“Pet names already? Yes, I'm listening. What about our date?” she asked.
“Did you have any special requests or would you rather I surprise you?”
“I guess it depends on what your definition of a surprise is going to be this time. Or at least give me some kind of warning so I'm not wearing my cute dress to the farm again.”
He laughed. “You had a great time.”
“But my dress didn't.” It had been completely ruined by the time they made it back. Not only did they bond with all of the animals, but it also poured rain the entire time. She did enjoy it, though. Being by the horses had especially been a treat. It'd been a long time since she'd last seen one.
“So is that a no? Do you not want to be surprised?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I'm still thinking about this.”
“Think faster.”
“You can surprise me. I trust you. I'll just make sure to keep it more casual this time in case it's something messy.” She was mostly teasing. The guy was unpredictable, though. More so these days than usual it seemed.
Anj shrugged and moved his hand down to give hers a squeeze. “If you wish, but I like when you make yourself look nice. I realize it's not usually your kind of thing to act like a girl, but I happen to think it's wonderful. You know, since I'm interested in women and all.”
“I certainly hope you are,” she teased. “I'm not a girlie girl. There's a difference. I don't mind looking nice for you, but I didn't think you wanted me to be obsessed with the latest fashion trends and gobbing thick layers of make up on my face. Imagine if all we talked about was how orange was the new pink.”
He snorted quietly. “I don't like orange as a color. It's gross. It makes me think of squash, which reminds me of squishy food and I hate the texture,” he said.
“Not my point.”
“Then to keep on topic, I also like that you don't wear a lot of makeup. Your face is soft and smooth instead of chalky like a lot of the girls here.”
“You feel other girl's faces?”
“It's not my fault they all want me, now is it?”
“Yeah, but you don't have to lead them on and—”
His eyes flashed blue and he stared into her eyes. “I haven't once touched another girl the same way I have you.”
She didn't want to break eye contact with him, but eventually the glow faded and his gaze glossed over. “Okay.”
What else could she say? Her heart beat faster and her stomach tingled with the realization that he hadn't once strayed. Broken up or not, their emotional connection was always present. It would have felt as if she were cheating on him if she'd even thought about being with anyone else. And she was happy he felt the same way.
“You know how some females are, though. They like to squish faces with you or kiss your cheeks,” he said, running a hand through his shaggy hair.
“I don't, but I'll take your word on it.”
“It's gross. And I can smell all of the junk they put on. What I meant by you looking nice is,” he paused, his hand left hers to fidget in front of his chest. “I'll just say I notice when you do something different.”
“That's a hint if I ever heard one.”
“You're beautiful all the time, but you in a dress is never something I'll complain about, a skirt even. Both show off some of your wonderful features you otherwise hide,” he shrugged.
She nodded, wondering how long she could get him to keep going and give her all of these compliments. He was so cute when he got flustered enough to ramble. But she decided to stop tormenting him. “I was talking about the surprise.”
“Oh! There isn't a dress code, but it wouldn't be inappropriate if you did decide to get a little fancy.”
“I bet I could guess where we're going based on that answer alone.”
“I'm sure you think you can, but I have a feeling you will be genuinely surprised.”
They stopped outside of Anj's next class. Mr. Thantos didn't like students chatting inside his room who didn't belong there. The bell was about to ring. Jewl wasn't concerned about being late since she had a study hall and a relaxed teacher who let juniors and seniors do homework in the dorms or the library. Of course, the teacher also had the ability to know where everyone was at any given point in time, so that helped. She'd know if Jewl was disobeying.
Anj gave her arm a squeeze. “How do you feel about Wednesday night? I know that's your short day, so you won't have as much homework. Plus town shouldn't be as busy. No sensory overloading.”
“I should be free. Going to steal Zes's license again?” she teased.
“No, he's going to take Cheyenne to a movie or two. Our conversation could take a few hours, so he's prepared a full night of activities to keep them occupied while we do our thing,” he said.
At the mention of their talk, her stomach turned. For a moment she'd forgotten all about it, and all of the drama going on in general. The distraction had been nice while it lasted. It's just one more hurdle I have to get over. I'm almost done. “Wednesday should be fine.”
“Thank you. Now I should get inside. I will see you at lunch. Unless you want to pick me up after class and we could talk with—”
“I'd rather not talk to him,” she said in a lowered voice, glancing at Mr. Thantos. Hopefully he hadn't heard her. She could see him at his desk talking with a student. The angel had superb hearing though.
Anj shrugged. “Can't blame me for trying right? I'm not sure what your current situation with The Dark is like, but—”
“I've got it managed.”
“Will you let me finish a—”
“No, I won't.”
He sighed. “Save me a seat by the window.”
She nodded, risking another glance at Mr. Thantos who was now coming to the door to usher the last stragglers of his class inside. His black eyes caught sight of Jewl and he opened his mouth just as the bell rang. Another time I guess? She raised an eyebrow, catching a slight nod of his head before a gloved hand pulled Anj further into the room. Then the door closed, and she was left in silence. Maybe I'm not off the hook after all. But neither of them can make me talk. And neither of them would have approved of what she was doing. What they didn't know wouldn't hurt them.
