Two
Suddenly, it hit me, like a bolt of lightning; an electronic rush of tremendous supremacy, like a blistering detonation of electrical current surging into me. The force of it was unerringly excruciating. It was as hard to disregard as it was mystifying. The urge to turn back towards the doorway and look at him again was practically impossible to resist as I struggled to stay in place.
An outbreak of unfamiliar emotions flowed through me nearly knocking me down as I stared unswervingly at a real life vision that had to be a fragment of my imagination; unwilling to pull my eyes away from the excruciatingly familiar face, I couldn’t help but notice the most remarkable shade of black eyes, circled by a sphere of nearly flickering warm gold. I found myself lost in his gaze as I spotted a hint of recognition in their depths. Optimism surged forth, yet, in a flash, all I could see was uncertainty. It happened so quickly, I had to wonder if I hadn’t imagined it.
An insistent thought kept repeating itself in my mind: I want to soothe the frown on his forehead. The lunacy left me at a loss for words. His clear indifference to my presence threatened to ignite something unrecognizable deep within me. Showing no signs of refuge or haste, his demeanour untailored.
The powerful aura and sentiment that flowed from somewhere in his body was very strange to me, yet, it seemed so normal. I felt like I’d suddenly been reunited with an essential part of me that had been missing my entire life; it felt like the first craved breath after nearly suffocating. Yet, his presence alone nearly snatched the very breath away from me.
As he stepped towards me, my lips parted on their own. I couldn't breathe through my nose anymore. I sat very still, staring at him as if my life depended on it. I wanted to look away, but my mind couldn't function.
He brushed past me and I trembled. It had nothing to do with the power and warmth radiating off of him but when his hand brushed my palm, I felt as though electrical energy passed through us.
I quickly moved my hand. He was sitting next to me by then – the only available seat. My hand still tingled from where we’d touched and coin-sized blisters were forming. I slowly raised my hand over my chest, how could this be? My heart was racing.
The chaos and murmurs broke around the room and Mr. Watson had to call the class to order.
Anton, Jake’s younger brother walked over to me.
“Can you move over?” he asked, motioning to the empty desk on my left, were he was previously sitting. I nodded and shuffled to the chair. He took my previous seat.
“So you’re from the big city huh?” Anton asked Bradley.
His voice was tight, as though he was trying hard to hold on to his serenity. “Yes.”
“You can have lunch with me and my friends.”
Bradley shook his head. “No thanks.”
I couldn't help but notice how he seemed to lean away from Anton, his features twisted in agony and his eyes frustrated. The pen he held in his hand was digging hard into his palm. I cringed. That ought to hurt.
“Nervous I see.”
Bradley smiled. He didn't look nervous at all. It was as though he was impatient; as though he was trying not to do anything rash. The deep frown on his forehead said as much.
“Made any friends yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Hey man, heard you moved into Smith neighborhood,” he continued. “I also live there.”
My heart threatened to rip through my chest. Smith was the smallest neighborhood in Margate, home to the richest people of our town. I also lived there. That reminded me, it was my mother’s last day as the janitor, and the Finley’s who’d been renting the mansion for a decade now were forced to leave. The original home owner Mr. Carter and his family were coming back to town and mother was fortunate enough to still keep her previous job at the house. All thanks to Mrs. Finley’s letter of recommendation.
“So how long have you lived here?” Bradley asked.
Anton chuckled. “Me...” he seemed happy about his sudden change of mood. “All my life, I’ve never left Margate. I’ve been with the school since... let’s see ...” he concentrated really hard. “Oh, it’s been three years now.”
Bradley nodded stiffly, uncomfortably, leaning further away from Anton.
Eventually the deafening sound of the bell rang. I frowned in distaste. Bradley and I were the last out of the classroom and he glared at me as I walked through the door.
I still struggled with finding my classes, the school was too big. Eventually I found F BLOCK written in big bold letters just a few feet from my science class.
I went over to the front desk and put down my files and backpack. With my back turned to them I exhaled and convinced myself I could do this. Turning slowly around with a pen digging into my big finger I sat down.
“I’m your new English teacher, Mrs. Wells.” The woman with braces and glasses too big for her face said.
A girl walked in while the substitute teacher was still introducing herself.
“I expect everyone to be here a minute before me. I don’t tolerate unpunctuality.”
The poor girl mumbled an apology and hurried off to her seat.
The first few minutes after that were a bit awkward; we wouldn’t stop staring at Mrs. Wells as she spoke. She didn’t like the attention. When the door abruptly swung open, I turned my head towards it, to give whoever thought he owned the school a piece of my mind but I couldn’t, the minute I looked into those beautiful mesmerizing black eyes I forgot my name.
He stood over me powerfully, tall and angry. Waiting. He was a predator and I tried not to panic, not to let my emotions show on my face. The stillness. The confidence. The power. He was dangerous, more dangerous than anything I’d ever encountered. His eyes were an emotionless pit, he was daring me – daring me to give him good enough reason for him to make me his prey.
This Greek god hated me to the core, I could tell by the way his eyes swept over my body, the way he cocked his head to the side as though he was trying to figure something out – probably a way to get rid of me. The frown on his forehead looked alien; I balled my hands into fists to resist the edge of smoothing it away. I couldn't help wondering why he seemed to hate me, why I was subjected to his hateful gaze.
I had to search for my voice before I could manage to say, “I…um, you are late.”
His sinful lips released a bit of the embryonic chuckle; they trembled as it slipped through with a muted wisp that almost resembled a fart. I had to wonder why Mrs. Wells didn’t reprimand him.
He shrugged and took the only empty seat available, in the front row in the middle, the only desk directly facing mine. He didn’t walk; he glided. His body was like that of an animal, an experienced predator. He moved like a wild cat, a leopard. He was silent. My heart skipped a beat. I tried not to dwell on that much longer.