Chapter 7

I am exhausted, physically and mentally, by lunchtime.

Xavier has been harassed by so many people that even he is tired now, huffing and puffing next to me like a car that just ran out of gas. "That's it," he says, running a hair through his perfect blue hair, "that's why I haven't been to school in thirty-two years."

I blink, wondering if I had heard him correctly. "Thirty-two years? I squeak, my voice barely above a whisper. Even now, as we casually walk down the hallway, people look at him, chattering about the hot new senior.

"Yeah. I was born fifty-five years ago, March 4, 1955, to be exact, and you're not allowed to go to school until you're five. So, it's been about thirty-two years since I went. I only finished high school and didn't go to college," he says simply. My eyes widen in surprise as I absorb his words.

"So you're fifty-five," I say doubtfully. Somehow, it's hard to believe. He looks like a normal eighteen-year-old boy...incredibly hot, I have to admit.

"Not really," he says softly, looking down at the ground as he emits these next words, "a werewolf has no beginning or end. We are born of death, and death we will remain."

I cross my arms, trying to hide the fact that I am confused. I'm struggling to understand the meaning of his statement. "What do you mean... no beginning and no end?" I question, my voice filled with curiosity.

"I'll tell you later," he shrugs, "it will take a little time to explain, and we don't have time." His insouciance means it's no big deal, so I relax a little. Then I stiffen once more as I realize I'm warming up to him. It's like I'm constantly fighting a war against an undeniable attraction, and the feeling of death takes over.

However, I won't let him win. I will not fall in love with Xavier.

"Alright," I say as we finally reach the double doors. He stands in front of me as he opens the door. He flashes me a beautiful smile, holding it for me to enter the dining room. I marvel at how much of a gentleman he is, how respectful and old-fashioned he acts.

Oh yes. He was born fifty-five years ago.

The dining room houses tables for four, two and eight. They are scattered throughout the room, with a buffet on the kitchen side. On the opposite side is a stage. A rather drab room overall, matching the rest of the school's blandness.

We walk to the long queue, surrounded by girls crowding around the blue-haired idiot. Shouts and calls erupt, all directed at Xavier. I, expressionless, grab a napkin and a tray, placing it on the sideboard so that I can get my daily portion of tasteless porridge. Xavier follows my actions, grimacing in disgust as he examines the selection of what the school likes to call "food."

"This is another reason I didn't go to school," he mutters as he piles the mess onto his tray. I look at the tray, avoiding his gaze.

"I deal with it every day," I sigh as I take the tray to the cashier. Robotically, I dial my PIN and pay for the food. Each month, the orphanage gives me twenty dollars for my cafeteria account. Lunch, however, costs one dollar, which leaves me without lunch for a few days.

Xavier pulls out a tender green bill and hands it to the withered old cashier. She takes it, her eyelashes fluttering as she gives Xavier an affectionate smile, and examines the thin piece of paper. Suddenly, her eyes widen and she waves the bill at him. "A hundred dollar bill?" she asks, surprised.

He waves her off, "keep the change."

Her eyes almost pop out of her skull. "But lunch is one dollar..." she says, incredulous.

"Oh really?" he asks as he looks at the horror that's going crazy on his tray, "I thought it would be less. This looks absolutely disgusting." Laughter explodes in the dining room, all attention focused on the handsome man. The funny thing is that Xavier is totally serious when he talks to the cashier. He means the utmost respect.

Even I can't stop a laugh from erupting.

"Take it," he tells her, rather disappointingly, "use the money to improve your food so the students will actually eat it." With one last disdainful look, he walks to my side. Cheers ensue, the entire student body agreeing with his words. "Come on, Mona," he demands, authority oozing from him. He leads the way to a table for two in the corner of the dining room, oblivious to the looks of wonder that stick to him like glue.

He pulls out the rusty chair, it creaks as it conforms to his will. I stand, waiting for him to sit down, my form lingering awkwardly at his side. He gestures to the chair, realizing in me when I discover that he really wants me to sit. Blushing, I obey his command, flattered that a boy would do this for me.

Xavier blows on the other chair. Looking at me, he asks softly, "Why is everyone looking at us?"

"Because you just expressed their opinion," I whisper back.

