Chapter 12

I didn't sleep well that night, tossing and turning, constantly waking, thinking someone was watching me. It was just my imagination though; I could hear Claire snoring softly across the hall and, while my room did face the street, there were no trees to climb and I had my blinds and curtains closed. I felt like I was being paranoid, thinking people were spying on me, but that's what my instincts were telling me.

I woke up cranky, setting the mood for the day.

It was raining, I couldn't find my rain poncho, I had a pop quiz in Trig, I was tired and I managed to bust my butt trying to hurry through the halls. Connor seemed to care about himself because he kept his mouth shut over lunch and left me alone. I was grateful even in my irritation.

Tuesday was better, overcast but not raining and I'd managed to get some sleep. I didn't bring up DJ's story, even though he asked me about my weekend, though I did pay more attention to him. I had to admit, if he wasn't a vampire, I didn't know what he was.

The weeks passed and January bled into February. Connor had started sticking closer to me since that weekend, like he was afraid I'd vanish or something. He'd taken to occasionally brushing against me as we walked, his eyes lingering on my face at odd moments and touching my face when we parted. It spoke volumes to me, but I wasn't sure what it meant.

"You seem preoccupied lately," he told me one afternoon over lunch. "What's bothering you?"

"Truth?" He nodded. "I'm not sure how to put this." The effects of DJ's story had worn down enough that it had lost some of its urgency. The question of Connor's humanity was still there, though. He waited patiently while I tried to phrase what I wanted to say, but I finally decided there was no good way to ask. "What are you?"

"Human," he responded instantly. It sounded like a rehearsed line to my ears, something you automatically said. A normal person would have been confused by my question.

"Really? I'm not so sure. I don't know what else you could be and I'm not sure I could believe in anything else, but-" I shrugged and lowered my eyes to my hands.

"Does that bother you?" He leaned a little closer to me, his eyes serious. I nodded. "Why?"

"You act differently then anyone I've ever met; my mind can't wrap around the reason for this discrepancy." I looked up at his face. "Nothing about you makes sense."

"What if I told you I was from outer space?" I threw my napkin at him. "The Bermuda Triangle?" I narrowed my eyes. "The ninth circle of Hell?" My apple was aimed at his face and he caught it without blinking.

"Do you see what I mean?" He just grinned. "Fine, be all mystical. See if I take your questions seriously again." I stood and dumped my tray then walked back to the table for my bag.

"Trish, why are you so sure I'm different? And is that truly a bad thing?" I just stared at him, one hip cocked. "You're different, too, and I like that just fine." He reached for my hand, then his eyes moved to something behind me and his hand withdrew. "Cody wants to ask you something; I'll see you later." He sounded unhappy and I frowned as he walked away.

"Hey Tricia, do you mind if I talk to you?" Cody asked, his face reddening.

"Sure, but lets walk so we aren't late to class."

"Um, you know that Valentine's Day is in two weeks," he said, wringing his hands. "I was wondering if you'd go to the dance with me?" The last sentence was said so quickly it took me a second to decipher what he said.

I'd actually completely forgot it was coming up and hadn't known there would be a dance. I thought ahead quickly, figured out which day it was on and quickly began lying.

"It's on a Saturday, right?" He nodded. "I'm sorry, I can't. I'm going out of town." I really didn't like lying unnecessarily, but I was not going to a dance. "I know," I said, thinking quickly, "Why don't you ask Allison? I think she likes you." That shifted him from rejected boy to strutting teenager and it was true.

"Thanks, I think I will," he told me and walked off.

Aaron was waiting by my locker after school with the same question and I steered him towards Tracy. I approached Jake Webster, who was back to normal, color-wise, and told him to ask Marie. Of course I had to explain to everyone that I would be out of town that weekend, which meant I'd actually have to leave. Oh well.

Tracy and Allison drafted me that Saturday to help them pick out dresses. We rode is Tracy's little Toyota to Billings and I spent all afternoon following them from shop to shop in search of the Perfect Dress which was followed by the search for the Perfect Shoes.

After they finally picked everything out, I was in need of some alone time. I left them in a shop full of other teenage girls and told them I'd meet them at the corner restaurant in half an hour for dinner before we headed back. A glance at my watch said it was 5:30pm and I hit the streets.

I really didn't have a destination in mind, letting my feet carry me where they may as my mind wandered. I knew I was in trouble when I looked up and the cheerful shop windows and signs were nowhere to be found. I had no clue where I was.

I turned around, thinking maybe I'd just wandered a few streets too far and I could find my way back easily. My footsteps echoed loudly as I walked quickly back up the street, spiking my fear meter. When the scenery didn't improve, I began to worry. I didn't think I'd turned any corners but I couldn't remember. I looked around but couldn't see anybody to ask directions from and I couldn't tell which cluster of lights led back the way I came.

