I apologize for being a day late with this post, but I've been so busy with school, I just didn't have time to post yesterday. But here's the next chapter, anyway.
~Arya out.
Three people stood before the school gates Monday morning, two boys and one girl. The girl looked up at the taller boy, giggling a bit as he tugged on his collar.
“Do I really have to wear this? It’s so uncomfortable!”
The other boy pulled his hand down.
“Yes, you have to wear it. It’s a uniform. Everyone wears one. Even I’m wearing one.”
Chris snorted and pulled at the collar again.
“Yeah, I know, but it still annoys me.”
Layra covered her mouth to keep from laughing aloud. Logan shook his head, rolled his eyes, and sighed.
“Come on, let’s get inside before the gate closes.”
He walked in, Chris following, still tugging at his clothes grouchily, and Layra came in the rear, trying desperately to hide her laughter behind her hands. They reached the classroom to its usual noise, and slid into their desks. Chris was told to wait outside by the door for Mr. Black to introduce him to the class. Anna waved to Layra, and they began to talk to each other across the desk. Trent nodded to Logan from his desk, a slight grin on his face. As Logan sat, Seth turned to shake hands with him.
“Morning, Logan. It’s kinda lonely in the classroom without you early.”
“Sorry. I had to help my brother get ready. He’s… transferring here from out of the country. He had a bit of a… trip out there. So it’s his first day today.”
“Well, invite him to come early, too. He’s welcome, even if it is more people. At least it won’t be anywhere near as loud as it is now.”
Logan chuckled and smiled.
“Yeah, I guess not.”
Shane walked up the aisle with Julian and patted Logan on the back.
“Hey Logan! G’morning!”
Julian also greeted him with a handshake.
“Yeah, nice to see you. Too bad the fair ended yesterday. I kinda wish we had a day off again.”
Logan nodded and sank into the conversation easily.
“Yeah, I kinda needed the break, really. Layra and I needed some time to ourselves after the warehouse incident. She’s a really sweet girl, and I think I’ve gotten to know her pretty well over the past week or so.”
Shane sat down in the unoccupied desk across from Logan.
“Glad you two are getting along. What’s the rest of your family like?”
Logan was caught off guard, and stuttered a bit before answering with a bit of an untruth.
“Well… uh… I have a brother, and there’s Layra, of course, and my… uh… parents are… uh… well…”
Julian studied Logan’s face intently, then shook his head slightly at Shane. Then he put a hand on Logan’s shoulder.
“You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to.”
Logan nodded in appreciation, then Mr. Black walked in with the new student.
“Students, this is Mr. Jun Chris. He is Logan’s older brother and has just transferred here from Canada, where he has been studying for the past two years. It will be our pleasure to have him here for his senior year.”
The class bowed respectfully as Mr. Black ushered Chris to his seat, where he sat awkwardly. Logan grinned over his shoulder at him, and Layra gave him the thumbs up, along with her encouraging smile, and class began.
Layra walked to the gym with Logan and Chris later that day, accompanying them to their first gym class of the day. The teacher had left for some reason, and so the boys were all alone. Blake was late that day, and no one knew why. It was just the boys from their class, so it was eleven of them, plus Layra, and Anna, who had come with Kyle earlier. Layra was looking around at the happy group, happy herself for the first time in a long time. Kyle looked up at Chris’s face, then recognition dawned on his features.
“You! You’re that guy! Why the heck are you here?”
He looked as though he would strike Chris, but Anna stepped in the way.
“Kyle, this is Chris. He’s okay. Relax.”
She pushed Kyle’s fist back down and tried to look him in the eye, but his gaze was fixed on Chris.
“He didn’t hurt me. He just wanted to ask some questions. He let me go, remember? He’s Logan’s friend. He didn’t know what he was doing. He’s got the same condition Logan had before Layra cured him.”
“Condition?”
Logan glanced at Layra, and she glanced back. They were thinking the same thing. Logan spoke aloud.
“Fine, but I won’t like it.”
“Me neither. Just go ahead.”
The gang all gathered around, and Logan began his long explanation.
