Something was going on between Indy and Connor. Mark had noticed the exact thing I had and must have realized this wasn’t typical behavior for the pair to be standing so far apart. He wasted no time in asking what was going on. I was disgusted in the way that Connor spoke of the female race. He had seen Indy with only her underwear on this morning, which had been purely an accident, but this wasn’t something to be bragging about. I respected females fully, and even though this was no mortal female, Connor didn’t know this. He would probably act this way to any female being semi-naked.
I followed Mark to class. Halfway there, I realized how annoyed Indy had been at Connor for boasting. This was great and hopefully would aid in Indy leaving town.
We sat through some very boring classes, and Indy still seemed quite annoyed. Mark wasn’t going to let the embarrassment that Indy felt disappear. I think he was doing this for my benefit. I thought teasing her was funny, just not the context which it involved.
By the time lunch had come around, Connor had disappeared. No one knew where he was and didn’t seem to care too much. The whispers in the group behind Indy’s back said that he was moving his stuff out because she was pissed at him. Casey heard the news and felt concerned for her and decided that a party might cheer her up tonight, so without asking, she started to organize. With Indy’s last minute approval, the messages were sent out. From what I could tell, a lot of people planned on coming.
This was one party I would not be attending. A two-day karate tournament was being held in a town two hours away, and I wanted to participate, only to uphold my fighting skills. The boss encouraged this practice when we were out in the field. I hadn’t been up against any of these fighters before, and I was looking forward to it.
Chapter Twelve
Indiana
The weekend had been pretty good—the party was loud and crazy and lots of fun. It had been a great way to celebrate a new housemate. I had also learned a lot about my friends. Mark wasn’t this fast paced guy who used girls for sex. He was more the caring, sensitive type who had been reluctant when Corrina wanted to drag him into a bedroom to engage in some “activities.” He knocked her back telling her that it was the alcohol talking. I didn’t know that they hadn’t done the dirty yet, and that it was because Mark didn’t want to. I felt so proud of him for this new respect he had found somewhere along the way.
Monday morning had come way too fast and Personal Development was first up for the week. The weekend away from this subject had been awesome; I didn’t miss any of the prowling gazes as the girls filled the classroom.
Nate was already in the classroom chatting with Hopwood. He sent him to his chair when the first female walked in. I didn’t like it. How could no one see this? He didn’t hide his drooling expression.
“Man, don’t make friends with the teachers,” said Mark to Nate. Mark didn’t like suck-ups and was trying to tell Nate now, without being too blunt.
“It’s cool, mate; we just had a little chat,” Nate reassured him.
The class was really crappy. He made us paraphrase three chapters about drugs and their side effects. This wasn’t too smart as the information listed the precise influence, giving us kids a how-to guide on which drugs to use for parties or other recreational uses. He was too busy to teach, and opted to mark assignments instead.
These were handed out at the end of the class, and he called a few people up to his desk to discuss their grades individually. The first three were all girls, with very low-cut singlet tops on. They all had to bend over to see their papers, and naturally at the angle they stood he had a perfect view down their shirts.
He tossed mine on my desk. Turning the paper over, I saw a big fat F. He was watching me, waiting for my reaction. I didn’t put much effort into the essay because I knew the material like the back of my hand. It still warranted more than a failure mark. A slimy, sticky smile went from one ear to the other followed by a loud, nasty laugh. I wanted to punch that smile through the wall. Hopwood handed out our new assignments and explained that these would be done with a partner. We would not have a choice with whom we worked. The names of our co-worker would be written at the top of our essay questions page. The other student’s name at the top my page was a joke … a mean, nasty joke.
Hopwood knew how much I disliked Nate. Was our constant bickering in class not enough of an indication? Now we were stuck doing this assignment together. The relationship I had with Mark was paradise compared to what I had with Nate. It was so frustrating to not know why I was hated so much; I had tried to make an effort at the start, but gave up quickly.
I planned on waiting ‘til the class left to speak with him about my mark. The bell rang out and the room emptied quite fast. No one was present except for three people: Hopwood, Nate, and myself. Mr. Hopwood and Nate were enthralled in conversation and I hardly had the time to wait around.
“Excuse me, Nate, can I have a word with Mr. Hopwood?” I spoke as sickly sweet as I could.
“No I don’t think so,” was Nate’s response. The way in which Nate spoke was venomous. He was the king brown snake protecting his babies.
Mr. Hopwood was smiling still and looked very proud.
“Indy, can we have a chat later? Say, after school, meet me in the park across from the ice cream parlor?” said Nate.
“Um, yeah okay …” I am now absolutely puzzled as to what is going on.
