by C. J. Anaya
“Not necessarily,” he said shifting in his seat. I cringed inside, knowing I was aware of every move he made. I fought the urge to look back as he spoke to me.
“I think the sea monster is more of a reference to ugliness on the outside but beauty on the inside. You know, like beauty and the beast. It always makes me happy to see an ugly guy with a beautiful girl. Nine times out of ten she’s with him because of how beautiful he is on the inside and how good he is to her.”
The room seemed to breathe out one huge, collective sigh as Tie weaved his mind-numbing spell over every female present.
Was this a teenage boy speaking? What guy, drop dead gorgeous mind you, discussed the superiority of an ugly man dating a beautiful woman? Didn’t a gorgeous and conceited teenage boy’s lack of maturity forbid such adult musings?
“So you think the arrows and cherry blossoms of this world are righting the wrongs of mistakes made by misguided women who aren’t capable of choosing for themselves?” I asked spinning around to face Tie directly. Big mistake. His cold eyes froze me with their intensity, and he actually looked a little angry.
“I suppose it’d be better for someone to fall in love with a total jerk instead of having a life full of true happiness?” His tone was caustic.
“That’s not what I’m saying. I just think these little toys those gods are playing with take away a person’s options. With no will of your own you can’t possibly be master of your own feelings.” Tie appraised me coolly.
“I can think of other things that take away a person’s ability to choose. For example, arranged marriages don’t give anyone the opportunity for a person to love who they were meant to.”
“Tie,” Ms. Mori warned.
I glanced at Ms. Mori. She appeared a little angry with that last comment, and the look they shared revealed a long history filled with tension. I knew he was referring to the maiden in the Japanese tale, but for some reason I got the feeling his words were also directed toward me. They filled me with a strange sense of déjà vu. I heard a buzzing in my ears and felt lightheaded. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before, and all the while Tie’s intense glare skewered me to my seat. “There are a lot of things that could take away a person’s ability to decide who they want to be with.” I spoke stiffly now. I was afraid any show of emotion would lead to another show of emotion much more embarrassing.
“Wouldn’t you rather have a god who knows what’s best for you, direct you to the one who’d give you the most happiness?”
“I’d rather leave my fate in my own hands,” I shot back. I was vulnerable and a bit out of sorts. I couldn’t account for my own feelings and decided to blame everything on Tie since he was the only inconsistency in my very predictable high school career. This was the part of my life that was normal. I didn’t want any of that turned upside down.
“As if you or any other human being could choose better than a deity,” Tie scoffed condescendingly.
What’s with this kid?
“I know if you were a god I’d let you choose for me any day,” yelled Tanya Sedgewick from the front of the class effectively breaking the tension between Tie and myself. I heard people snickering, and the school bell rang.
“We’ll continue this discussion tomorrow, class. Don’t forget to read chapter five for your homework. I want you to be prepared when you get in here tomorrow.” Ms. Mori kept her eyes glued to me as I slowly raised myself out of my hard, cold chair. I was definitely feeling a bit dizzy, but the pressure in my head had diminished somewhat.
I went to take a step forward, but must have been more lightheaded than I’d realized because my traitorous knees buckled under my own weight. An arm shot out in front of me and caught me before I hit the floor.
I knew who my savior was and looked up apprehensively. Tie wore an amused expression on his face.
“If you want to be in charge of your own fate, you should start by standing on your own two feet.”
I decided right then and there that I did not like this guy.
Moving forward, I brazenly closed the distance between us, and brought my face directly in front of his. Okay, so I had to look up a few inches. Still, I was pretty close. An electric buzz began where Tie’s hand grasped my arm, and I panicked as it began sliding up towards my shoulder. I was almost certain he felt it too by the quick flicker of surprise on his face.
“Thanks for catching me, Tie was it? I think I can take it from here.” I moved to walk past him, but his hand on my arm prevented me from getting very far.
“What? Did you need something?” The heat from his hand burned through my long-sleeved shirt. I schooled my face to show no emotion, simply polite indifference.
Instead of answering my questions, he lifted his hand and rubbed a thumb along my cheekbone. His gaze greedily drank in my features, poring over every detail with such a powerful longing that I could sense his turbulent emotions even though I hadn’t connected with him. I wanted to brush his hand away, but I stood frozen at such intimate contact. My brain refused to communicate with my body.
“Tie,” Ms. Chinatsu said.
Without taking his gaze from mine he said, “We’re supposed to determine if circumstances have changed, aren’t we? I’m just testing the waters here.”
What? Testing the waters?
“That’s not what Katsu had in mind, and we’re not even sure if your assumptions are accurate.” Her tone of voice brokered no argument.
His expression immediately adjusted to her response. A blank mask descended, and he released his hold on me. Though he appeared indifferent his emotions spoke otherwise. Yep, I could still feel them, and yes, I was freaking out about it. What’s worse, I was just as disappointed by the aborted contact as he seemed to be.
I shook myself a little and stepped back, wondering if the last few moments had even happened. Maybe my hallucinations were now effecting my interactions with others.