“You didn’t know this, but I was a werewolf. That’s why I lost control that first night at the warehouse, and why my hair was blonde when you first met me. I have no parents, no family. Chris found me when I was very little, and we’ve been together ever since. He’s really the only family I ever had. I lost my memories of the first seven years of my life after I became a werewolf, and at the same time, Chris also became a werewolf. The mobsters that we fought were hunters, after anything magical or mythical, and that meant Chris and me. As you all know, Layra cured me the second night at the warehouse.”
This is where Layra cut in with her story.
“What you don’t know is how I did it. The story I told you all was a lie. I’m sorry. I should have trusted you. I’m not human at all. I am of a race known as the Osmatrac. Or Observers. I tore myself away from that world and fell to earth, where I was found by Logan. He helped me, and we became close. He took me in and cared for me, and that’s how I started coming to your school. As an Observer, I have special abilities, or powers, if you would rather. These powers were taken partially from me when I escaped from the Above, along with my voice. I gave up the rest of my power by accepting that I was human. I know that I am not, now, and have fully accepted it. When Logan died, my mind snapped, and all my power came back to me in one instant, bringing back my voice, healing Logan, killing the hunters, and scattering my atoms into the air. Logan’s sorrow brought me back, as I was really his all along, for his entire life, anyway.”
There was a long silence as they digested this information, and Logan and Layra stood awkwardly before the group.
“Do you believe us?” Logan asked nervously. There was sudden outburst of assurances, as the gang had seen strange enough things to believe, and even Anna accepted it as truth. Then Blake arrived. He looked around at the group bemusedly.
“What’s going on?” he asked curiously. The whole gang rushed up to retell the story to him, and no one noticed as Layra stepped back a few paces, holding her head in her hands and shaking it back and forth, as though trying to get rid of a thought. Then Logan turned to look for her and saw her standing rigid in the center of the room. He faced her, standing still, his mouth open wide in surprise. The others slowly turned to look, and then, as it happened in the warehouse, her eyes shot out light, her face upraised, and light filled the room, along with an unearthly wail. Her clothes shimmered and changed into a long, glowing, silvery robe, and a wind swirled around her as she slowly rose from the floor, hovering several feet in the air. A babble of words spilled from her mouth, in a language that no one could understand. And then, suddenly, she turned her glowing eyes down upon the group below, and spoke. Her voice sounded strange, like echoes, yet with deep richness to it that hadn’t been there before, and her words were even stranger.
“Behold the Twelve signs. The Twelve signs united. A dark day is coming when the Twelve wolves shall growl at the two moons, and seek vengeance for the fallen. The Twelve guardians shall return to guard the Tree, and evil shall come from the Above to halt them. Behold the Twelve united at last.”
A scream echoed through the room and a beam of light shot through the roof of the gym, catching Layra in it’s glare and then they both vanished. The scream, the wail, and the light all disappeared, leaving the thirteen people in the gym standing bewildered and shocked. The silence was broken only by the sound of Logan’s knees hitting the polished wooden floor as he stared in horror at the empty space where Layra had been only seconds before. Chris, Anna, and Julian came to Logan’s side, and Anna looked into his face and saw a single tear spill down his cheek. He made no effort to wipe it away, seeming dazed as Chris and Julian helped him to his feet. No one knew how to react to what had just happened, but it seemed that no one needed to. Logan was led out of the room and away from the building before they finally let him sit down. He was in shock, completely frozen and unresponsive. Chris whispered to Shane,
“I think I should take him home.”
Shane nodded, offering his services.
“Let me help you.”
“No, I can handle him. You should stay here. I wouldn’t want anyone else to get in trouble. Tell the teacher it was a family emergency. That’ll explain why Layra’s gone, too.”
Shane nodded, swallowing hard at the mention of Layra’s name, then turned and ushered the rest away with Julian’s help. Chris pulled Logan to his feet and led him through the gates and back to their mansion. Logan sat in a chair at the kitchen table, and Chris stood across the room at the counter, making a cup of tea. Logan was still staring off into space, with less of a shocked expression now, and more of a sad disbelief. Chris set the teacup on the table in front of him and sat down in the other chair. There was a long, depressing silence before Chris spoke.