Throughout the rest of the day, I felt as if I had missed some serious piece of information. I had a horrible feeling about this little chat. I tried to recall all conversations with Nate. I didn’t have much to work with, as we hardly spoke. I tried to think of conversations he had with our friends. Nothing obviously stuck out, so maybe I am overreacting. Meeting Connor at my car, I told him to go home without me—I was going to walk and would see him later. I flung my bag in the boot and signaled him to drive off.
When I reached the park, he was already waiting for me. I walked in his direction, and he did the same toward me. His movements were so heavy today; none of the early lightness was present. He looked so angry, and I knew I was the object of that rage for some unknown reason. I was unsure—men can do some funny things. He stopped abruptly and screamed his rage at me.
“Indy you can stop trying to act like someone you’re not; I see through your charade! Why are you really here?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“I know what you are!” he demanded.
“Yeah, I am a teenage girl.”
I was a little worried that he knew the real me—I have always been careful—but did I slip up somewhere?
“You are not. I’ve met others like you; I met one seventeen years ago. I was dying as a baby and she healed me.”
“Nardia healed you?”
“Is that her name now?”
“Yes, she my brother’s girlfriend, or she used to be. If she healed you, then what is your problem with me?”
“From what I gather, I was supposed to die—the rest of my family did. I was saved in front of my dying mother. Do you know how much she begged to be saved so she could raise me, and I wouldn’t be brought up as an orphan? Nardia laughed in my dying mother’s face.”
I did not believe this story for a second. Nardia is not a cold-hearted, and if she had been able to save his mother, she would not have hesitated.
“Wake up! Do you even know who you’re talking about? Nardia is the best out of us all,” I said.
“The fact remains, she still healed me, not my mother, and now I’m a little different.”
“Nardia heals people all the time, why do you think you’re different?”
“Because I was an infinitus soul.”
“Oh shit!” I said out loud. This changes everything. I was unsure in what way though.
“I hate being near you. I can feel you under my skin, the tingly aching sensations go into overdrive whenever you’re around.”
“Well rack off then,” I said crankily. He was saying this like
it my fault. I had done nothing at all to him. I could not help the fact that his body responded in a negative way to mine.
“Why does it happen when I’m around? What kind of tingling feeling is it?” I asked.
“The one that kicks my body into fight mode. That first day in class was the worst ever. Your signature was all over Mr. Hopwood—weeks after he was flogged. I hardly think it was a coincidence,” Nate snarled nastily.
I had tried to talk this out, but it was very obvious by Nate’s body language, as well as how he had spoken to me—he wanted nothing more than to punch me. He was holding his clenched fist against his side. It wouldn’t take much for him to throw a punch at me.
“He fell down the stairs, didn’t you hear him?” I said.
“Give it up, Indy! I know you did it. You’re the vilest of all of them,” Nate voice was oozing hatred.
“I may have done it, but I’m not the person you think I am. If you knew my reasons, you may have done the same thing.”
“Do you realize you just confessed? You have sealed your fate. I knew you served the dark ones.”
Until this point, I was holding off my emotions. I was doing great keeping them at bay. I normally would have snapped by now. But that last comment was it. He was now threatening me. My skin was on fire, the hair on my arms were little matches. I crossed the empty space until our noses were inches apart. I expected him to move, but that didn’t happen. If you threw a match at me this very moment, I would combust.
“And what exactly is my fate?”
“Destruction.” His stance was meant to be intimidating. He pushed his chest out towering over me.
“Walk. Away. I do not serve whatever this dark thing your referring to is.” I wasn’t going to stand here and explain myself to a teenage boy. I didn’t owe him anything. I started to walk home, and that feeling I had felt over the last few weeks returned. I knew I should have trusted my instincts that it was he all along. He had been the person following me at night. I ignored him the whole way home, but he stood outside watching me ‘til it grew dark.
I could not sit down. Through the blinds, I could tell he was out there watching. I marched around the house and found random things to take my mind off this, but they didn’t last long. My behavior was getting too much for Connor to handle. I was aware of him also watching me. He had moved out of my way a few times as I darted from here to there. At some point, Nate went home.
“Babe what’s wrong? Is there someone outside? You keeping peeping out the window.” Connor walked over to the window and peeked out. Luckily, Nate had gone home.
“No, no its okay. I’m just stressed out,” I said.
“Okay, I’m off to bed. See you in the morning.”
I paced until early the next morning. What was an infinitus soul, really? We were all led to believe from the archangels, the very ones who brought messages directly from God, that they were special souls who live an infinite amount of children or infant lives. They had special gifts from God and touched the hearts of all who met them. They were wise beyond their years, and we were told very strictly to not interfere in the work they were sent down to do. We felt their presence very strongly because they had so much of the Holy Spirit in them. The last child I crossed ended up raising awareness for a deadly new disease on the rise, and created free vaccines for all children under the age of one. Nate didn’t have this intense feeling pouring off him. He felt like every other boy I knew.