“Okay, that was unusual,” I mustered. Tie gifted me a small grin.
“I was hoping for a little more encouragement than that.” Though he was clearly teasing me, he also sounded a bit serious. At a loss as to how to handle this bizarre situation, I stuck my hand out.
“My name is Hope Fairmont,” I said.
His smile widened as he took my hand in his. I did my best to ignore my body’s reaction to the contact. “I know who you are, Hope.”
Okay, now that was definitely bizarre.
I must have stood there for a full five seconds with my mouth hanging open like an imbecile before Angie came to my rescue.
“How awesome—and somewhat creepy--that you’ve taken the liberty of memorizing the names of your classmates before your first day of school.” Angie inserted herself between us and pulled my hand away while wrapping an arm around my shoulder. “We’ll let your stalkerish behavior slide since you’re so nice to look at. I’m Angie.”
Tie let out a low chuckle and then shook her hand.
“Nice to meet you.”
The moment their hands made contact I noticed Angie freeze. Her gaze grew distant like she was seeing something other than the hot guy standing before her. Complete and total shock registered across her face and then she was pushing me forward at a pace that practically required me to run.
As we stepped out of the classroom, I heard Ms. Mori utter, “Well, that was a complete and total disaster, Tie. Are you trying to scare her?”
I paused just next to the door, and Angie stopped with me. We both tilted our heads to better hear the conversation.
“We don’t have time to mess around with this, and I don’t need to prove anything to you. It’s her. I promise you, it’s Hope,” Tie said.
The sound of his voice, even from this distance, had the power to make me shiver. Why did it sound so familiar?
“How can you be sure?”
“I just am.”
“Not good enough, Tie.”
“It will have to be.”
Angie and I waited a few more m
oments, but nothing else was said. The crowd had thinned enough that I felt it okay to lead Angie down the hallway.
I contemplated the possible meanings behind this strange encounter, and I did not like the conclusions I came to. My breathing became ragged, and my heart rate picked up speed. They’d found me, just as I feared they might. Of course, I had no idea who “they” were, but obviously I’d been under surveillance, and now crazy people from the government were after me.
Or I was reading into things and getting worked up over nothing. Maybe what Tie needed was one amazing Calculus tutor. I was definitely known for my nerd-like math skills throughout the high school. It was why I found Math so boring. Far too easy.
When he said, It’s her, he probably meant, She’s the one who’s going to get me an A on my next exam.
“That entire thing was so weird,” I stated, trying to pull Angie out of her unusual silence.
“He’s just like you,” she mumbled. “I’ve never run into anyone else like you.”
I stopped walking and pulled her to face me. “Angie, what are you talking about?”
Surprise blossomed across her face, as if she’d momentarily forgotten my presence. Then she mustered up a fake smile and said, “Oh, I was just thinking how into you he is. You should definitely get to know this guy.”
“Why would I want to do that? The guy was creepy and arrogant.” I hoped she might open up a little and let me know what she was actually thinking.
“He was also extremely hot. Your virgin lips status is about to change,” she cheered.
I’d lost her. Better luck next time.
“I gotta get to class. Will you be okay or do you need me to block traffic?”
Angie shook her head and gave my arm a squeeze. “The bell is about to ring so I should be fine. I’ll see you at lunch.”
She headed in the other direction as I wondered what was really going on in that quirky brain of hers. Then I puzzled over the scene in Ms. Mori’s class as I made my way to Calculus.
Chapter Five
The rest of my day continued on its abnormal path. After mythology, I navigated my way to the second floor in order to reach my math class.
I’d never realized how crowded my school was. I did everything possible to avoid coming into contact with my fellow students, but found that it was nearly impossible to accomplish such a seemingly simple task.
I was inches from the door to calculus when three people managed to bump into me at the same time. I felt my senses expand outward and froze as I connected with all three students at the same time. A hot, searing pain shot from the back of my skull to the front, effectively dropping me to my knees. I grabbed my head in an attempt to keep it from falling off my neck.
Logically, I knew losing my head wasn’t even a remote possibility, but the intense, throbbing pain insisted otherwise. As far as I could tell, none of the students I’d just connected with had been experiencing such a severe migraine.
Is this headache mine?
I put one hand on the floor and gingerly pushed myself up into a standing position. The movement caused the agony I was feeling to morph into nauseating dizziness. I could feel myself sinking to the ground again and braced for impact.
It never came.
Instead of hitting the hard linoleum floor, I felt two hands grab me under my arms and lift me to my feet. It wasn’t done roughly, but my nausea couldn’t tell the difference.
“You all right? Are you sick?”
I nodded as the dizziness I suffered from ebbed away. Two more deep breaths and the nausea vanished as well. I opened my eyes and saw a fuzzy image of colors and patterns across the shirt of a nicely formed young man. I focused in on the shirt in front of me, thinking if I followed the patterns of blue and gray swirls on the guy’s chest I’d be able to look up without getting dizzy again.
“I’m not sick. I never get sick,” I protested.
“Well, that‘s a relief. This is a new shirt, and I’d hate for you to throw up on it.”