“Do you want to talk?”
Logan looked up at Chris, as if just seeing him.
“No. Thank you.”
He turned his head down again, a blank look in his eyes. Chris sighed and pushed the teacup toward Logan.
“At least drink the tea, okay?”
Logan glanced up again, then down at the teacup, just noticing it. He picked it up carefully and took a sip. He thanked Chris with a brief nod, then set the cup down.
“You don’t want any more?”
Logan shook his head silently. Chris looked concerned.
“Is there anything else you need?”
Logan stared into the teacup.
“I’d like to be alone, please,” he said quietly. Chris nodded as Logan stood up slowly.
“I’ll just be in my room,” he whispered as he left the room. Chris sighed as Logan disappeared through the doorway. Later in the day, he was walking past Logan’s door and heard muffled sobs leaking out through the cracks. He sighed deeply and kept walking.
The next day, Chris returned to school, but Logan did not. The class was more subdued than usual, and within reason. Eyes were turned away from the empty seat beside Seth. Only shock was in evidence now. Layra, who had been mourned in full only mere days before, now gone again, but tears were already spent, and all that remained was bitter loss and grief. Mr. Black entered the room, a younger girl behind him. He looked a bit sterner than usual, and it was apparent why as the girl walked in. She looked only about fifteen, but her hair was reddish brown, with an electric blue stripe dyed in the front, hanging over her bright yellow eyes. She was wearing her school uniform comfortably, the tie hanging loosely, and the jacket open. Her skirt was rumpled, and she had her hands in her jacket pockets. She was wearing gold dangle earrings, and a copper ring encircled her little finger. On her opposite hand, she wore a thick black leather bracelet with silver eyelets through it. The strangest thing about her, however, was the fact that she was wearing glasses. Thin rimmed black glasses with a silver emblem at the temples, and heavy black eye makeup beneath the dusty lenses. Mr. Black stood behind his desk stiffly, as though prophesying the destruction of all order and respect with her coming as he introduced her to the class.
“Young ladies and young men, this is our newest pupil and your classmate, Laini Arya. She has just transferred in from Qeuitla High across town. Please make her welcome.”
There was a less than heartfelt greeting from the class, on reason being the loss of good friend Layra depressing all, as well as the other factor, which was the fact that Qeuitla High was the rival of Kyomaki Academy in more league than one, including soccer and the arts, such as music, literature, and others. Laini Arya was directed to her seat in the back of the room, next to Chris. He nodded civilly to her, and she nodded back smoothly, looking down at her lesson book nonchalantly. There was an odd feeling about her, and Chris sensed it right away. It was as though she was radiating some strange essence. Even her very prescence disturbed the werewolf to the core. He cast a covert glance in her direction, and his feeling of disturbance only increased. She wasn’t exactly smiling, but she wasn’t not smiling, either. He couldn’t tell what it was, but something about her was off. And he wasn’t the only one who noticed. Anna, Seth, Shane and Blake kept glancing back at her, as well. The others simply avoided eye contact. When lunch came, the girl walked out of the room cooly, walking to the lunch room with a simple brown bag. She sat at the gang’s table, looking right at home, and took out her lunch. Now, most people would not have paid much attention to her under these circumstances, but seeing as it was their table, the gang took notice of her. No one else sat at the table, leaving Laini Arya completely alone with her lunch. She opened her bag and removed the contents. This was about when jaws began to drop and whispers began to hiss about. There was no way her lunch could have possibly fit into that wrinkled paper bag, but there it was. She removed a silver tray with a steaming china teapot, sugar bowl, teacup and saucer, not to mention a matching set of three china plates, one with a sandwich sitting on it, perfectly cut into two triangles, the second with several small cakes arranged prettily upon it, and the third with a fresh green salad resting in it appetizingly. And to yet more amazement, she pulled forth a crystal wine glass filled with lemonade. She then began to eat with all the grace and manner of a lady of wealth and high status. When she finished with her lunch and tea, she returned the empty dishes to the paper bag and folded the top over, then simply got up and walked out of the lunch room calmly, as though nothing had happened. But before she reached the door, she stopped before Blake, who was standing, staring at her with his mouth open. Laini Arya turned with her not-smile to him and put her hand under his chin.