She walked through the hallway to go to the library. There was reading to be done. On her way, she spotted Teague. He entered the library shortly before she did, and didn't seem to notice her even though he walked right by, unless he was ignoring her. She'd made sure to stay out of his way since they’d returned home, more for her sanity than anything. By then, though she was worried about him, and didn't understand why.
Discreetly she followed him through the library. The boy picked out a book from the spirituality section, grabbed another from mythology, and one more from children's fiction. He then went and found a quiet corner on the upper floor to sit in, right next to a window. Sunlight spilled onto his face and he seemed to be soaking it in when she took a seat across from him. Briefly, he glanced her way before looking back outside.
“Hi,” Teague whispered after a few minutes of silence passed. She hadn't wanted to make the first move. Why was she so afraid?
“How've you been?” She paused, deciding to ask the question that was really on her mind. “Did something happen that I don't know about? You know, when we went to…”
He shook his head, “No. Everyone there was nice to me. Your sister is… forward… but she didn't hurt me. And she didn't try to push me too hard, either. I actually like her. She's a good person.”
“Then why have you been acting so strange? Even for you.”
“I had a dream. In it were more answers about me, but I'm trying to figure out what they are. It happened on the ride back, and I saw so many things. A lot of them were scary.” He rubbed at his arms slowly and shivered.
“But they gave you answers? What kind?” Perhaps if she could get him to focus on the good aspects of the dream, he would be less withdrawn. Teague being unsettled reminded her a
lot of when a dog could sense danger. It made her nervous. While she wasn't necessarily superstitious she was a firm believer of the power of intuition, especially when her own was so poor.
He continued to stare out the window for a few more minutes before looking into her eyes and smiling. Why did she recognize that smile? Where had she seen it before? Something about him seemed so familiar.
“I came here because of my family. That much I was able to figure out. They sent me away,” he said.
“Are you from far away?”
“I think so. It's hard to be sure, but it feels like it is. At the same time, all of this feels like I've been here before. I don't get lost in the school. Isn't that strange?”
“You might have a good memory.” Though it was a little odd. Vala wasn't a big school by any means, but the numbering of the rooms could be a little tricky sometimes as well as finding some of the other buildings on campus. He'd been there for long enough to figure his way around, right? So it didn't sound too out of the ordinary.
“Maybe, but something feels wrong. I was brought here… well, no… I was brought to another town. I told you about that, right? How the people wanted to hurt me because of my magic and—”
“The woman with the hair like mine saved you. Yes, I remember. Then she pawned you off on me.”
“I don't think I understand.”
“You don't need to. Continue. What else did your dream tell you?”
“There was darkness. It's still trying to find me and hurt me. I'm not sure what I did, but the Dark is angry with me.”
“This isn't anything new. Hate to break it to you.”
“I'm getting there. Please be patient. It's all a little fuzzy still and hard to figure out.” He sighed.
She noticed he'd grown up some over the weekend. Teague had gone from acting like a pathetic twelve-year-old to a not-quite-so-pathetic fourteen-year-old. What would he be like when he actually acted his age? She began to clutch the straps of her purse tightly as she listened to him, eager to hear what else he had to say.
He continued. “I saw you. My dream said you were the answer that was going to send me home again. You're why she brought me here, and this is going to sound silly, but I feel like I know you, too. It's similar to how I feel about this place,” he said.
She nodded, “You're right. It is kind of stupid, but I'm sure there's an explanation as to why your brain is making all of these associations between me and comfort. Maybe because I'm the first person you saw here.”
Jewl refused to admit that he could possibly be on to something. Maybe when things with her family cooled down again, she could help him on his soul-searching quest. Right then, she had more than enough to deal with. She wanted to understand, too, because she was feeling more drawn to him each day that passed. Not in a desirable way, but there was something bonding them.
“You weren't, but I guess it might be because she saved me and you remind me a lot of her. Do you know who she is?”
“Yes.”
“Can you tell me? I'd like to know. She's so kind and nice and pretty.”
Jewl cringed. Hearing compliments about her mother always gave her the shivers. Aphrodite had many mindless minions, most of them men, who worshiped the ground she walked on. Whenever someone said anything good about her, all Jewl could think about was how one more fell victim to the woman's charms. She couldn't tell if Teague was one of those unlucky people. He spoke so highly of her, but he didn't do so with the usual glossed over and dopey look most of Aphrodite's slaves had.
He pressed her again when she didn't answer him right away. “Who is she?”
“My mother,” Jewl said, trying to act as if this wasn't a big deal.
A grin spread across his face. “I think I get it now.”
I bet you do. She forced a smile on her face. “Finish telling me about your dream.”
“It started with me being in a dark place. I could hear the voices of my family and they said: 'Go where you belong'. Then a light glowed and I was back in the middle of the town. The Dark came and instead of the bad clouds falling from the sky it was a huge black beast. It told me to go home. I said I didn't know how. Then the monster said it would torment me every weekend until I figured it out. And when his time was up, mine would be also. Everything became cold and I was surrounded by nothing. I'd never felt so hopeless and lost before in my life. Just as I was about to give up, the outline of a door shining in blue sparklies appeared and when I turned the knob, you were the first thing I saw. Then my alarm clock went off.”