Looking outside to check that Nate hadn’t come back, I thumped my hand against the wall, creating a big hole. Behind the bushes a person stood in ordinary, dark clothes. To the untrained eye, he would appear invisible. He had made the silly mistake of not wearing any sunglasses, so his eyes were like homing beacons glimmering in the dark.
What the hell happened when Nardia healed him? I was curious to see if he had any gifts at all, or if he was just trying to put one over on me. Putting on my shoes and grabbing my hoodie, I stepped outside the front door. His head whipped in my direction. I walked straight toward him, and he appeared confused. These strong emotions struck across his face. Good, I thought, I’m going to have the element of surprise. Taking the last step toward him, I brought my fist toward his face as fast as I could. My fist never connected. I was slammed into the ground with such force that agony shot through my whole body. I had a high pain threshold, built up over the centuries, but in this situation, it did me no benefit. The pain was unbelievable. All Nate did was block my punch, and I ended up flat on my back. Satisfaction and humor replaced his confused looks. Jumping to my feet, I ignored the sensations of agony; he wasn’t going to see any discomfort in my eyes tonight.
“Well, now I know you have super human strength,” I said. Turning to walk back to the house, I felt a rush of air on the back of my neck. Stepping to the side as fast as I could, he missed me.
“And I know you’re extremely fast. You tried to hit me first, so it was my turn,” said Nate. I’m so glad he missed. I would have ended up eating dirt, and my face would have bruised. It would have healed fast, but for one day I’d look like a helpless little girl, and I could see the smirk on his face now every time he would see me.
Closing the door behind me, I made sure all the locks were bolted and blinds were closed. For tonight, at least, the showdown was over. He was walking now toward his own house.
Chapter Thirteen
Indiana
I was glad to get Personal Development over and done with early. The pair was whispering as I walked into the classroom with Mark. They both responded to my entry and smirked. I don’t know what the hell was going on with them, but it couldn’t be good. I was starting to think Nate was a little crazy for becoming friends with Sleazy-Wood. Well that, and the fact that he thought angels were bad. Hello, we are from Heaven, not Hell, even though it felt like it occasionally. Nate was on his way over to me and sat directly on my right.
“Still here I see. I’m disappointed you didn’t run. The chase would have been fun, even though it would have ended quite fast.”
“Why would I give you that enjoyment?” Turning away, I decided to ignore him from now on.
The two boys tormented me throughout the whole class. Mark had to sit on the other side of me, but it was the same old material and I had plenty of witty remarks to fling back. They really should put a bit more effort in and find new ways to insult me. At the moment, I was keeping score: Indy – 4, Boys - 2. I had a break from Nate the next period, but Mark was in the next lesson. I paid him no attention when I walked into class. Nate was gone so my guard was down. I felt his arm on my shoulder trying to turn me around.
“Hey Indy, you know I’m only stuffing around.”
“Yeah I know, but you know Nate isn’t.”
“You’re not upset, are you?” This was the first time I had ever seen Mark concerned about my feelings and from what I could tell he was being genuine.
“No, of course I’m not.” I punched him in the shoulder, and he punched me back.
Sitting down in this class was a lot easier than the last one, and Mark was giving me a break for once. The teacher was being a little lazy, and instead of us reading The Taming of the Shrew, we watched Ten Things I Hate About You with the late Heath Ledger. The amount of times I had been tortured by reading that horrible play would surprise you, and I couldn’t help but pick it to pieces as someone who actually lived through that time period. I saw the real ways that people in that time lived, and that poet sugarcoated it.
“Indy, look you’re the real Kat Stratford.” He wasn’t being a prick, but I had to laugh.
“And you, Mark, would have to be Joey Donner.”
“Oh yeah, he got all the chicks—definitely my style.”
The teacher had turned off the TV to signal the lesson was coming to an end. She gave quick instructions about some work that we didn’t hear due to the bell ringing at the same time. Next up was PE, my favorite time of the day. Hastily changing into my gear, I met the rest of the class outsi
de. Today we were doing cross-country. I was glad I could put my mind to the run and not have to think for the next fifty minutes. The whistle rang out indicating the start of the race.
I scanned the crowd for Connor and jogged in his direction. We normally stayed together, pacing ourselves perfectly to come in at an even first place. It really annoyed the teachers because neither of us would join the team. We just took pleasure in winning over the already formed team by a very large distance. Connor already played football and was on the track and field team—wasn’t that enough for him? And I was happy doing nothing for school outside of the stipulated hours. Someone had joined us, running next to Connor. Once I saw who it was, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at him.
Heavenly Hell (Heavenly Hell Book 1) Page 8