Pigtails glanced from Darien back to Logan before turning and running after him, taking his arm. Four Eyes slunk away and the Japanese girl gave a black glower. Big Scary hocked a big one, spat, then turned and strolled away also.
Logan watched after them for a minute, then eased himself into a sitting position and tried to will the throbbing in his midsection to go away.
* * * *
“We’d like to file a complaint!”
Willow turned with a bewildered expression as the door of her office burst open and Aki barreled in, followed by the rest of the group she had assigned to Logan. She suppressed a groan, afraid of where this was going to go. “Already?” she questioned. “It’s only been a week since you got here.”
“Who is the jerk you assigned us to?” Darien questioned. “For real, what kind of jacked up joke are you trying to play on us?”
Willow sat down against the edge of her desk. “I know, guys. I’m sorry…”
“Where did you find him anyway?” Colt persisted. “He’s awful!”
“He tried to make us shoot a deer!” Aki shouted. “And then he yelled at us all today and called us childish, ridiculous freaks!”
Willow raised her eyebrows.
“He’s a douche bag!” Colt cried.
“Yeah, and then Darien socked him in the gut!” Doug blurted.
Willow’s eyes widened and she stood straight. “Darien what?”
The unanimous tirade stopped and Darien sighed, letting his shoulders slump. “Yeah, I kinda belted him. He was making fun of us!”
Willow frowned. “It doesn’t matter what he was doing, Darien. He’s your counselor. Nothing gives you the authority to behave like that. Violence never solves anything.”
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and said nothing.
“Get rid of him!” Aki demanded.
“I can’t!” Willow exclaimed. “I’m forced against my will to have him here for the summer.”
“Why?” Lucy questioned.
She heaved a weary sigh. “He was assigned here for community service instead of a jail sentence.”
“Jail—Great!” Colt cried, throwing his hands up into the air. “Not only is he a douche bag, but he’s a felon!”
“Why did you stick him with us?” Darien asked. “The guy’s a complete nightmare. This is my last summer here and he’s totally wrecking it.”
“I stuck you with him because I knew that, out of everyone, you five could handle him. If nothing else, I knew you would be fine entertaining yourselves if you had to. I didn’t have a choice, and like it or not, even though I view you as my friends, I’m still your teacher and head counselor. What I say goes and you have no choice but to obey my rules.”
Darien let out an exasperated huff and pushed the door open with a bang as he retreated. “This friggin’ blows.”
The rest of the group trudged after him.
Willow’s eyes met Doug’s as he was lagging behind. “I’m really sorry,” she said. “My hands are tied.”
Doug averted his eyes to the ground and sighed. “But he’s such a loser.” He turned slowly and made his way out after his friends.
Willow heaved a sigh and sat down in her desk chair. Logan Savage was a thorn in her side. He was conceited, rude and now had her students punching people. That was great. She had enough mayhem, chaos and violence in her life. She didn’t need it to be made worse by a criminal with a chip on his shoulder.
“Dang, Sis, what was all that about?”
Willow whirled in her chair to look at the tall, sandy-haired vision of her brother. “Tiyenen,” she murmured. She frowned. “How the heck did you get in here?”
He raised his eyebrows playfully. “I have my ways.”
She gave a dry laugh. “Yeah, ways that would get you arrested in the modern world. What’s going on?” She got out of her chair and turned to face him.
“Just checking up on you. Everyone’s been concerned since you haven’t come to see us in awhile. I told them I would visit and report back to them.”
Willow smiled. “How are things at home? Quiet, I hope?”
He put his hands in the pockets of his tan slacks and nodded. “For now.” “No one has heard any news about where Cyrcinus is?”
He shook his head. “Not since her last attempt at an attack. As far as I know, after we were able to get Hector out of her clutches, she went back into hiding, no doubt to plot her next move.” Tiyenen shook his head. “Hector didn’t tell her any information… Even though she tortured him for hours before we could get to him. She still doesn’t know where our people are…” He swallowed and looked down. “Hector died, though. As soon as we got him home.”
Willow looked away as tears burned behind her eyes. “He was always so loyal.” She jumped as a harsh knock sounded on her door and she motioned Tiyenen into her bathroom.
Tiyenen frowned. “Why do I have to hide?”
She shoved him in. “Because humans are about as trustworthy as our enemies are. You have pointed ears, T. Think that might raise some questions?”
His frown deepened as he touched the tip of one of his ears. “Okay, ouch, way to point out my insecurities, Willow. It’s not my fault that Grandpa was part elf and I just happened to get his genetic makeup.”
She rolled her eyes and shoved him in further so she could close the door. “Shut up and stay put.” She turned away from the bathroom right as Logan entered her office without even bothering to wait for her consent. He was scowling. She closed her eyes for a moment, counted to ten, sighed, and put her hands on her hips as she faced him. “What do you want? It’s rude to just barrel into someone’s office without waiting for approval.”
