Chapter 2

Monday

The yellow bus slowed down to a halt, arriving at its destination. I got out of my seat, walking behind a row of students in front of me, heading towards the exit as well.

Making my way around the bus, I crossed the road toward Dims-Wood High School, an ancient, gray stone building.

I sat on the grass near a tree where Connor always parked his motorcycle instead of entering the school.

Hearing his motorbike, I quickly pretended to read my history textbook while secretly watching him.

Behind Connor is his family's roofless army green jeep.

Thann one of the triplets sat in the driver's seat; across from him was their beautiful cousin Kara, and at the back were the remaining triplet, Tanner, and Tant.

I admired Kara's light golden hair blowing gracefully in the wind. She was like a model, tall and elegant.

Their skin was a glowing tan, which served as a sign that none of them were from around here, but a place where the sun shines mostly. The triplet's handsomeness was no match for Connor's. So were their eyes and black hair. Connor was the darkest, and so was he the tallest of them all.

The triplet brothers were in the fourth grade, unlike Connor, Kara, and me, who were in our final year at Dims-Wood High.

They walked off, leaving Connor, locking his helmet to his motorcycle.

I shut my book and immediately put it into my bag, following Connor as he was leaving his bike.

I never spoke to Connor except for yesterday, when the words of surprise fell from my mouth on how he'd rescued me. He'd always give me a feeling whenever I'm next to him, as if he doesn't want me or anyone to say anything to him and just wants to be left alone.

And now I was about to do the bravest thing by speaking to him.

In my head, it felt so easy to approach him, but as I walked behind him, it didn't. I wanted to stop him and say something, but fear kept holding me back.

The entire time I'm behind him, I stare at his short, wavy hair. His black jacket, grey inner blouse at the end of his jacket, black backpack with a silver zipper, black pants, and black boots, and I thought how I'd never seen him in any bright-colored clothes, except for dark ones.

Not realizing he'd stop along the hallway. My face slammed into his back. I immediately drew back, holding my nose, grimacing in pain as if I'd just walked into the hardest iron door.

"Why are you following me?" His voice reeked with exasperation as he asked.

His back was still facing me.

"I never get to thank you," I said softly, but that wasn't all.

I couldn't stop thinking of the super speed he'd save me, and I needed to know that I wasn't losing my mind for being rejected by my mother, who was meant to love me.

Silently, he walked away, which didn't surprise me.

Everyone here knows he wasn't one to talk to.

I was not going to let him go without telling me what he was, for what he did on Saturday was unnatural for a human. I ran before him, stopping him.

"Tell me how you got across the road so fast to save me," I asked, staring into his eyes, and I swear for the shortest second, I saw a glint of gold appear and then disappear.

He looks at me the way a predator looks at its prey, and my heart skips a beat, frightened.

I glanced around the hallway we stood in; everyone was already in class, and back at him. We were alone, and I wished I'd confronted him somewhere we weren't.

His stare became less frightened, causing me to become less scared.

"I'm a really fast runner," he then said in a tone, trying to sound friendly.

"It's impossible for a fast runner to run across the street in a second from where you were to pull me from a fallen sign," I said.

Remembering the scratch on his arm, I looked down, and I was surprised to see that the scrape had gone away as if it had never been there.

"Where is the scrape on your right arm? I saw it. It was there?" I said, Confused as I examine it.

"You were in so much shock, you started to hallucinate," he said calmly, bringing my attention back to his eyes.

Which could be true because what happened on that day didn't feel normal. How could someone move so fast?

I now felt ashamed.

"What were you assuming I was?" he then asked with a smile that seemed forced and the most uncomfortable thing he had to do.

The smile made him look as if he were in pain.

"Nothing," in a low voice, I said as I gripped the tail of the knee-length yellow dress with white flowers I'd paired off with a white flat shoe.

My cheeks reddened from embarrassment.

"That I may not be human," my eyes widened when he took a step closer to me.

I was so nervous about his action that I almost fell clumsily onto my rear, but he caught me by my waist, and suddenly all the nervousness went away.

I stared into his pitch-black eyes as I was reminded by his arms around me, just how warm they were that day they encircled me after snatching me from the fallen sign.

His arm fell from around my waist, and I felt this sudden yearning as if my body didn't want him to stop holding me and to never stop feeling the tranquility his touch gave me.

Having struggled with anxiety and depression my whole life, it was a relief to feel something other than fear and worry of being alone.

Disappointedly, I watched him walk away in a hurry, still standing within the hallway as the awful feeling of my anxiety and depression returned, slowly engulfing me like a dark cloud.