Her eyes scanned one page and then she flipped to the next page. She didn’t stop for anything. Not to use the restroom, not to get a drink. Nothing. When she finished reading the last page fifteen minutes later, she closed the book and released a sigh. Gods, she was tired. Her eyes felt heavy and thick. All she wanted to do was take a nap. In fact, that sounded like a really good idea.
Christine let herself backwards onto her bed. Her hair spread out around her, contrasting with the light blue sheets and her pale body. She prepared to close her eyes when she caught sight of the clock.
6:34 am.
She rubbed her eyes, then looked again.
Still 6:34 am.
“Shit!”
Jumping to her feet with an energy she did not know she possessed, Christine began throwing on her clothes. After spending nearly half an hour putting her ridiculously complicated gothic lolita outfit on, she rushed out of the apartment and sprinted to the bus stop as quickly as her dress would allow.
It was only after she had gotten on the bus that she realized something.
“Damn it! I forgot to take a shower!”
Six seconds later, Christine realized she’d just shouted and that everyone was now staring at her. Seven seconds after that, a blushing and thoroughly embarrassed Christine sat in a seat at the back of the bus, doing her best to pretend she didn’t exist.
I hate my life.
***
Kevin bobbed in and out of consciousness as the car he was in drove down the road.
Lilian had managed to heal all of his injuries, but she hadn’t healed the damage done from working out to his muscles. According to Kiara, having his muscles healed by a Celestial Kitsune would negate all of the effort he put in that day. This meant he would have to suck it up.
Lilian also couldn’t heal exhaustion. Go figure.
He really didn’t want to go to school today. A part of him felt tempted to ask Lilian if she would like to stay home with him and watch anime. He didn’t, but only because the larger part of him knew that skipping school was wrong.
Curse his sense of responsibility.
Still, things could have been worse. He could have been riding his bike to school that day. Instead, Kiara had offered to give them a ride, which was good, because even if he had been in any condition to ride his bike, there were one too many people for him to travel with.
He sat slumped in the back seat, with Lilian sitting next to him and his head resting on her shoulder. Delicate, feminine fingers traveled through his hair, and long nails gently scratched his scalp. It felt good. Really good.
By the gods, he loved having a girlfriend.
Sitting on Lilian’s other side, Iris seemed to be bothered by something. Her face had become pale and her eyes withdrawn. She kept glancing at Kiara every so often before shifting back to look out the window. Kevin didn’t know what was bothering the girl, but he was too tired to care about whatever troubles ailed his girlfriend-slash-mate’s sister.
Kevin jerked in his seat when the car ceased moving with startling suddenness. The action forced his eyes wide open. He looked around, noticing the mass of people outside of the windows, and realized they had arrived at school.
“Come on, Kevin. Time to get out.” Kevin groaned, causing the emerald-eyed fox-girl to smile as she gently helped him undo his seatbelt. “Don’t act so glum. I’m sure once you’ve had a chance to relax in class, things will get better.”
“Our first class is with Ms. Vis.”
Lilian winced. “Okay, after our first class, I’m sure things will get better.”
“I wish I had your optimism.”
***
“What the hell is this?!”
Before he, Lilian and Iris could take so much as a single step from Kiara’s vehicle, one of the few people Kevin could truly say he hated marched up to the group.
It was enough to make Kevin wonder if there really was such a thing as karma.
Chris Fleischer looked better than he had in months, which wasn’t saying much because it was clear to Kevin that the inu no longer possessed the strength he once boasted. His body looked frail. Weak. His muscles had long since atrophied, and he no longer held the appearance of a hulking monstrosity. Now, he looked abnormally tall and skinny.
Was this the result of whatever technique Lilian had used on him those three months ago?
“Hello there, little brother,” Kiara greeted the younger inu with a look that said, I know what you’re thinking, and I really couldn’t give a damn. It was an impressive look, to be sure. Kevin would have to remember it. “How are you doing this morning?”