Chapter Five
Logan ignored Willow’s scornful tone and continued into the room. He couldn’t decide if he was pissed off or actually hurt. He’d been on his way to her cabin at the same time the kids had been on their mission to verbally assault him and they’d gotten there a half second before him. He’d waited around the side and had heard everything the kids had said about him through the open window. It was strange how being called a loser had made his heart feel funny in his chest. He wasn’t the sort of person who cared what other people thought about him, but having a tiny, pipsqueak geek of a kid call him a loser just plain stung.
He jerked his thumb in the direction of the door. “Why did that kid call me a loser?” he grumbled.
Willow shrugged her slender shoulders. “Must have been what he thought.” She arched an eyebrow. “I’m sure calling them all childish, ridiculous freaks had something to do with it.”
Logan let out something resembling a growl. “Did they fail to mention what kind of torture they’ve put me though over the last few days? One of them tried to burn down the forest and I thought they were going to put me in an early grave the day we went rafting. They all kept falling out of the boat! Not to mention one of them bludgeoned me with trail mix in a sock!” He pointed to his head. “And then today they just kept yammering on and on about stupid crap that doesn’t matter! Oh yeah, right before the leader of the pack decided to wail on me!”
Her face remained impassive. “I’m impressed you didn’t hit him back. You are, after all, notorious for your fists.”
He met her eyes in confusion. Why did she keep taking stabs at him like that? What was with all of these people? Did they really view him as the bad guy? What the crap had he ever done to them? He snorted. “I don’t understand why you enable those kids. They should be learning valuable things. Not filling their heads with nonsense about dragon myths and Star Wars. I mean, I liked the movies as much as the next guy, but they’re not real!”
She folded her arms. “Let me ask you something, Mr. Savage? Do you think that the Star Wars realm was real to George Lucas? That man had to have lived and breathed that world. What about J.R.R. Tolkien? He created a masterpiece that made the man a literary immortal. I’d bet anything he lived and breathed his world. There is nothing wrong with creativity and ther
e is nothing wrong with liking fantasy, even if it’s stupid to you. You have no right to try and tell anyone what to like and what not to like.” She waved her hand in aggravation and frowned. “These kids are gifted in so many things and you don’t even bother to see it! All you see are a bunch of nerds that people like you probably would have pantsed and shoved into lockers in high school while you and your stupid jock friends had a good laugh! You think Bill Gates was popular in school? Well I bet all the jocks that shoved him into lockers aren’t laughing now! What about Tim Burton? He’s a little out there, isn’t he? Too bad he’s completely famous! Or what about Stephen King?”
Logan blinked in bewilderment as Willow became more and more impassioned.
“You have no right to judge other people, Mr. Savage. You don’t know what anyone’s potential is.” Her eyes narrowed and she came up close to him so she could stare him straight in the eye. “You want to know what makes me sick? Men like you thinking they’re so big and so bad when, really, all they’re doing is making fools out of themselves.”
Logan frowned. “What are you talking about? I’m successful in life! I have a good job and—”
“And you got arrested for attacking an officer of the law in a bar, probably while you were completely smashed! Yeah, that’s really mature. Shows your level of success, doesn’t it, having a criminal record? And it soooo shows your level of manhood to insult a bunch of teenagers.” She rolled her eyes. “Does it make you feel powerful to make a child feel small?”
He took a step back as if she’d actually hit him. She should have for the way waves of hurt suddenly washed over him. It was an odd reaction, unlike him, but he felt it all the same. Her gaze was calm, but held so much fire he swore he could feel his flesh melt.
“You can think you’re as all that as you want, Mr. Savage, but you’re not king of the mountain here. You’re just an annoying insect that won’t go away. You can keep pretending you’re God’s gift to the world, but know that, when you’re back is turned, everyone here is laughing at you.” She waved her hand and turned, dismissing him.
Logan stared at her for a minute, completely and totally speechless. He lowered his gaze to the ground and furrowed his brown in confusion, then turned on his heel and left the room, slamming the door behind him. He didn’t even know what to think, or what to feel. He’d never in his whole life had someone hand him his butt on a plate like that. She honestly, truly loathed his very existence. She thought he was a loser too…
“Do you want to grow up to be a loser, boy? Is that what you want? To be a pansy? Grow some balls! No man of merit winces when he’s in pain, or shivers when he’s cold! No man ever cries! Stupid boy…”
Logan squeezed his eyes shut at the unwanted voice and the memory of a sharp, stinging pain across his shoulders. He shook his head to dispel it and headed towards his cabin, his carefully shielded emotions in turmoil for the first time in years.
* * * *
“Who was that guy?” Tiyenen asked, easing himself out of the bathroom.
Willow flopped down in her chair and huffed. “Some stupid guy I’m stuck with for the summer.”
Tiyenen leaned against Willow’s desk and gave a thoughtful frown. “I like him.”
Her eyes bulged and she stared up at her brother. “Are you out of your mind?”
He shook his head. “No… I dunno. There was something about him that seemed…” He shrugged. “I’m not sure. Something in his eyes.”
She frowned. “How do you know? You were in the bathroom!”
“I was peeking.”
She rolled her eyes.
He looked down at her. “I mean it, Sis. There’s something about him that seems…” He cleared his throat. “Well, seems like a…warrior?”