His voice was playful and soothing. It helped me gain control of myself. Slowly, the patterns on his shirt came into focus. I felt my own life force correct whatever it was that had happened to my body and nearly cried in relief. The warmth of his hands resting on either side of my waist confused me.
Why didn’t contact with him allow me immediate access to his life force as it had the others? I decided to be grateful that my gift had behaved normally for a change.
I looked up hesitantly, feeling embarrassed for drawing so much attention to myself. The eyes that met mine were startlingly familiar. They reminded me of Tie’s, but where his were cold and intimidating, these eyes were warm and inviting. I explored the rest of his face which was open and unassuming. He had jet black hair that hung just below his ears. It was so black that parts of it looked as if it had been streaked with purple. His six foot frame towered over me. He looked like some kind of gladiator who’d decided to borrow some clothes from a high school preppy. His friendly eyes were almond shaped, and his facial features hinted of Asian ancestry.
“I’ve never seen you around here before. Are you new?”
I wanted to smack myself on the forehead. Out of all the things I could have said to try and fix this messy first impression I’d given him, stating the obvious wasn’t the most brilliant way to go about it. His smile spread slowly across his face and lighted his beautiful brown eyes. His grip around my waist tightened, and I could feel the strength in his hands as they continued their firm, almost possessive hold on me. I kind of liked it.
“I’m new,” he agreed softly.
“Oh.”
Face palm.
Oh? Seriously? I am so stinking articulate.
I was definitely doing some mental cringing on my own behalf. I watched in fascination as the warm smile that had been there moments before straightened out into this strange look of longing…or was it hunger or maybe it was even euphoria? I couldn’t tell for sure, but I was definitely the focus of these intense emotions that flashed in quick succession across his face.
“Is it really you?” he asked almost desperately.
It’s me if you’re interested.
I was so happy I hadn’t said that out loud. Not only were my thoughts a shock to me, but they were bordering on that fine line between embarrassing and humiliating.
“Were you looking for someone in particular?” I asked, hoping to cover my social awkwardness.
“You guys know you’re blocking the doorway, right?” a fellow student threw over his shoulder as he continued on into the classroom.
I glanced up at the mysterious newcomer again only to find he was still watching me. It was like he was afraid I might disappear.
“Well, I should probably get to class,” I said, feeling a bit reluctant to leave him standing there. “Thank you for helping me. I’m not usually so fragile.” I turned to enter the classroom, but stopped when I felt his hand touch my shoulder.
“I’m in this class too. Do you mind if I sit by you? I don’t usually make friends that easily.”
I highly doubt that.
The guy looked like a well-muscled Abercrombie model, and for some strange reason he was still talking to me.
“Of course you can sit by me.” I caught myself grinning up at him like an idiot. I turned around and led the way into the classroom, heading for the back where it would be easier to find two empty desks next to each other. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Victor.” He sat down in the desk next to mine and continued his unflinching stare.
I was certain there was nothing that interesting about me.
“I’m Hope.” I reached my hand out to shake his.
His warm hand closed firmly over mine, but instead of releasing it like any normal human being he simply held onto it.
“I know who you are, Hope.”
His statement resonated within me. Somehow he really did know who I was. I got the feeling he knew more about me than I did. Just one more thi
ng to add to my list of strange and crazy. I tried covering my surprise with some flirtatious teasing. Something I had absolutely no experience in.
“You know, you’re the second new guy who’s said that to me today? Did you two get together and come up with the same pick-up lines?”
Victor’s hand tightened on mine, and his face became very serious.
“Someone else just moved here recently?” I could tell the euphoria he’d been feeling was being replaced by an emotion not nearly so pleasant.
“His name is Tie,” I said trying to appear as if I hadn’t noticed the change in his demeanor. “Apparently, he lives across the street from my best friend’s house. He seemed to know who I was as well.” With every word I spoke the look in his eyes became stormier. The tension he exuded at the mention of Tie’s name was palpable. Victor still had my hand in his, but it was obvious that his thoughts were somewhere else. “Victor? You okay? Do you have some kind of bad history with this guy?”
My questions seemed to jar him from his angry thoughts, but the smile that he tried to plaster on his face didn’t reach his eyes.
“You could say that.” His reply was cryptic. “Tie is my cousin. I knew he intended to move here. I just didn’t know he’d manage to do it before I did.”
I had no idea how to respond to such a strange statement. If I had a cousin and knew I would be moving to the same place that he was moving to, I was pretty sure I would’ve been thrilled. I was also pretty sure I’d know whether or not my cousin had actually made the move in the first place. And what was with the competition? Was Victor really upset about not moving here first?
It was weird. This whole day had been weird.
I wanted to ask him more questions about himself and his cousin, but Mr. Mathers decided that right about then was a good time to start class. I pulled my hand out of Victor’s, and reached into my backpack for my calculus book.
“What did he say to you?” Although the question he asked came out soft and low, the urgency in it was unmistakable.
“Who? Tie?” I sat up straight. Victor’s gaze felt like a laser beam gluing me to my seat. It was obvious my answer to his question was very important to him.