Evolution

Chapter Four: Keira

I avoided eye contact with the various faces daring to enter my area. Making eye contact pretty much meant giving away an invitation to enter my personal space, and there was no way I was giving that kind of invitation away today, nor any other day in the near distant future. For the next hour, I sat with Coby as he stuffed his face full of food. He didn't bother making conversation with me; he could see the easily agitated look upon my face. I hated being in amongst a large group of people, I hated that people were looking towards me before whispering towards their smaller groups of friends. There seemed to be one woman in particular that I couldn't seem to shake from my tension fuelled system - I had never gotten on well with other women, I was too strong-minded, I was too opinionated and that didn't sit well with most other girls my age. This occurrence seemed to be no different, but quickly it was easily stereotypically obvious as to why she was giving me continuous glares.

"That guy Jesse, he keeps looking at you" Coby informed me as he lifted his head in the direction of Jesse, Jaxon and Arden standing with a few other informant men towards another staircase leading upwards.

"And?" I scoffed as I wiped my hunting knife clear of creature blood with an abandoned shirt

"I think he has the hots for you" Coby continued as I scoffed yet again

"Do you think it's my charm, or based on just how approachable I am?" I sarcastically threw at Coby with raised eyebrows, avoiding the glances I knew Jesse was giving me from across the room, along with the female standing a few groups away

"Hey" A new voice bluntly offered as a shadow now stood in front of Coby and I seated against a wall on a pair of broken plastic chairs. I kept my eyes down, uninterested.

"Uh, hi" Coby spoke as he realized I wasn't going to speak, my head down on my knife as I thoroughly scrubbed its deadly blade

"My name is Austin" The teen continued as I felt his eyes burn on my face

"I'm Coby, and this is..." Coby trailed off again, much like he had every time he felt the need to introduce me to strangers "This is Arrow" He shortened my nickname

"Arrow?" Austin repeated incredulously "That's a sweet name" He quickly changed his tone

I lifted my head with a fake smile in place, instantly it lightened his expression

"Are you two related?" He spoke, his words not what I had expected as he looked in between Coby and I

"No" I quickly shut him down keeping my smile in place "He's just some stray I picked up"

Austin smiled, lightly laughing at my effortless joke               

"Well, me and that guy over there, we're brothers" Austin continued as he pointed back towards his friends, one of them waving towards me with a bright eyed grin.

This kid was the kind of kid I wanted to punch in the throat during my torturous high school years, he was a jock, the kind of guy that thought he had the world wrapped around his fingers. Suddenly, I felt the need to take control, to finish this guy off before he had even started his oh-so-subtle flirtatious intentions.

I nodded slowly as I narrowed my eyes "He's your brother?" I repeated

"Mhm, his name is Jarod" He proudly introduced

"Oh" I scoffed, shaking my head as I looked back down

Austin instantly bit my reaction "What?"

"His posture, his features, it's deceiving, sorry" I lightly laughed as I looked back up biting my bottom lip

"What do you mean?" Austin now shook his head, confused

"He's very... petite, porcelain skin, small hands, and that teased soft hair..." I trailed off suggestively as Austin's eyebrows crossed still unsure