“You’ll catch flies, love,” she said with a slight accent. Then she tapped the underside of his chin with her finger, and turned and walked out as though nothing had happened. After lunch had concluded, the students filtered out of the lunch room, the amazement not fully worn quite yet. The rest of the day was perfect torture for poor Chris, as he continued to sense that there was something wrong with this Laini Arya, but not knowing why, or even what. After a long, horrendous day, the bell rang, at long last, and Chris packed his things for the long walk home. He trod slowly down the street , mulling over the past forty-eight hours thoughtfully. He had never really had a “normal” life, per say, but in two days, he’d seen and immortal from another world die, a former werewolf fall deeply in love with said immortal, and a teenage witch with a taste for finery enroll in a public high school. Rather astounding as these occurrences were in and of themselves, they even befuddled the young werewolf. He shook his head and sighed with resignation, quickening his pace for home. Upon reaching the manor, he entered the gate, dropped his school bag, shed his jacket, and went directly to the kitchen. He set a cup of tea to brewing and sat back in a chair to catch his breath. He then took the teacup and walked carefully and quietly up the back staircase to Logan’s room. He paused before the door and knocked cautiously.
“Logan? Are you awake? Can I come in?”
There was no reply on the other side of the wooden planks, so Chris pushed the door inward gently and poked his head around the frame. Logan was lying motionless and despondent on the bed. Chris stepped into the room, laying the cup of tea aside on the mantle of the fireplace and placing a hand on Logan’s shoulder. Logan didn’t even twitch. His eyes were open and staring into the gray sky outside the dirty window. Chris felt sorry for him.
“Logan, I brought you some tea. It’ll do you good.”
Without moving, Logan replied,
“I don’t want it.”
Chris rolled Logan onto his back and looked him in the eye.
“Drink it anyway. I won’t have you dying on me, got it?”
Logan pulled out of Chris’s grasp rolled over onto his side again.
“Why not? I can’t think of a better idea myself.”
Chris flipped him onto his back once more.
“Don’t you even dare to think about it! You will drink this tea even if I have to force it down your throat myself!”
Logan pulled away roughly, turning to stare off into space once again.
“Leave me alone, Chris,” he said softly, a note of despair in his voice. Chris stepped back and sighed deeply.
“Alright, I’m feeling hungry, so I’m going to go back to the kitchen to get some dinner. I’m leaving the tea here, and it had better be gone by the time I get back.”
Chris hesitated for a brief moment, then turned and walked out of the room, glancing back at Logan’s sad form lying prone on the bed. He closed the door softly behind himself and walked away quietly. After fetching himself a little something to eat, Chris returned to Logan’s room, quietly opening the door and looking in. The teacup was still as full as it had been before, and Logan hadn’t moved even an inch. Chris frowned, but silently took the cold teacup from the mantle and retreated from the room. Alone, he sat on the terrace and watched the sun setting in the western sky, but the beauty of the glowing clouds was tainted by loss and confusion. When the orange tint had finally vanished beneath the far edge of the world, Chris returned inside for the night. He peeked in to check on Logan, and was met with a horrible surprise as he found the room empty. In a panic, he ran through the huge house, searching for Logan in desperation. He called out his name loudly, but there was no answer. He had begun to fear the worst, no, was ready to start digging a grave, when, to his utter relief, Logan was found. He had simply walked downstairs to Layra’s old room and was lying on the floor next to the bed and clutching a handful of the bedsheets. He was fast asleep. Chris crept over to the young man and lifted him into his own capable arms and carried Logan back to his room. He was making sad puppylike whimpers in his sleep, and Chris smiled sadly down at the sleeping figure. After all he had been through, he deserved a good night’s rest. So Chris laid him in the bed and silently slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him with a soft click.
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