Chapter 4

"I'm telling you, there's something going on with this guy."

Emily shrugged, taking small bites of her golden apple. I sighed, becoming even more nervous than I already was. "Are you even listening to me?"

She rolled her eyes, throwing her apple onto the tray. "Yea, Ivy, but I don't see anything weird. He just didn't want to talk to you. Probably, he thought you tried hitting on him and he wasn't interested. You can't blame someone for not wanting to talk to you."

I sighed, drumming my fingers on the table. She was right. I was over-reacting. No one was forced to talk to me, and I should've understood that. But, still...

"Are you interested in him?"

The question got me unprepared. My eyes widened, not believing what she just said. I chuckled, covering my mouth with my hands. A line appeared between her brows; she was clearly confused by my weird reaction. "No way. I'm not interested in that nerd. It's just... pure curiosity." I said, spreading my arms wide.

She lifted her chin, pursuing her lips. Her eyes sparkled and, with a single, elegant gesture, moved the tray out of her way and propped her chin on her hand, her elbow resting on the table. "Ivy. Please. If you fancy that guy, you just have to tell me. I'm gonna stalk the hell out of him and find out even his address."

My nose wrinkled and I cracked up. She was crazy. I shook my head, looking right into her gorgeous, blue eyes. "No, Emily. I'm not interested in him. I was just curious, so don't even think to do such things, okay?"

She sighed, letting her hands fall onto the table. "Okay, okay, got it. If you change your mind, I'm the first who finds out, alright?"

I gave her a half-hearted nod. Even if I fancied him, which I didn't, I wouldn't have told her. She was too excited by such things and she used to talk too much, especially with the person involved. Imagining her, talking to the nerd guy and telling him if he wanted to go to the cinema with me made me shiver, frightened. That would've been extremely weird and embarrassing.

I raised my head, seeing Emily rose up and taking her tray with a disgusted look on her face. "This school's budget is pretty high. You would say their food should be good, but it's not! Gotta talk with my father." She said, leaving me alone at the table.

I sighed and got to my feet.

It was the second day of school and I already wanted to die. The homework was given to us even from the first day and I couldn't cope with it. I was tired and bored and not at all in good spirits. My grades were in danger and that thought made me sigh, shaking my head especially because what would my mom tell me...

"Hey, Ivy, let's go already!" Emily shouted, making a few people turn their heads towards her.

I squeezed my eyes shut for a few seconds and started walking towards the canteen exit. Emily got a grip on my arm and placed her head on my shoulder. "Do you know what class I have now? I forgot my schedule."

"History."

She stopped abruptly, making me almost lose my balance. Furrowing my brows, I lowered my eyes only to see her getting paler. I jerked away from her grip and put my hands on her shoulders. "Emily? You okay?"

She zoned out for a moment and, when she made eye contact with me, her eyes were glossy and terrified. I narrowed my eyes. "I-I-I'm gonna sit next to that freak again. Oh god, Ivy. He scares the shit out of me!"

I sighed. "C'mon, Emily. You just have to sit next to him, that's it. Don't talk with him. Pretend he doesn't exist. And, if he tries something... just speak with Mr. Wilson. He'll move you."

She inhaled sharply, making her small chest pop out quickly. "Okay. Okay. I can cope with it. It's gonna be fine."

I let my arms fall next to my legs and she drew deep breaths. Eventually, she stopped and smiled, like she always did. "Let's go in."

I rolled my eyes and returned her smile. She was a total drama queen.

***

"Do you think he'll make us write an essay? Man, I hate essays."

I blinked slowly, turning my face towards Gabe. "Gabe. It's History. Of course, we have to write essays!"

He threw his hands in the air, having a scandalized expression on his face. "No way! Oh god, why did I choose this course?!"

I chuckled, placing one hand on his shoulder. "It's gonna be fine. I'm gonna help you if you really can't figure it out."

His eyes widened like I saved his life from drowning. "God, Ivy! You're gonna save me!"

I cracked up and he smiled happily.

Gabe was fun. I liked talking with him and the good thing was that he didn't express his wish to go out outside the school, for the moment. If he stayed like this, my History buddy, this would be perfect.

A sudden move I saw with the corner of my eye, made me raise my head, only to see that Emily's partner just sat next to her, in a silent way. His back made me furrow my brows. He seemed familiar.

"You okay?" Gabe asked me, following my gaze. His brows drew together. "Do you know him?"

"There's only one way to find out." I whispered, my eyes focused on the back of his neck.

With the corner of my eye, I saw Emily and how white she was. The color drained out of her face.

I couldn't leave her like that. I had to know what was going on.

So, I leaned forward and patted his shoulder. I sensed him getting tense and, for a weird second, it looked like he stopped breathing. I furrowed my brows and got back in my sit. "Hey, sorry, can I ask you something?"

For a few terrible seconds, time seemed to be frozen. No one said anything. Gabe was looking at me confused, Emily drew a deep breath, not believing I really did this and, the weird guy sitting next to her seemed to ignore me.