“Don’t fuck with me, Kiara!” Chris snarled. “What the fucking hell are you doing with Swift and that bitch of a fox―doof!”
Kevin and Lilian blinked when a black-furred tail shot out from underneath Iris’ skirt, smacked Chris in the face, and then just as quickly retracted. No one seemed to see it aside from them, but there could be no doubt that everyone saw Chris stumble back.
“No one insults my sister when I’m around, dickweed.”
“You fucking cunt!” Chris held a hand to his now split lip. “Just you wait! I’ll fucking murder you!”
“You won’t be doing anything of the sort,” Kiara interrupted the argument before it could become truly violent. “Go to class, you three. I’ll deal with my foolish little brother.”
Iris looked like she wanted to say something, but one glance from Kiara had the girl hiding behind Kevin and Lilian. Kevin glanced at his mate, who correctly interpreted the question within his gaze and shrugged, stating quite clearly that she didn’t know what was wrong with her sister either.
“We’ll leave this to you,” Kevin decided.
Kiara grinned and waved them off. “See you kids later.”
***
“Che, can you believe the nerve of that guy?” Iris ranted on their way to class. “I can’t believe he had the audacity to insult my lovely sister like that. Who the hell does he think he is?”
“Definitely not Simone the Digger.” While Lilian giggled into her hand, Iris gave Kevin a very flat look. In return, Kevin waved his left hand in a dismissive gesture. “Nothing. Just forget it.”
While continuing to class, Lilian noticed a poster on the wall of a school building. It showed two people dressed as zombies, a vampire that didn’t sparkle, and someone wearing a really cheesy werewolf mask, no shirt, and photoshopped abs.
“Hey, Kevin, what’s this?”
Kevin stopped and looked at the poster. “That? It’s for the Halloween party. Every year, the school has a party celebrating Halloween. We do things like dancing and bobbing for apples, and there’s always a contest to see who has the best costume…” He trailed off when stars appeared in Lilian’s eyes.
“Can we go? We’re gonna go, right? We so have to go to this.”
Kevin leaned back when Lilian invaded his personal space, her star-like irises boring into him like a legilimens invading his mind.
“We can go if you want to. I went to the one we had last year and it was pretty fun.”
“Yes!” Lilian pumped a fist into the air. “But wait.” The hand dropped. “You said it was a costume party?”
“Well, it’s a Halloween party. Everyone there will be wearing costumes.”
“I see.” Lilian bit her thumb in thought, then her eyes lit up. “Kevin, we need costumes!”
“I’ll see if we can go costume shopping some time this weekend,” Kevin hedged.
“Okay! So, what kind of costumes should we wear? Oh! Oh! Can we get matching costumes?”
While Lilian talked Kevin’s ears off about all of the different costumes she wanted to wear, which included everything from cosplaying as Lelouch and CC to dressing up as a schoolgirl and a perverted priest, Iris looked back at the poster.
“A Halloween party, huh?” A smirk that spoke of nothing good caused her lips to curve. “Sounds interesting.”
***
Kevin plopped down in his
seat with a boneless flop. His head and torso fell forward until his face planted itself against the desk, and then he started to snore.
Lindsay looked at Lilian as the redhead scooted her desk closer to Kevin’s, while Iris sat directly behind Lilian.
“What’s up with Kevin? He looks exhausted.” A grin spread across Lindsay’s face. “Don’t tell me you kept him up late last night with some sexy shenanigans or something.”
Lilian smiled at her friend. “I wish, but no. He was training with Kiara today.”
“Kiara?” Lindsay looked nonplussed. “You don’t mean Kiara F. Kuyo, do you? The owner of Mad Dawg Fitness?”
“That’s the one.”
Lindsay looked quite put out as she crossed her arms over her chest. “And neither of you thought to tell me this?”
“It didn’t seem that important.” Lilian reached out with her left hand and ran her fingers through her mate’s hair. After the initial stiffening, Kevin relaxed under her ministrations and let out a low, pleased groan. “To be honest, the idea of telling someone else never really crossed my mind. Kevin might have been willing to tell you, but he’s been so busy with training and learning kitsune culture that it probably slipped his mind.”
