by Kasi Blake
A kitty? Annoyed with her unflattering description of him, he fantasized about sprouting fangs and ripping her throat out. Maybe losing her vocal chords would shut her up for a while. He should be asleep in the abandoned house with his friends, not listening to a peppy speech from a cheerleader.
Then he saw her, and his world flipped upside-down.
Silver had her hand inside her locker. She was talking to a blonde girl in a crazy-looking outfit, unaware of his presence. He couldn’t hear what she was saying. His vampire-hearing had faded. He took one step closer, desperate to know if she was talking about him to her friend. The conversation ended, and the blonde girl walked away.
Silver turned, caught him staring at her, and the ends of her lips slowly lifted. The surprise in her eyes quickly became joy. She was glad to see him. The knowledge fueled his confidence.
Jack totally forgot the cheerleader. He left her standing alone and went to Silver, drawn in by her eyes. When he reached her, he glanced inside the open locker, amused but not surprised at the sight of the interior. She had put the textbooks in alphabetical order. The inside of her locker looked more sterile than a hospital.
She asked, “What are you doing here?”
“Decided to rejoin the human race.”
Her smile vanished, and she looked anxiously at the faces of nearby students. Jack didn’t have to check to know they were clueless. Most people didn’t believe in vampires. That’s what made it so easy for them to roam free without being hunted by every nut with a sharp stick.
After she was satisfied no one was listening she asked him, “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
She shrugged and closed her locker, a blush staining her cheeks. Why did he get the feeling she was holding something important back from him? He wanted to question her, but he didn’t get the chance to do more than part his lips. Meghan stepped between them, irritation evident in the tight set of her jaw.
“I had no idea you two knew each other,” she said. Moving to stand beside him, she looped an arm through his. When he tried to extricate himself, her grip tightened. She was stronger than she looked. He couldn’t get away from her without making a huge scene and drawing everyone’s attention to them. She added, “I was assigned to show him around before his first class.”
“How nice for you,” Silver said, eyes narrowing on the other girl’s face.
Jack thought he saw a glint of jealousy in those eyes. Or maybe he had simply gotten in the middle of an old feud. It was hard to tell. Still, it gave him hope. Silver might actually like him as much as he liked her.
“What classes did they give you?” Silver asked him, ignoring Meghan. “Maybe we have some together.”
Meghan answered for him. “He’s going into Jersey’s English class next, and you have Math with Mr. Barter, don’t you? Too bad. The bell’s about to ring and we don’t want to be late. See ya.”
The hallway emptied. Jack desperately wanted to talk to Silver, but Meghan pulled him in the opposite direction. Silver stared after them, mouth open. She obviously wanted to talk to him too. With a determined look she followed them across the hallway and into the classroom.
“What are you doing?” Meghan asked.
Silver forcibly removed Meghan’s arm from his and gave her a gentle push toward the front of the room. “Jack and I are good friends. He doesn’t need you to play Tour Guide Barbie anymore. I’m here now. Take your seat.”
The threat in her eyes was clear. Not even Meghan could miss it. The other girl spun around, swinging her hair in Silver’s face. She went to the front of the class and sat down.
Jack took an empty desk at the back of the room and Silver sat next to him. The other students were too busy with their own lives to notice the new kid. It gave Jack time to breathe. Meghan turned around a few times and shot nasty looks at Silver, but Silver didn’t notice. Her full attention was on Jack.
Silver leaned close to him and whispered, “On second thought I don’t think you should be here. This is too dangerous.”
“I’m not a vam—you-know-what anymore.” At least he wasn’t displaying any signs of being a vampire at the moment. “Why is it dangerous?”
“There are things you don’t understand. I can explain later, but you need to get out of here. Go home and wait for me.”
“Nope.” Jack stretched his legs out and crossed them at the ankles. He folded his arms over his chest. “I’m here, and I’m staying.”
“Do you trust me?”
He nodded reluctantly, knowing she would try to use it against him. If he dropped out of school on the first day, Billy would have his head. He had to have more of a reason than ‘Silver told me to go home.’ He had a feeling what Silver wanted wouldn’t matter to Billy.
“I promise I’ll tell you everything when I get to your house later,” she said.
“Why can’t you tell me now?”
“This isn’t the place.”
“We could go into the hallway or the janitor’s closet, or we could go to the parking lot for a few minutes.”
She gnawed on her lower lip and played with her bracelets. He waited for her to look at him. Her eyes remained fastened on the multi-colored bangles. There were so many secrets in her eyes; he didn’t know where to start.
The teacher entered with a loud voice. He slammed the door behind him and tossed a thick folder overflowing with papers onto his desk. Jack liked him on sight. The man was tall and slender with a receding blonde hairline and the palest of blue eyes. He wore solid black, a turtleneck and trousers, but when Jack looked at the man’s feet he had to stifle laughter. Jersey Clifford had bright red sneakers on. A non-conformist?
Lily would love him.
Sadness washed over Jack, stealing his smile. His friends were gone. They didn’t know what had happened to him yet. They weren’t going to like it, and they wouldn’t want to be friends with a human. He had lost them forever.