Finally, I sighed and rose up. If he didn't want to turn to me, then I had to face him somehow. So, I went around the desks and planted my feet in front of him. He tilted his head and gave me an annoyed look – or expression. His eyes were covered by dark-shaded glasses.

"You again. I don't need any pens, thank you."

I blinked slowly and my mouth dropped.

It was the nerd guy. The one I bumped into. The one I sat next to in the Psychology class. He was the scary guy Emily told me about?!

Shocked, I just stood there, staring at him. He ignored me, taking out his phone and started typing something. I gasped, scandalized. I opened my mouth, ready to tell him something, but my arm jerked backward, making my eyes widen.

"Stop this, whatever it is. You don't have to torment him. I'm just gonna talk with the teacher." Emily whispered in my ear, tickling my neck.

I turned around, to face her. She put a finger onto her lips, telling me non-verbally to shut up and stop embarrassing her. I sighed, clenching my fists. "Emily..."

"What's happening here? Why aren't you in your seats?" Mr. Wilson said, coming next to us and looking at me and Emily with his huge and hairy eyebrows frowned.

"Mr. Wilson!" Emily said, with a huge smile which exposed her perfect, white teeth. "I would like to talk to you for a second..."

"Let it be quick. There's a new lesson I must teach." He said, touching his round, Harry Potter style glasses.

She threw a quick glance at the nerd guy and smiled back at our teacher. "It's about my seat. You see... I'm wearing contacts. But, still, I can't see what you write on the blackboard. Can I switch the seats with someone who's in the front of the class?"

Mr. Wilson rubbed his white as the snow beard, narrowing his eyes. Emily kept smiling and I had to bite my lip so I won't crack up. Her fake smile was so obvious. "Guess you're wearing the wrong contacts. You should go for a check and ask them to change them. If the problem is still there, then you should switch the doctors. What? You think the person who thought of this kind of display for a class didn't think about students who can't see well? It's because of the contacts, trust me." He said, patting her on her shoulder and leaving quickly.

Emily squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds and bit her lips. I put on a grimace. Her plan didn't work and now the weird guy knew that she didn't want to stay near him. Or, maybe he was so stupid that he bought Emily's story with the contacts. Either way, it was bad.

Sighing, we both went back to our seats and the class started. I was staring at Emily's tense back when something touched me gently on my arm, making me jerk away. Gabe raised his hands, backing off. I exhaled sharply, narrowing my eyes. "What?" I whispered, throwing glances at Mr. Wilson; he was an old man, but his ears worked even better than mine.

"What's up with this guy?" He replied, making a short movement with his chin towards the nerd.

I shrugged, biting my upper lip. "Nothing. I just wanted to ask him something about the Psychology. We're in the same class."

Gabe narrowed his eyes and shook his head. Of course, he didn't believe me.

"Gabriel Bennett."

"Here." Gabe said with his even, thoughtful voice.

The register...

The register!

I chuckled. This was my second chance.

I listened carefully to Mr. Wilson's boring and placid voice, ready to hear it. Emily's name came and I started rubbing my hands. Here it comes.

"Caiden Morris."

"Here." His answer came, his voice being low and husky.

There it is. His name. I repeated it a few times in my mind, like a mantra, making sure I won't forget it.

"Ivy Moore."

Caiden Morris. Caiden Morris. Caiden Morris...

Gabe grabbed my arm and I jerked away, throwing him a deadly glare. He returned my glare with a scandalized expression and pointed towards our teacher. I furrowed my brows and followed his gaze...

"Ivy Moore, are you here with your mind as well or just physically?"

The class cracked up, making my ears turn red. I lowered my eyes and muttered a "Sorry". Mr. Wilson snorted and continued with the register like nothing happened. I closed my eyes a second and when I opened, Emily was looking at me disappointed. "God, Ivy. Pay some attention!" She said, sticking her tongue out.

I blinked slowly. Emily seemed fine. Just seemed, unfortunately. Her face was still pale and her eyes were silently screaming "get me out of here" but I couldn't do much. Plus, the guy did nothing wrong, to be honest. He just stood there, with his hands shoved in his pockets, staring at the blackboard like he was counting the seconds until the break.

"Do you think he's a nerd because he's Asian?"

I flinched, not prepared for Gabe talking to me out of nowhere. Especially whispering in my ear.

I furrowed my brows. "How do you know I think he's a nerd?" I asked him, getting suspicious.

I was pretty positive that I didn't say that aloud.

He shrugged and shook his head, having a smirk plastered on his face. "You muttered something like 'the nerd was the scary guy' or some shit. I didn't mean to listen to you talking to yourself, but I couldn't help it." He chuckled, folding his arms.

Oh, God. Did I think aloud? Did he... possibly hear me? I threw a quick look at the weird guy, but he didn't turn around at all. He seemed pretty focused on what Mr. Wilson was talking about, whatever it was. I sighed in relief. "If I ever think aloud, please smack my face." I told Gabe, making him raise his eyebrows and say a weird and long 'okay'.

The class ended and the nerd rose up and stormed out. Emily drew a deep breath and turned her face at me. "That was totally not cool. Why did you do that?! I couldn't tell Mr. Wilson that I don't want to stay next to that scary guy if he was standing right behind us! You ruined everything!" She said, her furious voice making me blink quickly and drop my mouth.