"I'm surprised no one else did," he sniffs as he examines the food in front of him, "it's disgusting."

I take my spoon, dip it into the food, bring it to my lips. With a forced swallow, I gag the piece of food, sighing in relief as it adorns my terribly empty stomach. No matter how disgusting the food is, I have to choke it down.

Xavier looks at me as I eat, a grimace adorning his face. "Why are you eating that?" he asks, pure disgust in his features. I shrug, even though the truth is that this is almost all I eat every day. If I tell Xavier that, he'll throw a fit.

He tilts his head slightly as he examines me, watching me swallow the disaster. "You have to eat it, don't you?" he guesses correctly as I savor every morsel, each morsel alleviating the horrible feeling in my stomach.

I nod, taking a sip of my milk with tender fingers. After another silence, I finally finish my lunch, feeling like a pig for gobbling it down so quickly. "Can I have your milk, Xavier?" I question, ostensibly looking at his unopened carton.

"Sure, why not?" he replies, drawing humor from the fact that I really want his food. The corner of his mouth turns up as he pushes his entire tray towards me, my eyes lighting up as I realize I might have enough to eat today. I start this new piece of food, focusing on the warmth it will give in my stomach, not the bad taste it offers.

I feel despicable. I even have to ask the wolfboy for food.

"Thank you," I bow my head slightly, knowing I look like a hungry animal. The pull for food, however, is more powerful than any other force, and it's the one that's motivating me right now.

"Doesn't this...orphanage give you food?" he asks, a little angrily. I stare at him, not wanting to tell him the answer. A furious gleam is in his eyes, anger in his tone. "Mona," he says firmly, "don't eat that." He grabs the two trays, stands up and sets them out. As he walks back to me, dozens of hungry eyes follow him, annoying me immensely for some strange reason.

I can also feel tons of stares behind my back. Numerous whispers erupt around me, probably of the "loser shouldn't be sitting next to that hot guy" or "let's bet on how long it will be before he drops her" type. Unconsciously, I cringe a little, hoping that their stares will eventually leave me. But they linger, making me feel uncomfortable and making them jeer.

Xavier passes me and disappears through the doors, leaving me stranded on our island for two. I suddenly realize that I now feel terribly alone, more than I could have imagined. Is this how I usually feel when I eat alone in the dining room? Two days ago, before all this happened, it's almost like a distant memory.

After a few anxious minutes, Xavier enters the dining room again carrying two trays of steaming hot steak. He walks beside me, placing one tray in front of me and one in front of his seat. My mouth touches my lap as I examine the food. Steak is my favorite type of food - a delicacy I developed a taste for as a child - and this one looks especially delicious.

"Thank you so much," I say enthusiastically, cracking a smile. I pick up the silver knife next to the steak and dig in, wondering how he managed to get this delicious food.

He just stares at me as I swallow the delicious meat, a small smile on his face. "Don't thank me," he says quietly, "just be happy."

"Oh, I am," I reassure him as I plunge my fork deeper into the delicious main course.

"Obviously, the way to the heart is through food," Xavier comments with a laugh. In a moment of vulnerability, I laugh with him, my voice carrying across the room.

Then I remember that I shouldn't even smile in Xavier's presence.

However, I don't have time to wipe the smile off my face, because the biggest fish in the sea is swimming towards us. In other words, Sidney Richards, with two of her daughters following her as backup. I don't even know their names, nor do most of the school population. They are just known as Sidney's girls, only good for fake laughs and compliments. Exactly what Sidney needs.

She walks towards us from her royal throne, tossing her blonde hair out of her face every few seconds, strutting confidently in her five inch high gold pumps. With a skirt about five inches above dress code requirements and a blouse with a few too many buttons undone, she managed to catch the eyes of every boy in the school.

Finally arriving at our table, she flashed Xavier a smile similar to the one she had used a few hours ago. "Hey," she tries to make her voice soft and sweet, "I'm Sidney, and these are two of my girls." I almost laugh when I notice that even Sidney doesn't say their names.

Xavier takes another bite of his delicious steak, then looks up at Sidney's probably altered face. "You probably know my name," he says clearly, clearly indifferent.

