine," Ethos assured him. "I'm sure you'll finish it when you're ready."

Lu's pause was enough to give Ava a chance to grab her – gently – with her talons, and she made a triumphant sound. "Got you."

Lu struggled for a moment, before letting out a sigh. "Yeah… that's what happens when I get distracted."

Ethos looked amused, and they watched as Ava released Lu, before flying to perch on the highest part of the couch, preening herself. Her piercing yellow eyes always seemed to take everything in.

Kellan shook his head slightly at Lu, as she landed on his shoulder, her beak playing with his hair. "You always tire each other out," he remarked, lightly.

"Mmm," Lu agreed, "But one day Ava won't be able to catch me."

"In your dreams," Ava replied confidently, from where she was perched, sounding satisfied.

Kellan met Ethos's gaze, and they exchanged a smile, before Kellan closed his notebook. "I was wondering…" Kellan started, before trailing off, feeling nervous.

"Yes?" Ethos pressed, his attention focused on him.

"I know we don't usually go to such things but… would you like to go to the dance?" he blurted out, his cheeks growing warm. With me, was the part he left out, but that would make it sound like it was more than friends, and that was hard to work up to asking, just yet. "There's only a couple left, before we graduate."

Ethos tilted his head slightly as he thought. "Oh… That's not the kind of thing I usually go to."

Kellan had known as much. Ethos was not one for being at crowded things, preferring to observe in the background. "That's fine. Sorry," he replied on instinct, mostly wishing he hadn't asked. Lu pecked at his ear lightly, as if to remind him that she was there for him.

"You don't have to apologise," Ethos replied, with a slight frown. "I didn't mean-…"

He broke off when Grace barged into the room, her daemon with her. She was too young for it to settle yet, and it was currently in the form of a hare, resting against her shoulder.

"Dinner's nearly ready," she called out, before giggling as she looked down at them. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Nothing," Kellan replied, quickly brushing off the conversation. "Do you need me to help?" Usually, he did help out with the cooking, but that night Zach had offered to do it.

"Nah, it's fine," Grace assured him, although her gaze lowered to his notebook. "Have you read him your poem yet?" she asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes that implied she knew exactly what it said.

Kellan gave her a look. She must have read it one night when he'd been asleep. "It's-… not finished yet," he stammered.

"Really? It looked kinda finished to me," Grace teased, and her daemon changed shape into a snowy owl like Ava, swooping down low to grab the notebook in its talons, and bring it back to her.

"Well, it's not," he said, trying to hide his embarrassment.

Ethos watched the exchange, giving little away, although Kellan sensed he was amused. He often was by their family dynamics, as he didn't have any siblings of his own.

Rising to his feet, Kellan walked over to grab it from her hands. She let him, releasing it when he did so. "Hey, I was only teasing," she replied, and he rolled his eyes, pushing down his annoyance. She only meant well, in her own pushy kind of way.

Making sure the notebook was closed and securely under his arm, he turned back to Ethos. "We may as well head down for dinner. I'm guessing it won't be far away."

Ethos nodded, rising to his feet, and Ava flew over to follow. "Of course." As they walked down the stairs, Ethos chatted to Grace about her day, and Kellan had to work to hide another smile. They got along well, and Ethos was almost like another brother to his siblings.

'You've got to let him know how you feel sooner or later,' Lu urged him silently, as they listened.

'Not tonight,' Kellan replied simply.

Usually, Kellan was very open about his feelings on matters. But this was something different. If Ethos didn't feel the same way, then it could ruin their friendship, and that, he couldn't risk.