They Came In Hoodies

Chapter 14: On Your Side

Song for the start of the chapter! Happy Monday!

Gray POV

I woke up to the sound of rain hitting the roof above me. It was constant and calming, almost lulling me back to sleep, I would have let it if I didn't have things to do today. For a moment I laid there, soaking up the peace until my alarm rang, showing that I had to wake up and do my jobs. With a stretch, I got up from my bed, then slipped a shirt on.

I checked my phone for the date, making sure it was the actual day I thought it was. The screen lit up with the correct date and it caused a smile to appear on my face. I hadn't been so excited for a weekend in a long time, but Stella's question about homecoming made me excited. After she asked if I would join her, I thought about it for days, but her persistence made me feel like she actually wanted me to join her and eventually, I agreed. Now with the morning of homecoming, even though I had a list of things I had to do, all I wanted to think about was tonight. Connecting with someone on a personal level was something that I wanted to so badly, which hadn't happened in so long.

The thought caused me to wake up even more as I looked at the suit in my closet that I borrowed from the local vintage store. It hung in the closet as a reminder that I actually was going. With a yawn, I shuffled my feet out of my small bedroom and into the kitchen to see Else sitting at the table drinking tea and writing notes on some paper. I didn't have to say anything for her to look up at me with a smile.

For some reason, she always knew when I went into a room. I wasn't sure if it was because she couldn't trust me or she could sense my presence somehow. "Morning," I said causally as I rummaged through the counters to find something to eat.

"The rain is supposed to change to snow. You should bundle up," mom said as she brushed some of her straight hair behind her ear showing her fine jewels, which hinted that she had somewhere important to be today that was besides this small house.

She had been gone a lot since that Darkling attacked me in the field almost two weeks ago. Since that time, we had not seen another one in this realm which put me at ease but the silence and calm were not permanent. There was something brewing beneath Else's eyes that told me she was worried about so much more than I knew. "Thanks."

"Sure," she sighed as she looked at some notes on her folder she held in her hands and put it down as if not wanting to look at them any longer. "Listen, I'm getting some push back about you attending classes at the Churchwell Academy."

Her words caused me to frown, but deep down, I saw this coming. They didn't want me in the school in fears that my father's characteristics would come out in me too much. They didn't want another monster to destroy what they just recently rebuilt. But didn't they see I was nothing like my father? I was here working tirelessly for them in Jackson, dealing with a gate in a realm that hated me, but it didn't matter. They were too worried about shutting my father's actions away, even if that meant giving me little change to defend myself. "Ok."

"Gray, don't give me that face," she frowned as she cupped my cheek as if her hands were tied in the matter. They probably were, but it didn't stop me from thinking for a second that this was her fault and she could do something about it.

"Ok."

"Listen, I'm going to meet with the royal family today, then the dean of the Churchwell school. I'm going to get the last-minute details and push for you. You deserve to learn more about Churchwell, you are from Churchwell but you don't even know much about it. That's not fair for you. But I think for you to show your face before next week is important. People haven't seen you on the grounds since you were a small child. What do you think about taking a tour of the school tomorrow?"