Lindsay’s cheeks swelled like someone had shoved grapefruits into her mouth. “It’s still mean of you guys not to tell me about something like this.”
Lilian didn’t stop her actions, but she did look at Lindsay. “Then how about I tell you something to make up for it?”
“Like what?”
Lilian made Lindsay lean in. Iris, curious to know what was being said, also leaned in.
“Like the fact that Kiara isn’t human. She’s an Inu.”
Lindsay’s eyes widened. Iris’ eyes also widened, but for completely different reasons.
“That’s why I felt so nervous around her,” Iris muttered harshly, her face pale. “Damn it, Lily-pad! You’re supposed to tell me these things!”
“Maybe I will when you stop calling me ‘Lily-pad.’”
Iris grimaced, but didn’t say anything.
“Are you serious?” Lindsay leaned back when Lilian nodded, her expression was akin to someone who’d been shocked by lightning. “I can’t believe it. I mean, I can, but I certainly wasn’t expecting it.” She took a moment to gather her thoughts. “Wow. That’s just… wow. To think that one of the women all the girls on my soccer team admire is an inu is… that’s, I don’t even know what to say.”
“Uh, Lily-pad” With her pale face and jittery limbs, Iris appeared quite nervous. “Are you sure you should be telling her this? I mean, isn’t she…”
“Lindsay already knows that yōkai are real,” Lilian informed her sister before frowning. “And what have I told you about calling me Lily-pad?”
“Sorry, sorry, you’re just too cute when you get all moody and pouty like that.” Iris winked at the redhead. “Better be careful, sis. Keep looking so adorable and I might just gobble you up.”
“W-whatever.” Lilian turned her head to better hide the blush staining her cheeks.
At that moment, the doors to the classroom opened again and Ms. Vis walked in. She looked just as stern and no-nonsense as always—at least until she made it to the front of the classroom and saw Kevin sleeping on his desk.
“What is wrong with Mr. Swift? Is he alright?” Her eyes peered at Lilian, and the young vixen had to blink when she saw the honest concern in them.
What in the name of Inari’s tails is going on?
“Uh…” Lilian found herself at a momentary loss for words. “Y-yes, he’s just tired from, um, working too much…”
“Working, she says,” Lindsay mumbled under her breath.
“Oh, the poor boy!” Ms. Vis blubbered. “Ms. Pnevma, why don’t you be a dear and take Mr. Swift to the nurse’s office, so he can get some rest? In fact, why don’t you stay there with him? That way he will have a familiar face to greet him when he wakes up. I think he would like that.”
Lilian stared. Lindsay stared. The entire classroom stared. The only people who didn’t look like something had struck them between the eyes were Iris and Kevin. Iris because she didn’t know how unusual this attitude was for Ms. Vis, and Kevin because he was asleep.
“Lilian?”
“Yes, Lindsay?”
“I think something strange is going on with our teacher.”
“Me too.”
“Also, the world seems to have suddenly gone dark.”
“We seem to be experiencing an unprecedented solar eclipse. I think the celestial bodies might have also been knocked out of alignment.”
“Uh huh.”
“Ms. Pnevma? Are you feeling unwell?” The concern Ms. Vis irradiated for her well-being made Lilian wonder if this person might have been a doppelgänger. “Do you also need some rest?”
“Um, no, I’m, ah, fine.”
The relief Ms. Vis exuded was a palpable thing. It disturbed Lilian greatly. “I see. That is good. Do you think you can get Mr. Swift to the nurse’s office, then?”
“Uh, I think can do that. Yeah, I’ll definitely do that. Lindsay, can you, um, help me get Kevin to the nurse’s office?”
“Help?” Lindsay blinked several times, her mind still clearly undergoing severe mental trauma from the sudden shift in their teacher’s emotional paradigm. It took her mind a second to realign itself with reality. “Um, right! Help! Yeah, I can help you!”