There was a lot to absorb. As much as she wanted to tell him he'd probably only eaten a bad piece of cheese before going to bed, she couldn't discredit the power behind each element of his dream. Not with the Dark stalking them both.
“I see why you think it's disturbing,” she said at last.
He nodded, chewing on his lower lip. “Sparkles said not to take everything so literally. It's a dream and they're supposed to be… I can't remember the word she used to describe it, but she said it means when something means different than what you think.”
“Symbolic?” Jewl sighed, disappointed at how he was beginning to revert back to his child-like behavior.
“Maybe. I'm not sure. As much as I want to believe her, I don't know if I can. Parts of it, maybe. But the blue door was giving me a message. This part I know for sure because it made my stomach feel smooth and silky. That's what truth feels like. Did you know that? Makes me think of peanut butter.”
So weird. But she nodded anyway, wanting to encourage him to sort his issues out. Maybe the child in him came out as a defense mechanism? He'd be tolerable if he got over his problems, possibly. Although he was slowly starting to grow on her, she'd never admit it out loud.
Teague stared at her, and once more she looked into that all too familiar but unidentifiable gaze before he went back to looking out the window. “I think you can see why it bugged me so much.”
“Yes, I can.” She sympathized with that much.
“And I know why I'm here. I hope to be able to make it back home again soon. You will help me right? To figure it out?”
Jewl rubbed her forehead. She'd been hoping he wouldn't flat-out ask her. “We'll see. Not to be mean, but I'm not good with this puzzle-solving stuff anyway. You should talk to Anj or Mr. Thantos. Dreams and all things cryptic are their specialty. Especially if it involves the Dark.”
“I don't think they like me much. That's the angel and the seer right?”
“If that's what you want to call them, sure. But they have names. I also bet they like you more than you think. Even if they didn't, if you ask nicely they'll be able to help a lot more than me.”
She knew Anj well enough to know he wouldn't turn the boy away. Teague might get picked on a little bit, but he'd still get what he needed. Mr. Thantos she couldn't say much about, but he helped Anj with his nightmares. Since he’s a teacher, she didn't think he was allowed to turn anyone away. His job was to help the students as much as possible. She sighed when it dawned on her that she was pawning the boy off onto someone else, just like her mother had.
He's not my responsibility, though, and he never was. So I'm better than her. She almost believed it until she saw how crushed Teague was. His frown was so sad, and his eyes stared down at the floor. Were there tears even? Was he going to cry? If he broke down, she'd have to get up and walk away.
“It was an idea,” she said. For whatever reason, she felt the need to back-peddle and justify herself to him. Why did this boy affect her like this? Not even Anj made her want to do those things.
“I know, thank you. I appreciate the suggestion. They're mean to me though, and I don't understand why. Did I do something wrong?”
“Anj is probably jealous. Mr. Thantos always comes off as a big mean guy.”
“Oh. Why would he be jealous?” he lifted his eyes up.
“Because you're spending time with me.”
“Is he the one you love who made you sad before?�
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“Yes.”
“One of those things. I think I understand. I feel something similar when I see other boys talking to Sparkles.” He nodded as though he actually did get what she was saying. This was as good of a time as any to change the subject. Anything to keep them from talking about her and Anj.
Jewl gave him a small smile. “And who exactly is Sparkles?”
“That's the name I use for um…” He paused. His eyes rolled upward and his tongue stuck out as he scratched at his chin. “Halo? She's in my Algebra class and lives with Purple Flowers. You know, the girl who dates Z is for horns?”
It took a moment for Jewl to understand what any of that meant. The only clue she had was her previous conversation with him about Zes. Then all of the connections were made. “You mean Halyn?”
“Yes, her!”
“You're bad with names aren't you?”
“I'm bad with remembering,” he said.
“You'll get better with it.”
He sighed. “Maybe. I think it's easier not to, though. It's scary sometimes.”
“I thought you couldn't go back until you did?”
“I can't.”
She nodded, now finally starting to figure out the inner workings of his mind. He's doing it on purpose. He has to be. The only explanation she could think of was that the boy was too afraid to dive into his memories. Whatever had happened, whatever was going on in his head, must have been horrible enough for him to want to block it out so badly. Especially, if it meant keeping him from his home. But was that a place he even wanted to be to begin with? She wasn't sure. Whatever the reasons, it was his prerogative. Who was she to force him to do anything?
“So you like Halyn?” Jewl changed gears again. He gave a slight nod and went back to glancing out the window.
“She's nice,” he whispered.
“I'll give you that much.” Another word she would use to describe the girl was obnoxious, but too much sunshine from any one person rubbed her the wrong way. Halyn's patience and kindness would be a good match for Teague. He certainly needed a lot of it. If he annoyed Jewl so much, she wondered how people who were more caring felt. More often than not, the irritation others provided was minimal. He was like getting a brain freeze from a slushie. It hurt, but she still found herself going back for more. Besides, if he had someone else willing to give him time, attention and help, then he might not rely so much on her. It was win-win for them both.
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