A Call to Arms

A Ninja Invasion

"Hey, sorry I'm late, got held up at school," Anabel apologised as she fell into the seat beside Trent. He was pretending to read the book in his hands, but when Anabel glanced at him, she could see him peering over the top, watching Kira talk to some guy at the bar. "You know, if you just admitted how you feel -"

"Whoa, no, it's not like that," said Trent quickly.

Anabel laughed and removed her books from her backpack. "Oh, then what is it like?" she teased. "Because, I am pretty sure stalking the woman you like is grounds for harassment."

"1. I'm not stalking her," said Trent, defensively. "Kira is at liberty to talk to whoever she wants."

"Whom," Anabel corrected.

Trent furrowed his brow. "I'm sorry?" he asked.

"Whomever she likes," Anabel said. "Whoever is grammatically incorrect. The term is 'whomever'."

"Whatever grammar police," Trent muttered.

Anabel smiled. She had been called 'grammar police' by her friends so many times now that it wasn't even an insult anymore. Being an editor meant that her spelling and grammar needed to be on point, otherwise she would miss mistakes in the school newspaper, not to mention her homework and tutoring sheets. "Who is he, anyway?" she asked.

"Don't you mean 'whom'?" Trent teased.

"No, smart arse," Anabel said, poking him in the shoulder. "Do we need to have another grammar lesson?"

Trent rolled his eyes, smiled, and then shook his head. Ever since finding out that Anabel was his adopted father's biological daughter, he had done everything within his power to get to know her on a more familiar level. If they were to be family then it was only fair that they treated each other as such, even if Anabel did dislike her father for leaving her.

"So, who is he?" Anabel repeated.

"I don't know," Trent replied. "Kira said he looked familiar, but I can't say from were. He doesn't look old enough to be still in school, and it's not like we have a lot of time for extracurricular activities, you know, beside fighting the occasional monster."

Anabel smiled and leafed through her notebook. They had a mid-term coming up in Palaeontology, and she had two others in Government and Chemistry. Taking mostly AP classes was a challenge, but being the academic nut that she was, Anabel found the pressure a challenge.

"Not that you could fit any more extracurricular activities into your schedule," Trent teased.

Anabel stuck her tongue out at him. "Your girlfriend is returning," she said, without looking up,

"I told you, she's not my girlfriend!"

"Who's not your girlfriend?" Kira asked, sitting down in the only available chair beside Trent. "Hey, Anabel."

Trent blushed as Anabel grinned. "Hey, Kira, who's your new friend?" she asked.

"His names Blake," Kira answered. "I've seen him somewhere before, but I can't put my finger on were."

Anabel chewed the inside of her cheek. She didn't have a photographic memory, but she was surprisingly good with faces. "What you got there?" she asked, noticing the tickets in Kira's hands.

"Oh, they're passes to his race tomorrow," said Kira, handing one over. "He rides Motocross."

"Blake Bradley," said Anabel, reading the name. "I see what you mean about seeming familiar. The name rings a bell, but I can't place where I have heard it before."

Trent rolled his eyes. "If you two want to fan girl over a potential celeb crush, I can leave," he said.

"Jealousy is an unbecoming trait on a man, Trent," said Anabel, passing Kira back the pass. "How many did you get?" she added to the long-haired blonde.