She and Lilian both stood up and moved to Kevin’s desk. Iris stood up as well.
“What?” the raven-haired girl asked upon seeing the two stares directed at her. “You didn’t think I was gonna let you two go off without me, did you? I can help too.” More stares. Iris actually began to feel uncomfortable. “Why are you two staring at me like that?”
“You’re offering to help.” Lilian scrutinized her sister. “You never offer to help with anything, and considering how much you dislike Kevin, I’m inclined to believe you’re up to no good.”
Iris clutched her chest, as if she was experiencing heartburn. “You don’t really think I would do something like strip naked and climb into your mate’s bed while he’s unconscious, thereby instigating a sexy situation in which you would discover us in a most compromising position in order to create tension between you and him, do you?”
“That was an awfully specific scenario you presented, and yes, I do think you would do something like that.”
“That’s a harsh thing to say.” Iris pouted. “I promise, the only reason I am doing this is because I want you to be happy. Fox’s honor.”
Lilian exhaled a soft breath before letting herself smile.
Her sister was abrasive, rude and way too arrogant for her own good, but she was also a good person—at least to her. To other people? Not so much.
***
Kevin woke up feeling refreshed. He didn’t know how long he had slept, but he’d clearly needed it. Who knew fighting against someone who was short and had buck teeth could be so hard?
Wanting to know where he was, he opened his eyes… only to be met with another pair of eyes.
“Lilian…”
“Hey, sleepyhead.” Lilian smiled at her mate. Kevin smiled back. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. How long was I asleep for?”
“You missed first period.”
Kevin winced. “I bet Ms. Vis didn’t like that.”
“Actually, she was surprisingly concerned.” The look on Lilian’s face was half-amused, half-disturbed. “She was the one who suggested we take you to the nurse’s office.”
“Nurse’s office?” It was only after she had spoken that Kevin realized he was lying on his back, on a bed, and that they were, indeed, in the nurse’s office. How had he missed that? “And you’re saying Ms. Vis suggested you bring me here? Wait.” He stared at Lilian, confused. “We?”
That was when he noticed the other two people with them. Lindsay and Iris stood off to the side. Iris had her arms crossed under her bust, while Lindsa
y’s were clasped behind her back.
“Yo, Kevin!” Lindsay greeted him with a cheerful grin. “Glad to see you’re back in the land of the living.”
Kevin smiled uncertainly. “Um, good to be back.”
“Great, you’re awake and everybody’s happy,” Iris interrupted the moment between friends. “can we go now?”
Despite the rude words, the others decided to heed them and, together, they left the nurse’s office and traveled to their next class.
Kevin, Lilian and Iris all shared classes together. Lindsay had PE. After saying their goodbyes, they parted ways with the tomboy and headed off to their French class.
“K-Kevin!”
A squeak like that of a frightened mouse caused the group to stop. Christine stepped out from behind a locker, her hands wringing together and her cheeks stained with the color of a frozen tundra. As she walked toward them, steam poured out of her ears, and whenever one of her feet touched the ground, an icy footprint was left in its wake.
“Hey, Christine.” Kevin wondered if he should ask the girl if she was feeling alright, but then he remembered what happened the last time he asked that question and decided not to. “How are you doing this morning?”
Christine took a deep breath and tried to calm her boiling emotions. She could do this. She could.
“I-I’m… g-g-good. H-how is―I-I mean, how are you doing this, um, this m-morning?”
Damn it.
“I’m doing alright,” Kevin replied warily. There was something horrifyingly familiar about this scenario, though he didn’t know what. It made him nervous for some reason.
“R-really? T-that’s good. So, um, uh… d-did anything interesting happen, you know, recently?”
Kevin thought about telling Christine that he had started sparring Kiara’s jabronis, but then remembered how those same jabronis―or at least one of them―had beaten the crap out of him and didn’t think his pride could handle her knowing.
He shook his head. “Not really? What about you?”
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