Jersey began to write on the chalkboard in fluid cursive with curly letters. He spoke while he wrote, and his voice was as charismatic as the rest of him. Jack felt drawn in like a moth to a flame, and he wondered if the other students felt the same.
“You will recall that in our last session we were talking about the war between the Greeks and the Trojans and how it could have been avoided,” Jersey said. Still facing the chalkboard, the teacher spoke to him as if he had eyes in the back of his head and knew exactly where Jack was sitting.
“We have a new student,” he said. “Tell me something, Jack. Have you read The Illiad? Will you be able to offer an intelligent opinion on the subject?”
Jack stiffened as every eye in the room turned to him. He hadn’t expected to be singled out this early in the game. “I’ve read it,” he said, giving silent thanks to Lily for insisting he borrow her copy.
Jersey added his pale blue eyes to the mix. A slight smile tilted his thin lips as if he was secretly amused by something. “Then tell me, Jack, what do you think of the whole mess? Who was the most at fault in your opinion? Was it young Paris for falling in love with another man’s wife? Was it Helen for leaving with him when she knew what trouble it would cause? Was it Achilles for refusing to battle for so long? Was it Hector for standing beside his brother on the matter even though he should have thrown him to the wolves?”
Jack felt Silver watching him, waiting for an answer to the teacher’s question.
“I would have to blame the gods,” Jack said, defiant.
“The gods?” Jersey’s smile widened. He sat on the edge of his desk and stared at Jack in wonder. “You blame the gods for the war? Please tell me why.”
“They meddled. If they had stayed out of it, things might not have gone as far as they did. The gods chose sides. They each had their favorite mortals here on Earth and they were determined to see them win the battle. They used tricks, deceit, not only
with each other, but with the humans as well. Really, the war was between the gods themselves. They just used the humans like pawns.”
Jersey clapped his hands together. “Brilliant. In all my years teaching I have never had a student blame the gods, believe it or not. Refreshing. I think you are going to be a wonderful addition to our class.” He stopped clapping and added, “Although, you speak like you aren’t one of us, Jack, not a mere mortal. Puzzling. Your upper lip curls into a little sneer when you say the word human. Did you know?”
The good feeling that came with giving an acceptable answer vanished. He froze to his seat and tried hard not to react to the teacher’s probing gaze. There was something about Jersey Clifford, something different, something out of sync. Jack made a mental note to watch his step with the teacher.
Silver gave Jack an I-told-you-so look, but he kept his own expression neutral. Surely the teacher didn’t know about vampires. He had probably minored in psychology at whatever university he’d attended. Maybe analyzing students was Jersey’s favorite hobby.
Jersey’s all-seeing gaze flickered over to Silver, almost bored. “Miss Reign, I do believe you’re in the wrong class. Did you get lost?”
“I was showing Jack around the school.” She ignored Meghan’s grunt of outrage. “I was just going to sit here for a minute to make sure he was in the right place, but then I got caught up in your lesson on The Illiad. It’s…wow.”
Jersey rolled his eyes. “Goodbye, Miss Reign.”
He scooted off the edge of the desk and turned, effectively dismissing her. Silver had no choice but to leave the classroom. Once outside the door, she mouthed words at Jack through the glass. Unfortunately, he hadn’t learned to read lips. She tried again. When he didn’t understand her, she threw her hands up and walked away.
Jersey smirked behind his copy of the assigned book. “We are going to discuss characterization now. Who wants to begin?”
Several hands shot into the air.
Jack kept his firmly on the desk’s cool surface.
Jersey pointed at someone in the first row, and Jack breathed a sigh of relief.
English class flew by. Listening to Jersey’s insightful lecture on Homer’s book made Jack momentarily forget Silver, being a former vampire, the mess his life had become, everything. He even forgot to worry about keeping his past a secret. Before he knew it the hour had passed.
While everyone else left the room, including Meghan, Jack stared down at his list of classes. He had no idea where he was supposed to go next. After English he had Study Hall. What was that? He groaned. How was he going to survive the rest of the day? He should have taken advantage of Meghan’s attention while he had it.
“Problem?” Jersey asked.
“I think I’m lost already.”
The teacher glanced at the list. “Study Hall. I’ll walk you.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“It’s my pleasure.” Jersey smiled. “I remember what it was like to be the new kid. In any case, I enjoyed your comments about the book. I’d like to talk to you for a few minutes while we walk.”
Jack stiffened. “Why?”
“You should be in my advanced class, not in here with the average students. Most of them aren’t even listening half the time. The girls are thinking about the boys, and the boys are thinking about food.”
“I don’t know if I’m ready for a harder class. I’m still trying to feel my way around in the dark. School is tougher than I remember.”
Jersey’s eyes narrowed. “Than you remember?”
“I just meant that this school is different from the one I left in Boston.”
Jersey shrugged, but there was nothing casual about the intensity of his stare. “You’ll do fine. If you have any problems, my door is always open to you.”
Jack mentally kicked himself for the slip. Maybe Silver was right. He should go home until he got comfortable in his human skin.