Sidney looks surprised, but she recovers quickly, reaching the end of her miniskirt and fingering it, trying to draw his attention to her tanned thighs, which are muscular, but thin. He doesn't notice her efforts, looking up at the ceiling, then back down at her delicious steak. "Would you like to sit with us?" she offers quickly, "away from this rejection?" I wince at the word reject, at the way she doesn't even look at me, as if I'm worthless. Far in the background, I see three seats left open, one for Sidney and two for her daughters.

"There are no spots," he tries to avoid a direct answer, but that doesn't stop Sidney. With a snap of his fingers, a jock a-list is immediately dismissed, degraded to ab status. Now there's Ian, two other jocks and one of his daughters sitting at the table.

"For you," she tells him, a seductive expression adorning her features, "there's always a seat."

"I decline," he says abruptly, taking up his meat. Sidney just stands, his mouth in a perfectly glossy "o" to his lips.

"B-but-t," she stammers, "no one ever refuses!" Her words are forced, the mirth evaporating. I see a flicker of doubt enter her, a drop of low esteem creep into her blood.

"Well," he says after wiping his mouth with a napkin, "I'm nobody. I can do anything I want. And right now, I don't want to sit at your table."

Her eyes widen, her voice strained. The whole dining room is watching us, and I suddenly feel like we're under a spotlight, unable to escape it. "So you're just going to sit with this loser?" she finally casts a hate-filled glance at my form. Abruptly, I start to shiver as I am frozen by her gaze. I can tell at this point that she wants me completely and totally dead.

Xavier looks at her face without hesitating once. "Please, Cindy-"

"Sidney," she corrects dryly, probably a first for her.

"Sorry," he apologizes, then continues, "It's just that Mona will be alone if I let her go with you, and I can't allow that." He speaks calmly and courteously, respect now in his tone. I blush at his words, the redness appearing on my slightly pale cheeks.

Sidney looks at me, as if really looking at me for the first time. "Mona," she whispers to herself, as if trying to remember my name. Then she straightens up and smiles at Xavier once more. "Okay then," she says, "maybe another time." With another snap of her fingers, the three of them turn around and begin strutting toward the royal table. However, when Xavier's head turns, she turns and gives me a look of pure revulsion. The chills start again; crawling up and down my spines, chilling me to the bone.

I finally return my gaze to Xavier, my fork lingering on the last bite of steak. "Aren't you hungry?" he asks curiously. I barely shake my head, the coldness freezing me into silence. I eat the last piece, chewing it robotically.

Suddenly, a warm hand surrounds mine, bringing me eternal warmth. Xavier propels my hand toward his meat, poking a juicy morsel with my fork. "Try this," he suggests gently. Drawing my hand and fork toward my face, he urges me to eat it, awakening butterflies in my stomach. I am now a giant red tomato, with cheeks as red as a fire truck. "Is it good?" he asks with a smile, gently releasing my arm from his grip. The girls all over the dining room are looking at my form with envy and disgust, Xavier's fan club probably already planning an ambush.

"Yeah," I whisper, distracted by the way his eyes glint in the light. His meat is a little different, but just as good. Embarrassment flickers across my features as I realize I'm watching.

Xavier laughs, then winks at me. "I can't wait to introduce you to Wes," he laughs, "he'll melt you into a puddle on the floor."

"Wes?" I ask curiously.

"Only the greatest flirt in the whole world," he smiles, "you'll meet him at the mansion after school."

"Oh really..." I say, not quite catching his words. Then, I suddenly understand.

"What mansion?! I've never heard you talk about going to a mansion!

"Uh, Mona? I told you about it before I went to school," he clarifies, my lack of memory surprising him.

I scoff, my red hair waving slightly, "Oh yeah, I remember... but you weren't serious, were you?"

"Of course I was," he says seriously. I start to laugh, happy beads of joy echoing through the dining room.

"There's no way you're taking me there," I reply. I am NOT going to a mansion alone with Xavier. For all I know, he could kill me in the forest and eat me.

Well, I suppose that would defeat the purpose of saving me from a permanent death, but still.

"Wanna bet?" he asks dangerously, his eyes glowing. I stare at the floor, not wanting to say anything. If I cough up a word, he could come and get me and take me from the dining hall to the mansion right now, in front of the whole school.

Yeah. Silence is best right now. And careful planning, of course.

I'm just going to escape him...