She stared up at him for a moment, then scowled. “Have you been doing pixie dust again?”
Tiyenen snorted in disgust. “No! Come on, Willow! You know I gave that stuff up! I mean it! I like him…” He slid a sly look in her direction. “You should get to know him better.” He raised a mischievous eyebrow and smirked.
Willow almost gagged. “All right, that’s it.” She stood and shoved her brother towards the door. “Family time is over. Go home.”
He laughed. “Aw come on, Willow, don’t be like that.”
She continued to bully him towards the door. “When you start telling me I need to ‘get to know’ the worst possible human being on the planet, it’s time for you to leave.”
He laughed again. “I’m serious!”
“So am I.” She pushed him through the door and shut it, then ran her fingers through her hair and let out a long, slow breath. She collapsed back into her chair and put her head in her hands. She was tired of all of this petty drama that Logan Savage was creating. She had more important things to concentrate on. A wicked woman with a vendetta was threatening to annihilate her entire race. She didn’t have time to deal with a guy who had a small penis problem, or whatever the heck his deal was. It didn’t matter that she could tell he put on such a harsh front to obviously cover over his own insecurities about himself. A jerk was a jerk was a jerk… And her brother was totally out of his mind. Logan Savage was the farthest thing from a warrior she had ever seen.
* * * *
Aside from the fact that he really didn’t want to be there, Logan couldn’t deny that his surroundings were beautiful. The camp was right next to a dense forest and the presence of it made a tiny bit of peace steal into his soul. The entire camp was situated on top of a hill and the forest lay just down a small incline. Currently, that was where he sat, at the edge of the hill, staring into the trees and trying to force all of the slashing remarks he’d received that day out of his mind. For some reason, he couldn’t do it. Usually he could. He’d long ago mastered the art of letting people’s words bounce off of him. He had a skin thicker than armor… But he couldn’t shake the dismal feeling that Willow’s words had given him.
He was a no nonsense sort of person. He wasn’t fanciful, wasn’t a dreamer. He was a man of action; he liked conquests. He’d never had time or room in his life for things like fantasy. It was useless to indulge yourself in things like that when there was work to be done and things to accomplish. He’d always thought it was sensible thinking, practical… Was everyone at the camp really laughing at him like he laughed at them? To them, was he the freak? He didn’t know what to do with that.
“Hey, what are you doing out here?”
Logan looked over his shoulder to see Pigtails—Lucy—standing there with curiosity in her eyes. He scowled. “I’m thinking,” he grumbled. “Aren’t I allowed to do that in this stupid place?”
“Sure,” she replied simply. She said nothing for a few seconds, then plopped down next to him.
He frowned and looked over at her. “What are you doing?”
She gave him a level stare, then arched an eyebrow. “I’m sitting down. Aren’t I allowed to do that?”
A small smile tugged at his lips without his permission and he gave a nod. He sighed and looked back at the trees.
Lucy sighed. “Darien shouldn’t have hit you,” she said. “I’ve never seen him get upset like that before.”
Logan shrugged one shoulder. “Ah, well, I guess I deserved it. Kinda messed up to go off like that on a bunch of kids… Pretty immature on my part, I guess.”
Lucy stole a sidelong glance at him and chewed on her bottom lip. “You know,” she said slowly, “it’s not like we’re living in these alternate dream worlds. We live regular lives. We do regular things. Like Colt, he’s actually student body president at his school.”
Logan couldn’t suppress his surprise.
Lucy smirked. “Yeah, he actually has a lot of charisma. People like him because he likes himself and he’s fine with being different. People are attracted to his confidence. Then Aki and Doug, they’re honor students… So’s Darien. And during school, I volunteer at a nursing home.”
Logan looked over at her. Was she serious? She was six
teen years old and was able to do work like that? Izzie had tried doing that once while she was in college and had come home crying all the time. She’d said it took a special kind of person to be able to do that kind of work.
“We’re all pretty used to being made fun of. It kind of comes with the territory. People see different and all they want to do is stereotype you. Put you in a category. Like, people see you and label you jerk, right? Or player? Or jock?”
A very unwanted shiver went up Logan’s spine at Lucy’s astute assessment and he clamped his mouth shut, not wanting to admit, and not wanting her to know, that she was right.
It didn’t matter. She seemed to know anyway. She smiled. “Darien can’t stand being put into a category and labeled. He has a lot of anger towards people like that because of his dad. His dad has it in his head that, just because Darien’s not a ‘man’s man,’ he’s a girly boy or something. He’s always putting him down and saying he’s a pansy and a waste of sperm.”
Logan’s eyes widened and his back grew rigid as his own father’s similar, callous words filled his mind.
“I mean, the guy actually spent several years of Darien’s childhood smacking him around just to teach him how to tolerate pain.”
Logan drew in an audible gasp and he squeezed his eyes shut. You mean there were other people out there in the world who did that to their kids? It wasn’t just his father?
Lucy shrugged. “I think, because Darien has to take such crap from his dad, that was why he got so pissed at you today. When you were yelling all those things, I think he saw his dad in you.”
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