As if reading his mind, Jersey said, “You’ve made a good friend in Silver. She is one of our best students. To my knowledge she has never skipped a class before. Yet, she did it for you. She most certainly didn’t stay to hear my lecture. How did the two of you meet?”
Jack’s mind went blank.
Jersey chuckled. “It isn’t a trick question.”
“My brother introduced us. I was just wondering why you care so much who I hang out with.”
“Curious. She’s a good student, but sometimes she hangs out with the troublemakers. I would hate to see you fall in with the wrong element.”
“How do you know I’m not the wrong element?”
Jersey laughed, loud and deep. “I pride myself on being a good judge of character. You’re no more a bad person than I am.”
Jack smiled. He wondered what the English teacher would do if he told him about his former fangs. “I’d better get going. Why don’t you just point me in the right direction?”
Jersey insisted on walking him the entire way. At least he stopped asking questions. Instead, he took the time between his classroom and the library to fill Jack in on the history of the school. Boring. Jack began to relax, but the second he let down his guard the teacher flashed a knowing smile.
“You look familiar, Jack. I’m sure we haven’t met, but I’ve seen you before. Don’t worry. I’m good with faces. I’ll remember.”
Jersey began to whistle.
Chapter Five:
TROUBLE ON THE FIRST DAY
Study Hall took place in the library. Jersey Clifford opened the door to the huge book-filled room and waved Jack inside. There were several tables in the center, most of them already occupied. The final bell had rung six minutes ago so students were in their seats, noses in their books. Every single one glanced up when he entered the room.
Jersey introduced him to Mr. Kyle, the teacher on duty, before he left.
Mr. Kyle checked Jack’s papers. While the teacher looked over his list of classes to make sure he was in the right place, Jack searched the room for a familiar face. In seconds he found the one he most wanted to see.
Silver smiled. She had an empty seat on one side of her and a blonde girl on the other. There were a couple big guys sitting on the other side of the table. One of them continuously glanced up at her. Jack didn’t like the expression on the kid’s face, a sort of possessive smirk.
She motioned for Jack to join them. Smiling in relief, he crossed the room and sat next to her. They weren’t allowed to talk, but he was itching to say something, anything. He wanted to hear her voice and look into her expressive eyes. Instead, he opened his Biology book and stared at the words without seeing them. His thoughts remained on communicating with Silver.
Jack wondered if kids still passed notes to each other. He opened his notebook and scribbled a quick sentence. Can you give me a lift home?
He folded the paper in half before sliding it under her fingertips. Out of the corner of one eye he saw her glance his way. He fought the urge to look at her. The note could speak for itself. He shouldn’t have to tell her to read it. She was a pretty girl. No doubt he wasn’t the first guy to pass a note to her.
She brought it down to her lap and unfolded it before glancing his way again. Her hand reached in front of him for his pencil. She jotted something beneath his question and set the paper on his open book.
He made sure the teacher wasn’t watching. Mr. Kyle leaned over a student at another table and helped him with a problem. Jack unfolded the paper and read it. A slow smile stretched his lips. Yes. Need to talk about your future at my school.
Her school? He wrote: My school first. Why do you want me gone?
He returned the note to her and watched her read it out of the corner of his eye. He almost laughed when she sighed. She sounded frustrated. Grabbing his pencil again, she wrote another line with a fierce scratching motion. He leaned close and read
it as she was writing.
Can’t tell you yet. Trust me and go.
They passed the note back and forth for the entire class hour while Silver’s friends watched with amused expressions, everyone except for the boy with the obvious crush. He glared at them, his disapproval evident.
Jack wrote: Promise to be good.
She wrote: Too dangerous. You don’t know.
Tell me.
I will.
When?
On the ride home.
The bell rang a few minutes later, cutting their silent conversation short. Students gathered their belongings and headed for the door. Jack stood. He stretched his arms over his head and arched his back. Spending an hour in a wooden chair was hell on a human spine. It would take a while for him to get used to his mortal body. He waited patiently for Silver to gather her things.
The boy with the crush made a beeline for Silver. He approached her from behind, moving fast. Before Jack could warn her, the guy had his arm around her throat. Her eyes widened in surprise.
Jack lost it. In a series of quick movements that would have been the envy of any martial arts movie nut, he grabbed the guy’s finger, twisted it back, swung the jerk around and slammed him head-first onto the wooden table.
All of this took place in a matter of seconds.
Silver pulled on him from behind. “What are you doing?”
“He attacked you.”
“No, he didn’t.” She yelled at him. “Tucker is a friend of mine, you idiot!”
A friend? Jack let Tucker go and took a step back. He still wasn’t convinced, but Silver seemed pretty mad about the whole thing. Somehow he’d misread the situation.
She explained, “He’s on the wrestling team. Sometimes he tries to get me into a hold I can’t get out of. This is exactly why I didn’t want you here.”
Mr. Kyle charged over and pointed at Jack. “You! Principal’s office! Now!”
Jack opened his mouth to argue with the teacher, even though he had no idea what he could say at the moment to defend what he’d done, but Silver took over. She pushed him to and out the doorway before he could say a word. Once she got him into the hallway, she cornered him against a row of lockers.