"Brilliant, Tricia, just brilliant," I muttered to myself. "You would be stupid enough to wander around in a strange city and not pay attention to your surroundings. Stupid." I kept walking straight anyway, hoping I was going the right way and wishing my phone had a GPS navigator.

I don't know how long it took me to realize I was hearing another set of footsteps, but I figured it couldn't be good and a quick glance in a passing window showed me two scruffy-looking young men following a few feet back. I pulled out my phone but had no reception and I mentally kicked myself. I gripped my keys in one hand, lowering my other to casually fidget with the knife hooked onto my pocket.

My heart rate sped up as I saw two similar guys turn a corner a block up and head towards me. The ones behind me yelled a greeting to the ones in front and I knew I was in trouble. I slowed down as the distance between the strangers and myself closed and I tried to control my breathing, tried not to panic.

"What have we here?" one of them said.

"A stray. We found her wandering around lost."

"Leave me alone," I said quietly, trying to control my rising panic. My hands were beginning to hurt from the grip I had on my make-shift weapons. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

They started laughing and I backed up to put a wall behind me as they closed in. I swallowed and tried to recall the self-defense moves that one of my friend's mothers taught us girls if we were attacked, or at least the moves from Miss Congeniality.

I took my hands out of my pockets and felt my pulse race as they reached for me, my adrenaline pumping even as my mind was cowering in fear. I lashed out with my left hand, the one with the keys, scoring angry lines across the nearest ones face as I kicked at another. I fisted my knife instead of opening it, swinging wildly.

I felt my hand connect with something and winced at the pain. Too late, I realized I lost contact with the wall and felt a hand in my hair. I dropped to my knees as one of them yanked hard on my hair, my eyes tearing with the pain and fear.

"Stupid bitch!," the one I'd tagged with my keys said as he circled around in front of me. He held a hand to his cheek and I could see blood. "We'll teach you some manners."

All heads whipped around as a car came screeching around the corner and stopped mere inches from me, scaring the men surrounding me. I couldn't see much because of the blinding lights in my face, but I wasn't going to object to anything that saved my life right now.

"Get in the car, Tricia," a voice I knew and didn't know at all called out and I threw myself into the open car. Connor's face was frightening as he peeled away, swinging the rear end of his car around in a move that slammed me against the door. I heard a thud but didn't bother looking; I didn't want to know.

"What the hell were you doing?" His voice was thick with rage as he snarled at me, his eyes positively shining in the dark. "Do you have a death wish? Do you have any idea what those guys were going to do to you?" He was way beyond pissed and driving very fast; I fastened my seatbelt with shaking hands.

"I know very well what they would have done to me!" I yelled back, surprising myself, the adrenaline still coursing through my veins. "I was prepared."

"Yes, I can see that." Sarcasm dripped from his words as his eyes fell to my still-clenched fists. He took a deep breath and blew it out noisily. "Talk to me. Give me something so I won't go back and do what I want to with them." The world flashed by at high speeds and we were soon out of the city.

The shakes were starting, and my hands were aching, but I struggled to give him what he needed.

"Um, I'm here with Tracy and Allison. They were shopping for dresses and stuff for the dance." My voice was very weak but he seemed to hear me just fine. I glanced at the digital clock on his stereo face and was shocked to find that it said 6:55pm. "You have to take me back," I told him.

"Why?"

"I was supposed to meet them for dinner at six and they'll be worried. Please?" My teeth were beginning to chatter and I clamped my mouth shut.

"Fine," was all he said, shooting a u-turn in the middle of the highway at over eighty miles an hour. If I wasn't freaked out before, I would have been then. As it was, I just hung on for dear life.

"Would it be too much to ask you to slow down?" When he didn't respond I began muttering under my breath. "Great, I won't die by thugs intent on raping me, no, I get to die by speeding meta-human."

He laughed. "We're not going to crash, nor will I let you die." He turned completely to stare at me. "So, I'm a meta-human?" I just rolled my eyes and worked on unclenching my hands.

"It's as bad an explanation as any," I said as I carefully dropped my keys and knife into my coat pockets, fishing out a piece of candy and popping it into my mouth. What does it say about me that I'm always prepared for a stressful situation? I looked out the window and wasn't too surprised to find that we were already back in the city. I told him which restaurant and we pulled up out front just as Tracy and Allison walked out. I rolled down the window and yelled to them, making an effort to get my shaky body out of the car.

"There you are!" Allison said as I got out. "We were getting worried."

"Sorry, I-"

"She was with me," Connor interrupted, treating them to his fierce gaze. He was intimidating normally, or so they told me, but they looked bedazzled.