"Um... sorry..." I managed to say, understanding her point.

Indeed, she couldn't tell him the real reason if he was right next to us. It was a stupid move. But, also, I didn't expect the scary guy to be him, so it was just a twisted situation anyways.

"Whatever." Emily said, getting on her feet and walking towards the door. I stuffed my things into my backpack and followed her quickly, shouting a "Wait!".

***

He inspected carefully his surroundings. The park was silent and the lamps were the only source of light. No one was there, not even the occasional junkies. It would've been problematic if he was followed. He perked up his ears. Birds. Wind. Water. Only nature. He exhaled sharply, walking slowly towards the big tree in front of him. He checked his phone, making sure it was the right time. He couldn't cope with this technology; he loved the old times, when everything was much simpler, especially the humans. Humans were so complicated in these new times! He shook his head, remembering that brown-haired girl. People used to leave him alone, because of his hazy aura. But not her. She practically broke his spell and this thing was confusing for him. How could she? Did she have any powers? Was she a mage? He's never seen one, but the world was changing. If he could exist, then even wizards could've been real.

"Next time let's meet at the beach. This autumn feel makes me want to swim."

Xislia appeared in front of him, falling from the tree. He took several steps back and narrowed his eyes. "Your hair is a mess. How can you seduce someone with all those leaves?"

He approached her, picking the soft leaves from her red and wild hair. She bit her lips, staring at his perfect face and thinking how his lips would taste. "If you have funky ideas, drop them. I'm not your meal."

She rolled her eyes and pulled back. "I know. It's just my instinct, you know. Anyways, did He send you here?"

He sighed, lowering his body and touching the muddy ground. His hands got dirty, but he couldn't care less. "Yes. Have you noticed? It got worse. I think in a year we'll all end up aches."

She gave him a puzzled gaze, following his hands' movements. "You can feel it? If that old demon didn't tell us, I wouldn't have got a clue, to be honest." She said, shoving her hair back away from her face.

Caiden sighed, getting to his feet and rubbing his hands. "Yes. I've got a connection with nature."

She chuckled, turning her back. "Is that an Asian thing? Do you have sex with the trees?"

He rolled his eyes, annoyed by her ignorance. "And I thought only humans can be racist."

She laughed, turning her head only to see him sulking. "I'm sorry, kitty. Don't take it personally. Humans have a huge impact on me. Can't get through day without sarcasm and cigarettes, you know?"

"I don't."

She gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "Are you not allowed to smoke?" She came closer and whispered in his ear, in a conspiracy-kind of manner: "Is it because of your connection with nature? Your body, your temple?"

He jerked away, his nose getting wrinkled. He didn't like her full-humane smell. "Did you just suck the energy out of a human before you came here?"

She shrugged, crossing her arms over her generous chest. "A girl has to survive. It's not polite to ask a demon what he has to do for a living. Am I asking you if you fucked a tree? No. See?"

"I have no idea why I'm dealing with you." He muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. After a few seconds, he drew a quick breath and met her dirty gaze. "Anyways, we have to keep it a secret. We are the only ones who know about the Fallen."

"And the rest of them?"

He glared at her, but she just shrugged. "Sorry. I can't focus on something boring. That meeting made me want to kill myself, to be honest."

Caiden sighed. "It's too risky to let them know. They will create chaos on earth, even more than already is."

"Of course." She mocked him, smirking. "You know, I think all this nerd charade gets you very well. You truly look like one. Especially because you look like an Asian. Asians are nerds."

"As much as I like talking to you about racist things, unfortunately, I have more important matters to discuss. Like the possibility of finding the touched one."

"That Barbie girl? I checked her out. Nice necklace she got. If she gets killed, I will keep the necklace."

Caiden blinked slowly, staring at her bored face. "You stole her necklace?"

She shrugged nonchalantly, inspecting her nails. "It was a pretty one. You know I love shiny things."

Caiden gasped, not believing her childish behavior. "God Damn, Xsilia! Are you even aware of the rules? You know what's happening now with our worlds and, still, you do such things! If they get aware of our presence, we'll die even faster!"

She growled, appearing in front of him in a fraction of second. "You are even hotter when you are angry. But, baby, please don't call me by that name. I'm Jessica."

He rolled his eyes, taking a few steps back. It wasn't because he was tempted by her succubus aura. He, in fact, was disgusted by her filthy nature. But, sometimes, even his disgust seemed to disappear. "Anyways, He sent me to warn you. Do your job and stop interfering with so many humans. If you use them, kill them and dispose of their bodies. Don't make our situation even worse."

She yawned, covering her mouth with her hands. "Is that all? I have to go to a party."

That succubus was unbelievable. Caiden shook his head and gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "Just go, you're annoying me. Oh, and by the way."

She turned her head and met his gaze. His mouth's corners almost went up. Almost. "Jessica is a boring name. It sucks."

She stuck her tongue out and her nose got wrinkled. In a second, she disappeared, leaving him alone with the wind messing his hair up, as his mind already was.

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